Ephiny and her Amazons quickly despatched the remaining soldiers and rushed to the stone steps that led to the little jetty where the longboat had been moored. Ignoring the boat for the moment, the Amazons peered hard at the water where the three men had disappeared, searching for any sign of them emerging from the black depths.

"There!" pointed Malonda to an eruption of bubbles that broke upon the river's surface.

They watched the spot intensely, but nothing else showed up. Frantic eyes scanned the area, desperately seeking any sign of their missing companions, but nothing further disturbed the glassy water of the Tiber.

"Centaur crap!" swore Ephiny as she readied herself to dive into the waters to search for the men. She quickly unlaced her boots, tugged them off and took a deep breath .. only to let it out in a half panicked squeak as something wet rubbed against her ankle.

Looking down she was greeted by a gout of river water spurting from between Autolycus' lips as Iolaus squeezed his chest hard. The water was followed by a weak cough and splutter and then a sharp intake of breath. Iolaus gave a sigh of relief as he tried to push the thief up onto the jetty.

"A little help would be appreciated," he mentioned a tad too casually it seemed to the Amazons; Iolaus was exhausted.

Immediately breaking out of the almost trance like state she had fallen into, Ephiny snapped some terse orders, "Get them out of there and into the boat .. and lets get back to the ship before any more trouble can find us."

Willing hands pulled the sodden pair out of the Tiber and helped them into the rowboat. The two men sat shivering in the stern as the four Amazons took the oars and started back towards the ship, glad that the current was with them as the heavy vessel was meant to be powered by more than just four warriors.

"What took you so long?" grunted the Regent as she swung her oar.

His teeth chattered a little as the hunter explained, "Took a while to get that damned Roman off him .. then we had to get him out of that armour before I could get him back to the surface." He shivered again. The water wasn't really cold but there was a chill in the night air now, "Thought I'd lost him for a minute. Damned Roman was choking the air out of him."

"Th .. tha .. thanks C ... Cur ... Iolaus!" shivered Autolycus. "Didn't think I was gonna make it back that time."

"S'okay Autolycus," returned the blonde, "You'd have done the same f .. for me!" came the response.

"May .. be," agreed the thief, "B .. but you def .. definitely did it."

Ephiny shook her head at the mutual appreciation that seemed to be going on between the two semi-friends. - Wonder how long this will last? - She mentally asked herself. - I'll give it until they both get their brains warmed up enough to remember how much they hate each other! - she grinned at that thought. She checked over her shoulder and realised that they were close to 'Wave Dancer'. "Ahoy the ship!" she called, "Someone throw us a line!"

An anxious face peeped over the rail and the Regent recognised Rael, "Hold on a moment," called the young warrior. Her head bobbed out of sight once again and she returned in short time with the requested line. "Coming down."

"Thanks!" called Ephiny as she caught the rope and secured the boat to it. She turned and gave the men a critical look, "Are you two going to be able to climb up to the deck okay?"

"No problems," answered Iolaus.

"Piece of cake," agreed Autolycus.

Both stood on shaky legs and moved to the ships side. Ephiny watched them for a heartbeat or two, before deciding that she wasn't willing to risk more trouble. So ignoring male egos she shouted up to Rael, "Send a couple more ropes down and get some of the others to pull these two up." She got some outraged looks from the two men, but she noted that there were no real protests .. at least verbal ones.

Once they were all on deck, Ephiny could see that there had been trouble in her absence. "What happened here?" she demanded grabbing young Rael by the arm.

"A couple of those catapults managed to fire off their loads before our people could deal with them," the girl replied. "One hit and sunk Nebula's rowboat as they were almost back to the ship, and the other crashed through the deck into the mess."

"The children?" asked the Regent sharply.

"They're all okay. Cuts, bruises .. one boy's got a broken arm another one had a split scalp, but nothing life threatening," reported the sandy haired warrior.

"But?" questioned Ephiny, sensing that there was more to the problem.

Taking a breath Rael told her, "Patroclese and Joxer are pretty smashed up. The healer got hit by a falling beam and trapped under it against the door. Joxer saved a little girl's life by pushing her out from under the rock that had landed on the mess table. As he got her out, the table collapsed and the boulder landed on his legs. Sheraya thinks they're both broken pretty badly. Nebula, Sheraya and some others are down their trying to get both of them out."

"Damn," swore the Regent in frustration. Things were falling apart and she wasn't sure what she could do to rescue all their hard fought for plans.

A hail from off the port bow of the ship drew immediate attention, "Drop us a line," came Karrellie's shout. "We've got injured down here and Eponin needs medical attention now."

Ephiny rushed across to the rail and looked down at the scout, "How bad is she?" she demanded, worry creasing her brow with concern for her closest friend.

