From the Annals of Bastet

It had rained for weeks now. The skies wept continuously on the land. As Iolaus walked along, he saw few people on the roads or in the fields. He had just come from the home of Alcmene in Thebes where the two heroes had come home for a visit, long overdue. After staying a while, Iolaus had decided to go and visit his own family. He walked along now, soaked to the skin from the downpour and feeling unsettled by the odd weather. Ever since coming to Thebes, the wiry blond warrior had had the oddest sense that Hercules wanted him to leave. He felt like an outsider in the home of Alcmene. She seemed sad and withdrawn and was not the usual warm, maternal woman that Iolaus had known. Hercules seemed aloof. So Iolaus had excused himself and now was on his way to his own home.

The warrior had no illusions that the visit to his family would be a happy one. As hard as he had worked all his adult life to make up for his past, he felt that his family still saw him as a petty thief and a bully. Even though he traveled for years with the Greek people's most famous hero, it didn't seem to matter to his relatives. His mother was quietly non-committal about the feelings of the others, but Iolaus knew that his aunts and uncles and especially the matriarch of the family, Madola, saw him as a braggart who followed Hercules only for the reputation that it could afford him. Nothing he could say or do seemed to change that. He had long ago stopped mentioning anything about his life with the hero, and without that, he had very little to talk about at all.

So Iolaus walked along in the rain, feeling that at this moment, life could not get any worse for him. Then he heard the sound of a strident male voice.

"I am Joxer the mighty ... " sang a warrior as he rounded the curve of the road. Then he saw Iolaus. "Hey, Iolaus, hi!" Joxer smiled the big grin that only children and the demented could. Joxer stopped and pulled out his sword in greeting. It wiggled a little as he held it up, the blade probably loose in the hilt. "Hail, Iolaus! Friend of the mighty Hercules and hero of the Greek people!" he called out.

Iolaus groaned, then smiled as he neared the other man. "Hi, Jox!" He reached out and shook Joxer's hand. "How are you doing?"

"I'm going home!" Joxer said excitedly. "My mother has sent me a letter saying that she needs me. And she sent me gold." He held up a bag. "My family needs me. I'm going home!"

Iolaus nodded, smiling. "That's great. I'm happy for you."

"Why don't you come with me. Yes, that's it. The gods have sent you to be my sidekick!" Joxer went on now, talking more to himself. "That's it! Mother sent for me and sent me gold. And the gods have sent you to be my chief lieutenant! This is working out so well!"

"Your chief lieutenant?" Iolaus asked. He frowned and shook his head. "Your chief lieutenant of what?"

"Of my army!" Joxer leaned over at his friend. "I may have told Mommy just a hint of lie," he whispered. "I told her that I was in charge of the Greek Army and that Xena and Hercules were my lieutenants."

Iolaus searched the face of his sometime companion. Joxer was an odd man, usually prone to seeing the world through the impossibly rosy glasses of a child, and completely delusional when it came to himself. He fancied himself a warrior and he had a good heart, but absolutely no skill. He was by far the clumsiest man that Iolaus had ever met, and it pained the warrior to see Joxer use a weapon. It made him more a danger to himself than to others.

"Where's Hercules?" Joxer asked. "He can come too!"

"He's home visiting his family. I'm heading home myself. Take care," Iolaus replied. He began walking along again, hoping that Joxer would get the hint. The warrior was tired and irritable, and he was not in the mood to deal with Joxer's nonsense. "Hope everything goes well with your family," he called out over his shoulder as he walked. As Iolaus walked along, he thought about what Joxer had said. "Sent him gold to come home," Iolaus said to himself as he walked.

Joxer had spoken little about his family, a powerful tribe of warlords that lived somewhere in the east. Xena knew more about Joxer than the two heroes as she had spent more time with him, to her dismay; but Joxer had told the two heroes once, when they were all sitting around talking about their families, that he could not ever remember his mother saying his name. This had struck both men deeply and they had talked further about it when Joxer wasn't there. Hercules and Iolaus, with all their family problems, had each had the nurturing of a loving mother. Hercules had commented that that same devotion was what had made Deianeira more attractive to him when she'd given birth to their children. She was a loving and strong mother, and this made it easier for him to be able to leave her to help others.

Iolaus thought more about Joxer's comment. "She sent for him and sent him gold to come. What is wrong here?" he muttered again.

Suddenly the warrior turned and started running down the road. "Wait up! Wait up for your lieutenant!"

A fire burned in the camp that the two men had made when they had finally found forest dense enough to keep out the rain. Iolaus had met up with Joxer still standing, waiting where he had left him. Joxer had smiled and started off again toward his homeland, singing. At first, this had aggravated Iolaus, but then he had decided to go with the man's fantasy and had joined along in the song as he followed.

Now they both sat by the fire. Iolaus had hunted in the dense forest and found several rabbits and some tubers. They ate well and then sat back to talk. Iolaus took off his clothing one by one to dry them. He set up stakes to rest the clothing over the flames. As one piece would dry, he would place another on the stakes and within an hour, he was dry and warm again.

"You'd best do the same," he said to Joxer. "The last thing you want is to get sick with a chill and never make it home."

"Oh, I can take it," Joxer said boldly. "And when my army arrives, the supplies will come with clean clothing and food."

"Joxer," Iolaus said, "there is no army, remember? You made that up."

"Oh, yah," his companion replied, smiling sheepishly. "I guess you're right, then. I should dry my clothes. I don't want to look bad for mommy." He stood up and started tearing his clothing off, his armor crashing around him as he undressed.

"Jox, not all at once! It's cold. You'll get too cold. One piece at a time, like I did."

"Oh, okay."

The camp was finally quiet. Iolaus sat by the fire as Joxer slept. Joxer had ordered Iolaus to take the first watch. The warrior was genuinely troubled now by his companion's behavior. Joxer appeared to believe his own lie about the army periodically and Iolaus had had to remind him of the truth. Iolaus knew that the sad, awkward knight overrated himself as a warrior, but Joxer had never been this out of touch with what was real.

Then Iolaus realized that he was worried about a lot of things. Everyone seemed to be acting strange, including himself. Hercules did not seem like the friendly, easy going man that Iolaus had known for years. Even after the death of his family, when he was in mourning, Hercules had been approachable. Now Iolaus had sensed that Hercules had cut himself off from his friend.

Iolaus thought to himself that perhaps the problem was as much with him as it was with Hercules. When the rains had started, they seemed to bring back all his old ghosts. He began to wonder again about his ability as a warrior. He was preoccupied with the relationship with Hercules and his position as Hercules' comrade-in-arms. He wondered whether Hercules needed him or just tolerated his presence.

Iolaus examined this line of thinking and shook his head as he looked into the fire's light. "I thought that was all past," he said quietly. He realized that the concerns he had were illogical. Hercules had stated time and time again that their friendship was one of the things he valued most. Now, those statements seemed hollow, as if the hero had said them just to be kind.

"Gods, what is going on?" he whispered. "What the Hades is going on??" he said louder.

Joxer began to stir. "What, what??" he said sleepily, rolling over and looking at Iolaus.

"Sorry to wake you, general," Iolaus said, smiling at his own joke.

"No problem, son," said the sleepy man. Joxer rolled over again. "Have Hercules take the second watch. And send Xena to my tent. I want her to rub my back." He went back to sleep.

Iolaus frowned again. Something was definitely wrong in the world.

The two men traveled by day and rested by night. They soon left the Greek mainland and ventured into the eastern lands. The towns became smaller and farther apart. The warlords of the steppes were ruthless and made the establishment of a viable village difficult. They came through several times a year and took the lion's share of crops and goods if the villagers were lucky. If not, then the town disappeared.

It was not that different from what Hercules and Iolaus faced in Greece, but it had more finality to it. The city-states like Athens and Corinth had standing armies that could come to the aid of outlying villages; and the villages had Hercules, Xena, and other warriors that traveled from place to place keeping the peace. Here in the east, the bands that traveled from village to village appeared to take and not give. It was sad. Iolaus and Joxer passed a village where all that was left were a few charred uprights of huts.

"That's my cousin's work," Joxer said, in a rare moment of lucidity. "I can tell by the burning. He loves to watch things burn." He shook his head. "I have such a strange family."

There was no one to bury so the men moved on into the outlands. The rains had stopped here in the vast expanse. The land had become flat and arid. The grasses were sparse; the game, nonexistent. Iolaus had never seen such a desolate place. The two men had laid in provisions for the last leg of the journey before they had left the city of Urimi. There, Joxer had been recognized as a member of the tribe of Kor Tala. The people had been generous and Joxer had interpreted it as their gratitude for bringing his vast army into their territory to protect them. However, Iolaus realized quickly that the people were terrified of the man, and wanted him and his companion gone as soon as possible. He had thought about talking to Joxer about this but Joxer's periods of clarity appeared to be getting fewer.

Now they walked along and Joxer began to talk about the land. "I've been all over this land. Yup, all over." He waved his arms emphatically. "I come here in my dreams. I can fly, you know." He grinned at Iolaus.

The warrior nodded and smiled. "Great, what's it like?"

"What, dreaming or flying? Don't you dream?" Joxer replied.

"Yes, I dream, but I've never flown. Well, I've flown on the back of a dragon. Is that how you flew, on a dragon?"

Joxer laughed hysterically. "DRAGONS! Where do you get this stuff?" he cried. "And you think I'm the one with the problem?" He shook his head, still giggling; the flaps of his helmet wobbling. "My dear Iolaus, where do you think these things up? I'm going to have to watch you closely." Joxer began to walk away, talking. "Nope, you cannot be one of my lieutenants. I'm relieving you of your command. You're just not cutting it. Tell Hercules he will have to take your place. I don't see how I didn't see that before."

