TITLE:     LORDS OF MAGIC 3 - THE AMAZONS
AUTHOR:    DONNILEE & FATCAT
E-MAIL:    Donnilee@snet.net
           Fatcat33047@yahoo.com
WEBSITE:   http://donnilee.tripod.com
RATING:    NC-17
CATEGORY:  MSR
SPOILERS:  Small one for Quagmire.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:  FatCat helped me to write this installment 
and develop Scully's character and struggles.  Thanks so much for 
your help!

SUMMARY:    Mulder and Scully find themselves on a magical 
world no one ever knew existed.  They must fight for their lives 
and the lives of others if they are to ever make it back home again.

DISCLAIMER:  All characters used from the show, The X-Files, 
are the property of Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions, and 
Fox Broadcasting.  No copyright infringement intended.  No 
money made here.

DISCLAIMER 2:  All references to elements of the game, The 
Lords of Magic, belong to the creators of the computer game, 
Sierra Games.  No copyright infringement intended.  I have not 
just stolen characters as I have in the X-Files.  This time I've stolen 
an entire universe!  Just showing that I'm an equal opportunity 
thief!

THANKS:  To my beta readers Cratkinson, FatCat, and 
XochiLuvr, who keep me from making major boo-boos and 
looking stupid.  I really appreciate it.  Go team!  Thanks so much.
This one has been beta read to death!  Any errors herein are mine 
alone.  

DEDICATION:  I would like to dedicate this story to my late 
grandmother, Blanche Claire Wright Green Taylor, better known 
as 'Tot'.  She was Mahopac, Native American, and was probably 
the first person to excite my imagination, as she was a storyteller to 
end all storytellers.  She entertained my sister and me for hours by 
reciting epic poems and stories, filled with adventure and happy 
endings.  She couldn't read well and she couldn't spell for shit, but 
she had what counted most; an unlimited supply of unconditional 
love and an imagination without limits.  She died over a decade 
ago, in her own bed, at home, at the age of 84.  I still miss her.  So 
thanks to my Gramma Tot, for making me believe imagination can 
take you far.

XXXXXXXXXX

PART 1 (NC-17)
SAHANNA VILLAGE
WATER TERRITORY

We approached a small village on the outskirts of the plains.  The 
terrain ahead of us seemed much like the plains we were leaving 
except that I could see hills and rougher, rocky outcroppings here 
and there along the way.  The road was a packed dirt trail wide 
enough for four to ride abreast.  Dorian and Joachim rode in front, 
their eight Elven riders behind them, two abreast.  Scully and I 
rode on either side of Ashante.  The entire pilgrimage looked like 
something out of a fantasy novel I read when I was a kid. 

Even having ridden nearly forty miles to the edge of the plains, I 
was still not completely at ease atop the muscular blue unicorn, 
Jadian.  He seemed totally unconcerned as we walked along at a 
brisk pace. 

Scully appeared to be enjoying her ride on top of Brenneka today, 
too.  She had slept through the night after her conversation with 
Ashante last evening.  

The day before had been difficult for her.  The bonding with the 
unicorns had really taken its toll on Scully.  She had held up while 
we were in public, but I could tell that she was close to losing her 
composure by the time we had outfitted the unicorns in the stables.

Ashante had declared that we should wait until the morning to 
begin our journey.  Apparently she had some insight that no one 
else did, and we immediately disbursed.  Scully had returned to the 
temple with Ashante and the other noviates for an additional 
training session.

I had a light session with Joachim on the training field while riding 
Jadian and then had taken advantage of the free time to go back to 
our room and soak in the large tub.  I kept hoping that Scully 
would show up and we could have a little afternoon delight.

I heard the door push open then slam.  I started to call out to her, 
but I heard a sharp rap on the door and Ashante's low, cultured 
voice just before I heard the sound of Scully's sobs.

Shit!  I wanted to go to her, but I hadn't brought my clean clothes 
into the room and there were no towels available in here.  Flashing 
the head enchantress of a foreign world was not on the list of the 
top ten things to do to elicit assistance on getting home.

I listened as Scully's sobs deepened.  I could tell that Ashante had 
moved to soothe her.  I could hear the unintelligible little sounds a 
woman makes to someone to soothe an ache or a fear.

"It's all right to be overwhelmed," Ashante said as Scully's tears 
abated.  "Many of the noviates are just as overwhelmed as you at 
first.  It's a lot to learn."

Scully sniffed and cleared her throat.  I knew she was trying to pull 
her control back into place.  It scared me to think that she might 
not be able to do that this time.

"It's not just the magic, Ashante, or even the amount to learn.  It's 
everything," she said.  "I've, I've based my entire life on science 
and now everything I know to be true is wrong."

"I'm not familiar with this word, 'science'," Ashante murmured.  "Is 
it the magic of your world?"

"You might call it that.  I've always counted on being to explain 
things with facts.  For instance, on my world, water can be three 
things, a liquid, a solid, and a gas.  I know that the chemicals that 
make up water are H2O, two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen.  
I know that when you apply heat to water, it gets hot enough to 
boil away to a gas and when you put water in a freezer, it will turn 
to ice.  When it's brought back to room temperature, it always 
returns to a liquid.  These are things I know.  These things never 
change.

"When the water in gas form rises to the clouds, they will 
sometime become thunderstorms and thunder and lightening will 
be generated naturally.  In other words, there is a logical, non-
mystical explanation for these things.  But just a day or so ago, I 
rode the back of a phoenix, a mythical bird in my world, and used 
a plain staff of wood and crystal to pull lightening out of the sky 
and direct it towards my enemies, killing them.  This is against 
everything I've ever believed in," she concluded with quiet despair.

"That's not all that's wrong, is it?" Ashante prodded.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Scully, I know that you have a difficult time believing that I am a 
seer.  Apparently, on your world we are rare and yet there are 
many claiming to have our talent, am I right?"

"Yes."

"I have been given a vision of you as a child, Scully.  There were 
two red-headed girls in this vision.  One was a believer, someone 
who would have accepted all she saw here with an open heart and 
you, the ... scientist, I believe you called yourself.  Is this right?"

"Yes," Scully answered.  There was awe in her voice.  No one 
here, except me, knew anything about her sister, Melissa.

"I believe part of your difficulty in accepting our world, our reality, 
is that you feel guilty because Melissa died in your place.  I saw 
this in the vision.  She would have enjoyed this world very much 
and have fit in perfectly here.  You think that she would have been 
a more powerful enchantress and embraced this world.  You feel 
the need to deny your abilities and acceptance of the order of 
things here so that you can live with this guilt.  You don't want to 
be good at something she would have loved.  Does that make sense 
to you, Scully?"

"She should be here not me," Scully sobbed. 

"This is not true, Scully," Ashante said sharply.  "You are where 
you should be, when you should be there.  You have always 
believed in magic, in fantasy, but you have never allowed yourself 
to indulge in your sister's beliefs because you felt a great deal of 
pressure to be different.  You were to be the scientist, the healer, 
what you call a doctor, from the time you were young.  While that 
worked for a while on your world, it wasn't your path there either."

"What do you mean?"

"I have seen your dilemma, Scully.  In your world, to leave the 
healer's profession and take up the soldier's shield was a decision 
that alienated parts of your family, am I not correct?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"And your work with Mulder; is it not based more on the 
unexplainable in your world than on the facts of your science?" 
Ashante asked.

"Yes, but," Scully began.

"I can see all this from you and from your man, Mulder.  You need 
to let go of your guilt, Scully, and accept that you are filled with 
the ability to create magic.  Your talents would probably never 
have emerged on your planet, but here, you are blossoming.  I'm 
not saying that it's going to be easy.  I'm not saying that your 
disbelief will disappear entirely, because it won't.  It's your ability 
to question everything that makes you so good and precise at it.  
All I'm asking of you is that you try to accept our world as it is, 
myths, magic, and all.  Your capacity to cope with your abilities 
will boil down to a life and death decision for my world."

"I don't understand," she cried.

"You will, Scully, you will," Ashante said.  "Now sleep."

I could hear the rustle of bedclothes as Scully fell asleep 
immediately after Ashante's words.  I knew that Ashante had 
probably used magic on Scully to help her sleep this quickly and 
soundly.  I waited to hear her leave before climbing out of the tub.  
I heard the door open and then Ashante's words floated back to me.

"You can come out of the bath now, Mulder.  She will be all right.  
She needs to sleep and to think about what we've discussed."

"Uh, thanks," I called, feeling sheepish.

"You're welcome," she said, laughing as she shut our door.

I climbed out and quickly rushed to Scully's side.  As soon as I 
made sure she was just sleeping, I grabbed a towel and dried off 
and then climbed into bed.  I wrapped my body around hers and 
she instinctively snuggled up to me.