A couple of warriors threw lines down so that the boat could be secured and Karrellie called up an answer, "She took an arrow just above the hip. Don't know how much damage it's done but she's bleeding pretty heavily."

"Mother of Zeus!" cursed the Regent, "What else can go wrong!" she muttered before telling the scout, "Get her and any other injured up here on deck. I'll get Sheraya."

Leaving the warriors, around her, to help the assault party back on board, Ephiny moved quickly towards the crowd that were still standing around the hole in the bow deck. She pushed her way, unceremoniously, through the warriors and peered down into the gloom, "Sheraya .. we need you up here ... now!" she commended, anxiety for Eponin overriding her normal courtesy.

"Whatever it is it'll have to wait," barked back Nebula's voice from somewhere behind the big rock that lay beneath the hole. "We have an emergency down here."

Ephiny glowered and pulled all the commanding authority of an Amazon queen about herself, "We have an emergency up here, and I need Sheraya now. Last time I looked she was an Amazon healer subject to my will," she informed the pirate with cold menace.

"On this ship, everyone is subject to my will!" the captain told her flatly, "And Sheraya is needed here."

"Actually I'm not," put in the Amazon healer in her quiet strong voice. She rarely raised her voice in any situation, but she had a will like iron and needed it amongst pig headed warriors. Most Amazons knew to tread carefully around the woman. "Until you get them out from under all the debris, I can't do anything to help them more than I already have ... so I'll go and check out the problem on the deck and you can call for me once they're free," she told Nebula. "Don't go moving either of them more than you have to." She turned her attention to Ephiny, "And you better not be wasting my time," she told her ruler pointedly.

The Amazon healer, with short cropped brown locks and strong brown eyes, quickly scrambled up the rope to the deck and headed for where she could see injured Amazons awaited her. Nebula watched her go before shaking herself and asking, "Is she always like that?"

Ephiny just shrugged. There was no way that she was going to be caught making a comment about Sheraya. The woman had ears as sharp as Xena's and a longer memory, if that was possible. She also had her ways of making you regret things that she disapproved of. "How's it looking down there?" she questioned changing the subject.

"Joxer and the healer are stable, but unconscious. We'll get them out of here as soon as we can. We're going to rig a block and tackle to get the rock off of Joxer's legs .. we might cause more damage if we try to manhandle it away. Patroclese just needs to be cut out from under what's pinning him down. Sheraya thinks he just took a knock to the head, everything else seems okay, although she won't know for sure until she can give him a full check over," answered the captain with full details. "What's happening up there?"

"Eponin's group has just come in. There are a lot of wounds to be seen to .. chiefly the arrow that Poni took that seems to be bleeding quite a bit," came the response.

"Ah .. I see. Not good, huh?" Nebula guessed.

"Looks pretty bad from what I could see .. Sheraya will know more." came the stoic reply that belied the Regent's concern for her friend.

Nebula looked around to see how the progress was going. The block and tackle had been rigged on a tripod of fallen beams above where Joxer lay unmoving. Most of the debris over Patroclese had been removed, with just the thick deck beam, needing to be cut through so that they could get it out .. it was too tightly wedged to do otherwise. "We'll be a while longer before she's needed here. Why don't you go and see how Ep's doing?" suggested the pirate sympathetically, having gotten over her anger at Ephiny's abrupt appropriation of the healer, now that she realised that it was for a true emergency.

"I'll send Sheraya back as soon as she's done with the critical stuff," nodded Ephiny a little stiffly her disquiet over the Weapons Master's condition obvious. She turned away from the hole in the deck and forced herself to walk back to where Eponin's party were congregated amidships.

She watched as the Amazon healer worked quickly, cutting the leathers away from her patient to get a better look at the entry wound where the arrow shaft stuck obscenely in the pale skin. "Get me some light," growled Sheraya, "and the rest of you stand back! this isn't some gods be damned show!"

The curious Amazon warriors backed off and Ephiny retrieved a lantern with a strongly burning candle holding it close so that the healer could see to work. At least by doing that she was helping and Sheraya couldn't tell her to back off. She needed to see for herself that Eponin was going to be alright. She seriously began to debate whether she had been right to risk the lives of the Amazons to save Xena and Gabrielle.

"Hold it a little closer," growled the healer as her hand probed beneath the Weapons Master's back to feel if the arrow had gone through. She could just feel a lump caused by the sharp point of the metal head as it pushed against the skin. "Easiest way out will be to push it through," she muttered to herself. "It'll cause more damage trying to bring it out the way it went in."