As Iolaus watched the man walk away, the comments stabbed him to the core. He knew that the man was crazy; but even so, he felt an injured rage rise in him and he put hand on the hilt of his sword and began to draw it. "I want to kill you," he said to himself. "I want to feel your blood on my hands."

Then he realized what he had felt and said. He put the blade away and sighed, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "Gods, help me please. Help me get through this." He started out again after Joxer.

They made their camp on the desolate plains. Iolaus had made a fire and they were eating the dried provisions they had brought. The two sat in silence, munching their food. Iolaus looked around as the night sky began to fill with stars. He still felt bad about thinking of hurting Joxer.

"You were telling me about your dreams," he said, trying to be friendly. "You said you fly. Tell me about that."

Joxer smiled that insane grin that Iolaus was now getting used to. "I'm actually two people. There's the day Joxer and the night Joxer." He went on eating, looking away deep in thought for a moment. "Now the day Joxer, he's an idiot." The man looked back at Iolaus and then leaned toward him. "We don't tell him that," he whispered, "because it hurts his feelings." Then he sat up again. "Now the night Joxer, he's the man. He flies around, and he sees the dreams. He dreams the dreams."

Iolaus ran his fingers through his now greasy blond hair. He was tired, he was dirty, and he was scared. He wondered why he had left Greece, without a thought, and followed this lunatic into unknown, hostile territory. He had to defend himself now on open terrain and take care of Joxer, a liability at best. "Okay, I give," he said. "Which Joxer am I talking to right now?"

Joxer frowned at him, continuing to chew his jerky and looking puzzled. "I don't know."

Early morning brought with it a new phenomenon. The two men had just awakened and were still lying down, when in the distance they saw a wall of mist rising up in the east. Joxer's face paled and he pointed to it. Iolaus looked at it briefly and then put his head down again, trying to get a last few minutes of sleep.

"Uh oh," Joxer said. Then rolled over toward Iolaus. "Don't ever go into the mist. Never, never, NEVER go into the mist."

"Why?" Iolaus mumbled.

"That is the Land of Bones," Joxer replied. "They eat people there. They are the most terrible savages the gods and men have ever seen. They make the furies look like ... Hestian virgins." He sounded almost lucid. Iolaus muttered something about Joxer keeping watch, and went back to sleep.

When Iolaus awoke again, he looked around and realized he was alone. He jumped to his feet, looking around.

There in the distance, trudging toward the wall of fog, was Joxer.

"Gods!" Iolaus screamed. "Joxer, where are you going?"

The man was too far away to hear him. The warrior gathered the provisions quickly and took off at a run, cursing to himself.

Iolaus closed the gap between them quickly but still he watched as Joxer disappeared into the grey wall. The warrior had called and called to his companion, but Joxer had never turned around or even slowed his pace. Iolaus came to the wall himself and stopped, panting and looking around. He bent down to catch his breath and then looked again at the wall of mist.

"Joxer," he called out. "Joxer, talk to me!"

There was no answer.

Iolaus reached into the mist. It was chilly, but his arm came out without any problem. He had half-expected something to bite him. He thought for a moment, looking around and trying to think of any other solution to the problem besides the obvious. Then he took a deep breath and stood next to the wall, preparing to go in.

"All I can say is, if I have to slay some slimy monster without you, Hercules, you are in big trouble. Big trouble!" he said, and went through.

The world on the other side was very much like the one he had left. Plains stretched out, but here and there were strange rock formations that rose up out of the ground. Some formed magnificent arches that looked as though they had been eroded away by the wind. The rocks were all smooth. In the distance for about a league in any direction, the wall of mist rose up, enclosing the plains in a little world of its own.

In the distance was Joxer, still marching along. Iolaus began to run again to catch up. Then, coming toward Joxer, Iolaus saw something moving. Coming out from behind the rock formations, figures were running toward the lone man. Iolaus stepped up his pace and as he neared Joxer, he drew his sword. Then he felt something prick him in the arm. The reaction was instantaneous. He lost control of his legs and fell to his knees. He reached over and pulled a dart from his arm, cursing. Then he lost consciousness.

The blond warrior awoke, grimacing at the blinding headache he had now. He was lying on the ground and he could feel the warmth of a fire next to him. He sat up on his elbows and looked down to see that he was naked save for the scantiest leather loincloth that had draped between his legs and secured by a leather thong tied around his hips. He looked across the fire. There sitting on the other side, was Joxer. Next to him was an old man. Both were dressed in the same manner.

The old man was brown with the sun and wrinkled from years in the elements. He grinned a toothless grin. He was not a large man, possibly even shorter than Iolaus. His race was hard to discern. He looked like he was from the East, but also had the bushy hair, short cropped, of people who lived in the lands south of the Pharaoh's kingdom. Around his neck and waist were strings of bones of every shape. They looked human.

Iolaus put his head down again, closing his eyes. "Joxer, what the Hades is going on?"

He heard the old man say something in a sing song speech, then Joxer said, "He says he's freed us from our prisons."

"What?" Iolaus said, looking up at him now.

Joxer held up his clothes. "Our prisons. He's freed us."

Iolaus frowned and massaged his temples, closing his eyes to shut out the pain of the headache. "Tell the old man that I want my prison back," he said, testily. "And I would appreciate it very much if they did not eat us."

Iolaus opened his eyes and saw the familiar room that he stayed in when he was a visitor in the village of the Amazon Queen. He put his hands to his face and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Gods, that must've been a dream," he said to himself. Then he was outside looking at the hut. At first, the phenomenon seemed normal but then as he looked at the hut, he saw that no guards had been posted. In the Amazon Nation, any men who visited had to be guarded. That was the law, and did not change even for Hercules or Iolaus. Many of the women still suspected and hated them for their intrusion, and their relationship with the Forum, a band of Amazons dedicated to the destruction of Hera's tyranny in the Nation. Iolaus frowned as he looked around and saw that no one. "That's odd," he whispered. "But then so much is odd right now." He realized it wasn't raining.

"It's Dahak," said a quiet, male voice.

Iolaus turned around to see Joxer standing in the yard behind him. Iolaus frowned. Joxer would never be allowed to roam free in an Amazon village. He would only be there if accompanied by a Forum member.

The man looked different too. He wasn't wearing his traditional armor or helmet. He was dressed in a loose jacket of bright red brocade silk, wrapped across his chest and tied with a belt of black satin. He had on baggy pants of black silk that were tucked into high black boots that laced up the front. He carried no weapons.

"Joxer?" Iolaus said.

Joxer smiled. "I'm the night Joxer he talks about," he said. He approached and put out his hand in friendship.

"Thank you for taking care of me."

Iolaus shook his head. "I don't ... "

"This is a dream, Iolaus," Joxer explained. "I'm a dream warrior. By day, I am the man you know. A man who would like to see himself as a warrior, and he is, but not on that plane. My struggle is on the plane of dreams." He began to walk toward the huts across the yard. "I have come here to get help. I don't know if you can do this alone. I know I can't. When you came back to me on the road, it gave me hope, but I'm not sure that you and I can take care of this problem."

"You mentioned Dahak," Iolaus said, walking along with him.

"Yes, he's trying to make his entrance into this world. He found a vehicle for it here in the Amazon Nation," Joxer explained. "Kendaa, Calee, Hygea and Calico have gone to find Xena and together with Hercules, they will enter another dimension to fight Dahak. That is why everything seems so strange, like the world has gone insane. With the advent of Dahak, other sorcerers in the east have become very powerful. One sorcerer, Xa, has completely dominated the Steppes. He is creating chaos and destruction everywhere, and I fear that he will take over the dynasty of the Emperor of Cathay."

"So your mother sent for you to come and help?" Iolaus asked.

"No," Joxer replied, smiling. "My mother sent for me to sacrifice me to him, but my waking self doesn't know this. She tried to fight the sorcerer to regain control of her tribe, but the plan failed and it cost her her beauty in the curse that Xa put on her. Now she is ill and ugly, and my people are still under the control of the sorcerer. He has agreed to restore her, but only if she gives him one of her male offspring." Joxer stopped his journey toward the huts and looked at Iolaus. "My mother kind of reminds me of Hera."

Iolaus had a look of shock on his face. "She'd sacrifice one of her sons just for her looks?"

"Oh, yes. The truth is," Joxer said, continuing on, "she doesn't really see me as one of her sons. She has always been disappointed in me. My twin was the one she favored because of his cunning and ruthlessness. From the time we were born, she rejected me. That's why I finally left."

"That's sad. How long have you known about your dream self?"

"Oh, years," Joxer replied. "I started to fight on the dreamscape when I was just a boy. I was injured one day during a hunt on the Steppes. They left me there to die, and I was found by the People of the Bones, the people you and I are with now.

"They live in their own little, simple world; surrounded by an enchanted mist. This mist was given to them by one of the Ancient Ones, to protect them. They are as old as time and are completely at peace with the world and nature. Everyone fears the tribe, and no one goes into the mist because the few times they have been seen, they are wearing human bones, but those are the bones of their ancestors." Joxer laughed. "They have never killed another human. I would give my life before I would tell a soul among my tribe or anyone about who these people are. The Steppe tribes are cruel and greedy. These people have nothing they would value but they would kill them anyway.

"The People of the Mist taught me about my powers and how to use them. They taught me to go into the dreams of children who were having nightmares and help them fight their monsters. You know, the monsters of our minds are worse than the ones in real life. So I could help these children by showing them that their monsters were under their control."

