Over the next week, the group stayed and rested in their camp near the Mirrored Lakes. The rockslide that had nearly taken Sheila's life had blocked their path to the south, so they were going to have to backtrack near the Fire-Lit Mountains to continue their journey. Since none of them felt strong enough to tackle that particular task just yet, they had agreed to rest, allowing their bodies time to heal.

Hank and Sheila took long walks daily. Each time they returned, their friends could see just a little bit of the pain on their faces easing. They still argued on occasion and Sheila still cried for everything she had lost, but it was different somehow. It was a healing cry and Hank made sure to vent his anger away from the others.

Still Eric and Diana watched Hank for signs of the rage that had possessed him during Sheila's imprisonment. They didn't want to have to hurt him, but they had worked with Presto to take the necessary precautions, should anything like that happen again. What they had seen in their friend and leader scared them that badly.

Bobby seemed oblivious to many of the changes in Sheila, apparently just happy to have his sister back again. When she was not with Hank, the barbarian spent much of his time with Sheila, keeping her occupied and making sure that she was never left alone. He had the same niggling fear they all did: Venger had taken Sheila once. What was to stop him from taking her prisoner again?

This particular problem had worried Presto very much. So it was with great urgency that he approached Sheila one night as she sat alone by the campfire.

She looked up from the fire she was poking with a stick. "Hi, Presto. What's up?"

"This." He held out a small leather pouch.

She took it and peered inside. It was filled with a funny smelling power.

"What's this?" She swiped at the bright orange contents inside the bag with a finger. She was surprised to find it had a slightly liquid texture.

"Transference Power," he told her, closing the bag. "It'll enhance your natural magical abilities if Venger ever captures you again. I want him to think you picked up a lot of magical defenses at Zenghai, the you can battle him with magic. He doesn't have to know that it's just a few spells and some powder.

"If he thinks you can fight back, he might leave you alone. Plus, it'll give you time to use this."

He drew a small purplish pink globe from beneath his robes. She reached out and took the pro-offered sphere.

"What is it?" She looked it over carefully.

"It's a teleportation globe. Don't worry," he added when he saw the stricken look on her face. "You can carry it in your belt without breaking it. The smaller ones are more durable. Just grab it with both hands and it'll bring you back to where ever we are."

She looked at him with concern. "You really think he’s going to come after me again, don’t you?"

Presto nodded. "Venger doesn’t give up the things or people he wants that easily. And we know for a fact he wants you. Plus, that image you saw in the pool back in Zenghai, the one with your second son…"

"Okay. What do I do with this stuff?" She inspected the powder more closely. The little bit on her fingers had vanished. A tingling sensation prickled her skin where it had been.

"Rub it on your hands," he took the pouch and sprinkled a bit on her hands.

Sheila watched as the powered turned into a gel and sunk into her skin. The tingling of before became almost like an itch now.

"Now, deflect a spell." He backed up and she raised her hands to defend herself, just as he had taught her on the grounds of the Cloud Castle.

The energy flew from his fingers, straight at her chest. The thief concentrated with all her might and a faint golden glow appeared around her hands. Then, without warning, she felt the protective shield strengthen and her skin sizzled with power. When Presto’s spell finally made contact with Sheila’s protection spell, it rebounded back towards the magician who ducked out of the way.

"You see?" He handed her back the bag of powder. "If Venger captures you, just do that until you can get the teleportation globe out. It’s the best I can do for you at the moment. I’m just sorry it’s not more."

"Thanks, Presto." She smiled at him. "It’s more than I had last time."

Sometime in the deep of that night, the camp was awakened by the terrified whinnies of Uni.

"Stupid unicorn," Eric grumbled as he got out of his sleeping bag. "She’s probably caught in that thorn bush again."

He opened his tent and came face to face with one very angry Venger. Uni was struggling in his grasp and he had his hands wrapped around the unicorn’s neck. The cavalier could see the tendons in the dark lord’s hands flex and Uni let out a strangled cry of pain.

"Let her go, you big creep!" Eric’s shout was sufficient to raise the others and heads began popping out of tent flaps. He could see Hank across the camp, his bow already in hand.

