Of Amazons, Bacchae and Death

Written: 1999
Timeline: Sometime after "The Bitter Suite"
Disclaimer: Xena: Warrior Princess is the copyright property of Renaissance Pictures, Universal Studios and Studios USA. This fan fiction story was written for entertainment purposes only.
Description: Written as a round robin story by several Xenites. Set in the time of Xena, Xenites have taken an Amazon identity as they join the bacchae, Xena Torres, in a battle against the undead.
Written in collaboration by: Julie "Xena Torres" Ruffell, Jenna "SilverWaves" Tomlin, Lee Lightning, Xena Bird, Jan Gyn and Calayis

"Of Amazons, Bacchae and Death"

She had wandered the earth for hundreds of years. She had seen countless battles, and the scars on her well muscled body revealed that to the world. Most were minor, except the long, ugly scar that trailed over her empty left eye socket. She was a bacchae, but ever since the death of Bacchus, she had been free of his control. Now she fought for good, but there were those who still feared her.

Her name was Xena Torres, a mighty warrior, who was now running for her life. They had been tracking her for weeks, hunting her like an animal. No matter how good she was, there had been too many and one had caught her with the deadly dyrad bone. She was bleeding through her quickly thrown together bandage, and the injury prevented her from taking to the air. She stumbled along and she could hear the mob growing closer.

She tripped and fell to the ground. When she turned, she saw a man looking down at her. "This is the end, bacchae!"

"Not in this lifetime," a starkly clad warrior woman said. Pulling her sword out of its sheath, she ran over and gutted the man. He died quickly. Pushing the body off her sword with her foot she twirled around and helped the bacchae to her feet.

"Thank you," Torres panted. "I'm Xena Torres. And you are?"

"Oh, I'm yeah, I'm Allanna. No time to talk, they really outnumber us. Run!"

Allanna and Torres started off, but they had run no more then fifty feet when Torres stumbled. Allanna ran back, hoisted Torres up and, helping to support her, they started off again.

"Don't worry, I know this great little hiding place not far from here. That nasty ol' mob will never find us, but ya gotta kinda pick up the pace as much as you can, 'cause they ain't far behind!"

"Yeah, I hear them too," said Torres. She gritted her teeth against the pain of her now twisted ankle and ran faster.

"We're going left at the big oak tree," Allanna informed her, panting only slightly. This strange woman was a little heavy in her tall, muscled body, Allanna thought.

Going around the oak tree, Allanna headed straight for a large leafy bush. "We're going in, so shield your face unless you like the scratched look."

Torres got the hint and, putting her hands in front of her face, she walked into the bush and was immediately surprised when she found a flight of stairs heading into the ground.

"This is where we lose those crazed half-wits. Hurry so they don't spot the bush moving."

The first thirty feet were lighted only by what little light drifted in through the bush, but after that candles on the steps lit the rest of the way down.

When the two reached the bottom, they were greeted by a dour faced warrior woman with a wicked looking sword held at the ready. She and Allanna nodded at each other, Allanna reassuring her that this strange women was okay to pass, and they went on by.

"I'll take you to the medicine woman to look at that wound. Your ankle too if I'm not mistaken."

Allanna took Torres through the cave system, passing Amazon women on their way. Soon they came to a room with herbs drying on racks against the walls, straw pallets on the ground and stacked in the corners and a fire in the middle.

"Jonquil, get over here. She needs to be looked at. Are you the only one here? You think you can handle her?"

"Yeah, let me have her. I know I'm just the apprentice and a new one at that, but never question my abilities in front of the patient," Jonquil growled to Allanna. She settled Torres on a thick straw pallet, looked at the wound and, murmuring about the world these days, got the stuff ready to wash and dress the injury. Allanna stood there a moment with an amused smirk on her lips, shook her head and left the room.

"All right, anything else I should know about? Other injuries?"

"My ankle," replied Torres.

"Mmm, okay, I'll get that boot off then." With a gentle and practiced hand Jonquil went about taking off the tired woman's boot and washing the dryad bone wound.

"I'm thirsty." Torres licked her lips as Jonquil's firm hands explored her bare feet. "Do you have anything to drink?"

"There's water, my dear."

"Forget water. Do you have anything that's red? Like red wine?"

"None for you. Intoxicants are reserved for religious celebrations. Why does it have to red?"

"No reason. Never mind." Torres tried to relax.

"Sure you don't want water?" Jonquil smiled into Torres' tremulous face, who stared back hungrily at the creamy, blue veined smoothness of Jonquil's throat. "It'll make you feel stronger."

As they were talking about wine and water, Torres' ankle was swelling more and more. Finally Jonquil tore her gaze away from her new patients' eyes, glanced down at the ankle, and swore under her breath. Turning towards the doorway, she asked the next Amazon who passed by, "Do you know if Blazze is anywhere here in the cavern?"

Jonquil blinked once, and suddenly, there was another woman standing just a few feet away from her. "You rang?" she asked, causing Jonquil to jump half out of her skin.

"Goddess, I wish you would stop doing that!" Even though she was growling about the sudden appearance, the apprentice healer was smiling as well. "Yes, Blazze, I 'rang' for you! This woman's ankle is swelling very fast, and I was wondering if you could give it your 'unique' treatment?"

"Hmm, let me take a look."

Ever since the sudden arrival of this newest woman, Torres thought that perhaps her vision was being affected in some way from her injuries, because she could swear that this woman's hair was always moving slightly, even though there couldn't possibly be a breeze. She kept staring, and rubbing her eyes until Blazze looked up from the ankle, and saw the puzzled look on the patient's face.

"Don't worry. There's nothing wrong with your eyes," she laughed. "Several years ago I was struck by lightning, and one of the many side effects is that my hair, as well as the rest of my body, now carries this, well, flow of energy, as I've come to call it." Saying this, she ran her hand through her short red hair, and Torres could see little sparks all through it and could hear a faint crackling sound. It was defiantly one of the most unusual things she had ever seen.

Blazze went on to say, "I've discovered that, for some reason, I don't fully understand yet, that is if I urge a small amount of this flow, to go from my hands, into the injured part of a person, or animal's body, it seems to greatly speed up the healing, especially with reducing swelling. So if it's all right with you, I'd like to do that for you now."

Torres unconsciously scooted away just a bit from where Blazze was resting her hands on the cot, her eyes growing quite large.

"Don't worry," Blazze laughed. "It doesn't hurt at all. All that you will feel is a bit of tingling, but if you are too scared..."