Iolaus shook his head in wonder. "That's amazing. I could have used you then. I had a lot of monsters in my dreams when I was young."

"I know, you still do. You just don't remember," the Dream Warrior replied.

Finally they stood outside a hut.

"So why are we here?" Iolaus asked.

"To get the help we need. Hercules is gone and; even so, I don't know if I could get into his dreams. I could talk to Hygea through her visions, but she is gone too. However, I know that with my help, you can get into the dreams of some of the other Amazons." Joxer smiled. "Actually, you appear in their dreams quite frequently, at least in the fantasies they have before they sleep. Those dream states are powerful."

Joxer pushed back the hide that served as a door on Chantal's hut and entered her dreamscape.

Iolaus was standing in the middle of a huge room. In the middle were many tables with benches and from this central room, corridors fanned out from the four walls. In these corridors were shelves holding thousands and thousands of scrolls. He realized that he was holding an armload of scrolls, himself. He looked over to see Chantal sitting at a table. She was reading. He went over and put the scrolls down on the table before her.

"Oh, good, you found them," she said, unrolling the first one. "Gods! Look at this."

He looked down to see the plans for some kind of building. "What is it?" Iolaus asked.

"It's a plan for a building in Babylon called the Hanging Gardens. It was transcribed from the original stone tablets." She looked around at the scene around her. Her face glowed with wonder. "I love this place."

"Where are we?"

"This is the library in Alexandria in the land of the Pharaohs. The Ancient Ones told the Pharaohs to build a place to house all the knowledge in the world, and to keep learning alive. I come here sometimes."

"How did you learn about this place?" Iolaus asked, looking around.

Chantal frowned. "I'm not sure."

Iolaus looked up to see Joxer leaning on the door sill to one of the corridors. "I guided her here," he said quietly. "She can't see me, but sometimes she can feel my presence. She is very intuitive. She doesn't know this is a dream now, but she will when she wakes up. Tell her that we need her." Iolaus sat down, straddling the bench. Chantal had been pouring over the plans but when she saw the intense look of her companion she stopped her reading and looked over at the blond warrior.

"Chantal, I need you to come after me. Follow the main road through Macedonia and then up through the pass, till you reach the Steppes. Then go east keeping the mountains on your left. Hopefully, you can pick up our trail once you are outside a city called Urimi. Can you do this for me. It is very important."

The inquisitive Amazon smiled and put her hand on his. "Done," she said without a word of question. "I know the lands east of Urimi. I went there once."

"Excellent!" Joxer said, now standing behind Iolaus.

Next the two men went to the hut of Bwell. The small Amazon was still awake, pouring over a scroll she was writing. Joxer shook his head and smiled. "She works too hard," he said quietly. He walked over to the woman and put his face close to hers. Then he blew on her face gently, and she yawned and stretched. "Time for bed," she said quietly and got up. The Amazon undressed and got into a cotton shift. As she took off the last of her clothes, Iolaus turned his back so as not to look.

"This is wrong. It's like we're spying on her," he whispered to Joxer, crossing his arms as he faced the wall.

Joxer laughed. "Just wait until you see her fantasy about you!"

The Amazon lay down to sleep and the room faded around the two men. Iolaus watched as Joxer faded away. The warrior began to speak to his guide but then he found himself undressed, standing waist deep in water in a mountain lake. He turned around and found Bwell standing there.

"Okay, now you wash my back," she said, turning away from him.

He found he had a soft sponge in one hand and a bar of soap in the other. He smiled and looked at the wet hair of his friend. He began to wash the broad area of her back and waited. The scene soon took on a surreal quality and he realized she was asleep.

"Bwell, can you hear me?"

She turned to him and frowned, "Well, of course I can hear you, silly," she replied, splashing water in his face.

"Good, because I need you to join Chantal on with her on a journey."

"Very well, but first finish washing my back," she replied, turning around.

Iolaus smiled and started to wash her again. He washed her shoulders and back and then put his hands around her waist, turning her around to face him again. She smiled back at him.

"Is there anything else you want?" she asked.

"You tell me, this is your dream," he replied.

"Oh, good," she said, and pulled him toward her, kissing him.

Hooves thundered over the landscape as the two Amazons rode east. They made good time on their horses over the plains and hills of the Greek mainland, and on into the steppes of the East. Soon the two found themselves in the City of Urimi, a bustling crossroad of trade between Cathay and the Mediterranean. Bwell had never been outside the lands around the Amazon Nation and found the streets and byways fascinating. Chantal seemed more determined and had traveled to this area in her early years, learning some of the ways of the East, especially the martial arts.

"Come on!" Chantal said to her companion angrily, waving away the merchants and hawkers that pushed wares into her face.

Bwell had stopped at a stall where the seller had blank scrolls for sale. She had picked up one of the items and was looking at it when Chantal took it from her hands roughly, and put it down.

"We don't have time to shop," Chantal snapped. "We need to get provisions and move onto the plains to pick up the trail. Iolaus told me in a dream."

"I know," Bwell said, annoyed. "You've told me a score of times already. He told me to come with you, remember? If you're going to be this way, I'm turning back right now!"

The two women faced each other angrily, both ready to fight.

Then the older Amazon sighed and put her hands on her hips. "I'm sorry, I just don't know why I am so ... " She seemed to struggle for words. "I don't know, angry all the time! I'm worried about Iolaus. He seemed so insistent, and there was someone with him. I don't know who."

Bwell looked at her companion and smiled, ashamed now herself at losing her temper. "I'm sorry too. It's just that this is all so exciting to me. I've never even been to Athens or Corinth. I've never seen a big city."

"We'll take lots of time on the way back, okay? I'll show you some of the sights."

"Done."

The two headed toward the market where the food provisions were sold. They had been given money in gold from Amazons willing to support the unusual cause. The Amazon Nation, like the city-states around it, had suffered badly from the constant rains that had plagued the land. The crops were ruined and many livestock had been lost in flash floods and mud slides. The Amazons had to conserve money for the purchasing of food from surrounding kingdoms, not all of whom were friendly to the gender-specific land. So Chantal and Bwell had brought just enough money to be able to buy the barest provisions for the journey on the plains. The money was soon gone.

The women loaded up what supplies they had and left the city. Soon they picked up the trail of two men heading out off the main path of the trade routes. They recognized the boot marks of the Greeks. They headed out onto the plains.

Iolaus woke up still feeling sick from the poisoned dart. It was morning now. The weather was pleasant and all around him he could see the mist rising about a league away from the tribe's camp. He rolled over on his side and looked at the woman who sat on the other side of the fire. She sat hunched over, holding a rock between her brown leathery feet. On this rock, she had laid another which she held with a piece of leather. She was pounding carefully on this rock with another. As she hit the rock, small pieces would shear off. Iolaus watched as the woman made what appeared to be a crude blade. He laughed, thinking about the primitive weapon, until he saw her reach over and take a thick piece of leather, and cut it as if it were the sheerest cloth. He sat up now, completely enthralled by her work.

The woman smiled at him, seeing his interest. He pointed to the rock knife and then to himself, hoping she would understand his interest in learning how to do this. She offered the knife to him and he shook his head. Then he heard Joxer's voice.

Iolaus stood up and greeted his friend. They were still both dressed in the scant loincloths that all the people of the tribe wore.

"I just saw this woman make a sharp blade!" Iolaus said. "Get her to show me how!"

"Yes, they have no metal here," Joxer replied, grinning. "So I have asked the King of Siam to meet us here with his army. That will make a fine attachment to my own brave warriors."

Iolaus was momentarily confused. He remembered the dream he had had and meeting the other Joxer. Now he realized he was back in the waking world and it was clear to him when he looked into the face of his friend that the man had lost his grip on reality. His eyes had a wild look.

"These people think I'm a god," Joxer said, nodding. "And they're right, in a way. I mean, a king is sort of like a god."

"You're a king?" Iolaus asked. J

oxer snorted and stamped around the fire indignantly. "Where have you been?" he asked, incensed. "The Amazons have asked me to be their king!"

Iolaus' eyebrows went up in surprise. He clenched his jaws to keep from laughing. He wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. Then he thought about the women warriors that were on their way. He just hoped he could get to them before Joxer did. Bwell was patient and had a tendency to humor others and make peace; but Chantal could be short-tempered when provoked, and she cracked a mean whip. Iolaus smiled at his friend, trying to placate him.

"That's nice," he said quietly. "Can we get our clothes back?"

"I will order the tribesmen to give us our clothes, but I don't think they'll give us back our horses," Joxer said thoughtfully. "I mean, I just don't know."

"No problem," Iolaus replied, already tired though he had just awoken. "They can keep whatever horses we brought."

A small girl came up to the two men and stood watching as they talked. Joxer strode off to get their clothes from the chief and the little girl continued to stare at Iolaus as he stood watching his companion leave. He looked down at the child and smiled. She motioned him to crouch down beside her and he did. As he put his face down near her, she reached out and touched his golden hair. Then she laughed wildly and ran off to her campfire calling out something to the children there in their sing-song speech. It cut the tension that Iolaus felt and he laughed also to himself. He missed not seeing Hercules' children playing in the fields. He missed their unreserved greeting of the two when the men would return from a mission. He missed not having children of his own. There were so many things that he seemed to miss right now.

Joxer was soon back with their clothing. As the two men dressed, Iolaus approached the subject of the problem at hand, hoping that he could persuade Joxer.

"Joxer, you know, Hercules and I were talking and we're concerned about the Persians."

"The Persians? What are you talking about?" Joxer asked.

