Hellebore by Chris Cook

Summary: A headstrong sorceress and a young Amazon join forces to locate and destroy an ancient source of demonic power.

The early morning sun was hazy in the distance, hidden behind scattered clouds to the east, but its light glittered off the Kingsway river like a trail of stars left over from the night. Being the only customers in the tavern who had stayed the night, rather than returned home at the waning of the evening, Willow and Tara had the common room to themselves, and had taken a table by a window, looking out over the square and the gently sloping landscape beyond.

Tara had brought one of the copies she had been given of the army's maps, and spread it out on the table while Willow picked a few pieces of fruit from the counter and left a silver on the bar as payment. She set the bowl down on the corner of the map, keeping it from rolling up again, and sat next to Tara.

"We're here," she noted, pointing to the tiny dot marked 'Laban', surrounded by a handful of carefully-inscribed symbols.

"That's us," Tara nodded, "and a day's ride due south…" Her hand brushed Willow's in passing, on its way to point out Kotram, where the monastery and its five surrounding villages were marked.

"I think we'd best leave it for tomorrow," Tara said, "we could get there, but it'd be late by the time we arrived – I know it wouldn't make a difference underground, but I don't really want us to go down there at night. We'd be tired, for one thing."

"And some kinds of demons are more powerful at night," Willow added, "whereas I don't think there's any west of the Aranoch desert that prefer the daytime. Even underground, that can make a difference to demons. So where do we spend the night?"

"We've got two choices," Tara said, tracing the routes on the map as she spoke. "Either we head straight for the monastery, on the high ground, and camp on the plateau for the night – there's shallow valleys along there, so we could probably find somewhere out of the way, and make it safe enough to sleep in if we're careful. Then we go straight to the monastery in the morning. We'll have a good view in both directions, the ridge the monastery is on is high enough to overlook the nearer valleys to the west, and we'll be able to see for miles along the plain below the cliff to the east."

"Giving us a good chance of spotting any roving packs of demons well before they get near us," Willow nodded. "What's the other option?"

"If we veer east," Tara said, pointing, "we could come around the northern edge of the cliff, where the plain comes up to reach the plateau. Then we go along the base of the cliff and camp there for the night. This map has several good sites marked."

"We go in through the eastern tunnel," Tara suggested. "Unless something's happened since we were last there we know it's intact and safe, and the fact that the village at the end was pretty much destroyed means it's unlikely any demons will have made a camp there, like they did in the western village when we were on our way through before. We follow the tunnel straight to that locked entrance we found, and go into the catacombs from there. If there's anything in the monastery itself we'll bypass it completely."

"But safer, I think," Tara pointed out. "Unless something actually comes up to the cliff and looks over the edge, nothing to the west will ever know we're there. And there's a slight rise between the base of the cliff and the plain, running almost as far as the village. We'd be hidden from anything east as well."

"And we can stop now and then and take a peek over the rise to see if there's anything out there," Willow said, "good plan. What about when we approach the ruined village, though? If there's anything in the monastery they'll see us."

"They'd see us just the same if we came in from the west. It's a risk either way."

"If we spend the night here," Tara said, pointing to a marked site at the base of the cliff, three miles from the monastery atop it, "she'll recognize that as our camp site, provided it's clear to her. Then we ride as far as the rise goes south, continue to the village on foot, and she'll go back and wait for us at the camp. She understands the commands for that."

"I think it's got more advantages than going west, along the top of the cliff," Tara nodded. "Normally I'd say the high ground is best, but this is an unusual situation – and we're not trying to win a battle, we're trying to avoid one."

"I agree," Willow grin, "besides, you're the only one of us who's really trained for this sort of thing."

"You're good enough for me," Willow said firmly. "Now, what happens if we run into some company of the demonic variety?"

"Well, if what the Duncraig scouts reported holds true, there aren't any highly organized bands roaming the countryside. Probably some will have stayed together, for hunting and protection…do they do that?"

"Usually," Willow nodded, "at least if they encounter others of the same kind, most demons are more likely to band together than fight. Only a very powerful master can stop infighting among different kinds of demons – Shadai could, but only if she were already here. From the ethereal plane her ability to control lesser demons must be weaker than if she'd manifested – it'd be more suggestion, really, rather than control. Even if she is able to reach far enough to influence other demons, if a bunch of goat-men ran into a tribe of Carvers I'm pretty sure their instincts would just take over and they'd try to kill each other."

"Good," Tara said, "so basically, we're dealing with belligerent predators, not soldiers."

"For our purposes, yes," Tara grinned wryly. "If we run into a lone demon and kill it it's far less likely that any others will realize it's missing. They'll be hunting for food, not patrolling, which means we've got a better chance of avoiding being seen. And if one group does realize there's humans around, they won't send word to any others."

"You're right," Willow agreed, "but remember there's Shadai herself – whatever she's planning she won't want us interfering."

"All the more reason to go unnoticed," Tara pointed out. "Aside from anyone serving her directly, could she use other demons, the goat-men and Carvers? If we run into them, will she know?" Willow frowned in thought.

"It's possible," she said, "to what extent I don't know…the ethereal realm throws it all into doubt. There's creatures native to the realms, but Shadai isn't, so it's impossible to be sure what affect that will have on her exactly. If I had to guess – which I guess I do," she added with a shrug and a smile, "I'd say she won't be able to focus, if you get what I mean…if we run into a lone demon and kill it quickly, she won't know. If we run into a whole tribe and spend half a day with them chasing us, she could pick up on their awareness of us. Like you said, going unnoticed is good."

"If any of those blood hawk things show up, I should try to shoot them down?" Tara asked.

"That'd be my bet," Willow replied. "I'll use what spells I've got to try to give us some early warning of concentrations of demons, so we can avoid or ambush them, depending on how many there are. If we do it right, I think we could make it – all we need to worry about are the catacombs. Whatever Shadai's managed to bind to her service, human or demon, that's where they'll be."

"Close quarters," Tara mused, "between your magic and mine, I don't think we have to worry about being outnumbered down there."

"Some of those vaults we saw were pretty expansive," Willow pointed out, "it wouldn't be that different to fighting on open ground."

"We'll have to do our best to stick to tunnels and smaller chambers," Tara said, "we'll have the advantage there, over groups of demons at any rate. If we run into something individually powerful, like a demon champion, or a mage…" she shrugged.

"That's not unlikely," Willow said gloomily. Tara nodded, then squared her shoulders.

"We'll deal with it if it happens," she said firmly, "no-one gives my baby nightmares and gets away with it." Willow gave a chuckle, and leant over to rest her forehead against Tara's.

"Time to go," Tara replied. Willow leant back, but Tara quickly reached out and caught her around the waist, gently keeping her from getting up.

"I know this is difficult," she whispered, "I haven't seen what you've seen, I haven't stood face to face with a demon like Shadai…I can't know what it's like the way you do. But I know she scares you more than anything else, and I can see how incredibly brave you are, to go out there." She leant forward and pressed a gentle, tender kiss to Willow's lips.

Willow found that, if she kept her eyes on the horizon ahead, she wasn't bothered at all by the speed she and Tara were riding at. To reach the point where the river plain came up to meet the highlands they had had to leave the road, and though the ground was good, its dips and curves made it far more difficult for Willow to ignore the fact that she was astride a very tall, very powerful horse.

On the uneven ground, Anji had seemed to want to adopt a slightly quicker pace than she had on the road, and with Willow's rueful agreement Tara had let her. Hedges and occasional trees flashed by on either side as they followed a wide trail – Willow found that whenever she looked, the reminder of their speed made her far more anxious than she thought she should be, rationally speaking. Ahead, though, the view was quite bearable, as the trail snaked this way and that, and the rest of the scenery slowly slid to one side or the other, out of sight and comfortably out of mind.

"Feeling okay?" Tara asked, raising her voice slightly to overcome the sound of Anji's hooves thundering along the packed earth.

"Been better," Willow replied, "but could be worse. No problem." It helped her to hear Tara's voice, with its carefully reined-in joy. She could hear – could feel, the way Tara held her, strong but not at all tense – how much she was enjoying the ride. Intellectually, she herself could see what the appeal would be, the thrill of their speed, much like the way she had been enjoying their progress the day before, on the road proper. But hearing Tara's voice, alive with excitement, gave Willow a measure of real understanding – for a moment, she felt exhilarated too.

Tara switched the reins to one hand for a moment, offering a comforting caress over Willow's exposed side, then she took the reins firmly in both hands again, and leaned forward to speak close to Willow's ear.

"Of course," Willow said, wondering. She felt a quick kiss just below her ear, then Tara leaned forward in the saddle, her leather-clad breasts pressing close against Willow's back.

"Why…?" Willow asked, keeping her eyes fixed ahead. Her hands nevertheless firmly gripped the saddle ahead of her, and between their hold and Tara's arms to either side of her, she felt at least confident that her falling was quite unlikely.

'What's she up to-' Willow began to wonder, before her thoughts were cut off by Tara gently tugging on the reins, turning Anji off the trail and into a neighboring field. The ground was firm enough, and empty, the harvest having passed already for whatever crop had basked here during the summer – all that remained was acre after acre of bare soil, with grass sprouting here and there, and the hedges and low wooden fences marking the boundaries between one field and the next.

'Okay, don't panic, Tara's got me, I'm perfectly safe,' Willow silently recited to herself.

"What're we…" Willow began, then trailed off as she saw a hedge ahead of them, approaching at speed. Tara leaned forward more, her body intimately pressed against Willow's back, almost hugging her but for her forearms, still holding the reins.

"Hold tight," she whispered in Willow's ear, urging Anji on to a full-speed charge.

"Eep!" Willow squeaked as the horse's muscles bunched and she launched herself into the air. For a moment it seemed to Willow as though they had taken to the sky, left the ground far behind – the wind still whipped at her hair and gusted against her eyes, their motion was unchecked, but there were no hoof beats, no contact with the ground. Then Anji made a perfect landing, galloping along without breaking stride in the least.

"Ah!" Willow exclaimed, letting go a breath she had held since the jump. Making up for lost time she took two deep breaths in quick succession, then craned her neck around to see Tara, still close behind her.

'What do I think?' Willow wondered madly. 'That was…was…' The tight knot of tension in her unwound, letting her feel the emotions bound up in it. 'That was…'

"Wow!" she yelled, startling herself. Tara's smile broadened, relief added to exhilaration.

"I didn't scare you?" she asked, almost sheepishly now that the excitement was abating a little.

"I…no," Willow shook her head, "no, startled maybe, not scared…wow!" She looked around, suddenly feeling a tremendous sense of vitality at seeing the world rushing by, no matter where she looked. Unbidden, laughter welled up out of her, laughter filled with joy and exhilaration.

"What do you say, girl?" Tara asked, looking past Willow at Anji's alert ears and streaming mane. "Shall we give her another thrill?" The horse seemed eager coming up to the next hedge, and again Willow laughed as they leapt over it, this time expecting and fully enjoying the moment when their ties to the earth and everything on it were, for a brief instant, forgotten.

After three more jumps Tara steered Anji back to the trail, and she resumed her comfortable gallop towards the distant river plain. Willow, still trembling with excitement, twisted around and reached behind her to embrace Tara as best she could and, when she leaned forward, kissed her passionately. Tara merely opened her mouth and let Willow assault her senses with her lips and tongue, fumbling with the reins to free one hand, to return Willow's half- embrace. Willow felt like she could keep kissing forever – the energy in her body surged as her lips moved against Tara's, their tongues caressed each other, and at last, when they finally opened their eyes and parted, the naked desire in Tara's stare made her squirm in the saddle.

"I feel…" Willow began, staring around blissfully at the speeding landscape, "I feel like I can fly! Thank you. How did you know?"

"You've got good instincts," Willow said, tightening the arm she had managed to get around Tara's waist. "Great instincts. Especially when it comes to me."

"You seemed so tense," Tara said, grinning her lop-sided grin, "I thought…I hoped the excitement would open you up to the experience."

"You were right," Willow smiled, genuine gratitude in her voice, "I mean, I don't know about riding solo, but with you behind me…I feel good now. Better than good. That was amazing!" She kissed Tara again, carefree and intimate, feeling a kind of privacy in the miles of unoccupied fields surrounding them.

"Mmm," Tara purred when they parted, "so…now that I've got you excited, what do I do with you?"

"Seeing as you're so good at opening me up to new experiences," Willow grinned gleefully, "I'd say you can do whatever you want with me…how long until we stop for lunch?"

"A little further," Tara said. "I was wondering though…did you ever wonder what it'd be like to make love on horseback?"

"Me? Heh, up until now I never thought anything about being on horseback- really?" Her surprise turned to desire as Tara continued to subject her to her aroused scrutiny. "You wanna try?" she grinned slyly.

"If you do," Tara nodded slightly, "you bet I do…turn back around." Willow obediently adjusted herself in the saddle, facing forwards once more.

"You like it now?" Tara breathed in her ear. "The speed, the power…no more fear?"

"Hold the reins," Tara offered, bringing her hands to Willow's, "don't worry, she knows where we're going, just hold them loose, like this…that's good."

"Oh, that's good," Willow smiled in reply, as Tara's arms circled her torso and her hands flattened on her stomach, stroking back and forth rhythmically, matching the tempo of the hooves beneath them. She glanced back, meeting Tara's gaze, biting her lip partly from anticipation, partly just from the pleasure of Tara's caresses.

"Look ahead," Tara prompted, "look at the road…everything moving so fast…look at the sky all around you."

Willow obediently turned her gaze back to the expansive vista surrounding them. For a few miles the trail followed the shallow peak of a rise between the fields, so that nothing obstructed the view in every direction of the land stretching out to the distant horizon. Tara's hands moved lower; Willow's head tilted back, her gaze reaching into the sky. The exhilaration she felt as Tara moved lower, one hand cupping her mound through the fabric of her skirt, was unparalleled.

"Mmmyeah," she smiled, as she felt Tara loosen her belt and slip her hand inside it. Her other hand moved back up, teasing the edge of her top, brushing against the undersides of her breasts.

At the same moment Willow felt Tara's questing fingers slide down to her sex, index and middle finger either side of her eager clit, squeezing slightly, and Tara's lips against the side of her neck, kissing and licking and nuzzling as she slowly caressed her elsewhere.

"I love you," Willow murmured, as Tara's now-moist fingers danced across her aroused sex, causing her body to shudder with every heartbeat. She turned again, seeking Tara's lips, and sighed lovingly as Tara gifted her with a deep, intense kiss. When she drew back, Willow couldn't keep herself from moaning at the sight of her – warm, loving, sexy, her grin promising endless pleasures.

"I love…that s- smile," she gasped, finding it a great effort even to speak – Tara's fingers between her legs were exercising all their skill, and Willow felt light as air, as if the pounding of her heart, and the horse's hooves beneath them, might be enough to life her into the sky.

"Th-that smile," Willow managed, "the one that's…like…oh goddess!" she exclaimed as Tara's forefinger slipped teasingly into her. Held securely in Tara's arms, her body rocked back and forth as they galloped headlong.

"Like…like you're…tying me up with…silk ribbons…kissing me everywhere…except where I most want you t-to…kiss…mmm…" Her head fell back, resting on Tara's shoulder as she whispered to her, raising her voice just enough to be heard over the thudding of Anji's hooves.

"A-and…teasing…until I…I'm gasping…pleading for y-you…to make love to me…that smile…t-the one that…that says I-I'm yours…"

Tara's free hand worked its way beneath Willow's top, firmly gripping at her breasts, her nails scraping light trails over her skin, while beneath, making Willow's hands clench painfully tight on the reins, she reached into her and brought forth her first release, with a playful ease that promised it wouldn't be her last.

Anji's enthusiasm for her morning galloping brought them to the edge of the river plain just before midday, slightly earlier than Tara had expected, allowing a leisurely lunch. Willow made sandwiches from their packed bread, and tomatoes and lettuce she had bought from the tavern in Laban, and Tara had laughed lightly as she had apologized for not being able to take the time to prepare anything more elaborate.

"They're lovely," she said, through her first mouthful, "besides," she went on after swallowing, "I know where I can find a very tasty dessert."

"Don't be too greedy," Willow grinned back, "we can't stop long, and I need my dessert too."

Both were very satisfied on that score by the time Tara called Anji over from her idle grazing, and they once more took to the saddle, descending into the shadow of the cliff to their right as they followed its base. As the afternoon wore on the trail became rougher until it petered out completely, and the sun dipped further towards the western horizon, casting a greater and greater shadow over the land around the two travelers.

Twice during the afternoon they stopped, the first time for Willow to scratch a pattern in the soil and read from one of her scrolls, giving her a momentary awareness of living things around herself. She had had to exercise some self- control not to stare at Tara, who took on a radiant aura while the spell held – when she turned her attention elsewhere, the subtle degradation of the grasslands and woods was plain, increasing in the direction they were headed. But there were, at least, no great concentrations of the sickly malaise nearby, such as would indicate a gathering of demons.

The second time they paused in their journey was at a stream fed by a trickle coming over the cliff – once Willow had found the water pure they had refilled the waterskin they had used, and let Anji drink to her heart's content. Tara's map noted a path to the top of the cliff nearby, and Willow had reluctantly stayed down below with Anji while Tara had found the winding path and clambered to the top, to take in the lie of the land as best she could.

It was barely a few minutes before she returned, puffing from the effort of climbing up and down, but otherwise untroubled. Nonetheless Willow hugged her warmly, relieved simply to be within sight of her again. Understanding, Tara had returned the hug and stroked Willow's hair lovingly until she had finally released her and stepped back.

"I can't see the monastery," she said as they prepared to move on, "there's a haze today, but I saw pretty far. There's been a fire in one of the valleys to the southwest, I saw the burned trees on the top of the rise, and there's still a little smoke. Days old, though, I'm sure it's not more recent than that."

"I didn't see anything nearby though," Tara said, with a lift in her voice as she switched to the good news, "I think our path's clear down here. It was a bit more difficult to see straight across the highlands, but it looked pretty empty as well. Some birds far off to the west, but too far to see whether they were natural, or blood hawks. I'm sure they didn't see me, whatever they were. I'll keep an eye on the skies, though."

"How're you feeling down here?" she asked impishly, giving Willow's bottom a gentle squeeze as they waited for the horse to amble towards them.

"You should know," Willow shot back with a sly grin, "you've taken every opportunity today to feel it. Fine…a bit sore, but not so bad as yesterday."

"By the time we get back it'll be as if you were born in the saddle," Tara smiled.

"Yeah? Sounds like a tricky kind of operation," Willow quipped. With Tara's help she got astride Anji, and smiled as Tara mounted behind her.

"Remind me to explain 'figure of speech' to you sometime," Tara replied with a grin, twitching the reins to get them moving.

"My problem," Willow said, tilting her head to one side, "is that I've always got my mind on 'figure of Amazon'. Other figures just don't get a look in."

"It doesn't matter, you couldn't 'fix' it if you tried," Willow grinned over her shoulder. "Everything you do has exactly the opposite effect – I just fall more and more in love with you."

"You're not the only one," Tara murmured, pressing a kiss to the back of Willow's neck. "Oh, hey – you just said 'fall' without blinking."

"I did," Willow noted, "there you go, you've done the impossible. I can ride a horse without a second thought. Must be all that special encouragement you give me, I'm really starting to enjoy being in the saddle."

"Ah, is that right…" Willow shrugged. "So now that it's worked, does that mean you won't need to ravish me up here anymore?"

"Just you wait," Tara promised, releasing the reins with one hand to stroke Willow's waist, "on our way back, the moment we're on safe ground, I'll show you what 'ravish' really means."

They reached the area the map marked as a safe camp site just as the edges of the clouds above began to redden in the sunset. A dried-up creek bed led through a narrow defile between fallen boulders, the remnant of some ancient rockslide. Willow and Tara dismounted and went through on foot, Willow leading Anji by her reins, Tara just ahead, alert for any sign of danger, with her spear held in a deceptively casual grip. Through the rocks was a narrow clearing, walled in on one side by the cliff, overgrown with grasses. A smooth trail had been eroded down the cliff face, showing where water had once flowed, but whatever stream had fed the creek had obviously dried up long ago – plants clung to ledges where the water had trickled down, their roots clinging firmly to the layers of dirt that had built up there.

"Over here," Tara pointed. Behind one of several small, stunted trees growing beside the cliff was a small cave, almost to small to bear the name. It led only a few meters into the rock, just above head height until the last meter where it narrowed to its end, but it was dry, shielded from the elements by the hunched-over tree at its mouth, and a layer of earth had settled over time over its stone floor, though little grass had taken root there.

"From a Duke's guest room, to a plain bed in a tavern, to this," Willow said with a wry smile. "You know, I think we're traveling in the wrong direction."

"We've slept in worse," Tara pointed out, even as she shared a sympathetic sigh with Willow. "At least we'll be out of the wind. And there's enough room outside for Anji."

"What do you think of the place?" Willow asked, taking a glance around the small clearing. "Defensively, I mean?"

"Promising," Tara replied, "I can't see any sign of people or demons having been here recently. We can climb up to the top of these boulders if we need to see out, and it's pretty flat around here, so from there we'll be able to see anything coming pretty far off. But I doubt we'll be found, I don't think anything more than a few small animals comes in here."

"It's not obvious from the outside," Willow agreed, "I didn't really see anything until you pointed it out."

"Not much to see from the outside," Tara nodded. "Not much to see, period. But it'll do for the night."

"I'll set up a couple of spells," Willow said, as she and Tara unloaded their bags from Anji's saddle. "These boulders will actually help, I'm pretty sure I can set up a sympathetic harmony with a couple of rune stones, which'll make the boulders themselves part of a perimeter spell. If anything demonic or hybrid breaks the perimeter we'll feel like someone splashed cold water on us. Not the most pleasant way to wake up, if it happens at night, but better safe than sorry."

"Do you think we'll both be able to sleep?" Tara asked. Willow gave it serious thought.

"I'd like to," she said, "I suppose, if it's safe…how confident are you that this place is off the beaten track, that nothing'll turn up during the night?"

"I think we're covered from the magical side of things," Willow said, "all things considered…I think we could. You don't think it's too much of a risk?"

"I think it's a very small risk," Tara shrugged, "I think the worst that can happen is that we'll be woken up in the middle of the night and have to either check the camp, or fight something. But with your magic I don't think we'll be caught off guard, which is the important thing. And…I'd feel better if we slept together."

"Not only because you always make me feel better," Tara smiled, "also, we'll both be well rested tomorrow. I don't think we should go into the catacombs on half a night's sleep, and with one of us having just stayed up to keep watch. And I…" she paused and grinned sheepishly. "I want to fall asleep with you tonight, and wake up tomorrow with you cuddled up against me."

"I guess I'm nervous," Tara admitted, "under the circumstances, I suppose it's sensible to be apprehensive, but only to a point."

"I know what you mean," Willow said, putting her arms around Tara's waist, "I know I'm way more nervous than you…I think, if the first thing I'm aware of tomorrow is your arms around me, and I open my eyes to see you smiling at me, I'll feel like I could take on anything in the world. I think that'll be a good, positive attitude to take into a difficult day."

"And I just love sleeping with you," Willow echoed, "in every sense of the phrase." She leaned forward to bring her lips to Tara's, and gave her a slow, satisfying kiss, taking her time in tasting her lover's mouth, teasingly flicking her tongue out once, then again, to make contact with Tara's.

"Mmm," Tara sighed as their lips parted, "just remember…we're supposed to be actually sleeping tonight." Willow grinned, then couldn't keep herself from laughing.

The two enjoyed a teasing, rambling conversation over an early dinner, making sure they had their camp made and their backpacks ready for the next day's expedition before the sunlight finally vanished from the sky. Before seeking the comfort of the small cave, Willow climbed up the side of one of the boulders, peering out into the gloom beyond before turning her gaze south, where, hidden by the cliff's curving edge, the monastery waited. She half expected to see some sign of the malevolence the place had taken in her mind – dark clouds gathering overhead, or the glow of savage firelight – but the night seemed as calm as any other. With a quiet sigh she climbed back down, and gave Anji a final pat before joining Tara in the tiny cave.

"Do you want a robe to sleep in?" Tara asked. Willow thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"Let's just put on all the blankets we've got," she said, "I want to feel you against me. If we get roused and I have to fight a demon naked, so be it."

"That makes two of us," Tara said, with a smile just visible by the hesitant moonlight from outside. Despite her nerves, Willow couldn't help but cast several lingering, admiring glances at Tara as she undressed, despite being able to see so little. What she could see, the edges of curves highlighted by silver moonlight, was more than beautiful. Quickly disrobing and folding her clothes, she pulled their extra blankets across the bedroll Tara had laid out, and looked up as Tara knelt beside her and lay down.

"It's going to be a chilly night," she noted, pulling the blankets tight around them both. Willow nodded, already feeling the cold of the evening touching her exposed face.

"Darned demons," she said quietly, "why can't they wait to threaten the world during the summer?" Tara's arms went around her, and she held her close, her hands stroking up and down Willow's back in soothing motions. Despite herself, Willow couldn't help but feel tense as they lay silently, with just a single night now between them and the dangers of the catacombs.

"I know," Willow grinned, letting out a breath, "just…heh, nothing you don't know already. Pre-adventure jitters."

"Anything I can do?" Tara asked quietly. Willow was silent for a moment, then spoke again.

"Tell me about our house?" she asked. "The one you mentioned, by the lake…that we'll live in when we go home to the islands. Please?" Tara nodded, her forehead brushing against Willow's, and raised a hand to gently stroke her hair.

"There's a little pond," she whispered, "sort of a tiny lake, with wild flowers growing around it, and a row of young trees, between it and the rest of the big lake on one side. I learned to swim in that little lake, and spent days learning the names of all the flowers around it. Even in winter it never gets very cold, you can always go out in the evening and lie on the grass and look up at the stars, or watch the moonlight on the water.

"The house is just next to that, you literally step out of the back door and you're among the flowers. There's four rooms – the dining room is the largest, with a stone fireplace and chimney, and a big, old lounge opposite it with lots of cushions all over it, so comfortable you could easily just fall asleep on it. Then there's the kitchen, and from there you go out the back to the lake. The bathroom is off the bedroom, there's a big old bed in there, made from sturdy, solid beams of wood, with a thick mattress and lovely soft blankets and pillows…There's a little fireplace there, using the same chimney as the dining room, and you can have just a tiny fire going and the whole room is beautifully warm."

"I was thinking, when we finally get there, we'll have a couple of additions made. I'd like an outdoors deck, facing the lake on one side…with light wooden screens so we can open them and eat our breakfast out there, and be warmed by the morning sun…or, you know, if we closed the screens, our little lake would really be quite private…the house below it, the deck on one side, and the trees growing to the other side…no-one would be able to see in…we could get up to all sorts of things…"

"And," Tara went on, "I thought, also, one more room…for you, a library. With lots of shelves for all the books you'll collect, and a big desk you can cover with experiments and papers and all kinds of things…and a couch, where you can sit and read your ancient tomes of arcane wisdom…and I can come in and lie on the couch, with my head in your lap, and watch that lovely, intense expression you get when you're reading…"

Tara paused, and felt the regular rhythm of Willow's chest moving against hers, her breathing the slow, sedate pattern of sleep. She leaned up just enough to brush her lips against Willow's forehead, then settled down, embraced by Willow and embracing her in turn, both comfortable in their little cocoon of warmth amid the dark wilderness.

Willow's feet were cold – had slipped near a wrinkle in the blankets sometime during the night, where a soft, chilly breeze was playing over her toes – but she didn't want to move. She was watching Tara sleep. Watching, listening, experiencing with all her senses. Studying her beautiful face, so serene and peaceful, absolutely bereft of worry or sadness in sleep. Hearing the quiet sighing of each breath, even the occasional contented murmur from somewhere within her dreams – every time her ears caught such a sound, Willow couldn't help but smile. In their mutual embrace, Willow felt the constant, gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, warmed as Tara's soft bosom pressed against her own.

'I won't lose you,' she thought, her gaze caressing Tara's features. 'I can't lose you, and I won't let anything take me from you, I promise.'

"Hey," she whispered. Willow searched for her voice, but lost as she was in those eyes, she could only lean closer and brush her lips against Tara's.

"The best," Willow replied. Tara rolled onto her back, and Willow rested her head down among the blankets, on her chest – and took the opportunity to withdraw her feet from the niggling draft. She smiled and made a tiny sound of joy as Tara's fingers wove through her hair, stroking her.

"We'll have a lot more mornings like this," Tara whispered, with utter certainty.

An hour after dawn Willow and Tara were fed, bathed – as best they could with a washcloth and Willow condensing cold water into a hollow in the rock – and dressed for traveling. Each wore their two charms around a thin leather cord around their necks, and Willow had Marela's amulet tucked beneath the silver clasp on her left wrist, ready at a moment's notice. Tara went outside to pack enough supplies to get them back to a village in Anji's saddlebags, and conceal the rest of their gear as best she could, wrapping their camp packs in a waterproof cloth and half-burying them near the rock face, under the shelter of one of the stunted little trees. She and Willow had agreed that it would be better to travel light on their expedition into the catacombs. Her own pack, straps tightened to make it smaller, sat in the small of her back beneath her quivers, and contained little more than bandages and herbs for treating injuries, unappetizing trail rations, and a map of the monastery and its surrounding area.

'For all the good it will be once we're underground,' she thought with a wry smile. With a pat on the nose for Anji, who had stood patiently by while her bags were adjusted, Tara turned back to their tiny cave and ducked inside.

Willow was sitting cross-legged on the stone, her staff across her knees. She was quite ready – her battlegear immaculately arranged, the pouches on her belt evenly spaced, her slim backpack strapped on tightly - but a hesitant frown marred her features, and she didn't look up as Tara came close and knelt beside her. In her hands was the metal disc, the Hellebore key, and she was slowly turning it over and over, her eyes moving across its flawless surface.

"Sweetie," Tara said softly – not a question so much as a quiet reminder of her presence, and the support and love she offered. Willow nodded once, her eyes briefly closing. Tara sat beside her and gently stroked her cheek, brushing lightly through her hair. Willow leant into the touch, taking a deep breath at Tara's caress.

"Are we doing the right thing?" she asked eventually. Tara took a breath and exhaled, marshalling an honest answer.

"I don't know," she admitted, "I think so... by everything I know, I believe we are. That's all we can ever do, the best we can, according to what we know."

"There's so much we don't," Willow noted, though her voice wasn't despondent, simply a statement of fact.

"There always will be," Tara nodded, "the world's too huge and complicated for anyone to know everything."

"So everything we do is just the best we can at the time," Willow continued, "otherwise, we'd never do anything..." She gave a shrug. "Normally it wouldn't bother me, but... Hellebore is awesome, dreadful power. I... I could be holding that power in my hands, right now – the key to it all." She finally looked at Tara, with a rueful smile. "Holding that kind of power has a way of making you think twice."

"No argument there," Tara said, running a playful hand through Willow's hair. "But we need this to get into the lower levels of the catacombs. And if there is power there, then I'd rather it be in your hands than anyone else's." Willow held her gaze for a moment, drawing strength, then nodded.

"Okay, no, but you know what I mean," Willow said, as they walked outside, "we need it, but we're taking a risk bringing it here. No matter what happens, this disc doesn't leave your or my hands. If I... can't cast at it, for whatever reason, your lightning will do the trick. Or one of the ice arrows." She cocked her head to one side as Tara brought Anji over. "I'm not sure about your fire magic, how hot can you get?"

"I thought you knew that already?" Tara said with an arched eyebrow. Willow grinned, then laughed.

"Okay, I walked into that one," she admitted. Tara helped her up into the saddle, then mounted behind her.

"For the record," she purred, leaning close to Willow's ear, "I can get as hot as you can handle." She gave a quick kiss to the side of her neck, then leaned back. "That goes for arrows, too. It wouldn't be the kind of thing I'd want to do in an enclosed space, but if there's no choice I can do a blast that'll damage that thing."

"Good," Willow said, "we can't lose this, even if that means we have to destroy it and turn back."

