Purgatori glided through the cool water, moving swiftly and smoothly w/ powerful wingbeats. She surfaced and clambered onto a large rock and stretched agreeably, glad to be out of the dust of the night’s travel. The moon was halfway under the horizon, her merest reflection dancing and skipping on the placid waters. There was a faint peach glow to the sky over in the East - the sun would be up in barely an hour or so.
        They had arrived at the river after a hard night’s walk. There was a thick grove of trees on their bank and they had camped in a deep bowl-shaped depression by the base of the bigger trees near the middle of the thicket : the dense leaves kept the sun out but Purgatori built a simple lean-to screen of branches and reeds anyway - it would help keep the heat and wind at bay.
        "You little bastard!"
        Purgatori looked over towards the sound of the voice and swore as she sensed a burst of Arcane Energy. She weaved through the trees to find Lady Death standing in their camp holding her tunic and trousers to her chest.
        "You idiot!" Purgatori spat. "What the Hell is wrong w/ you? Drakkan can sense magic as I can - you might just have given away our exact location."
        Lady Death shifted, angry at having been caught nearly naked and at having done something to jeopardise them. "A snake bit me."
        "Pff. And you couldn’t just throw it aside?"
        "You might associate w/ slimy reptiles, bitch, I kill them."
        "Snakes are not slimy, you uneducated wretch." Purgatori brushed past her and picked up the charred remains of the serpent. Poor thing. I thought this might happen. "Was this coppery coloured?"
        "Why?" Lady Death asked suspiciously, trying to cover as much of herself as possible - she had stripped down to sleep and was only wearing a pair of skimpy red satin panties.
        "Because it looks like a Bronze Racer to me."
        "…so?"
        "Was it coppery?" Purgatori asked patiently.
        "Yes, tramp, it was metallic brown."
        "Oh well. It was nice knowing you," Purgatori said, tossing the snake aside. "Actually, come to think of it, it wasn’t."
        "What are you talking about?"
        "Bronze Racers are extremely venomous."
        Lady Death’s eyes narrowed. "You’re lying."
        Purgatori looked back at her coolly, perhaps a hint of pleasure in her eyes. "Does the bite burn?"
        "…yes…"
        "Yes. Localised irritation, caused by the venom reacting w/ the air. The rest of it will be spreading through your blood stream. I’d give you an hour or so at most. Your blood will begin to thicken and clot until it solidifies completely. That's how they kill their prey."
        Lady Death scanned Purgatori’s face apprehensively. "You had better be joking Purgatori."
        "Do I look like I am?"
        "How do I cure it? There must be an antidote," Lady Death said w/ rising alarm.
        "There is, but we don’t have it here do we? I’d say your only chance is to suck the venom out."
        "I…can’t!"
        "Why?"
        "It bit me on the shoulder! I can’t reach!"
        "Oh dear."
        They looked at each other, Lady Death frantic, Purgatori calm and enjoying Lady Death’s dilemma.
        "I’ll save you the embarrassment of having to ask me," Purgatori said after a pause. "Turn around." Lady Death hesitated, fighting between needing the venom out of her and not wanting Purgatori’s lips on her. "The longer you leave it - "
        "ALRIGHT! Just do it!" Lady Death snapped powerlessly. She stabbed her finger at the vampiress. "This better not be one of your little plans to get your hands on me, tramp! Or my blood!"
        Purgatori’s eyes blazed coldly. "Listen brat, whatever you think of me, I make love ONLY to people I like. Which puts you FAR out of the running - you are not worthy of my affections. And, fool, I am hardly likely to suck out deadly toxins from you and swallow them myself, am I? Now shut your whining and turn around before you irritate me into rescinding my offer." Lady Death ground her teeth and turned around, tensing involuntarily. "Ooh. Red satin."
        "Shut your mouth and start sucking, bitch!" Damn, that came out wrong!
        Lady Death flinched as she felt Purgatori’s cool hands on her skin, and despite what Purgatori had said, her touch seemed overly carresing to her - perhaps, she thought w/ helpless anger, Purgatori was just doing it on purpose. She felt a talon slice a careful slit across the bite wound, felt Purgatori’s arms take a very familiar grip on her around the waist and shoulders, and then she felt the unsettlingly erotic touch of Purgatori’s lips on her skin.
        "If I feel your teeth - !"
        Purgatori just flexed her fingers by way of reply, pressing her claws against Lady Death’s skin in a warning to shut up. Lady Death took it, grimacing as she felt Purgatori suck hard. You better spit that out. You had BETTER! Purgatori paused and Lady Death heard her spit w/ an expression of distaste. Good. Lips on her skin again, Purgatori slightly shifting position. Lady Death strained herself not to move, feeling too much of Purgatori’s body against her bare flesh. She remembered the first time they had fought, by Styx, when Purgatori had bested her and straddled her on the floor, caressing and licking her. How horribly helpless she had felt. How utterly repulsed. She felt Purgatori’s lips moving slightly and had a nasty suspicion that the vampiress was grinning, having read her thoughts. Purgatori moved and spat again and Lady Death forced herself to relax a bit. Venom. She wouldn’t swallow venom, she tried to reassure herself.
        "That tastes clean now," Purgatori said.
        "Then get your goddamned arms off me."
        "Ah. That must be how they thank people in your world," Purgatori said testily. She let go and Lady Death turned fast and backed up. Purgatori paused a moment to make the point then hooked a thumb over to her left. "Squeeze some of those yellow berries over the wound to disinfect it. I’m going to rest now. If you start feeling a tingling in your extremities, wake me."
        Lady Death turned away from Purgatori, disliking displaying her near-naked body to her but unable to look at her blood on Purgatori’s lips any longer. She heard Purgatori walk off to the bivouac and relaxed slightly, though her mind was still roiling. She had almost been fatally poisoned, she had perhaps alerted Drakkan to their presence, her mortal enemy had saved her life. Lady Death plucked a few of the yellow berries and crushed them in her hand. They were full and ripe and pulped easily, giving out a sweet smelling juice. Damn that bitch, acting so pompous. She would just LOVE to have me thank her and be in debt to her, Lady Death thought angrily as she rubbed the juice on her skin. The cut stung hotly for a minute then gradually faded to a throb. Damn that snake. Mind - imagine if it had bitten my chest!! What a dilemma that would have presented! she thought, not w/out some cynical humour.
        Wrapped up in the unsettling possibility of what she would have done in that circumstance, Lady Death never thought to check the ground to see if Purgatori had really spat her blood out or if she had only feigned it…

        "Well?"
        Purgatori turned at the voice. The moon had just crested the horizon, crisp and bright, and the heat of the day was rapidly dwindling into an open sky. Lady Death had come out of the grove of trees and was buckling her sword belt on. Purgatori was sitting on the long sandy bank that ran down to the river’s edge, hugging her knees and looking for all the world like an idle holiday maker. W/ wings. "Well what?"
        "Where’s this ‘friend’ of yours?"
        Purgatori just shrugged and turned back to the river. Where ARE you? It’s been - what? Three or four months? More? Are you…still alive? Please Isis, don’t let another friend be dead.
        Lady Death snorted at her and folded her arms. "Well this has certainly been a waste of time. What now?" Purgatori glared at her. "We cannot stay here forever bitch."
        "I am aware brat."
        "Then get off your backside and think of a plan. Or are you just going to mope over another lost friend?" Lady Death grinned wickedly. "You’re not doing very well are you? One is dead, another has abandoned you and your entire empire - "
        Lady Death jerked as Purgatori snarled and leapt at her, her wings catapulting her through the air at great velocity. Lady Death dragged her blade out in defence but by that time Purgatori had already passed her, arrowing at something she had seen behind Lady Death. Lady Death spun and saw the soldier a moment before Purgatori hit him. He was kneeling on the ground at the fringe of the trees, obviously checking for tracks. It looked as though he had followed their trail through the trees and was nearing their bivouac - he had come out slightly past the women and their sunken position on the sloping riverbank and his concentration on the track had prevented him from seeing them. He heard the beat of wings. Lady Death saw him turn, saw his jaw drop and heard him suck a huge lungful of air to scream. The crunch of his neck snapping as Purgatori almost twisted his head clean off seemed very loud indeed. Lady Death ran up the bank in a crouch, making no sound on the sand. She could hear horses, the growl of something bigger - it sounded like there was at least three others, fanning out through the trees. She turned to whisper a command to Purgatori and swore soundlessly as she saw the vampiress had vanished silently. Lady Death kept low and slinked her way rapidly towards one set of hoof beats, getting the distinct feeling that all Hell was about to break loose.
        A loud yell of alarm was cut short by a piercing scream of mortal agony, confirming her suspicions. She stood up and ran for her target, abandoning all attempts at stealth. She came out of the trees and her mark saw her immediately. He wheeled his horse around to face her, trying to bring his heavy lance to bear. Lady Death dodged the unwieldy weapon easily, chopping it in two w/ one strong blow, then dived forward and drove her sword into his chest. He died w/a a scream and his horse bolted. She jerked back out of the way of its bucking hooves and a crossbow bolt sliced past her face. Lady Death saw the soldier fifty metres away, frantically re-cocking his bow and she hurled her sword like a javelin. Her aim was true and she grinned as he fell out of the saddle.
        Thundering hooves. She turned and gaped as she saw the rider charging at her. She had no idea what his mount was - it was at least half as big again as a Shire horse, and reptilian - but it was fast and powerful. She had no sword. It came at her like an avalanche, its three rows of teeth glimmering a nasty yellow colour. Lady Death dived aside, using her levitation powers to get greater distance and speed. A big barbed spear hit the ground beside her, pinning her cloak. She ripped it free and came to her knees as the large animal skidded to a halt and turned w/ amazing speed. Its rider reined in the mount and Lady Death saw him pull a large pistol out of his belt and level it at her.
        Purgatori swooped through the air and hit him like a wrecking ball, knocking him clean out of the saddle. His bullet went high into the sky. Purgatori’s wings stopped them a metre above the ground and the soldier fell to the earth in pieces as her talons rent him apart. She landed nimbly in his entrails and faced his mount as it shrieked at her. It jerked its head at her, its teeth crashing together like a gin trap; fast, but too slow to catch Purgatori. The vampiress punched the side of the animal’s head and Lady Death heard the crunch of bone. It reared back w/ a squeal and backed up, growling uncertainly at the blood-drenched vampiress.
        "Fk off," Purgatori spat, flexing her claws. The creature shifted and shrieked again, but its tone was less than convincing. Purgatori took a step towards it and it’s nerve broke. It bolted, racing off at impressive speed. Purgatori glowered at it then turned to Lady Death
        "Well done brat."
        "What are you whittering about bitch?" Lady Death retrieved her blade and looked Purgatori up and down, her face twisting in disgust. "You look repulsive. I thought vampires were supposed to DRINK blood, not wear it."
        "I’m whittering about you giving our presence way tramp. You think they were here by accident?"
        Lady Death snorted and waved her hand dismissively. Purgatori grabbed her as she strode past, smearing blood over her tunic. "Get your filthy paws off me!"
        Purgatori let go and jabbed a finger at her. "Listen to me you stuck-up bint. Your stupidity might just have ruined our entire mission. If Drakkan becomes suspicious he will go on the alert and that will ruin us."
        "And you tearing his patrol apart will not exactly have helped either will it?" Lady Death snapped back.
        "I had no choice brat. What did you think, they would find our camp and tracks and just wander off w/out searching the area? Idiot. Think twice before flashing your power around." Purgatori stalked off towards the river.
        "Ooh, I’ll do my humble best," Lady Death spat. "We need to move now bitch. Where is this Gate?"
        Purgatori paused to consider. She idly wiped some of the blood off her breasts and licked it off her hand, ignoring Lady Death’s noise of disgust. "Forget the Gate, Drakkan will detect the magic when it activates. I want him to think he was mistaken about your powers. By the time they realise the patrol is not coming back we should be far away. We will get into the city another way."
        "How? Are we even sure the Gate is in the city?"
        "Yes. I can sense it, but I cannot pinpoint it yet. I will be able to as we get closer and as my strength returns. We will head down river. There is a pumping structure a few miles away that will give us access to the tunnels."
        "Tunnels? I’m not crawling through sewers."
        "Water tunnels. We desalinate and purify water and pump it into the city. Most comes from the sea, but we have back-up systems running from the Nile. They are seldom used, except for maintenance or emergency exercises, so they should be unpatrolled."
        "We leave now?"
        "Unless you want to wait for another patrol."
        "Get washed bitch, you’re drawing flies."
        "Yes…all this trip, I have been plagued by irritating pests."
        "Harlot!"
        "Brat!"

       They reached the pumping station by midnight. Purgatori had led them down river, walking through the shallows to hide any tracks they might have left. She could have flown, but Lady Death would have had to levitate to keep up and for the moment Purgatori wanted them to emit not the slightest trace of magic. She knew that the magic w/in them could be detected by someone attuned to it if they were specifically hunting for it - Sebek found her that way, as did Lexus, and no doubt Lady Death’s friends could do the same w/ her - but Purgatori hoped Drakkan wouldn’t be searching. As far as he knew, she was still cooking in a volcano and Lady Death had escaped - the trace of Arcane Energy he had detected would have been too tiny, too fleeting for him to get a good fix on or to analyse fully : he had probably sent the patrol more from curiosity than alarm.
        The pumping station sat before them on the outer curve of a wide sweeping bend of the river. It was a one storey affair w/ a taller structure jammed on one side that held the pumping equipment - blocky and unattractive, its peeling whitewash glowing unhealthily in the moonlight. No lights burned at the few windows but they still approached stealthily, wary of any potential ambushes. The pumps were silent, the doors locked. Purgatori just pushed against the door and the lock and door jamb gave way under her force. The splintering of the wood and clanking of the tortured metal seemed amplified against the quiet backdrop of the silent countryside.
        The women walked into a broad entrance way w/ doors that led to an office, a control and monitoring room, store rooms and a staff room. Purgatori ignored them all and headed into the pump room. It was large and dark, the shadows clinging like thick cobwebs to the dead machinery. Lady Death found it somehow ominous - she didn’t like machines, didn’t trust them. She had grown up before there were such things and none of the ones she had come across had done anything good.
        There were several large metal plates set into the floor. Purgatori pulled one up and cast it aside as though it were nothing but it crashed into the floor w/ a deafening clang that made Lady Death jump. She opened her mouth to curse the vampiress but Purgatori was already gone. Lady Death walked over and looked down into a faintly lit well that led to the tunnel. She climbed down quickly and found Purgatori waiting twenty metres ahead, staring into the blackness. The tunnel was ovoid in shape, straight as a ruler, w/ a narrow walkway running down each side. Glowing orbs of faint moonlight floated at far intervals, glimmering like phosphorescent fungus.
        "This leads straight to the city?"
        "Yes."
        Lady Death heard the growl in her voice and looked at the vampiress. The tunnel was gloomy and Purgatori’s eyes shone brightly. "What’s wrong?"
       What’s wrong? I built this - I built it for my people. For my WORSHIPPERS. So they could wash, drink, cook. Keep their plants and flowers alive. Bastards. How do they repay me? They turn against me. Sell me out to Drakkan. All I’ve done for them, and none of them stood up for me. They could have thwarted Drakkan easily, but no, I’m just not worth it. Bastards! Maybe I should destroy it. Yes, blow the tunnel into rubble, see how funny they think that is! Or no; I can use my blood and magick to taint the water. See how they like their skin falling off in strips. A nice blood virus; yes, that would be so fine. Melt them into rancid screaming gunge. Teach them to betray me! I’ll -
        "Purgatori!"
        "What, woman?!"
        "What the Hell is wrong w/ you?"
        "Nothing."
        "Bah, you were almost in a trance! Stay focused bitch, we cannot afford to have you wandering about in a daze!"
        "Oh, I am focused brat. Completely focused."
        "You were dreaming, bitch," Lady Death retorted. "Wrapped up in your sordid little fantasies again, no doubt."
        "Yes," Purgatori said blandly as she set off down the tunnel. "It was about you and those lovely little red panties."
        "Dog!"
        "Wretch!"
        "Have you given ANY thought to what we do when we reach your city, whore?"
        "Yes, I have a plan."
        "And that is?"
        "Find the Gate. Destroy it. Burn the city to the ground."
        Lady Death paused in surprise. "What? You’re going to destroy your own city? Why?"
        "Bastards. Traitorous little animals! I give them everything they could want and they turn their backs on me. Maggots. I’ll teach them to betray me. Get what they want from me and then cast me aside and refuse to help, will they? I’ll tear their fkng hearts out, every last one of them."
        Lady Death looked at Purgatori warily, sensing - as Glenn had done - that Purgatori was on the verge of a critical mass that could well result in her turning on Lady Death. She slowed down minutely, gradually letting the vampiress open up a three step lead : at the speed Purgatori could move, Lady Death didn’t know if that would give her enough time to react if Purgatori blew up, but it was surely better than being w/in touching distance.

        Lady Death didn’t know how long they walked. The tunnel stretched out, tedious and unchanging; smooth, featureless and dim. The changes in rock colour as the tunnel cut across the countryside were about as exciting as it got. Purgatori was silent, walking in a constant pace as she brooded blackly. Lady Death let her get on w/ it. If they had had a more amicable relationship she might have tried to talk Purgatori around, but as it was she knew Purgatori would probably just ignore her and any persistence on Lady Death’s part would probably result in anger or violence.
        It was getting lighter. Lady Death looked past Purgatori and saw the lightglobes were becoming more frequent. Ahead the tunnel rose slightly and the two walkways spread out to form a platform over the water. Purgatori stopped by a metal ladder, looking up at a black open hatchway similar to the one they had come down.
        "Where are we?" Lady Death asked softly.
        "Maintenance shack. Someone’s been here."
        "I thought you said these tunnels weren’t used often."
        "I did."
        "Well?" Lady Death said testily after a pause.
        "Well what?"
        "Well who was it you stupid bloodsucker?! Are you being obtuse on purpose?!"
        "Probably."
        "Stupid bitch!"
        "Snotty brat."
        "Purgatori, the day we get to settle our differences cannot come too soon," Lady Death purred. "We are going to have such a reckoning you and I."
        "Count on it," Purgatori said. She walked off down the tunnel and stopped a few paces on, looking at the wall. "Small arms fire. Energy weapons."
        "There was fighting going on here? Why? And who?"
        Purgatori stood silently, drumming her claws against her boot. Could it be true? Could it possibly be true? Had Demonica succeeded?
        Lady Death cuffed her shoulder. "I asked you - "
        Purgatori smacked her hand away w/ a hiss. "Touch me again tramp and I’ll pull your arm off."
        "Answer me when I speak then, harpy."
        "Ooh yes mistress, please forgive me."
        "Gods, you are the most irritating creature I have ever encountered," Lady Death spat. "You came to me remember? If you want my continued help I suggest you moderate your attitude. We ARE still supposed to be working together, aren’t we? Or do you want to mess this little task up too?" Purgatori glared at her, her eyes shining hatefully. "Well? Do you want to crawl back to your precious Goddess and tell her you’ve failed? Again?"
        Purgatori took a step towards her, fangs bared. Lady Death backed off, half drawing her sword until she saw Purgatori manage to calm herself down. "Alright," Purgatori grated. "But keep your hands to yourself."
        "Answer me when I speak and I - "
        "I think there might be a team of rebel fighters on our side," Purgatori interrupted. "Looks like they were chased down here."
        "So Drakkan’s troops will be used to people using these tunnels then," Lady Death said flatly.
        "Perhaps. If any of his troops survived to report."
        "Marvellous. We could be walking into a trap. If we’re caught down here we will have no room to manoeuvre, or any escape routes."
        Purgatori looked off down the tunnel. "This is still our best option. We will just have to be careful. When we get nearer the city we will start coming to junctions where this waterflow can be merged w/ the main one. Closer still, the pipes split and spread out to supply different parts of the city. That will give us manoeuvring space."
        "I don’t like it."
        "What’s to like? We are two people against an army. We don’t have the luxury of options."
        Lady Death just grunted, knowing the vampiress was right. "You go first then. I can use you for cover."