This morning, Scully had woken up with a calm new acceptance to 
her demeanor.  I was glad to see it, but hoped it was her choice and 
not a spell she was under.  By the time breakfast was over and she 
had found three new things to be skeptical about and question.  I 
knew that my Scully was in complete control.

As we approached the village, I saw the first thing in this land that 
looked familiar: a seagull.  I say familiar because, although it 
looked identical to an earthly seagull, it was nearly twice the size 
of one.  It swooped down and landed on the horn of Ashante's 
unicorn, Zalika.  The whole procession came to a halt.  

The bird slowly walked in that odd way birds have while holding 
onto a perch until it sat on Zalika's neck right behind her ears.  It 
cocked its head to one side in an oddly intelligent fashion and then 
lowered its head as if bowing to Ashante.

She smiled and reached out, carefully removing the collar that was 
on the bird's neck.  Attached to that was small leather pouch in the 
shape of a tube.  She deftly opened the pouch and removed a small, 
rolled up scroll.  She opened it and read silently.

She lifted her head and said, "They are expecting us.  They ask that 
we wait at the village ahead for an escort to the Amazon palace."

She carefully made a tear in the corner of the note, put it back in 
the pouch and refastened it around his neck.  The large seagull 
took off with a squawk and headed back the way it had came.  She 
looked at us and said, "The tear will tell Foamrider that I received 
her message."

Scully asked, "How did it know who to come to?"

"Lead on, Dorian," she commanded.  Dorian nodded and our 
procession took up where it had left off.  Ashante continued, "That 
was Foamrider's personal familiar, Neo.  We've met before."

"Excuse me?" Scully asked, clearly puzzled.

Ashante gave her that amused smile that graced her face so often 
when explaining her world to us.  "Those creatures are called 
gullwinds.  They are message carriers and often attach themselves 
to an Amazon priestess, much like the unicorns bond with us.  
They are extremely loyal.  Once they meet a person, and associate 
a face with that individual's name, they never forget them.  They 
have a limited intelligence, but they can be sent to deliver 
messages directly to any person they know."

"So who is Foamrider?" Scully asked.  "I thought you said the 
leader of the Amazons was Imatra."

"Imatra is the queen of the Amazons.  Her name means 
magnificent waterfall.  She was the General of the Amazon 
Warriors.  Since becoming queen, a woman named Medini now 
heads the military.  Foamrider is the high priestess."  

"Ah," Scully acknowledged, no longer looking confused.  

Ashante said, "We have long had good relations with the 
Amazons.  We both simply would like to live in peace and 
maintain our way of life.  Since our economies are fairly dependent 
on one another, those needs have overridden the occasional 
conflict that comes up.  They want their way of life preserved, but 
make no mistake.  They are fierce warriors."

"How big are they?" I asked.

She chuckled.  "The average Amazon is about seven feet tall, give 
or take."

"Whew," Scully whispered.

"Are there any men in the army?"

"Not many.  There aren't many men at all, in fact.  It's one of the 
problems they have.  The females outnumber the males by three to 
one.  Why the births have maintained those statistics for several 
generations, they really don't know.  It's one of their cultural 
mysteries.  The problem is that they are not a fertile race either.  
An Amazon can generally only have one child in her lifetime, and 
in the last three generations, numerous women have been unable to 
have even one, and not for lack of trying."

We laughed.  "So what do they do?"

She grinned.  "They share the men."

"What?" Scully exclaimed.

I grinned with Ashante.  She said, "Don't judge them.  They are 
trying to preserve their race.  One of the reasons they keep the men 
out of battle is that they don't want to lose the ones they have.  
They work in the few crystal mines they have, and in the 
breweries.  They also maintain the aqueducts that provide water for 
their crops, and incidentally, for ours."
 
"That must be tough," Scully commented.  "No offense, but I'm not 
sharing Mulder with anyone."

I waggled my eyebrows at her and both ladies laughed.  Ashante 
said, "I agree.  Anyone that tried to take Anzwen from me would 
be sorry the thought ever crossed their minds.  However, we can 
afford that luxury.  Our population is fairly balanced between 
females and males.  The Amazons have learned to put jealousy 
aside and focus on keeping their race alive.  Three or four women 
generally share a man, and they all live in the same house together.  
All the women get equal time and the men earn their keep.  They 
are an industrious race.  They work like dogs, men and women 
alike.  The Amazon women all care for and pamper the men in 
their homes."

"Ah, sounds like the life," I teased.

Scully cleared her throat dramatically.  "Thinking of leaving me 
for a stable of Amazons, Mulder?" she asked with mock 
innocence.

I barked out a laugh.  "Sounds good in theory, but you know I 
could never do it.  I'm a one-woman man, all the way."

Scully gave me a close-lipped smile that warmed my heart.  "I was 
just teasing," she said.

I smiled back.  "I know."

Dorian pulled the group to a halt about ten yards from the gates of 
the village.  The enormous wooden gates swung open and we got 
our first look at the Amazons.

XXXXXXXXXX

"There is no end to this," Scully mumbled under her breath.

I silently agreed, but Ashante laughed out loud.  I knew what she 
meant.  The shocks just kept coming.  Even though we'd been here 
a while now, it still caught us off guard when we ran into 
something we hadn't seen before.  Two women came through the 
gates on top of big, bird-like creatures.  They resembled ostriches.  
Each had long legs, stood around nine or ten feet tall at its back, 
and then had a long, extended neck that was easily another three 
feet long.  It ended in a small head with large eyes, and a beak 
much like a duck.  The bodies were covered in black feathers, and 
their necks and heads were covered in white feathers.  Their legs 
were featherless but sported short, crew-cut-like white hairs on 
pink, skinny legs.  Their feet looked like duck feet -- large, out of 
proportion, and webbed.  They trotted up to us.  Stopping a couple 
feet in front of us, the two women dismounted easily from the 
saddles and held the long leather reins loosely in their hands.  

These women were enormous in every sense of the word.  Not fat 
but just plain big.  As Ashante had said, they were around a head 
taller than me, which meant they were hugging seven feet.  They 
had broad shoulders, muscular arms and legs, and good-sized 
chests.  I couldn't help but notice.  Their breasts matched the size 
of the rest of them.  They wore tunic-style leather vests with silver 
belts; off the belts hung several pouches.  Each carried saber-like 
curved blades on their backs in scabbards and had a dagger on 
either hip.  They wore high black leather boots that reached to their 
knees.  Their legs were bare, as were their arms.  Hanging off the 
saddles I could see silver helmets that would protect their faces. 

One was blonde and the other had hair so black it was nearly blue.  
It would have hung to their waists if unbound, but both wore it 
pulled back in a tight ponytail, fastened with leather thongs and 
hanging down their backs. 

We took our cue from Ashante and dismounted.  Dorian, Joachim 
and the troops moved off to one side and let the two women 
approach.  They stopped in front of Ashante, placed a hand on their 
belts and bent sharply at the waist.  "We greet you, High 
Enchantress," they said in unison.

She put a hand on her sash of her toga gown and bent at the waist 
as well.  "Greetings, Warriors.  May I have your names?"

The blonde said, "I am Duba."

The girl with black hair said, "I am Tellmim."
 
Ashante gestured to me and said, "This is Scully, a Human, other-
worlder guest, and now my noviate."  Scully copied her and put 
her hand on the belt of her tunic and bent at the waist.  She turned 
and gestured to me.  "And this is Mulder, her mate."

They bent in greetings.  Duba said, "High Priestess Foamrider has 
spoken of your coming.  We are honored.  You will need to spend 
the night.  Follow us inside and we will get you settled.  It's nearly 
sunset and we need to lock the gates soon.  We'll escort you to the 
palace first thing in the morning." 

"Very well," Ashante answered.  She gestured for the troops to join 
us and we followed them inside.  We were led to a small structure 
that appeared to be made entirely of marble.  I didn't have it in me 
to ask what the substance was and have another lesson in 
weirdness today.  

I was, however, getting used to the hum of the translator that hung 
on my ear.  I could hear their language softly in the background as 
they spoke, but English words were translated into my ear at a 
reasonable volume.  I didn't know how they worked and didn't 
really care.  I did know this entire experience would be a lot 
tougher without them.  Although I felt like I was wearing a girly 
earring at first, I was now accustomed to its weight on my ear.

They fed us a meal that consisted of a carrot-like vegetable in 
honey, and of course, fish.  We were hungry and ate ravenously.  
The portions were more than I could eat, but I noticed the two 
Amazons cleaned their plates.