"Make sure you keep a hold of it, then," Tara suggested, "I for one don't intend to leave this place until we've settled this. No demon gives my girl nightmares and gets away with it."

Half an hour later they had ridden south, and the ridge on their eastern side had all but petered out. Willow could feel the tension slowly growing in Tara's arms on either side of her, though she continued to hold the reins loosely. With a twitch of the reins she slowed Anji to a walk, and finally to a halt.

"We walk from here," Tara nodded, giving Willow's waist a comforting squeeze before sliding from the saddle and helping her down. Willow glanced up at the cliff face, where the barest slice of the monastery's wall was just visible at the top, between the jagged outcrops of rock.

"For the last half-mile," Tara admitted, "nothing specific, just a... like a bitter taste, an unrest. Like what I felt in the forest last time, before we got ambushed."

"Does it make it difficult to use your senses?" Willow asked, sparing Tara a sympathetic glance before returning her eyes to her surroundings, scanning back and forth along the patchy bushes lining the end of the ridge.

"Perhaps," Tara shrugged, "but I think I'm getting better. I'm more used to it, after last time. I'm pretty sure I won't be accidentally leading us into any more ambushes." She spun her spear deftly over her shoulder, where it slipped into the catches on her harness behind her, and drew her bow.

"Hey," Willow said, turning back to her, "that wasn't your fault, you couldn't have been expected to know, to adapt that quickly, you hadn't even seen a demon a couple of days earlier."

"It's okay," Tara assured her, though she did give a grateful smile, "I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

"Just so long as you're not beating yourself up over it," Willow persisted. Tara reached out to catch her hand, and squeezed it gently.

"I thought you were the nervous one this time," she grinned, "aren't I supposed to be reassuring you?"

"Well," Willow gave a bashful shrug, "yeah... looking after my Tara takes priority over being nervous though." Tara lowered her eyes for a moment, stepping closer to bring her face close to Willow's.

"I know baby," Willow smiled, "I love y- what?" Tara had looked up, tense, an alertness in her eyes that Willow recognized.

"East," she whispered, "we're being watched." Her grip on her bow tightened, and Willow gently released her palm to hold her staff in both hands. Tara turned slowly, in a way that suggested she was just idly looking around, not aware of anything from a specific direction.

"Small creatures," she said, "moving towards us... stealthy, quick... scavengers, not hunters."

"I see something," Willow said, trying not to show any overt sign of it, "a bush moved, seven or eight meters, exactly where I'm facing." Tara nodded once.

Tara spun around, her free arm whipping over her shoulder, an arrow nocked in her bow the moment it was upright. Willow felt the tight sensation of magic ready to be cast in her as she stepped sideways, giving herself a clear field of fire around Tara. Barely a split second later the scrubby undergrowth disgorged a trio of snarling, screeching Carvers, their wiry frames rising from a crawling posture and leaping forward with frightening speed.

Tara's arrow caught one full in the chest, igniting just as it punctured the demon's skin – it gave the start of a shriek then pitched sideways, spun by the force of the impact, as its chest tore from within and a fierce glow burned at its throat and mouth from within. The second Carver broke his stride at the fate of his companion, and died instantly as Willow's ice bolt pierced its skull, leaving it to collapse like a puppet with its strings cut.

The third, either unaware or uncaring of the others, never slowed in its dash towards Anji. Willow, staff still aimed at her first target, flung out her left hand, and a mist briefly enshrouded the creature, disappearing in the blink of an eye but leaving its skin blistered and covered in frost. It stumbled blindly, clawing at its eyes, and then, just as Tara aimed a second arrow at it, Anji reared up and kicked out with her forelegs. Her hoof connected soundly with the reeling Carver's head, snapping its neck like a twig and tossing its body back to the ground several feet away.

"I think they were alone," Tara said, glancing around. Her gaze settled on Willow, who was staring at Anji in shock. "Willow?"

"So I see," Willow replied – her grip on her staff loosened and she relaxed visibly.

"No," Willow shook her head, "no, it was just a surprise, she- well, I hadn't really imagined her... fighting."

"You're okay with her still?" Tara asked, taking a step forward herself, towards Anji who was once more looking placid and patient. Willow squared her shoulders and stepped around Tara, standing right in front of the horse, who dipped her head to let her pat it.

"I'm not afraid," she said firmly. Tara joined her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Me too," Willow grinned. She looked into Anji's brown eyes for a moment, then leant forward and rested her forehead between them.

"Time to send her back to the camp," Tara suggested, smiling at the affectionate gesture.

"Okay," Willow nodded. "You take care of yourself, won't you?" Anji gave a quiet snort in reply, and Willow stepped back from her, letting Tara take her attention.

While Tara spoke briefly to her, repeating 'camp' several times as she did to make sure the horse understood, Willow took a deep breath and walked over to where the second Carver had fallen victim to her ice bolt. Unlike the frost-bitten and mangled remains of the one that had attacked Anji, and the one Tara had shot which was still smoking slightly, the small, misshapen corpse was undamaged save for the head wound. Grimacing, Willow picked a twig off the ground and used it to turn over some of the grimy leather tags tied around the strap of its loincloth, and pry back its lips to see the sharp little teeth behind them.

She stood and gave Anji a wave as the horse trotted past her, gathering speed as she headed north. Tara pulled her arrow from the Carver she had shot, examining it briefly before tossing it aside, then joined Willow where she stood.

"Well, I can tell they haven't eaten well," she said with a shrug, "I'm guessing you can see more than that?"

"I don't play with demon corpses just for fun," Willow said with a wry grin, taking a few steps away from the Carvers now that Tara was with her. "I think they're outcasts – some texts say that Carvers are sometimes driven out of their tribes for various reasons, usually to do with not being useful to the rest of the tribe. Or just that Carvers are vicious little things that don't like anyone and only band together in the first place because they're safer that way, I don't imagine they have much concept of tribal unity. Like you said these ones haven't eaten well, and aside from leaders getting a larger share, most tribes supposedly share their loot evenly – they're bright enough to know they're better off with strong fighters rather than malnourished ones, if they're part of the tribe. And some of the more detailed texts say that Carvers were tokens from battles they've survived, like fingers and bones from their enemies. That one," she pointed to the one she had examined, "had little ties on its belt, but nothing on them. If I had to guess, I'd say its tokens were stripped off when it was exiled."

"So we've got three tribeless Carvers," Tara said, "what does that mean, for us?"

"It might be a good sign," Willow hazarded, as Tara pointed to a trail leading east and took her hand as they walked together. "I don't imagine exiles would stay close to their tribes – there's records of cannibalism among Carvers, so they'd probably consider themselves lucky to be kicked out rather than carved up... sorry," she grinned, as Tara groaned at the unintentional pun.

"So there may not be a tribe around here," Tara concluded, giving Willow a smile.

"Those little critters suggest not," Willow agreed. "They might be from the band we ran into before, up on the highland. When they got tossed out they came down the cliff, figuring that it'd keep them out of their old tribe's hunting ground. It's just a guess, of course."

"Better than nothing," Tara shrugged. "And, sudden fright notwithstanding, a promising start to the day. We've run into demons and come through unscathed."

"Yeah," Willow said evenly, "let's keep doing that. The unscathed part, at any rate."

The overgrown trail to the village was quite deserted, as was the village itself – if anything had inhabited the houses the fire had spared, it had left no trace. The charred timbers and fragments of crossbeams still standing amid the black remains seemed like the crosses of a graveyard. Neither Willow nor Tara spoke as they made their way along the silent road leading to the town hall, and down into its cellar. Pulling the amulet from her wrist clasp and fixing it around her neck, Willow took the lead as they ventured into the darkened tunnel.

Glancing back now and then, Willow wished she had been able to find a similar amulet, or some kind of charm, for Tara, so she could see in the pitch blackness. Her estimation for Marela's kind, and the subtlety of their craft, had risen as she had gone from shop to shop, and discovered just how difficult an effortless transition to lightless sight was. Eventually she had had to concede that there was no way, with the materials available, to duplicate the amulet's effect – Tara had assured her that she would be alright in the darkness, and Willow in turn had stocked up on sunlight scrolls, and taught Tara how to cast them.

As they progressed though, Willow's spirits lifted a fraction – Tara's hand in hers was steady, her footsteps sure and even, not in the least suggestive of someone being led blindly. She offered a silent thanks to whatever Amazon goddess had taught her people how to develop such a gift. The thought of Tara helpless in the dark would have been too much for her to bear.

Further they went, past the gateway where they had found Amalee, deeper into the earth. It was when they were nearing the catacombs proper, but still with a little way to go by Willow's reckoning, that Tara squeezed her hand, making her heart skip a beat.

"Sorry," Tara whispered as Willow calmed herself and turned. "There's a glow up ahead, like torchlight."

For a brief moment Willow felt relief at escaping the darkness, but then she realized that the light Tara had seen could only be a sign of recent activity up ahead, and thus danger. She undid the amulet's thin chain for a moment – after a moment of utter darkness, which did nothing to soothe her spirits, her eyes adjusted and she saw a dim glimmer of yellow light.

"Well we're not dead, so they can't have succeeded yet," Willow said with a calm she didn't entirely feel.

"I don't feel anything besides us moving," Tara whispered, "but the air through the tunnels isn't quite still. I think something has been in here... I'm not sure if it's gone again."

"Well... we go on, I guess," Willow sighed. "You're sure you don't want to take the amulet? You're better at staying quiet than I am, you'd be able to get closer without making a sound...?"

"We shouldn't get separated," Tara reminded her, "I need you." Willow frowned and nodded – the thought of waiting for Tara to scout ahead, blind in the absolute darkness and alone, was not one she would have even considered, had the possible threat been any less dire.

"Trust me," Tara said warmly, "I'm not. If anything comes at us, I'll hear it and feel its motion well enough to put an arrow between its eyes with mine closed."

"Make sure you do," Willow said fervently, then checked herself: "if it's evil, I mean, not just anything... just don't get hurt."

"I won't," Tara reassured her. She reached for Willow's hand again – caught it perfectly, even without being able to see it – and onwards they went. The silence in the tunnel was both comforting and stifling, and Willow found herself straining her ears, searching for the tiniest sound that might warn of danger, to the point where she realized she was imagining sounds where there were none.

Retracing the path they had taken last time in reverse, they soon reached the chamber where they had found the vault entrance. Just as Willow remembered, it was a marvel of engineering – huge stone blocks, inlaid metals, as if the builders had been under no constraints besides what their imagination dictated. The chamber was still and empty, but torches lines the walls, burned down half their length, but still giving off a strong light. Willow took off the amulet again, finding the sight of so many flames, without being able to see their light, made her feel slightly nauseous for some reason.

"You were right, when we were here before," Tara whispered, her gaze passing over the strange patterns in the walls, the massive jigsaw-like blocks that fit together perfectly, "this place is like nothing I've ever seen." She let out a sigh, then gestured to the torches. "How long have these been burning, do you think?"

"They're slow burning," Willow said, "a bit of weak magic... I'd say they were lit no more than two days ago though. But if they- oh... look."

Tara turned, alarmed at the distant despair she heard in Willow's voice, and saw what had shaken her so. Where the vault entrance had been, neatly set into the floor, now there was a jagged hole, surrounded by dust and debris. Carefully, alert for any movement or sound from within, she approached the hole, sensing Willow close behind her.

On closer inspection it was no less chilling – as if a giant had simply smashed his way through the huge, thick stones, shattering them like sandstone. Tara knelt and picked up one of the larger fragments still scattered around the open maw, finding its sharp edge quite unyielding – even when she put it beneath her boot and ground it against the floor, its thin edges came out unscathed.

"Demon," Willow said, "something big, I don't know of any natural beast with that kind of strength."

"Not pure," Willow said quickly, "I don't feel any trace of magic being exerted here, I think it was just pure physical might. Something massive-" She fell silent as Tara's hand closed around her arm.

"Do you hear something?" she asked. Willow's head whipped around, staring into the shadows, then she calmed herself and listened for a moment.

"I don't have your hearing, remember?" she reminded Tara with a weak grin. "Do you hear something?"

"I do," Tara said grimly. "Very faint... echoing? A large space... how far are we from that main chamber?" Willow quickly pulled her partial map of the catacombs, drawn from memory, from her belt and unrolled it, holding it at an angle to best catch the torchlight.

"Maybe... twenty meters?" she hazarded a guess. "If I've got the dimensions right, it should be just a little way east of here... I might be wrong," she added as Tara stood up, "it was big in there, and we were looking across it from the other side, I might've misjudged the size of it all."

Tara gave a half-grin, as if the notion Willow might have been mistaken was comically amusing, and walked silently – perfectly silently – to the side of the chamber, where an archway led into an unlit room beyond. Willow followed a pace behind, making as little noise as possible, grateful that whoever in the Order had designed the battlegear's boots hadn't gone with a harder sole that would have sounded clearly against the stone floor.

The room was a crypt, with stone sarcophagi arranged in neat lines on either side of a central avenue. Only the first pair were really visible in the glow from the archway, the rest mere shapes in the shadow. Beyond them, though, was another glow – a faint, distant light from beyond the far doorway. Tara glanced at Willow, tilting her head towards the door, and then raised a hand to her neck, miming fixing an amulet. Willow nodded once, trying not to hold her staff too tightly, and breathe evenly in spite of her racing heart. Slowly advancing at Tara's side she put on her amulet, blinking in the sudden non-light as the details of the sarcophagi and the relief frescoes on the walls leapt into view.

The doorway from the crypt led to a balcony, not unlike the one they had stood on when first looking down into the massive heart of the catacombs. Even standing back in the doorway there was no mistaking the vast hall, with its huge pillars, the gaping chasms between them, and the sheer sense of cold, endless space, unsettling after so long in the tunnel, where the distance from one wall to the opposite could be bridged by reaching out both arms.

Tara crouched and approached the balcony's edge, kneeling behind a squat gargoyle carved into the parapet and peering around it, down into the depths. A suppressed shudder went through her, and Willow's blood ran cold for a moment. With a quick wave Tara beckoned her closer, gesturing for her to look. Carefully, Willow leaned out so she could see what Tara saw, and for the second time in that instant she felt a cold thrill of fear run through her.

Shapes were moving on the distant floor of the catacomb, gaunt, slumped forms lurching back and forth, bent under the weight of cracked boulders they were hauling up from a gaping tear in the stone beneath them. Torches lined their way – at such a distance, Willow found it bearable to look at them without removing the amulet – marking a path from the jagged hole to a doorway in the wall far beneath the balcony. Willow saw their purpose at once, and let out a tiny, despairing sigh.

"They're digging," she whispered when she and Tara had retreated to the crypt chamber, "they must be breaking through the levels of the catacombs, trying to get to the deepest level. That'll be where the prize is, whatever it is – the library, the artifacts, whatever they're after."

"What were they?" Tara asked with another mild shudder. "They looked like corpses... are they-"

"Ghouls," Willow said flatly, "undead raised to serve, rather than just to cause havoc. But there must be something else, something controlling them. On their own ghouls cold never do something like this, they're mindless." Tara nodded quickly, then looked across the long, shadowy row of carved stone caskets.

"I don't know," Willow admitted, "I think... I hope not. It's difficult to say, lots of demons use ghouls as servants. It'd be easier to command a more intelligent demon, a ghoul lord or a liche would be ideal, and have it control the ghouls, but I just... there's no way to know for sure, without going down there."

"That's what we have to do," Tara said – a statement, not a question. "Can they fight?"

"Ghouls, no, not properly," Willow whispered quickly as they made their way to the shattered vault entrance. "If they're ordered to, or if we cause enough commotion, they'll try to overwhelm us, but they're slow – between your magic and mine we should be able to keep them from getting too close, and if they can't reach us they can't hurt us. But whatever else is down there could be... liches and ghoul lords are both known to use very powerful magic, necromantic and fire. Just- if you see something that looks like more than just another walking corpse-"

"That's the best I can do," Willow admitted, "by the time we know more it'll probably be a bit too busy to stop and make a plan." She crouched and peered down through the hole in the floor.

"Take this," Willow offered, undoing the amulet and handing it to Tara. "You'll be able to see what you're landing on... and... Tara, be... be careful," she finished in a trembling voice. Tara reached up to cup her face gently, stroking her cheek with her thumb.

"Always, love," she whispered. Willow nodded, and Tara stood and slung her bow onto her back beside her spear. With a quick glance beneath her, she turned, lowered herself swiftly down until she was hanging from both hands, then let go. To Willow she seemed to vanish into the shadow, but a split second later there was the tiniest of sounds, leather on stone.

"Your turn," Tara's voice drifted up, barely more than a whisper. Willow leant over the blackness, nodding for Tara to see she had heard her, then began to lower herself, a great deal more gingerly than Tara had done. The edge of the hole scratched her bare midriff and she growled quietly in complaint, then she let herself go the last little way, to hang in the darkness.

"Ready," she heard, and without pausing to be afraid any more she let herself fall.

Her eyes closed instinctively, and for a moment a nightmare of sprawling with a broken leg, unable to escape or properly fight, swept over her. Then she was in Tara's arms, stumbling as her feet hit the uneven rubble beneath her, but safe.

For what seemed like an hour they followed the disturbances in the centuries-old dust on the floor, and the occasional spluttering torch, through chamber after chamber filled with strange, massive pillars and pedestals, stone bridges spanning pools of still black oil, and winding stairways carved out within solid columns. Always down, by stairs and ramps, always peering around corners, pausing to listen for footsteps, or the groans of the walking dead they knew were ahead of them, somewhere.

Finally Tara held up a hand, and moved forward by inches, pausing at every step. Willow listened intently, and picked up the faintest echo of a sound, a thin crunch like a falling boulder heard from far away. Tara reached the next door, a thin archway between two statues – hooded figures with no faces – and gestured for Willow to join her.

"There they are," she whispered, pointing up into the next room. Though dwarfed by the vastness of the main chamber, it was still a huge hall in its own right, with columns stretching higher than the tallest trees, vanishing into the shadows above – the ceiling, high and vaulted, was barely visible, and that only thanks to the light of a concentration of torches from a wide balcony on the far side, at the top of a winding staircase that stood free of the wall. The ghouls were there, on the balcony, staggering in turn through an archway with their burdens of stone, carefully depositing them in a growing heap clear of the arch.

"That must lead out into the main hall," Tara said quietly, ducking back into the darkened room to keep her voice from being overheard. "I don't like that staircase, if anything comes up behind us, it'll only take a few of them to cut us off from escape." She sighed. "'Choose your battlefield wisely'..."

"Solari?" Willow guessed. She glanced back at their ill-lit chamber, and something caught her eye.

"One of Eponin's sayings," Tara said with a faint smile, looking back at the doorway, "Solari would probably tell us to just make the best of what we've got... I suppose we'll have to."

Tara followed her a few meters into the chamber, and peered at the floor when Willow knelt and ran her hand over the relief designs carved in the stone. In the faint torchlight it was difficult to make out the shapes, but she saw the groove Willow's fingers were following – an unbroken circle.

"I think so," Willow whispered, reaching over her shoulder to rummage in her pack. She drew out the metal key and held it above the design in the floor.

"Exactly the right size," Willow went on, "and I can feel a little magic in this... I think it's a second doorway, like the one above."

"Why didn't they smash it open?" Tara asked. "Why are they tunneling through from the main hall? We're lower down here, they'd have less to dig through..."

"Maybe not," Willow surmised, "if whatever's ordering those ghouls has some way of knowing where to go, where the chambers and stairways are... their trail from up above didn't deviate once, they must have known which way to go... what if this door is thicker than the one up above? If it's thick enough, maybe it'd be quicker for them to tunnel down beneath it, through the other chambers."

"Maybe," Tara allowed, "either that, or they avoided this doorway for another reason. Could it be trapped?"

"I don't think so," Willow shook her head, "there's no magic here that feels like a set trap... besides, we have the key. We're not breaking in, we'd be opening it the way it was meant to be opened."

"It's a risk," Tara said. Then she hesitated, and looked back at the doorway leading to the next hall. "But so is the other option... there's a chance this will be more to our advantage. If we... let me think. Will opening this make a noise? Will they hear us?"

"I don't know," Willow admitted, "it could be silent, it could be noisy... no way to know."

"Alright," Tara said, "those ghouls aren't coming this way, just moving between that balcony and wherever they're tunneling at the moment. We're here, they're there, we both want to get here," she gestured to herself as she spoke, sketching a map in the air in front of her. "Ideally we want to avoid them completely, get in and out without them even knowing we're here, but we can't know if that's possible... if not, draw them away."

"You open the door," Tara decided, "if it makes enough noise to alert them, I'll use one of your ice arrows and blast down that stairway to the balcony. That should hold them up long enough for us to get a head start, maybe even bring them up from where they're tunneling. If the door is silent, we'll try sneaking in and out. With luck they'll never know."

"Okay," Willow nodded, "stand back..." Tara took two steps back as she leant down and fitted the key disc into the circular depression in the floor. For a moment nothing happened – Willow glanced back at Tara, beginning a vague shrug – then she and the square meter of floor she was crouching on simply dropped out of sight, silent as a moving shadow. Tara gasped in shock, then darted forward without a second thought, jumping into the space left in the floor.

She landed heavily, almost on top of Willow, on the floor section which was dropping quickly but steadily through a smooth vertical channel.

"I'm fine," Tara assured her, "I'm..." She paused, listening. "It's silent," she whispered, "how? This much stone, moving this fast...?"

"Magic?" Willow shrugged. "If this place wasn't powerful we wouldn't need to be here... look!"

"Stone blocks are swinging into the shaft above us," Willow said quietly, "blocking it off... they must be moving out of our way below, and then moving back when we pass. How far down have we gone?"

"No wonder they didn't want to try to break through this door," Willow said – Tara could hear the faint amazement in her voice. "What was the first floor they went through, a meter? Less than that? We must've gone through fifty meters of solid stone already..."

"See," Tara said, sneaking an arm around Willow's waist and gently squeezing her. "It's just as well we brought the key along."

"I guess..." Willow murmured. She reached out a hand, but pulled back before her fingers touched the wall in front of her, still rushing upwards at quite a pace.

"Gods," she said quietly, "how far down is this thing going to go?" She felt Tara shrug.

"If we're lucky, deeper than those ghouls have been able to tunnel," she replied.

"Hmm..." Willow nodded, then a thought struck her. "...hey, yeah. We might be bypassing them completely."

"I wouldn't get out hopes up," Tara cautioned, "but I'll admit, I won't feel disappointed if we get through today without seeing any more demons, or undead, or anything else."

Their journey came to an abrupt halt that left them both staggering. Willow grabbed both Tara's arms and steadied her as she quickly glanced around.

"A chamber, it's empty," Willow quickly reported. She glanced up to see the ceiling close above them, the blocks of stone swiveling into place so exactly she would never have suspected they could open at all. A tiny metallic sound from beneath her feet drew her attention – the key had shifted slightly, and was now resting just out of alignment with the circular groove she had fitted it into. She crouched down and picked it up, finding it slightly warm to the touch.

"Strange," she went on, "this isn't like any building I've ever been in, even the Zann Esu vaults."

"The air's moving," Tara said, "I think because of us, the platform coming down... but I'm not sure if it was still before. I can't really feel anything, but I can't be certain."

"Ready and waiting," Tara replied, idly touching the one tucked in her belt – several spares were in one of her pouches.

"Remember you don't have to warn me if you cast it, I'm not seeing light so I won't be blinded by it."

"I remember," Tara said. Willow could tell she was grinning slightly, just from the sound of her voice.

"Right. Um... there's three passageways." She looked at each in turn, unable to discern any difference between them. "I'm not sure I haven't got turned around... which way were we facing up above?"

"The main hall was that way," Tara said, extending a finger into what was, for her, pitch blackness. To Willow's eyes, she was pointing directly at one of the three doorways.

"Let's go that way," Willow decided, "and hope Master Moac built his basements symmetrical, and the important stuff is at the center of it all." Leading Tara by the hand she set off towards the doorway, only to be halted after a couple of steps by a strange, eerie sound.

"What was that?" Tara whispered, instantly falling into a defensive posture, bow in hand, while Willow spun her staff into both hands and scanned the chamber. The sound had been unnatural and unnerving, thin, almost on the edge of hearing but with a strange quality that had made it impossible to ignore.

"I don't..." Willow began, but stopped as the sound came again, closer this time, making her shiver involuntarily. It sounded like some dark thing from deep under the sea, echoing up through the waves... whale- song with a necrotic undercurrent. Willow recoiled as, suddenly, her world went black.

"We should use one of the sunlight-" Tara broke off as glow permeated the chamber, throwing its unseen architecture into sudden detail – a circular chamber filled with columns and squat, boxy stone forms that looked like oversized coffins laid out on the floor. The light was cold, a pale blue imitation of moonlight, but somehow darker, and dangerous. Tara spun around, searching for its source, and fell back a step, hearing Willow gasp beside her, as a shape emerged through the far wall.

At its heart was a human form, a skeleton, without legs or hips, simply the trailing spine, like a tail. Its thin arms spread out to either side, and the skull lolled lifelessly to one side before tilting over, its empty sockets seeming to fix on the two women staring at it. The light it cast was from a strange aura, sheets of billowing vapor that wafted from its bones, like a slow, cold fire.

"Wraith!" Willow whispered, her hand closing around Tara's arm as the apparition floated slowly towards them. "Don't let it touch you!" Tara instantly drew an arrow and fitted it to her bowstring.

With a sudden, alarming burst of speed the wraith lunged towards them, reaching for them with a bone claw. They dived in opposite directions, each keeping their distance as the skull turned one way and the other, as if trying to make up its mind which target to chase.

"It feeds on magic," Willow called, circling around the chamber's wall as her voice drew the creature's attention, "magic won't hurt it, and if you cast at it, or if it touches you, it'll start feeding on your energy!"

"What's it like with plain old brute force?" Tara asked as Willow skipped sideways, avoiding another clumsy lunge from the wraith which ended up floating half-way through the wall before it turned to follow her.

"Be my guest," Willow said, glancing behind herself as she backed away. Tara raised her bow – it felt odd not to be calling on power, but she resisted the temptation – and aimed at the creature's head.

"Get behind something," she warned. Willow dashed backwards and dived behind one of the stone coffins, and Tara let her arrow fly. It pierced the wraith's jaw and flew straight through it, clattering off the wall and whirring away in the opposite direction to Willow. The wraith turned smoothly to face Tara, the damage to its jaw and neck seeming to be of little bother to it.

"Arrows won't be much use, then," she muttered to herself, swinging her bow behind her back and replacing it with her spear. She swung the weapon once around herself, feeling the familiar shape and weight, and advanced on the wraith.

"I promise, love," she replied, her eyes never leaving the ghostly form closing on her. Again it lunged, but Tara was ready for it, rolling the other way, well clear of its claws, and swinging the spear's blade in an arc across its outstretched arms. She felt the tiniest hint of contact through her grip on the shaft, and one of the wraith's bony forearms floated free of its elbow, the bones seeming weightless as they slowly evaporated. The strange blue fire billowed at the passage of Tara's blade through it, but as the wraith turned its eerie sheath of ghost-light remained intact, even maintaining its shape around the damaged arm, as if the bones of its forearm and claw were still present.

"Try breaking the ribcage," Willow called, rising from behind her shelter and circling around behind the wraith, holding her staff like a fighting weapon. Tara made a feint to the left, then darted back right as the creature reached for her. She took a step forward and swung her spear downward, aiming to shatter its shoulders and ribs, but in a sudden burst of speed it veered away from her, the tilted skull seeming to watch her warily.

"Careful," Tara warned, as the wraith backed away from her, towards Willow. It paused, began to advance again, then wafted sideways, wrapping its arms tightly around itself as it passed through one of the chamber's thick pillars. Tara sidestepped to be ready when it emerged from the other side, but it never did – only she and Willow remained, the light in the chamber slowly ebbing away.

"I don't... watch out," Willow warned, as the eerie light, which had almost vanished, began to intensify again. Tara spun around, checking every wall and every column for a sign of the wraith.

"It's an old one," she heard Willow say as they both edged away from the pillars, into the center of the chamber, "probably been here for centuries at least... the longer they stay on the mortal plane the more aware they become of their surroundings, the more able to react and perceive threats and prey..."

Tara's head snapped around at Willow's exclamation, and seeing her staring down she followed her gaze, starting back in shock. Blue flame was billowing up from the floor beneath her, the clouds of luminescent vapor rising all around her. Tara's eyes darted from side to side as she tried to keep clear of the light, and not overbalance as it appeared behind her as well. The empty-eyed skull rose slowly through the stone floor, staring up at her as the wraith's arms emerged, reaching out to either side, trying to block her escape.

With a shout of effort Tara leapt backwards, lifting her legs as high as she could from a standing start. She felt a strange coldness in her right foot, and the wraith lunged at her, fortunately reaching only the shaft of her spear, which its single claw passed through without effect. As Tara landed she stumbled and fell backwards – her leg was going numb, and suddenly she could barely move it. She looked up at the wraith, now closing in on her, towering over her-

-and through its transparent body she saw Willow charging forwards, adjusting her grip to swing her staff like a poleaxe, over her head and down into the apparition. The blunt wood passed through the creature's head like the sharpest blade, tearing through its skull and spine like tissue paper. The wraith reared back, gave one last, mournful scream as its skeleton broke apart, then there were only fragments, evaporating into nothing as the blue light dimmed and vanished.

"Tara! Tara?" Willow was crouching at her side in an instant, with her hands on Tara's shoulders, gentle and firm.

"I- I'm okay," Tara said, taking a shuddering breath as the sudden wash of adrenaline took its toll. "I'm okay... my leg's cold, it touched me-"

"You'll be okay," Willow said quickly, "it's gone, it only weakens while the wraith it alive to feed... you're fine. Can you feel anything?" She touched Tara's leg tentatively.

"Your hand on my thigh... you bet I can," Tara replied with a hopeful grin. Willow let out a short bark of relieved laughter, then sniffed back a sob and hugged her.

"You're fine," she said again, "give it a couple of minutes, you'll be fine... that's how you help someone who's been touched, you banish the wraith, and it only took a second, just enough for a bit of a chill, nothing permanent."

"I can move it again," Tara whispered as Willow paused for breath, "the feeling's coming back..."

"Give it a moment," Willow said, "just rest a moment. I can see again... I mean, the amulet's working. The wraith must've been leeching the power out of it, but it's working fine now." Tara nodded, and reached behind herself to unhook her bow from its place on her back – her fall had shoved it to an odd angle, with one end wedged in a crack in the floor.

"Is it okay?" Willow asked, as Tara held it up and ran her hands along its length.

"Fine," she said, "no damage... hey," she looked to Willow, seeming to catch her gaze even in the dark, "thank you."

"Huh? Oh," Willow blushed and looked down, "it was nothing... no, I mean it was you, it was everything, but... I just did what I could."

"You did," Tara smiled, "thank you." She lifted a hand to Willow's chin, touched just the tip of a finger to it, and guided her down to meet her lips in a gentle kiss. Willow gave a little sigh of pleasure and lost herself completely in Tara's lips.

"Well, y'know," Willow said bashfully, "anyway, I didn't think I hit it that hard... must've caught it off-guard. There's a school of thought that says physical weapons don't really affect them either, it's the intent behind the weapon that does it. Like, what actually damages them is your subconscious, believing that you're damaging it when you strike." She gave a little chuckle. "My subconscious was kind of raging there."

"You were amazing," Tara said again, this time patiently, as if it was a simple fact she was going to keep repeating until Willow admitted it. They shared a laugh, then Willow sat down next to Tara, stroking her thigh.

"Good," Willow said firmly. "Want something to eat? I could use a snack... just rations, but hey, adventurers deep in hostile catacombs can't be choosers."

"Thanks," Tara said, reaching behind herself to unhook her water gourd from her belt.

"It probably wasn't after us specifically," Willow said idly, "the wraith, I mean... it would've been here hundreds of years. They tend to turn up in old, abandoned magical places, as they decay... catacombs, graveyards, stone circles, that kind of thing. You know, if nothing else, I've suddenly got a lot more respect for whoever went out and got the wraith bone in your bow."

