"The time of trial has begun," she spoke softly even though there was no one in, or close enough to, the cave to hear her muted whisper, "O Artemis! Why do you allow your people to suffer so? Have the Amazons not suffered enough from the hands of fate? O mighty goddess, why have you forsaken your chosen people?" she implored to the empty space around her.

A flash of green and golden motes of light sparkled and faded leaving in their place the huntress leaning upon her mighty bow, "Even I cannot stand against the weaving of the fates, Acima."

"But why, my goddess, do the fates need to inflict so much pain and devastation on us?" questioned the Hermit, tears forming unbidden in her eyes.

Another dazzling array of light heralded the arrival of three more women. The maid, the mother and the crone appeared within the mystic's abode and looked at Acima with sympathy before speaking in their accustomed manner.

"What is to come," began Clotho.

"Is necessary," continued Lachesis. "The Amazons must suffer now,"

"For the world to survive," finished Atropos solemnly.

"Cannot another people suffer?" demanded the Hermit, knowing just how selfish that must sound. "My sisters have suffered greatly and for many years. Many of our people have become separated from us and their small tribes are withering from lack of connection with Themiscyra. How can this help to save the world? The loss of the Amazon Nation benefits no one."

The maid looked sadly at the impassioned mystic and noted how the Amazon's expressive eyes changed colour as her emotions flooded through her thoughts. The orbs settled on an icy pale blue, the intensity akin to the ex-warlord whose life had dominated so much of the pattern that Lachesis had woven since her birth.

"The Amazons will ..."

"Continue once this pattern ..." "Is completed," finished the crone. "What is to happen ..."

"Cannot be ..."

"Averted." the mother smiled sadly. "Strength and ..."

"Fortitude will be ..."

"Required by you ..."

"And your sisters in ..."

"The days ahead," finished Atropos as the three figures faded into the darkness of the cave.

The Hermit fought the growing despondency that gripped her heart and turned to her goddess, "Mighty Artemis, I must warn the Regent and the Queen of what is to come .. they must prepare for the coming trials."

The huntress sighed heavily, "Alas, child, that cannot be allowed. Some things are destined to happen, no matter what even we gods desire."

"But why allow me to glimpse this path if I can do nothing to prepare those who must travel it, my goddess?" demanded the short plump woman angrily, frustrated with a situation that constrained her to do nothing.

"Because when the time comes, Acima, you will have your part to play in the events that must unfold. Until then you will know without being able to act. As much as you will wish to, you will not be able speak of this until the time comes for you to do so." Artemis shook her chestnut locks and sighed heavily, "I am sorry that it must be like this, but truly, my daughter, this is for the greater good." She almost smiled as she invoked the phrase that had become the basis for a raven haired warrior's redemption.

"How long," demanded the mystic, shaking her head, her brown hair flashing with burnished red highlights as it caught the glow from the fire. "How long until I may speak and take a hand in this?"

Artemis turned flashing green eyes on the Amazon, "As long as the babes lay beneath their mothers hearts. When the births begin, you can begin to prepare." With those words the goddess vanished into a dazzling display of green and gold.

The Hermit turned to stare into the fires embers. - Nine moons, - she thought, - No ... more like eight, - she corrected herself. - I have time to plan. Maybe if I think hard enough I can find a way to prevent a total disaster. -

The wind pressed the sail into a full bellied curve as 'Wave Dancer' lived up to his name and danced over the sparkling waves along the Italian coastline. Yet no matter how fast the ship raced before the wind, the twelve bireme's that dogged them crept inexorably closer to them.

"How much longer before we get to those islands of yours?" questioned the blonde Amazon ruler for what seemed about the hundredth time to the pirate.

"Three candlemarks .. maybe four, maybe less," responded Nebula with an exaggerated sigh.

Ephiny gave the captain a hard glare, "Well I hope you've got some other ideas because they're going to be on us in well less than a candlemark," she looked back at the following ships, "At least two of them will," she amended.