Blazze had read the bacchae right, as Torres' response was to puff up her chest, and bluster, "I am not afraid of anything."

"Great!" Blazze responded, gently wrapping her hands around the injured ankle. "Just relax and breathe slow and deep."

The small burst of lightning moved into Torres' body and the bacchae gasped, her fangs popping out of her mouth. The two Amazon women jumped back, startled, since neither had known what she was.

Jonquil grabbed the dyrad bone among her many strange items that she often used for healing and held it out.

"Please! I mean no harm!" Torres shouted. "When Bacchus was killed, all his bacchae were released from his control. I fight for good."

"How can we trust you?" Blazze questioned.

"Please do not judge me by my appearance. I'm simply a warrior trying to atone for my past misdeeds. If you feel you must kill me, I will not fight you. You are obviously kind people, but I should hope it applies to more then just humans."

The two Amazons looked at each other and Jonquil put down the dyrad bone. "I'm sorry."

"No problem. Now, if you could please bring me an animal, so that I might feed? It will help me heal. I fear this is a very deep wound."

Jonquil pulled off Torres' armour and lifted the leather over her stomach to see the gapping hole. "It's actually gotten worse! Blazze, heat your sword over that candle and then bring it to me."

Blaze did as she was told. "You're not going to do what I think you're going to do, are you?"

Jonquil looked at Torres. "This is going to hurt."

Torres bit her lip. "Do it."

The scream that exploded from the bacchae's lips filled the corridor of the hidden Amazon cavern, and the injured warrior lost consciousness.

"I'll finish up here. Blazze, get everyone together. We have some matters to discuss."

* * *

Torres woke up slowly. She shook her head to get the cobwebs out of it, and then regretted it; her head felt like Hephaestus was pounding on it with his hammer. She saw that the room was empty, except for a little girl who was staring at her raptly.

"Ugh," Torres mumbled, "what happened?"

"You fainted," the girl said simply.

"Oh." Torres thanked whatever gods were watching that the girl wasn't talkative. Her head hurt so much that she didn't think she could take a nosy little girl pestering her with questions. "Can I have some wine?"

"Sure." The girl got up, handed Torres a cup and filled it with something weird that looked like wine, but tasted even nicer. As she drank it, the pounding in her head seemed to lessen, so Torres decided to get to know the girl. "What's your name?"

"Anatinta, My friends just call me Anat, though."

"Well, Anatinta, why are you here? Where is everyone else?"

It was like a dam had been released. "I'm here 'cause everyone else is at the meeting and they needed someone to make sure you were okay, and I didn't really want to go anyway so I offered, and are you really a bacchae? Allanna says you aren't and not to get scared, but Larsette, I call her Lars for short, she was watching when they healed you, and she saw your fangs. I asked her to help me look after you, but she was too scared."

Torres just sat in amazement as the questions washed over her. She could feel her headache returning, but before the headache could become full-blown though, Jonquil returned with a large rabbit. "We just caught him. Do you eat the whole thing or just drink the blood?"

"Just the blood. Thanks. But, ummm. Do you think I could eat in private? It's not the kinda thing I like to do with anyone watching."

"Sure, no problem. Anat, why don't you go help with dinner preparations or something."

Torres waited until she heard the footsteps recede down the corridor and turned to her meal. It was still slightly warm. Thoughtful of them, I guess, she thought. Slightly she thanked the dead animal for its life and, turning from the door least anyone walk by, she drank and then slept.

When she woke next, she could feel she was stronger. She noticed the rabbit was gone too.

Jonquil walked in, "I'd like to look at your wounds, see if they need to be redressed or if the bandages can come off, I've never healed a bacchae before." She grinned slightly.

"Well, I feel much better."

Jonquil unwrapped the bandage on the bacchae's stomach; the wound looked like it was healing well. In fact, in a normal person this would be two weeks worth of healing, that the bacchae had done in just two days. "Well, I think for you, you'll be just fine in another day or two. We'll put a light bandage on this for now. Let's check your ankle huh? Swelling is way down. Just a slight bruise. You should be able to walk on it now, but I'd advise against getting up until tomorrow. I can give you a sleeping potion if you'd like."

"Yeah, that'd be good. But I want to know why you guys are doing this. You don't know me at all, and top thing off...I am a bacchae."

"I trust Allanna's instincts, she has good ones. I think she can kinda see a person true soul and intentions, evidently you have a good ones and so she saved you." Jonquil smiled and picked up a jar while uncorking it. "Here's the sleeping juice. Tastes just a little sour, although we do try to sweeten it." She pored some into a cup. "Sweet dreams Xena Torres."

* * *

Jonquil left the healing room in search of Blazze. "Her injuries are looking good, but what do we do with her after she is healed? She could be a huge asset to our fight."

Blazze looked towards the closed door of the healing room and ran her fingers through her hair, creating a small spark. "A bacchae? She would be an asset, but can we trust her? And will she even fight with us?"

"She owes us her life," Jonquil replied, "and I have a feeling she's the type to repay debts."

"Why didn't you bring this up at the meeting?"

"How was I to know she would heal so fast? I'm telling you, Blazze, she could make winning this fight possible."

A loud laugh caused the two Amazons to turn their heads to see Ebony, a dark haired warrior, with a soul of the same colour. She was the rouge of the tribe, but they tolerated her since she was the best fighter in the group. "You think that bacchae will be any use to us! Let's review how she came to be here. Oh that's right, she was nearly killed by a group of villagers! She's useless. I say, kill her and rid the world of another blood sucker."

"They had dyrad bones," Jonquil growled. "She won't have to worry about that during the battle, which means she'll be invincible."

"Do you think the enemy is as slow as you are? They'll figure it out pretty quickly what she is and arm themselves accordingly."

Jonquil narrowed her gaze. "I guess you've lost faith in your fighting abilities, Ebony. The plan is to end this war with a final strike. Win or lose. Someone must have fallen asleep during the meeting."

"Just when you were talking." Ebony pushed her way past Jonquil, shoving the smaller Amazon into the wall as she did. "Either way, that bacchae has to go."

"I wouldn't mess with me, Ebony, unless you plan on becoming lunch."

Ebony turned to see the bacchae standing before her. "I may look good enough to eat," retorted Ebony as she stared balefully at Torres, "but mess with me, bacchae, and I'll punch you a one way ticket to Tartarus."

