"We have no such dwellings, Lord Buron. I but live in a simple dwelling."

"I can give you all the castles and fineries you would desire, Sam of Woden, if you but submit to me this turn."

"Submit to you, Lord? What does this mean?"

Sam kept him walking. She was pleased that she had moved him beyond the former Highest's dwelling, but hoped to make it more.

"You must lay down your weapons to me, my Queen, and then you must lay down with me. It be not an unpleasant thought. My loins begin to stir now at the thought of touching you. Do you not find me but handsome, virile and strong? Many others would but throw themselves down for me and let me have my way with them."

"What of our intended wedding, Lord Buron?"

He looked angry, but smiled, "I cannot wait that long, my Queen. I need a well-bred offspring now. I have but saved my seed for this moment for the entire journey here. I need you and I need your holdings. We can but join them together. I can rule and you can but have my children. I will give you whatever you want."

He reached for Sam and pulled her to him. He forced a kiss upon her.

A strong and urgent one, but also a violent and demanding one. He held her by both her arms. She thought it best to surrender into the kiss until - 436 -.

she could get further away from Woden and him. He mistook her surrender for acquiescence to his will, and began to explore her body.

"I like your garments much. I can feel your breasts much easier through these than those gowns you women wear."

Sam pulled away, "Not here, Lord Buron. Let us but continue our walk past the gates. This be not a good place."

"I cannot wait much longer, M'Love. Look how I am but ready for you."

Sam could hear the beginnings of Meera's battle.

She struggled to divert Buron's attention, "It be not far, Lord Buron, and will be worth your wait and effort."

"I like this in a woman. You tease and play with me, but want me. I can but see it in your face. You desire me within you. I hear you a chaste woman. Be that true, M'Love?"

Sam nodded and remained well in front of him, "I have saved myself for this turn, M'Lord. In truth, I have never laid with a man."

His smile increased in its proportion, and Sam saw that another part of him also increased at the same moment, "Then I will have to be but gentle with you at first. That will take great patience on my part as I but wish to ravish you. But I would have it so, you as chaste. It be worth the need for patience."

"Lord Buron, a question of you. What will you do with Woden after I but submit to you?"

"You need not worry yourself over these trivial matters. Your people be but peasants and need not interfere with your life with me. You will be well protected, so why concern yourself with these matters? These be not women's matters."

Sam nodded to him and passed the western gates of Woden. They were now outside of Woden's wall, and Sam felt free to begin her battle when Buron made his move, which she was certain he would soon.

As he passed the gates, he demanded, "I will go no further. Come to me and submit. Lay down those ridiculous weapons of yours. They be useless against me. You are but small and weak. Come and feel my muscles." He grinned, "All of them."

Sam began to back away carefully, but Buron came at her like a bull.

He grabbed her arms and brought her to him, once again, violently kissing her. He removed one his hands, grabbed her hand, and moved it to his enlarged part.

She revolted against him and broke free, running a short distance from him, "I can't submit to you, Buron. Woden doesn't wish to be enslaved to your ways. We will fight this turn."

- 437 -.

Buron laughed mightily, "You women are but fools. Look at me. You cannot win against me."

Sam brought up her hand and sent a surge of violent force to him. He staggered, but didn't fall.

"Weakling. Is that the best you can do?"

He began coming toward her, and she moved away. He drew his sword. Sam saw that she had no choice but to engage him in sword fight, at least for the moment until she could move him to the trees. She raised her hand again and mentally tried to remove his weapon from him. She couldn't, and he laughed. He sent his own force against her and tripped her. She fell to the ground, but quickly rose. She focused on his eyes and blinded him for but a moment. In that moment, she moved closer to the trees.

He grew angry, "ARRRRRGGGG! You but blind me. I will kill you for this."

She moved further into the trees, and called to him, "Here I am, Buron . "

Sam was being careful. She knew that she had but one try to kill Buron. She would have to wait for the correct moment. After she temporarily blinded him, he was casting off many violent forces that Sam tried to avoid.

One aimed right at her and threw her against a tree. The force was stronger than she imagined he could be, but she now knew how strong he was. And she knew she would need to protect herself against it. She sent rocks flying to him, at great speed. Some hit him and he groaned, but none connected to cause great injury. As his sight returned, he halted the rocks in their path and sent them returning back to Sam.