After dinner, a man appeared to clear away the remains of our 
dinner.  Tellmim introduced us.  "This is Denzin, our husband."

Our husband.  Weird.  He bowed to us and then removed our 
plates.  We were enjoying a hot after-dinner drink much like 
chicory coffee when a third woman appeared and bent at the waist 
in greeting, saying, "I am Kitane.  Pleased to meet you."

We nodded and she sat down at the table with us.  She was a 
redhead and shaped much like the other two.  Tellmim added, "She 
is our sister-wife.  We all share Denzin."

Ashante asked, "Has any of you been blessed?"

Tellmim smiled so hard I thought her cheeks would crack.  "I am 
three months along," she replied.

"Congratulations!" Ashante said enthusiastically. 

Scully said, "I am a healer in my world.  You look great.  When do 
start to show?"

Tellmim said, "We carry a child for a year.  Around five or six 
months we start to show growth of the child."

"Wow, a whole year!" Scully said with surprise.

"Yes, our pregnancy cycle is long.  We are not often blessed so it 
is always a celebration when a child arrives."

Scully smiled softly in sympathy.  "I lost a child once.  It was 
devastating.  I am no longer able to have children."

All three women looked genuinely distressed and sympathetic.  
"I'm so sorry," Duba replied.

Scully just said, "We must accept what we're given to deal with."

"We must indeed," Kitane responded.  "When you are finished 
with your chicory root we will show you to our guest rooms.  I'm 
sorry the villages don't have better accommodations."

Ashante said, "Don't worry about it, dear.  As long as there is a 
bed, I'll be happy."

"Those we have," Kitane joked.  "I'm sorry I missed dinner.  I was 
getting your troops settled in the small barracks we have in the 
center of the village."

"Is there a name for your village?" I asked.

"Sahanna," Duba replied.  "You will see Crestfall by mid-morning 
tomorrow."

"How many of you guard this village?" I asked, simply being 
curious. 

Kitane answered, "There are nine of us captains.  We each have 
three slingers and three Lizards to oversee."

"Oh dear," Scully said with a deep sigh.  "Lizards.  Slingers," she 
repeated quietly.

Ashante laughed pleasantly again.  "They are still getting used to 
all the peoples of Urak.  Humans overwhelmingly dominate their 
planet.  They are not used to all the different races and creatures."

"I understand," Tellmim said.  "We are not offended."  She turned 
to Scully.  "The Lizard people are odd creatures.  They are sentient 
and intelligent enough to take orders, but they cannot lead.  The 
males are called slingers, as that is their weapon of choice.  They 
are the equivalent of the Elven archers or the Storm Giants faeries.  
They are deadly with slings but don't have as hearty a constitution 
as the females."

Duba took up the explanation.  "The females are fierce and can be 
vicious when provoked.  They fight with metal tridents.  They have 
served the Amazons for generations.  They live in huts they 
construct from mud and grass and twigs.  In exchange for their 
military help, we feed them and allow them areas to build their 
own villages inside our territory."

I said, "I saw some huts like you're talking about, about three of 
them near the barracks as we were walking in."

"Those were their quarters.  We've offered better housing, but they 
prefer their huts."  She smiled and shrugged.  

"How do you tell a male from a female?" I asked.

"You are a curious one, aren't you?" Tellmim teased.

It was my turn to shrug.  Scully said, "He'll drive you crazy with 
questions if you don't cut him off."

They all laughed good-naturedly.  I nearly blushed but looked 
down instead.  Duba replied, "No need to be embarrassed.  We will 
answer all your questions.  How will you know if you don't ask?  
The only stupid question is the one you don't ask."

I said, "I think my grandmother used to say that."

There were more chuckles.  "She was wise, then.  To answer your 
question, it's easy to tell.  The females are a light green color with 
hard scales covering their bodies like armor.  They look like any 
other lizard except that they walk upright on two legs.  Their tails 
can be weapons as well, rather like bone whips.  The males, on the 
other hand, are a deep blue-green.  Their scales secrete a substance 
that keeps them moist.  While they have tough hides, they are not 
like the armor scales of the females.  They are more vulnerable that 
way and another reason for them to choose missiles as their 
weapons of choice."

"Thanks for the information.  Will we meet them tomorrow?  Can 
they speak your language?"

She smiled at my curiosity and Scully sighed again.  Indulgently, 
Duba said, "Of course.  I can introduce you to some of them 
tomorrow.  Yes, they speak our language but with a lisp of sorts.  
They also have their own language that sounds like clicking and 
clacking to me.  We can't understand them."

"That doesn't bother you?" I asked.

"No, they are content with their lives.  They can also swim like fish 
and so share our love of water.  In fact, their lives depend on our 
generosity.  We don't abuse that power and we treat them well, 
Mulder.  We need them for our armies as much as they need us for 
food and land to build shelter."

"I didn't mean to imply that you didn't treat them well," I said 
immediately.

She held up a hand.  "I know you didn't.  I'll bet you're tired after 
riding all day.  Why don't we show you to your quarters?"

We all stood then and followed them outside.  We walked only a 
few yards to the house next door.  It looked much like the one we'd 
left, the marble-like structure shimmering with streaks of blue and 
white as the sun set on the horizon.  "What is that odd smell?" I 
asked.

Kitane laughed.  "That is the Lizards.  I hope it doesn't offend 
you."

"No, it smells like cucumbers," I said.

"Cucumbers?" she inquired.

"It's a vegetable we have at home on our planet."  Boy, did that 
sound weird to say.  A couple of months ago that phrase definitely 
would have been on the list of 'Things you will never hear anyone 
say.'  

They showed us inside and we took two of the three bedrooms in 
the empty guesthouse.  Scully and I were weary even though it was 
early, so we stripped and bathed in the marble tub in the bathroom 
of the house.  I was relaxed when we climbed out and we crawled 
into a bed with fresh linens and fluffy pillows, both sighing as we 
relaxed into the mattress.

I spooned behind Scully and said, "How tired are you?"

I felt her shoulders shake slightly.  "You are incorrigible.  We're in 
a strange village, meeting strange people.  We're exhausted from 
our day and yet, you want to fool around," she said.

I kissed the back of her neck.  "What's wrong with nookie?" I 
asked innocently.

She chuckled softly.  "Ashante is on the other side of that wall," 
she explained as though I were a slow child.

I blinked innocently at her.  "I can be quiet," I said, pouting 
slightly.

She shook her head at me but pulled my head down.  I kissed her 
gently and moaned softly.  "Shhh," she said immediately.

"I honestly don't think Ashante will care," I said.

"Just try to be quiet," she reiterated.

I kissed her again and ran my hands over her lithe body.  All the 
workouts we'd had over the last month and half had made her 
muscular and lean.  She had lost some of her softness around the 
edges due to our physical regimen but it did nothing to detract 
from her beauty.  If anything, she looked even hotter.  "God, you're 
so sexy, Scully," I whispered.

She relaxed into my embrace, her own hands starting their own 
exploration.  "Mmm, you've bulked up, Mulder," she murmured. 

"All the better to ravage you with, my dear," I teased.

"Then get on with it," she growled softly.

"Yes, ma'am," I whispered.  I reached between us, feeling her 
juncture and finding her wet and soft and overflowing with the 
juice of her arousal.  "Why, Scully, you little faker," I scolded.  
"You're as excited as I am."

"Of course I am.  You haven't boffed me in three days."

"Boffed you?"

She grinned.

"A whole three days?" I asked, unable to resist teasing her a little 
more as my thumb came down on her clitoris.

She couldn't suppress the moan that emerged from her throat that 
time and she quickly covered her mouth with one hand to stifle the 
sound.

I chuckled silently at her and slid between her legs.
 
XXXXXXXXXX NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

I was hard and aching.  I needed her so bad.  As my hands roamed 
her body, she moaned.  Her tongue battled with mine as I slipped 
into her sheath and slid deep.  I migrated down and suckled on the 
tips of her breasts, making her arch into my ministrations.

I reveled in the feeling of my swollen shaft retreating and pushing 
inside over and over again, pressing aside her rubbery, snug walls.  
She met my thrusts, forcing me to go faster before I really wanted 
to, but I wasn't going to complain.

She sobbed with pleasure as I slammed into her, snapping my hips 
and burying myself up against her cervix.  I'd discovered she loved 
the sensation that gave her.  Her pussy stretched and allowed easier 
passage.  I began to plunge mercilessly into her stretched muscles.  
Her sex made a sucking sound each time I retreated that drove me 
wild.  Her hands bunched the sheets in her fists as I felt her orgasm 
rip through her in a rush.  

