Chapter 2

"What are you talking about," Xena scowled, "Gabrielle is right here."

Confusion clouded the faces of the three women who stood before their fallen assailant. Questions screamed through their minds. What could this woman possibly be talking about? Why did she look so much like Gabrielle? And why had she attacked them so viciously?

Camrynn’s eyes widened as if she had just woken up from a horrific dream. The recent events seemed to become evident to her as she lay there on the ground. Her demeanor changed in front of their eyes. A transformation from the hard-core warrior to almost a scared young girl occurred right before their eyes. The once venomous eyes softened. Instead of anger, regret and pain were now in it’s place.

"By the Gods, what have I done? What have I done?" Tears began to well up in Camrynn’s eyes as reality crashed in around her. Frantic to make up for her loss of self, she began to plead to her captors. "I am sorry. My mind isn’t where it should be, please forgive me. I have forgotten where I am."

"What is that supposed to mean? And what about Gabrielle?" Xena pressed Camrynn for information.

"Please forgive my words, they must sound strange to you." Camrynn paused for a moment; slightly unnerved by the icy glare more than she was of the sword at her throat. She spoke softly…slowly. "Let me try to explain them. I don’t mean to speak of this Gabrielle. Not the Gabrielle you know, anyway. If you let me up, I will explain everything. I promise you, I won’t try anything."

A hand brushed Xena’s arm lightly. Breaking the glare she held Camrynn under, Xena turned her head toward the soft touch. Gabrielle stood there looking deeply into her eyes. Without words spoken between the pair, the message was received. Gabrielle was asking Xena to give Camrynn a chance to explain herself. She could tell that Gabrielle believed the words of the young warrior who had attacked them, enough to allow Camrynn to speak. Xena’s sapphire eyes softened as she lost herself in the emerald ones staring back at her. Unable to refuse her bard anything, Xena nodded slightly and turned back to Camrynn who instantly noted the love the two shared. Hesitantly removing her sword from their assailant’s neck, the dark warrior took a step back. Even with softer features and innocent looks, Xena wasn’t ready to trust the young lady just yet. But if Gabrielle wanted to hear Camrynn explain herself further, Xena wasn’t going to deny it.

Gabrielle flashed a gracious smile to Xena and reached her arm out, helping Camrynn to her feet. Studying her eyes and features; Gabrielle couldn’t help but think she knew the young lady. She felt an instant sense of ease with the girl that stood before her. She almost felt a connection with Camrynn; not like the one she shared with Xena, but like a kinship perhaps.

Gabrielle led Camrynn over to the fire where they took a seat next to each other. The bard still had a hold of the young warriors arm. She was unable to tear herself away from the emerald eyes staring back at her that mirrored her own. Gabrielle couldn’t shake the strange feeling she knew Camrynn. Judging by the look on the girl’s face, the feeling was mutual. However there was also a look of recognition, as though she already knew what the feeling was that the two shared.

"I am sorry for all of this; I hope I didn’t hurt you." Camrynn said apologetically. Silently hoping she hadn’t seriously injured Gabrielle, the young warrior sighed. "Thank you for your help."

A smile spread across Gabrielle’s face at Camrynn’s sincerity. "You are very welcome. And don’t worry; you didn’t hurt me. It’s okay really. I’ve taken much worse, believe me."

Gabrielle slowly released Camrynn from the hold she had on her arm, but continued to stare at the young woman who seemed so familiar. Why couldn’t she place Camrynn’s face? Gabrielle wished she could understand the strange connection she felt with this warrior. The bard saw the similarities between them and thought that might be why she felt she knew Camrynn, but that didn’t seem to be the answer either. Her mind continued to draw nothing but blanks and increasing confusion. Think, Gabrielle said to herself silently.

Xena sat down across from Camrynn and Gabrielle. Through the fire that separated them, she regarded the striking similarities between the women. Eve sat next to her mother, offering support as Xena began to question Camrynn’s presence here.

"Alright, start talking." Xena’s eyes burned into the strangers. "What’s going on?"

Camrynn wrenched her eyes away from Gabrielle and took a deep breath, a little flustered. Struggling to gain her composure, she straightened a bit and began to speak. "I know this is all strange and confusing to you. It is hard to grasp the concept of the whole situation. It’s difficult to believe myself, but I will try to help you understand as best I can. First, I must tell you that I am not from your world."