"It is the same thing?" Tara asked, taking a sip of water and handing the gourd to Willow. "I wondered, at the name."

"That'd be it," Willow said, "I've got a few fragments for rituals. There's spells you can do – not against the wraith itself, cause they wouldn't work, but... around it, I suppose you'd say – that pull the bones properly into the mortal plane when one gets banished. Otherwise they just fade back to the plane they come from. Hunting a wraith is not an easy task, so I've heard."

"To get pieces big enough to work into a bow," Willow went on, "that's not an easy task, even for someone who does this kind of thing regularly. Find one with bones long enough, which usually means long, dangerous claws, then banish it without damaging the bits you want to use..."

"A lot of trouble to go to," Tara observed, "but, it does make a good bow. Our best craftsmen and women gather their own materials, even the dangerous ones. We think very highly of them."

"They deserve it," Willow shuddered, "the sound that thing made... that's going to haunt me for a while. Forgive the pun."

"Forgiven," Tara chuckled. "I'll just have to make sure your mind's on other things when we go to bed, so you won't have nightmares."

Willow paused. With her cat's-eye sight restored she had been leading Tara by the hand – not that it was strictly necessary, with her keen senses, but there was no reason not to, and she hadn't even bothered to try to think of a reason not to hold Tara's hand. They had steadily made their way deeper into the catacombs – inwards and downwards, following Willow's belief that the 'treasure', whatever it was, that the huge underground concealed would be at its lowest point. Subtle hints in the architecture made her think she was right – the design of the chambers seemed somehow to be pointing in the direction they were going, just like the halls and rooms of a grand palace, all designed with the knowledge that the throne room was the heart of the complex.

Now she forced herself to be perfectly still, perfectly silent, while Tara took a deep, quiet breath and concentrated. Willow imagined what she was feeling – 'seeing' by the air brushing against her skin, slowly building up an image of the forms and spaces ahead of them.

"I think that 'bypass the bad guys' plan isn't going to work out," Tara whispered at last. Willow's shoulders slumped, then she gave a quick sigh and let resolve tighten her jaw.

"I think so," Tara replied, "the motions are... they feel slow and, and ungainly... they feel like those things looked, you know? Lurching dead things... I'm pretty sure."

"Well, odds are they don't know we're down here, so we've got surprise on our side-"

She broke off, flinching back against the wall, as a tremendous crash echoed through the corridor, like a thunderbolt, its echoes bounding around from one wall to another, slowly fading away. Tara had her bow aimed in an instant, the arrowhead wavering this way and that, searching for a target.

"That wasn't a ghoul... unless it's a dozen of them with a battering ram..." She paused, and drew a shuddering breath. "I'm thinking, all things being equal..."

"Damn... they smashed their way down here anyway." Willow frowned and let out an exasperated breath. "I guess having the key doesn't really make any difference."

"Maybe it does," Tara suggested, "if they're still smashing, they haven't got in yet. Maybe we can drive them away before they do."

"You're right," Willow said, "you're right, I'm guessing the worst... okay, this is what we're here for. What now?"

"Get closer," Tara said quickly, "try to get a look at what we're facing before it sees us. Then make a plan, then carry it out."

"Then..." Tara shrugged, "hit them as hard and fast as we can, and don't let up until we win, or they force us to retreat. They're almost certain to have the advantage of numbers, and you're probably right about there being something controlling those ghouls – that means something smart. Giving them time to think once the fighting starts is only going to help them." She paused, and turned in the dark to face Willow. "What can you tell me about ghouls?"

"Ghouls? Oh, um... aim for the head, or neck. Damage won't affect them, they don't use their brain, but if the head is separated from the body, or completely destroyed, it'll break the spell that animates them. Oh, also," she paused and cringed as another crash echoed through the catacombs. "Gods almighty... um, ghouls move by animating the remains of the body's muscles, there's no motive magical force as such to keep them moving like there is with skeletons, so if you hit them in the legs or arms it'll affect them just like you'd expect with a living body. They don't feel pain though, or fear, they won't run or be driven back."

"What do you think our chances are?" Tara asked with a wry grin. "The odds of us not ending up scampering away with our tails between our legs?"

"If it's just ghouls, I think we're good," Willow said after a moment's thought, "they're strong, but their bodies are fragile, easily damaged... against whatever else it down there, I just don't know. If I can identify something I'll try to tell you anything I can, but we'll probably be fighting by then."

"I'll keep an ear out for you," Tara nodded. "Alright, let's stick to our plan."

"Okay," Willow agreed, "hit them fast and press our advantage for all its worth."

They proceeded side by side, Willow guiding Tara through the narrow passageways, while Tara reached forward with her senses, searching for the elusive traces of movement she could feel in the air. At last her grip on Willow's hand tightened, and they drew to a halt at a corner.

"We'll have to go through them," Willow replied, "I don't think there's another way forward, none of the turn-offs we've passed looked likely."

"Alright," Tara said. Her hand drew back, caressing Willow's palm for a moment before leaving it, then she reached into her belt and drew out the tiny scroll tucked there, gripping her bow loosely in her other hand.

"Okay, on three," Tara said. "One... two..." she leaned towards Willow and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I love you."

They both leapt around the corner, Tara already reciting from memory the words of the scroll's spell, Willow aiming her staff, ready for whatever foe she would see. Twenty meters away, cramped into the narrow passage, a pack of ghouls paused in their methodical marching, the nearer ones turning as their crude thoughts alerted them to the danger behind them.

Willow felt the light magic catch and work beside her, but her concentration was on her own power as bolt after bolt of ice screamed from her staff and tore through the ghouls. Her first shots, molded into thin, spinning blades, scythed the heads from the nearest undead, then she switched to thicker spikes which punched through their chests even as they began to topple over, bursting through them and smashing into those behind them.

"Go, go!" Tara shouted as she fitted an arrow to her bow. Her first shot struck its target with a rush of flame, scorching several ghouls at once, leaving their heads and chests blackened, their eyes useless. They fumbled blindly, getting in the way of their comrades. Willow and Tara advanced side by side, firing blast after blast of fire and ice into the pack, sending ghoul after ghoul crumpling to the floor.

Willow paused to take stock of their situation, and saw a shattered hole in the side of the corridor, just where the closest undead had been standing. As she watched a ghoul patiently emerged from it, turning ponderously before one of Tara's arrows burst through its neck, sending its half-rotted head clattering away as its body fell.

"Get closer," she called to Tara over the noise of the fire blasts, and the ghouls' agitated, inarticulate groaning. "Get to that hole in the wall, I can seal that!" She added her ice bolts to Tara's arrows as they advanced, cutting further into the ghoul ranks, and decapitating the occasional appearance from the hole. Once they reached it Willow aimed her staff into the crudely-bored tunnel, which curved slightly upward, and let loose a stream of icy vapor that condensed into a solid wall a few meters in.

"That'll hold them a minute or two," she said, "can you cover me for a quick ritual?"

"If reinforcements don't show up," Tara replied, letting another arrow fly. Willow knelt down, laid her staff by her side, and with both hands quickly drew supplies from her belt pouches. Ducking unconsciously at each detonation from Tara's arrows, she laid out seven rune stones in a circle, opened a tiny vial of sand and tapped it out in lines between the stones, forming a seven-pointed star. She undid a second, smaller vial and upended it, dropping a single shard of glowing blue ice at the center of the pattern.

"I can give you about a minute," Tara warned. Willow glanced up, seeing the numbers of ghouls looked to have increased, though Tara's arrows were still keeping them back, blasting down the forerunners with each shot.

"It'll be enough," she replied, turning her attention back to her ritual. She stretched her fingers then passed her hand over the star several times, letting tiny trails of ice form from her fingers and crystallize into the lines of sand.

"Bust through this wall," she muttered, giving the pattern a final burst of ice. The star-shape, now composed entirely of ice, frozen around the sand, cracked and broke, and the single shard of blue ice melted. The liquid raced across the floor, seeming to double in volume, then double again, and again as it flowed up the wall, around the edges of the hold battered through the stone. Already starting to freeze at its edges, the glowing water spread across the gap and covered it, solidifying in second into an icy barrier.

"Done," she said, grabbing her staff and standing back up beside Tara, once more sending her ice bolts flying into the ghouls alongside her arrows. "If something attacks that with fire magic, it'll hold for at least fifteen minutes."

"If they don't have fire magic?" Tara asked, aiming a shot between two burning ghouls to decapitate one behind them.

"Then they'll still be here next year," Willow replied with a grin. Tara gave a short bark of laughter.

"Let's move on," Tara nodded. She concentrated fully on her work, producing more intense blasts of flame from each shot – strange gray shapes that billowed in the air, to Willow's sight – and Willow in turn mustered more powerful shards of ice, cutting through the ghouls like a breeze through a cornfield.

They advanced once more side by side, ice and fire clearing their way. After a few minutes' work they could see, through the remaining bodies arrayed before them, the reinforcements crawling out of a square hole in the floor. While Tara continued picking off every ghoul as it advanced, Willow concentrated her magic on the source of the newcomers, sending more spinning blades down near floor-level, sending those already standing reeling as their feet were cut from beneath them, and destroying each new ghoul as it appeared, their headless bodies disappearing back into the darkness beneath the floor.

"What do we do?" Tara asked once they had cleared the corridor. She aimed her bow down the hole, which was the top of a steep, narrow staircase, and fired a pair of arrows that caused havoc among the dim shapes visible at the bottom, sending them reeling.

"I could seal them in," Willow mused, "but I kind of think-" She was cut off by another deafening crash, this one most definitely originating from the chamber below them.

"The light spell will follow me, right?" Tara asked. "If I jump down there, it'll be lit up like it is up here?"

"Yep, but you can't just- look, I know they fell pretty easily up here, but you could be surrounded down there, I've been warned plenty of times not to underestimate ghouls just because they're fragile. Get a real crowd of them and they can overwhelm anyone."

"The two of us, back to back?" Tara suggested. "If it comes to the worst we can retreat back up here." Willow glanced down the hole – the ghouls were staggering back towards the base of the stairs – and sighed.

"Okay," she nodded, "I'll clear a little space for us – and once we're down there, use a couple of those ice arrows if there's enough room. We have to wipe them out as fast as we can."

"We'll be fine," she said, "I feel good, and you... you're amazing." Willow spared the time for a quick, grateful smile, blushing at the compliment, then turned her attention to the stairway.

"Stand back when this drops," she advised, cupping her hands together. An icy glow shone between her fingers, and as she spread her hands a ball of jagged frost floated between them, its cracked surface revealing hints of a writhing sphere of blue-white energy within. Tara sent one last fire arrow down the stairway then took a step back, while Willow stepped forward in her place, holding the straining orb over the gap.

"Catch, ghoulies," she murmured, then dropped the sphere and darted back. There was a crystal-clear 'crack' from the darkened stairway, then a burst of light and noise that made both women flinch. Shards of ice flew up out of the hole in the floor, several of the larger ones burying themselves in the ceiling.

"Go!" Willow yelled in the sudden quiet that followed the blast. Tara reacted instantly, bounding forward without hesitation. Willow descended the stairs, two at a time, behind her, eyes darting from side to side as she landed on the floor below. She glimpsed ghouls, some torn apart, some merely knocked from their feet, scattered around on a mosaic-like floor, with the walls of the room distant behind them. Tara wasted no time – two fire arrows felled a pair of nearby ghouls, then she drew one of Willow's ice arrows, its arrowhead glinting coldly as she fit it to her bow, and fired through the gap.

Willow turned away as the blast sent ghouls flying in all directions, shielding herself from the sudden burst of light before she realized that she wouldn't have seen it in any case. But in turning she found that, instead of a wall, the chamber extended back behind the stairway as well.

"Oh fuck," she whispered as a massive shape reared up. It stood five meters tall, hunched over to fit beneath the ceiling, and its muscles were thick as ancient oak trunks, beneath a skin scarred and pitted by age and violence. Atop its massive shoulders a tiny head fixed her with beady, red eyes, and its brows furrowed in rage. With the shifting of mammoth muscles it lifted its arm, drawing back the weapon clutched in its giant hand for a crushing blow.

"Look out!" Willow screamed, leaping for Tara, pushing her out of the way. The weapon crashed down inches from her – her stomach turned as she realized it was a rotted corpse, wrapped head to toe in chain to give it weight and strength – and pulverized the flagstones where she had stood a moment before. The demon bellowed in anger and lifted its grotesque flail for another strike.

"Urdar!" Willow said above the noise of the creature's roaring. She turned and blasted the nearest ghouls with a hail of ice shards, clearing space for herself and Tara to back away from the beast. "Ice arrows, now! I'll shield us!"

Again Tara betrayed no hesitation – Willow felt a moment of pride at that – as she reached for another of the special arrows and fitted it to her bowstring. Willow put a hand on her shoulder, where it wouldn't interfere with her shot, and held as tightly as she dared while the power of her chill armor wrapped around both of them. Tara fired as soon as the icy mist enveloped her, and an instant later the arrowhead burst into flame, then detonated in an icy blast, as it struck the Urdar in the center of its massive chest.

Willow and Tara were both tossed back by the force of the blast, but the chill armor kept them from being harmed by the wall of frost that hammered at them. Willow wrapped her other arm, staff still clutched in hand, tightly around Tara's waist as they hit the floor and tumbled backwards, her mind fixed only on not letting go, not leaving Tara vulnerable to the blast. She felt an impact from behind, something being knocked over as they rolled to a halt, then she was shaking her head, trying to clear her mind as Tara sat up, lifting her bow to aim it more or less towards the huge demon.

"Wait," Willow called, rubbing her eyes to clear them as she stared through the film of mist. The Urdar was still standing, its tiny eyes blinking in confusion. Its chest had been absolutely torn apart – its massive ribs bent outwards at strange angles, their ends blown off, and beneath them its lungs were in tatters. It looked down at itself, raised a hand to touch the broken tip of one of its ribs, then its bulbous heart, leaking black blood from a dozen tears, shuddered its last and was still. With a dying groan the huge creature toppled over backwards, cracking the floor as it crashed down.

"Willow," Tara warned, turning and firing behind them – Willow glanced back to see the remaining ghouls, still slowly recovering from the blast that had killed the Urdar, now stagger as Tara's arrow struck one of them and exploded. She scrambled to her feet, giving Tara space to draw and fire as swiftly as she could, and looked back across the fallen corpse of the Urdar.

Beyond it was a wasted, withered shell of a man, clad in dirt-encrusted old robes that were unraveled at the edges, and worn through across the shoulders so that it hung on the few remaining strands of fabric, revealing the rotted flesh beneath. The creature was staring in disbelief at the dead monster, then his gaze lifted and he fixed Willow with a hateful scowl.

"Ghoul lord!" Willow warned. "Stay behind me, I'll take him, you keep the ghouls off my back!"

"Okay," Tara replied, her voice steady. Willow took a step forward, hearing another one of Tara's arrows explode behind her, and raised her staff in an obvious challenge to the withered creature.

"Come on," she muttered, "what've you got? No more muscleman to do your fighting for you."

The ghoul lord opened its mouth, emitting a deathly rattle, and raised a thin arm covered in parchment-dry skin. Its claws bristled with power, then a fireball screamed towards Willow.

"Nuh-uh!" she yelled, swinging her staff like a club. A burst of ice leapt from its tip, intercepting the fireball and freezing it in a heartbeat. The lump of ice, frozen in the shape of the flame it had engulfed, fell to the floor and smashed between them.

"My turn," Willow snarled, whirling her staff. Ice formed around both ends, taking the shape of two razor-edged discs, which flew from the staff one after the other, curving through the air with a howl. The ghoul lord released a jet of flame at one, melting it, but the remaining disc came at it from the other side, slicing its arm off in a shower of dust. Tiny tongues of flame licked from the stump extending from its shoulder, which the twisted mage pointed at Willow, as if to cast another spell.

Whether or not it could have, it never found out – Willow pointed her staff directly at it and released a hail of ice bolts, punching through its wasted body in a dozen places. Under the hail of missiles it simply fell to pieces, its flesh breaking apart, showering down like ash as its bones clattered to the floor. Willow took the barest moment to sigh in relief, then turned, staff raised, to see how Tara was doing.

"Do you need- oh," she finished with a sheepish grin, finding Tara standing calmly behind her, bow lowered. What remained of the ghouls was scattered to the corners of the room – only she and Willow were still standing. Willow slowly undid the amulet around her neck and glanced around, taking in the colors as they returned to her.

"That was the demon in charge?" Tara asked, inclining her head towards the remains of the ghoul lord.

"That would be it," Willow agreed, turning back. "Human once, decades ago... maybe centuries." She walked over and nudged at one of the fallen bones with the end of her staff – it was so brittle it broke as it rolled over.

"They make deals with pure demons," she went on, "longevity in exchange for their service." She shivered.

"It doesn't seem like a worthwhile kind of life," Tara commented, coming up behind Willow. "I much prefer the one I've got."

She took Willow gently by the hand and turned her around, stroking an errant strand of hair aside from her face. Willow was tense, her shoulders tight, a worried frown creasing her lovely features. Tara smiled slightly, then leaned forward and touched her lips to Willow's.

"It's done," she whispered, "it's over." Willow took a quick, startled breath, then let it out in a long sigh, the warm air caressing Tara's lips. She moved the last fraction needed to capture her mouth, and in an instant Tara was responding as she kissed her passionately, wildly, relief and exultation fuelling a sudden, ardent need to claim Tara, to give herself in return, to immediately reclaim the bliss that anxiety and fear had held back since the morning.

"Goddess," she whispered, releasing Tara's lips just for an instant. She took a breath, and tasted the stale air of the catacombs, warring with the lingering taste of Tara's mouth.

"Hmm," she murmured, reluctantly leaning back from the temptation of resuming the kiss, "we should, you know... wait until later."

"I'm not sure I care," Tara admitted with a dazed smile, "my goddess you can kiss..." She chuckled to herself.

"Done," Tara nodded, "you're right, this isn't the place to linger... and frankly, much more of your lips and I'd be out of my armor before I realized it."

"Let's do what we came to do and get out of here," Tara suggested. Willow nodded and looked around, nothing the details of the room she had ignored during the brief battle.

"Pretty obvious what that ghoul lord and his friend were up to," she noted, pointing at a patch of floor where the tiles had been smashed in. Beneath was solid stone, with a texture that looked like granite when Willow knelt down close to it. Tiny fractures ran through it, but it had held up well to the hammering it had been given.

"Willow," Tara called, taking a few steps to stand by the back wall of the chamber. Willow joined her there and examined the pattern carved into it, laid out around a circular groove.

"I guess this is it," she said, drawing the key from her pack. Tara nodded and watched as Willow fitted the metal into its groove, turning it slowly until it stuck. She slowly lowered her hands, leaving the key set in the wall, immobile.

"Is something supposed to happen?" Willow asked after a moment's silence. As if on cue there was a metallic clank from somewhere behind the wall, and the key began to rotate. A grinding noise from behind Willow and Tara got their attention – they turned to see the damaged section of floor rising up, a thick, square column of stone that reached the ceiling, and continued as the blocks there slid out of its way. As the column continued to rise the stone gave way to black metal, then strange green crystals. At last, after what seemed like fifty meters of column had risen past them, the end lifted out of the floor, a perfect crystal prism, its diamond point aimed downward. It settled into the ceiling as, beneath it, a lectern rose to take its place, made from black marble inlaid with geometric patterns in pure silver. Atop it sat a book, old, thick, bound in dark red leather, with bronze bindings at its corners.

"That must be it," Willow whispered in the sudden stillness as the chamber's moving parts settled. "Moac's journal... my gods, it's real... even after all this, I didn't quite believe it..."

"Do we take it or destroy it?" Tara asked warily, approaching it. She ran a gloved finger along the spine, picking up a thin layer of dust, and looked back to Willow.

"Gods," Willow said again, shaking her head, "I don't know... it's just a book, but... if it's true... the power it could lead to..." She trailed off as a tiny sound caught her attention, and turned to stare, puzzled, at the key, which was still slowly turning in its socket.

"What's it-" she began to say, then staggered as a violent tremor shook the room. Suddenly the underground stillness was filled with a deafening wall of sound, the rumbling of stone shifting, the squeals of metal moving against metal, the rushing of floods of liquid through tight channels. The floor shook, tossing Willow to her knees.

"Tara!" she called, turning and reaching out. Tara was on her side, having fallen, but she quickly got to her hands and knees and scrambled across the shaking floor, reaching for Willow's hand.

"What's happening?" she cried, as a fresh wave of sound buffeted them both. Willow opened her mouth to answer, then convulsed as a shock of pain passed through her.

"Gods!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. Her legs collapsed beneath her and she fell painfully to the floor, jerking as her body writhed in uncontrollable spasms. Somehow she managed to force a flailing arm towards Tara, her hand painfully unclenching from a tight fist.

"Willow!" Tara screamed, scrambling to her side, "Willow!" Willow stared frantically up at her, then her eyes closed and she let out a primal howl of pain. At the same moment a huge force pressed both of them down onto the floor, Tara lying helplessly over Willow's convulsing body, as the whole world, it seemed, shook beneath them.

"It's her," Willow sobbed between gasping breaths, "it's her, she's here, she's here-" Tara struggled against the weight pressing her down, holding Willow's head to keep her from hitting it on the floor.

"I'll take care of you baby," she yelled over the din, "I'll protect you, just tell me what to do! Where is she?"

For half a mile in every direction from the Kotram monastery great fissures opened up in the ground. Birds and animals ran for their lives as boulders cracked, streams of scalding-hot water burst from the ground, steam vents jetted into the air. In the abandoned villages wood splintered and stones toppled as the buildings collapsed in on themselves, while in the monastery itself the mighty walls and parapets trembled and cracked. The dome of the chapel broke apart, stone crashing down onto the pews beneath, smashing them to pieces. The inner wall of the two-storey dormitory building fell, taking the roof with it, leaving only the side built into the outer wall standing.

A titanic blast erupted from the ground beneath, sending earth and stone rocketing in every direction. The monastery, massive, aged battlements and all, collapsed inwards, reduced in seconds to rubble and debris, as from beneath the ground a new form thrust into the light. Huge columns thundered upwards, reaching into the sky, great masses of stone, veined with crystal and steel, rose up, the huge segments sliding against each other, locking into place one after another, forming the base from which even taller forms emerged. From the ruins of the monastery, like a giant machine building itself, the ancient tower of Hellebore rose.

Chaos was all around Tara, but she barely noticed. The terrible shaking of the floor, the rumbling and thundering from behind the walls, as if the chamber was on the verge of collapsing, the din of metal and stone moving, all swept past her, unacknowledged.

"Willow?!" Tara sobbed, barely keeping herself from panic, "what do I do? Please!"

"I-I... I- ah!" Willow gasped in agony, cutting off whatever she had been trying to say. Her head jerked back, bruising Tara's knuckles against the floor as she kept her head from hitting it, and a fresh flood of tears welled up from her tightly-clenched eyes.

'Oh Goddess,' Tara prayed fervently, 'Athulua mother of Amazons help me, she's my Willow, she's my life! How do I help her? How can I save her?!' Never had Tara felt so helpless, or needed guidance so desperately. A bare second later the ceiling opened like a flower unfurling its petals, straightening atop the walls which slid down out of sight, and for that brief moment Tara wondered if the Goddess Herself had come to her aid. But when she looked up, her gaze passing sightlessly over the panorama of the highlands falling away beneath as the floor rose, she saw only a gathering storm overhead, the clouds circling, darkening.

A sudden movement from Willow caught her off-guard, and she cursed herself for taking her eyes off her even for a second. Before she could react Willow was rising, lifted into the air by some invisible force, her body hanging limply. There was an instant of lucidity, in which her eyes opened and she stared down at Tara, who in turn stared helplessly up at her, then her head was flung back, her limbs stretched to their fullest extent, and a howl welled up from her throat that chilled Tara to the bone.

"Willow!" she yelled, reaching up for her. Suspended in mid-air as she was, only her feet were within Tara's reach – the moment her fingers touched the leather of her boots a sickening shock ran through her, and the next thing she knew she was crashing into the floor, curling up to protect her head as she rolled, finally coming to a halt as her back struck something unmoving.

She looked up, through dazed eyes, to see Willow convulse again, stretching at full length in mid-air, and then to her horror a red stain formed on her stomach, spreading quickly up over her chest, down her hips and legs, darkening the fabric of her battlegear. Some rational part of her mind told her what she was seeing as something she didn't understand – she grabbed that thought and clung to it, desperately seeking escape from the sight of Willow's perfect body before her, apparently in the process of being torn apart.

On the strength of that one rational thought she cleared her mind, putting aside the panic threatening to consume her. 'It's not blood,' she thought – perhaps she only hoped it, but a moment later her hope was borne out, as the red began to drift away from Willow, like a hideous mist being released from within her. Tara's heart leapt absurdly when she saw unbroken skin beneath the tendrils of gory vapor, and the motion beneath that skin of Willow's muscles moving, tensing – she wept at Willow's pain even as she clung to the proof that she still lived.

Staggering to her feet, shaky after her fall, she approached Willow, ducking to keep away from the trails of scarlet fog streaming out of her. Without realizing it she reached down and retrieved her spear from where it had come away from her back harness, rather than break as she had tumbled on top of it. Its familiar form and weight in her hands gave her another piece of rationality to cling to.

"Willow," she said, her voice hoarse from sobs she hadn't realized she had cried. Motion caught her eye, all around her, and she spun around, searching for the most immediate threat. The floor – now an open platform far above the highlands – darkened as columns rose up around it, eight of them, their metal points spearing upward, aimed at the heart of the tempest in the skies above. Arcs of raw energy passed between them and the crystal spire, which hung above the platform with no visible means of support, poised above its center. The lectern beneath the massive crystal had vanished, leaving a golden dais in its place, just large enough for a man to stand on. It was above this dais that the red mist being torn from Willow's body was massing, swirling and billowing, tightening into a denser and denser form.

Tara wanted to look away, but horrified fascination had her in its grip. The first solid mass to form, at the center of the cloud, was a skull, its jaw open in a silent howl even as it coalesced into being. The spine and ribcage followed, then hips, arms, legs, until a complete skeleton floated in mid-air, its pose mirroring Willow's exactly. Concentrations of vapor solidified into flesh – heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, then delicate webs of nerves, masses of muscle and tissue. Tara's stomach heaved as she recognized the shape of the thighs and hips, the curve of the waist, the firm breasts, the shoulders and arms, even the face, for all that it glistened crimson, skinless and horrific. The last trails of mist left Willow and settled over her macabre double, forming its smooth, pale skin, its scarlet hair – it was Willow in every detail, every swell and curve Tara had ever kissed and touched reproduced in the naked form hanging lifeless in the air before her.

Before she could comprehend what she had witnessed the two Willows fell, puppets with their strings suddenly cut. Tara's body reacted before her mind could, catching her Willow while the other tumbled onto the dais, landing in a bruising, crumpled heap. Tara stared helplessly at it, even as she carefully lay the woman in her arms on the floor, automatically smoothing away the hair that had fallen over her eyes as her head had been tossed around. Some instinct drew Tara's attention back to her, so that when she opened her eyes, Tara was already meeting her gaze. Her confusion vanished, for a moment, as she saw Willow's beautiful green eyes staring at her.

"Wh-wha..." she whispered. Tara opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words to reply. She stared at Willow, helplessly and lovingly, then turned her gaze on the naked, unconscious form lying sprawled a few meters away. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Willow's head turn, then her body stiffened and her legs began to work, pushing her feebly away from the dais.

"No," Willow murmured, "no, no, no no no..." Tara looked back at her and understood, from the feel of her body tense with horror, the despair in her eyes, the voice she remembered hearing before, concealing a dread that came straight from the soul: 'When the Horadrim wrote the Book of Foes, which we still use, they called it Shadai'. She gently stroked Willow's cheek then, as the sorceress turned and reached for her staff, she stood up, marched to the dais, and raised her spear.

No force could have kept her from hesitating. What lay beneath her was identical to Willow, down to the last hair on her head, down to the pale freckles dusted across her chest, the deft, delicate fingers, the slender, toned legs, the nipples hardening in the cold air, the slow rise and fall of her chest, the expressive lips, parted just a fraction. Tara stared down at her, the shaft in her hands weighing her down like lead. For a moment she wondered, but then... there was something missing. Every sense Tara had told her that the woman lying at her feet was Willow, and yet she wasn't... A fragment of memory surfaced, of herself holding a tearful Willow, reassuring her against the memory of a frightful vision: 'I know with all my heart, you won't hurt me.' This... creature, this thing wrapped in Willow's form... Tara realized she was afraid of it.

She aimed her spear down at its heart and thrust. A cry escaped her as the spear halted before reaching its mark – so quickly she hadn't even seen it, the other Willow's arm had lifted, and was holding the spear by the blade, the point just on the verge of piercing her chest. Tara pushed with all her strength, and the weapon slipped down, just a fraction. Then it was as if she was pushing against a boulder – blood welled between the slender fingers as the false Willow tightened her grip slightly, then her hand began to move outwards, driving Tara's spear back inch by inch, against every ounce of power she could muster from her arms.

'Goddess Zerae help me!' Tara prayed, as the creature's head lifted from the gold surface beneath it, turning towards her with closed eyes. But there was no reply – no lightning from above, no surge of power.

The naked Willow opened its eyes, and Tara stared into hell. Willow's description came back to her, and she had to admit it was accurate – hatred for purity, for innocence, eye sockets full of crimson hellfire, blazing red, drifting out across her face like fumes. Whatever lingering doubt Tara had harbored, whatever hesitation on seeing the form the creature had taken, vanished.

"Hello Tara," Shadai whispered, in a breathy, sultry voice, so sweet it was sickly, seeming smooth and glistening in the same way as would be a wet, bloated corpse. The corners of its mouth turned up in a parody of Willow's playful amusement, turned instead to cruelty, and delight in it.

"Tara, get back!" Willow's voice – Willow's real voice – called. Tara obeyed at once, without thinking, wrenching her spear from the demon's hand and retreating, forcing down the bile and sobs that rose in her throat at the sight of the thing. Shadai rose to her feet and took a step forward, crossing one leg in front of the other like a seductress on the prowl, while her hands flexed, fingers curled viciously inward. Then she vanished in a storm of ice, and Tara turned to see Willow, on her knees, staff in hand, bombarding the demon with magic. Her face was set in grim determination – no joy in what she was doing, in the lethal fury she was conjuring, but no hesitation, no remorse.

Tara ran to her side and turned to see Shadai step out of the cloud of savage magic, unscathed. She tilted her head slightly, fixed Willow with a grin and licked her lips. Then she turned away from them, stepped back up onto the dais and lifted her arms high. Patterns of darkness reached from her fingertips into the crystal suspended above her, and the storm above the tower churned and raged. Tendrils of dark power leapt between the eight columns surrounding the platform, singing distorted notes as they coiled and writhed.

Willow rose to her feet, staggering slightly, and let loose another volley of magic, a storm of ice shards, freezing mist, and at its heart a blast of pure cold, screaming through the air, thundering into the demon with the force of a tidal wave. She simply glanced over her shoulder, smiled again, and turned back to her work. Cutting off her bombardment Willow shouted inarticulately in frustration.

"What's wrong?" Tara asked, her hand on Willow's arm to calm her, "is she too strong already?"

"She's-" Willow began, then fell back to her knees as the fury seemed to leave her slightly, "she's me, she's... that, that thing was inside me, it can just- damn!" She fired a thick lance of ice at the demon, which vanished into her back without a trace.

"My magic can't hurt it," Willow said through gritted teeth, "every spell, every form of magic I'm capable of casting, she knows it, she can dismantle it without even thinking! Gods, how could I have been to stupid! How could I let it-"

"Willow!" Tara half-shouted half-pleaded. Willow shook her head, then closed her eyes so tightly they watered.