        They made steady progress through the night, though slower than before : now they knew there might be enemies down here w/ them they moved more carefully to soften their footsteps and prevent and unintentional sound. Purgatori was silent again and Lady Death could tell by her body language that she was brooding. It was little wonder, Lady Death thought. What must it be like to have struggled and fought so long to build up a city and then have everyone turn against you? Have everyone betray you resulting in you getting savagely tortured for three years? And that brought up another salient point : Purgatori was a vicious and vindictive vampiress - if she was willing to destroy everything she had created because of the way she had been treated, what exactly would she do to Lady Death and Cremator for getting her thrown in a volcano? Lady Death walked on, watching the vampiress thoughtfully : exactly how did Purgatori feel about them? From the way she had reacted in WinterHaven she seemed to put the whole of the blame on Cremator, but Lady Death would try and stop her hurting him and that would doubtless put her on Purgatori’s sht list too. Another thing we have in common - we both will tolerate most shortcomings save betrayal. Gods, I hate this - I hate finding myself likening her to me. Why does it seem that the one person in the cosmos that I have the most in common w/ is the one person I would most cheerfully kill?
        They were coming up to another junction pipe. It similar to the one they were in, but the water between them was separated by a pair of lock gates to prevent the spread of contamination if one supply got infected, or to prevent loss if one set of pipes got damaged. Despite herself, Lady Death  found herself more and more impressed w/ Purgatori’s achievements and she wondered what the city itself was like.
        At the junctions, their way forward was over narrow gridwork bridges of chromed steel. At the first junction they had come to Lady Death had noticed bullet marks there too, and she wondered how far the battle had come. More of the lights were out down here and she almost walked into Purgatori, who had stopped at the very edge of the junction. Lady Death opened her mouth in argument but checked herself when she saw Purgatori’s head cocked to one side.
        "What?" she breathed.
        "Someone’s down there," Purgatori said softly, gesturing at the junction tunnel. She reached out cautiously w/ her senses and Lady Death saw a look of surprise cross her face.
        "What - who is it?"
         "A friend. I hope."
        "The one we were supposed to meet?"
        "No." Purgatori stepped forward and Lady Death grabbed her wing.
        "Wait!" Lady Death hissed, leaning back from the gleaming fangs. "You said ‘hope’ - what if you’re wrong?"
        Purgatori subsided and just shrugged. "I can take her out if I need to."
        Lady Death let her go and the vampiress was swallowed almost immediately by the near blackness. For all she knew Purgatori could have vanished completely - she made absolutely no sound as she walked.
        "Demonica."
        Purgatori’s voice seemed surprisingly loud in the enclosed tunnel. Its unexpectedness startled Lady Death and some distance away someone jumped w/ a squeak of fright. A loud splash reverberated back to them and the scuffling of someone moving w/ panicky speed.
        "Mis…mistress?!"
        "Yes. Point that thing elsewhere." Purgatori beckoned over her shoulder and one of the globes from the main tunnel zipped up the pipe and hovered overhead, bathing them in a ghostly white glow. This part of the tunnel had seen fighting too; bullet holes were evident here and there, and a large crater in the roof bore the singed mark of an Akerian weapon. Some big explosion had blown a cavity in the right hand wall, spilling rubble into the waters below and the nearest lock had been badly fractured. A slim figure jumped out of the cavity in the bedrock and ran over, slinging a huge rifle over her shoulder.
        "Mistress!" Demonica squealed, a hint of disbelief in her tone. She flung her arms around Purgatori. "Where have you been? What happened? How are - "
        Purgatori managed to prise Demonica off herself w/ difficulty. "What are you doing here Demonica? I told you to find Snake Eyes."
        Demonica visibly wilted at Purgatori’s response. "Oh…I did, Miss," she said, hanging her head. "I found him and he began organising us into a force to attack Drakkan. We didn’t really stand a chance because we were outnumbered but we’ve been fighting all this time."
         "What happened down here Demonica?"
        "We’ve been attacking supply routes and the pumping stations - we were getting our asses kicked trying to fight the army because of the size of the patrols Drakkan sent out so we thought we could disrupt the city by cutting off food and water supplies and stuff. We attacked one of the main pumping stations - the big one beside Tupelo, right? - because that would have the most effect. Snakey had sent spies to check it out and it looked okay, but Drakkan must’ve laid a trap ‘cause when we attacked there was loads of cats'n'stuff. We got inside and they surrounded us and took us apart." Demonica looked up at Purgatori, her eyes wet and her lip trembling. "I…I…don’t even know if Snakey’s alive or not! We got separated in the fighting. I escaped into the tunnel w/ a couple of others but we got chased. The others got killed but I shot the cats. They keep sending patrols though, so I keep on the move. I’ve been down here for…well, I don’t know actually. I don’t even know where I am. And look at the state of my hair! I turned it black for camouflage but I haven’t been able to wash it or anything," she said sorrowfully.
        Lady Death watched Purgatori closely. She had been watching Demonica w/ total detachment, and a flash of anger at the blonde’s self-pity. She didn’t know what relationship these two shared, but it seemed that Demonica was crushed by Purgatori’s coldness. And then she saw Purgatori reach out and hold Demonica, saw the surprise in the girl’s face before she hugged Purgatori back.
        "Are you alright, Empress? Did they torture you badly?"
        "Yes," Purgatori said tightly. It wasn’t a topic she liked to discuss.
        "Ooh. Did they pull your teeth out? And cover you w/ burning pitch? Daddy used to - "
        "Demonica!"
        " - stick spikes up…um…sorry." She backed off a step, biting her lip, sensing Purgatori’s affection had gone again. An uncomfortable silence descended on the tunnel, broken finally by Lady Death as she got her first good look at Demonica.
        "Don’t I know you?"
        Demonica looked over and her eyes widened. "You! What are you doing here?"
        "I come and go where I please. Demonica…yes, I know you. You were blonde."
        Demonica beamed w/ pride. "From Hell!"
        "Yes. You were one of those annoying brats who was always trying to get invited to the big social events."
        "’Brat’?! I’m older than you, you pasty tart!"
        "Be quiet, Demonica," Purgatori said flatly. "You know what she’s like."
        "And what is that supposed to mean?" Lady Death snapped.
        "You stand and lecture me about not causing trouble, then you try and pick a fight w/ the first ally we come across."
        "Ally!" Lady Death snorted. "Some stuck-up debutante skulking in the dark! We’d be better off w/out her!"
        Purgatori managed to catch Demonica just in time.
        "Witch!" Demonica cried, struggling uselessly against Purgatori’s grip. "I recruited a band of rebels for her and I’ve been  fighting for three years! You’re the one we can do w/out! You prance around for a few years and think you’re oh-so-better than everyone else! But I seem to remember you being too stupid to realise how Lucifer played you like a puppet, or how Purgatori herself - "
        "Alright Demonica!" Purgatori snapped.
        "Ah," Lady Death purred sarcastically. "So there is a little bit of fight in you after all. Perhaps you won’t be entirely useless after all."
        Demonica opened her mouth, saw Purgatori’s look and shut it hastily.
        "Are all your citizens such - "
        "I told you to shut up," Purgatori snarled. She and Lady Death locked eyes, seemingly on the brink of another fight until Lady Death waved her hand w/ a dismissive smirk.
        "Not a problem. When this is all over I can settle scores w/ two people as easily as one."
        "What about my sister?" Demonica said.
        "Her too."
        "Only, last time you met, in the Dragon’s Head tavern, she kicked your ass."
        Lady Death lunged at Demonica, who darted behind Purgatori w/ impressive agility. "Come here worm!"
        "Back off brat," Purgatori snapped. "It’s your own fault for provoking her."
        "You red bitch! Why am I not surprised to find you associating w/ ill-bred common succubi?"
         "Succubi!" Demonica screeched. "You - "
        Purgatori whirled at her. "QUIET!!"
        "- ulp! S-sorry!"
        The vampiress turned to Lady Death. "No more insults brat. This girl saved my life."
        "Another reason to dislike her."
        "I care not if you like her. You will NOT touch her. Now : are we going to continue on our way or spend the rest of the night engaging in childish squabbling?"
        Lady Death gave Demonica a pointed look that said she plainly wasn’t bothered about Purgatori’s threats and then said, "I say we rest. It will be daylight soon. I assume you don’t want to leave the tunnels in broad daylight…?"
        "I would prefer not to," Purgatori said easily. "Besides, I think we all need time to cool down."
        "Tch, I been here long enough," Demonica said grumpily. "I don't like the tunnels much. It's all cold and dark and spooky down here. Wish Snakey was here w/ me. Still," she added, brightening a bit, "at least there's rats to eat."
        Lady Death wrinkled her nose. "You eat rats?"
        "Yep! Yummy!"
        Lady Death looked around briefly. "And how did you cook them? There's no wood here for a fire."
        "Cooked rat? Eeww!"
        "You're disgusting," Lady Death sniffed. "You can take the first watch, demoness. When are we heading out Purgatori? Nightfall?"
        "Um, where are we going?" Demonica asked.
        "New Necropolis."
        "What?! You can’t go there! It’s full of cats and bugs!"
        "We have no choice. We need to go there."
        "Why?"
         "Drakkan has created a Gate to his dimension to bring his troops through. We are going to destroy it. And then I am going to flatten the city and burn it and tear the heart out of every last one of those traitorous scum." Her eyes were blazing coldly again.
        "But, Mistress…"
        "What? Do you have a problem w/ that? Afraid of losing your precious job?!"
        Demonica trembled at her tone. "N-noo. Well, yes, b-but Mistress, they didn’t betray you."
        Purgatori froze. "What?" she breathed.
        "Well, maybe some did, but the others were…I dunno, converted or hypnotised or something. We saw it."
        Purgatori walked over. "What do you mean? Magick?" Demonica nodded vigorously. "No," Purgatori said slowly. "I scanned them. I saw nothing." The guards in the elevator - I couldn’t see THEIR magick. Oh Horus, could it be true?
        Demonica could only shrug. "We saw it Mistress. Yellow magick. They turned some of our fighters against us."
        Purgatori gazed off into the distance, a fierce - almost vicious - exultation in her heart. Yes! My worshippers! They didn’t betray me! My empire didn’t turn against me after all! She closed her eyes, wallowing in this relief. It was almost overwhelming, almost like an absolution. She hadn’t failed after all. They were still her subjects. They hadn’t taken her and used her and then cast her aside after all : they had been taken against their wills. After all the betrayals of the past, finding out that this, the seemingly biggest one of all, was nothing of the sort was almost too much to handle. She felt vindicated. She stood there savouring it, needing to find out personally, see it w/ her own eyes.
        "I need to see. We need to capture someone, a convert," she said. "If I can find out what Drakkan did, I can possibly counter it, win our troops back."
        "There are patrols," Demonica said dubiously. "Every time I tried to get out I seemed to run into another one. They’ve kept me trapped down here since the attack on the pumping station. Drakkan seems pretty desperate to capture us alive. I think we’re really annoying him," she said gleefully.
        "You have that effect on most people," Lady Death said not quite under her  breath.
        Demonica shot her a black look before continuing. "We could head back to the pumping station, or on to one of the maintenance shacks. I think he might have posted guards there hoping to catch me when I come up."
        "All that effort for little old you," Lady Death mocked.
        "Yes," Demonica growled, lifting her chin proudly. "I can snipe like a real bitch, Miss! I’ve killed five of them down here alone. This is my gun, I call him Mr Head Burster. On account of, that’s what he does. Hey, once I took off a cat’s head at over nine hundred metres! It was so cool! Cobra said he…" Her face crumpled as she faltered at her mention of his name. "Mistress, can I go and look for him after we get your captives?" she asked weakly. "Please?"
        Purgatori reached out and absently stroked her head. "Yes Demonica. I wouldn’t  worry too much - he’s a born survivor."
        "Mm hmm," Demonica said trying to sound confident. "What about Lexus? Is she here?"
        Purgatori stopped stroking and had to quell an urge to yank out a fistful of Demonica's hair. "No. She is on another world."
        "Goo - I, um. Oh."
        "Lady Death? How do you feel about a spot of hunting?"
        Lady Death grinned. "As opposed to hiding in caves and sneaking around in tunnels you mean?"
        Purgatori returned the grin. "Then let us find a patrol. The bigger the better."

        Lady Death kicked the Blood Warrior in the gut and he fell, rolling in the dirt and coming to a stop against the comatose body of one of his companions. He pulled a dagger out of his boot, got to his feet and was immediately floored by a spinning kick to the jaw.
        "Get up, weakling," Lady Death grinned. This was so cathartic. The patrol had consisted of eight Warriors, and she and Purgatori had taken them apart quite effectively. She had been able to work out quite a bit of her frustrations. Lady Death didn’t know what Purgatori thought about when she was fighting, but for herself every Blood Warrior she downed wore the vampiress’s face. If only she could have killed them, that would have made it so much more cathartic.
        She booted the fallen Warrior in the belly and he rolled away. He flopped onto his back and looked up to see Purgatori gazing down at him. She straddled him and sat down on his chest, pinning his arms under her legs. He squirmed helplessly, too hurt and weakened to fight effectively.
        "Now," Purgatori purred. "Let’s see what little secrets you’re hiding." She gripped his head tightly and scanned him. Lady Death saw him stiffen and grimace as Purgatori went into him. Nothing! Purgatori felt a momentary panic : what if Demonica had been wrong - what if what she had seen had not been a conversion at all? What if they all had betrayed her? No! No I…wait. Maybe the magick is of a different constitution…a type that just doesn’t register? That I'm just not seeing...? She looked inside herself and sampled Isis’s power that was burning deeply inside her. Yes : it tastes quite different. She slipped back into the soldier and there, almost immediately, she saw it : fine gossamer strands of yellow magick cobwebbing his brain.
       YES!!! Again, fierce exultation. She pressed her fingers to his forehead and concentrated. Her own sorcery flowed. The Blood Warrior gave a spasm of pain, clenching his eyes and jaws shut. He gasped in air and blinked at Purgatori.
        "Empress! What - ?"
        Purgatori jumped up w/ a whooping laugh of joy. The soldier pushed himself up into a sitting position, wincing at the pain of his injuries. A gentle hand on his shoulder made him look around. "Demonica! What’s going on, where am I?"
        "Shh. It’s a long story. Lie back, let me check you over."
        He did so gratefully. "But…what happened to me? I can’t remember…I can…"
        "You were hypnotised. Possessed. Whatever. Purgatori freed you."
        "But - by who? What’s going on?"
        "War," Demonica said. "War’s going on."
        "That’s all well and good," Lady Death was saying, "but how do you intend to reclaim everybody? Are you powerful enough to do that?" God, could she be?
        "Probably," Purgatori said. "Now that I know what I'm looking for and how to counteract it." As if to demonstrate, she reached her hand out to one of the fallen Warriors and he twitched.
        "So what now - even w/ that power I don't believe we can just walk into your city and take back your entire army all at once." Lady Death snorted. She was eyeing Purgatori up warily. She had thought a little bit of success would have cheered the vampiress up, gone some way to pushing her time in the coffin into the background, but the look on her face was, if anything, even more unsettling than her previous bomb-waiting-to-go-off persona. She seemed wild, verging on the uncontrollable. Might it be possible that Purgatori would be so overcome that she would go and do something rash that would jeopardise them? And if she does, would I be able to stop her? Her power…by the Abyss, she is truly something to be wary of.
        "I said I could reconvert everyone, yes, but I didn't mean all at once - magick doesn't work that way, I cannot concentrate on my entire population at once. We start taking our people back the way Drakkan took them - like a virus. I will give people the power to break this sorcery and we will begin to spread." She motioned at the other guards and her sorcery flowed over them gently.
        "We haven’t got time Purgatori! That Gate needs to be destroyed as soon as possible!"
        "I am aware! Have you a better plan?" She turned to the Warrior that was being tended to be Demonica. "What is your name?"
        "Severin."
        "I have a job for you Severin. It will be dangerous."
        "Anything, Empress."
        "I need you to go back into the city. Pretend nothing has happened, play along w/ our enemies. Here." Purgatori reached down and put her hands on his temples. He shuddered slightly as her power went into him. "That power will allow you to convert others. Go in, be stealthy, recruit who you can but do nothing yet. We will be coming to the city in due course, I need you to be ready to join battle when we arrive."
        Severin bowed his head. "We will be Empress. We will teach these upstarts that you are still our ruler."
        Purgatori grinned. "Yes. Remember, wait for us to arrive. If anything goes wrong and Drakkan suspects what we are doing it could ruin our plans. We need the element of surprise."
        "It will be done, Empress."
        "Good. We must leave now. Instruct your companions when they awake. Demonica!"
        "Yes Mistress?"
        "Is Snake Eyes still at the lakeside Garrison?"
        "No. We keep moving around cos they keep sending patrols out for us. When we attacked the pumping station we’d been hiding in the hills outside Tupelo. If…if he survived he probably would’ve gone back there." Demonica chewed her lip, her hands playing nervously w/ her tail. "I dunno how long he’ll wait though. I’m not sure how long I’ve been down here. If he thinks I’ve been killed or captured he’ll move on."
        "Where to?"
        "I don’t know! We moved at random. I would think he’ll head back to one of the big bases to regroup and get supplies. Nearest place would be, um, Mill Haven I guess, but he might have gone back to the Garrison."
        Purgatori considered this, her eyes flicking over the lightening horizon. "Alright. We’re going to split up. I - "
        "What?" Lady Death snapped. "Why?"
        "We have much to do."
        "All we need to do is destroy the Gates."
        "Very simple I’m sure!" Purgatori snapped back. "The Gates are in the middle of an occupied city : now we know we have allies we no longer have to try the reckless approach of just going in and creating mayhem."
        "And this new plan would be…?"
        "You and these two guards will go w/ Demonica to find Snake Eyes. The others and I will go in - "
        "I’m not letting you out of my sight, bitch."
        "You are, brat. Do as I say. You know nothing of Drakkan, this world or my city. I need you to help organise a force to attack the city."
        "Hmph. And where exactly will you be?"
        "The Palace."
        "Oh really! You whitter on about how dangerous the city is then calmly tell me you’re going in alone. What is this? Are you just stupid or do you and Drakkan have some little agreement going on?"
        "Yes, moron, that’s why I let him throw me in a volcano," Purgatori snarled.
        "Why are you going to the Palace?"
        "I need something."
        "What?"
         "Something a friend made for me."
        "Purgatori, if you get cryptic on me I swear I will pull your wings off!"
        "A sword, if you MUST know."
        "Then I’ll come w/ you. I want MY sword back too."
        "You know where it is?"
        "No…but I should be able to sense it when we get closer."
        "We haven’t got time for a game of hide and seek." She saw Lady Death’s expression darken and moved on quickly before she could say anything. "Listen. I need you to go and help gather as many troops as possible and get them ready fast. I am going into the city to do what I do best : create havoc. I will…make my presence known and then flee - Drakkan will mobilise a lot of his troops to follow and capture me - or kill me - and that will lower the resistance at the city. That’s where you come in. While Drakkan’s troops are floundering around in the surrounding area looking for me, you will slip our troops in under their noses, via the tunnels. Once in, you can find the Gates - the soldiers will know where they are - and destroy them. If I can get my sword all well and good, if not, so be it."
        Lady Death folded her arms, not happy w/ the plan but grudgingly acknowledging its merits. "And how will we know it has worked? How will we know that you haven’t been captured and babbled your plan under torture and the whole army is waiting for us?"
        "He will mobilise troops. You should be able to tell."
        "Hmph. I don’t like it, but it has more merit than just sneaking in and hoping for the best."
        "Yes. I will wait three full days, to give you time to gather troops and move in under the city. Attack at night, use the dark as cover. I will double back and join you as soon as I can."
        Lady Death watched as Purgatori passed her magick to Demonica, and she and Severin practised using it by converting the other troopers.
        They split up. Six of the Blood Warriors headed off to New Necropolis at a hard gallop. The other two joined Lady Death and Demonica and returned to search for Snake Eyes. Purgatori suspected that tensions between Lady Death and Demonica would be more strained than they were between Lady Death and herself - if that was possible - and the matter wouldn’t be helped by the fact that Demonica was in effect the leader of the team due to her knowledge of the terrain and hideouts, and Lady Death had to defer to her. Demonica could be a little minx when she put her mind to it, and Purgatori wondered if she would have the sense not to antagonise Lady Death too much. She headed back to the pumping station, wondering if she would flee the city to find a band of warriors fighting for her, or a load of dead bodies and one very annoyed white brat.

