Enid was in her true form, still in her Atlantean armor it had not repaired itself yet and her chest as meager as it was, was almost hanging free, but she didn’t notice because she was too busy pacing and looking at her mother’s comatose form. The woman who had taught her so much about medicine and raising children. The woman who helped her birth her first two children. The woman who had saved her life by keeping her alive until her father could retrieve one of the golden fruits. The woman she knew to be quite dead and gone in the normal timeline. She looked at her daughter who was sitting on the foot of the bed and Lucius.

“I have never witnessed such an immature, selfish act in my entire existence. Do you know the position you’ve put me in now? I kill her or the world ends? The woman who saved my life. You two are unfucking believable!”

Hazel went to say something and her mother extended one of her hands, her index finger raised.

“Stop right there. If try to give me another excuse I’m going to say or do something I regret.”

Enid looked at her first husband who lay there on the bed.

“And you, Lucius, you know better. You know how important it is she die here. It is what makes father go to his final rest, so he makes me Empress, and gives me the amulet so I learn how to be less of a sociopath. All you did was extend her life by a few hours. How could you be so selfish?”

She is our mother!

“She is dead and has been for thousands of years. The only difference this time is you are forcing me to do it. Oh and I know its not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things but this means the amulet around my daughter’s heart is the same one that psychotic bitch Tiamat was using. I can’t even. I just can’t.”

Enid threw up her hands.

*****

Hazel hadn’t seen her mother so conventionally angry in a long time. She looked at Lucius and to her grandmother and felt the weight of the poor choice she made. She had put her mother in an impossible position where she had to chose between ending a woman she cared very deeply for, or ending the world. She knew which her mother would pick. Her mother continued ranting for what seemed like an eternity and Hazel couldn’t take anymore of it. She glanced down at Lucius.

She will calm down and see reason. My beautiful daughter don’t be afraid. She will forgive us.

Her stepfather’s words triggered a memory buried deep in Hazel’s mind from her childhood where she had heard those words before. My beautiful daughter. Her mind drifted back to an early summer day when she was playing in her wolf-born tribe’s territory and happened upon an overgrown mound of rock, with a strange tree. It had five pointed leaves on it and it was so full. She was seven, her mother was talking to her older brothers and sisters, so she had been left to her own devices. She had pushed apart the thick vines that had covered the mound of rock and when her hand touched the smooth stone that seemed to have been poured like the concrete of the future blue runes had flared to life. Blue runes that glowed the color of her mother’s eyes when she parted the Red Sea. Runes she now recognized to be Atlantean in origin due to her training in spells. The child her had stumbled back. Then she heard a voice, which hadn’t been strange she could hear voices everywhere, spirts were never silent. They would guide her and protect her. Don’t touch that it’s hot, don’t step there it is a sink hole. This voice was different. Spirits usually spoke by a rustle of the leaves, the crackle of a roaring fire, the whisper of the wind among the grass, this one was firm and obviously male, hearing had calmed her panic at the sight of the blue runes.

My beautiful daughter. Don’t be afraid. How nice it is to be close to you again. You are safe here.

“Who are you? My father is with the Gods.”

I understand your confusion child. I am someone who loves your mother very much. I mean you no harm, it has just been long since I have spoken to anyone. But you should run along to your mother. She will be wondering where you are, little one. You must not tell her we spoke, but I will be here waiting. Run quickly little Hazel.

Hazel had ran as fast from there as possible and had asked her sister Ingrid what he strange stone with a tree, and she was told it was the sacred pool that had been sealed by a hero of legend of their people from the time of Silver Tooth and his pack, to protect it for the ages to come. She snapped back to the present as her mother was still on her rant. It was Lucius at the sacred pool, sealed inside. She looked at her mom and tried to get her attention.

“Mom.”

Her mother didn’t even acknowledge her words.

“Mom! Mom! Mom!”

Her mother finally looked at her.

“Shh, I’m trying to think Hazel. You’ve done enough!”

“Mom!”

“Hazel shut it.”