He came closer with his sword readied. Sam readied her sword, but looked around and studied the terrain. He swung. The blow was fierce, well placed and overly strong. Sam's sword matched the blow, but she knew she could take only a few of those swings before yielding. He swung again, and once again, Sam was forced toward the defensive. She watched his moves carefully, looking for any signs of weakness in the huge, tree trunk of a body. He began to swing again, but she ducked behind a tree.

His sword hit the tree, and the tree, as they had done during Sam's training, fell to the ground, in flames.

Sam was quick to send some fire onto his body through her powers.

He yelled and brushed them off, but it had injured him some. She tried again, but he learned quickly and cast off the fire. She now knew not to try anything twice in a row. She could use the knowledge, she hoped, later. He raised his sword again and she had nothing else to do but meet it. She did so, but then allowed her sword tip to fall toward the ground, trying to move him off-balance. It did slightly, but he recovered quickly. He had a strong - 438 -.

balance from his overly muscled legs. Sam saw that he favored his right arm. She tested her guess by moving behind another tree, forcing him to use his left arm swing. It hit the tree mightily, but saw that it didn't knock the tree over. She sent more flames to him, and he cast them off. She sent branches toward him to keep him busy while she moved away.

He came after her and sent flames her way. She turned them around, and as he neared a tree, she used her eyes, caught the tree afire, and made it fall toward him. As he battled against that tree, she instantly did the same with another. Branches and limbs scratched him, and the fire burned through some of his garments. Sam could smell that some of the hair on his chest had been scorched, but Buron came out swinging and hacking the trees apart. At most, Sam tired Buron but a bit, and provided overly small injuries.

Buron neared her and took his swing. Sam caught it at the last moment, unprepared for his quickness, but the edge of his sword had caught the flesh of her upper right arm.

Sam bled freely and Buron smiled, "Give in to me. It be not too late.

I yet desire your body, and I yet require your children. You be not strong enough for this battle."

Sam refused to engage Buron in babble. She swung her sword upward with all her might. While he met it, the impact forced him back a bit. She saw that she could move against him. As he stumbled backward some, she swung again from the other direction, against his left arm, with as much force and anger as she could pull into the swing. Once again, he caught it, but the force of the swing jolted through his left arm, and as the swords clashed, a small spark erupted from them that Sam sent flying into his hair.

He cried out, and dropped his sword to brush out the fire. Sam swung again, but he used his powers to move the swing of the sword elsewhere.

She resisted, but the swing came lightly upon his thigh. It did no great damage, but it did draw blood. Buron angered and picked up his sword.

Sam threw another burning tree toward him, and another, and another.

With each one, his anger mounted and his strength continued. She moved away, and he came after her. She circled around to the fallen trees, now burning, and made more to fall on him, until she formed enough to encircle him within the flames. Then, using her eyes, she increased the flames.

Enraged at his ineffectiveness to yet kill her, with all his power Buron sent several of the trees flying toward Sam. As one of the trees hit her square in the chest, she saw that he was yet encircled within the flames. She sensed fear of fire from him.

Finally, a weakness.

The force of one of the trees knocked her back onto another, catching her between the two. Her back and head struck solidly and violently against - 439 -.

the other tree, and she felt like they had broken. She couldn't catch her breath, but using the only thing she could move, she used her eyes to send even greater heights of fire to the trees that encircled Buron, hoping for a moment to recover. She was seriously injured but couldn't take the moment to assess the damage. Pain was everywhere. She focused and put the pain aside, knowing it would cost her energy soon.

She struggled to stand and move away from the tree on fire. She had to take a moment to find her sword, and reached for it within the flames.

As she did so, she finally saw what she had to do. She focused on Buron, safely held within the flames. She couldn't see him, but knew where he stood. He couldn't see her, and was struggling on his own to fight his terror of the fire that surrounded him. Sam gathered all her strength and prepared her sword. She knew she had once chance, and only one chance.

Her body was wracked with pain, and her right arm screamed as she raised the sword to behind her head. She ignored her pain. She ignored her burns.

Sam focused on where her mind knew where Buron was. She knew that Buron thought her now dead. The impact of the tree should have killed her. Luckily, the base of the tree hit just above her head. It was the larger branches that hit Sam in the chest. She focused and moved away from her pain. One throw only was she going to get. She remembered in practice the dummy of Jandra that she had hit, but had missed the tree entirely. She couldn't miss as she had done.

Sam couldn't breathe, but paid it no attention. She settled her body, focused again, found Buron, and threw the sword with all the power she could. As the sword flew free away from her, she directed its aim toward Buron as the Old One had taught her. And as soon as the sword left her hands, she reached for her knife and threw it as well, aiming straight for his throat. As the knife flew free, Sam dropped to her knees and then fell to the ground. She could no longer move, and hoped her sword and knife had hit their mark.