        They were almost at the city gates when a group of Blood Warriors stepped out into the portcullis gateway and blocked their path.
        "Oh sht," Webster murmured, dragging his horse’s head back. The riders reigned to an abrupt halt in a flurry of sand two hundred metres away, facing about twenty guns.
        "Easy," Severin said in a low voice. "They can’t be onto us…"
        "Sure as sht looks like they are," Webster said, flexing his fingers. He could draw and fire in no time, but he could only get one or two of the Warriors...the other eighteen or so would get him.
        A large figure came forward, standing to the side out of the way of the guns. "Dismount. Keep your hands in view."
        "What’s going on Vyrryn?" Severin said easily as he dismounted slowly.
        "Some of our fighters have turned against us," Vyrryn said brusquely. His armour was stained w/ blood, none of it his.
        "We know," Webster said, picking up the conversation beautifully. "Two of our men attacked us while on patrol."
        "Who?"
        "Two soldiers from the Sixth," Severin said, blessing Webster’s inventiveness. "We killed them and rushed back to report. What the Hell is happening?"
        Vyrryn was silent a long time as he carefully inspected their wounds and considered their story. At last he lowered his crossbow. "Pagan seems to have been doing some recruiting of his own. Looks like he gave them orders to start fighting if he vanished - probably to get some sort of revenge if he was killed. We have no idea how many people are tainted."
        "Why not?"
        "Because they didn’t just change at one given moment and start attacking. They are attacking opportunistically, waiting for the right moment. Any number could still be out there." He stepped back and waved his troops forward. "Take their horses to the stables and escort them to the infirmary."
        They went in together and the huge portcullis thumped down behind them. Usually it was seldom closed, as trade had been flourishing w/ New Necropolis and travellers came and went almost continuously. Now however Drakkan obviously considered his city under threat.
        Severin slowed his pace slightly and dropped back as they weaved through the city. As the guards left w/ their horses and others detoured to the infirmary he found himself following only Vyrryn and two others.
        "Vyrryn."
        Vyrryn stopped and waited for him to catch up. "What?"
        Severin glanced around distrustfully. "Y’know…this is makin’ me edgy, man. How can you tell who’s on our side? I mean, even those guys could be Pagan’s," he said, tilting his head at the troopers ahead.
        "No. Drakkan scanned us. He knows we are clear," Vyrryn said as he pushed open the doors to the barracks. It was empty, all the troops already deployed on their various assignments. The two troopers had already entered the armoury room to stow their weapons.
        "Yeah, well that’s all very well, but there’s something you haven’t taken into account."
        Vyrryn stopped. "What?"
        "That," Severin pointed. Vyrryn turned to look and Severin grabbed his temples. The big warrior stiffened and jerked. Severin let go of him and stepped back quickly, just in case something hadn’t worked right.
        "Severin? What the - "
        "Sshh," Severin hissed, gesturing at the armoury.
        "What the fk's this all about? What's happened?" Vyrryn whispered, looking down in confusion at his blood-splattered armour.
        "You woke up. I’ll explain later. Right now we’ve got to get two more recruits. You know how to do it?"
        Vyrryn thought about it and was somewhat surprised to find that he did. He followed Severin into the armoury and after a brief struggle, they were four.
        "I haven’t got time to explain everything," Severin said. "Purgatori’s returned and she wants her empire back - we’re gonna help her." There was a brief flurry of urgent whispered agreement. "This is perfect - Drakkan has vetted you all so he thinks you’re clean. Is he going to scan the rest of the Blood Warriors?"
        "Yes," Vyrryn said. "Starting today - the scans are probably underway already."
        "Good. Go there, try and recruit anyone you can who gets cleared. Be careful. Stay quiet and await Purgatori’s arrival. Act as normal - unless we do something stupid we should be okay. Go."
        They split up and Severin headed across town. Four already, and one of them was arguably the best warrior they had. Not bad, not bad at all.

        Purgatori sat motionless in the dark, serene and alert, a fierce excitement rushing through her.
       Learn what others have told you! Use your powers! Use what you have taken!
        She had finally understood what Isis had meant. After the others left she had returned to the tunnel and pushed the lightglobes far away and had sat alone on the pitch blackness; resting, concentrating, looking deep w/in herself. She had made a startling and fabulous discovery. It was as Gorge had said - the power and knowledge of those she had fed off and killed was now part of her.
        She looked deep w/in herself, an inward mind probe. It was amazing : she could feel them in her, part of her, their knowledge and talents, like memories she had forgotten. It was like coming across an old photograph or memento, an item that unexpectedly dragged up memories that had been long forgotten, memories that had been assumed lost but were still there in their entirety. She found Kabala. She remembered fleeing Alexandria w/ Jade, remembered giving birth (ugh!) to the creature that was Gorge. She knew how to shapeshift into a weretiger form, and how to contact other vampires telepathically. That would come in useful. She found Pope Stephen. She found the owner of Isis International and suddenly realised that most of her decisions running the company had been based on his expertise. And she found what she was looking for.
        Dracula.
        Ah yes, hadn’t he had some powers she had coveted? She sank into him, and remembered how it felt to have her teeth ripped out by herself, how it felt to burn in the sun. How it felt to make love w/ herself. That was a weird one. She shied away from the memories and inspected his talents and powers, and right there was what she was looking for; something so wonderful she had thought it was just a rumour, some romantic idea grown up over the centuries to glamourise the legend : the power to
control the weather.
        She remembered how to do it, like she had done for centuries. How could she have forgotten? Yes, it seemed easy enough and she yearned to try it out : nothing dramatic, just maybe raise a small breeze in the tunnel. But no, even the slightest twitch of her power might alert Drakkan. She sat in the dark, exultant and excited for the first time since all of this had started. If there was one thing she enjoyed, one thing that kept her happy and made this long lonely life bearable, it was acquiring new powers and abilities. She had spent centuries learning and practising and teaching herself, gaining knowledge from books and teachers and captured enemies and now she found that she had lots of new types to play w/, ones she had been carrying around for decades and never knew about. Rain - I could summon rain to help the city’s crops, and the nearby regions : prevent the famine that wiped out the empire before mine. I could stop rain falling on an enemy’s fields, starve them slowly w/out raising a sword. Tornadoes, hurricanes…I could summon one in the middle of an army! Well, it would take all the fun out of fighting and tearing people apart, but it might be amusing to try just once. Or twice.
        Purgatori sat in the darkness, revelling in the sensory deprivation of no noise, sight, smell or taste. A person might have started to panic after a while, crushed by feelings of loneliness and isolation, of being possibly trapped underground forever. Purgatori found it soothing. After years of torture and pain, she was able to sit and rest, not having to worry about healing or when someone might appear to cause her more pain. The loneliness…well, that was nothing new to her, was it? And the blackness wasn’t really blackness to her. Her nightvision was fantastically powerful, able to aid her in the dimmest of light, and in absolute darkness, as here, she had her senses : she could walk around here w/ her eyes closed and not put a step wrong. She sat, savouring the power inside her; her own strengths, Isis’ power, Lady Death’s arcane energies.
        Purgatori opened her eyes, feeling the first small butterflies of excitement in her stomach. Her senses, those sharply honed and acutely sensitive senses she had inherited from her lycanthrope father, told her the moon was nearing her ascension. She stood up, feeling no cramp or strain in her muscles. The sun was going down. It felt low on the horizon, the moon was preparing herself for her nightly stroll - sunset was about an hour off, blackness would fall not long after.
        Time to cause chaos.
        She unfolded her wings and glided silently through the pipe, sweeping over the water and using her senses to steer and avoid obstacles w/ unnerving accuracy until she reached the lights again. She flew faster in the light, her wings powering her along so that the lights began to stream past in rapid succession. She stopped suddenly, twisting left and landing nimbly at the top of an access ladder that ran down from an access plate in the roof. She listened : faint city sounds, nothing close. She could sense no one nearby either. There were small holes at one end of the plate where maintenance workers would fit a tool to lift the hatch : the light coming through was a soft golden. Safe enough. She pushed the heavy plate up easily, paused to see if there would be a reaction, then clambered out quickly, scanning the area around her.
        She had come up in the palace grounds, some two hundred metres from the West face of the pyramid. The access hatch was set into the ground near a clump of jasmine bushes. The hedge, once carefully trimmed and sculptured, was now unruly and overgrown; the lawn was a mangy mismatch of long tufts and brownish dead patches, interspersed w/ a few arrogant weeds. She wondered if her koi had died too. Drakkan apparently cared not for the upkeep of his conquered lands, or perhaps leaving her empire to decay through neglect was his one last slap in the face for her.
        Purgatori backed up into the long shadows cast by the bush and crouched down, gazing up at her pyramid towering over her. The bottom five stories had been crudely plated w/ metal plates that had been hammered onto the outer casing stones. Purgatori’s lip curled as she looked at it : the metal was enchanted w/ the same spells that sucked her powers. Obviously it was Drakkan’s insurance against her somehow escaping from her cells, and it had kept her helpless when he had dragged her into the main audience hall.
        The gold cap on the pyramid smouldered under the golden light of the sinking sun. Cicadas chirped pleasantly around her. A Blood Warrior patrol wandered up the main road. Purgatori waited. The sky darkened to mauve.
        Purgatori took off from the bushes like a bird startled by a prowling animal, rocketing up the side of the pyramid w/ silent, powerful wingbeats. She curved around to the North face and reached her balcony in a matter of seconds, landing on the quartz tiles w/out a sound. She dropped to one knee, out of sight from below, and froze, listening, sensing. Nothing. She caught a twitch of something, something minute - it felt like Doom Magistrates, probably far below her. She walked inside, down the corridor past her dungeon playroom where she would play B&D games w/ Lexus, and stopped by the steps that led down to the main living rooms. Again, nothing but a faint whisper of a trace. Purgatori frowned, trying to lock on but wary of using her powers too much. She couldn’t quite tell if what she was sensing was a large trace far off or a minute trace very close. Could Drakkan have left some enchanted thing - or maybe a magickal trap - in her penthouse?
        At last she moved on, walking down to the main corridor that branched off to her bathroom and the kitchen and gym that Lexus used. Purgatori remembered how she like to watch Lexus working out and doing her gymnastics and walked on quickly, leaving her pain at the door.
        The corridor opened into her living room. She paused and scanned again, taking nothing for granted depite the fact it looked untouched since the last time she had been there. She stepped into the room and reached out, sensing for the power in her sword. Bedroom. Just where I left you. She walked over to the door and pushed it open and looked in. Nothing moved. The room was gloomy, thick w/ the growing shadows of nightfall.
        Purgatori stepped into the bedroom and shrieked as a sword rammed through her shoulder. Her assailant kicked her hard in the back, driving her off the blade. She reeled, slamming into one of the bedposts and splitting open her forehead. Long clawed fingers grabbed her wounded shoulder and threw her to the ground. She rolled awkwardly onto her back, blinking blood and tears of pain out of her eyes. An Akerian stood over her, his dark tunic camouflaging him well in the dark. She scrabbled away, feeling something crawling through her : magick from the blade, trying to erode her sorcery. Not this time you bastard! She heaved, and her power blasted through her in a controlled explosion, searing out the Chaotic magick and healing her instantly. Her eyes blazed as the cat leapt forward, driving its blade down. Fast reactions : it had recovered well from the shock of seeing her survive the magick. She was faster still : the blade hit the tiles and she flipped onto her feet. She was beside him in a second, her claws tearing his arm out of its socket. His long mewling squeal drowned out her laughter as she took his blood. Magick, she thought idly. Drakkan put a shielding spell on him to hide him. I should have been more careful when I sensed that small amount of -
        She dropped down and an arrow thunked into the bedpost where she had been standing. There were about twelve more Akerians, coming from the stairwell that led to the twins’ apartments. The elevator light was blinking : reinforcements. Attuned to them now, she could sense enchantment in them all, swords and armour.
        "Come on then," Purgatori hissed. She raised her hand and one of them staggered to a halt, screaming horribly as his blood boiled. Four more came at her, pincer formation. She jumped back onto the bed to avoid a sword cut, twisting aside to dodge a spear thrust. One of the cats jumped onto the bed w/ her : she hit him immediately w/ a crescent kick that broke most of his ribs, fighting for her balance as the mattress squashed under his weight. The cat w/ the spear stabbed at her again. She spun, smashed the spear shaft in two w/ a chop, grabbed the blade end as it twirled through the air and flung it at the cat, all in one flowing movement. The cat dropped w/ a gurgle, the spearhead jammed in one eye, and as he fell a blast from an energy weapon hit Purgatori squarely in the stomach.
        Purgatori was knocked backwards, stumbled off the end of the bed and fell heavily, her head spinning. Low power blast…they’re trying to stun me, take me alive.
        The two cats vaulted onto the bed, anxious to get her while she was still dazed. She was lying on her back, weaponless and shaking her head groggily. They jumped down beside her, landing on her wings to pin her down. The one on the right raised his cutlass.
        Something shot out from under the bed and slapped into her palm. Bright violet flared and Purgatori slashed the cat in an upward cut that opened its belly. It was gone, charred to purple ash before the first drops of blood could fall. The other cat jumped back w/ a hiss of  fright, thereby freeing Purgatori completely. She twisted and stabbed the cat in the crotch, the sword blade coming out of his back between his kidneys. She pulled the blade out w/out invoking the flames, leaving the cat to contort and squeal.
        Purgatori leapt up and grinned as the other cats backed away from the bedroom doorway. Well, she thought. I wanted to attract attention to myself - looks like this will do quite nicely!
        The one w/ the gun aimed at her again and she killed him w/ a look, crushing his heart. His shot hit the Akerian to his left, dazing the animal. She ran at them and they retreated, fanning out in a crescent before her. The leftmost and rightmost cats came at her as she exited the bedroom. She took out the one on the right and spun fast, smashing the other’s sword in two. He fell back and yellow power smacked into Purgatori as one of the other felines took advantage of her distraction. Purgatori fell against one of the pillars that supported the ceiling and a slim javelin skewered her stomach. She howled in pain and sliced another spear out of the air as she pulled the javelin out of her body. She fell to her knees, struggling to flush the Chaotic power out of her body and heal herself. One of the cats jumped at her carrying a large tomahawk in each hand. She dropped and twisted and both axes struck sparks above her face. Her katana sliced up in a short arc, taking his arms off at the elbows. He staggered back w/ a yowl and she wrenched his blood out, swallowing it in one huge gulp.
        Enough fkng around - she had done what she had wanted, now she needed to get out and draw some troops away. She needed to heal - in her depleted state the Chaos magick had hurt her quite badly. She flew at the cats that were blocking her way to the main balcony but they held position, realising what she was doing. The others closed in quickly, surrounding her as she knocked a blade aside and vapourised one of the Akerians.
        Purgatori never heard the ping of the elevator over the clash of weapons, but all of a sudden the cats scattered before her. Scalding yellow energy smashed her to the ground and enveloped her, searing her skin. She screamed and fell hard, the blast knocking her across the ground to Sebek’s pool. She spasmed, breaking the cocoon around her w/ a blast of her power, and flopped to the floor, gasping and twitching.
       - MOVE - !!
        She rolled and twisted. Steel slashed her neck and she was flung backwards, clamping her hand to the gaping slit in her throat, trying to keep her blood inside her.
        "Ahh," Drakkan purred. "I thought I sensed you when I scanned for your white-skinned playmate. Where is she? That was her power I felt…"
        Purgatori knelt in front of him on one knee, holding her burning sword in front of her. The flames were low and dim - her sorcery was faltering. Drakkan stood flanked by six Doom Magistrates. She felt the neck wound heal and lowered her hand to steady herself. No one behind me. Am I fast enough to reach the balcony? Strong enough to fly?
        Three arrows smacked into her, two in the chest and one in the right forearm. Kintaro clattered to the ground. Drakkan slashed at her immediately, driving her back before she could recover the blade.
        "I sense your weakness," Drakkan grinned. "I don’t know how you got out of the lava but by the time I’m finished w/ you this time you will wish you were still there."
        Purgatori snarled at him, gritting her teeth as she pulled the arrows out. The last wound refused to heal fully. Her eyes widened as she saw Drakkan sheath his sword and pick up the katana.
        "Nice blade. I knew you would return for it if I was correct about you being free. I put it right back where I found it, bait in a nice little trap." He watched Purgatori lick her lips and shuffle back a step, her eyes darting back and forth nervously. "Ah, are you frightened? Don’t be - I’m about to reacquaint you w/ your little trinket here."
        "No!"
        Drakkan stepped forward rapidly as she struggled to her feet. "Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. Yet." He lunged forward and rammed the katana through Purgatori’s belly.
        Her talons plunged into his arm and tore the muscle off the bone. Drakkan shrieked and fell back w/ the help of a kick to his stomach. He clapped his hand over the wound, pouring his healing magick into the muscles as he gaped at Purgatori. She took hold of the katana and pulled her out, leaving a faint ripple in her skin. "But…"
         "Not my energy, idiot : a spell cast into the blade, something I learned from Cremator before I set him against Lady Death. You were obviously too stupid to examine the sword." She winced slightly : the spell to prevent a weapon working against its owner was a complex and powerful one and she had cast it on Earth when her powers were low - it hadn’t hurt her, but she could feel where the blade had been. She would have to recast the spell when her powers returned.
        "I’ll examine it after I dissect you w/ it. TAKE HER!!" Drakkan stepped back and the Doom Magistrates flowed around him, rushing at her in a large solid wall of spiky insectile armour and barbed weapons. Purgatori jumped back and stumbled, weak and dizzy. No flames danced on the sword blade. Well, at least I took a few w/ me…
        A huge geyser of water  erupted from the pool beside her, swamping her completely and flooding the chamber as a massive black shape launched itself out of the pool. Sebek’s jaws snapped shut around two of the Doom Magistrates, biting them completely in half. He stood on the tiles, half in and half out of the water, pushing his body between Purgatori and the scattered insects. One skidded on the water-slick tiles and Sebek got him in a flash. One of the Akerians ran forward, his blade looking extremely small and ineffective. Sebek turned to him and bellowed a snarl of fury that was amplified deafeningly in the room. The cat decided better and skidded to a halt. An arrow hit Sebek’s neck and ricocheted uselessly off his thick armoured hide.
        "Baby!" Purgatori cried. She flung the katana and speared the cautious cat. She reached out and the blood from the cat’s wound twisted through the air into her mouth. The blood, and the Chaotic energy that had been stealthing the Akerian, recharged her slightly. The katana slid smoothly out of the cat corpse and straight into her fist.
        Drakkan roared in fury and cast his power at Sebek. A dazzling golden fireball, seemingly brighter than the sun, seared through the air and slammed into the crocodile, knocking him over onto his side.
        "NOO!!" Purgatori flew forward as Sebek thrashed his tail to roll onto his belly w/ a roar of pain. A Doom Magistrate raised its spear to drive it into Sebek’s eye and Purgatori sliced its head in two. "GO! NOW!" Purgatori screamed and - for a wonder - Sebek actually did as he was told. He turned w/ astonishing agility and torpedoed into the water. Purgatori just managed to grab one of the large spiky scuts on his back and was yanked along w/ him, the force almost jarring her shoulder out of its socket. They rocketed through the water, driven by Sebek’s powerful muscular tail. She was vaguely aware of a searing yellow ball hitting the water above her head and exploding into a ball of super-heated steam and then they were through his Gate and into the cold black water of his river.
       Drakkan screamed in rage as he saw her vanish and felt the magick of a Gate portal closing behind her. Gone. To who knew where. He stood still as the steam from the explosion rolled over him, pushed aside by his magick. One of the cats writhed on the ground, mewling at its scalds and breaking his concentration. He stamped on its neck. The others took the hint and shut up fast, not daring to even move. The only sound was the quiet patter of the water cascading down the steps to the twins’ rooms in a mini waterfall.
        Reach. Feel. Sense. There. Right there, unmistakable; a pulse of power, tinged w/ the Chaotic sorcery of that dog of a mother of hers.
        Drakkan’s eyes snapped open. "YOU," he spat at the nearest Doom Magistrate. "Get a force of Akerians NOW and assemble them outside. I will teleport you near to where that bitch is - follow the river upstream until the place where it narrows between two cliffs."
        "Yes Lord."
        "Assemble a BIG force. Find her. Hurt her. Bring her back."
        "Yes Lord."
        "And bring me the head of that reptile!"
        "Yes Lord!"
        "GO! Get all the Blood Warriors you can muster too! I want her here by dawn, is that clear?!"
        The Doom Magistrate bowed and raced off, taking the quickest route down : over the balcony and down the slope of the pyramid’s side.
        "My Lord," one of the cats ventured. "If you send many troops out of the city it will weaken us - "
        Drakkan backfisted the feline across the face. "I am aware of our problems, idiot! She is the biggest of them!!" He turned and stamped to the elevator. This on top of everything else. Virtually all his troops had moved on to attack the other worlds and the warriors he had left here to guard him had been tainted by that treacherous worm Pagan. The doors opened and he strode in. The Akerians followed, nervous at being so close to him in a confined space. Drakkan fumed as the car descended. This world was supposed to be safe. Conquered. Protected from Isis by a magickal shield. The Blood Warriors had been converted and most of his own troops sent on to the next world. He had felt smug, directing a war from the safety of another world. Now though, his troops had been infected, there was a stealthy insurrection going on and that bitch was back.
       Should I recall my troops? Drakkan stomped out of the elevator when it reached the ground floor and waved his troops away, needing to be alone to think for a while. No…the war is progressing well. That bitch is still weak and has no troops save for the rabble outside the city. Danko is organising a scan of my soldiers, reconverting that that Pagan took. That bitch is no threat yet. She has come back for ME - I know her too well. Even w/ that sword I can beat her. My Akerians are powerful fighters. Now she is wounded she will be easy prey. Well…easyISH. He found himself in the main hall and gazed down at the section of floor that covered the shaft he had bored down to the lava. How did she get out..? No matter. She will be back soon and then she will experience things that will make her time in the lava seem like a holiday…