A crackling blast tore out from the dais, sending both women to their knees beneath the bombardment of harsh sound. Looking up, they saw Shadai laughing as lines of red appeared across her back. One by one the strips of her flesh peeled off her back, stretching out and upwards, the skin tearing away from the muscle beneath as dozens of grisly strands reached for the crystal spire suspended above her, wrapping around it. With blood running down her legs Shadai lifted into the air, hanging from the heart of the tower, and as she did she let loose a scream, climax and agony combined. The whole tower shook at her voice – the energy arcing from its columns grew angry and red, the subtle vibrations running through the massive stone edifice changed, becoming deeper, more primal - even the stone itself darkened, its edges no longer smooth, but now jagged, sharp to the touch.

"I can," Tara growled, rising to her feet. Ignoring Willow's cry from behind her she strode towards the dais and swung her spear with all her might, burying the blade in the demon's back, severing the gory strands of flesh that held her aloft. But instead of falling she simply hung in the air, and the severed ends of skin reached for each other and, joining, wove themselves together again.

Shadai reached behind herself, closed her slim hand around the spear and pulled it free of her body, the sickening sound it made the only sign of its passage – her face gave no indication of pain as she looked over her shoulder. Even as the spear came free the torn flesh of the demon's back reached into the gash and sealed itself.

"Want to play rough?" she purred, as the strands of skin flexed to turn her around, to face her opponent properly. Her skin stretched, pulling tight across her breasts and stomach as her feet settled to the floor, and she took a step forward, keeping pace with Tara as she slowly backed away.

"Too late, though," she smiled, "I am Hellebore now. And you, without your precious gods and goddesses-"

Tara struck again, and this time Shadai simply held up a hand to block the blade, grinning slightly as the metal sunk a fraction into her flesh before stopping. She pushed the spear end away, almost idly. A blast of ice from Willow rocketed into the side of her head, but she ignored it. More strands were unfurling from her back, reaching for the huge columns surrounding the tower's crown, stretching out far above her so that, slowly, she was gaining the appearance of a spider settled in the heart of a grisly web of her own skin.

"A weak, mortal thing," she laughed, standing proudly in front of Tara, "so fragile..."

"I can't cast!" Tara shouted in reply, shivering under Shadai's amused scrutiny.

"It's the shield," Willow yelled, "the tower's magic! We're cut off, the gods can't reach us!"

"Two helpless flies," Shadai sang, "caught in a web... who shall I bleed first? You..." she snarled, suddenly fierce, glaring furiously at Tara, "you, bringer of light... I've dreamed of your suffering for so long..."

"Tara!" Willow screamed, blasting Shadai with another barrage of magic, which had as little effect as the last. The demon spread her arms, baring her naked chest at Tara, and with an eruption of blood from their centers, her breasts and stomach disgorged the razor-sharp claws of bone Willow had once described, writhing on the ends of chains that streamed endlessly from Shadai's body. The trio weaved through the air like sharks scenting blood, then as one leapt at Tara, who spun her spear desperately.

Willow screamed, terrified, as she watched Tara's blade strike one of the bone talons aside, the spear then spinning around, catching the chain behind a second, dragging it away from its intended target... but the third, the lowest, stretching from Shadai's navel, now dripping with blood, evaded Tara's defenses and leapt at her body. Willow's breath caught as it reached her – she wondered how she could go on, after seeing the claw burst through the back of Tara's leather armor, revealing the gory wound beneath, the demon holding her aloft as her life drained out of her.

But it never happened. The claw struck Tara's stomach and rebounded, catching Shadai so off-guard that she staggered, supported by her flesh- web, as the chains reaching from her flailed wildly. Tara fell back a step, one hand going to her stomach, covering the smooth, unmarked leather. She looked down, then back at the demon.

With a bestial snarl Shadai struck again, all three chains this time lunging at Tara, two for her chest, the third aimed right between her eyes. Again they failed – she jerked her head back as the tendril whipped at her face, but there wasn't even a scratch on her as she blinked in confusion. The chains retracted, making Shadai's body shudder as they slammed back within her, and she strode forwards, drawing back a hand and lashing forward with her nails, which suddenly were sharp as knives. At the moment in which they would have slashed Tara's face the demon screamed and jerked her arm back, as if she had hit an immovable barrier.

"You can't, can you?" Tara said, understanding dawning on her face. She took a step forward, ignoring the chains which whipped out again, and again rebounded off her without causing a scratch.

"You can't hurt me!" Tara shouted back. "Look at yourself! Whatever sick, twisted excuse for a soul you have, you kept it in my love for so long... you've got her form, her body- you're shaped by her!"

"She can't hurt me," Tara said levelly, meeting its hellish stare for the first time, "so neither can you."

"No!" Shadai lashed out with every weapon at her disposal, her claws raining blows down on Tara, the chains snaking out of her body striking again and again, like snakes biting at their prey. But every blow came to nothing – for all the rage in the demon, her body refused to answer when she willed it to kill Tara.

"I can kill her," Shadai snarled, the claws on their chains lifting as if scenting the air, turning towards Willow. Tara smashed them out of the air with a single swing of her spear.

"Not unless you can get through me," she said, placing herself directly between Willow and the demon wearing her form, "and I don't think you can."

"Tara, please," Willow hissed frantically, "it won't last, she'll revert to herself eventually-"

"Perhaps I can't kill you, now," Shadai said, suddenly going from rage to laughter – once more her expression was a parody of Willow, this time the delight she showed when she had figured out a difficult problem.

All around the tower's summit, energy spread from the black columns, merging into upright pools of crimson darkness between them. The center of each pool opened, each showing a different scene, forests, grasslands, a ruined village, a rocky slope, a low cavern – each a glimpse into a different area, and in each one brutal, demonic forms suddenly turned towards the tower, their eyes lighting up a savage red. Carvers, goat-men, undead, ghouls, hissing blood hawks, chittering bone-armored spiders, writhing, maggot-like creatures – every manner of demon and corrupted beast, all turned, feeling the call of their new mistress in their black hearts. The portals shifted constantly, revealing more and more, rising from every dark corner and forsaken grotto in the highlands, dozens, hundreds.

"The first of my legions," Shadai sighed, "come to me, my children... come to me." She turned her burning gaze on Willow and Tara, smiling triumphantly.

"Perhaps," she whispered gleefully, "when you are no longer recognizable as this body's lover," she dug a nail into her breast, drawing blood, "then you will beg me for death, and I will be able to oblige." She dug her other fingers into her flesh, gasping in apparent pleasure as blood flowed down her chest. With her other hand she reached towards one of the portals and beckoned. On the far side of it, a pack of goat-men were nearing the threshold.

"I need you now Willow," Tara whispered quickly, turning to Willow and staring into her eyes, "I need you. Your pure power." Willow's expression turned from incomprehension to horror, even as she staggered unsteadily to her feet.

"We have to finish this now, love," Tara said, leaning in to rest her forehead against Willow's, "now or never. I know you can do this. I know you won't hurt me." She quickly kissed Willow, her mouth opening Willow's lips, her tongue tasting her, then she straightened and turned back towards the demon.

"I love you," Willow cried, tears streaming down her face even as she raised her hand. As she watched Tara raise her spear she felt the familiar tingle of magic within her, and concentrated on letting it flow freely, ignoring all the training and practice that screamed at her to form a spell to control the power. Her fingers felt cold, there was the tiniest spark of ice, then like a dam bursting the power leapt from her, a wild, uncontrolled rush of primal cold, washing towards Tara with the deadly force of an avalanche.

Pain assailed Tara from every angle, freezing, biting pain like a thousand needles piercing her, sucking the heat and the life from her, turning her flesh to ice. She gritted her teeth and held her spear, forcing herself to ignore everything but the focus, the form in her mind of the spell she wanted, by which the incredible power bombarding her would be shaped, wielded. She felt as if her limbs would crack and shatter as she moved.

Willow felt a surge of sick panic as sudden familiarity ran through her - she had lived this moment before, in her vision. The 'standing stones', the great columns rising around them, the patterns of strange light in the air between them, the portals through which, even now, the first demons were emerging onto the tower – but all this was merely background, just as it had been before, immaterial and inconsequential. All she could focus on was Tara, at the heart of the terrible storm of cold she had brought to life.

Tara felt a sick realization as her body slowed, the energy of her life ebbing away into the tide of heartless ice that wrapped stiflingly around her.

She turned painfully to Willow, determined to have one last glimpse of her to take into the next life. At the sight of her, she realized what she was doing.

'Goddess damn you,' she railed at herself, 'trust her! Stop trying to fight the power, it's her! You're doing this, you're killing yourself! You have to trust her!'

'Trust her! Don't try to hold the power back from her, she can't wield it if it's not free! Trust her!'

At the same instant the choice was made in both of them: Willow gave herself over completely to pouring her energy into Tara, and Tara accepted the terrible, lethal force without fear. In that instant the storm vanished, the pain vanished – Tara remained, clad in a shimmering veil of light, all the colors at the heart of the purest crystal. She turned to Shadai, ignoring the goat-men stepping through the portals, turning their maddened eyes on the display of power taking place before them. The demon faced her, frowning slightly, biting her lip – just like Willow, faced with an unexpected question.

The aura of frost cloaking Tara surged, flowed over her body, concentrating in her chest, then her arm, her hand – finally, her spear. It was encased in ice, giving it weight, power beyond any mortal weapon. Icy barbs and edges formed on its blade, the shaft thickened, merged with Tara's gloved hand, became one with her as a frozen gauntlet wrapped around her forearm.

Shadai withdrew her claws from her flesh, pointing a blood-soaked talon at the awed demons circling the center of the tower's summit, afraid to approach the unearthly duel.

The spear sliced cleanly through her chest, impaling her, bursting from her flayed back. The ice cladding the weapon spread, though – rather than following the metal on its path through the demon's body it pierced her and reached out beneath her skin, tearing through her from within. Shadai let out a terrible yell, as if in spite of her self-inflicted mutilation she had never felt pain before, as all over her body her skin split, the gushes of blood turning cold and icy even as they began to flow from her. Through her wounds, through the layers of frozen blood and flesh consuming her, a savage crimson light shone, fighting the tide of pure blue-white ice – fighting, but losing.

She faced Tara's impassive gaze and screamed, bellowed in rage, her teeth lengthening to vicious fangs, her tongue stretching, tearing gashes in itself as it thrashed from side to side. The ice was within her now, in her heart, quelling the fire, and slowly it reached up, through her shoulders, into her face. Her skin cracked, began to fall off in glittering flakes that broke as they hit the golden dais beneath her, the flesh revealed in turn hardening, solidifying her enraged mask. Her scarlet hair turned black, then ice-white, the slender shafts cracking and breaking free as she gave a last, desperate struggle against the immobilizing cold. Last of all her eyes, the burning furies of hellfire, darkened, grew cold, as the last vapors of hatred escaped from their sockets. Then she was still and silent – she, Tara, Willow, the surrounding demon creatures, all paralyzed in fear and wonder.

Haltingly, without her usual grace, Tara stepped back, wrenching her spear free of its sheath in the demon's chest. A last flicker of crimson billowed from the gaping wound, then died, and all of a sudden hundreds of cracks were running through the icy body. It ruptured in a shattering explosion, blasting shards of frozen flesh and bone in all directions, even as the goat-men howled and burned, their bodies erupting from within in storms of ash and flame. In the portals, still shifting from scene to scene of the surrounding land, every demon that had turned towards the ancient tower, whose gaze had filled with Shadai's hateful blood-red, reared back and burned from within, their bodies tearing apart as if refusing to host their souls any longer.

Tara was aware of none of this – all she felt was Willow's hand closing on her arm, and the familiar, reassuring shiver of a chill armor cloaking her, protecting them both from the hail of shrapnel ice. She turned, staring into Willow's eyes, tried to open her mouth to speak, tried to reach out to her, but her body suddenly wouldn't answer. Her legs collapsed from beneath her, and Willow caught her as she fell.

"Tara! Tara?" Willow pleaded, landing heavily on the floor as she cradled Tara's head in her lap.

"'m okay," Tara said in a tired, slurred voice. Willow gasped in relief, even as she felt the tower shake beneath them, and her heart lurched again. She looked up – the great crystal was cracking, raining shards of itself from the wounds where Shadai's flesh had merged with it. Around them the huge columns were wavering, tiny streams of dust floating around them attesting to the turmoil inside them. Another tremor shook the tower, and from beneath came a low, terrible groaning, as of metal being twisted and tortured.

"We have to get out of here!" Willow insisted. "Come on! Tara, please!" With all the strength she could muster from her aching body, and with whatever help Tara could force from her exhausted muscles, they clung to each other and staggered upright. Willow guided them towards the nearest portal, staring fearfully down as they neared the edge of the tower – the highlands were a dizzying mile below, bathed in the darkness of the tempestuous sky.

"Ready?" she gasped, feeling Tara stagger in her arms. "Ready... please baby... now!"

From somewhere Tara found the strength to push herself forwards, and the two of them half-jumped half-fell through the whirling threshold of the portal. They landed on hard, dusty soil – Willow sobbed with relief as she felt it, even as she and Tara collapsed in a heap. A roll of thunder rippled over the highlands, drawing both their gazes. High above them, standing atop the cliff, Hellebore was dying, its death-throes echoed in the storm above it. The huge segmented foundations of the tower shuddered and moved, but with none of the mechanical grace with which it had risen. Steel beams strained against stone monoliths, scoring deep gouges into them even as they buckled; columns began to slide down into the earth before clearing the cross-beams fixed into them, tearing them free of their mountings; a huge metal helix spun off its axis, its curved tip smashing through stone blocks as it missed its track. At the pinnacle of the tower the eight columns ringing it began to slowly swing downwards, but without harmony, one moving too quickly, one apparently unable to move at all, a third shuddering, its motion coming in stops and starts. Finally one, then another, then all four on the northern side of the tower crumbled and came apart, sending huge fragments of granite and black steel showering down, smashing into the sides of the tower as they spun and tumbled.

The great crystal spire crowning Hellebore trembled and began to tip over, as it the loss of the four columns had taken its equilibrium with it. It angled over as if to fall, then suddenly whatever force held it suspended failed, and it smashed down into the top of the tower, the point of the crystal burrowing through the stone even as it exploded from the impact. An eerie green light shone from within the tower, casting shadows as fragments of falling debris and the whirling of failing mechanisms passed through the rays it shone onto the surrounding landscape. The tower began to bore its way back into the ground, its outer segments spinning slowly, like a drill tunneling into the earth, but even as it did so a massive burst of burning oil erupted from its base, followed by a huge mass of stone and steel that tore upwards through the descending structure. The whole mile-high edifice began to disintegrate, rock falling free, metal twisting and snapping, collapsing in a rain of debris, and then the ground erupted, spreading outwards from the base of the tower itself, the cliff face exploding outwards, showering fragments of stone over the plain below.

Tara, finding some reserve of strength, dragged an exhausted Willow behind an old, moss-encrusted boulder, shielding her with her own body as the debris rained around them, stroking her hair tenderly as destruction tore through the landscape. Willow clung to her, and she to Willow, two frightened children caught out in a storm. Finally the sound and fury subsided, and a shocked silence descended on the land.

Tara was the first to look up, with Willow following a second later, feeling her movement. Where the monastery, and then the tower had stood, for almost half a mile in every direction, the cliff face and highland had vanished, leaving in its place a vast crater full of stone, soil, fragments of trees and boulders split apart. Of the tower or its foundations, nothing remained.

"Holy Power That Is," Willow whispered, "that... the..." She gulped down a breath and turned to Tara. "Are you alright?"

"I'm alright," Tara breathed, still having trouble comprehending the scale of the devastation she was witness to. She in turn met Willow's worried gaze.

"I'm... I'm alright," Willow said, as if surprised. Tara rolled onto her back, exhausted, bringing Willow with her so that she ended up resting on top of her. Willow gave a weary, incredulous smile as she stared into Tara's eyes, let out a huge sigh, then looked up once more at the massive crater.

"Take that, bitch," she said dazedly, before letting her head fall onto Tara's chest.

Willow and Tara's flight through the portal atop Hellebore had deposited them almost three miles east of the cliffs – or what remained of the cliffs, now. Both were tired, Willow from calling on so much magic, Tara from channeling it, and each of them in dire need of a rest, to soothe an exhaustion that was more than physical. The walk back towards their campsite of the night before was slow, and for the most part silent. Willow in particular had barely said a word since finally hauling herself to her feet – on reaching the ridge beneath the cliff and seeing that, beyond the extent of the crater, the devastation had apparently been limited to a few minor rockslides, she had managed a small but genuine smile when Tara said she expected Anji would have been well clear of the effects of the tower's destruction. And once Tara spotted a tiny dart gliding high in the sky, and Willow was instantly alert at her side, but after watching for a moment Tara saw that it was a natural creature, not a demon. But aside from that she had spoken little, and her attention had been turned inward.

By the last light of the day they approached the boulders among which they had made camp previously. Tara felt a knot in her stomach as she saw white, freshly-broken rock strewn around, and as they drew closer they saw a section of the cliff, evidently shaken free by the tremors, had fallen onto the north side of the little enclosure, breaking apart the boulders there and tearing up the ground.

Willow leant heavily on her staff, her eyes bleakly surveying the rubble. Tara spared a moment to stand by her, placing a hand on her shoulder and receiving a grateful glance in return, then moved forward, scanning the cliff face for signs of weakness, and finding none moving into the debris, checking what had been damaged and what had remained unscathed. Willow's gaze followed her as she looked here and there, and she tilted her head, curious, as Tara climbed up onto one of the untouched boulders. Standing atop it she held her fingers to her lips and blew a piercing whistle.

A moment later Willow caught the sound of hoofbeats on the wind, and Tara smiled and jumped to the ground, taking her hand. They stood there together as, out of the fading day, Anji galloped over the ridge and down to the cliff, slowing to a walk as she approached the two women.

"Hey, girl," Willow murmured, her voice thick with tears. She took a step forward, meeting the horse as it neared, and gently leaned her head forward until she was resting her forehead on Anji's long face. The horse gave a quiet whinny and ducked slightly, brushing Willow's hair to one side.

"Yeah," Tara nodded, holding out her arms. Willow bit her lip, a look of incredible gratitude in her eyes, then she turned and stepped into Tara's embrace. Her tears began to fall the moment she buried her face in Tara's chest, and for a long time they stood there, motionless, as the sun set, and tears began to trickle silently down Tara's cheeks as Willow cried her heart out.

Anji stirred, then stepped closer and gently nudged Willow's back with her nose, prompting her to look over her shoulder.

"It's okay girl," she murmured, "I'm okay." She turned back to Tara, staring forlornly into her gaze. Her eyes were red from crying, her cheeks glistening in the scarlet sunset light.

"I'm not okay," she said quietly. Tara nodded silently, drawing her close again, smoothing her hair with one hand as the other pressed gently against her back.

"I'll-" Willow began, just as Tara was drawing a breath to speak, "I'm...it'll be alright, it will. I just need time. I just...just time. I'll be okay."

"I know baby," Tara whispered, doing nothing to disguise the heaviness her own tears had lent to her voice, "me too."

Tara held her a while longer, then by unspoken agreement they both set about making camp for the night, cleaning themselves up as best they could with just the water they could spare. Having seen the charred remains of various demons scattered about the plain, Tara felt they would be safe making a fire for the night, and set to making a suitable spot for one, clearing away a patch of the scraggly weeds that were all the greenery that had ventured close to the cliffs, and gathering some of the rocks to make a fire circle. Willow spent a few moments setting up a standing spell with her rune stones, as a precaution, then began sorting through the packs they had left at the site earlier. One had been torn as a chunk of rock gouged into the ground in which it was buried, but their losses amounted to only a few rations, and a blanket torn beyond repair.

Having relieved Anji of her saddlebags and left her grazing idly, Tara sat down next to Willow on the blankets she had laid out before the fire, and accepted the food she was offered. She reached her free hand around Willow's waist and gently hugged her, kissing the crown of her head when she ducked and rested her cheek on Tara's shoulder. They ate silently, only the quiet crackling of the fire breaking the stillness of the night, until Willow wrapped up the remainder of her share and set it aside.

"Do you want to talk?" Tara offered, reaching around Willow to draw a blanket around her shoulders. She nodded, then sighed deeply.

"It's alright," Tara assured her, "you needed time. To catch your breath...so did I."

"Thank you," Willow murmured, "you're...no-one could heal me the way you do. I love you so much."

Willow's arms went around Tara's waist and held her warmly, snuggling close beneath the blanket covering them. After a moment's silence she took a deep breath and began.

"It must have been the banishing spell," she said, her voice quiet, a little distant, "in Entsteig, all that time ago...when she was being defeated, rather than go back to hell she let her body be destroyed, and hid her soul in me...all this time."

"Something like this is...well, unheard of. Normally a banishing spell either works completely, or fails completely and the caster ends up possessed. And possession is easy to spot, if you're a powerful mage, the Council would have known right away if that had happened. And I'd have been gone...no-one could survive something like that, for this long. She...she used me, to carry her around, hidden...dormant. Unless-"

"What if she was influencing me?" she asked in a hollow voice. "Everything I did, the choices I made, what if-"

"Willow," Tara said quickly, "I stood in front of her, I felt the...what she was, in her soul, I felt it radiating off her. I've never felt that from you, never." She pressed a gentle kiss onto Willow's hair again. "You've let me into every corner of your soul, you've shown me everything that you are...I know, baby, I know that what she is, is not a part of you. It never has been. No matter how she hid in you, she never truly reached you."

"Then do," Tara said soothingly, "I do. With all my heart, Willow, I know that she has never touched your soul." She smiled, and squeezed Willow's waist gently. "It was never hers to touch."

Willow let out a breath she had been holding, chuckled quietly, then raised her head to look Tara in the eye.

"Darn right," Tara nodded. Willow's eyes widened, then she let out a genuine laugh, and suddenly the weight she had been carrying had begun to crumble.

"See?" Willow smiled. "You heal me. Gods though, all this time...all the demon creatures, the mages she influenced...no wonder it seemed like she was following us."

"Hydris, in Kingsport," Tara mused, "the Carvers and goat-men attacking the caravan, driving us towards the monastery...towards Hellebore. My goddess," she added suddenly, "do you remember what that possessed mage wrote? 'Tomorrow at noon my mistress comes'...and the next day, it would've been around noon when we first got out of the catacombs and began searching the monastery..."

"No, sweetie," Tara gently argued, "no, it wasn't you, it was her. You fought her, remember? In Entsteig, like you told me-"

"You fought her as best you could," Tara insisted, "you don't know what might have happened, if you hadn't been there, if your spell hadn't kept her busy until the other sorceresses arrived. If she'd escaped...how difficult would it have been, for her to get from there to here? To reach Hellebore on her own?"

"Difficult," Willow said at once, "she'd have to be very careful not to be tracked down...but not impossible," she admitted after a pause.

"You fought her," Tara repeated, "and even when you didn't realize she was with you, you still fought her...all this time, you did everything you could to defeat her. And you did."

"At a cost," Willow murmured, "all the people who lived here, Amalee's family, the monks-"

"I...it's just difficult to face, you know?" Willow said in a small voice. "I wonder if I could have done something differently...everything that happened, even if it was her causing it, I was at the center of it...I can't forget all that- all those people."

"I know baby," Tara whispered, "I know...that's as it should be. One life lost is too many...but one life saved..." She paused, and Willow looked up at her.

"One life saved is beyond price," she finished. "Remember all the people you saved- we saved," she corrected with a faint grin, as Willow opened her mouth to say it. "Remember them. Remember what a blessing it was to save Amalee, when a demon was laying waste to her homeland. Remember how special she is...and remember that, today, you helped save millions of lives."

"I will," Willow sighed, "and hey, you too. You don't have to worry so much about me that you ignore yourself, I mean – you had to fight her, face to face. I know that's...it's not something you can dismiss lightly."

"No it isn't," Tara agreed. Willow heard the sadness in her voice, and raised a hand to caress Tara's cheek.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," she said in a tiny voice. Tara nodded, then turned and kissed Willow's palm.

"Maybe it's for the best," she sighed, "now, I've seen one of the most terrible beings in creation...now I know. But she's gone, she's in hell where she belongs." She looked down and returned Willow's gesture, lightly stroking Willow's cheek, her fingertips teasing the corners of Willow's lips.

"And I've seen one of the most beautiful beings in creation," she whispered, "and she's right here...and she loves me."

"She does indeed," Willow agreed, "and she feels fortunate to be able to love you." She snuggled closer to Tara, and both turned their eyes on the fire, crackling merrily to itself.

"I feel good," Willow said, not without a little amazement. "Regardless of everything we went through...today, and before then, all of it...I feel good. That's your gift to me baby, and I love you so much for it."

"A pity about the tower," Willow sighed after a moment's peace. "It was too dangerous, of course, but...the knowledge to build something like that...I can't help being sorry it's lost now."

"Well...you remember that book that appeared on the lectern, at the bottom of the catacombs?"

"Moac's journal," Willow replied, "it vanished once the tower rose...didn't it?"

"It's – what?!" Willow twisted around, staring at Tara in confusion. She sat up straight, eyes wide.

"When it appeared," Tara explained, "you turned back to the wall, when the key was still turning...then the floor started shaking, and I grabbed the book before I lost my balance. I figured, if it was what the demons wanted, we shouldn't risk losing it...better to keep it where we could protect it, or destroy it if we had to-"

"You've had it all this time?" Willow asked, incredulous. "Why didn't you say something? When it was over, I mean?"

"You were upset," Tara pointed out gently, "and from what we saw, all the demons around here were destroyed...it didn't seem urgent. It would have distracted us from what we'd gone through, I thought...it seemed more important to me that we both concentrate on us."

Willow stared at her for a moment, then her lips spread in a grin, then she was laughing, her body shaking in Tara's arms.

"It was," Willow nodded, "like I said, I feel good now. I'm glad I didn't just push it out of my mind...that you helped me come to terms with it all, at least start to..."

"And you helped me too," Tara reminded her, "but, I meant, when we were on top of the tower...it didn't occur to me, too much was going on, but it wouldn't have helped then, would it?"

"Oh," Willow's eyes widened, then she frowned in thought. "No," she decided, "I doubt it...unless the first page was 'How to destroy the tower when someone else is controlling it,' and that seems kind of unlikely." She smiled at Tara's quiet chuckle.

"Well, we can check," she offered, reaching over to her pack. Willow held her breath as Tara placed the old book in her hands, slowly exhaling as her fingers traced the subtle contours in the leather, and the edges of the metal binding. With a trembling hand she opened the volume and carefully turned the first few pages, studying the arcane symbols and geometric diagrams traced in colored inks, in an intricate, precise hand.

"It's so old," she whispered, "but…not fragile at all...gods, the language..."

"It's ancient," Willow nodded, "I can read it, a bit...but there's so much magical theory bound up in it, it'd take weeks just to decipher it, to even begin to understand it..." Her lips moved silently as she studied the pages.

"Sounds like just the thing to keep you happy," Tara observed. Willow glanced up at her, studying her smile. Her own lips turned upwards at the corner, and she carefully closed the book and tucked it back into Tara's pack.

"You know what," she said, snuggling back up beside Tara, "it can wait. For now...I want to hold you, and cuddle, and fall asleep in your arms. That'll make me more than happy."

"Really?" Tara asked lightly, wrapping her arms around Willow. "My knowledge-girl isn't the least tempted by the ancient tome, just half a meter away?"

"Well," Willow admitted, "I wouldn't be me if I wasn't tempted...but today was a pretty good demonstration for why you shouldn't get carried away with knowledge, at the expense of everything else. You end up building towers that can bring about the end of the world, so I think...perspective. There'll be nights for staying up late, with the candles burning low, going over every page in minute detail...but this night isn't one of them." She reached over and pulled another blanket over herself and Tara, settling beside her as she lay down.

"Wisdom is easy when it leads to Tara snuggles," Willow pointed out. "I love you, you know."

"I've never forgotten it," Tara said, "not for a moment...not since...I bowed, held out my hand, and asked you to dance, and you smiled. Right then, all my doubts just...vanished."

"I remember," Willow smiled, helping Tara as she slowly undid the buckles on her armor. "When I came into the hall that evening, and saw you, and you saw me," she chuckled, "we just had to render each other speechless at the exact same moment. Was I really that good?"

"You were stunning," Tara said firmly, "just like you always are. Wearing these very clothes, too..." She undid the clasps holding Willow's battlegear on, and slowly slid the skirt down her legs, and the top over her head and down her arms. There was a moment's activity as they both kicked off their boots and leaned back, dragging their discarded clothes from beneath the blankets and laying them aside, then they were back in each other's arms, still and content in the firelight.

"Gods, what a day," Willow sighed. "Mmm...what a way to end the day, though...you know," she added, a grin teasing her lips, "if I wasn't utterly exhausted...gods I wish I had the strength to make love to you like I'm imagining..."

"And if I wasn't utterly exhausted," Tara replied, "I'd do my best to make sure that we both were, by morning."

"Mmm gorgeous," Willow murmured, "your best is better than heavenly..." Tara managed to roll over slightly, so that she and Willow lay on their sides, face to face, their arms encircling one another.

"I'd kiss you," she whispered, "again, and again...taste your lips, your mouth, so deeply..."

"Your kisses are magic," Willow sighed happily. She closed her eyes, shifting slightly to press herself a little more firmly against Tara. "Magic kisses...I'd caress your tongue as you tasted me..."

"I'd tease you into my mouth," Tara smiled, "then capture you...close my lips around your tongue, keep you right there, where I want you...and when I finally release you-"

"You won't be...you're mine...I catch your bottom lip between my teeth, hold you, sucking...roll you onto your back, straddle your hips, on top of you, pressing down on you..."

"Your hair falling around my face," Willow whispered, "your legs, so smooth...thighs pressing against my hips..."

"My breasts pressing against yours," Tara continued, "and I can feel your nipples, so hard, just like mine...rubbing together..."

"Your breath on my cheeks as you look down at me...let me feel your gaze, claiming me..."

"And," Tara said slowly, in a low, sultry murmur, "as I lower myself, my mound pressing against your stomach...hairs scratching lightly on your belly as I move...heat already coating my lips, my thighs...wetting your skin..."

"Mmm, oh..." Willow sighed, tightening her hold around Tara, "I can feel you, baby..."

"And I do," Willow breathed, "my hand goes to your head, my fingers reaching through your hair, holding you close baby, while I kiss you...just as deep as you kissed me, as long and deep and wonderful...you're moving so sexily, writhing on top of me with every breath, every heartbeat...just as if I were part of you already...not yet, but I'm close baby, so close, my hand sliding down between us, reaching for you..."

"Tickling your hairs, then further, holding you...palm and fingers, cupping your mound..."

"I know," Willow said, "I feel it...I feel you...like a river inside you, and it flows, baby, oh goddess it flows."

"For you," Tara moaned, "I flow for you." Without fully realizing, Tara's legs had parted, tangling with Willows, and their thighs were gently drawing closer to the heat burning in their cores.

"And just like a river," Willow sighed, "I test first...dipping in, just a fraction...testing the waters..."

"And it's better than perfect...I dive...plunging deep...oh baby, you're a wonder..."

"I love you," Willow replied, "I love you...seeing you like this is perfection...seeing your...your rapture...but to be part of you, within you, to give you this...oh goddess...oh goddess..." She unconsciously adjusted her arms around Tara, lower, as Tara did the same, a rhythm of gentle gyration developing between them as their soaked undergarments pressed against each other's thighs.

"And now, my goddess, I release your mouth, so I can hear you moan," Willow breathed, "I take your nipples, sucking, nibbling, drawing the most beautiful sounds from you..."

"Within you, one finger at first," Willow went on, "just one...touching you, inside...a fingertip brushing your heavenly places...but I know you want-"

"Take you," Willow finished for her, "faster now, higher...not just one finger, but two now...deep, again and again..."

"Goddess!" Tara gasped. She sought out Willow's mouth as the climax she had half-thought was in her mind erupted from her, and felt Willow shudder in her arms, her body feeling its own release, as she kissed her back, opening her lips to her, sharing her love and pleasure and bliss.

"Oh gods," Willow breathed as her body stilled, "I love you..." She kissed Tara again, and again.