Hazel had enough of her mother’s rudeness at this point and shifted to her half-wolf form grabbed her mother’s shoulders, lifted her up and shouted in her face using spirit-speak at the top of her now substantial lungs.

“Mom why won’t you listen to me!”

She had never pulled this stunt before without severe repercussions, but she was getting tired of being ignored after Egypt. Her mother blinked at her. Wiped the werewolf slobber off her face and said in a very quiet voice. The voice her mother used when Hazel would regret her last actions.

“You put me down and turn back to your human form this instant, Hazel Aurelius.”

Hazel gently put her mother down and let her form shrink to her still substantial six feet tall. Hazel grimaced, her full name, this was going to be one for the ages. She expected her mother to redouble her rant but instead her mother just looked up at her. Her mother’s voice was calm, like she’d gone past angry to cold calculating rage. Her green eyes belayed that with an unnatural calmness, and a look of disappointment.

“Please tell me what was so important, Hazel.”

Hazel blinked at her mother. Expecting a sudden explosion of expletives, anything to denote how angry she was but nothing came.

“If it was so important you decided to shift to your war form and grab your mother, then why are you hesitating?”

Hazel opened her mouth and closed it. Her mother’s bouts of anger she could handle, but this strange calmness disturbed her.

“I…”

“I? So that what was so important I hear? I expected more considering you slobbered all over my face and possibly damaged my hearing permanently.”

“Its just, what if…”

Hazel was so disconcerted by the calmness of her mother’s voice she felt herself getting tongue tied.

“You have never been a child that has had trouble speaking your mind, perhaps you bit your tongue while you were screaming at me.”

“Mom!”

“You have my absolute attention, Hazel. That is what you wanted wasn’t it?”

You are both being idiots. Enid stop being an inconsiderate, selfish bitch, Hazel be more respectful to your mother.

Neither woman was happy with Lucius at the moment so in unison they both looked at the gleaming blade and said: “Shut up!” Though Enid’s was creepily calm compared to Hazel’s shout. The mother and daughter’s eyes met. Enid made a small motion with her for Hazel to go ahead.

“Look mom, what if, what if she was somewhere, that was sealed so well, that like…it wasn’t opened until you opened it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The sacred pool in the tribe lands.”

“That’s been sealed forever. I’ve never known it to be open.”

“But…what if it was you who sealed it?”

Hazel watched her mother start to blink at her then start to tangle some of her red curly hair around her index finger deep in thought.

“How did you come up with this?”

“It was something dad said, he said My beautiful daughter don’t be scared, and that remind me of something…well something I thought was a spirt said to me when I was young and playing near the sacred pool’s capstone when I was seven or eight. It was Lucius talking to me. And I remember the runes when I touched it, they were Atlantean. Who else but you could seal a door with Atlantean magic in this time and place?”

“No one, your Aunt Maria is trapped and unconscious…father doesn’t go near Gaul until he picks me up and the stone is already sealed, which I didn’t do when I was there the first time, or when I was there and married your father. Remus has no relationship with the wolf-born to speak of. It makes complete sense. I know the capstone is still there in twenty-seventeen well after father takes his final rest. Hazel, you’re brilliant. But your grandmother, her life is hanging by a string, the wounds are supernatural in origin. My blood won’t even be enough to save her. Even fathers. We need a fruit from the tree of life. And no one is getting into Limbo…or at least no one I know.”

“Well, once we fix things, can’t you go get one, open the chamber and help her?”

“Yes, but we can’t leave Lucius there, we need him to fight he demons.”

We need someone there to protect mother.

“You’re a sword dear. What are you going to do?”

I’m a very shiny and expensive looking sword, someone is bound to pick me up if they happen on chamber, then I use them to kill their friends, and drain the one holding me.

“And if those looters happen to be able to resist you?”

They won’t, it’s our mother.

“Not to be a selfish bitch or anything, but there are demons, I need you to kill demons.”

No, you need me to obliterate demons, you can send them back to Hell just fine.

“So, they can escape again?”

Enid this is my mother!

“Fine collect dust in a hole in the ground for all I care you selfish prick!”