        Sebek broke the river surface like a rising submarine and stopped, gliding towards the bank w/ the impetus of his rapid exit from the palace. Purgatori tossed the hair out of her face and stood up on his broad back, shaking slightly.
        "Baby? Baby!" Sebek was awfully still. His snout bumped against the gentle incline of the sandy shore but he just stayed in the water. Purgatori jumped off and waded frantically for the shore, wincing at the wound. She crouched by Sebek’s head and felt her eyes prickle w/ tears as she saw his were closed. "Sebek? Please baby…" She reached out and stroked him gently and almost fainted w/ relief when his eye slowly opened. He rumbled at her, sounding very weak. "Come out of the water baby. I need to see your wound." He just looked at her, his eyelid drooping. "Come on baby, please try. Please don’t…don't die." Sebek shifted a bit, moved one of his huge scaly paws tentatively and then w/ a deep breath and a thrust of his tail he lunged most of the way out of the water. "Good boy!" Purgatori move to his side and grimaced as she examined the wound. It looked just horrible, still glowing w/ sorcery in the dark of the night. If she hadn’t protected him w/ her own powerful spells when he was a hatchling he surely would have died instantly.
        Purgatori stuck the katana into the sand by his head. "Relax baby. I can heal this but I need my powers back. Close your eyes." Sebek did so and Purgatori noticed his breathing was getting shallow. Gods, I hope he’s not using the power to keep himself alive! Will I kill him by taking it to heal him? She didn’t have time to ponder. She put her hands on his skull and concentrated. The powers going into her rocked her back on her heels. She felt her body respond instantly, felt all the aches and pains leave. She didn’t have time to sit and savour it. She ran over to the wound and cupped her hands around the deep charred crater. She knew healing spells for her own body, but she had found something else during her period of introspection in the tunnels : some of Isis’ healing sorcery, potent spells. Purgatori didn’t know if she had acquired the knowledge through the drinking of her blood, or if Isis had put the spells in her while she was recovering. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that it was he only chance to save Sebek.
        She felt the sorcery flow smoothly through her, warming her hands. Sharp electric spasms pricked her palms where the power collided w/ the remnants of Drakkan’s energy and burnt it away, and then she felt Sebek’s flesh and muscle quivering and twitching under her palms. The healing spells were powerful, but designed to be powered by Chaotic power - Purgatori didn’t have as much of that as she would like but she had enough and her own prodigious powers helped make up the shortfall. She removed her hands and realised she was sheened in sweat - Isis made this sort of thing look easy but it was far from simple…at least where crocodiles and Chaotic power was concerned.
        Purgatori looked at the wound and saw w/ relief that it had healed. Thick fresh armour covered the site of the huge crater, slightly lighter in colour and softer than his normal skin. It would take a day or so to harden completely. She pushed some of her own energy into Sebek and he shifted slightly, a deep coarse rumble rolling out from his chest. Purgatori walked up to his head and hugged his neck tightly.
        "Sshh, baby. You’re alright." He rumbled again in agreement. "Did you sense my powers again?" Purgatori whispered, huddling up to him. "Aren’t you a clever boy?" Sebek sighed massively and Purgatori let go of him. "Go on baby. Go and rest somewhere. Drakkan will be sending people after me and you’re too weak to fight. Go and hide baby, I’ll come back for you later." He wouldn’t go until she had scratched his tongue for him, then he turned around and slipped silently into the black waters w/ barely a ripple.
        Safe. Thank you Isis, thank you. If I had lost him too…
        Her senses twitched : magick, a transvection portal opening around the curve of the river, hidden by the rocky outcroppings. Chaos magick. Another to her right. Another behind her, some five hundred metres away, her own power this time : Blood Warriors. They were trying to encircle her. Drakkan would have sensed her sorcery and sent troops to capture her. Just as she had hoped.
        Purgatori grinned, her eyes glowing brighter w/ hate and excitement. You hurt my baby, you fkrs. You’re going to pay for that. She picked up her sword and flapped noiselessly into the sky. Out here there was no city light to dilute the darkness. The moon was hidden behind clouds and the darkness was like a solid thing around her. She got up to about four hundred feet and spread her wings wide, gliding over the river as silent as a hawk. There they were : the first group, following the river and spread out in a ‘V’ formation. There looked to be about twenty or so, all Akerians. She circled above them, watching them move slowly and silently towards where she had been.
       How good is their night vision? How keen is their sense of smell? Twenty or so here. Probably the same in the other groups - pity, I was hoping for more - I wonder if this is an indication of all he has left, all he could spare?….I could leave, let them mill around here uselessly. It could be hours before they realise I had left. That would be no fun, but I have other concerns at present…
        …they hurt my baby.
        Purgatori folded her wings slightly and began to sink.

        Demonica tensed as the door to the maintenance room opened, but it was just Cobra. She lowered Mr Head Burster and stood up from behind the bank of monitoring machines that had been her hiding place. They were in a basement room of the Palace, where pumping machines pulled water from the underground pipes, filtered and cleaned it one last time and pumped it around the building. W/ the main lights turned off to avoid attracting attention, a single red bulb lit the room in angry shades that made Demonica think of a Dis sunset. It seemed a fairly safe place to her - she couldn’t remember the last time that something had gone wrong w/ the Palace’s ameneties : Purgatori looked after her people and in return they took pains to do the best work they could for her.
        Demonica bounded over and wrapped her arms around Snake Eyes. "See anything?"
        "Not much - seems fairly deserted. I heard some stuff echoing down the elevator shaft : sounds like a fkn war going on upstairs."
        "That’ll be Purgy."
        "Uh huh. You sure you’re up for this?"
        "Yep! Long as your suppressor works I should be okay."
        Snake Eyes unwound Demonica’s arms and picked up Mr Head Burster, checking the home-made suppressor he had fitted over the muzzle. "It looks sound. You’ll still get some noise but it should kill most of it, and the muzzleflash too."
        "Kewl! You better go and send the runners off to tell the other goups to attack."
        "Sure."
        "HEY!" Demonica yelped indignantly as he turned for the access hatch. "Don’t I even get one last grope?!"
        "Sure." He hugged her tight and kissed her. "Remember, keep away from your sister. If you try to convert her Drakkan might sense the power."
        "It’s only a little bit…"
        "Demonica, take a telling will you? We don’t know how alert or sensitive Drakkan is : don’t risk it."
        "Okay…"
        "Go on then. Be careful. Be safe."
        "Yep." She kissed him back, grabbing another feel of his butt at the same time, then watched him vanish back down into the tunnels. All alone. In the middle of the enemy’s palace. Demonica picked up the gun w/ a slight tremble. She hesitated by the door, licking her lips. Stop it. This is easy. We’ve done worse than this. This is MY Palace, I know it like the back of my hand. Sneaking around isn’t going to be a problem. Remember when Di and me got off w/ those hunks from the Hornskull clan? We had to try and sneak back into our room at about three in the morning w/out disturbing Purg or Lexus. Oh no, hang on, we got caught that time didn’t we? Sheesh,  she spanked the skin of our butts! "Have to set a good example" she said! Hell-o! It was like three in the morning, who was going to see us?! Ooh! That’s it : remember when Luce was having that huge party to celebrate turning Lady Death into Lady Demon and we didn’t get invited? Diabolica made me sneak in and add our names to the guest list. Boy, THAT was scary! Sneaking through his palace and all…if they’d  caught me he would’ve disembowled me  or something, and Daddy would’ve been FURIOUS. But I did it. Got in, got out, no trouble. (Got into plenty trouble AT the party though, heh! The NICE sort of trouble!) Boy, remember how scared you were then, Demi? Much more than I am now. Right now I’m not even scared at all, right? If I can face Lucy’s wrath I can face this furry gimp Drakkan. I can do this.Snakey’s taught me a few good stalk and stealth tricks over the years. I want Purg back. I want my sister back. I want my job back, goddammit!
        Demonica took a deep breath and slipped out into the corridor. It led up to steps that in turn led to another corridor that formed a network of passageways that the maintenance and cleaning staff used. Slinging Mr Head Burster over her shoulder she sidled silently through the corridors. As she neared the main public areas he heard clawed feet clacking along the stone tiles and she stopped dead. The sound began to die away and Demonica edged along the darkened passage again, moving slower and quieter than before, her ears straining to catch any sound. Ahead, the corridor joined one of the main passageways of the pyramid, the one that led from the audience hall to the main entrance. Demonica stopped in the shadows and looked in wonder at the elevator across the corridor from her. Three years ago she had come out there and seen Purgatori speared by her own warriors. Three years. It seemed like yesterday.
        She stepped out into the corridor and at that very moment the elevator pinged and the doors hissed open.Demonica dived back into the corridor and pressed herself against the wall, clenching her teeth to stop them chattering. OOOOH!! They didn’t see me! They didn’t see me! Oh please please PLEASE they didn’t see me!
        They hadn’t. She saw a party of cats stride past, keeping a cautious distance from the cloudy coloured one in the middle. That’s Drakkan, Demonica thought wonderingly. I wondered what he looked like…
       …I could shoot him.
        Her stomach clenched w/ a dreadful excitement. I would die. Those cats would get me. But it would almost be worth it.
        She edged towards the junction again, slipping Mr Head Burster off her shoulder and moving the safety catch to the ‘armed’ position. But I’ll never see Cobra again!! She stopped again, chewing her lip. What a dilemma. If she shot Drakkan she would be a hero. She would also probably be a dead hero. If she didn’t he might survive and win the war. Demonica edged closer and saw w/ great relief that Drakkan was out of sight and the decision had  been taken out of her hands. Oh well, that settles that, she thought, not unhappily.
        She peeked out into the corridor and gazed at the elevator. It was about thirty feet up the corridor to her right, on the other side of the fifteen metre wide passage. It looked like a mile. Nowhere to hide, Demonica thought grimly. She listened intently for movement then took another deep breath and padded out into the open, steeling herself in expectation of anything from a shout of alarm to a bullet in the head.
        Nothing happened. GO!! She ran for the door, stabbed the button and at that very moment saw a guard at the far end of the corridor. Her heart leapt into her mouth. He had his back to her and was standing at a junction, turning his head to check its approaches. Don’t turn around! Where the Hell's that elevator?! The bastard should have stopped there when Drakkan got out. Unless someone’s called it!! Sweet Leviatha, what if someone’s inside when it opens?!?!
        The elevator pinged and Demonica gulped, suddenly caught w/ absolutely nowhere to go if someone was inside.
        It was empty. Of course it was - it had stopped when Drakkan got out, the few seconds she had waited had just seemed like minutes.
        Demonica launched herself inside and hammered on the button, only letting her breath out in a big gust when the doors sealed and the car began to rise. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and slumped against the wall, eyeing up the dents in the button panel she had put there three years ago. Her eyes focused on the button that would stop the elevator on the level below Purgatori’s apartment : her and Diabolica’s rooms. Diabolica. Purgatori’s magick. I could - I shouldn’t. But it’s DI…I could get her back. She actually stood up and reached for the button before she caught herself. What are you, stupid? You heard what Snakey said : Drakkan might detect the magic.
        The car swept smoothly past her apartment and slowed at the top of the pyramid. Demonica stood to one side as the door opened into the observation gallery. Situated at the very top of the pyramid, just below its golden cap, it was purely there to entertain and impress guests - built, Demonica thought proudly, at her suggestion : Dis had a similar gallery and it was one of her favourite places to hang out. And make out.
        The elevator opened onto a wide square chamber. The centre of the floor was a sunken hexagon that held plushly upholstered settees. All the walls were comprised of floor-to-ceiling windows of highly polished crystal and a narrow balcony ran around all sides of the gallery. There were stairwells on either side of the elevator. One led down to the rest rooms and the other led to the catering area where chefs would prepare meals for the guests. A stairwell from this area led down to the sisters’ chambers. Demonica scanned the area then edged over to the first staircase. The lights were off and the stairwell was inky black. She listened for a moment then moved over to the second one. There was no sound there either.
       She trotted over to the East window, slid the door open and went out onto the balcony and peered over. She was dizzyingly high up, the fresh wind blowing her long hair back. The city spread out around her, and even from this aspect she could see the traces of neglect and decay, the torn down statues : boy, THAT’S gonna p*ss Purg off no end. She leaned over and scanned for potential targets. There : on the bridge that spanned two of the workers’ complexes, clear and nicely visible. Demonica rested Mr Head Burster on the railing and sighted down the wide scope. She didn’t know what magick it used, but if you pressed a stud on its side it lit up the darkness in shades of arcane green and it showed you the distance to whatever was under the crosshairs in dim emerald.
        "There you are," she purred, settling on the Doom Magistrate. He was standing on guard, a highly elevated position that overlooked the Palace entrance. One thousand and twenty three, the scope said. Damn, that was going to beat her personal best. Slip the safety catch off, take up the tension on the trigger. Adjust for wind and gravity, going by uncanny instinct that had yet to fail her.
        "Bye bye bug," she whispered. Cobra’s silencer worked a charm, reducing the impressive roar to a dull thud. It didn’t quell the recoil any, however, and the kick in the shoulder was as brutal as ever. When she got the scope on the bridge again the Doom Magistrate was lying on his back w/ a hole the size of a melon in his chest.
        "Yes!" She picked up the cartridge case, kissed it and stowed it away in her cleavage, where the hot metal felt rather nice. "Heh heh. Alright, who’s next?"
        A pair of hands grabbed her hair and pulled her back w/ a yank that almost tore the hair out of her scalp. Mr Head Burster fell on her chest and winded her as she hit the ground, then her assailant kicked him away and stood on her chest, pinning her down.
        "Hi sis," Diabolica said.

        Lady Death pulled her sword out of the Blood Warrior and wiped it on his tunic. She looked up to see Garryk regarding her, blood trickling down his left biceps.
        "Problem?"
        "Our orders were to kill the bugs and cats and convert the Blood Warriors."
        "Bah. He gave me no chance."
        "You wouldn’t have just killed him because he was one of Purgatori’s warriors, would you?"
        "Of course not."
        "Because, much as you might not like the idea, we’ll need as many of them alive and on our side as - "
        "I said, I had no choice!" Lady Death snarled. "Are you calling me a liar?"
        "Nah. I just hope you’re not killing them because you’ve got a grudge against Purgatori."
        Lady Death snorted and tossed her head dismissively. "We got three of them didn’t we?"
        "Could’ve been four. We need every hand we can get."
        "I am aware of that!" Lady Death snapped, angry that he had caught her doing exactly what he had accused her of. She couldn’t help it. The last time she and Purgatori had crossed paths, the bitch’s army had assaulted her fortress in Las Vegas. Now she was expected not only to team up w/ Purgatori to save her city, but help restore her army to full power! "You’re hurt," she snapped, needing to change the subject. "Dress it, we need to move fast."
        "Yeah." He didn’t move.
        "Well? What are you looking at?" she snapped.
        "You. You’re beautiful."
        Lady Death started, surprised into silence by the comment.
        Garryk smiled and turned away, heading for one of the female team members who was bandaging one of their convertees.
        Lady Death watched him go. How long had it been since someone had made a simple compliment like that, not just some leering or lustful observation? Well…he IS quite handsome, I suppose…She shook her head. Dammit, she was in the middle of a war for Heaven’s sake, and anyway, she wouldn’t dream of starting a relationship w/ an established Purgatori worshipper.
        She walked over to where the main group of fighters was huddling in the cover of a dense clump of rose bushes and knelt by one of the Blood Warriors they had ambushed at the pumping station.
        "Where are we? And where are the Gates?"
        "We’re in Isis Park. Near the centre of the city. The water tunnels supply the lakes over there."
        "Fascinating. Where are the Gates?"
        "Kinda spread around us in a crescent. They’re all in the East and North-East parts of the city."
        "How far?"
        "Mile or so, the nearest. One we want is nearer two."
        Lady Death looked off towards their destination. The Park was bordered by slim poplar trees and beyond them she could see the glowing windows of the city buildings. She couldn’t tell much in the darkness, but from the impression the lights gave it was a large and well-established city. Some of the buildings towered so high that their tops were lost in the mist, and yet for such a big community there was no hint of pollution that she had encountered in the cities on Earth - the by-products that
came from powering a large metropolis. It appeared that perhaps Purgatori powered this city by magick too, and if so, that was very disconcerting.
        Something tweaked her senses; momentary, faint. She frowned and concentrated, trying to focus on the almost subliminal feeling. She caught it again and this time there was no mistaking it : Apocalypse.
        "Garryk!" she hissed.
        "What?" He crouched down and jogged over, the white bandage on his arm seeming to glow.
        "My weapon is that way. We need to get it."
        "Weapon? What for, you’ve got one."
        "No," she said impatiently. "I mean my proper weapon. A powerful sword. Enchanted."
        Garryk pursed his lips. "I dunno. We should get to the Gate first."
        "This will help us immensely."
        "If it’s that powerful, Drakkan’s probably taken it for himself."
        "He can’t. His troops took it, but it is enchanted. No one can use it but me."
        "Well…it’ll be heavily guarded…"
        "Maybe. Only if he expects someone to try and get to it…"
        Garryk was silent for a long time, weighing options and making Lady Death fret to herself about whether or not she was going to jeopardise everything by abandoning the mission to recover her property. "Do you know where it is?"
        "Not precisely. I can just sense its presence. That direction."
        "That’s roughly the way we’re heading to reach the Gate. The only buildings that way they might have taken it are the hospital and the Jackals’ barracks."
        "Jackals?"
        "Elite warriors. Virtually unbeaten in battle."
        "Huh. They haven’t faced me yet."
        Garryk didn’t bother to reply. "Okay," he said at last. "We’ll head off and reassess when we get closer. If it looks like we could use your weapon we’ll go for it, otherwise we hit the Gate first. Deal?"
        "Deal," Lady Death said after a moment’s hesitation. "If it is in the Jackals’ quarters, that might actually work in our  favour - "
        " - if they’re out fighting," Garryk finished w/ her. "Yeah, I thought of that. Like,  if they’re out fighting us at the Gate."
        "Let us go then," Lady Death said eagerly.
        Garryk grinned and signalled the team. "Damn, this is gonna be exciting."
        A faint crack, softened by the distance, came from the West, then another, then a rapid flurry of more. Gunshots.
        "Sounds like the fun’s started," Garryk murmured.
        "Yes," Lady Death said. "Let’s hope that bitch’s plan has worked. The fewer cats we have to deal w/, the better."