"What are you talking about?" Xena sneered. She caught Gabrielle’s look through the flames and dejectedly lowered her eyes trying to calm herself.

Eve glanced at her mother, noticing the restrained features. Grimacing slightly to herself, Eve couldn’t help thinking how over protective and outwardly harsh her mother could be sometimes. She turned an apologetic eye toward Camrynn, urging the young woman forward. "Please, continue with your story."

"Uh…Okay…I am from this world and time period, but not this life. What I am trying to say is that I am not from the past or the future, but an entirely different life. It’s really confusing. I can’t exactly tell you what life I am from as opposed to yours, but it is different."

"You mean like an alternate world that parallels ours? But with paths not taken here?" Gabrielle offered.

"Yes! Like that. Decisions that you choose here are different from the choices made in mine. Therefore they led to a different reality."

Xena tried once again to speak, but with more control over her voice. "What did you mean when you said I let Gabrielle die?"

"Let me first explain a few things. I could tell this place was different when none of you recognized me. In my world, Gabrielle is my sister." Camrynn knew there was some recognition between her and Gabrielle, but she could tell the bard didn’t truly know her.

"That would explain the resemblance." Eve added.

"Yes, I am only a year younger than Gabrielle." Camrynn saw Xena lean forward and open her mouth to say something, but she cut her off before anything could escape Xena’s lips. "I know you all have a lot of questions, so please be patient with me."

Xena arched an eyebrow, not used to being cut off, but sat back to let Camrynn finish her story.

"Many years ago, a warlord and his army attacked Poteidaia. He wanted to capture the whole village and sell us into slavery. Gabrielle and I tried to persuade the warlord to take the two of us instead, but he wanted everyone. Then, out of the blue, Xena appeared and saved us by finishing off the entire army by herself. I was in awe at someone with such power. But none more so than Gabrielle. I saw the gleam in her eye and knew she was up to something. That night, Gabrielle woke me from my sleep. She told me that she was going to join up with Xena. She explained that she didn’t belong here in the village; she was dying for some excitement and wanted to travel the world with Xena. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen. Gabrielle’s leaving devastated mother and father. They took their aggressions out on me. I never blamed Gabrielle for leaving, I completely understood her ambition. That’s why when I saw my opportunity, I left as well. I was so sick of mother and father blaming me for Gabrielle leaving and for everything that went wrong around the house. I too, was bored with Poteidaia and knew I didn’t belong either. So, about a month after Gabrielle left with Xena, I ran."

"Wait, you left mother and father by themselves?"

"Yes, Gabrielle. I had to. Mother and father could be so closed minded when it came to change. I needed to live my own life, but I knew they wouldn’t understand. If you are anything like my sister, you know how insufferable Poteidaia was. Nothing but a little village life, arranged marriages with people you didn’t love, and never any excitement."

Gabrielle nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, I remember. Please continue."

"I decided that I would join any army or anyone I came across that could teach me how to fight. I didn’t want to be helpless; I wanted to be able to take care of myself. And when I say any army or anyone…that is exactly what I mean. I joined up with some of the lowest, nastiest, scum I have seen in my entire existence. I would use them to teach me what I needed to learn and then I moved on. Sometimes I had to sacrifice myself so that I could get what I wanted. That was the biggest drawback to it all."

A noticeable shudder spread across the young warriors body as a flash of hatred clouded her emerald eyes, suggesting the pain the memory caused. "I can remember the final time I endured this treatment. It was right after a combat lesson with Traxion, the head trainer.

"I suppose I could have found a better way, but I felt I had no choice. That was the only option I saw for learning the skills I wished to obtain." Camrynn hung her head in shame as a single tear rolled down her cheek from the memory. She knew it was what had to be done at the time, but she was disgusted with herself. Angrily wiping the tear away, she resumed her story.

Unsure of Camrynn’s boundaries, Gabrielle hesitated before responding to the weeping figure next to her. She brushed off her uncertainty and slowly eased her arm around the young lady’s waist, smiling her reassurance and support. The pain in Camrynn’s eyes faded as she met the bard’s own emerald gaze. With a conveyance of appreciation, the young warrior returned the smile and nodded mildly before continuing.

"My life continued on like this for about a year. I hopped from one army to another to another, learning a lot about life outside that of a village existence. I had taken up the staff as my first weapon. I found that it was the weapon of choice for me because I could defend myself without spilling anyone’s blood. But, I soon grew tired of the ignorance and blood lust of the armies I encountered and what I had to do as payment for my lessons, so I left.