"Did I get the Amazonian right?" Willow asked, snuggling tightly against Tara, pulling the blankets half-way up over her head.

"Perfectly," Tara replied, ducking down to join her in the warmth their bodies had created, "perfectly..."

The sky was still dark when Willow awoke, and for a moment she wondered what had roused her. Then she noticed an odd tickling sensation, like something touching the back of her neck. Half-way to reaching behind herself to see what it was, she realized it was a sense, not a physical sensation, and recognized it.

"The rune st-" she murmured sleepily, then Willow felt awareness race through her. In perfect silence she slid out from beneath the blankets, one hand already on her bow. In the time it took Willow to get upright Tara had pulled on her boots, knotted a spare blanket around herself as a makeshift covering, and slung her quiver over her shoulder.

"I feel it," she whispered as Willow joined her, quickly pulling her skirt on – she didn't have time to don her top, but embarrassment was far from her mind.

"It's not a small animal," she quickly explained, as the faint tinge of magic at the back of her mind subsided – whatever it was had crossed the boundary area completely.

"It's...human," Tara frowned. She fitted an arrow to her bow but kept the string loose as she aimed into the shadows.

From the cover of a half-broken boulder a figure clad in black emerged, holding a crossbow pointed safely away to the side, her other hand, on which she wore a heavy leather glove, held open and empty, unthreatening.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," she said with a sly grin. Willow quickly let go of her staff with one hand and wrapped her arm over her chest, cursing under her breath as Tara lowered her bow and bent down to fetch her a blanket.

"Sorry about that," Lindia said, "no offence meant," The noblewoman flicked a switch on her bow, causing its vanes to snap neatly back against the stock, and slipped it into place next to the quiver of bolts on her back.

"No harm done," Willow grudgingly allowed, unable to remain perturbed when confronted with the adorable sight of Tara trying not to grin. She wrapped the offered blanket around herself, and cast Tara a quick smile, just to let her know she could see the funny side of it.

"How did you do that, by the way?" Lindia asked, approaching and kneeling down to toss a little extra kindling on the fire, which had burned down during the night. "Know I was out there, I mean?"

"I know," Lindia said with a thoughtful frown, "a staggered arc with an eastern-style standing spell, wasn't it? I thought I'd gotten around it."

"Damn!" Lindia shook her head, letting her wavy blonde hair out of its ponytail. "I must be getting out of practice, I didn't think of that...how are you both?"

"We're fine," Tara said, taking a seat next to Willow, "but what are you doing out here, I thought you'd ridden north?"

"I did," the noblewoman nodded, "but then things got interesting, and...well, I should let them explain."

"There's some people who'd like to talk to you," Lindia said with an easy smile.

The sun rose while they were riding, in Lindia's wake, down towards the river. Her horse was an energetic Khejan charger, and from the way she rode it in the waning night Willow guessed she had night vision to equal Tara's. It was a somewhat unnerving experience to be almost unable to see while riding at a fast pace, but Tara's presence behind her, and Anji's beneath her, soothed her anxiety.

Just as the morning light was brightening into day proper, they crested the last ridge and saw the river laid out before them. Lindia had led them a few miles north of the old pier where they had waited for a passing ship last time, but under the circumstances Willow saw it didn't matter. Three ships were riding at anchor in the river, one a lean little pinnace, oars stowed and sail rolled up, while the others were tall warships, their hulls strong and reinforced, their decks protected by iron shields fixed to the railings, each vessel armed with a heavy siege crossbow mounted on the forward deck, and a steel-tipped ram just visible beneath the surface of the water.

A wide area of the riverbank had been cleared, and was busy with boats going to and from the big ships, unloading cargo and soldiers. Several long tents had been pitched, and officers were here and there calling orders to the squads of men occupied in the unloading, or in arming themselves for what looked like an expedition.

"Where did all this come from?" Willow wondered. "They can't have gotten here so soon, after what happened at the monastery- there hasn't even been time for word to get back to the city, has there?"

"Well, don't underestimate the speed a scout can reach after he sees a square mile of the highlands demolish itself," Lindia shrugged, "but no, you're right – we set out two days ago. The night before that – that would've been after the morning you two set out, so they tell me – a party of mages arrived in the city, with news that they suspected the realm was in danger. That set things in motion – I was with Myrreon at the time, riding back from the north as fast as we could. He had a premonition, or something of the sort, and besides there was nothing really for him to do with the army, there wasn't any real magical threat up there. Morning!" she called to one of the soldiers, on guard in front of the camp, as they neared.

"What mages?" Willow asked sharply. "The ones who arrived after we left, who were they?"

"Friends of yours, actually," Lindia said, dismounting and leaving her horse with the guard. "This way."

Tara held Willow's hand as they left Anji and followed Lindia towards one of the larger tents, where a handful of officers were milling about, talking to each other in low voices and trying not to shiver too much in the morning chill. One of them, a young lieutenant, looked up at Lindia's approach, glanced at Willow and Tara behind her, and ducked inside the tent.

"Sorceresses?" Willow guessed. "But there's no Zann Esu stationed anywhere near here, not that I know of...how could they have gotten here so fast?" She broke off as the young officer returned, with a trio of women behind him. They were indeed sorceresses – all wore the colors of the Zann Esu order, the same green material and silver adornments Willow herself wore. Two of them, Willow's age, wore battlegear identical to hers, though Tara noticed their staves were different – where Willow's was plain wood, theirs each had sculpted metal caps, one of polished bronze in the shape of a flame, the other a diamond cast in ghostly-white silver.

The third wore a simple robe in a figure-hugging cut, otherwise quite similar to those Willow had worn during her travels. She was older then the others, though the few lines that had crept in around her eyes did little to diminish her beauty. She had rich auburn hair which spilled casually across her shoulders, and her eyes were a warm brown with flecks of green that seemed to sparkle in the morning light. They lit up when she saw Willow, and she raised her staff – an elaborate weapon with a golden fleur-de-lys head – in salute.

"Hello Willow," she called, as the other two sorceresses stepped aside, "it's good to see you again."

Tara watched, unable to suppress a faint smile, as Willow ran the last few steps and hugged the older woman. Ember was instantly embracing her in return, rubbing her back, her other hand stroking Willow's hair, calming her tenderly, just as a mother would.

"I'll leave you girls to it," Lindia said from beside Tara, glancing over her shoulder at Ember and Willow as she walked back towards her horse. "Sitting around discussing...not really my area of expertise."

"Thank you for finding us," Tara said quietly, offering a hand. Lindia raised an eyebrow, then shook her hand warmly.

"Just kidding," the noblewoman winked, "you two take care of each other." With a flourish she turned and strode away, beckoning an officer to talk to as she went.

'Willow was right,' she mused, glancing at the retreating figure before turning back to the scene in front of her, 'I do need to get myself some pants like that.' Shaking her head in amusement, she watched as Willow disentangled herself from Ember's arms, looking slightly embarrassed as the other trainee sorceresses greeted her, then she turned back to Tara.

"Tara, this is- well, you know who, I just said- this is Ember," she said, grinning happily. "Ember, this is Tara, my partner."

"Co'te," Ember said quietly as she took Tara's hand. Tara tried not to be surprised as she returned the ritual greeting between warriors, reminding herself of all that Willow had told her of her mentor's immense wealth of experience and knowledge – and, she recalled a moment later, that according to her journal she had traveled with an Amazon warrior for a time, no doubt learning all she could about the culture in the process.

Ember ushered her and Willow into the tent, waving a hand to the other sorceresses, who nodded and remained outside. Inside the long tent was divided into several areas by long drapes hung from the rails supporting the roof – Ember led the way into one of these, a small enclosure with a pair of wooden benches with cushions, and a low table with a jug of water, and drew the drapes shut in their wake.

"Now I can see by that insatiably curious gleam," she began, forestalling the question on Willow's lips, "Lady Lindia didn't explain very much?"

"She said you arrived three days ago," Willow replied, "she said she'd leave the rest of the explanations to others – to you, I guess. She was acting kind of...dramatic...scared the heck out of us sneaking through the runic boundary I set up, is there something else going on?"

"That sounds like her," Ember nodded, "a fine woman and adventurer, and the one thing career adventurers always have is...?"

"A sense of theatre," Willow finished, as if remembering something she had once heard. She sat opposite Ember, on the other bench, with Tara at her side.

"Myself excepted, of course," Ember said, in a tone of voice that suggested she was quite happily making fun of herself. Tara found herself at ease in the older sorceress's presence – she was much as Willow's descriptions had led her to imagine. There was authority and dignity to her, but also a sense of fun that kept her from seeming austere or unapproachable. Tara hazarded a guess that her humor concealed a formidable woman, not only because she couldn't imagine Willow respecting anyone so much who wasn't.

"Well, first things first," she went on, pouring a glass of water each for Willow and Tara, then one for herself, "it was the report you wrote from the castle at Kingsport, about what happened with the mage there. That arrived at about the same time as we got word from the Vizjerei that there had been an incident in Kingsport, involving Shadai and one of our sorceresses. Of course they had no idea that you had been involved in her rising in Entsteig, but I didn't like the connection. There's a saying – from Entsteig, in fact – 'once is chance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.'"

"Well, admittedly, at that point there wasn't a third time," Ember shrugged, "but I've learned not to give demons the benefit of the doubt. I made arrangements to suspend my teaching duties and come here, to make sure everything was all right. If it was just a coincidence, well," she waved a hand airily, a gesture that Tara recognized from Willow, and realized she must have inherited from her mentor, "no harm done, the Order can do without me for a couple of months. I had a nasty suspicion something more was going on, though...and I see I was right. I'd say I wish I'd got here sooner, but seeing as you're here and unhurt, and looking not unduly distressed, I'd say things turned out well enough."

"I can't imagine why," Ember said with a wry grin, "but the Council has gotten the idea from somewhere that wherever trouble strikes, I tend to gravitate towards it. When I told them I wanted to follow up on Hydris's attempted summoning, and see if there was more to it, they decided there probably was more to it, and formed a delegation. They're in Duncraig now – when we arrived and compared notes with Ocean, the apprentice at the Palace, we realized the situation was more dangerous than I'd feared. A few hours later the Duke's mage showed up, after riding non-stop for almost a whole day and night with his bodyguard, insisting that he'd felt signs of a 'great threat'. Between us we convinced the Duke to call the army to alert, and we amassed this little scouting party as quickly as we could. And...here we are."

She set her glass aside and leant forward, fixing Willow with her full attention.

"That's my side of the story," she went on, "now, if you're comfortable...what the hell happened?"

And Willow talked, telling her mentor everything that had happened from the moment she had set foot on Kingsport docks over a month ago, to the moment she had been awoken by Lindia's approach just a few hours before. She omitted nothing – after a glance at Tara, to which Tara gave her a reassuring smile and a little nod, she told Ember about their relationship, not in any intimate detail but enough, in a discreet fashion, that the progress of their friendship and then love was woven into the story, along with Willow's studies, their travels, the dangers, the friends they had met and made, even such incidental details as their dance in Kingsport castle, and the trip to the opera in Duncraig.

Ember interrupted Willow only three times, through the several hours it took for her to recount the entire tale. The first time was after just a couple of minutes, when Willow was deep in discussing the books she had acquired from the mages she had visited in Kingsport on the first day – admitting she had missed Willow's exhaustive accounts of everything she did, Ember had halted the story just long enough to have a hearty breakfast brought in from the camp's kitchen tent. The second was several hours later, this time for lunch. Each time, once the food had been delivered and Willow had resumed the telling of their story, Tara was intrigued to watch Ember add a few spices to the dishes, and found them much more appetizing than the usual camp fare as a result. She wondered privately if the older sorceress has imparted some of that skill on Willow as well, of if their shared culinary talent was coincidence.

The other time Ember spoke was a couple of hours into the afternoon, as Willow was describing their encounter with the wraith in the lower levels of the Hellebore catacombs. Ember leaned forward, momentarily ceasing writing the notes she had been making as Willow talked, and seemed to be hanging on every word as she described its attack on Tara, and her subsequent banishing of the unearthly creature.

"Yes...that's the idea with wraiths, you taught me that." Willow glanced at Tara, shrugging vaguely.

"It's just that old wraiths are rare," Ember said, leaning back, "difficult to find, not that many people actually try, there's very little known about them, except that they're supposedly exceptionally difficult to destroy." She paused, then glanced at Tara. "Of course, it was threatening you at the time," she noted.

"Giving you a very strong incentive to banish it," Ember nodded, turning her attention back to Willow, "interesting...there might be something to the psychic theory behind them, you think?"

"That it's the psychic impulse that damages them, not the physical blow," Willow mused, "having seen one, that's my guess. Of course, it was only one 'test' – I'd recommend further research, only no thanks." Ember gave a little snort of laughter, and gestured for Willow to continue.

When Willow got to the moment where Shadai had made herself known, and revealed quietly that the demon had been within her all along, Ember's eyes widened, but she remained silent. Willow reached for Tara's hand and held it as she recounted the events on the top of the tower, tense at first, but relaxing as Tara gently stroked her thumb back and forth across the back of her hand. The older sorceress looked at Tara, studying her intently, as Willow had described the combined spell they had managed to defeat Shadai. Something in her gaze was different to any expression she had shown so far, and in fact different to how Tara had imagined her, from Willow's description of the woman who had 'seen everything and been everywhere'. She wondered if Willow had actually surprised Ember.

"Well," Ember said at last, when Willow had finished, "that's...quite a tale. Quite a tale...it bring some puzzling details into sharp focus. Hydris, for one – the Vizjerei were adamant that he didn't have the power to do what he was accused of having done. There's been talk among the clan, so I've heard, of ruling that the Baron's investigation was over-zealous – they'd do nothing to harm him," she added quickly, as both Willow and Tara looked suddenly anxious, "after all, the fact that he was involved in demonology is undisputed. Your gathering of evidence," she looked to Willow specifically, "was above reproach."

"Nothing to do with me," Ember replied with a smile, "you had the academic skills of a sorceress long before we met...At any rate, the Vizjerei debate much and move slowly as a rule, and their delegation won't have reached Kingsport yet. In light of what you've told me, the Council will I'm sure send a representative to wait for them there, to enlighten them."

"What was he trying to do?" Tara asked as Ember paused. "Hydris, I mean. If it wasn't a summoning...?"

"It was a summoning of a kind," Ember explained, "the ritual preparations you examined, and Willow documented most thoroughly, prove as much. But there were variations in the spell, which only an experienced eye would see...believe me, I've seen more than my share of summoning circles in my time." She chuckled mirthlessly to herself, then fixed Willow with a kind look.

"You were in control," she said, "to Shadai, that was a huge problem. Though she was within you, she was unable to command you – it's a fact," she said, glancing at Tara as if to include her in the discussion, "that demonic possession, immediate control, requires the consent of the host. Not necessarily on a conscious level, but on some level, whether it be subconscious, as a result of duplicity, even accidental. You would never give her that, not even accidentally – not after what happened in Entsteig." Willow nodded fervently, suppressing a shiver.

"So she was safe, but trapped," Ember leant back, "concealed from all manner of magic, which would detect only your soul, not the demon lurking in its shadow. Until she had Hellebore to protect her, she was safe only so long as she remained hidden. But a helpless passenger. She had to use what influence she could exert on...susceptible minds, demons and their followers, to try to steer you in the direction she wanted you to go. No easy task, and demons hate relying on humans. Well, you saw what happened the first time you went to the monastery – her servant took his own life, and you left the catacombs behind you, despite that being the very place she wanted you to be. She probably foresaw, or feared, something of the kind, and hoped to subdue your mind – a variant on a summoning, to summon her partly into your soul. Difficult...impossible had she not been within you to begin with. But under the circumstances...well, it's all guesswork, no one but the damned know that kind of magic well enough to be sure. But I think that's what was being attempted. If the mage at the monastery had lived, perhaps he'd have tried the same ritual."

"I was lucky," Willow said bleakly, "if he hadn't been discovered by accident before he got me-"

"You were both lucky, many times," Ember interrupted, "but fortune exists, good and bad. During this whole, difficult time, you two have done everything in your power to find and seize good fortune, and make it your own. Sometimes," her eyes grew distant, "sometimes we survive by the merest of margins..." She shrugged and offered Willow a gentle smile. "But try not to dwell on it. What would your Athulua's consort say?" she asked Tara.

"She...oh," her eyes lit up in realization, "'Be grateful of our fortunes, and fear not that which has not come to pass.' When Athulua rescued Kethryes from her old lord's army," she explained to Willow, "afterwards she was upset about whether she could have been too late, and lost her. That was what she said to her, to console her."

"I..." she said, unable to keep a smile from her lips, "...I'll try." Tara nodded, and squeezed her hand comfortingly.

"Um, about the book," Willow said, to cover the blush creeping up her cheeks, as she turned back to Ember. Tara reached behind their bench to where their bags were lying on the ground, and retrieved the ancient volume for Willow. She took it and laid it almost reverentially on the table, between herself and Ember.

"Yes," the older sorceress whispered, betraying a little awe, "Moac's journal...how much have you read?"

"I, uh, just glanced at it," Willow admitted, "I haven't really read any." Ember's eyebrow quirked up.

"You've had this a whole night, and you haven't read it?" She grinned impishly. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Tara couldn't suppress a chuckle, and Willow shot her a frown, belied by her smile.

"I had more important things on my mind," she explained. Ember looked at her warmly, for a moment exactly like a proud parent would, then leaned forward and ran her fingers over the book's dark red leather cover.

"There's a space saved for this in the vaults," she said quietly, "among all the very, very powerful texts...even though no-one really believed it existed."

"It belongs there," Willow said firmly, "it'll be safe there." Ember looked up at her, once more warm with admiration.

"It can travel with the delegation from the Council," she said, picking up the book, "there's no safer way to get it to Kurast...and you should give it to them." She handed the volume back to a surprised Willow.

"Me?" she squeaked. "Why? I mean, you're my sponsor...a-and you can protect it better until then-"

"We'll be traveling together," Ember said, "the Dauntless will have unloaded her complement of men by now, so she'll be setting sail for the city tonight, while the Valiant stays here. You can both stay in the cabin they gave me, you could use the rest I imagine – I'll be up most of the night anyway briefing the Duke's field advisors. The ship's rigged for cavalry transport, so you won't have to leave your horse...how did you get her onto a horse that big?" she asked Tara with a wry smile.

"It took some doing," Tara said, receiving a playful elbow in her side in reply.

"We can go on board now, if you'd like," Ember went on, "there's no reason not to, and trust me, the food in the officer's mess is better than what they'll serve the troops out here. You'll have time to get cleaned up before dinner. Fiara?" she called, summoning one of the younger sorceresses.

"See Willow and Lady Tara onto the next launch for the Dauntless – we'll all be going aboard, I'll brief you and Lusilla there. You'll both be scouting the ruins tomorrow, but you'll be able to get some rest tonight. The danger we were concerned with has been dealt with. I'll be returning to Duncraig tonight, I'll be back in a couple of days."

"Yes ma'am," Fiara said, ducking her head, then leaving with a curious glance at Willow and Tara. Ember stood, and Willow stood with her as if out of habit – Tara got a glimpse of the bond between them, the time they had spent together as teacher and pupil.

"Ember?" Willow asked as Tara stood at her side, "is...it is over, isn't it?" Ember looked at her levelly, then smiled kindly.

"She couldn't...have escaped again? Like before," Willow asked, choosing her words with care. Ember regarded her sadly, then opened her arms, and Willow stepped forward into her embrace.

"I'm so sorry," the older sorceress whispered, just loud enough for Tara to hear. "If we'd known, been able to tell somehow...if we could have spared you all this..." She sighed deeply, then stood back a pace from Willow.

"I fully believe," she said firmly, "that Shadai, even if she had tried, would have been unable to return to you. Before, in Entsteig, we had no idea, the notion that she'd do something so dangerous, that the banishing spell gave her a means to hide within you..." She shook her head sadly, then met Willow's gaze again. "Now we know. More importantly, you know. This time there was no spell for her to take advantage of...and this time you know what she did to you. A demon, no matter how powerful, can never possess those who don't allow them to do so."

"She never did," Tara said firmly. Ember looked at her, surprised at the certainty in her voice, perhaps surprised too at being challenged, then nodded.

"She didn't know," she replied, turning back to Willow, "and that was our fault, not hers. But if you had ever become aware of the demon's presence," she added in a level voice, "I am absolutely sure she would have been forced from you. No matter how powerful the demon, within yourself you are more powerful." Willow nodded, then reached for Tara's hand and held it gently, reassuringly.

"A mage powerful enough and twisted enough to succeed in summoning a demon of her power comes around once in a lifetime," Ember went on, "if that, and most never get the chance anyway. I honestly believe she'll never trouble you again. That's the best I can offer."

"It's enough," Willow said, swallowing to steady her voice. She faced Tara and regarded her with warm eyes.

"It's over," Tara murmured, reaching forward to embrace her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ember turn away, giving them a little privacy at least, but then she had eyes only for Willow, who smiled back at her as her arms circled her waist.

"It's over," she echoed in a whisper, before her lips sought out Tara's for a quick, gentle kiss. They lingered for a moment, then reluctantly separated. Willow led the way out of the enclosure within the tent, but Ember reached out and touched Tara's shoulder as she passed, halting her. She looked like she was about to speak, then paused, as if gathering her thoughts.

"I-I'm sorry if I was rude," Tara began, "I know you'd never have let this happen, if you could have prevented-"

"No," Ember interrupted, "no, it's not that...objectively, perhaps, there was nothing that could have been done, but if you blame me, I find can only agree with you."

"I understand," Ember nodded, "likewise, I'd do anything for her...though," she looked at Tara with a curious smile, "I think only you could have saved her."

"I always knew she'd accomplish something truly remarkable. I thank you for what you've done, Tara. And for what you'll keep doing as long as you and she live."

"I know," Ember said, taking her gently by the elbow and leading her out to where Willow and the other sorceresses were waiting, "that's worth my thanks any day."

Ember's cabin on the Dauntless was not particularly spacious, but the quality of the furnishings made up for it. All the furniture was fixed to the deck – a small writing desk, a closet large enough for just a handful of garments, a deep trunk in the corner, and the bunk set into the wall, just the size of a single bed. Someone anticipating their arrival had lit the two oil lamps, one on either side of the cabin, which was on the port side and getting none of the westering sun's light through its small glass-paned porthole. The ensign who had carried their packs from the launch deposited them neatly by the trunk, saluted, and left, closing the door softly behind him.

"You mind sleeping in close quarters tonight?" Willow smiled wearily as she sat on the protruding edge of the bunk.

"With you, I was happy on the ground," Tara said, sitting next to her and putting an arm around her waist, "this is luxury. Tired?"

"Physically, not really," Willow shrugged, "mentally...ready to drop like a stone."

"She looked fine," Tara assured her – they had left Anji on the shore, waiting for a cavalry barge to take her over to the ship, where the last horses were just being unloaded from the stable deck via a large ramp. "She's probably been on a boat before...I guess all the army's horses would at least be taken on board a transport now and then, to get them used to it in case they needed to be moved by boat. We can go down and check on her once she's on board, if you like?"

"Okay-" Willow's breath caught just after she agreed. "Wait...the rest of the horses have been offloaded, right?"

"Okay," Willow sighed with relief, "I mean, I'm getting better with horses...well, with Anji. A whole stable full of chargers, though...and they probably get excited when they're being shipped..."

"If there's any other horses down there," Tara promised in a whisper, "I'll make sure they're all very nice to you." Willow laughed, then turned to face Tara, resting a hand casually on her thigh.

"I know sweetie. I love you too." They remained still in content silence for a while, Willow resting her head on Tara's shoulder, Tara in turn lightly resting her cheek against Willow's crown, pressing a soft kiss into her slightly tangled hair now and then.

"Hey," Willow murmured eventually, giving Tara's thigh a squeeze, "what do you say we get cleaned up, then go down to the stable deck before dinner?"

"Sounds good," Tara smiled. She got to her feet and held Willow's hands, pretending to pull her upright as she got up, feigning exhaustion. "Do you think they've got a bathtub we can haul in here?"

"Why," Willow grinned slyly, "are you hoping to get me all wet and play with me?"

"I might be," Tara allowed with a wink, "do you think you might like to get wet and be played with?"

"I feel lucky," Tara replied, stepping lithely behind Willow and leaning down to nip at her ear, while her hands roamed over her bare stomach.

"Mmm," Willow purred, "you'll be feeling a lot more...come on, I'm suddenly in a hurry."

The officers' latrine on board proved to be a stylishly appointed bathroom, complete with a bath, but both women decided they'd rather enjoy the privacy of their cabin. Ember was climbing the ladder from another shore launch just in time to see Willow and Tara hauling an iron bathtub, spare from the enlisted men's facilities, across the deck towards the short flight of stairs leading to the cabin deck.

"Oh," Willow paused, smiling sheepishly, "um, do you need your cabin? We could...um..."

"I'll just be a moment," the sorceress said, "I just need to grab a couple of books I left in the desk and I'll be out of your way for the night. Not wasting any time, I see," she added in an undertone which made Willow blush quite adorably, or so it seemed to Tara who watched her with concealed amusement.

"Well," Willow said, not meeting her mentor's eye, "we have been out of civilization for a few days..." Ember stepped ahead of them and pushed open the cabin door.

"Ah, civilization," she smiled to herself, "regular meals, soft beds and hot baths." She stood aside as Willow and Tara rolled the tub through the doorway and maneuvered it so that it would fit in the cabin's limited floor space. "You'll get the first two from the boat, but if you want a hand with the other...?"

"If it's no trouble?" Willow asked in reply, as Tara looked from one to the other of them, trying to work out exactly what they were discussing. Ember shook her head and shrugged, and Willow knelt by the tub, holding her hands out, palm down. Tara watched, smiling at herself being proud of Willow, as water coalesced out of the air and filled the tub.

"Keeping an eye on the book?" Ember asked, as Willow stood up and she knelt down in her place. Willow patted the satchel slung over her shoulder, which hadn't left her since they had boarded the Dauntless.

"Good girl," Ember said absently. She frowned in thought for a moment, then touched a fingertips to the water. Tara thought she saw the merest hint of something spread from the sorceresses fingers, like a wave of sunlight, then she withdrew her hand and stood up, leaving the water steaming nicely.

"Anytime," Ember said offhandedly, fishing a couple of slim books out of the desk drawers and retreating to the doorway. "Don't do anything I wouldn't," she grinned in parting, closing the door behind her.

"Don't mind her," Willow shrugged, sauntering over to Tara and stroking her cheek as she blushed slightly, "I think she's been waiting years to tease me."

"Uh-huh," Tara said, her bashful smile turning sultry under Willow's caress, "well, there is one thing you can do that she wouldn't."

Tara sat on the bed and watched Willow conscientiously store away all their belongings in the cabin's trunk. Or rather, she simply watched Willow – the trim expanse of her abdomen, the twist of her waist as she reached behind herself for her pack, left lying on the deck, her arms, moving surely and efficiently as she stowed the pack along with their other gear, the curve of her buttocks as she crouched down, securing the trunk's latch, and her skirt drew tight around her hips, the lean curves of her legs as she stood back up, stretching up on her toes for a moment...

'Look at you, you're practically salivating,' she thought to herself. She and Willow had teased and pampered one another as they bathed earlier, taking their time in bestowing lingering caresses over every available inch of skin. And as a result, the water had cooled by the time they had progressed as far as teasing foreplay could take them. Tara had had just enough possession of her thoughts to realize that the water was getting cold, along with the air as the afternoon waned into evening outside, and had calmed herself before she and Willow had gone so far that any effort to back off would have been truly futile. Willow had briefly pondered whether she could get Ember to give the bath another burst of heat, but in light of her and Tara's condition, naked, wet and thoroughly aroused, decided she's never live down the teasing.

Visiting Anji on the stable deck, where she seemed quite content despite the boat's gentle rocking, had taken their minds off their mutual pressing need for a short while, but dinner had been a kind of torture. Fortunately few people had been dining with them in the officer's mess – a pair of ensigns at the other end of the table, and a lieutenant about to begin the night shift having breakfast, the others being occupied with the same briefing that Ember was attending. Having no need of their boots on the boat's smooth decks neither Willow nor Tara had worn them, and most of the meal was spent trying to appear casual while beneath the table their feet were stroking each other's calves and shins. The contact helped ease some of the need, just enough to get through dinner – though at times, Tara seriously wondered whether she'd be able to get through her meal without leaping over the table and devouring Willow instead.

Willow was far from immune herself – on their way back to their cabin Tara had nudged against her in a tight stairway, and in the space of a heartbeat found herself up against the wall with Willow pressed against her, kissing hungrily. It had taken a deep, shuddering breath for Willow to rein herself in and keep herself in check thereafter, and they had both hurried back to privacy.

Now, watching Willow disrobe, Tara was able to keep her hands to herself purely because she knew she wouldn't have to wait much longer. That, and the way Willow turned this way and that as she undressed, exposing one slender curve at a time. By the time she was naked save for her underwear there wasn't a single part of her Tara wasn't fantasizing about, and to judge by the glitter in her eyes as she turned off one of the cabin's oil lamps and sauntered over to the bunk, she knew it.

"What's this for?" Tara asked lightly, hooking a finger in the waistband as Willow sat next to her, and tugging the thin material a little way down her hips.

"I thought you'd like to do the honors," Willow smiled, reaching for the buckles on Tara's leathers. Tara leaned back as Willow loosened her armor, then lifted her arms to let her lift the leather off her torso. The moment it had fallen to the deck Willow was kissing her, starting voraciously with her lips before moving down to her neck and collarbone, licking an sucking the tender skin there.

"Oh gods," she gasped between kisses, "what on earth...gave me the idea...I could resist you...even for a couple...of hours...?"

"Mmm, oh baby," Tara shuddered as she felt Willow's lips close around her nipple, "oh...oooh, goddess..." Willow sucked at her, her tongue dancing around the hard nub of flesh in her mouth, while one hand cupped her other breast, squeezing the soft mound. Her free hand went to the waist of Tara's skirt, deftly undoing it, then sliding beneath her bottom to urge her to lift up, so she could slide the skirt away.

"That's so...so...ah...oh goddess," Tara moaned as Willow switched breasts, her fingers keeping the glistening nipple thus revealed fully stimulated.

"You were saying something?" she said in a sexy murmur, leaving her hands to attend to Tara's bosom for a moment as she moved upwards, brushing her lips on Tara's as she spoke. Tara shook her head, then lifted her hands to hold Willow firmly as she kissed her, her fingers running through her freshly washed scarlet hair as her tongue delved deep into her mouth. Longer and longer she held the kiss, leaving no depth of Willow's unexplored – first she felt Willow shuddering against her, then her hands moved to her back, holding helplessly, and finally her legs gave out and she let herself fall against Tara, moaning unashamedly into her mouth.

"Good kiss?" Tara purred when she finally released Willow's lips. Willow let out a sob of pleasure and opened her eyes, taking a moment before she could properly focus on the woman smiling at her.

"Take me," she whimpered. Tara's smile widened, and she sat up, lifting Willow with her as she moved.

"You're still a little overdressed," she murmured in Willow's ear, stroking the smoothness of Willow's underwear. When her fingertips brushed against her mound, clad only in thin fabric, Willow's legs again failed her, and she clung to Tara and moaned, her hips trembling.

"Oh goddess," she breathed, with a delirious smile, "I can't even stand when you touch me." With some effort she managed to get a hand to the brass rail set above the bunk's recess in the wall, and held herself up as she stood. Tara ran her hands up and down Willow's sides as she reached her other arm up, doubling her grip, then, finding herself at just the right height, began tasting her breasts with long, deliberately slow licks.

"Uh," Willow gave voice to a high-pitched whimper. Tara looked up at her face, set in an expression of desperate pleasure, and felt that sight alone stir her to the depths of her soul.

"Hold on," she whispered, her lips brushing Willow's cleavage, "I'm going to take you for a ride."

