They had never really expected it to be easy. Most of Krassis' guards knew Hercules from a previous encounter and fight had been inevitable from the moment they entered the camp. They didn't have to search for Krassis: his pavilion was easily the largest of the many tents. One guard tried to stop Hercules entering the tent, claiming Krassis couldn't be disturbed. Hercules did try to be polite: he had no quarrel with the guard. But when the guard "insisted" he stand aside, and the other guards surrounded them with weapons drawn, Hercules decided to be a little more direct.
One man found himself flying, and crash-landed against a tent pole, the tent collapsing around him with a clattering sound. The clashing of swords, shouts and an occasional warcry filled the air. No one would miss the noise, that was certain.
The noise attracted the attention of the man they had come to see. A very angry-looking Krassis emerged from the pavilion, loudly demanding to know what was happening. "…I thought I'd made it clear…" he bellowed, then caught sight of the cause of the ruckus. "Hercules!"
"Call off your dogs, Krassis." Hercules blocked another blow with his fist as he turned to face the slave trader. "I'm here on business."
Krassis raised an eyebrow. "Really?" A single gesture, and those guards who were left stopped fighting and put their weapons away. "Your business?" Krassis continued smoothly. "Or mine?"
Hercules refused to rise to the bait. "Yours," he said flatly.
Krassis hid his surprise beneath a professional, false smile. "And it can't wait until a more…appropriate hour?"
Iolaus sheathed his sword with a steely rasp, moving to Hercules' side. "Well, that depends, Krassis. How many of your guards do you want to have left when you're ready to talk to us?"
Krassis looked at Iolaus warily. He walked back into his pavilion, gesturing for them to follow. One of his guards brought up the rear.
"That was too easy," Iolaus commented, keeping his voice low so only Hercules would hear. "There should have been more guards than that."
"I noticed."
Inside the pavilion, Krassis poured himself a cup of wine. Hercules noticed that his hands were unsteady as he lifted the jug and wondered if it was from too much wine or from nerves. The man didn't sound drunk… Krassis made no move to offer that hospitality to either of his uninvited guests: a gesture meant to let them know they were unwelcome. The guard who had followed them into the pavilion moved to Krassis' side, his weapons very much in evidence. He was obviously some sort of bodyguard.
"So…Hercules. What business could you possibly have with me?" Krassis asked with phoney geniality. "I know you don't deal in slaves."
Hercules had gone over and over in his mind what might happen during this meeting, but he hadn't reached any conclusions about the best way to proceed. He wasn't certain whether Krassis would know what he wanted before they began. Krassis' question, seemingly direct, gave him no clue. So he decided to come straight to the point. "Three men came to you, either yesterday or today, with a girl. Did you buy her?"
Krassis showed no surprise. "Did I buy a girl? Hercules, I'm a slave trader. There are so many…"
"Don't play dumb with me. The girl I'm talking about is called Alani. She's about fourteen, but tall for her age. Brown curly hair, blue eyes. Either you bought her or you didn't, Krassis. Which is it?"
The guard at Krassis' side spoke quietly to the trader. Krassis frowned when he heard what the guard had to say, then turned back to Hercules.
"Your guard obviously knows who we're talking about," Iolaus commented. Hercules had guessed the same thing.
At that moment there was a commotion at the entrance of the pavilion. Several voices were heard, then two men came in, dragging a girl between them. It was Alani. She was standing, but only because the men who held her were holding her upright. Her thin clothing was torn, her face and arms covered with little scratches, her hair in tangled disarray. She either would not or could not look at anyone; she kept her head bowed, concealing some of the injuries to her face.
Hercules recognised her at once, and could see she had been badly beaten. The men who held Alani threw her to the ground in front of Krassis. Instantly, Hercules was at her side. His initial anger at the sight of her was overridden by concern for the girl. As gently as he could, he helped Alani to her feet, leading her to a softly cushioned chair. He glanced at Krassis once, his dark look daring the man to try and stop him.
All the while, the guard who had brought Alani into the pavilion was talking, giving Krassis a brief report of their search for the girl and asking what he wanted to do with her now. "We'll put her on the table and let the men teach her to know a slave's place, shall we?" the guard suggested eagerly. "She'll be a sweet piece of ass."
Hercules shot an angry look at the guard, but controlled his rage. He turned his attention back to Alani. Satisfied that she wasn't seriously harmed, Hercules lifted Dione's pendant from where it rested on his chest and showed it to Alani. "Do you recognise this?" he asked her quickly.