She moaned, a low and guttural sound from deep in her throat, 
throwing her head back and arching into me.  I held myself inside 
and enjoyed her convulsions, rocking my pelvis against her clit, 
trying to prolong it for her.  She'd forgotten all about being quiet 
now.  I was panting.

I felt a tingling sensation in the back of my legs and my balls 
tightened up against my shaft as her orgasm continued to milk me.  
I grunted, feeling sweat run in rivulets down my back.

The sensations drove me over the edge and I couldn't hold back 
anymore.  I let go of my vocal chords and moaned loudly, feeling 
my cock expand and begin spurting hard jets of semen deep inside 
her.

XXXXXXXXXX END OF NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

She was still gasping for breath when I spiraled down from my 
own incredible climax and collapsed on top of her.  "Jesus.  So 
much for being quiet," she panted.

"You were louder than me," I defended.

"I know.  I was talking about me," she teased.

I kissed her collarbone and buried my nose in her hair.  "I love 
you, Scully."

"I love you too," she said as she snuggled against me.  She took a 
deep breath and asked, "Are you scared, Mulder?"

I levered up, taking my weight on my forearms and elbows and 
looked down at her.  "Of course I'm scared but I believe we will 
figure a way to get back home."

"I hope so.  I mean, I love it here in many ways but the bottom line 
is," she began, choking up.  She couldn't finish.

"It's not home," I finished for her.

"Yeah," she whispered.  "It's not home."

I kissed her softly and folded her into my embrace.  We each 
drifted in our own thoughts until sleep finally took us.



XXXXXXXXXX  

PART 2 (PG-13)
CRESTFALL
WATER TERRITORY

Morning seemed to come early, but we pulled ourselves out of bed 
and dressed.  We waited in the living room with Ashante until our 
guides came to get us.  Again, we were led next door and fed a 
hearty breakfast of wild boar bacon and pheasant eggs.  

Then it was time to get the show on the road.  We mounted up, 
waiting for the rest of the troops to join us before we followed 
Duba and Kitane out of the village.  Tellmim was staying behind 
with the other six captains.  They couldn't all leave and have the 
village unattended.  

However, the six slingers and the six lizards under Duba and 
Kitane's command dutifully followed.  The slingers wore heavy 
sashes full of small stones around their waists.  The other side of 
the sash had a holster of sorts for their polished wooden slings.

They were friendly when we were introduced but rather neutral in 
personality.  I didn't sense that they felt anything toward us one 
way or the other.  They were polite, but otherwise quiet, and didn't 
generally speak unless spoken to.

Our odd band of travelers set out on the road to Crestfall.  Duba 
did most of the talking, pointing out landmarks of the territory.  
We shortly came to a wide wooden bridge that spanned a tributary 
that separated the Life Plains from the Amazons' main island 
territory. 

When we cleared the other side, Duba explained that we were now 
on the largest island on Urak.  It was roughly the size of the Life 
Plains, but the terrain was a bit rougher and not as lush.  We passed 
small rows of mud and grass huts erected in circles off the sides of 
the road.  I assumed these were little Lizard villages.  Duba 
explained that the Lizards served their commands on a rotating 
schedule, one fortnight on and one fortnight off.  They took up 
guard duty in the watchtowers of the villages when they were not 
needed for battle.  Others did guard duty at the palace, and still 
others were assigned guard duty at the Water Temple. 

The Water Temple was located on yet another island on the far 
side of the territory, also connected by a bridge.  Not only were the 
living quarters for the priestesses and their husbands on that island, 
but it was their center of education.  It was also, Duba explained, 
the location of the few crystal mines that existed in Crestfall and 
produced the exquisite but rare opaque blue crystals that were used 
in their magic.

I resigned myself to the fact that our education was going to be 
endless for the duration of our stay here on Urak.  We were taken 
to the palace and greeted as though we were royalty.  Ashante was, 
in fact, royalty to the Elves, but they treated us with equal 
deference.  It confused me slightly until I remembered the unicorns 
that Scully and I were riding.

After stabling our mounts and being allowed to wash up, we were 
taken for an audience with the high priestess Foamrider and the 
queen of the Amazons, Imatra Waverider.

Her person did not disappoint her title.  She was majestic.  That 
was really the only word for it.  She stood taller than any other 
Amazon we'd seen so far, nearly eight feet tall.  She had a full head 
of thick, snow-white hair that fell unbound and swirled around her 
hips.  It was held off her face with a small silver headband that 
crossed her forehead and contained a half moon riding a wave in 
the middle of it.  Her skin was without blemish and luminous, a 
brilliant contrast to her white hair.  She was hearty and buxom as 
the rest of them.  The difference was her clothing.

She wore a floor length, bright purple gown of a simple design 
with a sash around the middle.  Its fabric was gathered at the 
shoulders with rings of silver and her arms were bare.  Over that, 
she wore a mantle of what looked like purple velvet.  I could see 
leather sandals on her feet and silver bracelets in the shape of 
serpents winding around both biceps.

High Priestess Foamrider was similarly attired, only her ensemble 
was bright blue.  We were taken into a parlor in the marble palace 
and stood next to a long marble table that seemed to grow out of 
the floor.  Dorian and Joachim were there, along with Ashante.  
The rest of the troops, including Duba and Kitane had disappeared.  
Joachim was not a captain as far as I could tell, but he seemed to 
be Dorian's right hand man and was always included in discussions 
between the leaders.

We went through formal introductions, bowing at the waist in that 
distinctive greeting they had.  Then we were seated.

Imatra spoke first, "The Amazons greet you, High Enchantress."

"The Elves greet you, Queen Imatra," she replied.

She turned her eyes to study me and then Scully.  "You're not here 
for tea and chatter," she replied calmly.

"No, I'm afraid not.  Have you heard of the battle in the valley 
below Atmos?" Ashante asked.  

"Yes, our spies brought back word.  It seems that their Faeries 
suffered heavy losses.  My guild members tell me that without 
your aid, the Giants would have fallen.  It's hard to imagine."

"Yes, it is.  The Giants are a brave race.  The truth was that they 
were grossly outnumbered.  We don't know how the Drow are 
surviving above ground, but it was a deciding factor in the flow of 
the battle."

"A puzzle for the ages.  One I hope someone figures out."

Ashante turned to Foamrider.  "Are you and your adepts working 
on the problem?"

"We've tried, but going through our old, dusty spell books, we've 
been able to find precious few references to the dark arts.  No one 
but the necromancers have studied it for centuries.  I fear all the 
other races have been remiss in that.  Although we can't cast spells 
from other races, we can learn them to the point where we 
recognize them and know what's available to the other races.  None 
of us has bothered to do that with necromancers' magic."

"I fear we may all pay a heavy price for that," Ashante stated 
plainly.  "No one wanted to risk being corrupted by their magic.  
Because they couldn't come out in the light of day, they were never 
that big of a problem.  The prophecy aside, no one saw them ever 
being able to walk in sunlight.  We didn't anticipate that and I fear 
we may pay a heavy price for it."

"I have the same fear."

"We come to ask you to attend an alliance summit we are planning 
for two moons in the future.  We expect to have the Storm Giants 
and hopefully the Knights of Order there as well.  We'll be inviting 
the Fire Giants, but I have no idea if they will agree to come even 
after the past battle."

Foamrider sighed and said, "Great, Fire Giants.  So it has begun."  

I surmised there would be no love lost between races that 
worshiped fire and water, polar opposites.

She turned to look intensely at Scully.  

Scully met her gaze squarely and didn't flinch.  Only I noticed the 
subtle wrinkling at the corner of her eye that indicated she was 
uncomfortable with the open scrutiny.  "Have you had visions?" 
she asked.

Somehow we knew that question was directed at Ashante and not 
at Scully, even though she was still staring at her. 

Ashante replied, "Quite a few.  More than normal and yes, many of 
them include visions of the prophecy."

Foamrider nodded.  "You remember the prophecy about the Age of 
Darkness, then?" she asked, her eyes finally releasing Scully and 
turning to Ashante.

Ashante nodded.  "Yes.  I fear the Age of Darkness is upon us."

"Want to clue us in?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound sarcastic.  

Imatra said, "The coming of the Age of Darkness is an ancient 
prophecy.  A millennium ago, a very evil, but ambitious 
necromancer summoned the death god Golgoth into this world.  
The necromancer paid for that spell with his life.  The god took 
hold of him and used his physical body to rule Skulldown and 
supposedly most of the planet.  He was unbelievably strong.  He 
spent most of his life trying to figure out how to stay in our world, 
for the flesh is weak, and eventually his host would die.  Our gods 
had long since given up their physical bodies and were helpless to 
intervene directly."