"Well, there have been several incursions recently, into the Macedonian provinces. Hercules and I think we need to take the army back."

"Don't be ridiculous," his companion said, waving his arms around for emphasis. "Iphicles can hold back the Persians until we are done with the matter at hand. I am going home to help Mommy. Mommy needs me and I'm going." He turned around and shouted toward the east, "I'm coming, Mommy!" He walked off to talk to the chief.

Iolaus sighed and ran his hands through his hair for the thousandth time since he'd started this journey. He wondered why he'd been so easily persuaded to come. Why hadn't he just hit Joxer over the head and locked him up somewhere until the insanity passed? Then he thought about what the Dream Warrior had told him. Iolaus was headed toward Joxer's home to defeat a powerful sorcerer. He had a lunatic and, hopefully, two or so Amazons; he wasn't sure now how many had been visited in the dream. He felt hopeless, like he had lost his usual confidence in his abilities. Then he remembered what the Dream Warrior had said about the world being insane. He shook his head.

"These are just your ghosts," he said to himself. "You are still a good warrior, Hercules is still your friend." Then he saw Joxer coming back toward him, hopping on one foot, laughing. "And Joxer is still a nut." He sighed. "You'd better hurry, ladies."

Joxer said his good-byes to the chief and his people who stood around looking at the two and talking amongst themselves. Iolaus now looked at the bones that hung around the necks and the waists of the little tribesmen and smiled to himself; how a simple misunderstanding could protect these gentle souls. As he stood thinking, the small woman who had made the knife came over and handed him a package of leather. He unwrapped the package and found a knife, no longer than his hand, in its own sheath, with a hilt bound in leather. For a primitive work, it was beautiful. Iolaus drew out the blade, it was extremely sharp. He smiled at the woman, nodding, then took a lock of his hair and cut it with the blade, handing it to her.

She smiled back, and took the present, walking back to a group of women who then gathered around her, talking and looking at the precious gift.

The two men took there leave of the tribe and headed toward the mist. Joxer marched away, singing his song. Iolaus tagged along after him, hesitant to start the journey again, especially now that he knew what he was up against. He had put the small knife in his belt at the small of his back and had his sword strapped now to his back. He watched his demented friend stride along, and felt a pang of sadness for the fate that awaited him with his family.

Joxer soon disappeared through the mist and Iolaus quickened his pace to catch up with his companion. It took him a moment to approach the wall of fog. He waited for an instant before he went through then he stepped into the cool mist and emerged on the other side.

Iolaus stepped back as he was greeted with the scene that followed. There on the plains were a hundred horsemen waiting for the two men. They had the tan skin and almond eyes of the Eastern people although some looked to have western blood in them. They were dressed in the manner of the East and rode the furry smaller horses of the steppes. Among them was a chariot drawn by three black horses, and behind the charioteer was a woman, by her dress, completely veiled. It was to this woman that Joxer was heading, saying his 'hello's to this one and that one as he passed.

He stood before the chariot. "Hello, mother. I have come home with my army to defend you," Joxer said, smiling and drawing his sword to salute her.

"You have done well, my son," said the deep voice of the veiled woman.

Iolaus approached his friend and looked up at the woman in the chariot. She was tall, dressed in a coat of bright blue brocade with the symbol of the phoenix embroidered all over the garment in red and black. She had a veil of black chiffon that covered her face. The golden-haired warrior had to remind himself that his friend still had no idea what was really going on. Iolaus kept his face expressionless as he nodded his greetings to the woman. He did not want to give away what he knew.

The men around them all had the same vacant look. Iolaus took a deep breath and looked at Joxer. Joxer was still smiling up at the woman, a look of adoration on his face.

"We will have a great celebration tonight. You are the honored one," she said, and Joxer beamed at the compliment that he had waited all his life to hear. Iolaus felt anger rise in him for the woman's duplicity.

The army moved out now. A horse had been brought for Joxer but none had been provided for Iolaus. At first, the warrior was made to walk, but soon one of the horsemen came up beside him and offered him a hand up. Iolaus swung into the saddle behind him and the troop now moved out at a swifter pace. Within the day, they had arrived at the camp of the Kor Tala.

Iolaus wondered idly how the troop had known how to find them. Soon his question was answered. In the main tent of the camp was a room like no other that Iolaus had ever seen in all his travels. It was sumptuous to the point of being gaudy, adorned with brightly colored rugs, tapestries, huge vases, and statues of all kinds. Boxes of gold and jewels littered the floor around the walls of the room, spilling over with the riches they contained. Several young, oriental women, scantily dressed and beautiful, knelt around a throne of ebony. They had collars on, attached by small chains to the arms of the chair.

In the chair sat a small man, old by the look of his skin, dressed in black brocade. He had the round plain cap of the Orientals on his head. Iolaus could only guess this must be Xa.

The sorcerer motioned the party to approach him with the twitch of one finger. Joxer, Iolaus, and Coratu, Joxer's mother, approached the man. Coratu bowed as she came and stood before the man. Iolaus and Joxer nodded. Joxer then smiled and went over to him, holding out his hand to shake.

"Hi! I'm Joxer, king of the Amazons and leader of the Greek army," he said laughing hysterically. "I'm at your service. I'll do anything to help my mother ... oh, and this is Hercules! The hero of the Greek people, the strongest man alive!"

Iolaus cringed. The sorcerer smiled a thin, disinterested smile at the introduction and did not hold out his hand in response. Coratu snorted at her son's folly and bowed again to the sorcerer.

"Here is my son as I promised. I found him where you had said he would be. He is yours to do with as you please," she said quietly. "Restore me, master, so that I can serve you."

Joxer turned around in confusion. In a rare moment of lucidity, he comprehended the statement and its meaning. "Mother, what are you doing?" he said weakly.

Iolaus began to move toward his friend. Then he realized he could not move at all. He looked at the sorcerer who was peering at him intensely.

"I am master of all I see," said the sorcerer's thin voice. "You have come into my domain and are now under my command, just as the warriors here are." He closed his eyes and grinned. "Dahak is wise."

Iolaus sat by the campfire, staring into the fire's light. He had been offered food and drink but turned it down. He looked around at the other warriors that sat by fires here and there around the central tent. They all had the same look on their faces that he probably had; blank, but frustrated.

He felt so strange. He had the oddest combination of frustration and fear. He knew what he needed and wanted to do, but he couldn't do it. His body would not obey him. It was like a waking nightmare. He recalled the scene in the tent when Joxer had realized what was really going on. A wave of pity came of over the warrior as he remembered his friend's face. "You picked a fine moment to be sane," Iolaus said to himself. Then he recalled how Joxer had been taken away in chains, sputtering and babbling as he went.

Iolaus frowned. "Why would they have to put him in chains?" he said to himself. "None of us are!" Then Iolaus looked up to see a man standing across the fire, looking at him. He was a tall man, attractive, with the high cheekbones and broad brow of the Eastern people, but Iolaus could see a mixture of eastern and western blood in him. His hair was long, and swept back from his face and plaited in an ebony braid which was draped now over his shoulder, reaching almost to his waist. He was well built, broad in the shoulder and narrow hipped. He stood looking over at the warrior with interest.

"So you are Hercules," the man said. "Even here in the East, we have heard of you."

Iolaus sighed and shook his head. "I'm not Hercules, I'm his friend, Iolaus. Joxer has gone insane."

The man stepped over to him and sat down, putting his hand out. "I am Katal. I was, up until recently, the leader of these warriors of the tribe of Kor Tala." Iolaus shook his hand. "Now, I am a dog at the feet of Xa, just like the rest. I dream of the time that I will cut Xa to pieces and feed his parts to the wolves of the Steppes." He looked over at the fires of his men. "However, I fear it will be the opposite. I will be the wolf food."

Iolaus snorted. "Gods, that is morbid!"

Katal laughed. "It fits the thoughts of my soul. Xa is entertained by humiliating me, as he shames my men. Perhaps I deserve it. I have not always been a kind man. The Gods are punishing the Steppe people by giving us the terror we gave to others for so long."

"This goes way beyond the Gods. Have you ever heard of Dahak?"

Katal looked at Iolaus, his face now frowning. "Dahak! Yes, he is a terrible demon. The great Kwan Yen had her ten thousand warriors throw him in a pit with snakes that wrapped themselves around him and kept him prisoner."

"Well, the snakes are weakening and the pit is not so deep," Iolaus said. "Where I come from, he is causing rain to ruin the crops and everyone has a mild kind of insanity that brings out their fears and worries. Strange things have been happening everywhere because Dahak is trying to return."

Katal stood up. "This explains so much. Before Xa conquered my people, there were already odd things happening. Seven of my men killed themselves. Why, I did not know. But we are a proud people. Perhaps these men were terrified by the demons of their fears." He began to pace around the fire.

"What can you tell me about Xa?" Iolaus asked. "I don't understand why Joxer had to be put in chains. None of the rest of us are, and I can guarantee we are better warriors."

Katal looked over at the warrior. "Xa was a minor wizard, to my knowledge. A trickster really, who had a place at the feet of the Emperor because the Emperor found him entertaining. He was not known for his great power. Then about two journeys of the full moon ago, it was rumored that he held the power of the jade throne. He came across the steppes, possessing all that he saw just by his gaze. Coratu tried to trick him to regain control of our tribe. She failed, obviously. Now we are souls praying for death to take us."

Iolaus shook his head, taking the cup of wine that was offered him by a woman who had brought food and drink. "You people are really grim."

Katal laughed again. "When you live a life consumed by war, you become either a philosopher or a lunatic. I became a philosopher."