Alani looked at the pendant. She opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out. Eventually she just nodded.
"Dione sent me to find you," Hercules told her. "Don't say anything else. Let me deal with this."
Alani nodded again, seeming to understand.
Staying protectively close to her, Hercules turned back to Krassis. "I should take this out of your cowardly hide," he said through clenched teeth. The two guards were gone.
Krassis spread his hands in an ambiguous gesture. "Then I assume," he said, "this is the girl you're interested in."
Hercules bit back what he wanted to say and made himself nod. "Yes," he agreed.
Krassis cast a bored glance at Alani. "Well, let's see… I paid three hundred dinars for her. Since you and I have such a good working relationship… four hundred."
"You're not serious!" Iolaus burst out. Didn't Krassis realise he was taking his life in his hands?
Krassis ignored Iolaus, meeting Hercules' narrow gaze levelly. "I am a businessman. And you said you wanted to talk business," he declared. He looked at Alani, who was curled up in her chair, trying to make herself invisible. His eyes moved over her young body with obvious lechery. "Since you want the girl so much…" he said, "who am I to deny you your desire? But I expect to make a reasonable profit." The insinuation was plain.
Krassis had gone too far. Hercules crossed the space between them in three paces. He grabbed the front of the slaver's embroidered robe and lifted him off the ground. The man's fear loosened his tongue and he started to babble, telling Hercules not to overreact…just my little joke…all friends here…
"Shut up," Hercules snapped. Krassis shut up.
"Thank you," Hercules said. "Now, listen. I'm prepared to believe that when you bought Alani you didn't know she's a free woman. Right now, Krassis," – the name was spoken with utter contempt – "that's the only reason you're still alive." Krassis' feet were dangling about a foot above the floor, and he suddenly seemed to be having a little trouble breathing. Hercules was not finished. "Don't mistake this for a negotiation, Krassis," he warned. "Alani is coming with me. You can co-operate. Or we'll do this the other way." Slowly, he lowered the struggling man to the ground.
Krassis straightened his clothing and looked up at Hercules. "You can't do this," he told him. His voice had slid up about an octave. "I run a legitimate business here. I have rights…"
When Hercules moved toward Krassis, Iolaus had quickly taken care of his single guard. The guard now lay face down on the ground, with Iolaus' sword resting against his spine, and Iolaus' boot in the small of his back. Hearing Krassis' weak protestations, Iolaus choked back a snort of laughter. Hercules wouldn't be intimidated by those sorts of threats.
"Rights!" Hercules repeated. He was still standing over the man. "Krassis, there isn't a court in Greece that will let you keep her. I don't care if you paid a million dinars. It wasn't a legal sale." He shook his head, grudgingly impressed by the man's audacity. "It'll be easier if you let me take her, believe me. Make me take this to court and you'll lose everything. I'll make sure of it."
"You're bluffing!" Krassis didn't sound too confident, though.
"How sure are you?" Hercules challenged. "Bet your life? Because that's exactly what will be on the line in a Corinthian court."
Iolaus looked at Hercules, surprised, then gave Krassis a wicked grin. "You know, I hadn't thought of that, Herc. She's related to the king. Maybe we should take this to him."
Hercules watched the blood drain from Krassis' face. "Do you still think I'm bluffing, Krassis? Better find out exactly who she is, hadn't you? Of course, if you had bought her legally, you'd already know."
The threat hung there between them, like a harpy about to strike. Iolaus counted six full seconds before Krassis caved.
Outside the pavilion, hidden from sight within the folds of material that made up the tent walls, a man waited. Every word of their conversation was clearly audible to him; the pavilion walls could keep out others' eyes, but sounds carried too easily. He had joined the guards who chased and beat the slave-girl. He had followed them back to the pavilion, intending to claim the same reward Krassis would surely offer the other men. The presence of Hercules changed his plans.
Unlike Krassis, this man heard and understood Hercules' words to the girl: "Dione sent me to find you." No words could encompass the fear that overwhelmed him in the moment he heard those words. And then he heard Iolaus say, "She's related to the king of Corinth." He knew who that king was. It was all he could do to stay silent, concealing his presence until they left the pavilion. Hercules, Iolaus and – although she didn't speak at all – the slave girl was with them.
There was going to be trouble. The girl could not be allowed to reach Corinth. She would have to die.