Foamrider took up the story.  "As you can imagine, the 
necromancer's body did die, but he lived to be nearly two hundred 
years old.  Fortunately for the rest of the world, Golgoth never 
figured out how to jump from one host to another.  In order for a 
demon to come into this world, he needs to be summoned by a 
necromancer.  His mistake was that this host of his, Phost'l, I think 
his name was, had been the sole necromancer in all of Skulldown 
to learn this summoning spell.  He never passed it on to another 
adept.  Therefore, when the demon subjugated his mind, the spell 
was lost.  Phost'l was smart enough not to write it down."

"So the host died and so did Golgoth," I concluded.

She shook her head.  "The host died, but Golgoth didn't."

"You said he couldn't jump hosts," I reminded her.

She nodded.  "He didn't.  He was relegated back to the nether 
world where demons and hell spawn reside.  That is his domain.  
For at least a thousand years now or more, the rest of the Urak has 
enjoyed existence without interference of the Drow.  However, 
there was an Elven prophet in that time that passed down his 
predictions.  Among them was the prophecy of the Age of 
Darkness.  

"It said that a time would come when Golgoth and his minions 
would find a way to restore him to the flesh.  When that happened, 
his knowledge would be so great and his strength so strong, that he 
would infect the rest of the world with darkness.  In effect, turning 
the entire planet into one big Skulldown, where nothing grows and 
dark magic reigns.  He predicted that most other races would be 
nearly decimated into extinction if nothing were done to stop him.  
This prophecy has been handed down for generations through all 
the races."

"Is there anything that could stop him?" I asked, trying not to let 
the fear creep into my voice.  I hoped we escaped this place before 
that happened, if, in fact, it was going to.

Foamrider smiled.  "There is more to the prophecy.  The Gnomes 
have prophets as well.  They saw two possible futures or outcomes 
for the Age of Darkness.  One was as I have stated to you.  That 
one saw that the downfall of the races would be their inability to 
unite against the darkness.  The survivors would become slaves to 
the Drow and hell spawn."

"And the other?" I asked, not sure I wanted to know.  

"Well, in true Gnomish fashion, it's a bit of a riddle."

"Lay it on me," I said.

She chuckled.  "The other goes like this:  A Savior will come and 
unite all the races in peace, be not of this world, and belong to 
none.  The Savior will be two that act as one, will be male but will 
be female.  The Savior will harness the war knowledge of all races 
and command the magic of all races.  Should the Savior survive to 
ally the races, the Age of Darkness will not prevail and the Drow 
will be exterminated from the world.  Those highest in war and 
magic of each race shall protect the Savior and give their finest 
gifts unto them without reservation.  They bear the burden of 
keeping the Savior alive until the races can unite."

She paused.

"We fear that time is upon us, and Golgoth has managed to send 
one of his lesser minions into our world via a necromancer adept.  
We fear he prepares for the Age of Darkness and to bring his 
master back into this world.  It was to be the responsibility of the 
royalty and head magic users of all the races to protect and guide 
the Savior until the races could be united.  If we succeed, then we 
shall live.  If we fail -- then we shall all die."

The last was said in a whisper.  After a few moments of silence, 
Scully said calmly, "I can honestly say that what you just said 
makes absolutely no sense at all."  

Everyone in the room laughed or chuckled to various degrees.  
Ashante met Foamrider's gaze again.  "Have you seen the Savior in 
your visions?" she asked carefully.

More moments of silence passed as these two great mages studied 
each other.  Finally Foamrider answered, "Yes and so have you."

Ashante merely nodded.  Scully and I looked at each other with 
fear.  "Somebody want to explain that to us?" I asked.

No one did.  Imatra said, "I think that's enough for one day.  We 
ask that Scully and Mulder accompany us to the temple.  We have 
things to show you, knowledge to exchange, and gifts for you."

"Gifts?" Scully asked.

"You will see.  Come along."  The queen looked at Ashante.  
"Please, come along as well."

We stood and followed.  My spider senses were tingling and I had 
a creepy feeling that they were holding back essential information.  
I pondered the riddle in my head.  I could tell by the look on 
Scully's face that she was doing the same.  I could also tell that 
neither of us wanted to believe that we were part of all this.  For all 
my belief in extreme possibilities, I still wasn't sure if I believed in 
a millennia-old prophecy.  Ashante had said she knew that we 
would play a role in the war to come.  She'd said nothing of a 
prophecy, but I hoped she wasn't thinking what I was thinking.  If 
she was, then we were in more trouble than we could imagine.  If I 
shared my thoughts with Scully, she wasn't going to like them.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was disconcerting to the leave the palace gates and find Jadian, 
Brenneka and Zalika waiting for us.  Upon closer examination, I 
realized there were subtle differences in the female unicorns that I 
hadn't noticed before.  Zalika's horn was several spirals longer than 
Brenneka's.  Zalika had long white eyelashes over her soulful eyes, 
while Brenneka's eyelashes were bright yellow to match her mane, 
tail, and hooves.  I mentioned it to Ashante.

She said, "Their horns grow longer as they grow older.  Brenneka 
is only about four or five years old.  Zalika is easily 20 years old."

"Why did they wait to come to us if they were that old?" I asked.  
"You said they came when they matured."

She smiled again.  "Unicorns aren't like horses.  They don't mature 
until four years old."

"Oh," I said, feeling stupid that I had once again equated a creature 
of Urak to one from Earth.  Scully raised her eyebrows at me and I 
shrugged.  We fell into line and followed them across country and 
over the next bridge and onto what was known as Temple Island.

The Amazon's Water Temple was sculpted of a combination of 
native marble and blue crystal.  You could feel the vibrations of 
energy in the air.  It made me a little jumpy.  It felt like there was a 
tremendous amount of static electricity in the air.  

The temple and what they called the Rejuvenation Springs, took up 
nearly half of the smaller island.  Around the edges of the island, 
except here on the white sand beaches in front of the temple, were 
marble quarters that housed the Amazon priestesses and their 
families.  It was quite impressive.

We entered the temple and got our first lessons on Amazon magic.  
Foamrider explained that all Amazon adepts could summon two 
creatures from the sea, the Serpent and the Kraken.  The pictures 
engraved in the crystal of the walls of the Serpent made it look like 
the Loch Ness monster.  I grinned at Scully and said, "Remind you 
of Big Blue?"

She chuckled and Imatra said, "The serpents are a pale lavender 
color.  When swimming, they look gray beneath the waves and are 
hard to spot if you don't know what to look for.  They spit poison."

"Lovely," Scully commented.

Foamrider said, "A priestess is always sent out on a ship when they 
leave shore.  This way if we are attacked, she can summon the 
serpent to our aid.  They are quite deadly foes."

"I would imagine," I agreed.

"What's a kraken?" Scully asked.  We were led to the opposite side 
of the temple and shown etching of the Kraken, which looked like 
an octopus on steroids.  "What do they do?" Scully asked.

Imatra said, "Two things.  They can create tidal waves by diving 
quickly.  They can create whirlpools by swimming in a circle and 
then diving.  If they really get mad, they can attach all those 
tentacles via the suction cups on the underside of the hull of a ship 
and topple it into the sea.

"Even more charming than the serpent," Scully replied drolly.

There were smiles all around.  Foamrider said, "The good news is 
that any adept here can easily control them."

"That is good news," I muttered.  

"The bad news is that the Drow can summon a similar creature -- a 
huge black snake."

We were led to the Rejuvenation Springs.  They were set up in a 
similar manner as the Rejuvenation Temple of the Elves, however, 
the smell was more briny in here.  Although you could bathe in the 
springs, they generally bottled the water and dropped healing gems 
into them.

The healing gems were small blue stones of crystal, about as big 
around as a marble.  The bubbling springs worked on the crystal 
walls of the baths with its constant bubbling and broke off pieces 
of the crystal, which sank to the bottom of the basins.  The 
constant flow of water turned them flawlessly smooth.  One of the 
jobs of the noviates was to strip down and dive into the springs, 
searching for the healing gems on the bottom of the deep basins.

Along the walls, crystal shelves had been carved out all around the 
perimeter.  On them sat maroon-colored glass bottles about the size 
of a soda can.  Without hesitation, Imatra and Foamrider each 
picked up two bottles, one in each hand. 

Foamrider brought hers to Scully and said, "This is my gift to you, 
the healing waters of the Amazon springs.  Carry them with you in 
your journeys.  If you are hurt, drink about half a bottle if you can.  
It should heal any but a mortal wound."

"Oh my," Scully breathed out, holding the glass bottles as though 
they were delicate gossamer.  "Thank you so much.  Why give 
them to me?" she asked innocently.