The tall dark woman turned and narrowed her eyes at the two biremes that were pulling strongly ahead of the other ten in the flotilla. She licked her lips as her brain performed mental gymnastics with the calculations she had made, attempted a metaphoric triple somersault which landed her flat on her face, "Damn!" she swore softly.

Ephiny felt like groaning. That one soft curse had just confirmed her worst fears, "I'll take that to mean you haven't." she ventured flatly.

As Hercules and Iolaus joined them on the stern deck, Nebula's agile mind was attempting to make plans that they could employ against the Roman pursuit. She kept her eyes firmly focussed on the two lead ships that were definitely drawing ahead of the rest of the fleet, - By Poseidon's beard! - her eyes widened, - Those damned fools are racing each other to try and catch us! - A slow smile swept over her face as a plan took shape within her fertile brain.

"They're going to try and flank us on either side," Hercules offered quietly.

"Board us from both sides and try to overwhelm us with numbers," added Iolaus as he assessed the situation. "Probably had a big bounty promised to the ones that take us," noted Ephiny gloomily.

"Hey that works for us," grinned the irrepressible blonde sidekick.

The Regent gave him a long hard look, "Just how does being flanked and boarded by overwhelming odds help us?" she inquired acidly.

"What Iolaus is trying to say in his own, roundabout, way is that if the crews on those ships are all trying to catch us so they can claim the reward, it means that they are far less likely to work as a cohesive unit," explained Hercules.

"Yeah!" laughed the hunter merrily, "It all comes down to greed and stupidity."

"Greed and stupidity?" repeated Ephiny densely.

"Uh huh," nodded Iolaus with a smile.

"I don't understand," admitted the Regent with a shake of her head.

"It's simple really Eph," he explained happily. "Their greed for that reward is going to make them stupidly attack us as if we were an easy push over."

The Regent ran frustrated hands through her own blonde curls, "Explain something to me Iolaus," she instructed.

"Sure, Eph, what?" asked the hunter with a puzzled frown.

"Those biremes," she said gesturing astern.

"Yeah," he agreed his puzzlement deepening.

"They carry a normal crew of what ... I don't know maybe a hundred men, not including the slaves?"

Iolaus nodded his head in agreement,"Yeah, sure it's a warship .. probably has more like a hundred and thirty at full compliment."

"Mmm hmmm," mused Ephiny. "And would it be a fair assumption that Caesar's got say another hundred soldiers on each ship?"

The blonde man waggled his hand from side to side,"Give or take, yeah," he agreed with her.

"Then please explain to me, O mighty mariner, how having two shiploads, of two hundred and thirty men each, coming along either side of us is going to work in our favour?" demanded Ephiny struggling to keep her voice from rising to a crescendo.

"Ummm ... well, the trick here is ..." Iolaus fumbled to explain his thoughts.

"I mean, my Amazons are good! And Artemis knows we can do them some damage, but if two of those ships catch us and men board, then we can't fight and keep the ship sailing which means we're going to be easy prey from the rest of the pack!" she growled angrily.

"Calm down Ephiny," came the soothing voice of Hercules. "Iolaus is right. Their greed and stupidity does help us .. we're just going to have to find the best way to make it work for us, though."

The Regent glared at the son of Zeus, "Got any suggestions?" she demanded unhappily.

"I have," purred the hitherto silent voice of Nebula. "Ephiny, can you get as many of your Amazons that can shoot a bow on deck? We're going to need them if this is going to work. You've got a little time, because I'm going to try and pull those lead two ships as far away from the others before I try this."

The blonde ruler nodded her acquiescence, "Alright Nebula. I'll get them organised. But when I get back I want to hear a full description of this plan of yours, okay?"

"Fine," agreed the pirate and watched as the Amazon hurried off to organize her warriors. She turned to Hercules, "I hope you've had plenty of rest, my friend, because I've got a job for you that's going to require all that prodigious strength of yours to work."

"You've got it," he smiled confidently.

"Hey! What about me?" demanded Iolaus, "Am I the only one that doesn't get a task?"

"Oh no, lover," the tall woman purred seductively, "I have something for you to do that will keep you close to me and servicing my every whim." She laid a possessive hand on his shoulder.