"Well, I know who became the lunatic," Iolaus replied.

"He didn't have far to go," Katal added. "I've known Joxer since he was young. I was raised with him, and his brothers. Jet was the warrior, completely ruthless. His twin Joxer was the dreamer."

"Funny you should say that," Iolaus said quietly.

"What?"

"Nothing, go on ... "

"Joxer used to have one use and one use only, other than being the butt of every joke," Katal continued, crouching down now by the fire to put on more wood. "He was a wonderful storyteller. He would weave the most amazing tales. His mother found such things irrelevant and would beat him for his foolishness. But he never stopped telling the tales especially after the accident."

"The accident?" Iolaus asked.

"Yes, we were all hunting one day on the Steppes. Joxer fell from his horse, not an unusual occurrence, but this time he was badly injured. His brother Jet convinced us, all young bucks who believed it was fashionable to be cruel, to leave him there to die." Katal looked at the Iolaus. "I went back later to try to find him but he had vanished. When he returned sometime later to the tribe, he was somehow changed. His tales were more detailed and wild, as if he had actually gone to these strange places that he spoke of." He looked into the fire. "I miss his stories."

Iolaus finished his wine and then took some of the meat from the plate that had been laid out beside him.

"Katal, there is something I need to tell you. Something incredible."

The dark warrior looked over at him, with a piercing stare. "Yes?"

"I've known Joxer for some time and he's an annoying gadfly at best, but there is something about the man that makes you like him. You know, it takes courage to be a warrior; but it takes a lot of courage to be one when you are not very good at it," Iolaus said. Katal laughed, nodding in agreement. "When we were out on the plains, I found out something about Joxer. I found out that he has the ability to ... well, go into others' dreams. It may be the key here. Maybe that is why he can't be controlled like the rest of us."

"Or maybe it is because of his insanity," Katal added.

Iolaus nodded. "The point is, I think that he was sent here for a reason. And not just because Coratu wants her beauty back."

Katal coughed, smiling. "That was no big loss, believe me." He thought for a moment. "You may be right. However, Joxer is in chains. We are prisoners in our own bodies and I see no solution in sight."

"There is a small force of warriors coming this way. They have been asked by me through their dreams to come. Joxer helped me get to them."

Katal got up and stretched. "I hope that they come soon," he said, stepping outside the camp circle. "Tomorrow we pack this camp and return to the home fires of our people. It will take us a day or so to go there. Once we have arrived, Xa will make a show of his power over the Kor Tala. Joxer will be sacrificed." He began to walk away to his campfire. "And it would not surprise me if you and I will be joining him," he said over his shoulder.

Chantal and Bwell had made camp on the plains. The ride had been grueling and they were both very tired. They made a fire and tended to their horses; then ate a sparing meal of dried meat and bread. When they had finished, Chantal slept while Bwell kept watch.

In the land of dreams, Chantal found herself wandering again through the halls of the library at Alexandria. This is a place she had come to often and loved greatly. She walked down an aisle, on either side were shelves filled with scrolls. She ran her hands along the scrolls tops as she walked and thought about all the knowledge that surrounded her.

Then she heard something behind her and turned around. One of the scrolls was sliding out of its place and fell to the floor as she watched. She went over to the scroll and picked it up.

"On the Nature of Sorcery," she read out loud. "Interesting." She took the scroll and went to the reading room and sat down. Soon she had read it and the three subsequent scrolls that contained the lore about sorcery. She was about to start again on another when her awareness faded.

"Wake up," Bwell said. "I am dead, I cannot stay awake another second."

Chantal looked up at her friend. She stood up and stretched as Bwell lay down to sleep. She still felt excitement from the dream and thought about what she had read. She went to her horse and pulled out a scroll and began to jot down notes.

Bwell was exhausted and irritated. She could not recall ever being so tired and upset and yet she could not understand why she felt the way she did. She lay down in the bed roll and went into the sleep of dreams almost immediately.

She was walking along a long corridor, her sword in her hand. She felt fear but could not recall why. Her heart beat fast as she walked along. She felt an overwhelming need to run. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a door open beside her. She turned, lunging with her sword as a figure came at her. Then she gasped.

The sword was buried in Iolaus' chest, up to the hilt, just below the breastbone.

"Oh, my gods, no!" she cried as she caught him. He fell into her arms grabbing her shoulders. She helped him down onto the floor, laying him on his side. "Oh, gods, Iolaus. I'm so sorry. I ... I ... "

"Pull it out," he gasped.

She yanked on the sword and it slid out. Iolaus trembled as the blade cleared his body. She threw the blade away and began to cry, burying her face in her hands. "Oh gods, oh gods," she said softly.

"Bwell, calm down."

The Amazon looked up to see her friend kneeling in front of her. She gasped. The wound was gone. Bwell looked completely confused. She pointed to her sword, lying discarded and still bloody. Then she pointed at Iolaus. "I ... I ... didn't I just stab you?" she asked weakly, still pointing at him.

Iolaus smiled the famous grin for which he was known. "I know," he said, "please don't do it again. It really hurt." He reached out and pulled her finger toward him, kissing the end.

Bwell jumped into his arms, hugging him. They both began to laugh. Finally, he pulled away, wiping the tears from the confused woman's eyes. "Bwell, this is a dream. You won't remember all of it when you wake. There are things I need to tell you and whoever you are with ... by the way, who is with you?"

"Just Chantal. No one else would come. Everyone is acting so crazy," she replied, putting her hand on his chest where the wound had been. She checked to make sure it was gone.

"I know," Iolaus replied. "This is all part of the work of Dahak. Have you ever heard of him?"

"Of course, in my research on the occult, his name comes up a lot. Xena had some dealings with him, didn't she?"

"Yes, I remember her talking about that. It was when she was in Britannia," Iolaus answered. "Dahak is trying to get into this world again. That is why everyone is acting so strange and bizarre things have been happening, like the rains. When Calico and her party meet up with Hercules, they're going to go to battle against Dahak; but you are heading toward another problem. Sorcerers in the east have become powerful as a consequence of the demon's resurgence. I am already in the camp of Kor Tala. I am the prisoner of one of these sorcerers, a man known as Xa. I followed Joxer, who was called home to help his tribe. It seemed a little odd to me that his mother would call for his help, so I went with him."

The scene changed now to the mess hall of the Amazon Nation. Iolaus sat with food spread before him. He smiled as he saw the feast laid out. "Great! Food." He began eating as he continued to talk to Bwell, who sat across the table now, sipping a goblet of wine.

"I believe," Iolaus continued, "that Xa must see a person in order to possess them. I needed to tell you that so you will approach the camp with caution. You must understand that I don't think I can help you. I am under the will of the sorcerer." In the corner of the room, he saw a figure sitting quietly. Iolaus smiled. Joxer sat there, listening to the warrior. Iolaus realized that Joxer was orchestrating the dream.

"Tell her about the people in the mist," Joxer said quietly. "I am beginning to get an idea of how we will defeat this creature. This is what I want the Amazons to do ... "

Iolaus went on to tell Bwell about the primitive people he had met and about the Dream Warrior. He explained the plan as Joxer told him what to say; and the Amazon listened carefully, reaching over to the plate of fruits that sat between them, pulling off a grape or two as she listened. She nodded periodically.

"And warn her about the King thing," Joxer added when Iolaus had finished.

"Oh." Iolaus cleared his throat and swallowed the food he had in his mouth. Bwell was looking intensely at him. "I need to tell you also that Joxer has gone completely mad," Iolaus said. "He thinks he's the king of the Amazons."

"King?" Bwell said. She snorted and began laughing.

Iolaus sighed and winked at his friend. "Bee, just work with me on this, will you?"

Soon the scene faded as their dreams went on to other dimensions.

Joxer went from dream to dream of the tribesmen in the camp. Nightmares of terror and torture, dreams of being lost or alone plagued the men of the camp. The one he dared not approach was his mother. He did not want to see the world of her dreams, and did not think he had the heart to face what she thought about in the core of her soul. Katal's dream was so dark that Joxer had to steel himself to keep from fleeing. The dream was illogical, terrifying and desperate; and he could not enter Katal's awareness no matter what he did. He decided that all he could do was to steer the events toward a quick end so he attempted to push the dream sequence along. Then he heard a thin laugh.

As Katal knelt suffering, Joxer looked up to see Xa standing behind the warrior. The sorcerer smiled a thin smile of smug self-assurance.

"I am glad to see I have a worthy opponent," the sorcerer said quietly. "This dog is not worth my energies. Like a thousand warriors who infest the plains of this land, he is too arrogant."

"And you're not?" Joxer asked.

"I have the right to be held above others. I will be one of the masters in the domination of the world by Dahak, Lord of Terror," answered Xa.

"You have the right to nothing," Joxer said. "Dahak was cast from this world once and he will not enter it again. So you can dream your petty dreams of glory and remember the short time that you conquered my people with magic. That time will soon end."

Joxer watched as Katal sank to the floor. Then his form began to fade. He was leaving the dream state. All around the two opponents, the world began to dissolve.

"I am going to kill you," Joxer said quietly. "I have never killed anyone, but you will be the first and hopefully the last."

In the morning, the warriors of the Kor Tala began to pack up the tent of the sorcerer and ready the war party for travel back to the main camp of the tribe. Iolaus watched as the all the treasures of the sorcerer were loaded onto carts. The work was difficult and the men had looks of disgust on their faces.

Katal slung a chest up and onto his back and carried it toward the carts. Iolaus followed with a rug.