"Take me," Willow whispered again, so softly she barely spoke at all. Tara's lips curled into a sexy smirk as she lithely uncoiled from the bunk, sliding her hands around Willow's waist as she moved behind her, pressing her forward.

"Like this?" she purred, sucking delicately on Willow's neck, her hands beginning to wander over her body. Willow nodded mutely, her mouth hanging open, eyes tightly closed.

"Like this?" Tara went on, bringing her hands up beneath Willow's breasts, lifting them then letting them slip into her grip, feeling her nipples straining against her palms. She moved her kisses down to Willow's shoulder, and began rhythmically squeezing and stroking the soft mounds in her hands in time with the caresses of her lips against her skin.

"Uh...yeah..." Willow moaned, unconsciously grinding her hips against Tara's pelvis. She let her head fall back just as Tara lifted hers, and their lips met in a devastating kiss. Their bodies moved as one, curving and stretching against each other, fitting together perfectly. Tara's hands moved down, one wrapping tightly, possessively, around Willow's waist, the other stroking her hip, slowly edging around towards the junction of her thighs. First one then the other of Willow's hands left the rail she had been holding, instead reaching back, stroking Tara's sides firmly, moving down to her waist, down to her buttocks where Tara's leather underwear covered almost nothing, cupping them, pulling Tara against herself.

"Goddess," she gasped, her word muffled against Tara's lips, "so very sexy..." With a parting kiss Tara quickly ducked around Willow, reversing their positions so that she was now pressed against Willow's front. Reaching back to hold Willow to her she crouched slowly then straightened, luxuriating in the feel of Willow's smooth skin against her naked rear.

"You like that, huh?" she murmured, her voice starting to become ragged as Willow wasted no time in taking advantage of her new position. One hand alternated between Tara's breasts, back and forth, holding, squeezing, tantalizing and deftly stroking her nipples to hard peaks. The other cupped her mound, pressing against the leather that was all the clothing that the two of them had left between them. Tara gave a loud, primal moan as Willow's touch soared through her.

"Now who's being taken on a ride?" Willow purred, licking Tara's neck, up to her ear. Her fingers moved lower, between Tara's thighs, feeling the warmth beneath the leather covering her.

"Goddess," she whispered, breathing hard against the glistening marks her kisses had left on Tara's skin, "you're so wet...it's just flowing out of you, isn't it? Too much for this little scrap to contain," she tugged gently at the underwear, "you're coating your thighs, soaking your leather, you're so hot...just waiting for me, aren't you?"

"Y-yes," Tara gasped, "for you..." She almost stumbled, overcome by her need, as Willow covered her entire mound with her hand and pressed inwards, grinding her aching clit against the leather between them.

"You know what," Willow continued, "now you feel a bit unsteady, don't you? Can't have you falling over, my vixen angel, maybe you should hold onto something, hmm? Ah, not yet," she added quickly, as Tara's hands began to rise, "you never finished undressing, you naughty beauty...first things first."

Craning her neck to fix Willow with a sultry smile, Tara arched her back just a little, separating herself a fraction from Willow's body as her thumbs hooked into the waist of her underwear. Slowly, staring at Willow all the while, she bent at the waist, her hips pressing backwards against Willow as she pulled the offending undergarment down her legs. Releasing Tara from her hold, Willow gently stroked her back as she leant down, and then straightened.

"You know how beautiful you are?" she whispered as Tara stood back up. Tara tilted her head back, all the invitation Willow needed to capture her lips and taste her again. The kiss was short and intense – Tara pulled back, closed her hands around the brass railing above her, and planted her feet wide apart on the deck.

The raw desire carried in her words jolted Willow to action the moment they were past her lips. Claiming her mouth in another searing kiss, Willow held her with one arm, wrapped tightly about her waist, while her other hand went down, where Tara desperately needed her. Feeling the blistering heat, the copious wetness, she wasted no time, stroking two fingertips down through Tara's folds to her entrance and then rising up within her. She swallowed the passionate moan that welled up from Tara's throat and thrust again, and again, exulting in the wave of ecstatic motion that shuddered through the body in her arms each time.

Tara writhed in her grip, her hips circling, rising and falling, giving herself to Willow with utter abandon. Each time Willow's fingers withdrew she would bend her knees, her body pursuing the intruding digits as far as she could, unwilling to bear their retreat. Each time she thrust, touching a spectacle of passion within Tara's core, she would lift herself up on her toes, arching her back – she moved in time with Willow, her whole body echoing the motion of her hand between her legs, moving with rather than against it, so that as Willow made love to her, it seemed to both of them that her entire being was reaping the joy of her deepest touch.

Throughout their lips remained locked, each stealing breath here and there, but never leaving the kiss that completed the cycle within their two bodies – their lips seemed joined, allowed love and passion to flow between them just as below, with every thrust, there seemed less and less distinction between giving and receiving pleasure, between making love and being made love to, between Willow's fingers plunging deep and Tara's channel welcoming her with flood tides of arousal.

Tara's climax burst upon her like the rising sun shining on the ocean – for a split second she could feel the single gathering of intense, pure love within her, then every part of her was lighting up, reflecting the brilliance of what Willow had given her. She shuddered uncontrollably in Willow's arms, moving faster and faster until finally she could only thrust herself down, one last time, burying Willow within her as her juices flowed, her body shivered at the waves of heat crashing within her. Behind her clenched eyelids she was staring into a private realm only she and Willow could enter, where the ground beneath their feet, the sun in the sky, the air they breathed was fashioned from each other's love.

Secure in Willow's grip, her arms supporting her weight, Tara let her head fall forwards as Willow released her lips at last. She felt too close to Willow to describe – she felt Willow's heartbeat in every part of herself, touching off aftershocks of bliss. She gave a soft, sated moan as she felt Willow's lips touch her ear, her tongue flicking out to taste her skin.

"You are a goddess," Willow whispered, "and I love you, my goddess...there is nothing in this world that can make me feel better than I do right now."

With a shuddering breath Tara regained her balance and turned around, gasping as she felt the fingers withdraw from her, sighing as she caught Willow in a warm embrace.

"You wanna bet?" she breathed, just as Willow had begun to relax into her arms. Willow straightened, then gave a delighted squeal as Tara quickly reached behind her shoulders and knees and picked her up.

"You most certainly are," Tara said, turning and laying Willow down on the bunk, "I never forget a promise I make to the woman I love with all my heart." She climbed into the bunk, straddling Willow and staring down at her.

"I'd say get ready," she grinned, "but, love, it won't make any difference at all."

Willow woke to find the sun already streaming in through the cabin's porthole, high in the sky outside. 'Huh…overslept,' she thought with a sly grin. Then her grin widened into a content smile as she remembered the fragments of dreams that she could call to mind – vague images, shapes in shadow…She leaned her head down to Tara's, resting peacefully on her chest, and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead before tilting her head so that her cheek rested against Tara's hair.

'Thank you, love,' she mused silently, 'they would've been nightmares but for you.' She accepted with a rueful grin that, thanks to their journey and the battles they had fought, they were both due some nightmares for a while, until they could put everything behind them. She offered a prayer that Tara had found as much comfort and security during the night in her embrace as she had in Tara's, if her dreams had been troubled.

At the same time though, she realized with a pleasant start that the last couple of nights had been different, in a way that was difficult to describe. For a long time her nightmares had been disturbing, difficult to cope with, such that she had fallen into the habit of doing her best to banish their memory from her mind on waking, rather than simply dismissing them as bad dreams. 'Since Entsteig,' she thought, 'that makes sense...' Disturbed dreams had been no surprise then, for her or for Ember, who most often was the one who had comforted her in the immediate aftermath, when she would wake up in the middle of the night with a hysterical scream. Of course her mind would try to deal with the terror it had seen as best it could…it was only now, with the benefit of hindsight, that Willow realized the dreams hadn't faded as they should have.

'Because she was still in there,' she thought with a mild frown of disgust. Ironically, her most recent bad dreams cheered her – they were just dreams, no more. In time they would fade, and simply be part of her life and memory. She felt as if a weight had lifted from her, just as she had the day before, when Ember had given her assurance that Shadai was gone, that her ordeal was over.

Tara stirred, and Willow automatically stroked her hair, soothing her. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, she eventually lifted her head and looked at Willow, blinking slowly in the sunlight.

"S'alright," Tara shrugged, "gotta get up sooner or later." She yawned, and looked around. "We slept in?"

"Well, when you put it that way," Tara grinned, sliding up beside Willow and resting her head on the pillow beside her, nuzzling in her tangled hair. "I feel like I've slept forever," she sighed happily, her words making Willow shiver as her breathing brushed against her ear.

"I don't think we slept quite forever," Willow said, reaching her arms around Tara's waist and squeezing lightly. "I mean, I can hear the crew out on the deck…unless they're descendants of the original crew, or something…even so, we'd only have slept for several generations, not actually forever..."

"You're entirely too coherent for this early in the morning," Tara protested with a gentle laugh.

"I thought we'd established it's late in the morning, sleepyhead?" Willow teased. Tara chuckled, her hands sliding slowly along the length of Willow's body. Willow sighed happily, and was completely unprepared when Tara's fingers began tickling her mercilessly.

"Ah! You…sneaky…Amazon..." she gasped, wriggling in Tara's embrace and doing her best to repay the assault in kind, while at the same time trying to keep her sides shielded from Tara's fingers. Somehow, Tara always seemed to slip by her defenses, and her body was always at just the wrong angle to be vulnerable.

"Okay, okay!" she squealed eventually, giggling uncontrollably, "I give up..." Tara lay down atop her, pressing light kisses up and down her neck and over her shoulder as she caught her breath. "You're terrible, you know that?"

"You got me," Willow admitted, "I do indeed…one day, though," she said warningly.

"One day," Willow repeated, "I'm going to get the drop on you, and then, my pretty Amazon, I'll have my revenge for every single tickle you've ever given me."

"Oh, you don't think I can tickle you?" Willow challenged, running a fingertip up Tara's back, drawing a shiver from her.

"Impossible," she replied. "No matter what you do, I'll just-" she undulated her hips invitingly "-wriggle my way free."

"Wriggling won't save you," Willow shot back, stealing a kiss on Tara's lips as she smiled.

"Oh yes it will," she grinned, "you wouldn't believe how I can wriggle…watch this." Pulling back the covers of the cramped bunk she slid off and stood beside it, while Willow sat up and crossed her legs beneath her.

"Warrior training," Tara explained, stretching up on her toes, touching the cabin ceiling above her with outstretched arms, "for fighting in the treetops – flexibility is very important."

She stood right in front of Willow, gave her a wink, then bent gracefully backwards until her palms were flat on the deck, her toned body curved like an arch. She craned her neck back further, so that she could look back at Willow from between her legs.

"Are you paying attention," she asked with a grin, "or just taking the chance to ogle me?"

"There's some rule that I can't do both?" she replied. In truth, Tara's position had immediately brought to mind any number of interesting fantasies, and Willow soaked up the sight of her body arched over, her smooth skin warmed by the sunlight falling across it, the curves of her torso and limbs – and the tempting shine of moisture at the apex of her thighs, showing that Willow wasn't the only one feeling stimulated after their bout of tickling.

Tara laughed and, with a quick push from her toes, sent her legs reaching up above her. Standing on her elbows, with her hands resting casually on the deck before her, there was just enough room to accommodate her in the cabin. She stretched a little, and touched her toes to the ceiling.

"Wow," Willow said earnestly, getting off the bunk and walking around in front of Tara, who looked up at her with a wide smile. "I didn't know you could do that."

"There's all sorts of things I can do," Tara said, with a tilt of her head that, upside-down, Willow couldn't help grinning at.

"Oh, a few minutes. More than that and the blood rushes to my head big time, and it feels weird coming back down…but for a few minutes, it's fine..." She let her left leg down until it was stretched out sideways, horizontal, then swung it around to Willow's side and hooked her lower leg around her waist.

"Still think you can out-wriggle me?" she grinned seductively. With a gentle tug from her, Willow knelt down and ran her hands down Tara's inverted back.

"Oh, I think you're thinking one thing very, very strongly," Tara murmured. She craned her head forward, reaching as Willow spread her knees wider, shifting her hips forward, her center tantalizingly close. Her other leg also lowered, bending around behind Willow's shoulders as she leant forward, entranced by the sight of Tara's glistening folds waiting for her. It was like some strange dream, Willow mused as the scent of Tara's arousal reached her, a blissful escape from reality...

"Oh my gods you're sexy," she whispered, yearning to lean forward the final fraction, yet holding herself in check, drawing out the moment.

"You make me sexy," Tara replied in a hushed voice, "the way you stare at me, what I see in your eyes..." Her legs tightened their embrace just a fraction. "Let me taste you, my lover…my Willow..."

So rapt in Tara was Willow, that she had no idea for a moment what the intruding sound was when it reached her ears. Then she realized someone was knocking at the cabin door.

"Damn!" she whispered, leaning back. Tara's legs released her, and somehow, in the half-meter of floor between herself and the bunk, she managed to roll backwards and end up crouching right way up, tossing her head back to get her hair out of her eyes. Willow licked her lips at the sight of her – 'like a big cat on the prowl,' she thought – before another knock at the door drew her out of her distraction.

"Just a minute!" she called, getting to her feet as Tara quickly ducked back into the bunk and pulled the covers over herself. "Whoever you are, this had better be good," Willow muttered to herself, reaching for the door handle.

"Wha? Oh." Grinning sheepishly, she crossed to the closet and pulled on a long, warm robe she found hanging inside. She pulled the front tightly closed and tied the sash firmly, glancing down to confirm that she was very respectably covered, then crossed the cabin again and opened the door.

"You don't have to be so cheerful about it," Willow complained, though she couldn't keep a grin from tugging at her lips. "Um, come in, or-"

"Ah, no need," Ember replied, glancing over Willow's shoulder, to see Tara peering around the bunk's headboard, with the blankets drawn tightly over her shoulders. "I just thought you'd like these," she offered Willow a cloth-wrapped bundle, "we brought spare outfits, these should fit you…seeing as you've been in the same clothes for a while now, I thought you'd like a change?"

"A change- oh!" Willow exclaimed, unwrapping the bundle to reveal, folded up, Zann Esu traveling clothes. "Thanks," she smiled, "yeah, I guess washing the clothes is in order…don't want my battlegear to get dirty, after all…there's a few spots of ghoul ichor that need to be washed out too."

"Have them sent up to the Palace," Ember said, "they'll take care of it. I'll see you when you're ready?"

"Okay, thanks," Willow smiled again, closing the door and leaning against it. Tara got up again and padded over to her, leaning on the door beside her and snaking an arm around her waist.

"Oh gods, I nearly answered the door naked," Willow murmured, "she'd never have let me live it down..." Tara nodded and laughed to herself.

"I can just imagine the teasing I'd get from Solari if she ever found out what I've been doing with her flexibility conditioning," she offered, at which it was Willow's turn to laugh.

"What've you got there?" Tara asked, poking the bundle still held in Willow's hands.

"Oh, traveling clothes," she replied, "Ember figured we could use a change…send them to the Palace?" she went on to herself. "I guess we must be getting back to the city sometime today."

"I don't think we're cut out for adventuring," Willow grinned. "Demons we can handle, but a few days without our creature comforts and we go to pieces. I think staying in the Palace is spoiling us."

"Absolutely," she agreed with a smile. A sound from outside caught her attention and she cocked her head, listening to the occasional calls from the deckhands, and the occasional murmur of conversation carried on the wind.

"Is it just me," she frowned, "or are there a lot of people out there for one boat?" Willow listened, frowned in thought, then went to the porthole and undid its latch, standing up on tip-toes to peer down out of it.

"Already?" Tara asked, taking a look for herself. Directly beneath them a freight barge was taking on cargo, and beyond that the docks of the city bustled with their morning activity. With the porthole open, they could even hear the cries of the stevedores and cargo-haulers, the raised voices of merchants haggling prices, street vendors hawking their wares-

"You know sooner or later all that hubbub is going to start getting on my nerves and I'll go find somewhere quiet to relax," Willow said, "but right now, that's music to my ears."

Tara felt strangely underdressed somehow, despite the fact that the Zann Esu traveling clothes she and Willow wore covered them from their modest necklines downwards. It was that the material was so thin, she decided – she hadn't really noticed when she had felt the cloth before, when Willow had been the one wearing it, but now that she was walking around clothed in it, it felt like nightwear.

It was strong fabric though, and she did have to admit that, if she got used to the lightness of it, the clothes were remarkably comfortable. They were dark green, a muted version of the color of Willow's battlegear, with dark edges that caught the light easily, revealing subtle blue and light green hues. The trousers were somewhat loose around her legs, which Willow had explained was the style in Kurast and Aranoch, where tight clothes became stifling in the heat, but tightly secured by the sash at their waist, and tucked into her boots. The tunic was of the same strong, light material – a slightly different cut to the Zann Esu clothing Tara had seen in Willow's wardrobe so far, with a fold-over front buttoned down the left side, and loose sleeves that bunched around her wrists, held there by tiny cords woven into the ends of the sleeves and tied off. Willow wore a matching outfit, though she also wore the long robe, which Tara had decided against for herself.

"Sure you don't want the robe?" Willow asked again when they were making their way down one of the Dauntless's gangplanks towards the dock, bustling with soldiers and army-employed laborers, loading provisions onto a riverboat with a large paddle-wheel at its stern. A quick, chilly breeze was whipping around the exposed dock, and Tara glanced around, over the heads of the crowd from her position half-way down the gangplank, and noted a general tendency towards heavy coats and cloaks among the people going about their business on the roads beyond the dockland warehouses.

"Winter's starting to set in," she said idly. "No, I'll be okay," she gave Willow a quick smile and brushed her hand over her arm, "we won't be outdoors long. And this isn't really any colder than it gets back home, just earlier in the season. Normally this would just be the couple of weeks around the solstice."

"Lucky Amazons," Willow said, drawing her robe a little tighter around herself, "practically a year-long summer…you're sure?"

"I'm fine," Tara smiled. Already, descending to the level of the dock, they were out of the worst of the wind, and Tara found she could easily forget the slight bite in the air.

"Milady?" A man in shining banded steel armor called, turning as they walked past. Willow and Tara both turned back, but Tara was the first to recognize him.

"Sergeant?" she said, a smile forming. "They couldn't keep you on the parade ground for long after all?"

"Aye milady, that they couldn't," Sergeant Sheerson replied, removing his helmet and giving both women a courteous bow, hindered slightly by his armor. "Lady Willow, Lady Tara – Kotram monastery, they tell us, is the place the army's needed, and not four days after you yourself set out there – I tell you milady, and you miss," he nodded to Willow, "it's a relief to see you both back and in good health."

"It's a relief to be back and in good health," Tara said, getting a bark of laughter from the soldier, "and thank you."

"If you're at liberty to say, milady," the sergeant went on after acknowledging their thanks with another bow, "there's all sorts of rumors flying about what's awaiting…they say demons and evil magic-workers and all manner of wild things, and there's been sorceresses at the Palace, and the Duke's mage coming in from the north with warnings of danger..."

"So far as I know," Tara said, "it's over and done with…the danger, I mean. It was a demon, a dangerous one…we managed to stop it in time, before it became more powerful. Willow was too strong for it-"

"Hey, don't leave yourself out! She," she added, talking to the sergeant, "stood face to face with this nightmare of a demon, and fought it-"

"And with your magic," Tara pointed out, "we banished it..." She caught Willow's hand and gave her a smile, then turned her attention back to Sheerson.

"Do I understand you right milady?" he asked, frowning in confusion. "You two, on your own, went into the lion's den and destroyed a demon that's had every mage and commander in the city panicking?"

"Um..." Tara hesitated, "well…yes, I guess…don't go telling everyone though," she added.

"My god in the heavens," Sheerson shook his head in disbelief, "are ye both off to the Palace now?"

"Actually, I have to see my superiors – the Zann Esu," Willow explained, "they need to know what happened out there, what we did-"

"I'm going with her," Tara said. Sheerson stared blankly for a moment, then laughed abruptly.

"Ah, isn't that just ripe," he said, with jovial scorn, "you ladies save the city from who knows what evil, and they want you to explain yourselves..." Willow and Tara exchanged a glance, then both shrugged.

"My sympathies go with you both," Sheerson said, grinning sadly, "they that deserve the spoils of battle rarely see them…but I'll offer you this, in addition to all the rounds you can drink should you both care to raise a glass with me when this is over – my old man was a soldier in his young days, and when I joined the army he – apologies, milady, it just occurred to me, when you said a few days ago that Miss Willow and you were 'partners'...?"

"Yes," Tara nodded, "in love..." Willow gave Tara's hand an affectionate squeeze, while Sheerson nodded, smiling.

"Aye," he said, "well then, what my old man told me should give you cheer. He said, 'Don't you ever go looking for fortune and glory on the battlefield, my son, because for every man who's given a medal there's ten who fought just as bravely who never make it back from that battlefield. If they give you a medal that's all and good, but you mark my words,' he said, 'the only reward I ever went fighting for was to come back whole, and find your ma waiting for me, and proud of the job I'd done.'"

"Your father's a wise man," Tara said quietly, drawing Willow a little closer and slipping an arm around her waist.

"Aye, that he is," Sheerson nodded, then added with a conspiratorial smile: "but don't tell him I said so, or he'll never let me hear the end of it." He grinned as both women chuckled. "Now, I can't linger," he went on, "whatever's left around Kotram, we'll be joining the scouting force and sending it back to the pit it calls home soon as the riverboat's ready to set sail…but you both mind what my old man said – life ain't always fair to those who do what has to be done, but all this debriefing nonsense'll be over soon enough. There ain't no reward worth more than what you've got right now in any case."

"You're welcome tenfold, miladies," he replied, "and I'll tell you what – when we're sitting 'round the campfire and the scouts give thanks about how there's no monsters out there worth speaking of, I'll make sure they know to thank Lady Tara and Lady Willow for it." With a wink he hefted his pack onto his shoulder and turned, vanishing into the crowd.

"He's right," Tara said to Willow as they made their way to the street, where Ember had promised a carriage would take them to the university, where the Zann Esu had made their temporary home in the city. "You're worth more to me than anything."

"You too," Willow smiled. Then she grinned as a thought struck her. "You know what we should've done? We didn't ride into the sunset."

"That's all we forgot to do, to get the proper hero treatment, and showered with rewards, and all that – the evil demon's been defeated, the beautiful maiden fell in love with me, but we forgot to ride off into the sunset. Ah well," she gave a quick shrug, "just so long as I've got the beautiful maiden, I'm happy."

"We'll know to ride into the sunset next time," Tara chuckled, "it's no big deal, seeing as I've got a beautiful maiden as well."

"Look in a mirror, silly," Tara laughed, reaching down to give Willow a discreet pat on the bottom, which just made her giggle.

Willow and Tara delayed their trip for a moment when Willow spotted Anji being led off the Dauntless, and she and Tara spent a moment petting her until her stablehand mounted to ride her back to the barracks. They returned to the carriage, which pulled away from the dock and made its way through the busy streets towards the university. Ember was with them, and thought she seemed a little preoccupied to Tara, she explained what lay ahead.

"The delegation is part of the Council," she said as the carriage rattled along past shops and houses, "three seats of the nine. The Council, as a whole, never leaves our city, but its members do at times, rather than rely on second- hand information. Two of the seats are Council members, fire and ice – those are Sirillia and Cyan," she added to Willow.

"For the past few weeks," Ember nodded, "Nica stood down, her health is starting to fail."

"Oh…I'm sorry," Willow said, crestfallen. Tara sensed there was more attachment to the woman they were speaking of than simply that of sorceresses to one of their superiors. She reached across and held Willow's hand in her lap, stroking its back lightly with her thumb.

"Nica's daughter mentored me," Ember explained, noticing Tara's concern, "and even though she herself was busy with Council matters, she often got involved. She taught me a lot, which I passed on in turn," she gave Willow a smile, "but she's an old woman now, a hundred and fourteen this year…I saw her before I came here, she's happy." Willow nodded in understanding, and Ember then straightened slightly in her seat, her businesslike manner returning.

"The Council is made up of three sets of three," she went on to Tara, "one for each of our three disciplines of magic, and one of each three is an Oracle. They never travel from the city – in place of her, three lightning sorceresses hold a single seat as part of the delegation, representing an Oracle. Their combined powers give them a portion of an Oracle's farsight. Once we reach the university I'll be speaking with them. Lady Tara-"

"Tara," Ember repeated, ducking her head, "if you would, I'd like you to speak with Cyan. She'll ask you about Hellebore, about Willow, possibly anything that's happened since you both met, maybe even about yourself before that. She might ask personal details – you don't have to reveal anything you don't want to, but she'll only ask questions she feels she needs to know the answers to. Anything you tell her will be known only to her, and the Council when she reports, no-one else."

"You don't have to," Ember prompted gently, "as an Amazon, your word carries almost as much weight with the Zann Esu as one of our own – you've probably never heard of them, but there are ties between your nation and us, at the higher levels. What you and Willow told me yesterday can be presented as a complete report, and no further questions would be asked."

"It's alright," Tara said, giving Willow's hand a reassuring squeeze, "it's best that we do this ourselves."

"Yes," Ember leant back as the carriage turned sharply, entering the university's coach-hall, "you know what to expect. It's possible you'll get Cyan and you," she nodded to Tara, "will get Sirillia, but I think this is how they'll do it – there's a certain predictability to the Council. Once you've reported, though," she paused, and glanced at Tara again before returning her gaze to Willow. "The delegation will discuss amongst themselves what needs to be done now, and then they'll hand down their decision. Until then you'll have to remain in session – we'll have to wait outside," she clarified for Tara.

"I'm sorry, but no," Ember said, even as Tara saw the same answer in Willow's forlorn expression. "It's not a matter of trust or honor, but this is part of the traditions the Council had followed for hundreds of years. Believe me, if I could argue for you to be present, I would. It'll be alright," she said reassuringly, her gaze covering them both before settling on Willow.

"It'll be alright," she said again, warmly, "what you've done, the choices you've made…I'm very proud of you, Willow." She reached forward and gently took Willow's free hand. "Very proud…I'm sure the delegation will feel likewise for you, as a fellow sorceress."

"Thank you," Willow said in a tiny voice. She cleared her throat. "I'm okay," she went on, "it's just…what they decide, it could-"

"Whatever happens," Ember interrupted, "you and Tara will not be separated." Tara's breath caught, scared for a moment that that could have been a possibility, then eased somewhat by the older sorceress's assurance.

"I'm sure," Ember nodded. "The worst that could happen is that they decide you require a sponsor again, to act as a mentor for a while – and if that happens, I promise it'll be me, no matter what the Council wants me to do. They won't force me to choose otherwise. And regardless, the worst won't happen. You've had a very difficult road to travel, but you're exceptional, Willow – you both are," she added, glancing at Tara. "They'll recognize that, I promise you."

The university had no buildings of note entirely separate from the rest of its structure – each laboratory block or seminar hall or dormitory was built up against its neighbor, with the corridors inside simply winding their way through, honeycombing the entire complex. However the building given over to the Zann Esu managed to be more or less isolated, a sturdy old tower and hall reached through a narrow block of modest lecture theatres, all vacant at present.

The heavy double door to the tower hall was guarded by two soldiers, of a kind Tara had never seen before – tall, broad-shouldered dark-skinned men, their faces as impassive and proud as those of a granite statue. They wore plate armor, ornately decorated but by no means purely ceremonial, and beneath that dark crimson robes woven with gold threat at the hems. Each had a huge two-handed broadsword in a scabbard on his back.

"Ashearae," Willow whispered, as the two guards stood aside at a sign from Ember and opened the doors for them to pass. "The 'Iron Wolves', their brotherhood has been the Council's bodyguard whenever a delegation travels outside the city, for the last twenty years. It's said they're incapable of betraying their oaths to the Council."

Tara nodded, feeling their gazes rest briefly on her as she passed them. Used to assessing potential dangers by the smallest of signs, what she saw and felt from the two soldiers told her that, even among powerful sorceresses, their presence as a guard was no token gesture.

The doors were closed behind them, leaving them alone in a high-ceilinged antechamber lit by thick torches in iron brackets on the walls. Tara had only a moment to glance around, seeing rows of dusty old volumes lining wooden bookcases in recesses in the stone wall, before the doorway opposite opened. Two more of the Ashearae emerged, marching in step, followed by five sorceresses. They all wore robes similar to Willow's, though of a different fabric that shone with deeper, richer colors when the torchlights glinted off them. In shadow all seemed the same dark green, but the light brought out their highlights, one crimson, one pale blue, the remaining three – a little less elaborate in their decoration, and whose wearers stood a pace behind the first two – rich magenta. All five wore their hoods up – approaching Ember, Willow and Tara, the two leaders drew theirs back, while the others remained by the door.

"Ember," the taller sorceress, whose robe had the red highlights, said with polite formality. She was perhaps fifty, and had an aristocratic face, with high cheekbones and a long nose – imposing but quite beautiful, particularly for her age. Her hair was red, but so dark it almost seemed black, and something about her gave Tara the impression that she could be utterly deadly, if she chose. Like the Ashearae, there was just something in her gaze.

"Sirillia," Ember replied, ducking her head. Willow did likewise, and Tara quickly followed suit – the tall sorceress glanced at them, but didn't respond to their presence otherwise.

"We have studied the report you had delivered this morning," she said in a haughty voice, "you understand we have questions we wish to pose."

"I do," Ember said. She took a sideways step and indicated Willow and Tara. "You remember my student, Willow?"

"Lady Tara," the sorceress nodded, "in the best interests of the people of this realm, we wish to understand the events you have been involved in fully. Will you assist us?"

"Yes," Tara replied, managing an even voice in spite of the woman's intimidating, level stare. "Yes, I'll answer any questions I can."

"Cyan will speak with you," Sirillia said, stepping aside for the other leading sorceress. "Willow, come with me. Ember, if you would accompany Metea and her assistants?"

Ember nodded and followed the three purple-robed sorceresses back through the door they had come from. Sirillia turned and followed her. Willow started after her, but turned after one step and quickly leant towards Tara, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"I love you," she whispered, nervous, though by Tara's guess not unduly so given their company. "I'll see you soon. Don't worry."

"I love you," Tara replied, hoping she sounded reassuring. A brief smile flickered across Willow's face, and after a split-second's hesitation she kissed Tara again, on the lips. Then she pulled back and hurried after Sirillia, who had not turned to find the source of the delay, merely waited at the door.

"This way please," the remaining sorceress said to Tara, indicating a second, smaller door, to an office. Her voice was almost unnaturally melodic, which Tara found comforting, though she couldn't quite decide why – there was a soothing quality to it. She took a moment to study the woman as she closed the door behind them and took her seat at the vacant office desk, with Tara seated opposite. Her motions, like her voice, were fluid and seamless, like a dancer – or an assassin, Tara mused silently. Her features were attractive, if perhaps a little plain, and she wore her sandy blond hair short, like a soldier. As she sat a candelabra perched at the side of the desk flickered to life. Tara remembered Willow mentioning that sorceresses, as they became more experienced, developed the ability to control other elements besides their first. She wondered idly, while the other woman opened a notebook and inkwell and set them to one side, where she had gotten the impression that Cyan was an ice sorceress, like Willow – the pale blue, ice-like highlights to her robes? – then recalled the night in Kingsport castle, when Willow had described her first meeting with Shadai. Cyan had been one of the sorceresses who saved her then, and no doubt the freezing magic Willow described her using was her most powerful discipline.

Cyan began with some unremarkable questions regarding Hellebore and Shadai – the structure of the catacombs, the powers the demon has displayed, at what time various events had occurred, and how long they lasted. Aside from minor, inconsequential details, it was all information that she and Willow had told Ember, and no doubt had then been conveyed to the Zann Esu delegation in her reports. Tara guessed that the sorceress was interested not in her answers, but in the way she gave them. After a few minutes, during which Cyan prompted Tara for such information, and made notes now and then, she pushed her notebook aside and leaned forward, elbows on the desk. Suddenly she seemed more intent, and her passive, polite observation gave way to a more focused scrutiny. Tara raised an eyebrow, wondering what the next question would be.