They walked for about two miles in silence. Hercules kept an eye on Alani as they walked: she was physically exhausted, weak and although he could see no sign of serious injury, he didn't know what had happened to her, or if she might have internal injuries. He could tell she was forcing herself beyond endurance. He couldn't help her, however badly he might want to: the one time he had tried she flinched away from him with a stark flash of fear in her eyes. Knowing – at least in part – what she had been through, Hercules didn't try again.
Until he saw her stumble. There was a loose stone in the road that she hadn't seen in the darkness. Hercules caught her as she fell. Her head fell back as he lifted her in his powerful arms and he saw that her eyes were closed. Anxiously, Hercules checked the pulse at her neck, watched her breathing.
"Is she OK?" Iolaus asked him. It was almost the first thing he had said since they left Krassis' pavilion.
Hercules nodded, his eyes still on Alani. "I think so. She's just exhausted. We'll have to make camp soon."
"Yeah. The river's not far. We can camp there."
"Sounds good." Hercules lifted Alani's limp form, intending to carry her the rest of the way. Carrying her took little effort, and that worried him. Sure, he was strong enough to take her weight, and a great deal more if he had to, but she seemed to weigh almost nothing. He wondered when she had last eaten.
Alani regained consciousness slowly. She became aware of where she was: held in a man's powerful arms, being taken goddess-knew where. She kept her eyes shut, hoping, praying he wouldn't notice she was awake. Out of the cooking pot, into the coals was the phrase that sprang to mind; her relief at being free of Krassis was rather cancelled out by the unknowns of her new situation. With a suppressed shudder of fear, Alani became aware of the controlled strength of the man who held her. By the dark moon herself, he was carrying her as if it was no effort at all! How long had she been unconscious?
Hercules was perfectly aware that Alani was awake. As soon as they reached the river he lay her down, sitting some distance away but where he could still keep an eye on her. Iolaus caught his eye and glanced toward the unmoving girl, concern written all over his face. Hercules shook his head. "Iolaus, could you maybe start a fire? I'll try to wake her."
Alani opened her eyes almost before he touched her, confirming Hercules' belief that she had been awake for some time. She sat up, crossing her arms across her chest, watching him nervously.
"Hungry?" Hercules asked her.
She stared at him for a long moment, then nodded. "Thirsty," she said, her voice quiet.
"Of course. Here." Hercules handed her the waterbag he carried and she accepted it. As she drank her eyes never left him, yet not once did she meet his eyes. "Alani," he said kindly. "You are safe here. No one will hurt you."
Alani couldn't bring herself to acknowledge that. She passed the empty waterbag back to him, being careful not to touch his hand as he took it from her. Her eyes were drawn back to the pendant on his chest as he moved away from her. It was Hecate's sign he wore. But Alani had no idea how he had come by it. She didn't think Hecate would allow any man to wear her sign falsely…but she wasn't sure. She hadn't thought any man would wear it at all. He might have stolen it. Alani didn't dare to hope he might have come to help her.
He walked to the river and refilled the waterbag, then stopped to speak with the other man. Alani watched them both surreptitiously. She was once again aware of the powerful strength of the man who had spoken to her. It showed in every small movement of his body. The other man was carrying weapons: a sword at his side and a curved dagger shoved through his belt…
…just like the hunters…
"Dione! Dione!" Alani's screams had become hoarse cries; her throat was raw, almost bleeding with the strain she had been putting on it. She struggled futilely against the hands that held her. "Dione…" There were tears pouring down her cheeks, but Alani was hardly aware of them. The hunter finally finished and stood up, refastening his belt with one hand. His eyes met Alani's. She felt herself shoved forward, into the arms of the hunter. His arms tightened around her and she renewed her struggles, irrational with terror, revolted by what she had been forced to watch.
"None of that, slut," the hunter growled. One meaty fist closed around her throat, his other hand snaked around her waist and he held her firmly, turning her around so that once again, she faced into the cave. Dione's body lay on the ground. She was naked, her torn gown tangled beneath her, her breasts and neck bruised and bleeding. There was blood on her thighs, too, mingled with the slick semen two men had left there. Now the third man stood over her. Alani squeezed her eyes shut. She could not watch this again. She couldn't. The man spoke: Alani didn't hear the words. But she heard Dione's tortured cry of wordless despair.