"Cut it out, Nebula," grinned the blonde nervously, "We've got a Roman fleet to fight."

The pirate looked him over speculatively, "Not that your thoughts aren't appealing, Curly, but I really was thinking more along the lines of you handling the wheel, rather than other more .. intimate .. things," she grinned lasciviously.

"Oh yes," growled Iolaus petulantly, "Ha, ha! So funny." he grumbled as he wandered over to take command of the wheel.

Nebula allowed a small possessive smile to flit across her face, "Later!" she breathed as she watched his retreating butt. - If the Romans haven't got us all chained up and under the lash by then! - she mutely added, playing a scene out in her imagination of the blonde man stripped to the waist, sweat streaked and in chains and her standing behind him holding a whip, - Yeah! Kinky! - she grinned naughtily before shaking herself free from the vision and preparing herself mentally for the coming battle.

In the infirmary, Sheraya stood and stretched pressing her fists into her back near the base of her spine and winced as she heard, and felt, the bones pop back into alignment, "Getting old, Ray," she muttered to herself shaking her head.

Looking around her domain she allowed her eyes to flicker over those resting there. Joxer was snoring lightly under the influence of combined pain killing and sleeping herbs. It was difficult to imagine the bumbling warrior as a hero, but it was his courage and decisiveness that had saved a child from certain death, earning him an injury that could just cripple him for life. - Whatever else he does or doesn't have, - the healer told herself, - he has the heart of a hero. -

She turned her back on the wannabe warrior and allowed her eyes to rest on the two young Amazon's curled up in a cramped corner. Jade and Lasca had worked hard throughout the long night and into mid morning before Sheraya had allowed them to take a nap on the hard deck. She'd heard them grumbling about not being allowed to seek out their own bed rolls, and doubting that they'd be able to get any sleep, but she'd had to grin when they slipped into Morpheus' arms the moment their eyes had closed.

The five Amazons that remained in her care also slept, which the healer counted as a good thing. Sleep aided the body's healing and, although none of the warrior's were in any current danger from their wounds, all had taken nasty injuries that would take time before their bearers would recover from them.

She avoided looking at the cot next to the cabin door and turned her attention back to the beds under the long stern windows. She frowned a little at the unconscious form of her fellow healer, Patroclese. The young Roman, should have shown some signs of recovery by now and his lack of improvement was beginning to concern her. She pinched the bridge of her nose with forefinger and thumb, trying to decide if she should use strong smelling salts to try and bring him around. Deciding that she would give him up to the end of the candlemark to awaken naturally, she turned her attention to Eponin.

The Weapons Master was making steady improvement, she was relieved to note. The fever had abated and, although she looked almost deathly pale, her breathing was strong and steady. - With care, rest and a little luck she should make a full recovery, - Sheraya assessed. - Of course, getting Pony to rest after she's been injured is a task worthy of Hercules ... so maybe it's a good job that I have him to call upon! Especially as ... -

Her gaze turned to the weakly straining figure on the cot in the corner. The potion that she had administered to Xena should have rendered her senseless, and motionless, until dark fell once more. She was well aware of the Warrior Princess' reputation as a patient and she was in no mood to have to fight with her to keep her in her bed until judging her fit enough to be up and about.

Unfortunately, as soon as the dark warrior had descended into a deep sleep, she had started to moan and thrash about, threatening to tear open the wound in her back again, as well as doing damage to those trying to care for her. Finally, after Lasca had been fisted half way across the room, Sheraya had ordered her patient to be bound to the cot once more, where she now strained at the ropes that held her and emitted occasional moans of varying volume.

For now, Xena was almost quiet ... if not in the restful sleep that the healer had prescribed for her. Shaking her head, the Amazon couldn't help but wonder how the fabled warrior had the energy to struggle even as feebly as she currently did. With the amount of blood she had lost, the woman shouldn't have been able to open her eyes, let alone move, for several days at least. - Truth is, with the amount of blood she's lost, she should be dead! - Sheraya reminded herself bluntly. - I don't know what kind of healing system she has, but if we could find a way to bottle it's essence, then maybe other's could be helped to recover instead of ...