"I don't want to fight you. I'm on your side." Torres rubbed her temples and slowed her breathing. She tried to become still, to become focused. She knew that was the secret of true strength: to empty one's self of thought and to surrender herself to the infinity of the natural world. This she learned from Xena, the Warrior Princess. "And I can help you. It would be best if my bacchae traits were unknown to the enemy. Guerrilla tactics suit me best." She winked at Jonquil and Blazze. "Or, as Aphrodite might say, I do my best work at night."

Ebony didn't smile, unlike Jonquil and Blazze. Instead, she stared into Torres' eyes and saw her stare right back without wavering. Then she smiled. "You talk a good fight, but talk is just talk." She stepped forward. "You're going to have to prove yourself before we trust our lives with you."

Ebony reached between her breasts and jerked something off her neck. She held it out her palm. "Xena Torres, if you can snatch this little trophy from my hand, you will be able to at least keep up with the Amazon tide in the heat of battle." Ebony, Jonquil and Blazze all traded nods.

Torres didn't take her eyes off of Ebony's, but noticed something white in her palm. Mentally she let everything go still and silent. Her hand snapped into Ebony's, as fast as a snake, but Ebony closed her hand.

Jonquil and Blazze tensed and let their hands touch their sword handles.

Ebony opened her hand. Nothing.

Xena opened hers to find a long thin tooth. A bacchae tooth.

Ebony laughed. "To the victor goes the spoils. Do you recognize my little trophy? Of course, I have others."

Xena growled, "You Amazon bitch. The only reason the bacchae didn't kill you is that your blood is too cold to drink." She put up her hands but deceptively let them go soft, which is another thing she learned from Xena, Warrior Princess.

Ebony crouched in a defensive posture, smiled and flexed all the muscles in her strong arm. "Bite me."

Torres' face suddenly turned a pale white, her gray eye changed to a brilliant orange and from her mouth, large fangs sprouted. She turned to face Ebony, the look of murder in her eyes, and Jonquil and Blazze backed up. Torres focused her gaze on Ebony. "If you insist."

With a move faster then lightning, Torres took flight and shot herself over Ebony, landing behind the rouge Amazon. Before the Amazon could turn, the bacchae kicked her sending the smaller woman sliding across the floor.

Ebony rose and drew her sword. "Time to add another tooth to the chain, bacchae!"

A low animal growl escaped Torres' throat. "Not this time."

They charged each other, with a flash of a sword and the glimmer of teeth. Crashing hard into each other, the two struggled. Ebony was a talented fighter, but she was no match for Torres' hundreds of years of experience or her strength. Torres hit Ebony so hard, her head shot back, and she flew halfway down the hall. Taking flight once more, Torres carried herself to the fallen Amazon, and ripped the bacchae tooth chain from her neck. She then picked up Ebony, held her head aside, and let her fangs touch the soft skin.

Torres threw Ebony to the ground. "I will not taint the memorizes of my sisters who you killed, and I will bury their remains." She reached down and picked up one of the teeth she had knocked out of Ebony's mouth, as her bacchae features faded. "But beware Amazon. Should you cross me again, I shall not be as lenient."

Ebony growled, but she picked herself up and stalked down the hallway.

"Nice job, bacchae."

Everyone turned to face the new voice, and they discovered their queen. Jonquil and Blazze bowed their heads, and Torres followed their example. Slowly a ripple effect took place as the rest of the Amazons present bowed their heads in the presence of their mighty queen, Ryla. A fierce, cunning warrior, and a tough, but fair leader, Ryla had earned the respect of all her Amazons.

She walked through the crowd of women until she reached Jonquil, Blazze, and Torres. "My queen," began Jonquil. "This is Xena Torres. She was badly injured and thought it best for her to recover here."

Ryla looked at Torres. "Xena Torres, is it? That's an uncommon name." Torres tensed as she waited for another confrontation to begin, but Ryla didn't want a fight. "You are too injured to leave on your own. You have sanctuary with us until you recover." She motioned for some of the younger girls. "Ebony can be head-strong and abrupt, but she has the well-being of the tribe in mind. I can not fault her for that.

"Go with the girls. They will see that you are made comfortable. If you require anything, you need only but ask." Ryla smiled at Torres before moving on to supervise the upcoming celebration. Hesitantly, Torres went off with the young Amazons.

In the far corner, under the cover of shadows, Ebony watched as her beloved queen played niceties and friendly with the dreaded bacchae. We aren't through yet, bacchae, she thought. Not by a long shot.

Torres could feel Ebony's eyes on her back, but she refused to give the dark Amazon the pleasure of her turning around. The young Amazons Queen Ryla had sent with Torres led her to another large cavern, but this one had many spaces partitioned off.

"This is where some of us sleep," said one of the girls motioning to the room. "It's also guest quarters when we need it. There's a space over in that corner which should be quite comfortable for you while you stay with us."

"Thank you for you hospitality," Torres responded, moving over to the partitioned space. She looked through the doorway and saw the bed had already been prepared for her. There was even a bowl full of water with a cloth next to it. "Thank you, really. I think I'll wash up now." They left with hardly a sound, wondering about this strange woman and her past.

* * *

Ebony was busy glowering in her dark corner. She was so preoccupied with her sulking she hardly noticed Jonquil approach. "So, I see you're busy. Would you mind interrupting your bad mood for once to come to the celebration?"

"You actually think you can trust that bacchae?" Ebony spat out the word as if it left a bitter taste in her mouth. "You should have killed her when you had the chance. Why can't anyone else see that she's nothing but trouble? She'll either get us all killed, or do it herself."

"Umm, so this means a 'no' on your coming to the celebration or you getting out of your foul mood? Come on, even if all you do is sit. Besides we have wine and it's your favourite."

"Will you leave me alone if I do?"

"Okay, deal." Jonquil turned and left to find if Torres was doing okay in her new room. She found Torres almost done with washing her face. Jonquil had stopped off on the way there to pick up a new shirt for Torres. She thought it might be nice for celebration if Torres didn't have to feel conspicuous in her old slightly worn tunic that had a number of rips from the mob that had been chasing her just days before.

"Hey, how's it going? I brought you something." Jonquil smiled and tossed the shirt which Torres neatly caught. "I was wondering if you have any questions I can answer for you. Like if you were wondering about the war we're fighting, since we did ask you to help us."

"Yeah, I was wondering about that. I was just waiting for the right time to bring up the subject." Torres unfolded the shirt and smiled. It was a nicely tanned deerskin top. Just the right size it looked like too, with just a bit of a pattern worked in with several different colours of dye. Oh yeah, this is nice. No, too nice, I can't take this. Jonquil caught a glimpse of the woman's thoughts as her eyes lowered for a second.