Alani forced herself to look. "NO!!!" she screamed, struggling again against the arms that held her. The hunter had sliced into her stomach with his sword: blood poured from the open wound. Dione lay still, her eyes open, clearly seeing, but unable to act. "Let me go! Alani begged. "Oh, goddess. Dark Lady, please…"
The hunter, his bloody sword still in his hand, approached her. He lifted the sword before Alani's eyes then slowly sheathed it. She shrank away from him, pressing her body against that of the man holding her, realised what she was doing and tried to get away from him, too. She was held fast. The hunter touched her breast with one hand, slowly, as if fascinated by it. Alani cringed at his touch and he grinned, reaching for her legs with his other hand.
"No…" she moaned, paralysed with fear.
He pulled her skirt down and she felt the seams rip open. He probed between her thighs with one finger, his face inches away from hers, finding the dark curled hair that covered her womanhood…
A hand touched her shoulder and she screamed, lashing out desperately with one hand. Her hand found warm flesh and she jerked it back, her eyes suddenly wide open.
"Alani, it's alright. You're safe." Hercules repeated the words softly, "You're safe." Her eyes were wild. She seemed to shrink into herself when she saw him, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging herself tight. "You're safe," he said again. He realised her movements were an attempt to cover herself and for the first time he took notice of what she was wearing…Krassis' idea of sexually appealing might have suited Aphrodite, but not this mortal and very frightened child.
Herc, sometimes you can be stupid, he berated himself. He thought about how the situation would look from Alani's point of view and began to understand her fears. Hoping it wouldn't make things worse, Hercules stripped off his leather shirt, leaving the thin undershirt in place, and offered it to Alani. He draped the garment around her shoulders and drew back quickly when she got the idea. His shirt was way too big for her, but it served the purpose: allowed her to cover her body. She clutched the shirt around her, still saying nothing, still not-quite-watching him.
"You don't trust me," Hercules said quietly. It wasn't really a question. He kept talking, hoping she would respond, somehow. "I guess I can't blame you. I have some idea what you've been through, Alani. I wish you could believe I'm trying to help you."
Alani raised her eyes and met his, just for an instant. She mumbled something under her breath.
"What was that?" he asked her.
More clearly, she repeated what she had said. "You lied."
"What do you think I lied about?" he asked her gently.
"Dione." Alani lifted her chin defiantly. "You said Dione sent you. Dione's dead."
A brief frown of pain crossed Hercules' face. He hadn't expected to hear it stated so baldly. He closed his eyes for a moment, then looked at Alani again. "I know she's dead, Alani. Before she died she contacted me and asked me to find you. It's true."
"Can't be," Alani said and bowed her head, refusing to look at him.
Hercules cast a despairing glance at Iolaus, not really expecting to find help there.
Iolaus met his eyes and shrugged. "Hercules, maybe you should…"
"Hercules?"
Hercules turned back to Alani seeing life in her eyes for the first time. She had raised her head and was looking at him, her eyes wide, her expression hopeful.
"Is your name Hercules?" she asked. Her voice was shaking.
He nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm Hercules."
She felt the tears of relief sting her eyes and made no attempt to stop them. He had told her the truth! Alani had no idea how Dione had done it, but she knew that if her mother had to contact a man, the only one she would have trusted was Hercules. She looked up at the man and her vision blurred. He had been so kind to her, and she hadn't trusted him. The tears overflowed and spilled down her face. At last, she was no longer alone.
"What did Dione tell you about me?" Hercules asked Alani.
Alani looked up from the piece of meat she had been eating. "She told me you were a good man. And she told me you were my father. Right now, that's enough."
That was good to hear. Hercules suspected her quiet confidence was still largely feigned, but she did it well. And the constant fear was gone. She might not be comfortable with him, but at least this was a start. He was about to speak when she added, "It's good to meet you at last. I didn't think I ever would."
The words brought back a familiar pain. "Alani…until this week, I didn't even know you existed. If I'd known, I…"
Until now, Alani had been trying to suppress her empathic gift. Able to relax at last, she had begun to use it consciously. Hercules' feelings were hard to read, but those of his companion were wide open to her senses and the sudden rush of feeling that came from him surprised her. Somehow she had touched on a subject that caused both men some pain. She was not sure what to say. The silence dragged on awkwardly. She knew she was supposed to say something, but not what. In the end, to change the subject, she asked, "How did you find me?"