Her mother threw her hands up and mumbled something about pugmentia, being hungry and then left. Hazel collapsed onto the foot of the bed again with tears on her cheeks as the ramifications of Lucius’s choice hit her.

*****

Enid watched the unkempt Roman road pass in under of their carruca, a two horse covered cart with a solid roof common in to the time period. She held the reins in her hands. The horses had been good company. Hazel not so much. It was her turn to be sullen and silent. She’d barely said a word to her mother or her stepfather the whole trip she’d spent much of it watching video’s on her holo-tablets, swapping between her old one and the one she’d gotten from the Church of the Dark Mother. Always keeping one charging with a micro fusion generator. Enid’s mother was wrapped in thick linen in the back. She had kept their travels to nighttime. Hazel was wearing a dress. Enid was wearing a tunic and had kept her hood up. The only indication she may be a woman was her slight build and her long platinum hair pulled into a ponytail and peaking out of the left side of her hood. They had avoided anyone they could on their journey. It was coming up on day twenty-six of their long journey into the wilds of Gaul. Enid could have halved the time, her vampirism meant that when others would sleep at night, she could travel but Hazel was not so lucky and the horses would have died without rest periods.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

She slowed the horses and took them off the side of the road. They were well past the Roman borders now, into the territory of the barbarian tribes of Gaul, they were close enough now the scouts would have seen them. Hazel looked at her mother as the stop seemed to have disturbed her viewing the nineteenth century period drama she’d been watching.

“Mom?”

Enid motioned to one of the trees. It was a distinct oak tree with perfectly symmetrical growth. Hazel looked to her mother.

“The world tree?”

Enid nodded. The mother and daughter knew it meant they were in the territory of Hazel’s home village.

“Scouts already saw us. I’m going to get changed into something… more revealing.”

“Why?”

“Because the leader before your father was an ass, we can’t take the horses and cart into the wolf-born lands, the foliage is too thick.”

“Why not ditch the cart here and head in now.”

“Because dawn will come.”

“Grandma has an amulet, doesn’t she?”

“Yes but she is weaker as a mortal and I do not know if she would survive she is barely hanging on as a vampire. Also, the there is a storm coming.”

“What?”

“I’m sure if you talk to the spirits they’ll tell you. I can see it.”

Enid crawled into the pack of the cart and when she came back out Hazel had resumed her movie. Enid was wearing a tight-fitting dress that showed off every curve of her Sarah body. She had to adjust her chest and tug the dress up to ensure the girls didn’t fall out. She looked at her daughter then tugged the hood of her cloak up adjusting her ponytail so it didn’t run down the back. That sensation had always ignored her. She hated hair between clothing and skin. Hazel looked at her mother a few minutes later.

“Why aren’t we going mom?”

Enid motioned to Hazel’s wrist.

“Just letting you finish the movie, because that is going away until we leave this time. We’re going to be walking, or in tight quarters.”

Hazel sighed and nodded. Enid looked up at the moon. She remembered flying past it so many times and silently missed space. She sighed and hopped down from the cart and started patting the horses she’d named Missy and Chrissy. The horses nudged her and she spoke in a language they could understand, more feelings then words. She put her hand on the side of Missy’s head and the horse poked her with its nose. Chrissy started up as well.

“You two are just curious little mares, aren’t you? We’re almost to where we part ways my friends. Thank you for bringing us this far, but where we go after this you cannot come. Don’t worry our precious cargo is almost safely to her destination. The people we’re going to leave you with are good people. Especially Rolf. You’ll keep an eye on him for me, won’t you? Keep him out of trouble until I can get here?”

Missy stomped her hooves and rear her head back to Hazel.

“Bossy aren’t you, yes I’ll tell her as soon as her movie is over.”

Chrissy poked her hard with her nose. Enid saw Hazel pulling her wrist band off and looking at her.

“I promise! You two share the same mind I swear. I’ll do it right now.”

Both horses snorted and Enid climbed back up on the cart letting the reins sit on the coachman’s bench.

“Something wrong?”

“No, they’re just being bossy.”

“Then why aren’t we moving?”