"The people of the Steppes live simply," Katal explained as he walked. "We are warriors and traders. We carry what we can easily exchange for goods, but certainly not all this." He threw the chest onto the cart and growled.

"What would anyone want with all this?"

"Amongst my people, the acquisition of objects of art is important," Iolaus explained. "It's a way of showing your wealth and having something beautiful to look at. We don't move around like your people do though."

The two men stood by the cart catching their breaths from hauling the heavy loads. As they stood there, both stiffened and looked over at Xa. He was gazing at the two intensely. The sorcerer smiled and raised his hand. The expressions drained from both faces as the two men walked toward him.

The carts had been packed and the war party was ready to move out, but all the men stood around forming a huge circle. Xa sat on his ebony throne outside the circle in a cart adorned with a hood of brocades and silks and looked on over the heads of his slaves as they waited. Beside him knelt Joxer, gagged and bound, talking even so to imaginary demons that plagued him. His eyes reflected his complete descent now into insanity. On Xa's other side, Coratu sat quietly on the floor of the cart, still veiled.

In the circle, Iolaus stood with his shirt off. Across from him stood Katal naked too above the waist. Neither were armed. Iolaus and Katal looked over at Xa. The sorcerer nodded and both men looked back at each other and went into the crouch. Xa had ordered them to fight.

Both men were well matched in speed but Iolaus knew he would have to keep away from the Katal's powerful grip. Like Iolaus, Katal had been trained in the martial arts of the East. The two men kicked and chopped, rolled and dodged; always trying to keep away from each other. The fight went on for some moments in silence, with only the grunts and groans of the two fighters heard as they exchanged blows. Then Iolaus lost his footing and tripped. Katal jumped him, pulling him to the ground. As the two rolled on the grassy plains, grappling for upper hand, Iolaus felt something in the small of his back. He realized he still had the knife of the mist tribe. Katal began choking him with incredible strength, and Iolaus began to gasp for air. The Greek reached behind and pulled out the small knife, unsheathing it with the flip of his wrist. Then he plunged the sharp blade into Katal's arm. Katal growled in pain and rolled off him, grabbing his wounded arm. Iolaus rolled to his feet and straddled Katal. Kneeling over his opponent, Iolaus grabbed him by the hair and forced his head back. He put the knife to Katal's throat.

Xa smiled. "That is enough for today," he said quietly. "You may stop."

Katal looked up at the Greek. "Do it," he whispered. "Kill me."

Iolaus stared down at him. "He's not going to win this one. We can't let him." He got up and offered his opponent a hand up. "You'd better have someone tend that wound," he said as he helped Katal to his feet. The easterner got up and walked away in silence as the circle of men broke up and headed toward their horses. No one said anything.

The war party moved out slowly. All day they traveled and in the evening, the men were forced to put up the tents of the sorcerer again and spread out his wealth. They worked tirelessly. Katal was among them with Iolaus, working too. No one spoke, except for the sorcerer, as he gave them orders where to put his things. The slave girls stood around him, with blank looks on their faces. Coratu was sitting in the corner.

The work was almost done on the main tent when Iolaus came in to deliver one more rug. He knew that his face showed no expression but he felt such anger. He dropped the rug on the floor and felt the sorcerer looking at him. He turned around to see the intense stare that he had learned to hate.

Then he unrolled the rug and straightened it. He understood that that was what his master wanted. "My master!" he thought to himself. "Gods, what a thought!" He could feel the rage boiling in him. "Now I know how Hercules felt about Idolla."

The curtains of the tent were pushed back and the men brought in a huge cage made of bamboo. In it lay Joxer, curled up now on his side, asleep. The cage was placed on the rug that Iolaus had brought. The sorcerer came over to the cage. He smiled to see the look on the warrior's face at seeing his friend.

"You are amazed at my powers," the sorcerer said to Iolaus.

"I don't know if 'amazed' would be the word I would use," Iolaus replied.

Xa laughed. "I don't care how you feel, as long as you serve. Dahak will root out the ones like you, the ones with a pathetic code of honor. Honor? It is a joke." The sorcerer turned and walked away.

Iolaus looked at Joxer sleeping quietly. He realized that sleep was the perfect place for Joxer. He became hopeful at the thought of the Dream Warrior now free to put a plan in action. Iolaus left the tent and went to the campfire that Katal was setting up. The man had started cooking a stew and was sipping wine now from a skin as he sat looking into the fire.

"How's your arm?" Iolaus asked as he sat down across from him.

Katal continued to stare into the fire. "Pain reminds me that I am alive. Right now, that is not a good feeling," he answered, taking a drink again. Then he looked over at Iolaus. He held out the wineskin and the Greek took it, taking a long swallow of the wine. Iolaus handed the skin back.

"Don't get too drunk," the Greek said. "I have a feeling things are going to start happening soon."

Katal looked up at him with a frown. "Meaning?"

"Meaning Joxer is asleep. The other Joxer is now free to roam. The Dream Warrior has been visiting me in my dreams. I think he has a plan." Iolaus took a tin and served himself some stew.

Katal stared back at the fire and then smiled. "To be saved by the fool," he said quietly. "What a delicious irony. If Joxer saves this tribe, I will remind Coratu of this every day of her life from then on. She deserves it for the way she has treated her son."

Iolaus finished his stew and took another drink of the wine. Then he lay down and went to sleep himself.

The night sky was overcast. The moon's beauty was shadowed by thick clouds making the plains a black abyss outside the range of the campfire's light. Two men were on guard, walking the perimeter of the camp and trying to see out into the darkness beyond their camp. They exchanged little conversation as they walked. They did not see the mist forming in the darkness outside their camp.

A mist formed just outside the camp in the darkness. Through the thick barrier, the two Amazons emerged. The guards saw them only briefly before the darts of the mist people were shot at them and they lost consciousness. A small man handed Chantal and Bwell each a tiny wooden container and several darts. The two women nodded their heads in thanks and then Chantal motioned the people to go back to safety. Soon the mist was gone again and only the two women and their horses remained.

Everyone in the camp was asleep. The two woman warriors went stealthily through the camp, systematically scratching each man with a dart dipped in the sleeping potion. When they had done the whole camp, checking each others calculations of who had been done and who not; the two looked at the tent in the middle.

"I still haven't seen Iolaus," Bwell whispered as they neared the flap of the tent.

"I know," Chantal replied. She put the container away, dipping the dart before she did. "That worries me." She motioned to her Amazon sister who nodded and went around behind the tent.

Chantal opened the flap and peered in. Inside, Xa sat on his throne waiting. In the middle of the room was the cage of bamboo, and by it was Iolaus standing with his sword drawn. He looked at the handsome Amazon that he knew so well.

"Don't come in," Iolaus said quietly. "Please. I'll use this, I swear. He'll make me."

Chantal walked toward her friend. She noticed Joxer in the cage, curled up. "Is he all right?" she asked, as she neared the two men.

"He's asleep. Please stop," Iolaus replied, as he put the sword out before him, aiming it at her chest.

The Amazon's gaze never left him. She walked up to the warrior and he laid the sword on her chest with the point at her throat. She could see the anger in his blue eyes.

"Would you do that?" she asked. "Would you kill me? I think not." She reached out quickly and stuck him with a dart. He dawned a look of surprise and fell to the ground, groaning as he lost consciousness.

Chantal could already feel the sorcerer's spell invade her. She stiffened as she felt the dart drop from her hand.

Then a strong grip grabbed the sorcerer from behind as hands shielded his eyes. Bwell lifted the small man from his seat and dragged him back onto the floor of the dais. She looked up at Chantal to see the other Amazon shaking off the brief enchantment. Then both women gasped as a veiled figure appeared by the dais.

"Who are you?" Chantal said. She just had time to duck as a knife flew past her, aimed at her chest. "Oh, you must be Joxer's mother," she added as she rolled, grabbing the dart and coming up next to the woman. She pierced the figure in the leg and the woman went down.

Chantal joined Bwell. She looked down at the sorcerer struggling uselessly in the strong Amazon's grip. Chantal pierced him also and he stopped moving soon.

"Okay, so now what do we do?" Chantal asked. "We're in a camp full of sleeping people."

"Now, we wait," Bwell added.

Chantal thought for a moment. "No, not quite. First, we work, then we wait." She went back to her horse and pulled out the scroll that she had made notes on. She came back into the tent and showed her friend the notes. "Thank the Gods I wrote this all down. I would have forgotten it. I had a dream about the nature of sorcery ... " She began explaining her plan. Soon the two women were busy at work again containing the power of the sorcerer in hopes of assisting the Dream Warrior in his plan.

When the Amazons had finished they looked at their work with pride. In the middle of the tent, they had removed the rugs to reveal the grassy plain. Then the two had burned a symbol in the grass. Before them was a huge eye enclosed in a triangle.

"I think that that is the symbol of the one called Ra, one of the Ancient Ones," Chantal said, reading over her notes again.

They placed the sorcerer in the eye. Even in his sleep, the man curled up in response to the powerful magic it held against him.

Both Amazons nodded and looked at each other.

"Good," Chantal said.

They looked over at Joxer, still asleep in the cage. "Now it's your turn, Dream Boy," Bwell said.

The Dream Warrior felt the sorcerer's presence on the dreamscape. He went to meet him in his dream and was swallowed up by the darkness.

Suddenly he was in a huge temple. Colonnades lined the walls on either side of a room that was empty and vast with only an altar of roughly cut rock at the end. Joxer knew this was the temple of Dahak. Behind the altar was a cross from which hung Gabrielle, broken and bleeding. She looked down at the man.

"Joxer," she cried. "Please help me." She began to weep.