Hercules exchanged a brief glance with his friend. "Hecate helped. She showed me some of what happened to you. Once I knew you were with Krassis it was easy."
"Hecate?" she repeated, disbelieving. Tears threatened again and Alani blinked them back angrily. "I…I thought she…" The words caught in her throat. "I couldn't see the moon anywhere. I thought she'd left me…"
"Alani," Hercules said, "you couldn't see the moon because it's moon-dark. New moon tomorrow night. Which reminds me…" He lifted the pendant from around his neck. "This is yours. Hecate only allowed me to wear it until I found you." He held the silver disk out to her.
Alani drew back as if it might burn her. "No," she said fearfully.
"What's wrong?"
"I can't take it." She shook her head, but wouldn't say more.
"Well, I'll keep it for you for now." Slightly reluctant, Hercules put the pendant back around his neck. By chance, he was looking at Iolaus as he did so, and saw his friend frown.
"Here," the hunter called, attracting the attention of the others. "Here's where they left the road."
Another man came closer with a torch to examine the crushed grass and torn leaves that were the signs of their quarry. He grunted, agreeing. "They'll be camped by the river," he said.
"This is madness," a third man said. "Going up against Hercules!"
"He's a friend of the witch who murdered Grassus," said the man with the torch gruffly. "He'll be coming after us anyway."
"I told you we should have killed the girl," another man complained.
"Oh, you knew Hercules would show up, did you?"
"I knew we shouldn't leave a witness alive."
The first hunter spoke again, impatiently. "D'you want to turn back? I'm all for it."
"No," snapped the torch-bearer.
At the same time, the third man spoke up. "No. We go on and kill the girl. Better late than never, eh?"
"Then we go this way." The hunter took the torch from the man who held it, and led them on.
The moonless sky full of stars was reflected in the slow-rippled surface of the river. Some distance from the water, where the grass grew thick and green, three people lay still within the ring of light cast by their campfire. Closest to the river, Iolaus slept peacefully, lying on his side with his head pillowed on his arm. Within easy reach of his hand, his sword lay sheathed in the grass beside him. A short distance away lay Alani, a borrowed yellow leather shirt tied tightly around her. She had tossed and turned for a long time, but at that moment she, too, was sleeping, her dreams undisturbed. Hercules lay awake, his hands clasped behind his head, staring up at the star-filled sky. He was remembering another night, many years ago.
Dione's body seemed to mould perfectly to his, with her head resting on his chest, his arm around her shoulders holding her there. Hercules lifted a hand and stroked her hair gently, tangling his fingers in those soft, dark curls. In the sensual afterglow of their lovemaking, neither of them felt the need to talk. Hercules, his eyes on the silver moonlight outside the cave, found his thoughts filled with his past. Wars and battles. The deaths of friends and lovers, and of people he hardly knew, but had been near when Celesta came for them. His world was one of danger, of adventure, of men who wanted to be the one who killed Hercules, and hostile gods who just wanted him dead. On a night as beautiful as this, with a woman he loved in his arms…he would have liked to stay right where he was forever.
For a moment it seemed the world held its breath as Hercules seriously considered that possibility. Then he caught himself, and realised a different decision had to be made. He couldn't change who he was. "I should leave," he said aloud.
Dione shifted in his arms, looking up at him with her chin resting on his chest. "You will leave when you must," she said, accepting. "But what brought this on?"
"I was just thinking how much I'd like to stay," he told her, expecting laughter, or teasing, maybe, at the contradictory statement. Dione simply gazed at him, her eyes serious. "Dione…I would stay here forever if I could. Even better, I'd like to take you home with me, make a life with you." It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her to do just that…but he knew her life was already committed elsewhere. He sought her mouth and kissed her lightly. "You are a sorceress, Dione," he smiled, making a joke of it. "You bewitched my heart."
"Sorceress…I suppose I am. But I've cast no spell on you, Hercules." Dione's reply was more serious than he had expected. She ran light fingers across his forehead, smoothing away the creases of his frown. Her other hand moved slowly across his chest, feeling the curves of the muscles beneath warm skin and slightly rough hair. Her fingertips found a nipple and lingered there. "If that's the way you feel…you are probably right. You should leave." Dione covered the same territory with her lips as with her fingers. She teased his nipple with her tongue when she reached it, grazed the sensitive skin lightly with her teeth. "…But…not tonight," she concluded, her voice scarcely more than a whisper.