“Umm, so, the…village? Your father is there, and he will have no idea who we are, and it needs to stay that way. He will have another wife, and another daughter.”

Hazel crossed her arms.

“So what? The only dad I ever knew is Lucius and he’s abandoning me; This one was gone before I was even born. I guess that’s what dads do right? Hurt you if they’re like yours or they abandon you if they’re like both of mine.”

Enid nodded and pulled her cloak around her dress that honestly would have been easier to get on if she’d had it stitched together while she was wearing. She started to comprehend her daughter’s sullen silence had nothing to do with her and everything to do with Lucius wanting to stay behind with their mother. Enid reached down and picked up the reigns.

“Come on girls, lets go jump in the deep end of this shit pool.”

Hazel was back to glaring at the road. Enid had seen this phase with every single one of her daughters. The world was always ending if something changed. She didn’t have a chance to live it, she was too busy being a mother or training in the ways of war. Her usual path through this particular hormonal teenage minefield was just to stay at the edge waiting for them to ask for help and adding a few tidbits of wisdom to let them know she was there when they were ready.

“Hazel, everything changes with time. You should know that better than anyone, you’ve seen the world before humans existed and how wild and untamed it was, and you’ve seen it in the midst of an ice age, you’ve been to another world entirely. You’ve walked with alien races. Hell, you’ve played monopoly with a dragon woman who you call Aunt, who takes games way to seriously. All things change in time, we have to adapt or we get run over. People will come and go in your life, parents are no different, Eyre and I spent centuries talking once or twice a decade. This isn’t about you, its about your grandmother. If you had the choice of leaving me under a rock and hoping for the best, or leaving someone to protect me, what would your choice be?”

Hazel kept her arms crossed and glared at the road ahead. Enid pulled back on the reins favoring the left and started towards the walled village. They would be there in minutes now. It was mid-morning. As they reached the gates Enid stopped the cart. Enid hopped down and absently started humming a tune to Everything I do; I do for you. she hadn’t listened to in years. Not since she last listened to it while dancing with Rolf, she had sung along with it as they had shared their last dance in the light of the dying embers of the long house’s hearths. Then they shared their last night together his wrinkled hands resting on her swollen belly that held Hazel. She looked up at her daughter who was giving her mother the strangest look. Enid smiled sadly at her. Hazel would never understand the torture of seeing the man she dedicated her life too for sixty years in the arms of a stranger, a man who knew ever inch of Enid’s body. Enid turned to the gate guards as they approached. She recognized them immediately Havi and Veld. She was familiar with their faces but beyond a few minor social interactions in the long house she basically knew them to seem them. Veld took a form hold of Missy’s bridle and the horse reacted by trying to tug free. Enid touched her nose.

“Shh, they do not know how good you are.”

Missy calmed down but her eyes were focused on Veld. Havi started to speak.

“Why do you com-”

Enid pulled the hood of her cloak back and undid the clasp folding it over her arm. Her Sarah from was crafted to be the most attractive woman. She’d taken the best features from some of the most gorgeous women in history and added exotic ice blue eyes and straight platinum blonde hair. Add to that a dress that covered her, but left nothing to the imagination Havi stammered a few more incoherent words before Veld spoke.

“What Havi is trying to say is, why are you here?”

Enid turned to Veld.

“My sister and I are travelling to our ancestral lands to bury our mother. Her name is Greta and mine is Sarah.”

“You should not come here, many are sick.”

“We have little choice, a very strong summer storm is coming and will be here by mid-afternoon. Our cart will not protect our mother’s remains from it.”

Veld looked up at the clear blue skies.

“I think you’ve misinformed girl.”

Hazel hopped down and through the two men were large, they were still dwarfed by the teenager. She crossed her arms.

“My sister is a seer a renowned healer in Roma, maybe she can help you sick.”

Havi seemed to find his words after several more seconds of stunned silence at the size of Hazel.

“You know our tongue?”

Enid spoke up.

“Yes our mother taught us. And sister I thought we agreed I would do the talking.”

Hazel grunted.

“Your cleavage was doing the talking.”