Joxer felt like his heart was being crushed by the sight of the woman. He cared for Gabrielle so deeply. Then he heard a laugh as Xa stepped out of the shadows and stood next to the altar.

"Your puny women have tried to contain me," the sorcerer said. "But even now Dahak controls the party sent to defeat him. The mighty warrior, Hercules, carries him in his arms like a slave. He is as tame as a little dog at Dahak's feet." The sorcerer looked up at the woman still crying quietly. "Dahak raped her once, you know. He tricked her into killing and then took her as she mourned the passing of her innocence."

Joxer felt the rage rising in him. He pressed it down as he had been taught, and focused his energies even more. He was amazed at the power he felt, then realized that as his human self became more weak with insanity, his dream self became more powerful and focused. He reached out and pointed at the suffering woman.

"This is a dream and I can do anything in a dream. You are an illusion. Be gone," he commanded, and the figure and the cross disappeared.

Then beside Xa stood Coratu. Her face was not veiled. This was the mother Joxer had known and feared, the mother from whom he so desperately sought approval. The sorcerer had called her image to the dreamscape. "But then, so can I," he said. He looked over at Coratu. "Tell your son of your pride in him."

"Pride!" the woman said. "My son is a joke. I have never said his name because I am too ashamed to speak it."

"Mother," Joxer pleaded, feeling an old pain wash over him, "this is my battleground. Here I am a great warrior and the victor of many battles."

"Have you conquered? Have you crushed your enemies under your foot and taken their women as your prizes? Have you burned their villages to show your strength?" she snapped.

"No, Mother. Here the battle is different. There is a larger stake to be won or lost. Conquest is meaningless. The fight for truth over illusion is what is important."

Coratu snorted her disgust. "Truth. Illusion. You see, even here you are a ridiculous failure." She turned and walked away, disappearing from the dreamscape.

Xa laughed. "Oh, my. You are such an easy target," he said. "A mortal with so many insecurities and doubts."

He waved his hand.

From the shadows came a dozen or more warlords, enemies past and present of the unlikely knight. Joxer recognized the men who had tormented and tortured him. Some had tried to kill him but had been stopped or killed by Xena. As he thought her name, she appeared among them, but her dress was unfamiliar to him and the look in her eyes was strange.

"Joxer," she said to the other warlords. "The great Dream Warrior." She laughed and looked back at him, drawing her sword. "The Dead Dream Warrior!"

"Wait a minute," Joxer said. "This Xena is gone." He closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he felt movement behind him. Xena walked up beside him, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Jox," she said. "Who's the nasty bitch having a bad dress day?" She nodded over at the other Xena.

Joxer smiled. "You don't mind fighting yourself?"

"I do it every waking moment," Xena replied.

"You'll need some help," the Dream Warrior replied. From behind him stepped Hercules. He stood next to Joxer, crossing his arms over his chest.

"This is the best you can do, Xa?" he said laughing. "A bunch of ... "

"Losers!" said a feminine voice. Joxer smiled to himself as Aphrodite walked up to them with the garb that she had once fashioned for herself. It mimicked Hercules' outfit. She smiled that smile that drove men mad. Joxer gulped. The warlords were beginning to grumble and the other Xena looked at Xa angrily.

"This is your dream, you wimp! Now control it!" she spat out at the sorcerer. He glared at Joxer.

The Goddess of Love came over to Joxer and put her elbow on his shoulder, resting her head against her hand. "I am just so stoked that you would imagine me in your dream," she said. "Totally."

"So do you think we need anyone else?" Joxer asked. He looked over at Hercules.

"Well, I think I could handle them all, but I don't want to appear arrogant," the hero said.

Aphrodite laughed. "And that is what makes you so different from the rest of us, half-brother. Arrogance is a god's middle name."

The Dream Warrior nodded slightly and the altar was replaced suddenly with the great jade throne. On it sat the Emperor of Cathay surrounded by a dozen of the finest Eastern warriors. The Emperor looked down at the sorcerer and smiled thinly.

"I kept you around because you amused me. However, your foolish attics no longer amuse me. When this battle is done, you will be fed to the fish in my private pond, piece by piece."

Xa blanched as the Dream Warrior had called his fears to the forefront.

"Feeling a little insecure yourself?" the Dream Warrior asked quietly.

The old Xena and the warlords disappeared and Joxer dismissed the images he had called. Xa stood looking at him, still angry. They were alone now in the cavernous room. The altar had reappeared.

"You see," Joxer said. "For every image you call, I can call one too. However, unlike you, I am not deluded; well, at least not on this plane. I know who I am, my weaknesses and my strengths; and I'm not afraid to face either."

"You said that you would kill me," the sorcerer said, backing into the shadows.

"I did say that, didn't I?" Joxer replied. "I was angry. I let my rage control me." He walked over to the altar and sat down on it, crossing his legs. He looked over at the sorcerer, fading now into another dreamscape. "I'm not going to kill you, but I will keep you from hurting others." He took a deep breath. "You see, even now, Hercules and his party are close to the truth about Dahak. He will be consigned to darkness once again. And when he is, you will no longer have the power. You will once again be the foolish trickster, a joke to all who see you." He thought for a moment. "Kind of like me."

The sorcerer had disappeared now from the dream and Joxer had been talking to himself. He looked around and shrugged. "Oh, dear," he whispered. "Some say talking to yourself is a sign of insanity." Then he laughed. Joxer disappeared now also, following the sorcerer from dreamscape to dreamscape, pressing him to use his waning powers to keep ahead of him. Joxer knew that the sorcerer could help Dahak survive by creating fear. If Joxer could keep him moving, he could keep him from creating the dark thoughts and emotions that could drive men into a madness from which they might not return. He pushed on.

When Joxer found the sorcerer again on the dreamscape, he entered a dream that was familiar to him. He realized as he saw Iolaus walking in the woods, that he was in the wiry blond warrior's dream. He walked up to approach his friend then realized that Iolaus was unable to detect his presence. He reached out with his spirit but the smaller man just kept walking, unable to see him. Joxer remembered that this was a recurring nightmare on Iolaus' part. Sometimes in nightmares that played out over and over again, it was hard for the Dream Warriors to intervene. A scenario was set that the dreamer was unable to vary. Joxer followed the warrior as Iolaus played out his deepest fears. Joxer only hoped that he could break through the sequence and help him. He could feel his own fears welling up and he focused his energies to dismiss them. Xa was somewhere embedded in the dream now, and could possibly cause Iolaus to go mad. Joxer knew he had better watch carefully.

Iolaus walked through the forest and into a clearing. There on the ground two lovers were locked in embrace. As they saw Iolaus, they sat up, parting from their lovemaking.

Hercules stood up, reaching for his shirt. Xena put the straps of her leather outfit back up. Both looked embarrassed.

"Iolaus, hey," Hercules said, walking up to him and putting his hand out to greet him. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard in Thebes that you were going up against Graegus. I figured you'd need me," Iolaus replied, shaking his friend's hand.

Hercules looked over at Xena. She was picking up her armor. She glanced at Hercules and walked over to the two. "Well, we didn't send word because... " She looked at Hercules and then back at Iolaus. "We're concerned about you, Iolaus. After that wound at Xandor, well ... " She looked at Hercules, again.

"Wound at Xandor!" Iolaus snorted. "That was ages ago! I'm fine now. You know that, Herc." He looked from one to the other as the man and woman stood there together. Hercules had put his arm around Xena's waist.

The tall warrior kissed his lover on the cheek. "Leave us alone for a moment, will you?" he asked. Xena nodded. She glanced at Iolaus and then turned, walking into the woods. The look was almost one of pity. Iolaus felt anxiety welling up.

"Iolaus," his friend said, "you know you are my best friend. We've fought many battles together and there was no one that I ever wanted to watch my back but you but ... "

Iolaus took a deep breath. He could feel it coming. "Don't say it," he pleaded to Hercules. "Please don't say it."

Hercules put is hands on his hips and took a deep breath himself. He looked at his friend, struggling for words. "Iolaus, that wound almost killed you. I don't want to take that chance again. I've lost too many people I love." Iolaus felt the panic coming. "But you don't mind losing Xena?" he asked. He could feel his heart pounding. It was as if he knew what Hercules was about it say.

"Xena can take care of herself. She's ... stronger than you are," Hercules replied.

The smaller man felt something grip his heart. He felt like he had lived this terrible moment before.

Joxer stood on the outskirts of the dream. "Good," he said to himself, "he may be realizing this is a dream. He is beginning to feel like he has lived it before." He continued to focus on the man, calling to him with his spirit.

Iolaus caught his breath, turning so his friend could not see the tears welling up in his eyes. He ran his hands through his hair nervously. "Do you have any idea what you are saying?" he asked. "Do you?" He hoped that he could talk with out losing control of himself. He had to make his friend understand. He turned around to look Hercules in the eyes.

"Iolaus, it's just that ... " Hercules started.

"Hercules," Iolaus interrupted quietly, steadying his voice, "your mission is my mission. Helping you is what I do, it's ALL I do." He took a deep breath. "Even when you gave up your strength for Serena, your mission in life didn't change. Your wounds would have been worse and your efforts would have had to be greater to do the same, because you were no longer immortal; but you would have gone on helping others. I understood, because I live it ... every day. It's the risk I gladly take to be a part of your life. It is the risk every warrior takes to fight the fight against the dark forces, immortal or not." He searched the face of his best friend. Hercules had a hard time looking him in the eyes. Moments went by as the two men stood looking at each other. Then a thought began to dawn on Iolaus as he stood there. He began to realize what was going on. The thought was washing over him, drowning him in the pain of its sad reality.