Dione reached up and covered his lips with her own. With her tongue she gently parted his lips, probing within. She explored his mouth thoroughly: his tongue, his teeth, the ridged roof of his mouth and the softness of his lips. Then she drew his tongue into her own mouth, inviting the same exploration from him.
"No, not tonight," Hercules whispered huskily, when their mouths finally drew apart. He felt the renewed tightening in his loins as he reached down to cup her breast in one hand.
By the gods, he had loved her. He had almost forgotten that, in the losses and pain he had suffered over the years. Almost forgotten. From those few days of perfect love had come a child, his daughter, Alani. His firstborn, Hercules realised…a strange thought, that. It might take some getting used to.
He had seen nothing, heard nothing unusual, but suddenly Hercules was alert. There was danger. Lying still, half-closing his eyes so he would appear to be sleeping, Hercules waited. He could just see something (someone?) moving in the shadows just beyond the campfire's light. An arrow flew through the air and Hercules reacted automatically, snatching the arrow-shaft from the air. With the same movement, he rolled and sprang to his feet. He hadn't been the arrow's target: it was Alani!
"Iolaus!" he shouted. A number of dark figures emerged from the shadows and Hercules prepared to fight.
Hercules' shout interrupted Iolaus during a very pleasant dream. The dream shattered with his friend's cry and with a speed that can only come from a life lived in danger, Iolaus was on his feet, sword in hand, the sudden rush of adrenaline making him awake and alert more quickly that a dunking in iced water. Hercules was already in action. Iolaus had time to shake Alani awake. He shoved his dagger into her hand – she might need something to defend herself – and was ready to face the first attack.
Hercules was keeping one eye on Alani as he fought. He saw Iolaus with her and was grateful. Then a face rose before him: a face he recognised. One of the hunters who had raped Dione. Hercules blocked the hunter's clumsy sword-thrust easily. Normally, he would have followed that block with a punch and the attacker would cease to be a problem. Not this time. He gripped the man's wrist hard, twisted the short sword from his hand. The sword was now in Hercules' hand and he thrust the blade into the hunter's chest. The force behind that blow drove the weapon through the man's ribcage and out of his back. Hercules pulled the sword free with a twist and went on fighting.
Alani gripped Iolaus' dagger in both hands, watching the fight with growing fear. Until she, too, recognised a face. Not the man Hercules had killed, but another. The memory of Dione's agonising death suddenly overwhelmed her with rage. She lunged toward the man with an incoherent cry. He was quick enough to catch her wrist, twisting the knife from her hand. Alani heard Iolaus shout her name. A sharp kick to the back of her knees made her cry out again as she fell to the ground. A rough hand grasped her clothing and she felt a man's body press down on hers.
This time she did not panic. Hecate, Crone of the Night. Lady of the Dark Moon, I need your power now. The words rose in her mind with eerie surety and she sent them out as a prayer, a challenge, a demand. This man intended to kill her. Yet Alani's heightened senses told her of his sexual excitement as well. He thought she was afraid, and that turned him on. She was not afraid. The power of the goddess was a dark well inside her. Alani stared up and met the man's eyes. Her hand, flung out to her side when she fell, closed on the hilt of a dagger. The man above her froze in place, held by her icy gaze, powerless to move.
Alani tightened her grip upon the hilt. She could feel his fear, now. Hard and cold as steel, she said, "Her name was Dione. Enjoy Tartarus."
She plunged the blade into his neck, burying it up to the hilt. It severed the carotid artery and the blood sprayed out. The man looked surprised. He died quickly, falling forward across Alani's body. The dagger fell from her hand as she rolled the bleeding body off her and began to scramble up. A movement caught her eye and she looked up.
To see the blade of a sword descending toward her head. The deadly blow was blocked, with inches to spare. Sparks flew as the two swords clashed. Alani scrambled out of the way as Iolaus took on the man who tried to kill her. He was fighting two men at once. Iolaus was trying to protect her, but to do that he had to turn his back on one of the men he fought. Alani saw the man raise his sword, shouted a warning.
Too late. Iolaus began to turn, his sword coming up to parry the blow. But as he turned he was moving into the path of the descending blade. He never had a chance to avoid it.
Iolaus fell to his knees, clutching at his chest. Alani stared in horror. So slowly it seemed to take minutes, the blonde warrior collapsed to the ground, his lifeblood spilling dark upon the ground, directly from his heart.