"Go ahead; put it on, it won't bite. Oh, wait, didn't mean it like that..." Her eyes widened a little, not sure how the woman would react, but all she got was a slight smirk. "Anyway, it all started about two months ago. Our village was above ground then; we kept this secret base stocked, but mostly unused. Our scouts reported a band of women traveling our way. They set up camp across the river, and we sent messengers to send our greetings. Just to be safe, we had someone keep watch in the trees; me. I noticed they had lots of weapons they were unloading tents on the other side of camp while our people where talking to their leader. All of a sudden our two Amazons pulled their swords, gave the battle cry warning me something was very wrong.

"Before I could do anything, they were surrounded and killed. When I got back to the village it was all I could do to keep from crying. My sister was one of the messengers." Jonquil had to gulp; the image still haunted her at night. "Anyway, a scout team the next night saw them practicing some dark hocus-pocus over the bodies of the slain messengers, they attacked the next morning. We had anticipated something, so had moved more necessities in here. Still, they managed to burn our village and we had to retreat down here after we lost them in the forest.

"We have fought them on many occasions and found ourselves equally matched, but...we would like to end this quickly. Many of us are sick of hiding and we know it won't be long before they find this place." She took a deep breath. "So will you help us end this war Xena Torres?"

"Wait a minute. These women, what did they wear?" Torres questioned with urgency.

"They wore crimson tunics, with black cloth underneath. Their boots were knee-high and also crimson. The gauntlets were strange, an odd colour for animal skin. The swords were long and curved, one edge carved full of spikes. The design on the tunics was an eye with three black triangles underneath and three lines like the rays of the sun above. But the strangest thing, was that they did have masks, but rather then a bird, it was a skull."

Torres slowly sat on her bed. "The Undead. You're not fighting Amazons. You're fighting the Undead."

Jonquil was confused. "Who are they?"

"Just that. It's an army of women who have been killed and resurrected by the leader to fight for her. Her name is Xaz. She takes their lives into herself, stealing their souls so they can never rest. There's only one reason she's after you. She wants you all for her army."

"But why?"

"You are strong women warriors. Not only will your deaths increase her life, but will serve to strengthen her army. As for why, no one knows what it is she wants.

"What land she comes from is unknown, and of her age, only that she has been around since before the oldest bacchae. She is a master of a dark magic, which gives her the power to control the dead. The gauntlets they wear? Human skin. There's no way to defeat them. How can you kill something that is already dead?" Torres paused. "I must also warn you, they don't need dyrad bones to kill me. The black magic gives them the power to bring death to anyone, whether mortal, immortal, or even god."

"Are you saying you won't help?"

Standing, Torres faced Jonquil. "I have lived for hundreds of years. Though I have only tasted freedom for two, I am not afraid to die. I will fight in your army, since I am the only one here who can kill Xaz."

Jonquil tilted her head, studying Torres. Was she kidding? Or did she really mean it? Maybe she was just slightly insane. No, she seems stable enough. But to claim such a thing...

"No, I'm not insane," Torres said, quite seriously, though she looked as though she was about to burst into laughter at any moment.

Jonquil was taken aback. Could Torres read minds?

"No, I can't read minds, I've just seen enough of the world to be able to guess what people are thinking, and ninety percent of the time, I'm right," Torres said. "Also, you have the worst poker-face I've ever seen," she added, laughing as Jonquil blushed.

"So, why are you the only one who can kill Xaz?" Jonquil questioned, hoping to get the bacchae's attention off her less-then stellar poker-face.

Torres sobered immediately. "Because, Xaz can only be killed by someone with the same blood lines as she, someone who came from her, as in the prophecy. So you see," Torres said grimly. "I am the perfect candidate, for I am Xaz's grand-daughter."

"You're-"

The bacchae nodded. "Yes, and the only way to kill her, is to drink her blood, giving me control of the army. Only then can I lay them to rest."

Jonquil looked at the solemn woman, who though looked no older then thirty-one, was older then the healer could imagine. Her eyes held wisdom, but also a deep fear, a terror that Jonquil could feel, despite the otherwise straight face of the bacchae. "But why? How?"

"Xaz wasn't always evil, but one day she encountered something that changed her forever. If anyone knows what it was, it's been lost for centuries. Xaz must absorb the lives out of women warriors to increase her life line, but there was a time when she could find no new warriors to feed on. Fearing her death, she seeded a child, knowing there was a ritual where she could transfer her life into that of her baby.

"But before the child was born, she found an early group of Amazons and took there lives into herself. When her child was born, she decided to keep her daughter in case she was ever without the life force of women warriors. However, Lias, my mother, learned of Xaz's plans for her and she ran off. She lived a normal life and I was born. When I was old enough, my mother told me of Xaz and that because of our bloodline, she could use me like she planned to use my mother.

"When I was turned into a bacchae, I forgot my old life, but when I was freed, all that knowledge returned to me. I learned what I could about Xaz and what had happened to her over the years, and I discovered that she takes the lives of others into her by drinking their blood. I can do the same to her, but the catch is, I become her. There will only be a brief moment as I become her, and that is when you must kill me, ending Xaz's rein of terror."

She noted the blank look on Jonquil's face. "I want you to be my stop-kill." Torres looked straight into Jonquil's eyes. She knew this was a hard thing to hear; a hard thing to ask. She had never told anyone this story before, but then she had never had the chance to stop Xaz before. But she trusted Jonquil, knew instinctively that she would keep her word if she said 'yes.'

"You want me to kill you." Not a question, her mind was already whirling from what she had just heard and now she was being asked to kill this brave women. "You are terribly sure that there is no other way." She prayed to Artemis and Athena that there was.

Sighing Torres spoke, "I came across a rumour once. It said a pure heart could vanquish the dark one. But I don't have a pure heart, and right now we're out of time to find one." Torres was silent for a moment. "You have to kill me once I drink her blood. From what I know, you'll have about thirty seconds before I become her, and that's the only time she-I-will be vulnerable."

She looked at the shirt she still held in her hands. She almost couldn't believe this was true. After all this time, she had found people, and this woman, who wanted to be her friend, to take her in. This person who stood before her didn't care what she was, she just saw a person, and a good person to boot.

Ah, to Tartarus with it. Her destiny was there in front of her, just as she knew it always was. She would become Xaz, and gods above help her die when she did.