I traveled by myself for a long while, scrounging for food and teaching myself how to hunt. I had gotten to the point of hopelessness. The only thing that kept me going was my sheer determination, but I had begun to feel myself slipping away. I felt lost and believed myself to be close to death emotionally and physically. Then, one day I happened upon an army led by a woman named Najara.

Camrynn raised an eyebrow at the mysterious woman before her. The woman is crazy! She thought to herself.

"Anyway, Najara took excellent care of me, protected me, and taught me of a life I had only dreamed of. We grew very close. She taught me many other fighting skills as well, some hand to hand combat, some that introduced me to new weapons. But the staff was my favorite, so I would always return to it. Najara also taught me skills of my weapon that I could never have imagined were possible. I learned a lot and at a rapid rate. I was soon replacing her second in command so that I could be at her side at all times. I felt so at home with her. We were inseparable for about 3 years, but then I started to grow anxious and unsettled. I wanted to find Gabrielle more than anything in the world. I loved being where I was, but I wanted some sort of kinship with my sister. So, I spoke to Najara about my emptiness at not having my sister in my life. Najara was reluctant to let me go at first, but together we consulted The Djinn and they all felt that it would be in my best interest to seek out Gabrielle. Even though I wished to find my sister and establish our relationship again, I vowed to return to Najara as soon as it was possible. Which, to my dismay, I returned with nothing to show for my time spent."

She headed north at the elderly lady’s direction. Gloom and hopelessness filled her soul. For nearly two years, she had tracked Xena and Gabrielle and never once was able to find them. The closest she had ever gotten was missing them by a day. Every time she thought she was close, something deterred her from her path. It seemed as though Xena and Gabrielle were avoiding her on purpose. But they couldn’t know Camrynn was following them. Could they? She thought to herself.

Gabrielle watched as Camrynn struggled with her memories. Sitting next to her, the bard tightened her hold on the young warrior’s waist to reinforce her presence. So lost in her thoughts, it took Camrynn a moment to realize the support she had been given again. Looking up, she lost herself in the eyes of the sister she had spent years searching for. With the added comfort, Camrynn continued with her story.

"When I was with Najara once again, it was like we had never parted ways. We began to fall back into our old habits of meditation and combat skills training together. I assumed my old position as second in command of the army. However, one day after a meditation sequence, Najara had bad news for me. At first I was shocked to hear her words because I figured I would have picked up on something like this sooner.

"Najara would come to my tent frequently to try to comfort me, but I turned her away every time. I wanted to be left alone. I would scream for her to leave and soon after she would, always telling me that she loved me dearly and not to lose faith. I was too grief stricken to hear her words anymore. Weeks past with no help from The Djinn, I assumed they had taken their gift from me once I renounced them. Or perhaps I was just so upset that I could no longer hear them through my misery. Whatever the case, I felt alone."

Camrynn’s voice broke at her confession. Eve rose quietly and retrieved the water skin, offering it to the young warrior. Taking a long drink, Camrynn returned it to Eve with an appreciative smile. Breathing deeply, she returned to her story.

"I began to pray to any ethereal being that would listen. This took some time, but then one day a divine entity visited me. He didn’t speak, but I could still hear his words in my head as if they were my own thoughts. His name was Eli."

The next thing I knew, I was in a village not too far from my home. I was amazed that I remembered all of Eli’s words before he took me away, but I didn’t remember anything about being with him. He was right though; I did have the knowledge of his teachings and the desire to spread his word, just as he said I would. Anyway, I did as Eli had told me and went to Poteidaia.

I barely recognized my sister; she had changed so much. She certainly wasn’t the young girl who left Poteidaia so many years prior. I am sure she thought the same of me. What amazed me the most was, other than a few minute differences from the day Xena had saved my village, the two of them hadn’t aged a day. Neither had I, for that matter.

It had been a warm and tearful reunion. We shared our stories and regrets of the years after we had parted ways. We shared laughs and tears at what the other had been through. The most heartbreaking story she told me was when she had a baby. Oh she had loved her daughter so much and it broke her heart when she had to kill Hope. At first I didn’t understand, but Gabrielle explained how evil Hope had been and how much it had killed her inside to have to take her child’s life. I can only imagine the pain. She had quickly changed the subject though, asking me how I was here and just as young as before. That is when I told them what had happened with Eli and about searching for them, never being able to find them. I explained how Eli had come to me after they had disappeared and offered his assistance. Then, my curiosity sparked, I asked where they had been the last Twenty-five years.