"This isn't just about me and my safety, is it?" he whispered. "This is about you being in love with Xena and wanting her at your side instead, isn't it?"

Hercules looked down at his bracelets, tightening the bindings.

Iolaus looked around. "Where's Gabrielle?"

"She's ... gone home," Hercules replied, looking up at his friend again. "This isn't easy for me, Iolaus. I didn't expect this to happen." He sighed again. He began to pace around the clearing. "Iolaus, you can still accomplish your mission. You don't need me. There's plenty of work to go around."

Iolaus shook his head. "It wouldn't be the same without you, Hercules. People come to you! You are the one they seek."

A strange sensation came over Iolaus as he stood there. He watched as Hercules stopped his pacing and looked over at him. The man's jaws were clenched and he looked angry.

"Maybe what your family says is true. Maybe you do want to ride my reputation," the hero said.

Iolaus felt as though someone had taken all the air from him and he couldn't breath. That was the phrase he feared the most. He stood there, unable to move or speak. He felt the weight of his sword on his back and thought the sword was all he had left, to pull out the blade and plunge it through his chest was all he had to do to end this shame. If this is what Hercules thought, his life was over. He clenched his jaw and took a deep breath again.

Hercules crossed his arms on his chest. "Iolaus, I never asked you to come with me," he said.

Iolaus frowned. He felt a confused anger rising in him too. Had years of comradeship had been destroyed in an instant? He couldn't think.

"That's a lie," said another voice.

Both men turned to see the Dream Warrior leaning on a tree in the edge of the clearing. "That is a lie," he repeated. Joxer shook his head, smiling. "You were doing pretty well, Xa, until you had Hercules say that about his reputation. He would never say that and he would never lie. He has asked Iolaus to come help him many times." Joxer walked over to the two men. "If you had left this alone, you might have gotten away with this. But the lie gave you away and you created a path for me." He looked over at Hercules. "Of course, I don't have to hide who I am."

Hercules reached out and grabbed Joxer by the throat, lifting him off the ground with ease. His face was a mask of rage.

Iolaus kicked the hero's arm and Joxer fell to the ground. Then Iolaus kicked out at Hercules' chest, sending the larger man sprawling backwards onto the ground. Now Iolaus looked from man to man completely confused.

"This is a dream," Joxer said to him, getting up, "and you can do anything in a dream, including live out your worst fears. But your fears are not real, anymore than this dream is."

The figure of the hero still lying on the ground faded from the dreamscape.

Iolaus looked around. "I ... I've been here before," he whispered. "This is my fear."

"But it's not real. And now, you have broken the cycle of your nightmare. It will never come back again because you have changed the ending."

Then both men gasped, taking a breath, as something huge and vile passed close to them in the dream world. It was a strange sensation of terror and then relief. Something had come and gone.

Iolaus let out his breath slowly feeling the pent-up tension and emotions of the past few days leave him and slip away. "It's over, isn't it?" he asked.

Joxer nodded, looking around as the forest scene faded. "Dahak is gone from this plane," he replied quietly.

Joxer shook his head nervously. "But I didn't really DO anything!" he said, following Iolaus down the long corridor. They were in the magnificent palace of the Emperor of Cathay. The hall was lined with the royal guards standing along walls of marble inlaid with gold.

"Did I?" Joxer continued. He shook his head again. "I can't remember much of anything after meeting you on the road to Corinth. I don't know if I should really go with you all." He turned around. The two Amazons were walking behind them. He began walking quickly back down the hall to where the horses were tied up outside, trying to avoid the two women.

Chantal hooked him by the arm and swung him around again toward the massive ebony doors at the end of the hall.

"This way, your Majesty," she said, winking at Bwell. Bwell smiled and winked back.

"Your majesty?" Joxer answered. "Oh, I don't like the sound of that."

Days ago, he had come out of his insanity to find himself in a bamboo cage. He had thought at first that his mother had put him there. Iolaus was dumbfounded at how easily Joxer accepted this as normal.

The men of the camp had awoken with headaches and questions in torrents as to how two women had taken over the camp of the finest of the Kor Tala warriors. The only one who seemed unconcerned was Katal. After he woke, he went to the tent of the sorcerer immediately and slung the small, frightened man over his shoulder, disappearing on horseback onto the Steppes. When he returned, he was alone.

No one had said anything.

The two Amazons had not said anything about the people of the mist. This had served the double purpose of protecting the simple tribe and keeping the warriors of the Kor Tala at bay. The two seemed to enjoy the looks and whispers of the men, who were unsure of the abilities of these mysterious Western women.

Now the four stood before great ebony doors. Iolaus knocked twice and the doors opened away from them. Iolaus led the way through.

They walked out into the Courtyard of the Sun. Lined with the finest warriors of Cathay, Joxer now stood on a small platform that held the Jade throne. The Emperor, a small man dressed in bright red brocade, looked over from where he sat and nodded at him. Joxer gulped. He was standing next to the man who controlled millions. Below them was a vast courtyard area.

Iolaus stepped off to the side. Chantal and Bwell did the same.

The Emperor looked down over the courtyard at a thousand of his most prominent courtiers, warriors, and courtesans. He raised a pale and manicured hand, motioning to the unlikely knight who stood beside him. A sea of people bowed in unison to Joxer. He stood completely unable to respond. Then he looked through the crowd. There among the bowing were Katal and the warriors of his tribe. Beside Katal was Coratu, bowing with the rest.

Joxer gulped again and pointed to her. "That's my mother," he said to the Emperor.

The man looked over at him. "She must be very proud," he answered.

"I should hope so," Iolaus whispered.

Epilogue:

Iolaus had left Joxer and the Amazons behind in the city of Emperor. Chantal had told Bwell that if she was fascinated with Urimi, that this city would delight her even more. The two had disappeared into the byways to seek out Chantal's teacher in the martial arts.

Joxer had returned to his tribe at Katal's insistence.

"I am going to have your mother bring you tea every morning," Katal had said as he had joined the knight outside the palace of the Emperor. "You will start your day by hearing her call your name."

Joxer had laughed, a little embarrassed now at all the attention.

Iolaus had been given a horse and provisions and had set out straightaway for Greece. The horse was swift and tireless and soon he was in familiar territory again. Word traveled fast as to the whereabouts of Hercules. Iolaus had not come far into the mainland of his home when he heard that the hero was with the Amazons. He set out now for the Amazon Nation.

As he rode into the Village of the Queen, Iolaus could already hear the celebration in the main hall. Klio had drawn the lot for the guard duty and saw him approach. She greeted the Greek with the traditional raising of her arms, crossed at the wrists. Other Amazons grumbled as the woman embraced the man and let him into the village. "Hercules is in the main hall with the Queen and the others," Klio said. "You know the way. Lots of food!"

"Food," Iolaus replied laughing, "my favorite pastime."

The Hall of the Amazons was busy with the great feast put on for the warriors returning from the struggle with Dahak. Around the table of the hall, set like a great horseshoe around three sides of the room, Amazon sisters and their guests sat eating what could be foraged from forest and field and even from other kingdoms, to celebrate. The celebration of victory and thanksgiving was in full swing. Music played and young women danced the traditional dances of the Amazons, twirling staves and swords. Around the table, the guests talked and ate.

Lessa saw Iolaus come in and went to him, embracing him. As he stood with her in the back of the hall, Iolaus looked around. He couldn't see Hercules anywhere.

"Where's Herc?" he asked.

"He just went outside to get some air," she replied.

Iolaus smiled and nodded to her, then he skirted the main tables, keeping to the wall and watching the dancers. He reached over and took a sweet roll off a plate on the side table as he headed out to the back of the hall. Around him the noises and the smells of the celebration heartened his spirit.

"Ah, good food and beautiful, strong women!" he said to himself as he walked quickly to the back door. "My two favorite things."

He put his head out the back door to see Hercules alone. He was sitting on a stone bench in the back yard. The man was looking up at the stars, his hands on his hips.

"I've got to go after him," Hercules said to himself, just loud enough for Iolaus to hear.

"After who?" Iolaus said. He could tell exactly what was going through his friend's mind.

"Where the Hades have you been? I've been worried about you," Hercules exclaimed. They embraced laughing.

"Don't you think I can take care of myself?" Iolaus asked. Lady Pegasus came out bringing a plate heaping with food and a tankard of ale. The wiry blonde warrior smiled broadly and sat down across the bench, diving into the food. Hercules sat down across from him.

"I knew you would say that!" Hercules replied. "But after what I have been through, I'm not sure that I can take care of myself!" He laughed again.

"Well, I have quite a tale of my own. I'm sorry I didn't get your message but after I tell you my story, you'll know why," Iolaus said between mouthfuls. "But you go first."

Hercules began to tell his story, then suddenly he stopped mid-sentence.

Iolaus looked up. "What?"

Hercules was looking at him intensely. "I really missed you, Iolaus," he said. "We make a good team."

Iolaus laughed. "Hey, from what I hear you had Xena, and three strong Amazons," he replied. "That's a pretty good warparty, right there. Good to look at, too!"

"It's just not the same," Hercules said, serious now. "I feel better with you at my back."

The smaller warrior sighed, thinking of all he had been through and all that he had worried about. "Thanks, I needed to hear that," he replied, serious now also. "You know me, Herc. Sometimes I worry, because, well, you know. I'm ... uh, not immortal."

"Neither am I," Hercules replied. He laughed at the look of shock on Iolaus' face, then he resumed telling the story of the stone and its message.

Finis