"Yes, I will do it. But only if you let me try and look for that pure heart." Jonquil's eyes hardened, "Because I will not kill you if I can help it."

"Yeah, yeah tough warrior woman." Torres smiled. "You have until the final battle."

"Okay, now put your shirt on, we have wine to drink!" Jonquil sailed out of the room trying to make the situation a little lighter. She succeeded. Torres actually laughed.

The shirt was a perfect fit, and so she followed Jonquil, who was waiting outside to show her the way to the wine. They walked in silence most of the way, each mulling over the conversation. Jonquil resolved to go to the priestess the next morning so she could ask Artemis for help. At the party, Jonquil let herself let go for a moment the extreme hardships of the past two months without actually forgetting it, and danced celebration and battle dances until her heart soared and she felt capable of taking on the world with her Amazon friends at her side.

Allanna, Blazze and Anat twirled and jumped next to her around the fire in the middle of the cavern. It had been transformed from the general meeting room and workroom to pure Amazon pride and spirit; pride which filled the room alongside the light from the bonfire where Amazons now danced.

Queen Ryla looked on with pride from the end of the room. The celebration was doing exactly what she had hoped; it was raising the spirits of her Amazons. No one can fight and win with a low heart and Queen Ryla was making sure they wouldn't. She turned away from the dance and sought out the bacchae woman. She found her drinking a cup of wine and watching the dancers.

"They're so full of fire, aren't they?" Torres asked not taking her eyes off of the dancers.

"Yes they are. How are your wounds?"

"They are fine. I heal very fast." Queen Ryla seated herself next to Torres. "I need to tell you something. I have told Jonquil, but I don't want anyone else to know. I will help you, don't worry. I alone can kill Xaz by drinking her blood, but when I do, I will become her.

"There is a thirty-second window in which the evil of Xaz can be killed. I have asked Jonquil to kill me when this happens, and she has said yes."

The Queen was silent. "A heavy fate indeed; for both of you. I have seen this woman fight. She fought the first battle, leading her warriors into our village. Ever since then, she stays behind, watching but never fighting. She is strong and cunning. You will need help to reach her; are you sure this is the only way?"

"Yes, it is."

"Then we will have a council of war tomorrow morning. You and I, along with my best warriors will plan our final battle."

* * *

Ebony sloshed around the wine in her cup. It was good wine, but she really didn't feel like drinking anymore. Her queen was talking that stupid bacchae like she was one of them, like she was an actual Amazon. Well she would show them all just how wrong they were for letting that bacchae into their home.

"Ebony, why don't you come dance?" asked Blazze. "You love to dance and I haven't seen you out there once tonight. Come on! Let's boogie!" Blazze laughed and that must have been the right thing to do because Ebony got up taking Blazze's offered hand and they went to the bonfire to dance a warrior's dance.

* * *

Anat flopped down on the floor and Lars followed suite. Both were giggling and were trying not to let Blazze see how funny they thought the sparks from her hair looked. Normally they thought her hair was terribly cool, but when she danced the sparks shot out in every direction and well, Anat and Lars just thought that was the funniest thing ever.

Allanna strolled by and looked down, "It's no good ya know. If ya'll don't let it out you'll lungs'll burst." She grinned and walked on over to the wine barrel. They had plenty of wine since the cave was where all the wine was stored while it was aging anyway. Allanna was glad for this and so was everyone else. She filled up her mug and downed half the contents before moving over to talk to some friends.

* * *

The morning dew lay fresh on the green leaves of the woods as the sun broke over the edge of the horizon. Queen Ryla stood and faced the dawning morn, her heart heavy. She knew it would all be over soon, though whether it was the end of Xaz or the end of the souls of her Amazons, she couldn't know.

"May I speak to you, my Queen."

Ryla turned to see Ebony leaning against a tree, her arms folded and a look of pure hatred on her face. "What can I do for you, Lieutenant?"

"Short or long version?"

"Just tell me what this is about."

"The bacchae."

Ryla sighed and walked over to her young Lieutenant. "How did I figure out that Torres would be the topic of this conversation?"

Ebony sneered. "I'm warning you, my Queen, she will bring death to our tribe."

"Ebony, she is our only chance to live."

"First off, I don't believe that, and even if I did, we wouldn't live long. She's a blood sucker. You think she'll hang around and not be tempted to take a bite? She's evil incarnate. All bacchae are."

"Look Lieutenant, the decision has been made. You're out of line."

"I'm out of line!? You don't have any idea what you're dealing with here. I am the only one who knows and I'm the only one who's willing to do anything about it!"

Looking into Ebony's eyes, Ryla could see a hatred rooted deep in the young Amazon's soul; something dark and terrible, which was eating her up from the inside. "Do you want to tell me something, Ebony? I'll listen."

For a moment, Ryla was sure Ebony would snarl and walk away, but instead, she sat down in the wet grass and let out a deep breath. "A storm was coming. We knew because the horses were acting up. You can always tell by the animals when something dark is approaching. It wasn't a storm, but we had no way to know that.

"My father sent me to put the horses in the barn and make sure everything was tied down and secure. I was proud to know he trusted me to do the job and so I stepped outside, not knowing what was waiting in the night. A wind had started to pick up, and it threw a gentle rain on my face. The night was chilly, but I wasn't cold.

"As I moved the last of the horses into a barn, I heard something that tore into my very soul. It was my sister, screaming, which the wind carried through the night air. I rushed back to the house and flung open the door.

"My mother lay sprawled in a chair, her neck twisted nearly all the way around. Next to her, my father lay on the floor, his face paler then a grain of rice, but no blood poured from the small bite mark on his neck. There was no blood at all.

"Then I saw it, in the dark corner of the room, its fangs deep in my sister's neck. I grabbed my father's ax and I ran at it. I hit hard, but it wasn't affected. It took off into the night, a screech blaring from its red lips.

"I turned to face my sister, who now sat shaking on the floor. She looked up at me with glowing orange eyes, and a pale face. She asked me to help her, and then fangs grew from her mouth, and with the same screech, she followed the bacchae into the darkness.

"My sister died that day, but her soul was forever enslaved. I vowed to hunt down the bacchae that murdered my family to make her pay, and I vowed to find my sister so that I could release her.

"I hunted bacchae for eight years of my life, and one day I finally found the killer of my family and I made her pay. I made her suffer for the act she committed that had made me suffer every moment of everyday. I killed her, but I never did find my sister.