They began to tell me about how the Olympian Gods had attacked them because Eve was thought to be the Bringer of the Twilight. Xena’s plan to deceive the Gods into leaving the three of them alone was to fake their deaths, but it had backfired on them when Ares, believing they were truly dead, placed them in ice coffins at the top of Mount Edna. There they had stayed until a freak avalanche had opened up that cave and allowed sunlight to melt the coffins enough so they could break free. Twenty-five years later and not a day older, they set out to find Eve and their families. They told me about their first encounter with Eve and how Ares had made her the Champion of Rome known as Livia. I was surprised to find out that Eli had a hand in saving Eve, making her understand what had happened to her when she was a child."

A brief glance at the mother and daughter revealed their memory of that day. Both shared the same look of remembrance and smiled together. Pausing at the sight, Camrynn allowed the moment to last a bit before she pressed on.

"With the love of Xena and Gabrielle, they prevented Eve from continuing on the path of evil. With the addition of Eve, they traveled to their homes to find their families. I guess Xena’s reunion wasn’t as pleasant as she had hoped. Her house had been haunted on top of being nearly taken over by the devil. Plus she had found out that her mother had been burned at the stake because the villagers believed her to be a witch. But as you have seen, Gabrielle’s reunion was much happier. Finally, we were back together. We were so happy to have found each other.

That was short lived though, because only months after finding Gabrielle, I lost her again. I had been welcomed into their mission with open arms, so we set out to complete that which had been started so long ago. One day, we had stumbled into a village where a battle waged led by the warlord Laterian. We fought him and his army with all we had. But we paid the price for our involvement. Laterian…" Camrynn paused as she fought the tears and tried to force the pain out of her voice.

Gabrielle grimaced at the crack of emotion in Camrynn’s voice. Squeezing once again on the young woman’s waist, the bard urged her friend to continue. "It’s okay, sweetie. What did Laterian do?"

Camrynn lost the battle against her emotions as tears flooded from her eyes. "Laterian shot Gabrielle in the heart with an arrow. I tried, but I wasn’t able to stop him, yet I thought that Xena should have been able to stop the arrow. Xena was closer to Gabrielle at the time than I was, plus I knew of the amazing abilities she had. However she was too busy trying to protect her daughter from an attack that wasn’t nearly as threatening. I blamed Xena for my sister’s death. Gabrielle died in my arms that day."

Across the fire, Xena cringed as she listened to Camrynn explain Gabrielle’s death. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose her soul mate and was pained by that thought. I will never let anything happen to you Gabrielle, I promise you that. Xena, so deep in her thoughts, nearly missed part of the story as Camrynn continued speaking.

"I was so distraught that I ran and ran until I couldn’t go any farther. I fell to my knees crying and, once again, prayed for help. A few weeks later, after I had nearly lost all hope, Eli visited me again

Camrynn sighed as a look of regret washed over her lovely face. "When I saw Xena, I couldn’t control my anger. It was so recently that I had lost my sister. I didn’t stop to think that this was not the Xena I had grown to hate."

Tears began to well up in her eyes again. "I am sorry that I attacked you. I hope you can accept my apology." Camrynn finished the last sentence with her head bowed in shame.

There was long moment of silence among the group. No one knew quite what to say. Xena, Gabrielle, and Eve sat there, absorbing everything that they had just heard. So many questions had been answered only to bring up a whole new set left unanswered. Was it possible that Camrynn was from an alternate world? Could she really be here to save Gabrielle from some horrible death? Eve broke the silence with the first words to be heard for what seemed like forever.

"It’s an incredible story. I don’t believe Eli would have sent Camrynn here if he weren’t absolutely sure that she could somehow help Gabrielle. I think that he wants only to help us avoid the same fate."

Xena nodded her head in agreement. But after everything Camrynn had said, there was only one thing that didn’t click in Xena’s mind. She hadn’t heard of this warlord Camrynn had designated as Gabrielle’s assassin.

"Explain to me about this Warlord Laterian. Who is he, what does he want, and why was he attacking the village you spoke of?"

"Laterian is the son of Draco."