Just before her mind went blank, she sent one message: Meera.

As Keddi and Margeria helped the Old One down from her horse, Jandra saw the falls began to separate and that a path formed between the horses and the cave in back of the falls. Jandra dismounted her horse, as did Caitha and Tadan.

The Old One looked at Keddi, "Your duty is done, and your Highest needs you. Return safely and swiftly. Go."

- 440 -.

Keddi nodded, waved farewell to Jandra, and both she and Margeria remounted, took the extra horses and left. Jandra wasn't pleased to be here at this moment but knew there was no other choice. She was grateful to have Caitha with her, but she already missed Sam. Tadan she knew not what to do with. He was overly consuming for her right now. It had been many, many cycles since she had been to this spot. She had never been here to personally meet her Spirit Mothers, and felt afraid and nervous. She wanted Sam, but refused to let any message flow from her to Sam. She didn't want Sam distracted by herself.

Caitha came up to her and put Jandra's arm within her own, while Tadan stood nearby. The Old One motioned for them to follow her. She walked along the path on the river, back toward the falls, and finally into the cave. They followed her. Neither Caitha nor Jandra had ever been past the river. To walk through the falls and into a cave amazed them. They had never known such existed. Tadan had never even been to the Falls.

They walked through the cave for what seemed liked many long moments. The Old One seemed to know her way, easily. The cave had several paths, and Tadan tried to study which way they walked. He worried about how they might find their way back out. Brave as he was, he remained close to Jandra and Caitha. To Caitha, the cave seemed lonely and unused. She noticed few bootprints where they walked.

Jandra wondered how they could see in such a cave. From her experiences, the cave should be wholly dark, but it wasn't so in this one. The Old One continued steadily on her path, switching frequently from one path to another. Tadan gave up trying to remember which path they took at each junction and just followed. After what seemed half a turn or more of walking inside the cave, they saw that they began to emerge from it, near another cave entrance.

Since they saw no bootprints on the floor of the cave, they all assumed that this was another entrance, and not the one they had come through.

They emerged into a soft fog and kept walking, the Old One humming to herself along the way. Finally, they came into bright light, near the river that they thought must lead to the Falls. The river was wide, but easy.

Jandra looked across the river and froze. What she saw wasn't possible from her experience. Before her, but yet across the river, were the Spirit Mothers. They were of water, as it seemed to Jandra. They stood twice her height, as she had seen when they had come to Woden. Their hair grew down to the ground and was the color of water. It flowed about them such as water flows. Jandra saw that their hair was wild, like Sam's, with much resemblance between them. Then Jandra saw their eyes and saw that they were Sam's eyes. They were bluer than the sky and shimmered like the sun - 441 -.

upon flowing water. Sam truly was of them. She had never doubted it, but now saw how it was so.

Two of the Spirit Mothers moved forward. Caitha watched carefully but couldn't see their legs move, yet they moved. They crossed the river as if it were but a walking path, then stood before them. The Old One began to speak to them in a language Jandra, Tadan or Caitha couldn't understand.

There seemed to be some disagreement, but it was finally settled, and the Spirit Mothers came to Jandra, gently. They moved directly in front of her and then reduced their size a little.

You are Jandra, the Birth-Mother of the future ruler of all The Realm, our granddaughter. We welcome you to our home and are well pleased you remain with us. Please have no fear of us. We will serve you and make you comfortable while you are here. If you would permit while you are here, we would like to speak with your unborn. You may call me Loudrill'n and this is Strada'n'il. I know you to be Jandra, so this must be Caitha, and this young boy must be Tadan.

She moved closer to Tadan and inspected him well. You are the first of the males to ever step onto our sacred grounds. The Old One tells us that you be smarter than most males. But we welcome you, nevertheless. You are here because your mother desires it so. But we understand you are here to help tend Jandra. Our legends tell us that you are to become the keeper of the unborn in her life, so it may be good that you come and see what lies in her future.

Jandra noticed that they didn't speak. She saw that they sent their thoughts silently, like Sam was often able to do. Jandra practiced their names upon her tongue. They were strange names to her, and very old sounding. Jandra began to wonder what Sam's real name was, and guessed that it had a much longer version that none in Woden knew. As she thought about Sam, she began to worry and tried to put the battle out of her mind.