        "What in the name of Horus is going on out there?"
        Rourke also had his attention directed to the small slot-like window set near the ceiling. "Fighting," Rourke said softly. "That’s gunfire."
        "More executions probably," someone muttered.
        "No. It’s a battle."
        "Who?" the man beside Rourke asked. "Who would have dared come into the city? The Saarga?"
        "No," Rourke said distantly. Three guards ran past the cell door, jabbering frantically to each other.
        "Who then?" the woman muttered, her inquisitiveness getting the better of her desire not to talk to Rourke. "Those rebels we hear so much about? Hah, I doubt it!"
        "Depends who’s leading them," Rourke said. Could it be? Could it be HER? "Listen. We can use the distraction."
        The woman spat. "Trust you! Of course!"
        Rourke ignored her. "I’ll need help. If we try and escape we might get killed - if we don’t we surely will, in time."
        Silence greeted his comments. They all knew he was right but they were not warriors and despite their fate the thought of taking on Blood Warriors and cats terrified them.
        "I’m w/ you," the man said quietly.
        "You’re mad," the woman said sullenly, but there was no conviction in her tone.
        "What’s your name?" Rourke said.
        "Lance."
        "I’ve got an idea, Lance. Take your shoes off."

        The cats moved up the river rapidly, silently, pausing every so often to scent the air. Their broad ‘V’ formation was designed to catch Purgatori like a trawl net : if the cats on the flanks encountered her the ones behind would provide cover. If the edgemost cats walked past her and she found herself in the middle of the V, the arms would close around her in pincer formation.
        One of the Akerians near the back paused as a breath of wind ruffled his fur. He turned to look for the soldier behind him - the last cat, at the very tip of the ‘V’ - and saw nothing. He frowned, wondering if the cat had just fallen behind or had veered off slightly in the dark. His sharp night vision saw nothing. The cat turned back to ask his companion on his right if they should slow down. His companion wasn’t there. Now, it was possibly the feline behind could have lagged behind, but there was no WAY the guy in front could have got lost. They were spread wide to cover distance, about fifty metres between them, but that wasn’t enough space to go missing in. The cat opened his mouth and then hesitated : what if his call alerted Purgatori? If he scared her away and she escaped he didn’t dare think what Drakkan would do to him. It became a moot point a second later as a roar of alarm came from midway up the left hand arm of the ‘V’. Someone  fired into the darkness, someone else opened up in response , and in the orange strobe flashes he saw the cat directly opposite drop w/out a head.
        "Form up! Defensive formation!"
        The cats raced together to form a square, weapons facing outwards. The cat felt the first twinges of fear as he stared uselessly into the blackness - they were down to about sixteen already and she had wings : she could be anywhere.
        Purgatori dropped right into the middle of them w/ her wings folded, coming in like a red meteorite. She drove her boots into the head of one cat w/ a delightful crunch and slashed the head off the cat to his left before her boots had hit the dirt. She whirled immediately and a flare of purple incinerated another cat and then she was gone, up into the blackness as the Akerian weapons stitched fire all around her. Goddamn, this was fun! How long had it been since she had revelled in a fight? Enjoyed it as it should have been? The last battle she had been, in Alexandria, had been spoiled by her suspicion of her troops, but now there was just her, a sword, and a bunch of victims.
        A gun blast sliced up past her nose and she twirled backwards in a somersault. Another blast clipped the tip of her wing as she dived in a curve and then a third hit her squarely in the chest. She crumpled, slamming into the sand  w/ a bone-jarring thud. The cats broke formation and ran at her, fanning out into a crescent to cover her limp body.
        The leader slowed and waved them to a halt. "Get the nets. Secure her - " He exploded in a fountain of blood and instantly the felines opened fire. Multiple blasts peppered the place Purgatori had been lying a second before. His blood spread outlike a blanket and wrapped over the faces of the four cats that had been flanking him, leaving only a group of four and a group of three in fighting condition. Purgatori dropped out of the sky behind the cat at the left hand end of the crescent, kicking him in the back and breaking his spine. The other two whirled at her. Her sword sliced their guns in two. She hurled the katana into the chest of one cat and tore open the ribcage of his companion as violet fire lit the darkness. The other four cats fired at her. She swiped her hand in front of her w/ a grin and the blasts smacked into a solid wall of blood. This was so easy now she had her full powers back, it almost spoiled the fun. She could feel the other groups coming up to reinforce, moving as fast as they dared. Enough messing about. She pointed and the cats staggered and dropped as their blood solidified in their veins. Purgatori swept through the sky, hunting by her senses, and flitted down in front of her Blood Warriors. They barely had time to react before she slowed their bloodflow to a virtual stop. The human ones flopped to the ground on the verge of unconsciousness. The five vampires that were left were no match for her. She stunned them w/ strong punches and kicks and a minute later she had five convertees.
        "Purga - "
        "We have enemies closing in from the West," she interrupted. "There are dead cats that way - you four get their weapons, circle around and take them from the rear. You : get as many guns as you can carry and bring them back here."
        "Yes, Empress!"
        They sped off into the night and Purgatori went to her helpless troops, converting them and releasing them one by one. Her vampire came back w/ eight of the large rifles and as they were passed around the night erupted in gunfire and cat screams. She looked out into the blackness and could see her vampires fighting w/ the cats hand-to-hand; she waved her troops down as they aimed. "No. Don’t risk hitting our people. Take them by hand, but be quick." As they ran off into the fray Purgatori returned to the four cats that were twitching and flopping weakly on the ground, half smothered by the blood veil. She released one, tore open his throat and drank him dry. She gestured at the others and the blood slithered off their faces and bound them tightly. She yanked one to his knees and grinned as the big feline snapped at her.
        "Do what you will," it snarled. "I will not surrender to you, nor give you information."
        Purgatori patted his head. "How noble. Don’t worry, kittycat. I want you to do neither." She flexed her talons and gutted him w/ a swipe then flung him far into the river. The other two ats were either dead or unconscious, she did not care which. She gutted them too and threw them out w/ their screaming flailing comrade. "Eat well baby," Purgatori murmured as she picked up her katana and made it vanish. "You’ll need to get your strength up."
        "Empress!"
        She turned to see the troops returning, all of them now armed w/ the cats’ weapons. They knelt before her.
        "Milady, please forgive us - "
        "I do," Purgatori broke in. "Gather around, I’m going to open a portal to New Necropolis. The time for stealth is over."
        "What do we do Empress?"
        "Get me my city back. Kill the cats, take the Gates."
        "…just us, Empress?"
        "No - we have allies in the city coming in through the water tunnels and others should have already started converting the other Blood Warriors. I hope." She bit her fingertip. "Be prepared. This will probably be…entertaining." She clawed a portal in the air and they stepped into the heart of New Necropolis.

        "Looks nearly finished," Garryk remarked.
        "Hm. I thought he was supposed to be a week or more off completion?" Lady Death said pointedly.
        "Guess he stepped up the pace," Garryk shrugged. He and Lady Death had made their way onto the roof of one of the buildings that overlooked a large area of empty ground that had been cleared for further construction and were lying down on the cold tile, inspecting the Gate. It stood in the middle of the wasteland w/ a few scaffolding frames around one side where the black beam was damaged. "Why’s it here, you think?"
        "Strategy. If it was by the barracks, any unexpected force coming through would be right on top of your forces before they could react. This way they have to travel. Gives him time to react."
        "Uh. Makes sense. Not many guards."
        "Good."
        "Is it? Why aren’t there?"
        Lady Death rolled onto one side to look at him. "Because no one in their right mind would try to attack it," she grinned. "It’s fairly near an elite army’s barracks, in the middle of an occupied city."
        "Aye, good point."
        This was exactly the reason Cremator and Vandala had been able to slip through so easily, after disabling the two guards on patrol : the security had been stepped up, but not by much, it seemed.
        "So, what : go for the Gate or try for my sword?" Lady Death asked, looking at him closely.
        Garryk rested his chin on his hands for a moment. "How about both at once? It’s in the hospital right? Which means it’ll be in the morgue because I’m assuming - from what you’ve said - that since no one else can touch it they’ve been unable to take it out of the body you stuck it in."
        "Yes. So where’s the morgue?"
        "Dunno, never been," Garryk said, rolling over to gaze at her. "Basement probably. I reckon that’ll be the only place there’ll be a guard, unless you run into soldiers that are actually being treated at the hospital. Seemed pretty dead when we passed though." He looked at her for a moment longer then shuffled back from the edge of the roof so that he was out of sight. "Go get it then. We’ll give you ten minutes then start the attack. That should give you time to get in and head back. Or if you get discovered, at least our attack might take some attention away from you."
        "Good." She shuffled back and jumped nimbly off the roof.
        Garryk looked at the twenty-five-foot drop and decided to use the fire-escape. "Hey!" Lady Death turned at the urgent whisper. "Take care of yourself."
        Lady Death went on her way, wondering why the comment pleased her so much.

        "Hey, asshole!"
        The Akerian hurrying past the cells took no notice of the call. The heavy boot that flew through the bars and bounced off its head, however, DID get its attention. It turned w/ a thunderous snarl and the people in the cell shrank back from its furious gaze.
        Lance stood in the middle of the cell, prominent as everyone else was lying or sitting. He was white, his mouth paper dry.
        "Oh sht."
        The cat glared at him, as though unable to believe this puny little creature had assaulted it. Faint gunfire and a louder crump of some building falling drifted in from outside. The cat looked towards the noise then back at Lance, needing to get out to the battle but unwilling to let the attack go unanswered. As it paused, considering, Lance hit it w/ a beautiful throw of his other boot and that decided the matter.
        W/ a roar of fury the Akerian jammed its key in the lock and wrenched the door open. People scrambled frantically out the way, parting before him as he strode in, kicking aside those who didn’t move fast enough. Lance backed off a step and his back hit the cell wall. The cat raised its paw, claws gleaming.
        "Goddammit Rourke - !"
        Rourke leapt at the cat from behind, Lance’s leather belt clenched in his fists. Lying flat on the floor and obscured by several other prisoners placed strategically around him he had been overlooked by the Akerian as it stormed into the cell. He drove his knee into the base of its spine and at the same time threw the belt over the cat’s head and yanked back, garrotting it. The animal’s roar of pain was choked into a squeak as though it was trying to cough up a particularly large hairball. It rammed
its elbow back and caught Rourke in the side. He staggered back and the belt slipped out of one hand, whipping off the cat’s throat as he stumbled back. The cat spun and slashed at his face and Rourke fell back w/ a cry of pain. It reached for its waist, drawing a long, twin-bladed dagger from its belt. Rourke blinked blood out of his eyes just in time to see the knife raised…and then Lance jumped up and grabbed the cat by the ears, dragging its head back. The cat yowled and slashed over its head,
trying to reach Lance, then Rourke speared his fingers into its throat. The cat dropped like a felled tree, gurgling wetly. In less than two seconds, Rourke had twisted the knife out of its hand and had buried it in its skull.
        "You alright?"
        Lance was standing but bent over, hands on his knees, panting and shaking like a man who had just ran two miles further than was good for him. He managed a shaky nod. He couldn’t take his eyes off Rourke’s face. Thick blood masked most of the damage, but what Lance could see of the deep raked trenches was bad enough. He tore off the left sleeve of his tunic and passed it to Rourke to use as an improvised bandage.
        "Thanks." Rourke held the wadded-up cloth to his face w/ a wince and handed Lance the knife in return. "That took balls Lance."
        "And extreme terror," Lance said, managing a weak grin. "I didn’t know I was going to do it until I actually grabbed it."
        Rourke pushed the Akerian over and took the weapon that was slung over its shoulder. He checked it over and found it was fairly generic - a simple trigger system, a switch that seemed to be a firing selector and another that appeared to be a safety catch. He looked up and saw everyone staring at him wide-eyed, faint hope mixed in w/ the wonder and fear.
        "I’m going to help whoever’s fighting Drakkan. I’ll take care of the guards and clear a way out of here - after that it’s up to you. You can help me or you can leave - my advice would be to get out of the city."
        They sat in silence. Rourke shrugged and headed for the door. A human Blood Warrior appeared, running in the same direction that the cat had been headed. He saw the open cell, skidded to a halt and fell dead as Rourke blew his head off. Rourke darted out, alert for any others that might come to investigate the gunshot. None did. There was a footstep behind him : he turned to see Lance, hefting the knife uncertainly.
        "I’ll help you, if you want me :  I’ve never fought before…I don’t want to get in your way."
        Rourke clapped him on his shoulder. "You won’t. Come on - there are guards' quarters in the next block over and they have an armoury. We should be able to get you a gun or something better than that knife."
        "That would be appreciated!"
        Rourke looked past him as the others shuffled to the cell door, hesitating before they stepped out as though they still suspected some trick. One of them picked up the Blood Warrior’s axe and stood beside Rourke.
        "Listen to me," Rourke said, raising his voice above the rising chatter. They fell silent immediately. "I will go first and check for danger. We should be okay - if the city’s under attack I doubt they would waste troops guarding locked up prisoners. Once we’re outside, those of you who want to leave do so - you’ll be on your own, so move fast. Those of you who want to fight, follow me to the armoury. We’ll get whatever weapons we can and then see if we can meet up w/ these fighters." They just stood in silence, perhaps not wanting to be the first to run away yet still not willing to commit themselves to a battle that
might well get them killed. "Lance, get the guard’s keys and unlock the other cells."
        Rourke headed for the door w/out further comment. If they all left he would have two volunteers w/ him. If more of them stayed, he would be leading a team of inexperienced civilians. There was a good chance some would die. He would have the blood of more innocents on his hands. Rourke pushed that thought away and focused on the battle, on his training and abilities. In that moment, he reverted to warrior again, nothing but a seven-foot highly-trained killing machine. The people around him
were nothing to him - all that mattered was getting out and retaking his city, and finding his Empress.

        Drakkan raised his head sharply, eyes narrowed in concentration.
        "What’s wrong my Lord?"
        Drakkan ignored the cat, waiting for the sound to come again to prove he hadn’t imagined it. It did. Gunfire.
        He hissed in anger and strode over to the windows, throwing them open and leaning out into the night. "Captain!"
        "Yes Lord?" The cat hurried over nervously.
        "Do you hear that?"
        "…yes Lord…"
        "Am I right in believing," Drakkan said icily, "that that is IN the city?"
        "I don’t…it seems fairly close Lord. Shall I - "
        "Fighting. That is fighting. In MY city." He turned deliberately and glared at the cat. "You have let rebel scum get into MY CITY!!"
        "B-but Lord - "
        Bright yellow magick vapourised the cat. "Danko!"
        "My Lord?"
        "Your troops are supposed to be out exterminating those rebel scum from my world," he said dangerously. "Are you incapable of such a simple task?"
        "We are hampered Lord, by lack of numbers and Pagan’s insurrection."
        "Pitiful excuses," Drakkan snarled, smashing him into the ground. "You two! Get out there and find out what is going on. NOW!!" The cats fled, thankful to be out of the room but dreading what would happen if they returned w/ news that Drakkan didn’t want to hear.
        Drakkan paced angrilly, every muscle knotted w/ rage. First that bitch returns, now this. Don’t try and tell me the events are unrelated. What’s that bitch up to? My troops… "You : human-thing."
        "Lord?"
        "What is the situation w/ the troops?"
        "Progress is excellent my Lord. We have been reconverting steadily and will have this repulsive invasion quashed by morning."
        "Really?" Drakkan snapped. "Do I have your word on that?" He didn’t need to voice the consequences.
        "You do indeed," Vyrryn said.
        Drakkan just grunted and glared out the window.
        "May I be excused to continue, Lord?" Vyrryn asked
        Drakkan just waved him away irritably. That bitch. What does she want? She has little power. She is outnumbered. What does she have? A magickal blade that cannot harm her and a ragtag band of rebels who are more irritation than threat. And a big reptile creature. If I did not mortally wound it…That blast should have ripped that creature apart; how did it survive? Was HER magick in it? Could her spells be that powerful? Have I underestimated her? That was a frightening thought. Disquieting. He had never doubted himself before. Unease gnawed at him. Seemingly everything about this campaign had not gone according to plan : Isis had not turned up to save her daughter; Purgatori had not submitted to him; Pagan had double-crossed him and spawned his own rebellion; Purgatori had escaped. The main threat on this world had been eliminated - so he thought - so he had sent his troops on, eager to conquer the next world and force Isis to play into his hands.
        No powers. No troops to speak of. And yet she had come right back into the heart of the city and she had brought those fighters w/ her. Drakkan stared out the window, hating the doubt, the nagging possibility that she had outwitted him. Think again bitch.
        "Vulnavia."
        "Yes Lord?"
        "Fly to my Gate. Tell the guards there I want reinforcement brought in from the homeworld. Fifty thousand should do it."
        "Yes Lord."
        "I want them here NOW!"
        "Yes Lord!" Vulnavia ran.
        Drakkan watched her go then resumed his position by the window, awaiting the return of his cats to find out exactly what the Hell was happening.