"We didn't know you were on your way," Tara said. "The Duke's mage was out of contact, and we didn't know of anyone else here who could help."

"Why were you so sure action had to be taken?" Cyan asked levelly. "Why not wait?"

"We thought there was too great a risk. Willow was sure that Shadai was going to attempt to be summoned again, or at least somehow control whatever was in the catacombs. Ocean, Myrreon's apprentice, saw signs of an immanent threat."

"You must have been aware of the danger then – even without knowing about Hellebore's existence, you knew there was a chance you would face a pureblood demon. Were you so sure you could defeat it?" Tara bit back her instinctive answer, and spoke after a pause.

"You thought it was worth the risk?" Cyan asked. "To secure the prize from the catacombs? To save the city? For-"

"For Willow," Tara interrupted. "I…we did everything we could to understand what was going on, and to prevent anything going wrong. But even then we didn't know enough. Either way, if we'd gone or if we'd stayed here, there was the possibility that the worst could happen."

"As it tuned out," Cyan suggested carefully, "for the worst to happen, it required you to go to Hellebore." Tara swallowed, then nodded.

"Yes," she agreed, "it did. We didn't know." She hesitated. "Do you believe we should have done differently? Your delegation?"

"And if we did," Cyan countered, leaning forward, "what then? You're not one of us, you're an Amazon. How can we pass judgment on you?"

"This is..." Tara paused, choosing her words carefully. "I know only what Willow has told me about the Zann Esu. She believes you're fair, and wise, and I trust her. This situation is…something you understand. I'll accept your judgment."

"You could claim immunity," Cyan pointed out, "as an Amazon, a member of a diplomatic mission, you have that right."

"I could," Tara agreed, "but I knew there could be consequences when I made the choices I did."

"I'm not omniscient," Tara said, managing a level stare in the face of Cyan's calm regard, "there's always unforeseen consequences. To anything, but…that's just the way the world is."

"Yes, it is," Cyan nodded, leaning back. She reached for her notebook and from between its pages drew a slim gray envelope, which she handed to Tara.

"Open it," she prompted. Tara did so and slid out the page inside, unfolding it. Even before she opened it she felt the unusual weight of gold edging on the parchment – that aside, there was a gold-leaf painted emblem at the head of the page, a circular border formed of three woven strands, which unwound inwards and joined again in the center. Tara recognized it as the symbol of the Zann Esu, having seen it before on Willow's diadem, and in plain ink on the letters she carried to introduce herself to the various mages she had been sent to study with on her journey.

"...that Tara, warrior of the Amazon Nation," Tara read quickly, "be recognized as a faithful ally of the Zann Esu clan, having proven herself in trial against the enemies of humankind..." she trailed off, reading silently. The document was signed in five hands, and two crimson wax seals were imprinted below – Tara glanced up, and saw a signet ring on Cyan's left hand that matched one of the seals.

"Few outsiders are permitted within our walls," Cyan said, while Tara could only stare mutely, "but you are now one of them. You have the Council's leave to enter our city as a sorceress would, study such manuscripts in our possession as are not kept sealed and so on…and of course, associate as you please with any member of our clan," she added, not quite concealing a smile.

"The leader of your mission should be here soon," Cyan went on, "a message was sent requesting his presence, the Ashearae have been instructed to allow him in. A copy of your letter will be made for him later today, to return to your Queen." She stood up, and gestured for Tara to follow – as she did, the candelabra's tiny flames vanished.

"Our deliberations and discussion with Willow may take some time," she said, opening the door for Tara, "you may wait here for her. This room is at your disposal should you and your diplomat wish to speak privately, and food and drink will be brought here by lunchtime. Ah, this must be him." Tryptin was waiting in the antechamber, and hurried over when he saw Tara emerge from the office, with Cyan behind her.

"Sir," Cyan acknowledged him. "Please excuse me, I must join my colleague. Lady Tara, our thanks." With a quick but sincere bow she turned and disappeared through the main door, where Ember, Willow and the other sorceresses had gone.

"It's good to see you," Tara said, trying to gather her wits. Tryptin, who had been staring after Cyan, regarded her for a moment, then stepped forward and gave her a gentlemanly hug.

"You too," he said earnestly. He stood back and followed Tara's gesture back into the office she and Cyan had spoken in.

"I got the letter you left for me," he began, "a messenger arrived just in time for me to return as the Duke's mage was riding in from the north, and I spoke to him, his apprentice and assistant, several Deans here, officers from the army…what happened? No, first – are you alright?"

Tara told the tale as best she could, starting from her and Willow's departure from the city and ending with her conversation with Cyan, omitting nothing in between. If Ember the day before had been a reserved audience when Willow had been the one doing the telling, Tryptin was the opposite – the tension in his shoulders was obvious as she described their approach to the entrance to the catacombs and their descent through the tunnels, and he exclaimed frequently, in dismay at the ghouls and their master, relief at her and Willow's defeat of them, shock at the formation of the tower, stunned horror as she described Shadai. By the time Tara was done, Tryptin sat wide- eyed and immobile.

"Gods and goddesses," he murmured after the moment it seemed to take him to find his voice. "The…the creature, was inside Miss Willow? She's alright, you said?"

"Fine," Tara reassured him. "She wasn't hurt, and otherwise…we're dealing with it as best we can. She's coping…she's very strong."

"I'm sorry I couldn't speak with you directly before we left," Tara said, changing the subject to avoid the blush creeping back over her cheeks. After the businesslike manner in which they were received the day before, Cyan's letter recognizing her as a Zann Esu ally and now Tryptin's awed regard came as a bit of a shock, albeit not an unpleasant one.

"No, you did right," Tryptin said quickly, "if I'd known, I- well, I'd have been concerned for your safety of course, both of you, but I can't say I'd have tried to convince you not to go. Not that I'd have had the authority, in any case."

"I'm no strategist," he chuckled, "at least, my style of 'battle' wouldn't be any use against the enemies you were facing – we both know, after all this, how much good it does trying to do deals with demons. As a military matter, you can only be responsible to a superior warrior, not a diplomat, so you see you haven't acted outside your authority at all. In lieu of being able to receive orders from Solari in any sort of timely fashion out here, you're your own mistress as a warrior."

"And Miss Willow is being judged by her Council?" Tryptin went on. "They must find in her favor, surely? You've achieved an incredible victory together."

"I-I think they will," Tara offered, smiling bashfully. "But they have to go through the motions…it'll just take a little while."

"I can stay with you while you wait," Tryptin offered. Tara smiled gratefully at him.

"You must be busy though," she pointed out. "And now that you know what happened, it'd be best if you worked with the Duke's people right away, wouldn't it?" Tryptin looked uncomfortable for a moment, then gave a wry smile.

"Yes," he admitted, "that would be the most advantageous course to take…but I can stay here if you want."

"I'll be alright," she insisted, "she'll be through it all soon. After everything else, waiting a little while isn't so difficult."

"Okay," Tara admitted sheepishly, "it's incredibly difficult." Her grin faded. "I wish I were in there with her. Even if it made no difference..."

"It'd make a difference to you, and to her," Tryptin offered. Tara nodded sadly.

"But you've got work to do," she said, taking a deep breath, "I don't want to keep you from it, and I will be alright, I promise."

"Alright then," Tryptin conceded with a reluctant sigh. He rose from his chair, as did Tara, and they returned to the antechamber. Tryptin hesitated, and turned to Tara, opening his mouth to speak.

"We'll come straight to the Palace," Tara finished. He nodded, clasped her hand warmly, then hurried off through the double doors. Tara gazed for a moment at the other set of doors, then took a seat on one of the benches at either side of the room, resting her spear up against the wall. She smoothed the loose fabric of her outfit over her legs and leant forward on her elbows, looking around idly.

After a few minutes the doors opened and Tara straightened, but only Ember emerged before they closed again. She saw Tara sitting at the side of the room, and walked over to her.

"No need to stand on ceremony," Ember said as she sat down, waving for Tara to do likewise. She leant her staff against the wall, mirroring Tara's spear, and sat with a slim iron-bound wooden case she had carried across her lap. "I'm sorry this has all been so…well, tiring. You and Willow both deserve time to relax." She paused thoughtfully, and added: "you deserve far more, in fact."

"I understand why it had to be this way," Tara said quietly. "What we did was very dangerous-"

"Far less than inaction would have been," Ember said with certainty. "When faced with such threats, sometimes the only way to prevail is to meet them head-on – the most dangerous course of action, to all appearances. Hesitating is sometimes not an option..." She trailed off, then turned to Tara.

"I'm sorry to ask out of the blue," she said apologetically, "but it's been on my mind…your spear..."

"How did you come by it?" Ember asked, seeming a little reluctant to broach the subject.

"It belongs to my weapons instructor, Solari," Tara explained, "it's a ceremonial blade, only to be carried by women in battle, and her children are boys. She lent it to me, for this mission."

"Adopted," Tara clarified, "orphans, from a battle on the mainland sixteen years or so ago…did you know her?"

"We traveled in company once," Ember said, "for a short while…a memorable time. Long ago, anyway. She's well?"

"Oh yes," Tara nodded, "she's regarded as one of our finest warriors, an excellent instructor..." She glanced at Ember, who seemed absorbed in thought, and grinned slightly. "...still carries on like a teenager now and then..." Ember laughed abruptly.

"That's good to know," she chuckled. "That's a very powerful weapon she's given you, unique in more than just its design. You're very fortunate to have it…and from what I understand of your culture, I think it'd be considered fortunate as well."

Tara ducked her head in acknowledgement of the high compliment – a ceremonial weapon like Silverstrike would be considered 'fortunate' if it was wielded by a warrior who was its equal in prowess and potency. If Ember truly knew the intricacies of Amazon ceremonial weaponry, and the regard Silverstrike was held in – and Tara had a feeling that she knew both better than she was letting on – she could not have spoken more highly of her as a warrior.

"How long do you expect the deliberations to be?" she asked after a moment's silence. Ember leaned back against the wall and shrugged.

"Well, it's up to the delegation of course…I think, not as long as you might expect." She gave Tara a conspiratorial wink. "I've got into the habit of reading the mood of the Council. It makes life much easier when you know what they're going to decide, without having to wait for them to tell you." Tara smiled, then grew serious.

"It's a complicated situation," the sorceress mused, "if the delegation decides to be complicated about it…personally, I think it comes down to a simple question – has Willow behaved in the way that we, as her elders, would have wished her to behave? If that's how the delegation approaches the matter, then I can't see there being any doubt as to the outcome – she is an excellent example of the kind of mage the Zann Esu have been working for centuries to produce." Tara smiled at the praise for Willow, then frowned as a thought occurred to her.

"They should," Ember replied, leaning forward and talking animatedly, "I've certainly made it plain enough in the report I wrote, and just now to Metea. They wouldn't like me to say this to you – even if you are nearly one of 'us' now," she added, gesturing to the envelope still in Tara's hand, "but frankly, if they don't find in Willow's favor, they're damned fools. And I'll see to it they change their minds."

"You've got some influence with them," Tara guessed. Ember waved a hand vaguely.

"More like they owe me a favor," she said. "I killed a couple of demons that were troubling them once." She winked again, then settled back again. "Tell me, though…I know it probably seems mundane, after all this, but how's Willow been? I don't mean while you were busy fighting pureblood demons, just in general..."

"Learning everything she can," Tara said, picking the first thing that came to mind. "She's made a good start on High Amazonian, and practiced a little archery…she enjoys working with Myrreon, I think she'll be glad to get back to him once this is all settled."

"I can imagine," Ember said, smiling probably more wistfully than she meant to. "He's one of your true inventors. She's always loved learning something new. Has she cooked anything lately?"

"I'd like to say I taught her that, but I suspect it was the other way around…she takes good care of her staff?"

"She misses you," Tara offered gently. Ember looked at her, surprised, then smiled again.

"Not as much as she'd miss you, if our positions were reversed," she said warmly. "I miss her too…it's good to see her now, even if it's a tense situation. That'll be over soon enough, and I won't be leaving for a few days at least."

"Lots to do," Ember shrugged, "it's the way of things, anyway. Sooner or later, a girl has to stand on her own to discover what sort of woman she'll become. I can't regret that, when I see the woman she has become." She gave Tara a fond look. "Treasure her, won't you."

"I do," Tara said sincerely, "I always will." Ember nodded, and the two of them fell into a comfortable silence, waiting and listening to the vague sounds of the people in the university outside, far away.

"Shadai said she'd wanted me to suffer for a long time. Why was that? Willow I can understand, being part of frustrating her when she was first summoned, but why me? It seemed more than just anger at an enemy."

"I remember Willow mentioned it yesterday," Ember said, "the demon called you 'bringer of light', didn't she?" Tara nodded. "By their terms, it's an insult, as we'd call someone 'damned' – no, I have no doubt she hated you as much as Willow by the end of it. Remember, she tried to kill you – through Hydris, he hired that assassin in Kingsport. Even though it risked exposing him."

"She was inside Willow," Ember reminded her, "unable to influence her, and in fact being influenced herself – you saw that with your own eyes. I wouldn't be surprised if she was forced to experience everything Willow felt." She regarded Tara with an amused smile. "You've got a fair idea of the kind of emotions you stir in Willow – imagine what those would be like to a being created of disgust and loathing for humanity."

"For a demon, pure agony." Ember chuckled to herself. "Poetic justice of a sort. It's arguable that no pureblood demon has ever suffered such sustained anguish. I doubt she'll forget that in a hurry."

"Don't worry," Ember said kindly, "what I said before hasn't changed. I'd stake my life that you'll never face her again. In fact, after being defeated in such a humiliating fashion, she'll be lucky to find a safe place to hide in hell, let alone start looking for a way back to the mortal plane. If it worries you that demons hold grudges, just bear in mind that practically all the lords of hell, including the four Lesser Evils – who are a sight more powerful than Shadai, each of them – no doubt still hold an enormous grudge against her, for her rebellion against them in the Sin Wars." She offered a comforting smile, which then turned into a mischievous grin. "The next few hundred years will definitely not be profitable for Shadai."

"Well," Tara said, feeling less apprehensive now, "I guess…I know a warrior shouldn't gloat, but serves her right."

"Hah," Ember laughed, "that it does." She looked down at the case on her knees, and ran her hand over it thoughtfully.

"It's called a Dividing Seal," Ember explained, "it's a tradition started long ago, when the Esu witches began collecting the library that's now the heart of the Zann Esu vaults. Some books were notably powerful and dangerous – to keep them from being misused, a section was removed from them, and placed in a case like this. The books are kept in the vault, and the Seals remain separate from them, each guarded by a sorceress. Only the full Council can authorize the reunification of such a book, and then, it would only be done in the direst of circumstances. Otherwise…if anyone manages to steal the book from the vault, not that that's likely, the Seal would be destroyed, and vice versa."

"It is," Ember nodded. "Twenty pages or so, carefully removed from the volume without damaging either. A single section dealing with a single magical discipline – without it, the journal remains of great value, I don't doubt that the scholars back at home will find it a worthwhile study for years to come. But the magic that created Hellebore cannot be reproduced."

"This ensures that power won't be misused again," Ember offered. "The tower will never be recreated from this volume. But in the extraordinarily unlikely event of someone, unaided, following in Moac's path and creating their own Hellebore, the book and the Seal can be reunited. Together, they could bring down such a tower, as well as help build it."

They both turned as the main doors opened again. This time Willow was the one to emerge, and to Tara's profound relief, she was smiling.

"Hey!" she managed to say, in an excited tone, before Tara rushed to her and hugged her tightly, burying her face in her hair. Recovering from the first flush of relief she leaned back just enough to face Willow, and kissed her firmly and deeply.

"Mmm," Willow moaned, "mmm…ah…good to see you too!" Tara laughed, and kissed her again.

"What did they- your staff!" she exclaimed, details other than Willow herself finally filtering through to her senses. The staff in Willow's hand was the same one she had always carried, but now, atop the plain wooden shaft, there was a dark bronze headpiece capped with a pair of metal vanes. Held between them was a crystal sphere, pale blue and icy.

"I know! Cool, huh?" Willow grinned widely. She turned the staff this way and that, and to Tara's surprise the crystalline heart of the orb swirled, revealing subtle hints of a great well of energy within.

"The Council awarded me my colors," Willow said, her voice brimming over with glee, "you're now looking at a fully-trained, acknowledged, no-longer- student sorceress!"

"Oh my Goddess!" Tara exclaimed. "That's wonderful! Oh my-" She was cut off as Willow handed the staff to Ember, who was standing to one side patiently, took Tara's face in both hands, and brought their lips together. This kiss was long, passionate, intense and deeply loving – Tara's head spun, and she clung to Willow with her free hand, the other holding her spear, as if she was liable to fall over.

"...wow," she breathed when Willow finally retreated from her lips, with a final playful nip at her bottom lip. Willow stared adoringly at her for a moment, then seemed to notice Ember trying to restrain her smile.

"You knew!" she accused happily. "You knew all this time that this is what they were going to do!"

"Surprise," Ember said weakly, before laughing. "I wasn't sure," she admitted, "I didn't want to get your hopes up…but if they hadn't I'd have gone in there and given them such a piece of my mind..."

"Come here," Willow beckoned, holding out an arm to her mentor. Ember walked into the embrace, she and Tara putting a friendly arm over each other's shoulders, while she and Willow hugged.

"Okay, okay," the older sorceress said with a grin after a moment, "come on, I've got a reputation here…the delegation will think I'm going soft in my old age." With a laugh Willow released her, though her arm remained around her shoulders. Her hand brushed against Tara's there, and held it.

"You deserve it," Ember said earnestly, "you've earned this a hundred times over."

"Thank you," Ember countered. "You know, I hesitated about taking a student – I'd been on my own for a long time. I honestly wasn't sure I had what it took to teach, in any case."

"Well, I muddled along," Ember shrugged, "and now I'm very glad I did." She fixed Willow with a warm gaze. "I know you have family," she added in a soft voice, "but I've come to think of you as my family as well. You make me very proud, Willow."

"My family would thank you," Willow said, her voice thick with emotion, "for giving me the love and care that a mother would..."

"Oh, now I'm getting emotional," Ember complained with a wry smile. She glanced at Tara. "Distract her, would you? Show her what you were given."

"What is it?" Willow asked. Tara fumbled with the envelope she had all but forgotten about, and produced the letter.

"Is that what I think- it is!" Willow exclaimed. "Oh my Goddess that's wonderful!"

"You two are repeating yourselves now," Ember joked, withdrawing from Willow and Tara's embrace. Willow laughed joyously, then drew Tara tighter into her arms, so close their lips brushed together as she spoke.

It was late at night when Willow and Tara finally returned to their room in the Princess Tower. Dinner had been shared with Ember, Tryptin, those of the other Amazons who were still in the Palace, and Lissa, who both Willow and Tara had insisted join them when she appeared just before the meal was served in the guest dining room, to check if they needed anything. The story of their adventure had been told again, mostly by Tryptin, to their relief, with some elaboration from Ember on the specifics of Willow's contributions. The only deviation they made from the truth was to omit Willow's personal involvement with Shadai – Ember had earlier agreed with the delegation that, aside from a select few who could be trusted, it would be reported that the demon had spent the past few months inhabiting the ethereal planes, just as had been at first suspected, and that the ghoul lord Willow had fought had managed to summon her before being itself destroyed.

Willow and Tara, having told the tale often enough themselves in the past couple of days, let their attention drift to each other while Tryptin and Ember were entertaining and amazing their other friends with their dramatic re- enactment. Tara had noticed, and pointed out to Willow, when Tryptin began demonstrating spear combat, using his cutlery – no doubt, knowledge he had picked up from his betrothed, and Willow had giggled quietly at seeing Tara's fighting style replicated in miniature. But other than that, they had allowed the majority of the evening's excitement to occur around them, while they remained in quiet, private contemplation of each other. Their mutual relief and joy, at being safe and well, at being back among friends, at no longer living under the shadow of an uncertain peril – at some point during the evening transmuted into a kind of weary contentment.

Lissa, with a professional attendant's prescience, had scurried off a few minutes before Willow and Tara finally finished their meals and took their leave of the celebration, profusely thanking their friends as they did. By the time they reached their bedroom its candles were lit, a comfortable fire was flickering in the hearth, their traveling bags were neatly arranged beside the bookcase, and the bed was looking very inviting, with fresh sheets and fluffy blankets. Willow leaned her staff in its usual place in the corner, walked across to the bed, and promptly measured her length on it, unmoving save for an enormous sigh.

"Tired, sweetie?" Tara asked, sitting next to her and stroking a hand up and down her spine. She mused privately that another advantage to the light Zann Esu clothing was that it did little to muffle the sensations of touch, even so light as a casual caress.

"Can I tempt you to a bath?" Tara asked slyly. Willow was silent for a second, then energetically rolled over and sat up, cuddling up to Tara's side.

"Consider me tempted," she replied gleefully. Tara laughed, and hand in hand they got up and headed for the bathroom. Tara ran the bath, hampered slightly by Willow, who began undressing her the moment they were in the room.

"Are you in a hurry for something?" she asked over her shoulder, as Willow reached around her and undid the buttons on her tunic.

"Just don't want you to get your lovely sorceress outfit wet," Willow grinned, "it'd be a shame…what if we wanted to play dress-up?"

"Maybe I do," Willow said evenly, opening Tara's tunic and pulling it back and half-way down her arms. Pressing forward against her, effectively keeping her arms out of the way, Willow reached around her and drew a leisurely fingertip up over her stomach and through her cleavage.

"See," she murmured as Tara shuddered, "it's a fun game..." She brushed her palms lightly over Tara's nipples, finding them already hard, and as Tara let her head fall back with a gentle moan, leaned forward over her shoulder to kiss and lick her way back and forth along her neck and collarbone. Tara forced her trembling legs to support her as Willow took her breasts in her hands and squeezed, sending bolts of desire through her. Without even thinking she began moving in Willow's grasp, rhythmically arching her back, swaying her hips, offering herself in time to Willow's caresses.

"Hmm," Willow breathed, "eager, aren't you? And so beautiful..." Tara gave a little moan of protest as her hands moved from cupping her breasts, one returning to stroking back and forth in her cleavage, the other flattening against her abdomen, moving in tight circles.

"I…yes..." Willow left that hand where it was, circling Tara's navel, while the other finally finished the job of freeing her of her tunic. Tara wasted no time loosening her trousers and letting them fall to the floor. Willow's hand descended, rubbing her waist, teasing her curls.

"Bet you thought I hadn't noticed you weren't wearing anything underneath," she murmured happily.

"Loose pants," Tara panted, "no need…a-and I knew you knew..." She slid her boots off with her toes and leant back in Willow's embrace.

"You like teasing me like that," Willow grinned, "oh, you saucy minx…you like it when I watch you, huh? Tell me," she purred, moving her hands to hold Tara by the hips, their bodies dancing slowly, "those Amazon senses of yours…I bet you can tell when my eyes are on you, can't you?" Tara gave a low, throaty chuckle.

"I can tell when some creature I've never even seen before out in the wild is watching me," she growled, "when it's you…oh baby, I can feel your gaze like this." On the last word, she reached back and grabbed Willow tightly by the waist.

"Really?" Willow gasped. "W-well then…I'll have to stare at you more often, if it feels that good."

"You do that," Tara smiled. Leaving one hand on Willow she lean forward and turned off the taps, the bath having filled itself adequately, the water giving off steam.

"Won't you join me?" Tara went on, turning in Willow's grip and giving her a sultry grin as she stepped back into the water. She bit her bottom lip lightly and gave a low murmur in the back of her throat at the heat, which might have been uncomfortable if it wasn't so arousing at the same time. With a parting caress she backed away and lowered herself into the steaming bath, keeping her eyes fixed on Willow's all the while.

Willow shrugged the robe from her shoulders, leaving it in a heap on the floor as she hurried with the buttons on her tunic. Tara watched, her smile a mix of amusement and desire, as Willow disrobed in record time, pulling the tunic open and tossing it aside, undoing her trousers and kicking them away, her boots quickly following. When she finally stood naked her motions ceased, and she simply gazed at Tara, as if trapped by the adoration in her eyes.

Tara stood up, water streaming off her, her wet skin glistening in the candlelight, and held out her arms to Willow. She stepped forward, her feet sliding into the water with barely a ripple, and welcomed Tara's embrace fully as they sank down together.

"I love you," she whispered, as her and Tara's hands both began exploring each other, "I love you like…like my heart had to keep getting bigger just to hold it all." She chuckled shyly at herself, pausing when Tara gently kissed her, a mere brush against her lips.

"And I love you," Tara breathed, "my beautiful Willow…goddess I love you so much..." Willow returned the kiss, parting her lips just a fraction, a promise of more to come. She gave Tara a teasing grin as she settled back.

"That depends," Tara smiled languidly, "are you thinking clean thoughts, or naughty thoughts?" Willow chuckled again, and shifted slightly, bringing her lips to Tara's ear.

When she woke, Tara found herself immersed in a scarlet softness, which tickled her face slightly as she stirred. Identifying the familiar scent, she realized she was nestling with her face in Willow's hair, and smiled joyously as she tightened her arms around her lover. Willow murmured in her sleep, the hand on Tara's waist squeezing a fraction, the thigh draped over her shifting slightly.

"...mmmfr…strawberry boat..." she said quietly, before deepening her slumber again. Tara chuckled, keeping her body still so as not to disturb Willow, and moved her head back a little on the pillow, just enough to see Willow's face as she slept. She looked serene, happy…'No bad dreams,' Tara sighed contentedly, 'not any more.'

Willow heaved a deep breath and rolled over, pinning Tara beneath her. Her lips opened on Tara's shoulder, tasting her skin, then she wriggled upwards, tracing a path of kisses up her neck towards her mouth. Tara eagerly opened to her as, somewhere between sleep and awareness, Willow descended on her lips and tasted deeply from them. She could feel Willow waking up through the kiss, in the way her mouth sought more contact, the way her tongue, at first slow to move, began venturing forth, running over Tara's lips, deep into her mouth. She couldn't hold back a gasp of pleasure as Willow finally lifted herself up on hands and knees and tilted her head sideways, kissing as deeply as she could, opening herself to Tara in return.

"Mmm…ah," Willow exclaimed, opening her eyes and pulling her lips from Tara's. "Morning…thought you'd wake me with a kiss? You're such a romantic, my sweet beauty..."

"Willow," Tara said in an amused murmur, "much as I'd love to take credit for the idea…look who's straddling who?"

"Hmm?" Willow blinked sleepily, then glanced down, realizing their positions. "Oh…well it's only natural, isn't it? What did you think I was dreaming about, anyway..."

"I don't know," Tara purred, running her hands up Willow's sides, "what were you dreaming about?"

"Oh," Tara grinned, "that made a big impression, did it?" Willow giggled, and leant down to nuzzle at Tara's neck.

"You're not the only one who made an impression," she noted, her tongue tracing the outline of a rosy mark left by her lips the night before. Tara just smiled and shrugged.

"My turn?" she asked impishly, gripping Willow's hips and pulling her down to settle atop her waist.

"Your turn?" Willow echoed. "I seem to recall you and I each having…goddess, more 'turns' than I can count last night." She gyrated slowly, feeling the warmth between her thighs press against Tara's stomach. "And that was before we even made it to bed."

"Oh, well," Tara said, with a forced casualness that wasn't in the least convincing, "if you'd rather not..."

"I said nothing of the sort-" Willow began gleefully, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. "Argh!" she complained quietly. Tara let out an exasperated sigh, then lithely rolled out from beneath Willow and slid to the edge of the bed.

"I'll get it," she muttered, "and you," she directed a sultry gaze Willow's way, "stay right there…my lips have business with you, and they won't be delayed." Content with the way Willow stretched beneath the blankets, biting her lip in arousal, she slid her legs to the floor and stood up.

"Cold!" Tara frowned, hastily tying the robe's sash as the visitor on the other side of the door knocked again. Willow, experiencing the morning chill first-hand, quickly lay back down and burrowed underneath the blankets.

"Sorry, I was…asleep," Tara said as she opened the door, halting half-way when she realized the visitor wasn't one of their attendants, as she'd expected, but a page, resplendent in the livery of the Duke's personal staff, holding a sealed letter and staring at her.

"M-m-my a-a-apologies m-ma'am," he stammered, the hand holding the letter trembling, "th-th-the-" he paused and swallowed convulsively. His gaze, which had traveled Tara's length, fixed on her face as if he was afraid to do otherwise would be the end of him. Tara glanced down at herself, realizing the robe she had grabbed wasn't the most modest she could have chosen, and that on top of that, in her haste she hadn't exactly covered herself completely – in tying the sash she had managed to catch a fold from the lower portion, lifting the hem of the robe up around the top of her thighs, and the front too had managed to get snagged somehow, leaving the neckline very revealing on one side...

'Giant-sized oops,' Tara thought, blushing furiously as she hastily rearranged herself, pulling the robe down over her thighs and closed over her cleavage. The page swallowed again as she returned her gaze to him, and took a deep breath.

"Apologies for the," he began, in a high-pitched squeak, then coughed and continued in a normal voice, "intrusion ma'am." Evidently feeling it safe to look elsewhere but Tara's face, he bowed deeply, then held out the letter. "His grace the Duke presents his compliments to Lady Tara of the Amazons and Lady Willow of the Zann Esu, and requests and requires their presence in the Century Hall for an audience no later than ten of the clock…um…good day ma'am," he finished with an air of slight desperation. He retreated quickly to the stairs as soon as the letter was out of his hand.

"What was that?" Willow asked, peeking out from beneath the blankets at the foot of the bed. Tara closed the door and opened the letter, which echoed the page's summons word for word, with the Ducal seal beneath.

"No, just a very flustered page," Tara replied, undoing her robe again. "We've been summoned to the Century Hall, wherever that is." She glanced at the timepiece on the mantle. "We've got an hour, no hurry."

"Good," Willow said, reaching out to catch Tara's hands and pull her towards the bed, "because there's something I am in a hurry for…it is cold," she added, rubbing Tara's back as she crawled beneath the blankets and settled into her embrace.

"Told you," Tara shrugged, running a slightly chilly finger up Willow's spine, making her shiver from something other than cold.

"This habit of yours," Willow said teasingly, "of giving the servants an eyeful whenever they come knocking on our door..."

"It's not a habit," Tara protested, as Willow paused to kiss her neck, "I…mmm…only did it by accident…a-and…ooh!" she exclaimed, as Willow gently lay on top of her, her leg coming to rest between Tara's thighs, pressing lightly on her center.

"Oooh-ah-aaah…ah..." Tara gasped, her hips lifting off the bed on their own, seeking firmer contact with Willow's leg, "I-I…was saying…wh-what was I saying?"

"Something about flashing the Palace staff by accident," Willow chuckled, pressing herself into Tara's embrace, feeling Tara's nipples, already hardened by the chill, poking into her breasts.

"Accident," Tara repeated with an exasperated grin, "anyway, I didn't know it'd be a page…thought it'd just be Lissa or Jesye..."

"Oh, so you don't mind giving them a show," Willow persisted, carefully keeping the contact between herself and the moist apex of Tara's thighs brief, teasing.

"I-I…ah," Tara gasped, as Willow allowed her a moment of firmer contact, before lifting away again, "a-at least…they're not…complete strangers..."

"Mmm," Willow murmured, as if unconvinced, "you know what I think? I think," she drawled slowly, as her hands wandered Tara's back, "you just like putting on a show..."

"Maybe I do," Tara countered, teasing the sides of Willow's breasts with her fingertips, "but only when they audience is you."

"Good," Willow moaned happily as Tara's hands finally cupped her breasts and squeezed, "good…oh…do you think…I could convince you to skip the showing…and move on to the main attraction?"

"I don't know," Tara said in a sultry whisper, "do you think you can…convince me?" With a parting caress she removed her hands from Willow and folded them neatly beneath her head, smiling up at Willow.