I saw the knowing look pass between Foamrider and Ashante.  
Scully was going to flip.  I don't know how I knew, but I did.  They 
thought Scully was the Savior.  Oh shit.  I didn't say anything 
though, not wanting to create a scene.  "Please, just take them," she 
requested.

Imatra handed me the other two bottles.  "Thank you," I said 
quietly.  They probably figured it would look rude to give the 
Savior, a gift and not give one to her partner.  I was sure now that 
they thought Scully was the Savior from their prophecy.  The 
thought filled me with dread.  Whether I was included or not, I was 
not going to be separated from her.

To my surprise, we were led back to the temple.  Foamrider 
opened a crystal box behind the altar that was about the size of a 
steamer trunk.  She lifted two leather pouches about three inches 
by five inches from under the altar.  They had drawstring closures 
and were hand sewn with pictures of the serpent on one side and 
the kraken on the other.  She thrust her hand into the box, coming 
up with a handful of deep blue crystals.  She carefully put them in 
the bag and then did the same again.  

The routine was repeated with the other bag.  They gave one to me 
and one to Scully, looping the drawstring closures over our heads 
so we wore them around our necks.  The bag hung down to my 
breastbone underneath my tunic.  We thanked them profusely, 
knowing that the blue crystals were considered the most rare and 
valuable on Urak.  I had a lot of questions, but I figured they could 
wait until we were alone with Ashante.  I didn't want to become 
irritating with my questions, despite how good-natured they had 
been about all of them.

Everyone was being so nice.  I was waiting for the other shoe to 
drop.

XXXXXXXXXX

It happened as soon as we walked out of the temple into the cool 
evening air.  It had gotten dark while were inside and we had just 
passed dusk.  We headed down toward the beach where our 
mounts were waiting patiently.  All three unicorns suddenly raised 
their heads, reared up and let loose with loud, ear-piercing 
whinnies.

We all followed the direction they had turned and saw a corsair on 
the horizon, sliding through the waves at a rapid pace, heading for 
the docks on the end of the beach.  Close behind that was what 
looked like a pirate ship, jet black and flying sails of black with a 
sickle on them.  

Six slingers stood on the rear of the boat hurling missiles faster 
than I could follow.  Brenneka cantered up the beach and met 
Scully half-way.  Without my noticing she had broken into a dead-
out run toward the beach.  The unicorn bent only its front legs and 
Scully literally vaulted onto her back.

She was up and galloping along the shore toward the docks at a 
breakneck pace before anyone else could respond.  I whirled to run 
to Jadian and follow, when a large hand descended on my bicep.  I 
automatically jerked out of the grasp, twisting with all my might 
before thinking.

Imatra said, "Wait!"

I'd begun to run.  Much to my consternation, my legs suddenly felt 
like they weighed a thousand pounds each.  I fell to my knees in 
the sand, unable to stand back up.  I turned my face toward the 
docks and howled. 

"SSSCCCUUULLLYYY!"  I struggled to stand, tears of 
frustration coursing down my cheeks without my knowledge.  I 
could feel my blood pressure going through the roof as I struggled.  
How DARE they hold me back and keep me away from her?

Imatra was beside me a second later, on her knees in the sand 
before me, her large hands on my shoulders.  "STOP IT!" she 
shouted.  "LET HER GO!"

I was panting hard and began to sob.  Scully had nearly the reached 
docks.  When she did, Brenneka bent down and Scully leaped off 
her back.  She ran out onto the pier, her yellow robe billowing out 
behind her and her wooden staff with the crystal embedded in the 
top held high and out to the side in her right hand.  She stopped at 
the end of the pier and spread her arms out.  

Wind began gusting down the beach and I felt the lead leave my 
legs.  I leaped to my feet, taking one step.  Foamrider was blocking 
my path.  "You can't help her!" she shouted.

In what was clearly the most undiplomatic display of my life, not 
to mention the rudest, I screamed in her face.  "Fuck you!  Let me 
go!"

I physically shoved her aside.  To my surprise, she didn't even 
budge or stagger.  She did, however, calmly step to the side.  I took 
off down the beach.  Jadian was beside me in about ten strides and 
I vaulted onto his back.  

I reached to my belt and yanked my long sword from its scabbard.  
Skidding to halt at the pier, I jumped off his back, pulling my 
dagger with my left hand and charged after Scully.  By the time I 
reached the end of the pier, I could see two serpents swimming 
circles around the black ship.  The Corsair zigzagged through the 
water, dodging javelins thrown from the other ship.  They were 
holding their distance but not pulling away.  

I stood behind Scully, watching her back as always, my sword and 
dagger at my sides.  The wind was so fierce it actually pinned her 
body against mine.  I spread my legs and held fast, bracing her for 
whatever she was doing.  

Scully shrieked and I saw a bolt of lightning split the sky.  It 
streaked toward us and I closed my eyes, burying my nose in her 
shoulder.  I felt her body jar against mine as the lightning met the 
tip of her upraised staff. 

It ricocheted off her staff and streaked toward the black ship, 
shearing a gigantic rip in the main sail about ten feet long.   

The ship began to immediately lose ground, no longer capturing 
the wind, and the corsair streaked ahead, putting more distance 
between them.  The serpents pulled away suddenly, each heading 
in a different direction.  The water churned and the black ship 
began to spin in circles.  Slow at first, but then faster.  I lost sight 
of the serpents for a moment but then they were closer and I could 
see gray streaks under the tumultuous waves.  My next look 
revealed a kraken under the waves.  Somehow, Scully had 
summoned not only the serpents but the kraken as well.

Soon the boat was spinning helplessly.  Screams were heard as 
Drow were flung overboard and landed in the water.  Each time I 
would see a serpent reappear, pluck them out of the water in their 
strong jaws and disappear beneath the waves.  

The Corsair reached the docks and ran aground.  Amazons and 
Lizards abandoned ship, leaping into the water and easily 
swimming to shore.  

I looked up to see the enemy ship sink beneath the waves.  

I let out a sigh of relief as the wind died down and turned my head 
to observe warriors and Lizards emerging from the waves and 
walking ashore.  Their ship had been hit and was canting to one 
side, but it had gotten them to shore, thanks to Scully buying them 
the time they needed.  

I smiled widely and turned to Scully, about to exclaim over her 
phenomenal feats.  I knew instantly something was wrong.

She slumped against me, her face pasty white.  I dropped my 
weapons on the pier and put my arms under her armpits, stepping 
away from the edge and hauling her backwards.  I laid her 
carefully on the pier.  I checked her pulse.  She had a pulse but 
wasn't breathing and her eyes were closed and her lips were nearly 
blue.  "Scully!" I shouted, rubbing her cheeks, trying to warm 
them.  They were ice cold. 

I leaned down and breathed hot breath on her face, then covered 
her mouth with mine, blowing hot air into her lungs.  She gagged, 
coughed and her eyes fluttered.  "Scully!  Can you hear me?" I 
shouted.

A crowd was forming from the crew from the ship.  They watched 
with curiosity but didn't interrupt, keeping a respectful distance.
I looked behind me to see Foamrider and Imatra trotting down the 
beach toward us, but they were still some distance away.

Suddenly, one of the warriors shouted, "Look out!"

I leaped to my feet just in time to see a serpent emerge from the 
waves.  Only this one was jet black and emanated evil.  Its head 
curled up over the end of the pier, its eyes on Scully.  I did a 
forward dive, grabbed my sword in my right hand and my dagger 
in my left, somersaulting to my feet.

Curiously, I felt no fear as I faced off with the head of this 
enormous worm.  From the corner of my vision, I could see a 
Drow, standing on a lone boulder that stuck up out of the waves.  
Somehow he had survived the sinking ship.  His eyes were riveted 
on the scene but I couldn't spare him a glance.

The creature hissed, showing rows of razor sharp teeth.  I bellowed 
right back in its face, "COME ON!"  Protecting Scully was the 
only thought in my mind.  I might lose her someday, but I wasn't 
going to lose her today.

I swung my body in a circle, gaining momentum and put all my 
strength behind the roundhouse swing of my sword.  I nearly 
dropped it when it contacted with the beast, slicing deep into its 
flesh.  It reared back, squealing in pain, and nearly dragged me into 
the water with it.

Somehow I managed to yank with enough force to pull the blade 
out of his flesh.  He struck and I dove to the side, landing hard on 
my shoulder.  I cried out in pain, watching his nose crash into the 
pier.  The entire structure vibrated with the force of the blow.

I glanced at the warriors, wondering why they weren't helping me, 
to find them on their knees in the sand, struggling to stand, just as I 
had been.  I leaped in the other direction, rolling under the 
creature's neck as it struck again.  I vaulted to my feet, sending a 
glaring glance over my shoulder to Foamrider, only to find she was 
in the same position as the warriors, along with Imatra.  That 
glance almost cost me everything as I felt the creature slam into 
me.  It had swung its head and its lower jaw had crashed into my 
side.  