        "You’ve been a very naughty girl," Diabolica said. Her voice made Demonica shiver : this wasn’t her sister, it was like some phantasm wearing her shape.
        "Diabolica wait, you don’t know - "
        Diabolica pulled her to her feet and threw her across the observation platform. Demonica’s kidneys banged into the railing and for one horrific moment she felt her weight slip past the point of balance…and then Diabolica grabbed a fistful of her tunic and held her.
        "What’s that stupid mark on your nose? You’ve been w/ those rebel scum, haven’t you?"
        That made Demonica angry. "Tramp! We’re not rebels, we’re fighting for Purgatori!"
        Diabolica slapped her face. "Drakkan is ruler here, not that red whore."
        "OW!" Tears sprang into Demonica’s eyes, more from the fact that her sister had struck her than from the pain. She punched Diabolica in the stomach and she reeled back, dragging them both to the floor.
        Diabolica rolled over on top and grabbed Demonica’s horns, banging her skull off the floor. "Yes! Fight!" she said eagerly. "I’m the fighter, you’re the lover - you’ve lost your edge. I’ll smack you senseless and take you to Drakkan. He’ll be soooo pleased w/ me." She grinned down at Demonica and the smile made Demonica’s blood cool off. "He might even make you my personal pet!"
        Demonica sank her nails into Diabolica’s thigh. The raven-haired demoness shrieked and punched Demonica’s face before falling off her, clutching the wound. Demonica scrambled up and punched her between the shoulder-blades. Diabolica snarled and kicked out, hitting Demonica’s calf and making her fall to her knees w/ a yelp. She knocked Demonica flat on her stomach and knelt on her back.
        "You bitch! I’m going to torture you for months for that!" She locked her arm around Demonica’s throat and began to squeeze.
        "UK! D-Diabolica! Please -!" Demonica managed to squirm one hand free but her position made it impossible to get any decent purchase. She heard Diabolica chuckle at her plea and the arm squeezed harder. Black spots began to flash in her vision. Sweet Leviatha I’m going to die! My SISTER’s going to kill me!
        Diabolica leaned back, making Demonica’s back arch agonisingly and crushing her throat totally shut. Absolute panic gripped Demonica as her vision blacked completely and her head began to thump. Something brushed her fingertips and she grabbed at it reflexively : Diabolica’s twitching tail. She pulled it to her and sank her teeth into it.
        Diabolica screamed and let go, scrambling away from her sister. Demonica flopped, taking great whooping gasps of air that turned the black spots into scalding white ones. She looked around blearily, knowing that if she gave Diabolica a chance to recover she was finished.
        Diabolica rolled around, clutching her tail. "You SLUT!!" She twisted around and had a fraction of a second’s surprise before Mr Head Burster’s butt smashed into her head. Demonica fell on her and pressed her hands to her temples before she could recover. She recited the spell, felt the sorcery flow through her, sensed something burning away in her sister. Diabolica flopped and Demonica flopped beside her, panting and shaking.
        "Demonica?" Diabolica croaked.
        Demonica slapped her leg. "Bint! You almost killed me!"
        "Ouch! What…happened to me?"
        "Don’t you remember?" Demonica asked, still wary.
        "N…no…not much," Diabolica frowned. "Odd bits and pieces. Christ, my tail hurts!"
        "Not as much as my throat!"
        "Not as much as my head! What the Hell did you hit me w/?"
        "This!" Demonica said happily, picking up the rifle. "Isn’t he gorgeous?"
        "Hellfire! What’s that designed to kill? Buildings?!"
        "Come here," Demonica said excitedly, losing some of her fear of her sister. "I’ll show you what he can do!"
        "What’s going on?" Diabolica asked as they got up and went to the balcony.
        "We’re gonna kick Drakkan’s furry butt," Demonica said as she scanned the street for a target. "Purgatori’s back and she is SO p*ssed!" She pointed over at the workers’ building where two Akerian’s were fretting over the fallen Doom Magistrate.
        "See that?"
        "Err….just."
        "I did that! Watch!" Acquire. Adjust. THUD!
        "Sweet Leviatha!"
        "Good, eh?" She dropped the second cat and grinned at her sister. "Cool or what? I could play at this for hours!"
        "Can I have a go?"
        "No way! Get your own toy!"
        "Selfish bimbo! Hey, is that Vulnavia?"
        "Where?"
        "There," Diabolica said, pointing down at the palace road. "Damn, she’s in a hurry. Must be something urgent," Diabolica mused as the Valkyrie took to the sky.
        "Really?" Demonica’s eyes narrowed. She had never liked Vulnavia, the feathery tart always talked down to her. "Better stop her then, that’ll p*ss Drakkan off."
        "You’ll never hit that! She’s moving too fast!"
        "Shh." Acquire. Track. S-q-u-e-e-z-e. THUD!
        "I don’t believe it!" Diabolica gasped as she saw Vulnavia knocked sideways in the air in a swirl of feathers.
        "Ha ha!"
        "Mind, Purg’ll be p*ssed if you’ve killed her. She was one of her favourites."
        "…um…"
        "Where was she going, you reckon?"
        "I dunno. Prob’ly to the Gates, for reinforcements," Demonica said, leaning over to scan for another target. "Not that it would help."
        "Why?"
        "’Cause our forces are there. We’re gonna destroy all the Gates."
        "Well…you can’t."
        "What? Why not?"
        "Because they’re protected by spells."
        Demonica lowered the gun and looked over worriedly. "Well…won’t Purg be able to break the spell? She’s real powerful…"
        "Uh uh. No way. Drakkan’s got Chaotic mages protecting them. They chant protection spells continuously and the instant they sense something’s wrong they’ll alter the spell. Make it more powerful or something."
        "Oh bugger." Demonica glanced over the railings then looked back at her sister. "We’ve got to warn them."
        "We won’t have time, will we..?"
       "But…we can’t just do nothing!"
        Diabolica chewed her lip. "We could kill the mages."
        Demonica stared. "Won’t they be protected?"
        "Nope, not really. Drakkan put them in Purg’s vault."
        "The vault…" Yes - when Demonica stopped to think about it, it was perfect. Purgatori had acquired a phenomenal amount of wealth during her reign. Most of it was the usual stuff : quantities of precious metals and gems, both from plundering and received as gifts from cities or dignitaries trying to buy her favour or protection, but occasionally she acquired a real prize, or something that she considered personally valuable : various tomes of magickal texts, a bust of herself carved from a single
colossal ruby that was a gift from Alexandria, and other bits and pieces that she wanted to keep for herself rather than give it to the city treasury. She also kept a substantial amount of wealth here for her own use, perhaps as a backup if the main stores got sacked in a battle. The vault was deep under the pyramid : the elevator went down to a narrow corridor that led to an armoured and magically protected door which led to the vault itself. No one but Purgatori and her most trusted aides knew of its existence and they were under strict orders not to discuss it, which was a shame for Demonica as she desperately wanted to take someone down there and make love on a thick carpet of  gold coins. Someone like Cobra, for example. Even the elevator button was hidden away from the main control panel.
        "Damn," Demonica said. "How did he find that?"
        Diabolica shifted. "Uh…someone must’ve suggested it…to him."
        "Hmm. Unless he - hang on!" Demonica suddenly stared at Diabolica. "Oooh! You useless hair-brained succubus! Purgatori’s gonna paddle the skin off your butt when she finds out!"
        "I couldn’t help it! Diabolica cried. "I was under Drakkan’s spell when…what do you mean, ‘when’ she finds out?! Are you gonna tell her?!"
        "Maybe," Demonica said airily. "Depends…"
        "You blackmailing bimbo!" Diabolica gasped. "What do you want? My sapphire necklace, right? You always were p*ssed that Purg gave it to ME - "
        "We’ll think of something later," Demonica interrupted. "Right now we’ve gotta get to the vault."
        "Humph! Come on then. I knew I couldn’t trust her," Diabolica added under her breath. "She had the sulks for ages after I got it."
        "Oh give it a rest! Or I’ll tell her anyway!"
        "Tramp!"
        "Flattery will get you nowhere," Demonica said as the elevator doors closed. "Listen - I’ve got a plan."

        Lady Death pushed open the doors to the hospital and strode in. She hadn’t been unduly concerned about attracting attention - from what she had seen, New Necropolis was populated w/ dozens of different races and species : one white-skinned woman should barely raise an eyebrow - but the place appeared to be deserted anyway. There was a reception desk overlooking a few rows of chairs but nobody was manning it and most of the overhead lights were off. Lady Death paused in the dim hallway as the door closed softly behind her, listening intently for sounds of movement. She heard nothing. Her bootheels clocked on the dusty tile as she walked in and turned randomly right, looking for directions to the morgue. It seemed obvious that Drakkan had no interest in the well-being of Purgatori’s citizens and Lady Death wondered what fate had befell the patients who had been in here : there was no smell of death here, so she deduced they had been moved somewhere rather than just being left to die, but she doubted if Drakkan had arranged anything pleasant.
        She pushed open a swing door and found herself in a wide corridor. There was a direction board on the wall to her right, but all the destinations were written in hieroglyphs. She made a sound of disgust and moved on. She passed an elevator on her left, not knowing what it was, and turned a corner to see a stairwell leading both up and down. Basement, Garryk had said. She headed down, her footsteps ringing. Yes, she could sense the blade, more tangible now.
        The steps ended at a pair of red-painted doors, wooden w/ small windows set w/ wire-reinforced glass. The windows glowed w/ white light. She pushed the doors open and entered a long, wide room. One wall was a neat array of square locker doors, where bodies would be stored. Various tables were placed around the room, some designed for working on, some designed for post-mortem purposes. She felt her skin crawl, remembering being dragged onto a similar table one day when she was locked up w/ Purgatori. On the farthest table a Blood Warrior lay stiffly, a gleaming sword jammed in his putrefying chest.
Lady Death grinned.
        Sharp steel touched her throat and back as two Blood Warriors flanked her, coming from the shadows on either side of the doors.
        "Don’t move."

        They arrived by the central library. Purgatori saw the bazaar far to the right; normally it would have been thronging w/ vendors and their nocturnal customers but now it was empty and deserted. It could have been because of the fighting, she supposed, but by the look of the neglect she suspected Drakkan had severely curtailed trading or ceased it all together. What was happening to her people? Had they moved out, or were they dead or starving? Rationing and keeping people hungry was a good way to keep people compliant. It was also, Purgatori thought grimly, a good way to have them rebel against you if they thought a liberator had arrived.
        Gunfire, to the West.
        "What are your orders Empress?"
         She grinned at their eager tone. "Go. Find things and kill them. Cats and Doom Magistrates only : I want my Blood Warriors taken back - but be careful, if you have to kill to save yourselves then do so, but avoid it if possible. Head for the Gates he has activated. Stop anyone going through. If they’re activated and reinforcements are coming through, destroy them."
        "Yes Empress! What about you?"
        "I’m going to arrange a distraction then check up on that bleached bimbo. And then I will find Drakkan."
        "Check up on who, Your Highness?"
        "Never mind the details : if you come across some white-skinned brat w/ a chest almost as big as her ego, she is on our side."
        They bowed and spread out. Purgatori strode over to where a ramp led up to the walkways that criss-crossed over much of the city. Movement caught her attention : up on the walkway a Blood Warrior was fighting w/ an Akerian. She swooped over and kicked the cat away. It rolled into the low wall of the bridge and Purgatori stamped its head open.
        "Are you alright?"
        The Blood Warrior looked up at her, considered for a moment, then fired his crossbow. Purgatori was so surprised she didn’t react in time and the bolt punched through her left biceps. She pulled it out w/ a snarl of fury and another figure slammed the Blood Warrior to the ground before she could hurl the bolt into his face.
        The figure gripped the Blood Warrior’s head and she sensed her conversion magick. "Who are you?"
        The figure stepped into the faint light. "Empress."
        "Severin! What was all that about?" Betrayal after all..?
        "Someone called Pagan has converted some of Drakkan’s troops to his own side. Drak’s supposed to be converting them back, but we kinda took over the operation."
        "Excellent! You have done exceptionally well Severin."
        "Thank you Empress. If you’ll excuse me, I got felines to skin."
        "W/ pleasure." Purgatori watched him dart off into the shadows again then she took to the sky, flapping fast into the blackness and circling out towards the Temple of Ra. As she flew over the city she could see sporadic flashes of weapon discharges and hear the sounds of skirmishes. She ignored them and flew up to the Temple, a tall building extensively plated w/ gold sheets. It was topped by a slender spire w/ an open-topped platform where worshippers could come to pray, as close to the sun as they could get. Purgatori landed on the platform and dropped into a kneeling position, glancing around herself quickly. There was a light breeze up here, not quite chilly, and over to the North-East she could see large clouds drifting placidly away.
        Faint sounds of battle came to her, from seemingly all parts of the city. She wondered how many troops she had, how many Severin and his friends had been able to recruit. She could find out later : right now she had a little task to do. She settled herself, reaching out w/ her sorcery. The breeze on her face dropped, almost ceased, then strengthened, now blowing from the North-East. She flexed harder, heedless of the magickal shockwaves she would be putting out - Drakkan would be alert now and would sense any power she used : she might as well do what she wanted in one big blast and evac the area - there was no point in being subtle now. The wind gusted across her, ruffling her hair. She sent her power out to the big cumulo-nimbus clouds and almost immediately heard a soft rumble of thunder. Purgatori opened her eyes and grinned at the clouds, rising and darkening as they came towards her on the gathering wind. Hahaha! Dracula, you miserable speck of dirt. What a fine gift you have bequeathed me!
        Purgatori stood up and walked to the edge of the platform, jumping up to stand on the narrow stone railings. Her senses caught the Gate immediately : now that she was attuned to Chaotic power it stood out like a searchlight. It seemed slightly different somehow, almost as if it was covered by a fine veil of a different magick, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. By the Temple of Anubis. She felt the other Gates, felt the dead trapped power of the one whose link had been severed : the WinterHaven Gate. It was the closest Gate to the main one - she could detour there easily and find out why that white brat hadn’t destroyed it yet.
        Lightning flashed from the North-East, lighting up the insides of the growing stormclouds like Chinese lanterns. She could feel the changes, the charge in the air and the drop in temperature. As she stepped off the railing the first drops of rain fell on her outspread wings.

        "Drop your sword."
        Lady Death let it fall w/ a silent curse, angry at having been caught by surprise by her own carelessness - Garryk had warned her that Apocalypse might by guarded, and she had just breezed right in w/out even thinking of checking behind the doors. The sword fell w/ a ringing clatter that echoed around the room.
        "Turn."
        She turned to face them and they weren’t stupid - they backed off slightly and flanked her, keeping out of each other’s way. She eyed them up : vampiric Blood Warriors, their blank eyes shining whitely. So far she had only fought human Blood Warriors, but Garryk and the others had converted two vampires and killed a third - she didn’t think this should be a problem. She had, after all, defeated them on Earth.
        "Who are you? What are you doing down here?"
        "I am Lady Death, maggot!" she snarled imperiously. "And I am here to reclaim what is mine!" She shoved her hand at the Warrior, palm out, and the blast of Arcane Energy hit him in the chest and face. The other was faster. His blade hit her left arm, ringing against the decorative metal bands, the blow numbing the arm. His boot hit her hip, taking her balance and knocking her to the floor. She sprawled and rolled, scooping up her fallen blade. Tile chips flew as a sword slammed down by her ear. She
was on her feet in an instant, kicking out at the Blood Warrior. Her foot connected solidly but he only fell back a step or two. Their swords clashed a foot from her face, the force of his blow driving her back. She side-stepped to his left and he jammed his elbow in her ribs, winding her. Lady Death snarled and ducked as the metallic red blade sliced overhead. She jumped at him before he could recover, jamming the sword into his thorax through the gap in his armour under his armpit. He choked out
a gargling scream and then she grasped his head in both hands and burnt his head to ash.
        "Bastard!" Isis had been right - the Blood Warriors were formidable. If Purgatori had had warriors of this standard at Oblivion she -
        A blade ricocheted off her shoulder armour, brushing her fringe. She jerked in surprise, tripped over the fallen vampire and staggered back wildly, banging the small of her back against one of the autopsy tables. The vampire was in no state to press his attack. Three-quarters of his face had gone, charred down to bare, blackened skull. One arm hung limply and the other - his sword arm - shook as though lifting the weapon was taking every ounce of his energy. Lady Death rolled backwards over the table, putting an obstacle between them. Goddamn, what sort of monsters has that red bitch created for herself?! The blood armour had obviously taken the brunt of her blast, but it was inconceivable that he was still standing, never mind attacking her. That was the second time she had overestimated her powers. After the incident w/ Purgatori at WinterHaven, she should have learnt her lesson - that red bitch had had thirty years to enhance her sorcery and develop a protection powerful enough to w/stand the Arcane Energy. She reached out in fury and Apocalypse wrenched  itself out of the corpse and speared
into her hand. She leapt onto the table and jumped down at the floundering vampire, cleaving him completely in two. Lady Death looked down at the bodies, her teeth clenched in rage. Her power would have alerted Drakkan : if the other attacks had not started yet, alerting him of their presence, he sure as Hell knew now. Oh well : to Hell w/ it. Time to head back. Pointless wasting time now, she thought. If he’s aware of my power, I might as well use it! She raised Apocalypse and cleaved a rift through reality right back to the Gate. She stepped through the rippling portal, and when the magic cleared there was a Doom Magistrate less than a foot from her. She cut it down immediately and spun, checking her surroundings. Garryk had started the assault as agreed and she had arrived right in the middle of the battle. She jerked her head at the sound of a familiar unearthly wail and saw five of those huge reptilian mounts charging in from the direction of the barracks. She cast a fireball at the lead one and it splattered apart, spraying the others and making them shy away, faltering their charge.
        There was a body at her feet : the girl who had bandaged Garryk. Lady Death looked at her emotionlessly and turned her attention to the Gate. Bodies lay near it : Garryk’s team had sniped the patrol before making their advance. Judging from the fighting going on though, Drakkan must have laid a trap - there were far too many enemies here to have come on the run from the barracks at the first sound of fighting, they must have a camouflaged camp somewhere nearby. They had thought Drakkan
had not reacted appropriately to the incursion of Cremator and Vandala - apparently he had. He was slyer than they had given credit for.
        Lady Death strode towards the Gate, slashing apart an Akerian who had the impudence to step in her way. Her boots squelched in the blood-soaked mud and she suddenly became aware of the water on her face. It was raining! She could see further now - the winds were dispersing the fog, and she could see glimmering flameglow among various buildings of the city skyline. She turned her attention back to the Gate. There were two Blood Warriors fighting nearby - she hefted her sword then paused : how could she tell which one was on her side?
        "Get down!"
        She whirled at the scream and saw a filthy and bloody Garryk racing towards her. He dropped to one knee, skidding in the slimy mud and threw his rifle to his shoulder, seemingly aiming directly at her.
        "Get fkng DOWN!!"
        She leapt aside and spun, seeing nothing in the dark until the muzzle flash. Something punched a hole in her belly, piledriving a crater into her guts and tearing a fist-sized hole out her back.
        "NNOOOOO!!!" Garryk’s scream was drowned out by the hammer of his weapon and she felt the bullets speed past her as she crumpled to her knees, clutching herself in agony.
        "Noooo Goddess noo!"
        Hands on her shoulders, frantic but gentle. She reached out drunkenly w/ one blood-drenched hand and pushed him away, gathering her power. Garryk slipped backwards, taken aback by the force of the shove then stopped, gaping at the flashing blue energy that crawled over Lady Death’s midriff and erased her injuries.
        "…damn…"
        Lady Death picked up Apocalypse and stood up. "It will take more than some petty human weapon to stop ME Garryk," she said. "That’s not to say it doesn’t hurt, though!" The humour went unregistered : she saw how white he was, saw the shadow of his horror and anguish still on his face. Why does this human care so much? He hardly knows me. "Are you alright?"
        Garryk held up a hand and she saw the tremble in the fingers. "No. Horus, listen : you may be tough to kill, but for the sake of my nerves, if I tell you to duck, just fkn do it, okay?"
        Lady Death just smiled. Around them the battle seemed to be turning. The element of surprise had given them the upper hand at first but now they had lost a few of their number and the Blood Warrior forces had been reinforced by fighters who had returned from various parts of the city. They both turned at the sound of thundering hooves to see two of the cavalry bearing down on them. Garryk raised his gun but Lady Death was quicker. She held back at the last moment and the wave of energy that smashed the riders and their mounts to the ground did not vapourise them, as had been her full intention.
        "Quick, convert them!" she snapped between clenched teeth before she could change her mind. Garryk dashed over to the stunned Blood Warriors. Lady Death ran over to the Gate, vaulting nimbly over the fallen corpses. She took the head off another Doom Magistrate that was fighting w/ a Blood Warrior and ran on w/out pausing. The Gate rose before her, tall, black and somehow forbidding. She remembered the last time she had seen a Gate like this, the last time she had fought around a Gate like this, and the consequences of that battle. Never again. NEVER.
        She raised Apocalypse and swung at the nearest black beam, one of the right-hand side facets that was deeply cracked. She looked up at Garryk, trying to blink a vivid red after-image out of her eyes.
        "Garr…" She was on the ground, stuck to the slimy mud. Her right arm was completely numb, the fingers locked around Apocalypse’s hilt as though welded. "Wh…what…"
        Garryk fired off a few rounds, looked at the gun in disgust and dropped it as it jammed on him. "I don’t know," he shouted above the fighting as he looped his arms under her armpits and lifted her. "Whatever you did there, it seemed to backfire!"
        Lady Death struggled weakly, trying to free herself : she didn’t want to have to be carried from the field of battle like some useless novice but her limbs didn’t want to work yet.
        Something metallic snapped past her eyes and they fell in a heap as it buried itself in Garryk’s shoulder. He fell back w/ a cry, pulling her on top of him. Lady Death moved her head w/ effort and saw an Akerian fifty metres away, coming towards them w/ a huge serrated machete. She could fry him w/ one blast. She strained, and found she could barely raise her hand. She felt Garryk squirming underneath her, his body grinding against hers in a not wholly uncomfortable way. One of his hands was between them, touching the back of her thighs.
        "W…what a-are you…"
        He pulled her over slightly and his hand came free, coming into view clasping a large black pistol. It slammed three times in rapid succession, hurting Lady Death’s ears and spitting out hot casings that smoked in the cold air. She blinked rain out of her eyes and saw the cat topple, the top half of its skull missing. Garryk’s arm slumped and Lady Death felt the cool metal of the barrel on her belly. The fingers holding Apocalypse shuddered and loosened. She flexed both hands experimentally and got
movement.
        "Garryk?" She managed to roll off him and saw him gasping, a large viciously pointed shuriken in his shoulder.
        "P-pull…pull it - OOWW!!" Garryk howled as she yanked the blade out and threw it in the mud.
        "Are you alright?"
        Garryk lay panting. "N…o....th…ink…p-poison…"
        Lady Death felt a chill in her stomach. "What type? What can I do?"
        Garryk could only shrug weakly. The rattle of gunfire and the clash of swords came from all around them. Lady Death lay over Garryk, shielding him as the feeling gradually returned to her body, pretending to be corpses until she could think of a plan and returned to full strength. She looked at the Gate hatefully, completely at a loss.