Enid gave Hazel a withering glance, her teenage daughter seemed unaffected by it. As she flexed her muscles causing the arms of her dress to bulge. Enid reached out and touched Hazel’s arm gently.

“My sister is speaking the truth; I may be able to assist your sick.”

Veld and Havi though still practically drooling over Enid looked unmoved. Enid decided to try another tactic.

“I have a proposition, tell your king that we’ll accept a challenge to enter. We will face two of his best fighters, they can have weapons and shield, we will fight in our dresses. If he wins, he gets fifty gold coins, our horses and the cart, my sisters will leave you in peace. If we win, he still gets fifty gold coins, our horses and the cart, and my sister and I get food and loggings for the night, and we use the cave you store supplies in to store our mothers remains until we leave for our sacred lands. Either way, if he wishes it, I will tend to the sick before we move on.”

“And what if he says take everything and make you girls slaves?”

“Then a lot of people will die today for no good reason, my sister is worth ten of your men. Look, this way he gets some sport, and either way he profits, and you do not lose good people to disease or battle.”

Havi snorted.

“You’re an arrogant little thing aren’t you.”

“Perhaps the question you should ask, Havi, is why are two women heading into lands your men are forbidden from because they are inhabited by the wolf people. And ponder why my sister is twice your size.”

Veld put his hand on Havi’s shoulder.

“She has made a good offer, watch them while I consult the king, try not to die by being the asshole we all know you are.”

Havi shoved Veld towards the village. Enid, Hazel, the horses and Havi stood in an uncomfortable silence. Havi’s eyes kept drifting too Enid’s chest. Enid didn’t mind that was the whole point of the outfit to make them underestimate her. Though she hoped Havi would be one of the champions picked so she could beat some politeness into him. It was almost half an hour before Veld came back, with most of the able-bodied villagers in tow, along with the old king that Enid held a dislike for if only because he made Rolf’s life more miserable then it needed to be. Though if there was some sort of sickness going around she would have hoped they’d isolate, but it was the first century, so not like they realized what was going on. Rolf was absent from the crowd. The king’s eyes were laser focused on Enid as soon as he caught sight of her, he looked quite eager, then his eyes drifted to the right and up and met Hazel’s gaze, then he did not look so eager.

“Veld you said she was big; You didn’t tell me she was a giant! Who speaks for you?”

Enid stepped forward patting Missy to calm the mare.

“I do, Sarah of Rome.”

Enid reached into her pack and pulled out a bag of Roman coins and tossed them to king, he looked inside and back to the woman who had tossed them.

“This is a lot of money for girl.”

Enid motioned to him.

“Fifty gold coins yours, win or lose. You going to stare at my chest all day or are we going to have a challenge here?”

Hazel blushed. Her mother was getting more and more back to normal.

“Hah! Veld volunteered who else will face the giant from Rome?”

Havi grinned and held up his axe.

“I’ll cut her down to size.”

Enid glanced at Hazel her started to move forward and put her arm on her daughter’s forearm. She had no doubt her daughter could beat them soundly, but she had other plans.

“Oh, you misunderstand, they’ll be fighting me. I want this to be fair. My sister could take on your whole village.”

The king laughed. Enid stepped forward, Veld looked at down at Enid’s hands and the position of his feet. He tightened the grip on his shield and axe. Havi let out a boisterous laugh.

“Why not just give us the money girl? Save yourself the beating.”

The king shook his head and shouted.

“Tenth of the prize if you can spank some sense into the brat!”

Havi and Veld stepped forward. Enid’s biggest fear in the fight was that her chest would fall out of the dress, she was starting to regret her choice of wardrobe. She stepped forward. Veld glanced at the look in Hazel’s face he readjusted his grip again getting into a firmer fighting stance.

Havi showed no respect for his opponent and charged at Enid. She easily avoided his wild axe swing. And slapped in hard enough on the cheek that echoed along the wooden wall of the secure village.

“Who taught you to swing that? Are you drunk old man?”

“Little bitch!”

He let out a growl and charged at Enid again. Enid side stepped him and shoved him and he lost control of his charge and stumbled into the wall. Enid looked at Veld.