"When I learned that Xena, the Warrior Princess had killed Bacchus, I thought it was finally over. I thought all the bacchae would die, and my sister was finally at rest. I was wrong and now I intend to once more hunt the bacchae until every last one of them is dead, and until I find my sister."

Ryla was silent for a moment, when she reached down and pulled Ebony to her feet. "We've all suffered loss in this life, Ebony, but it doesn't give us the right to inflict that pain onto others. It doesn't give us the right to hurt innocent people."

"Bacchae are anything but innocent."

"Is that what you think of your sister? Every bacchae was an innocent girl with their lives ahead of them, until what happened to your sister happened to them. Now they've been given their souls back, but the catch is, now they know all the horror they've brought to others. Can you even image what it's like to live every moment of your life knowing you brought pain to so many. You think Torres gets one moment rest?

"Torres is a woman trying desperately to find some way to make up for the hurt she caused. Do you know why she was attacked by those villagers? She was visiting the family of a young girl who she had bitten and who had died as a bacchae. She wanted them to know what happened to her daughter and that she was sorry. She didn't get forgiveness, she got hunted.

"She's willing to sacrifice herself to save us, but she's also doing it because she can't live with herself a moment longer. I can see it in her eyes. She knows she can't right the wrongs she committed, because she'll never be given the chance to do it. Well, I want to give her that chance."

"You don't understand," Ebony started.

"Oh, I understand. I do, but I refuse to accept. If Torres is willing to fight for us, then I welcome her to, and I'm honoured by it."

Ryla let go of Ebony and the raven haired woman glared at her Queen. "You'll regret that decision, Ryla, but only long enough for her to bite you."

* * *

Jonquil woke up early. The cave was just barely lit by the two torches in the walls of the sleeping chamber. She stretched and sat up. It was time to talk to the priestess. Queen Ryla had gone around at the dance last night telling her hand picked warriors to meet for a war council in the morning. So Jonquil knew she had to hurry this morning.

She quickly re-braided her long hair and scrubbed her face to get the sleep out of her eyes and set off, careful not to disturb anyone. She knew too well how blissful an extra half hour could be, especially these past few weeks.

At the entrance to the temple, Jonquil bowed and walked over to the altar. It really was beautiful. This had been used for some of the more elaborate and secret rituals before the tribe had had to move here underground. It was a pleasing how prepared they had been; how fortunate for them that this cave had been here for the founders of the tribe to find.

She kneeled before the altar. "To the Great Huntress I send this prayer, to give me strength, to give me wisdom. To the Daughter of Leta I offer this prayer, to guide my hand, to guide my heart. To the Goddess Artemis I ask for your favour, in my quest, in my life.

"Artemis, I know you must think I'm being foolish asking for your help on behalf of a bacchae, but I'm not. I trust her, and she can help us defeat Xaz. I believe her story. I believe she is the only one who can kill Xaz, and I know what will happen. I am prepared to kill her, but please Artemis, help me find a way to save her. Help me find the 'pure heart' that will save her".

She got up and turned to walk out the door, but found herself facing the priestess instead. "My child, you must trust in yourself. You already have everything you need." The priestess smiled, "Now go, you have a war council to get to."

"Thank you priestess." And Jonquil walked out the entrance deep in thought and feeling much better.

The priestess shimmered and revealed herself to the cave walls as the Goddess Artemis, "You're welcome, my child." Then she disappeared.

* * *

Queen Ryla entered the council room. It was a dark room, but enough lamps lit it that everyone could easily see. She could tell just about everyone was assembled; the only ones that weren't there were Ebony and Jonquil, but the latter entered soon after that thought with Ebony close behind. So, the Queen took her place at the front of the room and began.

"All right, everyone is here. I want to outline the plan I have in mind, and I want you to give me your suggestions. But above all else this war ends tonight." She looked about the room, and found nods from everyone.

"When the full moon rises tonight, two main groups rush the enemy while two other come in from the sides when they see the fight has begun. Hopefully that will surprise them a little, and the element of surprise is going to be our biggest ally considering how large Xaz's army is. Twenty archers should station themselves on the side. When I give the battle cry, you are to shoot until we join battle and then join in yourselves. We have all experienced odd things battling this army before and I now know why.

"They are Undead, bodies of slain Amazons that have been possessed by dark magic to fight in Xaz's army over many hundreds of years. But with the help of Xena Torres, we have hope of defeating Xaz and her army.

"All right, tell me what you think."

There was dead silence. And then Ebony stepped forward from where she had been leaning against the wall. The veins were standing up on her forehead and her fists were clenched tight. "I can't believe you are going to have her fight beside us like she was an Amazon," she said slowly, then at the top of her lungs she shouted, "She's a bacchae!" And without another words she lunged out of the room.

"Yes, I know," said the Queen quietly, "but she's not like that anymore. I want to give her a chance to prove it. You see, Torres is the only one who can kill Xaz. In order to do so, Torres must drink Xaz's blood, but thereby becoming Xaz. So before this can happen it is up to Jonquil to stab Torres in the heart. This will end the magical possession Xaz has over her Undead soldiers. There are only two ways this war will end. With all of us dead and in her army or this way with Torres fighting with us."

"My Queen, what you speak is true. I will fight along side with Torres, and I hope my sisters agree," said Blazze. Nods and murmurs of assents followed.

"Good, now after the first waves of Amazons attacks, Torres and Jonquil will fly over the battle to find Xaz."

A voice spoke up from the back, "My Queen, I say we go with your plan. I suggest we also employ some sneak attacks as well. From the trees several of my best archers could shoot well placed fire arrows into their camp before and during the attack."

"A good suggestion. Get it organized. All right, let's get ready for tonight." Everyone filled out of the room with thought of readying for the coming battle on their minds.

* * *

All through the day, Amazons tested and cleaned their weapons with care, went through training exercises and tried not to think today might be their last. Allanna and the archers scouted out good positions in the trees while others scouted the best places to attack from on ground.

When the moon rose that night, they were ready.

* * *

The sun had sunk hours earlier and Artemis' moon was high in the night sky, casting a silver light over the land. Queen Ryla sat atop her proud brown mare and rode along the lines of her army. "My Amazons, tonight we will ride against the heart of evil itself. We will face this challenge with the courage Artemis has bestowed in our hearts. If we succeed here today, we will have destroyed an evil and done the world a great service. If we fail, we die with honour. I have faith in every one of you, and I know you will fight with the strength of the goddess."