Taken aback for a moment; Xena shook her head in disbelief. "Wait a second, Draco didn’t have a son."

"Xena, it has been a long time since we ran into Draco, it is possible that he had a son in the time we were gone." Gabrielle reminded the warrior.

"Right. I keep forgetting that whole Twenty-five year thing."

"Well, there isn’t much to tell about Laterian." Camrynn continued. "He had just recently shown himself. He had huge ambition to take over the land by conquering all the villages he came across. When we happened on to him, he was attacking a village that’s not too far from here. He had killed so many people, including women and children. He was about to burn the village."

"Well, if he is anything like his father, he won’t be easy to stop." Xena paused for a minute deep in thought, and then stood up. "Evie, do me a favor, take care of Camrynn for a while. See if she needs anything. Gabrielle, will you come with me."

A quick nod from her bard acknowledged the request and Xena and Gabrielle started away from the camp. She wanted to hear what Gabrielle had on her mind about the story they had just heard. "What do you think of all this?"

Gabrielle sighed deeply. "Well, she seems to be telling the truth. Her world seems to parallel ours very closely. I mean a lot of what she said has happened here. Like the raid on my village, you saving us, Najara, Eli, being gone for Twenty-five years. It’s hitting very close to home, yet has it’s own twist to it. She doesn’t appear to be lying. Why? Do you think something’s up?"

"I don’t know. I don’t think she’s lying either. It’s strange how things are the same in her world, yet so different at the same time. Najara certainly wasn’t sane, but it appears in Camrynn’s world she was a genuine article. It’s certainly an interesting concept. I don’t know, I figured that, in a way, you are her sister. Maybe you might have a little insight or connection to her."

"I did feel a sort of recognition when I saw her, I can’t really explain it. It’s definitely strong, I feel as if I know her. Maybe it’s because she and I are sisters in her world. But I don’t know if I can tell you for sure that she is telling the truth. I believe her though."

Xena looked deeply into the emerald abyss and lost herself for a second. "If what she is saying is true, we need to be careful. We need to look for this Laterian and stop him before he destroys that village and…" her words trailed off.

Gabrielle knew what Xena was thinking and reached out to grasp the warrior’s large hands. "Don’t worry, Xena. Now that we know he is out there and what happened in the other world, we should be able to avoid any harm."

Xena smiled and squeezed the petite hands, "You’re right."

"But you’re still worried, aren’t you?" Gabrielle said, unconvinced her friend’s mind was at ease.

"I just can’t imagine what I could have been doing that I would miss an arrow heading straight for you."

Gabrielle’s grip tightened as she pulled Xena closer to her, trying to comfort her warrior. Making sure she had her undivided attention, Gabrielle locked her emerald eyes with denim blue. "Xena, it wasn’t you, okay. It was the Xena of Camrynn’s world. Just because there were similarities between our two worlds doesn’t mean that you are exactly the same as her. She is probably different in some ways than you are. Maybe she couldn’t get to the other Gabrielle, but you aren’t her. You have always been there for me, Xena. I know you wouldn’t let that happen to me."

Xena nodded feeling a little better after Gabrielle’s reassurance. She gave the Amazon Queen a loving smile. "I know. You’re right as always." Clearing her suddenly choked up throat, Xena motioned over her shoulder. "Hey, maybe we should head back to camp."

"Are you sure everything’s all right?"

"Yeah, it’s fine." Xena could still see the concern in Gabrielle’s eyes. "I promise, really. Let’s go."

The pair released their grip on each other slowly as they started back to camp in silence. Xena’s mind screamed with the thoughts of losing Gabrielle despite her reassurances that everything was okay. She knew that she would have to be extra careful when looking for Laterian. She couldn’t let her soulmate be killed by some two bit, wanna be warlord. The warrior hid her thoughts the best she could, not allowing Gabrielle to see that she was still concerned even though the feelings lingered.

When they got back to camp, Eve was finishing up on a wound above Camrynn’s brow. Apparently the hit that she had taken from Xena’s hilt had split the skin wide open. It had gone unnoticed during all the commotion.

"Everything okay?" Eve asked her mother after she left Camrynn’s side to join Xena.

"Yeah, everything’s fine. Just had to talk with Gabrielle. How’s Camrynn’s head?"

"A little bruised, but okay. The cut should heal soon enough." Eve faced her mother and spoke softly but with great conviction in her voice. "I think we can trust her, mother. If Eli believes in her, we should too."