Picking through the instruments in the pouch that she carried on her belt, Sheraya extracted a thin, extremely sharp, knife and expertly cut through the shaft just below the arrow's fletchings. "Jade, help me turn her onto her side, then hold her shoulders so that she doesn't move too much. Lasca," she motioned to the young blonde haired warrior who stood watching with keen interest. "Sit on her legs and don't let her thrash about," instructed the brown eyed healer.

Once her helpers were positioned, Sheraya took a breath and used her deceptive strength to force the arrow, through the flesh in the warrior's back, using the heel of her hand as the driving momentum.

Eponin screamed and her body tried to convulse against the pain, but was too tightly held. When her shuddering had stopped, they were all relieved to see that the Weapons Master remained unconscious. It would make patching her up easier if she wasn't struggling and being difficult.

The healer carefully grasped the blood slick shaft of the arrow on the exit side of the wound and drew it through in a smooth powerful motion, again having to wait for Poni's bodily contortions to calm before proceeding with her ministrations. - At least she didn't scream that time, - thought Sheraya absently. A thought that was closely followed by another as she worked to stitch the wounds , - Why didn't she scream? -

As soon as she had finished with her needle, she checked Eponin's pulse and examined her eyes, looking for signs of trouble. - Damn! What in Artemis' name is going on here? - she demanded of herself as she realised that the Weapon's Master's heartbeat was fast and thready and that her eyes were not responding properly to the light.

"What's wrong, Sheraya?" demanded the Regent picking up on the signs that something was amiss.

"I think that arrow must have nicked something inside. I've done all I can for her. We just have to hope that she's strong enough to fight through it." - That or Xena gets back here and knows something that I don't about what's going on here. - the healer thought grimly, shaking out her short curls in frustration. "Get her carried down to the captain's cabin. She can use the cot there .. and I'll be down to check on her as soon as I can. Make sure she'd wrapped up warmly and keep her still. You, Jade, and you, Lasca, can have that task. Come and get me if there's any change in her condition." She watched them nod their acknowledgement and signal for some of their sisters to help carry Eponin as gently as they could manage. "Anyone else?" she questioned.

The removal of the arrows from the women who had taken them in the shoulder and thigh had not proven difficult and after applying salve and bandaging the wounds the two warriors had declared themselves to be fine and not in need of bed rest. "I want to see both of you in the morning to change those bandages," Sheraya growled, knowing that left to their own devices, Amazons did not always take proper care of an injury, thinking it showed how tough they were.

Ephiny watched the healer as she threw a glance over at the other watchtower .. the one that Xena had attacked. She guessed that Sheraya was wishing the Warrior Princess was back on board so that she could plumb the depths of her extensive medical knowledge.

The Regent looked across the water to the fortification as well, - Where are you Xena? - she asked her herself, before deciding that it was time to take the two rowing boats over to the tower and pick her Amazons and friends up. She had a moments guilt about the thought of abandoning Eponin while she was in such a critical condition, but logic reasoned that the Weapons Master would stand a better chance of surviving if Xena was around to aid in the treatment.

With her mind made up she told Sheraya, "You better get back and see what you can do for the men. I'll go get Xena and the others."

The healer nodded and headed back to the bow of the ship, while Ephiny began to organise her warriors for the short trip over to the tower. When all was ready she was confronted by the two men she had accompanied back to the ship.

"We're coming," Iolaus told her bluntly.

The Regent gave them both a long look before shaking her head, "No!" she told them tersely, "It wasn't so long ago you two could barely stand. I don't know what we are going to find over there, but I do want to know that everyone who goes is fit enough to take care of themselves."

"Ephiny," began the thief.

"NO!" snapped the blonde Amazon, a note of finality in her tone. "You two go and find some dry clothes and get something warm to drink. We'll be back just as soon as we've got them."

It would have been senseless to continue to argue with the authoritive woman, causing the pair to, reluctantly give in. They watched as Ephiny and Malonda took their two crews down into the rowing boats and set off for the rocky shore beneath the tower to collect the remaining assault party, that would, hopefully, be successful in removing the barrier that was holding the ship prisoner.

"Where are you Xena?" muttered Turra as she drummed anxious fingers on the frame of a catapult.

Since all of the Romans were currently inside the fortress, she had ordered the completion of their initial task and now all of the ballista were disabled. What she wasn't sure about was what she should be doing now the work had been finished.

Xena had been clear, telling her that as soon as the catapults were out of action, she should take the warriors, under her command, and head back down to the foot of the tower to await being picked up by the boats from the ship.

A frown creased her face as she considered her options. If she did as instructed it would almost certainly be an abandonment of the Queen, Xena, her brother, Toris, and Hercules. If she disobeyed orders then she was going to have one mightily pissed off Warrior Princess to contend with just as soon as they were back on 'Wave Dancer'. She could always cite the fact that it was their sworn duty to protect their queen, but she didn't think that it would hold much weight against a direct command from the raven haired warrior. Turra shuddered at the thought of those cold blue eyes upon her in anger.