        Rourke moved like a panther, racing up the corridor and pausing by the door that lead to the entrance hall of the cells. He listened briefly and slipped through the door fast, dropping to his knee and bringing the rifle up fast. The place was empty. Behind him the civilians clustered in the passageway, nervous and scared. Rourke paid them no mind. He had a job now : kill his Empress’ enemies and try to atone for what he had done to her.
        More gunfire from outside - Akerian weapons. It sounded like they had gotten themselves organised. He darted for the front door, keeping low as he passed the windows. Something moved past the glass and he whirled, tracking it w/ the gun but reluctant to fire and give away their element of surprise. The Doom Magistrate strode on w/out noticing them and Rourke  ran for the door. Something exploded far to the North. A wild energy blast streaked up into the sky in the East. The compound looked empty, the portion he could see, anways. To his left was the barracks for the men who staffed the place, a short two storey building. The top level was smaller than the bottom, so that a walled balcony ran around the building, fitted w/ searchlights and gun emplacements. His eyes scanned the doors and windows. There were a couple of lights on but nothing moved in the rooms. The compound was fairly dark - no one had switched on the floodlights and Rourke didn’t like the thick shadows that surrounded him. The Doom Magistrate he had seen was leaving by the main gates. He let it get out of sight then turned to the civilians that were grouped behind him, huddled low to keep out of sight.
        "Anyone wants to leave, go now. Anyone wants to help me, we’re going for that building. Area looks clear but I ain’t promising. Whatever you do, move fast, move quiet."
        They all looked nervous and frightened. Quite a few looked indecisive too. Rourke didn’t care. Helping him or not, armed or not, he considered them a liability. He stepped outside and ran for the barracks, keeping low. It was about two hundred metres from the cell block. He crossed halfway then turned and knelt, covering the civilians. Lance and the other guy were running after him, having fallen a ways back due to Rourke’s speed. They darted aside as he levelled the gun and Rourke saw most of the others were either milling around uncertainly or heading straight for the gates. Maybe a dozen in total had elected to join him.
        He backed up towards the building, watching the first of the civilians reach the perimeter and then pause on the threshold as if uncertain as to what to do now that they were actually there.
       Run you morons! What the Hell are you waiting for?!
        A long barbed spear slammed through one of the men and lifted him into the air, kicking and screaming. Rourke swore and blew the Doom Magistrate’s head off as it stepped into view. He looked through the scope and had a clear magnified view of the other eight insects that swarmed into the pack of civilians, hacking and tearing at them. The people scattered and ran in every direction, only a few having the sense to head towards Rourke.
        "Get in the building!" he shouted at Lance. "Up the stairs, room’s marked!" Lance and the other didn’t hesitate. Rourke fired again and felled another bug. The others raised their bio-cannons and Rourke dived aside just in time to avoid half-a-dozen searing blasts. He rolled and came up firing. The shot missed as the insect crouched and darted aside. Another cannon blast hit the ground beside him, showering him w/ smoking earth and fragments of blast-fused glass. He aimed again and one of the panicking civilians ran right into his line of fire. Rourke cursed and leapt backwards, gaining the shelter of the building doorway. A bio-cannon blast hit the civilian and tore him apart. Rourke shot the insect in the chest, aimed again then one of the civilians scrambling to get into the building knocked him aside and he lost his target. Some sixth sense, a feeling of awareness and danger honed from decades on a battlefield, made him frop flat and a cannon blast sliced overhead and blew the door into smoking shards. He fired from the ground and hit the Doom Magistrate in the stomach and was on his feet and into the building in a second, scrambling and slipping over the burning wreckage of the door and pushing the cowering civilians out of his way. He threw his rifle at the nearest one who grabbed it out of the air reflexively then gaped at it as though he had never seen one before.
        "Keep ‘em back."
        "But I -"
        Rourke was already gone, bounding up the stairs. Lance was on the landing.
        "Door’s locked, looks like magick. Can you open it?"
        "I can if they didn’t change the spell when I got locked up," Rourke said. Sht, that was a possibility I never considered. He crossed to the door, recited the spell in his mind and breathed a sigh of relief as the locks released. More blasts hit the building and the shrill crash of a window falling in was punctuated by a few cries of pain and fear. Rourke wrenched the door open and the lights came on, illuminating the racks of weapons. There were only six rifles and six pistols but Rourke took them gratefully, tossing them out at Lance to distribute. A huge flurry of blasts hit the doorway downstairs, thumping the whole structure and sending a wave of heat up the stairwell. There were no screams but Rourke didn’t need any to know the man defending the doorway was dead. He kept the last rifle for himself and rammed a magazine into it as he ran for the balcony door.
        "Two of you come here, the rest defend downstairs!" He raced out onto the balcony, keeping low behind the wall. A clatter in front of him : armoured hands grasping the wall. He raised the rifle and put eight rounds into the insect as it clambered over the wall. It fell w/ a gurgled shriek. Goddamn they’re fast! Four left : where are you, you fkrs?
        He raced up to the wall and bobbed up, snatching a glance of the compound below. He saw a silhouette moving rapidly : one of the Doom Magistrates was racing out the gates - gone to fetch help probably. Rourke emptied his magazine at it but it was gone and his bullets only chewed up the stonework of the gate. Sht. We better get going before he comes back w/ his playmates. He changed mags and backed up along the balcony. Where are you? Where are -
        The sizzling blast of Doom Magistrate weapons below gave him the answer. More screams, then the strange wail of an insect as Lance and another leant over the balcony and fired. Several return shots slammed around them, spraying concrete chips. Rourke ran inside and barrelled down the stairs. Most of the entranceway was on fire. The remaining people had retreated to the inner recreation room, overturning furniture to improvise shelter and barricades. One of the Doom Magistrates was in the room, the compact space making its bulk even more intimidating. Rourke skidded through the doorway and fired as it grabbed a young boy and squeezed his ribcage to jelly. It was a hurried shot from a bad position at a flailing target, and only two of the six bullets hit their mark. The insect snarled and hurled the body at Rourke, its heavy shoulder armour taking the brunt of its injuries. Rourke dived to the glass-strewn floor and saw the torn in half body of another civilian lying by the weapon he had given to the man at the door. He rolled to his feet studded w/ glass and this time his bullets punched holes in the creature’s chest, knocking it into the wall. Its blood slithered towards a young girl who was crouching behind an overturned chair, screaming helplessly. One of the others grabbed her by the hair and yanked her aside at the last moment. Fkn blood parasites, Rourke thought. Could use Purgatori’s Kathos sorcery right about now.
        Something smashed into his back, knocking him across the room. He crashed into a table and smashed through it painfully, losing his grip on the rifle. A huge hand w/ long clawed fingers clamped onto his shoulder and dragged him up. Rourke twisted around and wrenched himself free w/ pure brute strength. He landed on his feet and dived under a vicious swipe. Two shots from the narrow doorway sped past, both missing the insect. It snatched up the fallen bio-cannon of its comrade and fired at the doorway in one blindingly fast movement. Scalding heat swept past Rourke’s head and the door and wall exploded w/ a compression wave that punched the air out of his lungs. He took a flying leap at the insect and planted both feet in its hip and it staggered back, firing another round into the ceiling. Chunks of burning plaster fell around them, filling the hot smokey air w/ white dust. Rourke rolled over, snatched up his rifle by the barrel and flipped it around then emptied the magazine into the beast, knocking it clean back through the window it had come in.
        After all the mayhem and the thunder of gunfire in confined spaces, the silence around him seemed unreal. Rourke flopped, watching the blood parasites curl and die. He coughed in the dust and his back hurt where the insect had hit him : he felt heavily bruised but he didn’t think his ribs or spine had been damaged. The wound on his face had opened up again and blood was seeping down his neck. Get out. Now, before that fkr returns w/ reinforcements. Yes : no matter how bad he felt now he had to get away, he could rest later.
        Someone edged past the burning ruins of the door, wafting their hand to try and clear the dust. Rourke looked over tiredly as he saw the gun raise and looked into the eyes of the woman he had talked to in the cells, her tears cutting two tracks through her dirt-blackened face.
        "This is for my family, you sht."
        A rapid burst of five shots hammered in the room. Rourke jerked aside as her torn body crashed down beside him, twitched violently then lay still. Lance lowered the rifle, shaking badly. Rourke got up gingerly and flexed his back experimentally - just bruises, nothing worse. Hurt like a bitch though. He retrieved his gun and walked over to Lance.
        "You alright?"
        Lance shook his head sorrowfully. "No," he whispered. He looked down at his gun w/ loathing. "I didn’t have a choice," he said. He sounded as though he was trying to justify his actions more to himself than to Rourke.
        "Yeah," Rourke said, not knowing what else to say. He was trained to kill people, not counsel them. "I owe you."
        Lance just half-nodded.
        "Rourke!"
        He spun at the call. Someone charged down the stairs, tripped on the debris and almost stumbled into him.
        "Blood Warriors! At the gates!"
        "Sht!" Rourke snatched a magazine from the man’s belt, reloaded and ran to the door. He edged his head around the corned of the door and saw six Blood Warriors in ragged formation, fanning out across the courtyard. Rourke backed up a bit, settled the rifle to his shoulder and lined up on the head of the closest. Goddamn, that’s Hooker. We were a team even before Purgatori appeared. Fk. He saw a flicker of movement in the scope and shifted his sights. Four Doom Magistrates and a pair of Akerians were coming through the gates, heavily armed. For FK’S sake! "Lance!"
        Lance jerked out of his mood and ran over. "What - oh sht!"
        "Grab all the weapons you can, bugs’ and ours : make sure everyone’s armed and get onto the balcony. Stay low, don’t fire till I do."
        "R-right."
        A fusillade of shots rattled from outside and Rourke whirled, bringing his gun up and sighting on a target in a heartbeat.
        "Holy sht."
        The Blood Warriors were standing over the bodies of the cats and bugs. As Rourke watched one of the Doom Magistrates spasmed and half-lurched to its feet. A hail of shots cut it down.
        "What the Hell?" Lance whispered. "Are they on our side?"
        "One way to find out. Get to the balcony."
        "Horus…Rourke - "
        "Go on. Get upstairs." Lance went. Rourke stood up slowly and watched the warriors from the shadows, thankful that the lights had been blown out in the fight. Sure. No probs, right Rourke? If they’re killing cats they’re anti-Drakkan and pro-Purgatori. No third parties, right? Whether that logic was sound or not  - Rourke had had bitter experience in the past of people using internal squabbles to try and sieze power of their own - was virtually a moot point. They had to get out of here, and the Blood Warriors stood between them and the gates. I’m right. I’m right.
        Rourke jerked the hair out of his eyes and stepped outside, gun trained and rock steady but his finger barely touching the trigger. "Hooker!" Six guns swung to point at him.
        "Rourke?" Hooker called back warily, his own rifle levelled. "Heard you were locked up."
        "I escaped," Rourke said easily. "Ain’t got time to talk : either you’re w/ Purgatori or I’m gonna have to kill you all."
        "You probably would too," Hooker grinned. "Stand down Rourke, we’re on the same side."
        "How bout you lower your fkn gun first?"
        "Sure," Hooker said and did so, motioning his colleagues to do the same.
        "Good call," Rourke said, putting his own gun down. "How’d you get free of Drakkan’s spell?"
        "Purgatori. Her magick can kill Drakkan’s and Pagan’s spells."
        "Pagan? Fk is he?"
        "Dunno for sure. Severin said he used to be an aide of Drakkan’s but he split some time back, no one’s seen him since. Think he double-crossed Drakkan and used the conversion spell to recruit some troops of his own."
        "Fk, I was wrong then."
        "Eh?" Hooker frowned and looked him over. "Sweet Isis, Rourke, what the fk happened to you?"
        "Cat."
        Hooker shook his head. How Rourke could be standing there talking w/ what looked like half his face ripped off was beyond him. "You a mad motherfkr Rourke."
        "Aye. I’m going out to fight for Purgatori. You coming or are you on a mission?"
        "We’ll come. We’ve got no plans ‘cept wander about and kill enemies."
        "Good call. We got civilians in there and a few more wandering the compound. Gather all the weapons you can and get people armed. Purgatori in the city?"
        "Dunno. She WAS, judging by the mayhem at the Palace."
        "How many are we?"
        "Dunno man. Quite a few I think, but the cats are well armed and good fighters. If Drakkan brings in reinforcements we’re fkd. Severin says Purgatori’s organising the rebels - they’re the ones who started the attack."
        "Cobra w/ ‘em?"
        "Dunno man."
        "Okay. Let’s move it out, we got cats to kill."

        The elevator chimed, surprising the guard. The doors parted and Diabolica kicked Demonica out into the narrow corridor, sending her sprawling w/ a pained cry.
        "Halt! No one’s allowed down here!"
        Diabolica stepped out calmly, Mr Head Burster levelled at her sister. "At last! Are you the ONLY guard on duty tonight? Come here and - "
        "Stop where you are!" the Blood Warrior growled as Diabolica prodded her sister forward roughly. "No-one’s allowed down here, not even you Diabolica."
        Diabolica appraised his levelled weapon w/out emotion. "Our city is under attack, guard. I - "
        "What?!"
        " - I have been given custody of this rebel scum and Drakkan himself told me to take her to the torture chambers to get information out of her. You are the only guard on duty here - everyone else is out fighting, it seems. Now - are you going to help me get this bitch to the torture chambers before she recovers, or do I have to tell Drakkan you refused to help me?"
        The guard hesitated, eyes flicking between the girls. "No," he said finally. "Drakkan himself gave me orders to guard this door and - "
        "Oh shut up," Diabolica said, and fired. The slam of Mr Head Burster’s recoil knocked her back a step and in the enclosed corridor even the suppressed blast was impressive. The bullet punched clean through the guard and hammered into the door a second before the guard’s ruined body hit it, flung by the impact of the shot.
        "Damn, that thing kicks like a unicorn!"
        "Gimme him back," Demonica said, snatching the rifle off her sister. "Get his gun, quick."
        Diabolica picked up the weapon as Demonica unclipped the big keyring from the guard’s belt.
        "Ready?" Demonica asked as she slipped the key in the lock.
        "Yeah."
        Demonica turned the key and hauled the door open, stepping back to allow Diabolica a clear field of fire. A weapon blast swept past her head, so close its heat prickled her skin, and beside her Diabolica’s gun roared. Demonica had formed a mental image of the mages being a fairly stereotypical type - quiet, smallish men resembling aged scholars, perhaps w/ silver hair or shaved heads. What she saw were three creatures like Drakkan : seven-foot tall lion-like warriors, dressed in green robes.
Diabolica’s gun chewed them up, sending wet chunks of fur and meat all over the room.
        "Damn, these are fun," Diabolica said approvingly, hefting the weapon. "I’m gonna keep this for - "
        A huge cat leapt out from one side of the doorway and ripped the gun out of her hands. He swatted her and sent her flying into Demonica, four deep claw slashes running from her shoulder to her sternum. The girls tumbled into a tangled heap and Mr Head Burster skidded along the floor all the way to the elevator. The Akerian stepped forward, snarling something in a thick guttural language, flexing its razor-tipped fingers.
        Diabolica pulled herself free and craned her head to look up at the mage. "Ooh no! No please!" she whined. "Please don’t hurt me!" she scrambled to her knees, hands clasped together in supplication.
        The cat cocked its head and spat something else. It cuffed Diabolica across the cheek, knocking her over, and she wailed in pain.
        "No! Please!" she sobbed, clutching feebly at his leg as he stepped up. "Please don’t hurt me! I’ll do anything! Anything!"
        The mage chuckled contemptuously, a sound more ominous than humorous. It retracted its claws, reached down and yanked the girl to her feet by her neck, holding her kicking and squirming at eye level as it bared its fangs intimidatingly. Diabolica reached out w/ one finger and a bolt of energy incinerated the cat’s skull.
        Diabolica landed nimbly as the juddering creature collapsed and reached down to help Demonica stand. "You okay?"
        "Yep. Nice one, sis."
        "Hah! Typical bloody male. Always fall for the ‘I’m a helpless little girlie’ routine."
        "You’re cut."
        Diabolica looked down and grimaced. "I know. Hurts like a bitch. Come on, I’ll get it treated later. Let’s head for the Gate, see if we can help Purg."