"I'll convince you, don't you worry," Willow breathed, "I'll convince you 'til you don't know your own name..." Tara beamed a smile, and Willow lowered herself to kiss it. As soon as her lips touched Tara's, however, she pulled back. Tara gasped slightly, obviously expecting to have been kissed deeply and thoroughly, and looked up at Willow questioningly.

"You're not the only one who can tease, you know," Willow said mischievously, leaning down again. Again she allowed only the most fleeting of kisses before recoiling, again Tara couldn't help herself from tilting her chin up, her open lips searching for Willow's.

"Patience," Willow grinned. Again and again she kissed Tara, each time only a fleeting, momentary touch to her lips, a lightning-quick caress of her tongue, a taste. Tara writhed sensuously beneath her, craving all the contact she could find.

"So beautiful," Willow murmured, working her way down Tara's jaw and neck with more teasing, feather-light kisses. Tara's arms being folded beneath her head draw her breasts up her chest, full and luxurious, mounds of smooth flesh resting, trembling. Willow licked her way down her cleavage, lightly, each touch of tongue or lips only leaving Tara wanting more. She spent a long while tasting Tara's breasts, one then the other, from above, beneath, either side. Tara's breathing was deep, labored with desire, when Willow finally allowed herself to taste one of the nipples standing so proudly before her.

"Ah!" Tara exclaimed, arching her back into a deep curve, almost lifting Willow from the bed as she thrust herself towards the blissful contact. Her arms flexed above her, grabbing handfuls of pillow and clenching tight, her legs kicked beneath the blankets, while already her hips were rolling back and forth, seeking release for her yearning, dripping sex.

Supporting herself with her hands, Willow cheerfully denied Tara the contact she craved. Her tongue flicked back and forth across her nipples, touching their peaks or running up from beneath them, her lips ghosted around the straining points, but always only for a fraction of a second, enough to make Tara gasp, moan, writhe, never enough to satisfy.

"Goddess, Willow," Tara growled, unable to contain herself. Willow lifted her head for a moment to give a triumphant smile, then lowered herself again, trailing tantalizing licks and kisses down Tara's stomach. Tara moaned with every breath now, and it took only the slightest touch of Willow's tongue on her inner thighs to part her legs, to reveal to Willow, in the warm, muffled light filtering in past the blankets piled over her back and shoulders, the glistening of Tara's nectar coating her.

"Beautiful," Willow murmured once more, settling herself down between Tara's legs. Tara strained towards her as she held back, inhaling her scent, her musk still thick, heady from a night of heated love and passion.

"Mmm," she purred, letting her tongue flick out, gathering a tiny sample of arousal from Tara's lips. She savored the taste fully, while Tara groaned aloud and worked her hips desperately, then returned for another, and another. Daring Tara's restraint she let her lips settle around Tara's folds and sucked gently, tenderly and slowly, while her arms stealthily encircled Tara's thighs, her hands flattening against her hips.

"W-Willow," Tara gasped. Willow gave a last, faint lick to Tara's mound and lifted her head, staring up into Tara's wild gaze.

"I need," Tara pleaded, nodding fitfully. Willow smiled, then pursed her lips and blew Tara a kiss. The relief on her face was almost that of release, and Willow was buoyed to realize that she had brought Tara so close that just the promise of the culmination of her teasing was almost enough to sate her. Etching Tara's joyous, yearning face in her memory, she closed her eyes, lowered herself to Tara's mound, and encircled her clit with hungry lips.

"Oh, Goddess!" Tara screamed as her climax crashed through her, set free after what seemed an eternity of agonizing, blissful torment. Her hips bucked – Willow's grip around her thighs was like steel, and from denying her the release she craved, now she focused all her attention to the reverse, to giving her no respite from her release. As Tara moaned and writhed, Willow kept her lips firmly in place, her own moans at Tara's pleasure vibrating through them both, her tongue ceaseless in its caresses.

Sweat beaded on Tara's brow as she came and came, careless of who might hear her cries, all her being focused purely on the woman she loved, who she surrendered everything to, and in return was gifted with this most intense pleasure. Again and again her body shuddered, her core clenched and gushed its arousal, and whether her climax was repeating or whether it simply never ended, she had no idea. There was only Willow…nothing but Willow...

...surrounded by Willow. She returned to awareness cradled in Willow's embrace, to the deliciously tender sensation of being kissed. She sighed happily and curled her arms around Willow's waist, helping a little as Willow tugged the blankets back over both of them.

"You were right," she murmured when the lips opened against hers made their way down her cheek, "I can't remember my own name."

"Is that like how you say 'Willow'? Your lips mould the name, your tongue caresses it…sensual, like a slow kiss…you make 'Willow' the most beautiful name ever spoken."

"Taaaraaa," Willow murmured sexily into Tara's ear, eliciting a tremble from her, a tightening of the arms around her waist.

"What was it you were convincing me of?" she replied. "'Cause I think I'm thoroughly convinced..."

"I…actually, I forgot," Willow shrugged with a grin. "Tell you what, how about you and me go have a long, hot shower…maybe it'll come back to me?"

"I like that plan," Tara agreed, "except that it involves getting out of this lovely warm bed, with my lovely warm Willow…sigh, what a dilemma," she pouted theatrically, making Willow laugh.

"Come on, drama queen," she grinned, gingerly edging back the covers, "it's not that- yikes, it is cold. Hey, look." Tara followed her gaze to the window, seeing the outside patterned at the corners by intricate webs of frost.

"Here," Tara offered, quickly jumping out of bed to the dresser and retrieving a pair of long robes, one of which she tossed to Willow. "I'll get a fire going."

"You're a goddess," Willow said, pulling the robe on tight. She paused to kneel behind Tara, as she selected a couple of logs from the pile, and pulled the back of her robe down just enough to press a leisurely kiss to the nape of her neck.

"I try," Tara smiled. "Remember we've got to be ready to meet the Duke…what do you suppose he wants?"

"Guessing? Just going through the motions," Willow shrugged. She picked up her belt from the table, where she had left it lying the evening before, and began removing the various scrolls and potion vials from it, storing them neatly in the shelves of the writing desk.

"He's probably been given reports from the army by now," she went on, "the monastery, the demons, all that. If it's an audience, it's probably just that he needs to make an official statement. We did cause a decent-sized area of his realm to blow up, after all," she chuckled, "he'd have to acknowledge that one way or the other. Given that we got a polite invitation, not a squad of Palace guards, I guess he's read the reports from the Zann Esu delegation, and accepted their decision that we did well. I wouldn't be surprised if Tryptin got a word in his ear as well," she added.

"Well," Willow said, putting her belt aside and sitting on the table, staring speculatively out of the window, "then…I'm a free sorceress now, unless the Council specifically assigns me a mission, I can choose where to go…I'd actually like to continue traveling, just as they arranged for me. Stay here a while, then head into Khanduras, or go further west along the river…the only difference is that now I'd be traveling at my discretion, not at the Council's orders." She slid off the table and came over to where Tara had started a small fire, kneeling down at her side to feel its warmth.

"Of course, that means if I wanted to take time off, I could…If you want to return home with Tryptin and the others, I'll come with you. I'd like to see your home…our home."

Tara turned to her, a gentle smile on her face. She raised a hand to Willow's cheek and lightly stroked it, her fingertips tracing the contours of her face, brushing the corner of her lips in passing.

"We will go home one day," she promised, "but it doesn't have to be right away. There's so much of the world I haven't seen yet…I have the chance to see it, with you. I'd very much like to. Whatever we choose," she leaned in and grazed her lips over Willow's, "we'll be together."

"Forever and always," Tara nodded. She kissed Willow again, gently and slowly, and when she sat back on her heels there was a quirky smile on her lips. "When I asked 'then what', though," she added, "I just meant later today." Willow blinked, then abruptly laughed.

"In that case," she giggled, "um…well, the audience probably won't take long, just a few minutes standing in front of the Duke while he says his piece, then I don't know…Myrreon might be there, so I'll talk to him about resuming my studies, but that won't start until tomorrow at the earliest."

"I should check in at the barracks," Tara mentioned, "although with so many troops out in the field, there's probably not going to be anyone much to train for a couple of weeks."

"Shopping," Willow said, as they stood up and turned from the fire's growing warmth, "my treat – I'm buying us the thickest, fluffiest, softest, most luxurious robes I can find. With matching slippers," she added, prompting a giggle from Tara. Reaching the table, she picked up her belt and undid the few remaining pouches.

"We could just wear warmer clothes," Tara suggested jokingly, "you know, rather than wander around in only our robes until it's time to go out."

"Ah, but you see, the thing about robes," Willow pointed out sagely, "is that they offer such excellent access to each other, and that's something I don't intend to give up…what's this?"

"What's what?" Tara asked. Willow slid the two notebooks out of their pouch, and Tara saw that several pages of parchment, neatly folded, had been slipped in between them. A brief note was written on the back of the topmost.

"'Have fun, from Cyan also. -E'. It's from Ember," she clarified, frowning in confusion.

"She went through the scrolls and potions yesterday, while the delegation was deliberating, just a formality…Gods, I hope she didn't read our private journal," Willow said earnestly, "or see your drawings…there'll be no end to her teasing- what in the holy heavens?" She unfolded the aged parchment to reveal reams of text and diagrams, intricate equations and illustrations of runes, formulae, rituals, gestures.

"Elemental magic," Willow said in a hushed tone, "governing principles, applications, the primal theories…it's in code- this is from the journal!" she exclaimed in an astonished whisper. "This is Moac's! I recognize the code, it's part of his journal…why on earth did Ember put this in here?"

"It's the Seal, isn't it?" Tara asked. "She showed me the case yesterday while we were waiting, this is the section of the book they took out of it. Isn't it?"

"I think I've got an idea," Tara said, comprehension dawning on her face. "Think about it – how many ancient manuscripts have you got at the moment? Unbound, like this."

"How many...? Um, well, I picked up a copy of a copy of Tremayne's 'Elemental Forces' in Kingsport…there's Passha's 'Primal Magical Nature', I've had that for a couple of years, but it comes in handy now and then…Warrach and Yseult's dissertation on microscopic force control, a couple of others, oh, and Myrreon's having a copy made of his Arctic Codex, that's a Vizjerei text on ice magic..."

"And how many are valuable?" Tara persisted. "Would any of them be worth stealing?"

"Well, to an unscrupulous mage," Willow hesitated, "no, not even then, really…they're not that difficult to find, it'd be easier to just track one down on your own…what are you getting at?"

"Ember's hiding the Seal where no-one will look for it," Tara explained, "I mean, if some madman or demon wanted to rebuild Hellebore, what would they do? They'd try to get the journal from the Zann Esu vaults-"

"-and get the Seal case from Ember," Tara went on, "and from what you've told me of her, I don't like anyone's chances of achieving that, either. Who would think of trying to steal one of the manuscripts you're carrying around to study?"

"But…okay," Willow argued, "that's true, but giving me the pages…I mean, I'm not about to try to take over the world or anything, but it's still dangerous…What if I misused the magic? Or, what if someone did steal them from me, for some reason? Not that I'm about to let my guard down, but..."

"They still wouldn't have the rest of the journal," Tara pointed out, "and it's no different to Ember carrying the Seal. Except that no-one looking for the Seal would try to steal it from you – so far as everyone but you, me, Ember and Cyan know, these pages are in the case she's carrying. As for misusing it," Tara shook her head, "you made that mistake once, I'm sure Ember knows you better than to think you haven't learned from that. After all, you learn from everything."

"She's made me a Seal-bearer," Willow mused, "in secret…why me? I mean, why not one of the Council, or a more experienced sorceress, she knows plenty- "

"The same reason I would," Tara said gently, "because, even if all else fails, she trusts you. To keep this safe…and to put it to good use." Willow hesitated, idly tracing her fingertips over some of the patterns on the pages in her hand.

"You really think…she trusts me that much?" she asked. There was a note of awed hope in her voice, and Tara realized how important it was to Willow to believe she lived up to her mentor's expectations.

"Yes," she answered sincerely, lightly holding Willow's shoulders, "I really do."

"I..." Willow hesitated, "...oh my gods…b-but what do I do with it? I should keep it with me, I'll- no, I know, a spell, something I can set off if it's stolen, to destroy it, I'll have to look up the preparations for a standing fire spell-"

"Willow," Tara interrupted patiently, "have you ever, in your entire life, lost a book?"

"Look up spells later, then. Put it with your other books," Tara said warmly, "then come have a shower with me." Willow looked from Tara to the pages, and back again.

"Okay," she decided, and Tara felt the tension go out of her shoulders. "Only because it's you, mind," Willow added, "there's not many people in this world more tempting to me than an ancient, cryptic manuscript."

"I'm glad I'm one of them," Tara laughed. Willow slipped the pages back between the two notebooks, and put them in the desk.

"You're the only one," she replied. "You know, if the Power That Is wrote a notebook on how She brought the world into being…I swear you could tempt me away from it."

What with one thing and another, showering took the better part of half an hour, and belatedly realizing the time, Willow and Tara dried quickly, hoping to find just enough time to squeeze in breakfast before having to venture forth for their audience with the Duke. Jesye, it seemed, had anticipated this, and had a hot breakfast already waiting when Tara descended the stairs to the attendant's room to see what the kitchen could whip up in a hurry.

"There's a letter for you Miss," she said to Willow, after placing bowls of hot porridge and a jug of fruit juice on the table, "and one for you too, Miss," she added to Tara, reaching into the shoulder bag she had with her. To Willow she handed a slim, plain envelope; to Tara, a package wrapped in waterproof oilcloth. On the bed she carefully laid out Tara's armor and Willow's battlegear, both having been carefully cleaned by the Palace laundry, paused to stock another log onto the fire with her customary efficiency, then departed.

"It's from one of the faculties in the university," Willow explained, opening her letter, "a response to one of the letters I sent when we arrived."

"That's colleges for you," Willow said idly, "it's probably been collecting dust on a desk somewhere until someone remembered…what's yours?"

"From home," Tara smiled. Willow put aside her letter and started on her breakfast, watching Tara contentedly as she opened the package, grinning all the while.

"It's from Eponin," Tara went on, drawing out a letter folded at the top of the package, "she…oh my Goddess..." Willow was on her feet, having seen the joy in Tara's eyes turn to surprise, then disbelief, as she read the page.

"What?" she asked, coming to stand at Tara's side. Looking down, she saw the oilcloth contained a slim wooden box, square and flat. With a shaking hand Tara put down the accompanying letter and undid the tiny brass latch on the box. She paused, and for a moment seemed lost in hesitation. Willow's gaze moved between the box and her face – there was no fear or dismay in her eyes, but something made her anxious, apprehensive. Willow put a hand gently on her shoulder in mute support; Tara glanced at her, her eyes warming, with a hint of moisture, and then she looked down and opened the box.

Within, resting on a bed of padded red silk, was a slim gold circlet, in every way the double of the one now sitting on the mantle, that Tara wore as part of her ceremonial or battledress.

"What does it mean?" Willow frowned, confused. "Eponin sent you another circlet? Why-" she broke off as she saw Tara's lip tremble.

"For y-you," she said in a tiny, awed voice. She swallowed and said again, "it's for you." She turned to Willow, who was struck dumb by dawning comprehension.

"I-I wrote from Kingsport," she explained, "I knew…even so soon after we'd met, I believe with all my heart…you're special. I knew I'd follow you anywhere, a-and…and never want to let you go. I knew I loved you…and then, I was finally coming to believe that…that you loved me…somehow, I was the one you loved..." She swallowed again and continued.

"In the letter I sent back home, I told her…everything. What I felt for you, what I dreamed of…I told her I wanted to stay with you, and that one day, I hoped you would come home with me, to the Islands…to become," her voice fell to a whisper, "to become part of my family."

Willow tried to speak, but found it completely beyond her. Tara stared at her, searching her face, then took a steadying breath and went on.

"You remember I told you," she said, "an Amazon is never alone, never without a family. As an orphan I was accepted into Eponin's family…but my family, my mother and father, their ancestors before them, they're still a part of me too. I wear my mother's circlet…and it's the tradition that if someone like me, orphaned, is..." she glanced down nervously, "is joined, with another…then, my true family line is restored. B-because," she reached hesitantly for Willow, stroked her cheek, "I'm not alone…I have you."

Again Willow wanted to speak, but no words would come to her, nor would her mouth and throat answer her – all she could do was lift her hand, to hold Tara's gently, firmly against her cheek.

"N-normally," Tara went on, after a moment of anxious silence, "the mistress of the clan house would approve such a joining, the restoration of a family line within the clan…I-I wanted…back then, everything was so new, so I only hoped…one day, to present you to Eponin, to ask for her approval…I was sure she would…and th-then she'd have a new circlet made, a-and enter in the clan's records the rebirth of my…our family..."

"Th-this...?" Willow asked, finally able to form a word. She reached for the circlet, but her fingertips shied away from touching it. Tara nodded shyly.

"I-I guess I must've described you well," she said with a tremulous smile. "She's entrusted me with my family's future, under her clan…she's made the choice mine…to offer this…t-to you…i-if you…if you want...?" her voice trailed into silence, as she stared, yearning, into Willow's eyes.

Willow stood rooted to the spot, unable to move or speak to save her life. Her mouth hung open, lower lip trembling; her hand, holding Tara's to her face, fell silently down, her arms hanging at her sides.

"I-I know it's…well, not a long time," Tara said, anxiety creeping up her cheeks in the form of a blush, as the silence went on, "we haven't known each other that long, I mean…but we've shared so much…I can't imagine my life now without you, I…if you want to wait, I-I understand, there's no rush…I'm yours, I always will be…do you want...? Sh-should I have waited...? I'm sorry, if it's too soon, I-"

The sadness creeping into her eyes in an instant overrode the shock and awe keeping Willow silent, and at last she found her voice.

"Wh-what...?" Tara asked, the shining hope in her gaze rekindled in the blink of an eye.

"I will," Willow repeated, her voice firming, "I will. I will marry you. I will..." she trailed off as the enormity of her words hit her. "...oh my gods…I will marry you." Her lips curved into a smile, then she let out a gasp of joyful laughter, as if simply unable to contain the emotions within her.

"Y-you will?" Tara asked, her face that of someone staring into the eyes of a goddess, wondering if she dared believe it was true.

"Willow..." Tara said at last, searching for something to say, some magical words that would be anything but woefully inadequate for the love flowering inside her.

"I think you mean 'my betrothed'," Willow suggested with a dazzling smile, quickly answered by Tara.

"Yes," she said, "yes, I do." Gently, tenderly, her movements guided by angels, Tara cupped Willow's cheeks in both hands, leant forward, closed her eyes, and brought their lips together.

It was as if she was discovering Willow's lips for the first time, as she had so many days and nights ago, late in a drafty corridor in a castle far away. Her first thought was the same: 'so soft…oh Goddess, so soft...' and though she had initiated the kiss this time, just as she had been then she was now rendered speechless, immobile, her mind and soul a blank slate that was filled by the tender caress of Willow's lips on hers. Love filled her, gave her warmth and life and dreams, and then her life, memories of home and strange wilderness, of happiness and loneliness, danger and sanctuary, memories of all the times of bliss she and Willow had shared, shy, tender adoration, soaring passion, burning desire – all returned to her, settled around the core of perfect, pure love.

She drew her lips from Willow's, felt her breathe a sigh against her cheek, and at last opened her eyes again.

"Willow," she whispered, robbed of all other thought when Willow's eyes opened, and connected with her gaze.

"Tara," Willow answered, her face flushed with love and arousal, her chest rising and falling with deep breaths. A smile tugged at her mouth, turning up the corners, and Tara smiled too, as if her joy and Willow's were inseparable.

"M-marriage," Willow said, nodding slightly, "if I…I mean, if that's how it goes…when an Amazon and a, a…whatever I am," she grinned sheepishly.

"Ceremony," Tara said again, her mind catching up, "yes! Yes, there's- what do you mean, whatever you are?"

"I was just wondering," Willow explained, "I'm not an Amazon, I didn't know if your traditions were different in that case, or..." she shrugged.

"Willow," Tara said tenderly, "you…you can be. You don't have to be born Amazon, if you and I become family, you have as much right to call yourself Amazon as I do. If that's what you want," she added with a shy smile.

"That is exactly what I want," Willow replied, then ventured a grin. "Besides, there's no sorceress marriage rite…I-I'd be deeply honored to be your wife, as an Amazon." Tara nodded, then with trembling hands undid the sash around her waist.

"This is our way," she explained quietly, slipping the robe from her shoulders. She then reached down to the table behind herself, and after a moment's blind searching her hand found the circlet, still nestled in its silken case.

"I am naked before you," she whispered, the words of a ritual apparent in her tone, "body and soul. All that I am you see, and all that you see I offer to you. If it is your wish, by my honor and that which I hold sacred, I am yours." Tentatively, she held out the circlet.

Willow's breath caught, and then her hands were reaching forward. About to touch the slim arc of gold she paused, then her hands quickly drew back, undoing her sash and discarding her robe in turn. She took a step closer to Tara and gently put her hands on the circlet, holding it but not yet taking it from Tara's hands, their fingertips touching.

"I-I offer myself," she said in a tiny whisper, "all that I am…a-as I accept you, so I am yours." Tara's eyes dropped to the circlet as Willow at last lifted it from her hands, and her gaze followed it as she lifted it to her head, slipped its ends carefully over her ears, and slid it back until it rested on her brow. As Willow's hands withdrew, Tara let out a great sigh, almost a moan of release, from deep inside herself.

"W-we are joined," she said, taking a step forward herself, her hands finding Willow's and holding them. "B-by our tradition, in one year we shall be wed…if that is your wish," she added. This time though, all her nervousness was gone, and Willow saw only playful joy behind her eyes.

"My Gods," Willow breathed, "Amazon…me..." She let out a soft cascade of breath, a quiet, jubilant laugh. "We're family now?"

"No it most certainly does not," she chuckled. "Oh Goddess, I don't think I've ever been so nervous in my entire life..."

"I know," Tara laughed, "but…Goddess, I just proposed marriage. If you can't get nervous at that, what can you?"

"I'll admit to more than a few butterflies in the stomach myself," Willow offered, "I…I dreamed, you know? But when it's real…was taking off my robe right? That was a custom, wasn't it?"

"For me, yes," Tara said, "as the one proposing…it's why proposals are generally done in private…you didn't have to, it's not required by tradition, but" her smile broadened, if that were possible, "it meant so much to me that you did…and," she raised an eyebrow, and her smile turned sultry, "it's very much appreciated."

"Mmm," Willow purred, "well I have to say, I like your customs very much indeed…we're betrothed for a year, then?"

"-return to the Islands in a year's time," Willow completed the sentence, and Tara nodded. "Then that's what we'll do. But in the meantime..." she trailed off, her gaze darting between Tara's eyes and her parted lips.

She took Willow in her arms, kissing her passionately, and Willow responded at once, her arms around Tara's back, pulling her closer even as her mouth opened and her tongue met Tara's inside. With one quick step her legs touched the bed behind her, and Tara advanced, lowering her to the tangled sheets and blankets. Tara's bold kiss drew moans from her, each swallowed as her lips and tongue were devoured, while her legs parted, inviting the press of Tara's thigh against her center.

"Yes," she gasped raggedly into the lips consuming her. She raised her leg just as Tara straddled it, feeling at once the heated wetness waiting for her touch, and as if ordained by the gods to join, they moved together. Hips surged forward and drew back, skin rubbed against flushed folds and eager, tender nubs, and still they kissed, as their bodies together moved as one, fuelling the fires inside, spilling liquid passion across their thighs.

"I love you," Tara murmured, her lips moving across Willow's but never leaving them.

"I love you-" Willow whispered back, stealing the second it took before her hand went to the back of Tara's head, pulling her down, opening her mouth again to her exploration. Tara let out a carefree groan of delight, her hands clutching at Willow's back, her legs trembling, every part of her body feeling light as a feather, energized like the heart of a thunderstorm, yearning for release. Almost disbelieving of both the racing speed and blinding intensity of the feelings within her, Willow felt herself rise to join Tara, her pleasure needing only the knowledge that it was shared to deluge her.

In a moment of oblivious passion and pure clarity, both women tensed, their hands pressed against smooth skin beaded with sweat, their legs entangled, trembling against each other's centers. Then climax was upon them – wedded moans welled up from within their throats, mingling in their joined mouths, as a single release dawned in two cores, flooding through their joined bodies like a wave washing intertwined lovers on the ocean's shore.

When the waves at last receded, the lovers found themselves in the center of the bed, their limbs wrapped around each other, held as tightly as could be. Their lips remained pressed together, and after a moment, as one they began to taste each other anew, tongues stirring to life, eyes fluttering open for a glimpse of an answering gaze before closing again, hands beginning new explorations of their bodies.

"That I am," Tara smiled, "it's official." She trailed her fingertips up Willow's side and over her shoulder, finally reaching up and lightly touching the circlet Willow still wore.

"You can take this off if you want," she said, "once it's accepted, it's yours forever."

"Leave it on," Willow grinned. Tara's mouth turned upwards to an answering grin, and she tenderly kissed her betrothed, tasting her lips like a fine delicacy.

"Yours," Willow smiled, resting her forehead lightly against Tara's, careful not to press too hard as the circlet touched her skin, "all yours…to hold, to kiss, to caress, to taste, to take and play with and devour and be pleasured and sate your insatiable hunger with and…and always, always to love."

"Uh-huh," Willow nodded, "all that. So, lover…betrothed…my wife-to- be…how shall I love you now?" She ran the tip of her tongue over her lips, wetting them.

"You said something about insatiable hunger?" Tara purred, stirring her leg between Willow's thighs.

"I'll do more than that," Willow promised, "I'll..." she trailed off, a sudden expression of confusion clouding her features.

"Oh hell!" Tara yelped, scrambling off the bed and reaching for her armor, which had been pushed to the floor at some point.

"Here," Tara said, tossing the rumpled garments to her, while trying to unpack her bronze breastplate and greaves from the drawers at the same time. Willow was by her side in a moment, gathering her boots, turning her skirt the right way out, shaking the potion and scroll pouches off her belt with one hand while the other packed her notebooks, and the pages Ember had given her, back in with the other.

Half-dressed, something made her pause and turn to Tara, just as Tara left the half-tied laces on her leather and turned to her. For a moment they were unhurried, stepping into each other's reach, arms gentle around each other's waists, lips meeting like clouds in the sky, patient and inevitable, calm and soft.

"My Willow," Tara replied. For a moment they hesitated, desire kindling in their gazes.

"We have to go," Willow sighed, as if searching for a way to convince herself otherwise.

They shared one more quiet kiss, then reluctantly parted, and resumed their frenzied attempt to get dressed in some presentable fashion as fast as possible.

Jesye hurried the two women through the corridors of the Palace, carrying Willow's staff and Tara's spear and bow, even as Willow was still adjusting the folds of her top, and Tara was doing up the last of her harness straps, one hand holding her breastplate in place until she got it secured. They finished just in time, as Jesye brought them to a pair of ornate old oak doors, carved with abstract scrollwork along the edges. She handed Tara her bow, Willow her staff, then Tara her spear, the bow having gone onto her back, accepted their profuse thanks with humble grace, and quickly straightened her tunic before straightening and knocking on the oak.

The doors opened from within, and Willow and Tara both froze as dozens of people stood from the seats on either side of a crimson-carpeted aisle and turned towards them. With Jesye's subtle prompting they walked down the aisle, gazing in bewilderment at the crowd. Tryptin and the Amazons were there, to a man smiling with pride, and Ember, next to Tryptin – Willow noticed her eyes flicker to the circlet still on her brow, and the older sorceress raised her eyebrows and beamed after whispering a question to Tryptin and receiving a nod in reply. On Ember's other side were Cyan and Sirillia, and the three lightning sorceresses from the Zann Esu delegation, with half a dozen eminent- looking mages from the university accompanying them. There were a dozen officers from the barracks, some that Tara had spoken with now and then, some she merely knew by sight; Myrreon, resplendent in his colorful Vizjerei robes, Zan and Ocean, similarly attired, on either side of him. Tara saw another familiar face, and nudged Willow – both forgot their confusion and nervousness as they saw Amalee wave, with Brydan holding her as she stood on her seat to gain height, his other hand around the waist of Joma, who smiled serenely as she cradled their son in her arms. Solaris and Refash were standing nearby, both in striking blue coats, trimmed with gold, and matching turbans, and beside them was Lissa, beaming.

With only the occasional nudge from Jesye to keep them moving, they reached the end of the aisle, where the Duke himself stood, the Duchess at his side, and an advisor of some stature, to judge by his elaborate attire, on his other side. Behind them were a pair of guards, and to Willow and Tara's surprise, to the Duchess's side stood Lindia, looking like she had just ridden in, still in the same leather outfit she wore in the wilderness. She gave the couple a wink, but otherwise remained impassive.

"Lady Tara, warrior of the Amazon Nation," the Duke said in a loud, clear voice, "Lady Willow, sorceress of the Zann Esu-" the advisor glanced at Willow's circlet and murmured something, "and of the Amazon Nation also," the Duke went on, barely missing a beat, "as Duke of this city and realm, and Regent of Westmarch, I greet you in honor." And he bowed, not the bow of a lord to a guest, but a deep bow of respect. Taken aback, Willow and Tara exchanged glanced, before hastily returning the Duke's bow, bending low themselves as he had done.

"Three days ago," the Duke continued, "you two, alone, confronted a foe the likes of which has not been seen in Westmarch since the days of legend, a captain in the legions of the burning hells, such as would strike fear into an army, and threatened to reduce our proud city, this realm, and perhaps more, to ruin and chaos. Let it be known," he raised his voice slightly, addressing the crowd, "that Lady Tara and Lady Willow faced this foe with the courage, purpose and prowess of true valor. That they confronted this great enemy, and cast it down into the pit from which it was spawned. Let their deeds live in legend."

He paused as a cheer rose from the assembled audience. Willow and Tara again exchanged glanced, neither able to muster a coherent thought. When they turned their attention back to the Duke, the advisor had produced a cushion on which were two glimmering rings. The Duke took them, one in each hand, and held them for the gathering to see.

"By the power invested in my as Duke and Regent to the line of kings," he said, "from this day forth, I decree that Lady Tara and Lady Willow be invested as Knights Lioness of Westmarch. With the blessings of this realm," he held the two rings out to Willow and Tara, "may you bring honor to this ancient order."

Acting purely on instinct both women reached out and took the rings from the Duke's hands. They turned to each other, holding the slim bands of gold up, staring at them. Tara saw, engraved in masterful detail, the shield of a knightly order, a lioness stern and defiant above the heraldry. Around the band, in an elaborate hand, was carved 'Tara, Warrior of the Amazon Nation'. Glancing at the matching ring in Willow's hands, her keen eyes could just make out 'Willow, Zann Esu' engraved there.

Her eyes met Willow's, and in that moment all else fell away. Without realizing it she brought her hands to Willow's, gently pressing the ring into her palm, accepting Willow's in return. She closed her hand around it, then lifted it in her fingertips. Willow held out her hand, ready. The entire hall seemed to hold its breath as Tara slipped the ring onto Willow's middle finger. Then it was Willow's turn – she lifted the ring from her palm, gently held Tara's hand, and stared into her fathomless gaze as she put the ring onto Tara's finger.

The hall erupted with applause, but Willow and Tara remained lost in each other. Each taking a step forward, then stood face to face, a fraction of an inch between them. They dimly registered what was going on around them: the Duke leading the applause with stately dignity, Tryptin and the Amazons singing a victorious salute in High Amazonian, Amalee clapping and bouncing with delight, Ember's face streaked with proud tears…but they had eyes only for each other.

"I love you, my Willow," Tara whispered. Her lips remained parted a fraction, hoping.

"I love you, my Tara," Willow replied. She tilted her head back a little, the lift of her chin inviting. Their arms went around one another, their eyes closed, and once more, they kissed.

"All else is transitory; the time will come when even the gods fade away. But love endures. Cherish love; nurture it, protect it, rejoice in its coming. Be true to love. And should any being, be they man or woman, demon or god, seek to take from you that which you love, defy them. For love gives you that power."

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Hellebore

by Chris Cook

Copyright © 2003

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