"If you believe that what she is saying is the truth, then I will trust your instincts."

"Thank you, mother." Eve smiled and gave her mother a big hug. As they pulled away from each other, their identical eyes locked together. Simultaneously, they looked across the fire to the two petite women. They watched for a brief second as the events played out in front of them, but soon left the two alone to their privacy and began laying out their bedrolls.

Gabrielle sat next to Camrynn to check on her condition. "How are you feeling?"

"I’m a little tired and sore, but okay. I’ve been through worse." Camrynn chuckled. Her demeanor quickly changed as she noticed the purplish bruise she had inflicted on Gabrielle’s temple. "I hope you understand why reacted the way I did earlier. I feel so bad for hurting you." Camrynn gently brushed the bards temple with her finger.

Gabrielle remained still as Camrynn touched her face, but then took a hold of her hand. A caring smile brightened her face as she spoke. "It’s okay. Sometimes we can’t control our anger and it gets the best of us. You’ve had a pretty hard time lately. It’s completely understandable."

Camrynn returned the smile, relieved that everything was forgiven. "I am glad you don’t harbor any ill feelings toward me, Gabrielle. I was hoping we could…well, I know you aren’t the Gabrielle I know, but I was hoping we could at least be friends."

"Of course we can, Camrynn. I know that in your world, I am your sister and in a way I still am. Things are just a tad different here. My sister’s name is Lila; she and I are completely different, though." A chuckle escaped her lips. "I find it amazing that you and I seem to be so much alike."

"Lila? Oh…."

"What’s wrong? Gabrielle noticed the melancholy look in Camrynn’s eyes.

After a second of hesitation, Camrynn decided she could tell Gabrielle a secret that had been in her family for years. After all, Gabrielle was sort of like family. "Lila is the name of the baby mother lost at child birth a few years after I was born. We were too young to really understand, but we knew what mother had named her."

"By the Gods. I am so sorry." Horror filled Gabrielle’s voice.

"It’s okay. It has been a long time since I had thought of Lila. I didn’t know her, like I said, but the thought of her is what upsets me every now and then. We didn’t really speak of the loss, it was only kept between our family."

Tears began to stream harder down Camrynn’s face. Gabrielle leaned over and wrapped her arms around Camrynn. How hard this must be for her. She has no family left, Gabrielle thought. Her mother and father were gone, she has lost both sisters, and now she is in a strange world that she doesn’t belong to. The two sat there for a while as Camrynn cried on Gabrielle’s shoulder.

Gabrielle held her "sister" tightly, whispering to her, "It’ll be okay; you aren’t alone any more. We’re your family." And Gabrielle meant it; she would accept Camrynn into her family with out question or reservation.

Gabrielle glanced up to see Xena and Eve looking at the two of them with concern in their eyes. Gabrielle gave them a reassuring smile and a slight nod to let them know it was okay, and then returned to consoling the new addition to their family. After several minutes, Camrynn cried her last tears for the night and looked up at Gabrielle’s affectionate gaze.

"Thank you." She whispered, too exhausted to do anything else. Gabrielle answered only with a smile. She laid Camrynn down on her bedroll that she had set out earlier and covered her with the blanket. Camrynn smiled briefly before she fell into a deep sleep. Gabrielle kissed her on the forehead, glanced one more time at the now peaceful face, and then walked over to Xena and Eve.

"She’s been through so much."

Gabrielle explained what had just transpired between the two of them. They felt a certain sympathy for their new friend. Eve seemed the most touched, but this didn’t surprise Xena or Gabrielle much at all. Eve loved very deeply, that is why she had devoted her life to spreading the word of Eli. His first lesson she held very dear to her heart: Love is the way. If he had sent Camrynn here, it was for a reason. Eve was sure of that and would make it her mission to see that it was done.

Conversation of recent events rose and fell, but the three were no closer to answers than they were before. What they all knew though was that Camrynn wasn’t sent here on a whim. She had a purpose, a message. It must be filled if Xena, Gabrielle and Eve were to prevent any harm that could come to their loved ones and the world. Each was lost in their own thoughts as, across the fire, the young warrior slept. But for now, it was late and nothing more could be done.

"We had all better get some sleep. It’s been an eventful night and it’s going to be an interesting day tomorrow." Xena was determined to find Laterian soon and stop him from hurting anyone…. especially Gabrielle.

part 3

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