“You don’t want to make this a threesome?”

Hazel coughed at her mother’s words her cheeks growing bright red. Veld’s reaction was similar. Havi decided he would use this distraction to go after Enid. He had a good ten feet to charge at her. Having baited the hook Enid pretended not to notice him then at the last second she grabbed his wrist and used a basic aikido throw. Havi’s mass of armor, his shield, his axe and his body weight all combined to make the hit on the ground brutal. Enid did a flip bringing her leg down on his open chest. He tried to cry out as she smashed his ribs and diaphragm. He lay there gasping for air. She’d angled the hit so the damage wouldn’t be permanent, but he would be down for the count. The crowd winced as did Hazel. She dusted her hands off and looked at Veld.

“If you’d both attacked me at once it might have been fair, now its you against me, I don’t like your chances, especially if you’re as flaccid as he was. I mean he couldn’t even keep his axe up, how does his wife deal with his sword issue.”

Havi was hitting the ground as he still gasped for breath. The king for his part was laughing. The crowd was starting to do so as well. Enid’s point was to entertain, not brutalize. Enid motioned to her chest.

“So, you just going to stand there drooling at them? Do you like to be on the bottom?”

“You can defend yourself but can you attack with no weapon.”

“Do you really want to find that out old man?”

Veld got into a stance and prepared to defend himself. Enid shrugged and ran at him feinting an attack that would strike from above. Veld raised his shield only to find his lithe opponent slide along the ground at the last moment hooked her hands on his belt and slammed him forward into the dirt. Enid kipped up and punched him in a weak spot in the armor on the torso then a swift blow to his bicep where she knew would prevent him from effectively using his shield until he recovered. She knew their armor style well since she’d worked on Rolf’s so much. Veld held his side and stumbled backwards. His shield drooped as his arm suffering from the induced cramp refused to lift.

He looked at Enid and tried to get his footing. He was playing defensive again. Enid adjusted the top of her dress because the slide had almost done it in and her chest was about to pop out. She flipped away from Veld and grabbed Havi’s shield. He was still struggling to breath in more then small breaths of air so was unable to resist. Enid charged at Veld feinting again. He raised his shield for an attack that never came and when he lifted his head he saw Havi’s shield flying at him to late to avoid it hit in the head and he fell backwards. Enid lept towards him and hit him in the stomach with swift low kick. He doubled over and then Enid’s foot caught him in the chin and he fell backwards groaning. She hiked up her dress and straddled him. She felt firmness under his breeches.

“Oh well at least your little Veld is still working. Guess you do like the bottom. Do you yield old man?”

He was rubbing his bearded jaw.

“You fight like a Valkyrie!”

Enid leaned forward grabbing his arms one of which was still cramped and weak she pushed them down. She was looking into his eyes.

“I’ve been told that, now do you yield of do you want more bruises?”

“I yield, to both your ability to flirtatiousness and your fighting ability.”

Enid looked to the king while shifting her legs and dress so that Veld could feel that there was nothing under the dress. Veld struggled to rub himself against her.

“Well, will you keep your bargain?”

“I am a man of my word. You can do agreed. You may lay your heads in the long house.”

Enid let Veld rub himself on her a bit longer and felt him slip inside. She smiled down at him he looked like he’d just won the lottery.

“Once I’ve tended to the sick and we’ve eaten you and I will finish this fight hmm?”

She moved back and forth a few times and then moved she he popped out and while she was reaching down to fix her dress covered him. She offered her hand to him.

“You are no innocent maiden, nor are you a stranger to fighting. I fear what your sister is capable of.”

“She’s a puppy dog. Really.”

He chuckled and nodded, knowingly.

“And what of you?”

“Just like you, if a bit better in a fight.”

Havi was being helped up by some of the men and was still holding his chest. Veld looked at Enid again.

“You could have killed us with your bare hands couldn’t you have.”

Enid nodded.

“In several different ways. Could you show me to the sickest first please?”

Veld motioned towards the village properly. Hazel took the reins of the cart and directed into the village proper.