She squeezed her eyes shut and stifled the sigh that threatened to turn into a sob. Turning, her eyes lingered sadly on the shrouded figure that lay on the pallet next to the door. Olan was a scout, - Had been a scout, - she reminded herself harshly. - The woman had two daughters, the eldest fourteen, the youngest just nine. She would never see them take their Rite of passage now. -

Sheraya wiped away a stray tear impatiently. Her little sister would have been shocked to see her cry. She'd always thought the healer hard and unfeeling. They had never been close. There were too many years between their births and too much difference between their views on life. However, she made a silent vow to Olan, one she would die before breaking, - I will raise Hynde and Willow as you would have wanted. -

Her eyes snapped back to where a low rumbling growl was discharging from Xena. The Warrior Princess' head was thrashing back and forth and perspiration beaded heavily across her dark brows. The ropes that were tied across her body over the frame of the bed, pinning her within her blankets in such a way as to not further damage her flesh, began to creak and stretch under a sudden powerful attack as the delirious woman threw herself against them.

"I won't," panted the warrior as Sheraya hurried to her side, trying to pin her patient's shoulders back down to the bed. "Never, Julius .. do you hear me!" she cried, "NOOOOOOOO!" she screamed before collapsing back onto the bed to begin muttering and twitching once more.

"Dammit, woman!" swore Sheraya, baffled by what she was witnessing. By right's this should not have been happening, "What is going on with you?"

"Have you given her sleeping drugs?" asked a voice from the end of the bed.

Sheraya looked up into the concerned eyes of Patroclese, who stood ashen faced and supported by Lasca and Jade, who were watching Xena thrash through sleep bleary eyes.

"Of course I did," growled the Amazon healer, aware that most of the other occupants of the infirmary were also now awake. "She needs peaceful rest."

"I guessed you had," Patroclese answered sadly. "She has nightmares if she sleeps too deeply," he told her. "They can be very dangerous for her and those around her."

"How would you know?" demanded Sheraya without really thinking.

The Roman took a deep breath and explained regretfully, "Caesar tried to weaken her through sleep deprivation. When she did sleep, she couldn't stop herself from slipping into a deep slumber where she was greeted by harrowing nightmares. She killed six men during one of those dreams. She started to refuse to sleep at all. I had to drug her to get her to rest enough to where she could control her sleeping patterns once more. It was not easy for any of us ... her or we who watched her."

The cabin was silent except for Xena's thrashing and fevered mutterings until Sheraya finally commented, "I see. So it was a mistake to drug her."

"You couldn't have known," consoled Patroclese. "I suspect that only Gabrielle knows the true depth of these nightmares that haunt her," he said gesturing in the warrior's direction.

"How in Artemis' name am I supposed to keep her in that bed long enough to get her to heal then," muttered the Amazon to herself as she bit at the side of her mouth in deep thought.

The Roman healer smiled when he heard the low comment, "Well you could keep her tied down ... she might not appreciate it, but it could be done. However, I think if you were to hand that particular problem over to Gabrielle, I think you might just solve it."

Brown eyes shot to blue, "You think?" she asked.

"Oh, almost definitely," grinned Patroclese. "That young woman is almost a match in stubbornness for your patient," He told his colleague as memories of a cell in Nemausus flitted through his mind.

"Fine. Jade and Lasca can keep her company for now and try to make sure she doesn't break free .. meantime you really should be back in your bed. You took quite a crack from that beam and you need time to recover."

Patroclese didn't argue with her. He felt weak and dizzy, so he was happy enough for her to assist him back to his cot, "What's happened while I've been out?" he asked. Then a worried frown crossed his face and he demanded, "Are the children alright."

Sheraya got him to lay back on the bed and told him, "All of the children are fine. We're out of Ostia and heading home." She drew a breath and told him softly, "We do have trouble though. It seems we're being chased by a few of Caesar's ships."

"How many," he asked in a quiet, worried tone.

"Twelve biremes ... and they're gaining on us."

"Gods!" he whispered.