Ryla drew her sword and held it high. "Attack!"

With an explosion, the Amazon army charged forward into the field and they immediately engaged the Undead army of Xaz.

While the Amazon army began to battle with Xaz's, Xena Torres put her arms around Jonquil and leapt into the air. Jonquil gasped, despite herself, having never fully dreamed what it was like to fly. For a moment, she forgot where she was, as she felt the wind hitting her face while her legs dangled in the air. The two women shot over the battle and straight for Xaz who was mounted on a white and brown steed behind her army.

They landed before the Undead master and Xaz turned them in surprise, and Jonquil thought she saw a spark of fear, but if it had been there, it was now long gone.

Xaz was a tall woman, standing at six-foot-one, with long, following, black hair, that matched the night and her soul. Her eyes glowed yellow with evil and she stared at the two with hatred. On her forehead was a tattoo of the eye with the black triangles that all her army wore on their armour.

Torres drew her sword and snarled at her grandmother, who in turned snarled back. Jonquil was almost frightening by how much they looked the same, but she did not comment.

"Your madness ends here and now Xaz!" Torres shouted. "I will not allow you to stain the name of our family any longer!"

Xaz was taken aback for the second time in as many moments and stared hard at Torres. "Do I know you?"

"I am the daughter of Lias."

"You can't be. She would have died centuries ago."

"That's true, and she did, but I am an immortal and I have the power she never had to defeat you!" Torres transformed before Jonquil's eyes. Her face grew pale, and the demon-like eyes formed as her large fangs began to grow. Torres didn't allow Xaz the chance to absorb what had just happened and she leapt forward, her sword flashing under the moon's light.

But she never reached Xaz.

As Torres jumped, a flood of Undead soldiers suddenly appeared from no where. They grabbed the bacchae and threw her to the ground, beating her. Jonquil moved to help, but more soldiers attacked her, and Jonquil wondered where they were coming from, since the battlefield had not thinned.

The two women tried to fight back, but they were too greatly outnumbered and were taken down. Their hands were chained behind their back and they were shoved to their knees at Xaz's feet.

"You were saying?" asked Xaz.

* * *

Blazze worked her way through the army of the Undead, battling fiercely against the never ending horde. Her sword slicing through so many bodies, she lost count, but no matter how many fell, two took their place. Worse yet, those she had already dealt with, picked themselves up and once more came after her.

She focused on staying alive, but her eyes looked towards Torres and Jonquil who had just encountered Xaz. She prayed inside to the goddess, knowing they were the only hope of coming out of this battle alive.

* * *

Xaz laughed as she stepped up to Torres. "It would have been such a nice plan, granddaughter, but I already knew it, and I was ready. Do you think I've lived this long to be stopped now? Compared to me, you're just a child who has never even left home, and this mortal you side with is less than that. I don't want to kill you. If you side with me, we can live forever and rule the entire world. Nothing will stand against us. Nothing. What do you say?"

"I say stuff your offer. You might have me in chains, but this isn't over."

"Yes it is."

"But how did you know?" questioned Jonquil.

"Because I told her."

They tuned and saw the woman who had spoken. "Ebony!" shouted Jonquil. "You've betrayed your sister Amazons! Why!"

"Sister Amazons! None of you would listen to me about the bacchae. I did this to end her miserable life. She shouldn't be a hero! She's just as evil as Xaz, but none of you could see it. I couldn't let you remain so blind."

"So you condemn us all to death. You condemn use to walk as dead slaves to Xaz!"

"No. I defeat the bacchae and I save our tribe." With a lightning quick move Blazze would be proud of, Ebony turned on Xaz, her sword drawn, but the Undead Queen moved even faster.

She grabbed Ebony's wrist and broke it, forcing the Amazon to drop her sword. Then she spun Ebony around and stabbed her in the stomach. "You can't trust a traitor."

Ebony fell to the ground, blood rushing from her wound.

* * *

Blazze saw her friend Ebony fall. "No!" A new strength flowed into her body and she somehow fought harder, fighting until she was holding Ebony in her arms.

"Ebony?"

"I'm so sorry, Blazze. I only wanted to save the tribe. I thought I could defeat Xaz. I didn't betray the tribe, I just did what I thought needed to be done to win."

"Ebony, I don't understand. Didn't you know? They are the only chance this world has of killing Xaz for good."

"I've never lied to you Blazze. I don't want to die with people thinking that I'm a traitor without honour. I did it for the tribe." Her life energy was weakening. "Blazze, give me enough strength to stand. Please."

Without a word, Blazze nodded and pluses of energy shot through her hands into Ebony's body. She lay still for a moment and silently asked Blazze to help her to her feet. She unsheathed the long knife she carried at her side and with single-minded determination, strode toward Xaz.

* * *

Allanna had seen Ebony fall, but she had also seen the fate that had fallen upon Torres and Jonquil. Without Torres to fight and kill Xaz, the battle was pointless. So she decided to take it upon herself to do something.

She rallied together three Amazon's who were fighting close to her, and signaled for them to rush the main tent with her. A quick quarter kick saved her from a menacing sword point and she started to make her way towards Xaz's tent, the other three Amazons close behind.

Back-to-back the four slowly cut a swath towards the captive Torres, but Allanna could see that the tent was still a ways to go and they would not get there in time. "Follow me!" she cried. She sent a few Undead flying with a round house kick and then with a powerful thrust of her legs vaulted and tucking her legs underneath her; she neatly landed on a warrior's shoulders. Before the soldier could react, Allanna was off; jumping and running on heads and shoulders, her three Amazons close behind.

As they got close, they somersaulting into the air and landed running. Allanna directed them behind the main tent and then to use their throwing knives to distract the guards holding down Torres. On the count of 'two' the knives were thrown in unison and then Allanna was in the air knocking down two of the warriors with her powerful legs, the other three efficiently dispatching the surrounding guards.

Xaz never saw them coming; she was so preoccupied with gloating her triumph over Torres. Torres leapt to her feet anodized her bacchae strength to break the chains. She turned and quickly dispatched the guards holding down Jonquil. Then Torres faced Xaz. "So Grandma," snarled Torres, "Let's see you fight."

"You'll find I fight better then any opponent you have ever or will ever face." Xaz unsheathed her sword and the pair started hammered their swords in a deadly dance that blurred in front of the Amazons watching. But neither did they have time to stand and watch the amazing spectacle because they were all busy with keeping themselves alive, for Xaz's warriors constantly surrounded them.