I flew through the air, still holding my weapons and took a deep 
breath just in time.  I crashed into the water and sank deep.  Fear 
pierced me for the first time and I struggled to figure out which 
was up.

No time.  The foul beast was upon me.  It streaked toward me in 
the water, trailing blood.  I kicked out and rolled away from it just 
in time, stabbing with my dagger.  I caught the corner of its open 
mouth and saw more blood spurt.  I think it shook its head, but I'm 
really not sure.  All I know is that suddenly its head was directly 
beneath me.  

I spread my legs as it prepared to surface and found them wound 
around its neck just below the base of its head.  I stabbed my 
dagger straight down into its eye, feeling tremendous pressure in 
my chest, and knowing I was running out of air.  

My dagger was lodged deep in its eye socket and I held on to it to 
keep my seat as it surged to the surface, unwittingly helping me 
out.  We broke the surface of the water and I immediately gulped 
fresh air into my lungs.  I swung wildly with my sword, slashing 
and hacking at the beast's head as it whipped me back and forth, 
trying to dislodge me.  Every lunge tore my dagger into the eye 
and also widened the wound.

About the fifth time it shook its head, I could feel it slowing down.  
I let go of the dagger, clamping my legs as tight as I could and took 
my sword by the hilt in both hands and drove it straight down with 
all my strength. 

I felt it hit bone, hesitate and then sink deep into the creature's 
brain, if it had one.  It gave one final hiss and death bellow and 
threw its head straight up, finally unseating me.

I crashed back into the water.  I opened my eyes and saw the 
bubbles.  I kicked frantically, following them to the surface.  My 
head broke the surface and I looked around frantically.  I could see 
nothing but streaks of blood in the water.

I'd always been a strong swimmer but I was exhausted.  Every 
muscle ached and my ribs were screaming.  I knew I must have 
broken at least one of them.  I began an overhand breaststroke 
toward the shore.  Fortunately, I wasn't too far out.  As I neared the 
shore, two Amazon warriors were running into the surf.  They 
dove and came up next to me, each taking an arm and helping me 
to shore.  I staggered when I got my feet under me, but they held 
me upright and walked me onto the beach.  I saw Scully lying on a 
blanket, and one was laid out next to her.  They carefully lowered 
me to the blanket as I fell to my knees.  They were pushing me 
back and I struggled.  "Scully," I croaked.

Imatra moved into my field of vision.  "She's all right," she told 
me.  "She regained consciousness.  Our top healer gave her a 
draught to put her to sleep along with a rejuvenation potion.  She's 
healing as we speak.  Now we need to do the same for you."

I gazed out at the waves.  The Drow was gone.  I closed my eyes 
and surrendered to their care, knowing Scully was alive.  


XXXXXXXXXX

PART 3 (NC-17)
CRESTFALL PALACE
WATER TERRITORY

I awoke some time later, having no idea how much time had 
passed.  I was in a bed with an extremely comfortable mattress and 
wearing nothing but a loincloth.  I took stock of my situation and 
found that I was spooned up behind Scully, her petite body molded 
into the cradle of mine.  She was wearing some type of gauzy 
sleeping shirt.  I squeezed her gently and she hummed.  Well, that 
was good.  If I was with Scully, things couldn't be too bad.  The 
bed was enormous and we didn't even fill a third of it.  It was like a 
down mattress and extremely comfortable.  I snuggled in, not 
wanting to get up just yet.

Memories came flooding back and I reached between us, feeling 
my ribs.  Nothing.  It didn't even feel bruised.  I closed my eyes 
and scanned my body.  Nothing hurt that I could tell.  I should be 
in a heap.  Had I really killed a black serpent bigger than an 
anaconda?
 
I closed my eyes, put my arm back around Scully and breathed 
slowly.  We were probably still in Crestfall, but I wasn't sure.  I 
couldn't seem to summon the energy to let go of Scully and roll 
over to check out the rest of my surroundings.  I felt safe and warm 
and decided I would wait for Scully to wake up and we would 
figure it out together.  In the meantime, I would just enjoy holding 
her.  She was breathing normally and had color in her cheeks.  I 
was so relieved I nearly wept.  I couldn't stop myself from sniffling 
and squeezing her again.  She grunted softly and wiggled against 
me but continued sleeping.

Everything was quiet for a few moments and I nearly drifted back 
to the sleep when I heard a voice, speaking so low it was barely 
audible.  "Do you see that?  Even in their sleep, he sought her out 
and glued himself to her."

Another voice in same nearly inaudible volume said, "You made a 
mistake, Foamrider."  That was Ashante.  I recognized her voice.

Now I knew the first voice was the high priestess.  "I know.  I was 
sure he shouldn't interfere.  You know the teachings on prophecy 
and the future.  We mustn't interfere with destiny."

"Yes, but remember what it said.  It told that a Savior would come 
and unite all the races, but belong to none of them.  This Savior 
would be TWO, but act as ONE.  The Savior would be MALE but 
would be FEMALE."

"I interpreted that to mean the Savior would be either androgynous 
or that it could be either gender.  I interpreted the 'two' to mean that 
that the Savior would be both a warrior and a mage.  It also 
occurred to me that it COULD mean someone who was with child.  
I see clearly now."
 
"THEY are the Savior, Foamrider.  I have seen it.  They are not of 
a native race to this planet; they are not of this world, and belong 
to none of us.  They are two that act as one," she said softly.

"They are male and female.  By the waves, it was literal.  
Prophecies are never literal.  They're always a damned puzzle."

"Not this time, apparently."

I didn't want to join in this conversation but I couldn't stand 
eavesdropping any longer.  I carefully pulled my arm out from 
underneath Scully's neck and scooted away from her.  I stood and 
she rolled over, reaching for me.  I bent down and tucked the 
covers around her and whispered, "Keep sleeping, baby.  I'm right 
here."

She hummed in that adorable way she had and settled into the 
covers.  I turned and surveyed the room.  Ashante and Foamrider 
were sitting in ornate chairs on either side of a small table.  I could 
smell chicory and inhaled.  The chamber was a sumptuous, with 
tapestries on the walls and gold-trimmed molding.
 
They watched as I approached.  I asked, "Do you have my 
clothes?"

Ashante pointed to a small love seat on the far wall and said, 
"Your bags are there.  All your clothes were laundered."

"Thank you," I said simply.  I went to the bags and pulled out my 
suede breeches over the loincloth and a cotton tunic.  I pulled them 
on, strapping on my leather belt, which was lying on the seat next 
to my bag.  I had no weapons anymore. 

I ran my hands through my hair and took a deep breath.  I found 
some socks in the bag that weren't mine but I put them on anyway.  
My boots were standing near the leg of the sofa.  I sat on the edge 
of the sofa and pulled them on.  Finally ready, I stood and went to 
the table.  There were two empty chairs and I chose one.

They were both silent and staring at me as though I was a bug 
under a microscope.  "Got anymore of that chicory?"

"Certainly," Foamrider replied.  She reached to the wall, and 
pulled a small cord.  A couple of minutes passed in total silence, 
while I looked at them and they looked at me.  A soft knock 
sounded on the door and Foamrider said, "Come in."

The door opened and a male Amazon entered, carrying a tray with 
cream, sugar, and coffee in a stoneware jug.  He placed it on the 
table and bowed.  He left without a word.  I watched him go, 
noticing he was maybe four or five inches taller than me, but not as 
big as the women.

I poured the steaming brew into a mug and put some sugar and 
cream in.  I sipped it first and then began.  "I think it's time for you 
to be straight with us," I said firmly.

Ashante nodded.  "I was going to tell you.  I thought I would have 
time.  I wanted to consult with Foamrider first.  That note we got 
on our way to the village didn't just say we were to stay in the 
village.  It told me that Foamrider had some visions recently and 
we needed to have a meeting of the minds."

I looked at Foamrider.  "You thought Scully alone was the Savior 
from your prophecy."
 
"Yes," she said nodding.  "We did."

"Was it you that immobilized me on the beach?" I asked carefully, 
staring her down.

She finally looked away and said, "Yes, the first time."

"You stopped me from going after Scully," I said.  My tone was 
accusatory.  

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

I stared at her, feeling anger bubble up inside me.  "Don't EVER do 
that again," I said through clenched teeth.

She nodded.  "I made a horrible mistake."

I felt the anger drain out of me.  "Let me explain something to you.  
Things have changed, grown stronger here for us.  However, even 
before we came here, Scully and I have always shared an 
extraordinary bond.  We are linked somehow.  It's hard to explain."