"Uni!" Bobby’s terror was more than evident in his voice as he charged a Venger, club swinging. Venger simply waved his hand and Bobby went flying backwards into Diana, who had just emerged form her own tent.

"What do you want, Venger?" Hank’s voice held an icy edge.

"I have merely come to reclaim my queen," Venger told him haughtily. "Did you think I would not return for what is mine after I discovered she had returned to the Realm from the protection of Zenghai?"

Inside the tent, Sheila heard Venger’s voice and felt the familiar shiver of fear run down her spine. She knew he was here to take her back to his Palace of Torture. Then, she heard Uni’s cry; there was no mistaking the pain behind it.

In that moment, something inside the thief snapped. Anger welled up inside her and she felt a blind rage begin to overtake her senses. It was one thing to torture her and hold her prisoner. It was completely another to terrorize her friends, particularly a defenseless unicorn.

Sheila emerged from the tent and came out from behind Hank. She walked slowly to the center of the camp.

"Let Uni go, Venger." At the thief’s request, he dropped the unicorn, who made a mad dash for the safety of Bobby and Diana’s protection.

Sheila looked around the camp. She knew if they were to fight the dark lord here, they would probably lose. Venger was angry and that anger would make him twice as dangerous as normal. She knew that from experience. There was only one way to resolve this; she only hoped she had the courage to see it through.

"You want me?" she asked him. He only nodded in reply.

"Then let’s go." She offered him her hand, which he kissed before tucking it under his arm.

"Sheila, no!" Hank shouted. "You said you didn’t love him anymore. You said we’d be together! How can you do this to us? To me?"

"It’s not about you, Hank." She looked him directly in the eyes. "This is something I have to do if I ever want to be the woman I was before."

She looked across the camp at her friends once more. She nodded slightly to Presto who returned her steady gaze.

"I trust you," were his only words.

"Come my queen," Venger hissed. "I grow tired of waiting."

With a thud, the Nightmare landed beside them. Venger lifted Sheila up on the black stallion and hopped up behind her. Sheila gave them a small wave as she and Venger took off into the night’s darkness.

Hank stared at the disappearing figures, tears flowing freely down his face. He whirled on Presto who had been watching the ranger silently.

"How could you let her go?" he snarled. "What do you mean, you trust her? What kind of stupid ideas did you fill her head with?

"I should have known, all those private conversations you two have been having after you got back from Zenghai. You’ve turned traitor on us, Presto!"

Eric, Diana, and Bobby immediately sprang to the magician’s side, all of them with uncorked green bottles of a smoking liquid.

"Don’t do this again, Hank," Eric warned. "We don’t want to fight you but we will if we have to."

The ranger glowered at them, but Presto held up his hand. "She’ll be back, Hank. I promise. She carries the way back to us, and to you, with her. All she has to do is use it."

"Stop talking like that, like some know-it-all!" Hank was now trembling with rage. "You don’t know a thing about this!"

"But I do know, Hank," Presto replied calmly. "I was with her in Zenghai. And much as you don’t want to admit it, I know she truly loves Venger. Or at least the part of him that’s still the man he used to be.

"I also know that she loves you more. That’s why she left with him, to save you, to save all of us. Venger would have killed us if she hadn't gone with him. But she’ll be back. I promise"

Hank paused, still angry but fighting for his inner control. "How do you know?"

Presto stepped forward again and motioned for the others put down the potion bottles.

"Because she needs to face the one thing she’s been avoiding, Venger’s control over her. She may be coming to terms with her feelings and the loss of her baby, but she’s still haunted by all the terrible things he did to her, the beatings and the rapes.

"Until she faces that, and him, she’s never going to be free of him. Or able to love you or anyone else. I know; I’ve lived through it with Amber."

"How does she come back?" He let his energy bow fall limply at his side. "When do I see her again?"

Presto looked into Hank’s eyes, now filled with fear rather than anger. "I gave her ways to protect herself from Venger, and a way to come back when the time is right. But I don’t think you need to worry. I have a feeling she’ll be back soon."