As the horde also included once dear Amazon friends, minds went to auto-pilot to overcome the hysterical urges that drifted on the outsets of their thoughts.

No one seemed to see Ebony stalking the form of Xaz as she moved ever closer to her target.

The blurred forms sprang apart, as if they were two rubber balls that had collided to hard, to fast. Each intent on the other, and no one, even the Undead soldiers, were inclined to interrupt them.

Their swords clashed together, carrying their fury in their blows. Sweat worked on each warrior's brow as they frantically tried to keep away from the other's swords, while trying to strike at their opponent. Torres held her teeth in a tight snarl as she moved on Xaz, focusing all her rage and her determination at the Undead leader.

Torres fought hard, her strikes growing more powerful, and she battled Xaz back, the older warrior losing ground. Torres sliced, her sword meeting skin, but Xaz's body was not like that of mortals, and the slice healed itself in seconds. Torres kept up her advance however, as the battle of the Undead and the Amazons continued.

She had her, her sword upon Xaz and victory upon her, but an Undead warrior jumped up and fought Torres. The bacchae fought off the warrior, but it gave Xaz the time she needed to recover. As Torres knocked the Undead warrior away, Xaz cut her deep across her leg, and Torres dropped to the ground in agony, her blood mixing with the dirt.

"I'll bet you haven't seen your mother in a long time, Xena. Well, you'll see her soon enough!" Xaz raised her sword above her head when Ebony pounced on the moment, burying her knife deep into Xaz's back. Xaz twisted and dealt a powerful blow to the side of Ebony's head sending her flying back into a stack of crates. Once more, Xaz's body worked to heal the hole that had been ripped in her chest.

Ebony fell, thoughts of her betrayal of Amazon sisters slipped from her mind for the seconds it took to reach her before she reached the ground. "I'm so sorry," Ebony whispered and was gone.

The split second distraction was all Torres needed, for although she was still fighting brilliantly, she knew that she was no match for Xaz. Torres launched herself at Xaz's neck and sank her bacchae teeth deep.

Within moments, Xaz slumped to the floor, her own life force now absorbed by Torres. The bacchae howled and her body shook as the spirit of Xaz with all her power ripped through the warrior, making her body its new home. The army surrounding the tent, and all over the field, stopped their fighting and stood there confused.

Torres turned to face Jonquil, her eyes glowing yellow, but still hers, her soul not yet completely gone.

Amazons from all over the field started to make their way up to where Torres was standing. Her eyes found Jonquil's and she nodded. Jonquil stood and grabbed the dyrad bone. With long strides she made her way to Torres. "I can't do this!" she yelled.

Torres' eyes narrowed and she snarled. "Do it! Do it now, Jonquil or watch it all end!"

Jonquil looked out at her fellow Amazons and then to Torres, who howled in agony as she changed. Jonquil raised the dryad bone and screamed as she plunged it into Torres' heart before she could think or re-think what she was doing.

Torres slumped against Jonquil and the two fell to the ground together. Torres returned to her human form and looked at the bone in her chest. She coughed, blood flowing from her lips and then looked Jonquil in the eye. "Thank you. Thank you."

With that, Torres' life faded away. Jonquil could feel tears burning her eyes and she looked to Artemis' moon and howled.

Suddenly a gasp escaped Torres' lips and Jonquil looked down in surprise. The bacchae's eye showed no signs of Xaz, and Jonquil put her hand against Torres' wound, trying to stop the blood.

Blazze ran to them, ripping cloth from her shirt and holding it against the blood that pumped from Torres' chest. "How..." Torres managed to ask.

"I don't know, Torres, but lie still. Lie still."

At that moment, a light flashed and the great Goddess of the Hunt stood before them. "Xena Torres." The words were heard by all the Amazons present, and yet the words were neither harsh nor loud. And then she was kneeling at the bacchae's side. "Xena Torres." This time the words were soft and quiet.

"Yes Goddess?" Torres questioned in pain.

"The pure heart was always you. You were willing to give your life to end Xaz's evil. But now, you must make a choice now. Do you wish to be released from this world forever, or would you like to stay, and live out your life as a mortal woman?"

"A real life? Yes, I would like that," the bacchae whispered.

"A mortal wound for a mortal person is no way to start off a new life. Let me give you a small gift, warrior." And with a touch to the bloody wound, it was healed.

Torres looked down in surprise and Jonquil smiled down at her. She helped Torres to her feet, and Blazze let the injured warrior lean on her.

The battlefield was covered with the bodies of the Undead, now still and free to cross over into Eternity. "Jonquil, I heard your last prayer. I have someone who wishes to say good-bye to you."

A light touch on her shoulder and she felt herself wrapped in a big bear-hug from her sister. "Macha!" Tears tricked down her face as her sister whispered she would always watch out for her baby sister, and then cradled in Jonquil's arms, her soul departed.

The Goddess departed in another flash of light, and a gust of wind came ripping through the field. The Amazons covered their eyes to keep out the churning dust and when they looked up again, the bodies of Xaz's warriors were nowhere to be found, except for Macha's, still held in her sister's arms.

Queen Ryla strode over to Torres. "Would you consider joining my tribe of Amazons? We would welcome your experience...and friendship."

Torres bowed her head. "I would be honoured, my Queen."

"Please, raise your head my friend, and sister-in-arms."

Queen Ryla turned to her Amazons, "You have all fought bravely today. I am proud of each and every one of you. But we still have a long and difficult task ahead of us. Proper funerals must be given to our fallen sisters."

* * *

Night had fallen once again, and the battlefield was dotted with bright funeral pyres for the dead and an altar was adorned with candles for those who souls had been held in slavery by Xaz's evil magic.

Two voices sang out into the starry sky. Torres and Jonquil stood side-by-side facing two burning pyres; Macha's and Ebony's. The two finished their songs and stood silently for a time before the burning pyres. "I wish I could have spoken with her before she died," Torres said to Jonquil. The now mortal woman was supporting herself on the crutches Jonquil had given her to move on until her leg healed. Like a normal human.

Jonquil turned and faced Torres. "She was a good fighter, but torn by her hatred and sorrow. She made the right choice in the end though, and that's all that maters."

Torres nodded. "I know. I just wish I could have made peace with her."

"You did. She wouldn't have gone after Xaz otherwise."

"I guess you're right. She was a good warrior."

"They all were."

The two Amazons turned back to the pyres and started a new song. Today they would mourn, and tomorrow they would start their lives anew.

FIN