"Try," Ashante coaxed gently.

"If I walk into a room, I can tell you if she is there, even if I can't 
see her."

They nodded.

"I can feel her in here," I said, thumping my chest.  "If she is hurt, 
even if I'm not with her, alarm bells go off in my head and I know 
she needs me.  The same is true for her.  This isn't a one-way 
street.  She covers my ass all the time.  One thing we have always 
done since the day we met was watch each other's backs."

I swallowed harshly and took another sip of the coffee.  They were 
quiet and respectful, waiting for me to compose my thoughts.  "We 
have tried to do things alone.  It never works.  I get hurt.  She gets 
hurt.  We have to be together.  We get hurt together sometimes, but 
together, we always survive.  Can you understand that?"

They nodded.  "I am truly sorry," Foamrider said.

"Apology accepted," I said. 

She seemed to visibly relax in her chair.  

I was uncomfortable with this new reverence that seemed to be 
wafting off of them.  "People have tried to separate us before," I 
began.  I sounded threatening without meaning to.  "They have 
abducted her and me.  They have killed members of her family, 
experimented on her and left her barren.  They have beaten me to 
within an inch of death's door and infected me with sicknesses.  
None of those things have kept us apart.  She always saved my life 
when no one else could."  I looked at my lap and then looked up at 
them.  "I have saved her life too, when no one else could.  She IS 
my life.  Without her, I don't MEAN anything.  The only thing that 
makes my life worthwhile is the fact that she's in it.  We are not 
really two people in my mind.  I have always felt that we were two 
halves of one whole," I finished.

They both looked emotional and teary, but neither one cried.  
"Now, I have no idea what this prophecy crap is all about.  I do 
know this.  We are stuck here until we find a way home.  
Therefore, we agreed to help you in any way we can.  We are 
grateful for everything you have done for us."  I paused and looked 
up at them.  I heard anger creep back into my voice.  "But so help 
me God, if you EVER separate us, I will KILL anything in my 
path to find my way back to her and I won't give a DAMN what 
you've done for me.  Do I make myself clear?" I nearly growled, 
gritting my teeth.

They both nodded vigorously.  "I understand," Foamrider said.

Ashante added, "As do I.  It won't happen again.  I promise.  I will 
make sure everyone knows not to come between you."

I stood up, gulping the rest of my coffee.  "Thank you.  We seem 
to be fine.  If we owe our healing to you, I thank you."

"It was our pleasure," Foamrider said.  "You may call on the 
Amazons whenever you need us.  You two saved three of our best 
captains, and twelve Lizards on that ship.  I know now that if you 
hadn't gone to her, Scully would be dead.  I cannot repay you for 
that.  Thank you."

"Don't mention it.  Just don't separate us."

"You have my word," Foamrider said solemnly.  I knew she meant 
it.

"Could you give us some time alone, please?"

They both nodded and stood up.  Without a word, they exited the 
room.  I turned to find Scully sitting on the edge of the bed looking 
toward the table.  She was crying silently.  

I rushed to her and fell to my knees in front of her.  "What's the 
matter?  Are you all right?  Do you hurt?"

She was shaking her head.  She gulped and cupped my face with 
her hands.  Without a word, she leaned down and kissed me softly, 
her tongue, gently nudging my teeth.  I opened my mouth and she 
slid inside, lazily rolling her tongue over mine.  I moaned into her 
mouth, wiping her tears with my thumbs.

We broke the kiss and she reached out and undid my belt.  I smiled 
at her and stripped quickly while I watched her remove her shirt.  
Her tears were joy and emotion, not pain.  I knew that now.  She 
had heard everything I had said.  I wondered if they had realized 
she was sitting up and listening or if they had been too focused on 
me to notice.  I was willing to bet not much normally got by either 
of those women.

The only woman I cared about right now, though, was the feisty 
redhead in this bed.

XXXXXXXXXX NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

I slid up next to her and wasted no time moving between her legs, 
which were spread in invitation.  I suckled her nipples, my fingers 
working her folds and dipping inside her, only to retreat and tease 
her clitoris.

She wiggled on the bed, pushing herself onto my hand and I 
chuckled, feeling her wetness slide out.  I got up and sat on the 
edge of the bed, motioning her to climb on my lap. 

She smiled, slid out of bed and straddled my thighs, her knees on 
the bed next to my hips.  I balanced her with my palms on her 
derriere as she lowered herself, slowly impaling herself and taking 
me all the way in.  "Oh, Christ, Scully," I muttered, shivering with 
the sensations.

My emotions were raw and right on the surface.  Near-death 
experiences tended to do that to me.  Only now, I didn't have to 
hide anything.  I didn't hide any of the love, fear or desperation I 
felt as I thrust up into her taut, lithe body.

She panted and kissed me, riding me faster and faster.  In no time, 
she was grunting with the impact and pace of our thrusts.  She said 
the first words since she'd woken up.  As I felt her walls collapse 
around my enflamed shaft, she closed her eyes tightly.  "Oh God, 
I'm coming!" she whimpered.
 
I groaned and let go of my control, pushing my shaft deep inside 
her and grunting as she ground against me.  I climaxed hard, 
holding onto her for dear life.  We hugged and rocked each other 
for long minutes.  

XXXXXXXXXX END NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

Finally, we rose and dressed.  It was time to face a new day.  

We exited the room to find a Lizard waiting for us.  "Thhhiiisss 
way," he hissed.  

We followed him to another chamber where we found our entire 
party.  There were two new additions.  They approached and 
introduced themselves.  "I'm Natanni," the first said, bending at the 
waist.  We returned the gesture.

Natanni pointed at the other woman.  "This is Medini, general of 
the Amazon Warrior's Guild.  We will be traveling with you."

"With your Lizards?" Scully asked.

Medini smiled.  "No, with six of our cavalry members."

"Cavalry?" I asked.

She smiled.  "Oh, you haven't met them yet."

"Uh, no we haven't."

"They are mounted warriors that are excellent with lances."

"Do they ride those ostriches?" I asked.

She scrunched her brow.  "What is an ostrich?" she asked 
innocently.

Scully said, "Those bird creatures Duba and Kitane were riding."

"Oh!" she said, chuckling.  "Only we captains ride the camelus.  
Our lancemen need sturdier mounts."

"Camelus, that's what they are called?"

"Yes.  You will meet the cavalry riders on our way out."

"Where are we going?" I asked, almost afraid to ask.

Ashante stepped forward.  "We received a message from the 
Knights.  They have encountered small raiding parties from 
Skulldown on their borders.  Some of their burial grounds have 
been desecrated.  They are outraged.  They wish to meet with 
representatives from the Elves and the Amazons.  Since we already 
have an envoy assembled, we sent word that we would return 
home through their lands."

"How far away is it?" Scully asked.

"We're in for a four day ride," she replied.

Scully sighed but didn't protest. 

Natanni said, "There is a village on our border where we can stay 
the second night.  The rest of the time, we'll have to use bedrolls 
and tents."

"When are we leaving?" I asked.

Ashante looked me in the eye.  "We were just waiting for you."

I nodded, giving Scully a cheeky glance.  She said, "Well, let's get 
going then."

As we all trooped outside to retrieve our mounts and assemble, a 
Lizard approached and handed us our saddlebags that we had left 
in the room.  We thanked her and found our new friends, saddling 
them up and joining the rest of the group.

"Well, I gotta say, Mulder, life with you is never dull," Scully said 
blandly.

I laughed.  "You've been putting on quite a show yourself, lately."

"Yeah, we'll talk about that later.  I scared the shit out of myself."

"You scared the shit out of me," I admitted.

She looked at me and said, "I heard what you did.  They told me 
while they were treating me, before they knocked me out."

I smiled.  "Just watching your back, partner," I said, my throat 
suddenly thick.

"Thanks, partner," she whispered.

Dorian rode back to face us.  He unwound a scabbard strapped on 
the back of his saurus.  He held it out to me.  "It's an extra long 
sword I carry.  Take it.  You can't be without a weapon." 
I nodded and said, "Thank you." 

Medini road over and held out a dagger with an eight inch, double 
sided blade.  "I grabbed this at the barracks.  I was told you use a 
sword and a dagger."

I nodded.  "Thank you," I repeated.

They nodded and smiled and resumed their places in line.

Ashante approached, riding Zalika.  "We're off," she replied.

"The Amazons are coming to the alliance summit?" I asked.

"They wouldn't miss it," she replied.  "On to the next adventure," 
she said calmly.

Scully smiled at me.  "Weeeeeeeeee," she chortled.  We all 
chuckled and began to move out.

THE END.