Puzzling it all over she tried to come up with a compromise that would enable her to follow the gist of Xena's orders without sticking exactly to the letter of them. Slowly a smile edged onto her frowning face. - Of course! - she told herself. She'd agreed to take the Amazons back down to the foot of the tower .. nothing was specified about the route she should take. Going down through the tower was still going down .. even thought she was certain that the Warrior Princess would just see it as splitting hairs. She had undoubtedly meant that the Amazons should descend the same way they had got into the fortification.

"Alright Amazons," she called their attention and grinned, "Time for some more fun."

"I think that might have to wait, Turra," Kaylee called, "Seems the Romans want to come up here and play!"

"Artemis' arrows!" swore the Amazon commander. "Alright, you excuses for warriors. Lets show the Roman pigs how to fight!"

Several of the Amazons gathered swords and spears from the fallen catapult teams and readied themselves to face the men from the VIIth Legion with the cold, excited yearning for a good fight. As Turra considered the fact that the Romans had to come up the stairs from the courtyard to get to them, she saw the potential of the disabled ballista, much as Eponin had.

"Hey, give me a hand!" she yelled a some of her warriors, "Let's tip this down the steps. At the least it's going to cause them a problem getting up here and with luck it will take out a whole bunch of them as well."

The rest of the Amazons shouted taunts at the soldiers, "Roman swine!", "Caesar's dogs!", "Legion lackeys!", accompanied by vivid hand gestures all aimed at making them angry enough to charge up the steps to get at the mere handful of women who were there.

The optio, Petrus, tried to hold his men back, but they were tired, from the long ride they'd just had, and angry about being sent out to hunt for a couple of escaped slaves .. that was not work for the elite cavalry of the VIIth Legion! So the taunts of less than twenty Amazon warriors spurred them into an immediate, reckless assault, before they had properly formed up for such an attack.

"They're coming, yelled Kaylee eager for the fray.

Turra, and those helping her, bunched their muscles and heaved at the heavy weapon, sending it careering down the stone steps into the tightly packed soldiers ascending them. The Amazons cheered with glee as the Romans were either tumbled from the stairway, or crushed beneath the heavy wooden frame of the catapult.

The Amazons sent a second one down directly after the first, hoping the bulky weapons would lodge and create an obstruction that would make it easy to pick off any Romans foolish enough to attempt to clamber over it. The only problem was that it effectively scuttled the plans for going down and finding Xena.

The Amazon commander bit her lip as she considered what she should do. - While we're here, we can keep a goodly portion of the Roman force off of Xena's back. That's got to give her and Gabrielle more chance of getting that boom down and then being able to get out as well. - She threw a look down into the courtyard to see how the soldiers were doing. - Reforming for a concerted attack, - she grinned. - Well if we play with them for a while we can always withdraw once I think Xena's had enough time to get her thing done. Yeah, - she grinned, - that's what we'll do! -

"We can work four abreast on the steps," Turra instructed. "Teams of two warriors with spears and two with swords. Keep the sons of whores on the other side of the blockade and rotate at regular intervals with the other sisters so no one gets too tired. Any questions?" she asked keeping one eye on the Romans as she waited for a response that didn't come, "Okay then, ladies .. lets get to it!"

Her blood rising at the prospect of battle, Turra positioned herself just behind the front rank, so she could keep an eye on the progress of the fight and be there to ensure the proper rotation as well as well as lend a spear over the other warrior's shoulders should it be necessary.

They had just successfully repulsed the third attack, although at some cost to themselves. Three warrior's were down with severe wounds that had to be roughly field dressed, but really needed the attention of a healer, and most of the other women had gashes and cuts that could stand some attention.

Turra took a deep breath and looked down at the enemy. They had taken far more casualties than their Amazon opponents, and their officer finally looked about ready to concede the fact that he wasn't going to be able to force his way over the wreckage of the ballista any time soon.

A natural halt in the battle occurred and many of the women took the chance to take deep draughts from the water barrel, while others wrapped a field dressing around a particularly bothersome cut. The commander, however studied the actions of her opponent and realised that the Romans were looking for a different way up to the parapet. If they managed to find ropes or ladders to climb, as well as force the attack up the steps, she could never hope to defend their position with so few warriors.

Sighing softly to herself, Turra sent a thought out to Xena, - I hope you're ready to leave, Warrior Princess, because we've done all we can here to help you. - Reluctantly, she gave the signal to pull back. She and two others would maintain a presence on the steps until the others had got the seriously wounded down to the foot of the tower, and then they would follow. - I hope someone remembered to send the boats for us, or we'll be in real trouble. -