Strada'n'il came over and touched Jandra and the shoulder. Don't be worried, Birth-Mother of our unborn. Sam is well and the battle hasn't yet begun.

Come. Allow us to take you to a place more comfortable for you. Food and drink are ready for you, and your Spirit Mothers await you and the child. It is an exciting moment for all us to, if you permit, place our thoughts upon our grandchild. Come, Birth-Mother.

Allow me to carry you across the river.

Jandra knew she had been lifted up, but felt no hands or arms around her. She was carried across the river as if she floated. She looked back to Caitha and Tadan and saw that they too were being carried across. The Old One had changed her form and had become as the others. Her raggedy clothes lay where she shed them, and she was now draped in what looked liked a beautiful flowing gown made of water. When Jandra was able to, she looked at the Old One more carefully and saw the image of Sam upon the Old One's face.

- 442 -.

The Spirit Mothers carried their visitors upstream at a swift rate, keeping in close contact with the river. When they reached a fork in the river, they turned toward the forest and followed the smaller river. After a short while, they arrived at a semi-clearing of the trees where a bend in the river occurred. Before them were their rooms. Some were at ground level and others were elevated onto rocks. All the rooms were interconnected in some fashion that Jandra couldn't guess. There were rooms where only what looked to be beds were. Other rooms contained medium-sized round tables. And other rooms contained smaller sized table and chairs, along with all manner of chairs. Vines and branches separated the rooms with the beds, providing some but not total privacy. The place looked to encompass the entire middle of the forest. Jandra could see no beginning and no ending, yet it flowed as if part of the river and forest.

Caitha saw that the river ran through each of the rooms. The room they gave to Jandra and Caitha had two beds and two chairs with a small table. It also had a balcony that overlooked the river, just down two steps from the balcony.

Jandra thought it a most peaceful place and had it not been for her worries about Sam and Meera and all of Woden, she would have felt great contentment here. Strada'n'il placed Jandra upon the ground so gently that Jandra wouldn't have known had her feet not felt the ground. She had been placed onto the balcony.

She looked into Strada'n'il's eyes and thought, They look like Sam's. Exactly like Sam's.

Strada'n'il smiled at Jandra, Of course they do, Jandra of Woden and Jandra of your Highest. They are of our eyes. She is of us. But you know of this, so it must just be the surprise of meeting us.

"You can hear my thoughts?"

I can. We all can. And while you are here, we are allowing you to hear our thoughts, as well. There be no need of speech here. The noise becomes unbearable for us.

We have provided that you can learn to mask your thoughts. It is easy to do as such.

Think of your thoughts as you would your speech, and then all your other thoughts will remain behind the mask.

That sounds most confusing.

Strada'n'il laughed softly and gently, and as if water flowed through her, You will need to practice, but it will become easy for you. In the meanwhile, little Birth-Mother, we have prepared food and drink for you. You must rest while you are here. We want you to feel contentment and peace so that your unborn child may feel those as well.

Where is Tadan?

He will be here soon, Jandra. Worry not. We will not harm him in any fashion.

Your Highest is correct. Tadan does seem to be connected to our unborn in ways we had - 443 -.

not seen. When we reexamined the legends, he was mentioned. He will eat with you, and then we wil provide much entertainment for him. He is an inquisitive one, so we will show him many wonders of our home. You don't need to become tired by him, Jandra. We will tend to you now. All you must do is let go of your worries, and rest. I see Caitha arriving.

After Caitha was given the same instruction of speech, Jandra and she were left alone for a few moments. They wandered about the room and settled onto the balcony, sitting in the small table and chairs. It was so different than they could have even imagined. They had no idea that their Spirit Mothers actually existed in a realm of the living, let alone live in a real place.

They tried speaking to each other through their thoughts, but their thoughts became muddled into their speech, and they began to laugh. Jandra thought it was good to have Caitha here with her, but it was meant as a passing thought only, yet Caitha heard it. They continued to laugh and suddenly noticed that the laughter became the loudest sound about them.

They had never heard a place so quiet where the running of the water was the only sound.

To Jandra, space and the passage of the moments seemed not to affect life in this place. One slept when they were tired, and ate when they were hungry. It seemed overly simple, but Jandra couldn't see anyone working.

She saw no gardens being farmed, no buildings being built, no animals being tended, and no trade of any sort. She also didn't see the Spirit Mothers take food and sleep. The normal passing of the sun and the moon had no effect in this land of the Spirit Mothers. The turn remained the same in its half-sun and half-fog state.