        She almost didn’t see it in time. The rain was pounding down out of the pitch black clouds, driven into her eyes by the still-strengthening winds. Her hair was a tangled rat’s nest, clogged w/ mud and gore. She flicked her head back and at the very periphery of her vision she saw the cat charge out of the night, two large cutlasses in its hands. Lady Death spun and blocked one of them, trying to keep herself between the cat and the helpless Garryk. The second blade slashed across her thigh, denting her armoured boot w/ an unearthly shriek as the blade scraped across it. She swung Apocalypse in a tight arc and reeled under the impact of another double blow as both cutlasses slashed down in a blow that was supposed to take both her arms off. She jumped to one side and fried the cat w/ Arcane Energy.
        A thundering rumble. She looked up to the heavens, wondering why she hadn’t seen a lightning flash and realised her mistake a microsecond too late. The large reptilian beast clamped its massive jaws around her shoulder and Lady Death screamed as she was lifted off the ground, three rows of dagger-like teeth jammed in her flesh. A searing burst of purple flame washed over her but it did little more than warm her. She fell to the ground in a cloud of violet ash that scattered on the wind. Gagging and coughing she reached out weakly for Apocalypse and looked over to see Purgatori, calmly flicking the blood from her katana. There was no sign of the creature, save for the dusty remains that had stuck to Lady Death’s wet skin.
        "Why is this Gate still standing?" Purgatori snapped, ignoring Lady Death’s wound. Her sword vanished in a flash of purple flame.
        Lady Death grimaced as Energy licked over her shoulder, pulling the mangled muscle back into shape. Her shoulder guard was a crumpled mess. "Bitch! It’s protected by magick!"
        Purgatori surveyed the Gate for a second then raised her hand. Violet skeins of energy leapt from her fingertips and wrapped themselves lovingly around the Gate, slithering and crackling. The stonework glowed momentarily then imploded w/ a sharp bang. The whole structure collapsed instantly, thumping to the wet ground and throwing up small waves of red-tinted water.
        Lady Death could only gape.
        "Now perhaps you can stop wasting your time here and help my troops at the main Gate."
        "Wasting my time!" Lady Death exploded. "You impudent wretch! Count the bodies around you, slut, does that look like I’ve been wasting my time?"
        A Blood Warrior ran at Purgatori, coming at her from the left and slightly behind her. Lady Death could have blasted him in a second, but right now she didn’t feel like it. Purgatori looked around at the sound of splashing footsteps, showing no particular interest in the man or his axe. At the last possible second she side-stepped and whirled, catching his arm and grabbing his neck, throwing him to the ground w/a powerful ju-jitsu hip throw. She was on him in a moment, hands to his head, and suddenly they had another recruit.
        Purgatori stood up, ignoring the soldier, and flicked her eyes around the battlefield. The few scattered survivors were gathering around her, pitifully few of them. "Where’s Garryk?"
        "Here," Lady Death said between clenched teeth, still furious. "He’s been poisoned."
        Purgatori brushed past her and knelt in the mud, cupping Garryk’s head. He was shuddering, pale, blood flowing from his mouth. Purgatori wiped some of the blood off his chin w/ her finger and licked it.
        "Can you do anything?" Lady Death said as Purgatori spat it out w/ a grimace. If Purgatori heard the concern in her voice she didn’t comment on it.
        "Yes," Purgatori said looking at Garryk. "I can."
        Garryk’s fevered eyes locked w/ hers and he opened his mouth. A thick rivulet of blood flowed over his lips. "Y…esss," he croaked.
        Purgatori raised her index finger, extended her talon and slit his throat w/ one swipe.
        "NO!!" Lady Death leapt at her and kicked her in the side of the chest, knocking her flying. "You callous miserable bitch!" She knelt by Garryk, trying to staunch the flood of blood. Garryk’s arms scrabbled weakly at her, almost as though he was trying to stop her. His mouth was working but the words weren’t making it past the hole in his neck. He was going fast. "No Garryk, hold on!" It was useless - she was making absolutely no impression at all on the wound.
        Lady Death squealed as Purgatori yanked her to her feet by her ear then threw her through the air as if she were a rag doll. She squelched down in the mud and scrambled to her feet, staggering and slipping in the bloody slime. She spun, her hands aflame w/ scalding power…and stopped dead. Purgatori was cradling Garryk, supporting his back as he drank from a cut on her forearm. When he finished drinking she held him in a tight embrace as he kicked and flopped like a landed fish. Lady Death’s hands dropped as she watched numbly as his neck healed. Garryk opened his eyes. They were blank white.
        "Empress," he said
        "I was nearly too late. How do you feel?"
        "Good. I thank you."
        Purgatori squeezed his arm and stood, helping him to his feet, then walked over to Lady Death, eyes cold.
        "Well done, idiot. You almost killed him."
        "I thought you - "
        Purgatori drove a fist into her gut that seemed to have more force than the bullet that had hit her. Lady Death folded w/ a whoof, but Purgatori grabbed her by her hair and kept her upright. "Your stupidity almost cost a good man his life. You put your hands on me again, and I’ll crucify you w/ your own ribs." She slapped Lady Death across the face and let her drop in the mud.
        Lady Death gave a shriek of rage and reached a hand out. Apocalypse flew into her grip as she got to her knees, but a strong hand gripped her arm before she could swing it. She dragged her muddy hair out of her face, ready to pull that whore’s arm out of its socket, and saw it wasn’t her at all.
        "Are you alright?" Garryk asked.
        She strained for a second then subsided. "Yes." She looked up at him. "I…thought she was killing you. Putting you out of your misery like a lame horse."
        Garryk shrugged. "It’s okay. You weren’t to know." He smiled wryly and she saw how pointed his teeth were. "Purgatori seldom bothers to explain herself to people anyway."
        Lady Death got up fast at the mention of her name. "That slut! I’ll - "
        "No," Garryk said emphatically, tensing his muscles to keep her back. She could feel the increase in his strength. "Leave her Lady Death. Please."
        Lady Death gradually relaxed. She just stood looking at Garryk.
        "What?"
        "Never mind," she said dully. I can’t believe it. At last, I meet someone who seemed to be genuinely in love w/ me, and that tramp turns him into a vampire.
        Garryk saw her looking at his eyes, and glancing at his lips as if she could see the teeth behind. "Would you rather I was dead?" he asked quietly.
        "You are."
        Garryk shrugged. It was just something she would have to deal w/ in her own time…if she wanted to. "Don’t like vampires, huh?"
        "The ones I’ve met have been nothing but trouble" Lady Death said acidly. "One in particular."
        "Garryk!"
        "Yes Empress?"
        "Stop chatting and get a weapon. We move NOW!"
        "Yes, Empress." He looked at Lady Death for a second longer then turned to find a gun.
        Lady Death watched him go and then followed the rag-tag team trailing after Purgatori. She kept her distance from the vampiress, knowing that if she put herself w/in sword-distance of her, she would probably do something unfortunate. Lightning slashed overhead, bleaching the night whiteblue as the pounding rain did its best to wash the filth from her body.

        Cobra edged round the side of the wall and scanned the buildings opposite.
        "See ‘em?" Shrapnel hissed.
        "Uh uh."
        Shrapnel moved up beside him and inspected the visible windows through his rifle scope. "Me either."
        Cobra touched his fingers to the scrape on his forehead. It was still bleeding. "Know what those buildings are? Shops?"
        "Er…that nearest one is, I think. Perfumes and candles and incense and sht. Think that other is a chemist, if I remember right."
        "Sorted, let’s head there anyways, we could use some medicines and bandages." Snake Eyes looked at the buildings, assessing his options. The two shops were part of one building, a two storey affair that stood across the road from them. Built on a corner, it angled away from them, meaning they would approach it virtually side-on. The cats - if they had holed up inside the building - would no doubt be manning one or more of the windows, but Cobra felt they could get up to the building w/out being seen, if they kept low and fast. He turned and beckoned the others up. They numbered only eight now, having lost five to the cats they were chasing. Three of the seven Akerians remained. He heard an explosion somewhere off in the distance - it was impossible to tell where - and the heavy thudding sounds of large masonry falling.
        "That sounded important," Shrapnel muttered. He checked his loads. "I’ll go first. Or do you want me to cover you?"
        "Cover me."
        "’Kay." He crouched down and scampered off to get a more head-on view of the building. As soon as he was set Cobra drew his swords and ran for the building, keeping as far left as possible, out of view of the windows. He made it, dropping to a crouch at the corner of the first shop. Warily he looked around and could see now that the chemist’s door was not closed properly. Someone joined him; the female Blood Warrior he had converted.
        "Let me go first; I’m armoured."
        Cobra nodded and she slipped in front of him as the others ran up quietly. They reached the door and she kicked it open, diving to one side to avoid any shots then immediately entering and dodging aside again so she didn’t present a nice target silhouette in the doorway. Cobra heard the CRANG! of metal on metal and sped through the doorway, twirling one of his swords into a reverse grip as he ran. The girl was on the ground w/ a cat standing over her, his large cutlass dripping w/ her blood. Her gun was lying by the wall, having been knocked from her grasp. Snake Eyes saw the blade slash down again, angling across for her neck. She dropped flat to avoid it, pulling a small stiletto from her sleeve as she did so. The blade thumped into the cat’s face just below the left eyeball and it reared back w/ a yowl. All this happened in a blink of an eye. Cobra hurled his reversed sword like a spear, hitting the cat’s sword arm - it dropped the weapon. The girl snatched the sword out of the air and slashed open the cat’s belly then opening up its femoral artery in a fast reverse cut. The girl was on her feet in a moment, retrieving her gun to check for signs of damage. The others came in and Snake Eyes held up his hand, signalling them to be silent. He sucked air, but could taste nothing but the myriad chemicals and potions that filled the building. Split up, he motioned, and headed for the door that lead from this storage room to the main shop area. The door was open an inch. He eased it open w/ the tip of a sword then slipped through to find himself in a tiny corridor. One end had a beaded curtain covering the doorway that led into the shop, the other end led to a dark staircase. Snake Eyes paused at the bottom, seeing nothing but shadows. He padded up a few steps then stopped again, sucking air. He could taste the overpowering taste of raw alcohol and formaldehyde, sulphur and other pungent chemicals. Perhaps all the combustible stuff was kept up here for safety : Purgatori was a real hardcase when it came to safety stuff like that, after a large fire had broken out several years ago. He reached the top of the stairs and this time he could taste the distinctive musky odour of an Akerian. It hit him an instant later, clubbing him in the stomach w/ its gun. One of his swords clattered down the stairs and he heard scuffling as his allies reacted to the sudden sound. The blow knocked Snake Eyes into a rack of heavy glass demijohns, winding him. The gun came down again, straight for his head, but this time he got the sword up in time and sparks jumped in the gloom where the metals connected. Cobra kicked the cat in the crotch as he pushed the gun aside and hot pain scalded his arm as a sharp claw ripped into his muscle. Cobra slashed at the cat but his blade clanged off its chest armour. He heard a scream from downstairs, then a gunshot. He drop-kicked the feline in the chest and it crashed back into a rack of shelving. Glass and porcelain shattered everywhere as liquids and powders cascaded onto the floor and over the Akerian. It spat an oath and its gun game up, aimed straight at Snake Eyes. A gunshot blammed from the staircase. The cat shrieked as it was knocked backwards by the bullet. The blast from its rifle went into the floor by Cobra’s feet, igniting the acrid alcohol-based fluids puddled there.
        "Sht!" Cobra hopped aside as a wall of flame leapt up, crawling eagerly up the splashed bottles behind him and spreading rapidly across the floor, engulfing the soaked cat. "MOVE!" The female Jackal didn’t need his advice : she turned and went to the ground floor in two big jumps. Snake Eyes ducked under a wild flailing flame-covered paw and followed her example. He hit the ground just as the entire top floor exploded, blowing out the windows and shoving a blast of hot air down the stairwell. Snake Eyes snatched up his blade and could taste roast cat when he inhaled. One more - where is it?
        A huge crash of glass answered him and he raced after the Jackal into the main shop. A hail of bullets came in through the shattered window. The Jackal threw herself to the ground and Cobra saw the dead body of one of his team nearby. A shadow popped up from the other side of the counter and Cobra heard the crack of a crossbow firing followed almost immediately by the thud of impact and the sound of an Akerian weapon blast hitting the pavement. He jumped up and vaulted over the jagged glass teeth of the window into the orange-lit wet night closely followed by three others. They fanned out in an arc, swords raised as the wounded cat tried to raise its arm. Cobra moved in swiftly and took its attention while another dodged in and slashed it open.
        "Cobra!"
        He looked  down the street and saw Purgatori w/ a  mismatched group of rebels and Blood Warriors. "Wait for Shrapnel," he said to the Jackal. "Check the wounded and get any medical supplies you can before that place burns up completely."
        She ran back into the shop, pausing only to retrieve the cat’s gun, and Cobra ran over to Purgatori.
        "Empress! They drove us back from the Gate Empress. Most of the cats are there and - "
        "Where is Drakkan?"
        "Dunno," Snake Eyes shrugged. "Ain’t at the Gate. Met up w/ Anton’s team briefly, he said he thought Drakkan was at the palace."
        "He was. I want to know where he is now."
        "Remember our deal, vampire," Lady Death said from behind.
        Purgatori ignored her. "Have we secured the other Gates?"
        "’parently, yes. Fighting’s still going on at one of the others but it looks like all the defenders gave them up to secure the main one."
        "Of course. He can build new Gates to the other worlds, but w/out the link to his own world he is lost."
        "You knew he’d do that?"
        "Hoped. This should work in our favour, unless he already managed to send messengers through to the other worlds to bring back some of his forces." Purgatori’s eyes glowed coldly in the dark, tinted yellow by the fire. "Send messengers - bring all our forces to attack the main Gate. We will encircle him and chop him to pieces."
        "We’re taking heavy losses Empress. The Gates have magickal shields."
        "Do as I say Snake Eyes! Let ME worry about the magick!"
        "Alright alright, keep your horns on." He turned to the other members of his team. "Yo, Shrapnel! Get over to - " Something hit the girl next to Shrapnel and her head exploded, soaking Snake Eyes and Shrapnel. One of the men standing next to Lady Death suffered the same fate.
        "Back up! Defensive formation! Spread out!" Purgatori yelled. Crossbow bolts snapped through the air, nearly invisible in the dark. One punched a hole through her right wing and she spat a curse, shoving a blast of power in the direction the projectile had come from. A searing burst of Arcane Energy slammed into the side of the building opposite the one that was on fire and it collapsed, pulping the feline figure that had appeared in its doorway. Purgatori snarled at Lady Death and she sneered back, about to snap some sarcastic comment. Garryk stepped in front of Lady Death and an arrow thumped into his shoulder. He fired from the hip and a shadow in an alley ducked out of sight as bricks shattered around it. One of the women behind Purgatori shrieked as a bullet tore off her right leg at the knee. As she fell screaming Purgatori gestured and the cat dropped its weapon, mewling as its eyes burst.
        "Sht! We’re surrounded!" Garryk yelled.
        Lady Death looked around and saw it was true. "We have to get off the street! They’ll massacre us!" She turned to Purgatori and gaped as she saw the vampiress launch herself into the air and speed off into the night. "NO! You traitorous whore!" She raised her fist in fury but Cobra pushed her aside before she could loose her power. "How dare you shove me, insect I’ll - "
        "You’ll nothing if you don’t help kill these cats," Cobra snapped.
        Lady Death hesitated and hefted Apocalypse. "You will live just long enough to see your Empress lose her head."
        "Save your dreams for when you’re sleeping," Cobra said dismissively. "Get in here!" he screamed at the others. A bullet tugged at his jacket as it snapped past, missing him by a centimetre at most. "Garryk, Shrapnel, cover them!" Three huge figures charged up the street at him and he fell into a ready stance, shoulder-to-shoulder w/ Lady Death.
        "I’ll try not to cut you by mistake," Lady Death said tightly.
        "You cut me, you better kill me," Snake Eyes said simply, and then the cats were upon them.

        Drakkan hacked at the rebel in front of him, his powerful blow cleaving the man in two. A small-calibre bullet hit his chest. He reached out and a wave of energy set the Marshall alight, enveloping him in a shroud of flame. Of the eight Akerians that had escorted him from the palace, two were dead and two more were injured, though still fight-capable.
        He strode past the Temple of Anubis, hurling a blast of power at it angrily, almost petulantly. Two of the pillars supporting the stone portico over the entrance vapourised and the canopy fell, ripping out a fair sized chunk of wall. There - that would annoy the red bitch!
        The Gate stood ahead. His forces were gathered around it. It stood in the middle of a wide road, one of the main highways that led out of the city. This Gate was much larger than the others, built stronger in order to contain the spells and magick that he and Seance had devised, and built bigger to allow easy and rapid transport of large numbers of troops and equipment. The buildings that lined the road had been emptied, reinforced and manned w/ a permanent guard, and a small outpost had been constructed between the Gate and the Temple - nothing dramatic, just a fortified stone block to help
defend the Gate. They were token gestures - Drakkan was more than confident in the abilities of his mages. The sounds of fighting came from all around. The buildings bore a few bullet marks, and the roof and one corner window of one was burning merrily, sending black smoke spiralling up into the rainy sky. Bodies of both Blood Warriors, cats and rebels were scattered about, though Drakkan noted w/ satisfaction that none of the rebels had gotten close to the Gate. That pleasure was rapidly squashed when he looked about and took note of the number of troops he had left. He stormed past the outer defences, growling at the Blood Warrior who ran up and saluted.
        "Lord Drak -"
        "Where are my troops?!"
        "…Lord, we are the only ones left. Some of our number turned against us. We killed some, and the others retreated, pursued by some of our troops."
        "They left my Gate to chase a few worthless rebel scum!?!" Drakkan bellowed. He raised his sword, fully ready to hack the Blood Warrior into mincemeat, when the soldier’s words struck him. "Turned against you? Pagan’s troops?"
        "No Lord, they were fighting for Purgatori."
        Drakkan ground his teeth together and howled pure fury at the clouds. "Where are my reinforcements?!"
        "B-but…we received n-no orders to s-summon any!"
        Drakkan smashed him to the ground. "No orders?! NO ORDERS?! Where’s that dog Vulnavia?"
        "She...we...haven’t seen her," the guard gasped, his head spinning.
        "WHAT?!" Drakkan reached down and snapped the man’s neck. "You!" he snarled, stabbing his finger at an Akerian. "COME HERE!" The warrior came over immediately, a look of worry on its face. Drakkan spat his spell like an oath and the Gate flared into life. The image inside showed a wide area of grassland, w/ a large, low complex of ugly buildings far off to the left. "Go through. Bring me warriors. All you can find. NOW!!" The warrior raced through the Gate, heading for the buildings. Drakkan watched him, bristling w/ fury. His senses twitched w/ the feeling of magic : that white whore’s power, and nearby, too. He couldn’t sense Purgatori’s magick : if she was still alive then she wasn’t using it…
        …magick…
        He gazed at the Gate and suddenly his eyes widened in horror. The protection magick was gone. He couldn’t detect a slightest trace.
        "No!" he whispered. It couldn’t be - how could it be true, his mages were hidden safely away…That bitch. That utter bitch. She had done it again. He had done it again, by underestimating her. Again. He had underestimated her and her friends - she had escaped. He had dropped her in a volcano, thinking that that would finish her off - she had gotten out. He had assumed he had protected his Gates - they were vulnerable. They could be destroyed. They would be destroyed : he knew she would do it, to try and bait him. "No," he hissed again. He wouldn’t let her beat him. She could destroy all the Gates to the other
worlds - he would build more. This was the important Gate, and this one would remain standing.
        Something warm and wet spattered over his back. He whirled and had a brief moment to see steaming pools of tattered meat where four of his Akerians had been before something dropped out of the sky and hit him like an anvil. Drakkan fell back and caught a flare of purple as the night around him erupted in gunfire, some of the bullets passing unsettlingly close to him. He rolled to one knee, sword held out in front of him as he looked for his assailant. She was crouched down in a pool of blood and glistening meat, ducking under a flight of arrows that zipped over her head. She stood up, wings flared and teeth bared. Two bullets smacked into her, rocking her slightly.
        "Get up worm," Purgatori spat. One of the Doom Magistrates raced at her. She glanced at him and he fell instantly as his blood punched out of his body in long slender spines. One of the Akerians raced up beside Drakkan and aimed at her.
        "NO!" The guard faltered and looked at him. "This bitch is MINE!"
        Bright violet fire engulfed the katana blade. "Come get me."

        By the time Rourke’s team reached the scene of the fighting they had heard, it appeared as though they had missed it all. They turned the corner cautiously to see bodies strewn  up the street, mixed w/ rubble and glass and fallen weapons. Rourke led them forward slowly, picking up the odd fallen weapon to rearm their team.
        Hooker gripped his arm, pulling him to a stop, and pointed. Rourke squinted and saw two figures up ahead, skulking in the shadows as they edged along to a shot-up building that had corpses scattered about outside. They looked to be Blood Warriors.
        "They ours?"
        "Can’t tell."
        The one furthest away reached a doorway and a sudden gunshot blew his head off.
        "Horus!" Rourke dropped down as gunfire exploded around them, peppering the building. A door opened not ten feet in front of them and three Blood Warriors ran out.
        "Circle around the back!" one snapped. "Burn those rebel scum out if you have to!"
        Rourke was on him in an instant, shoulder charging him to the ground and punching him out. Hooker took the other two, his vampire speed letting him take them down even before Rourke had hit the ground.
        Rourke rolled to his feet. "Convert them! Cover me!"
        Hooker backed up a few steps to get a good angle and loosed a few shots into one of the windows the gunfire was coming from. Rourke was off like a hare, sprinting up the street and keeping close to the buildings. There was a bang of a gunshot from the building ahead, the muzzle flash blinking in the dark like a camera flash. Two more in rapid succession, giving Rourke enough light to acquire his target. Two bullets hit the pavement by his feet, another zipped past his ear. He fired on the run : two shots and the gun clicked empty. The Blood Warrior staggered sideways under the blow of the bullets but didn’t go down. Rourke swore, dropped the empty mag and clawed out a fresh one he had taken from a body somewhere along their journey. A arrow sped past him and hit the Blood Warrior in the neck. Rourke looked around and saw one of Hooker’s friends on the other side of the road, twenty metres back. Rourke raised his hand in thanks and edged up to the window. He was still an enemy, most people thought, and he wasn’t too keen about showing himself to any trigger-happy rebels. No sound. He eased his head around the corner of the bullet-ravaged frame, hoping that anyone there would give him the benefit of the doubt seeing as how he had just shot the guy outside.
        "R…ourke?"
        Rourke tensed in surprise, recognising the voice. He jumped through the window and squinted into the blackened interior. "Snake Eyes? Where are you?"
        "H…ere."
        Rourke got a lock on the voice and stepped carefully over, his eyes slowly adjusting to the dark. "Oh sht!" He knelt down beside Cobra and inspected the wound quickly and efficiently, a trade he had learnt on countless battlefields. "Damn, this looks bad…"
        "Th-that’s re…assuring."
        "Hold on, we got a nurse w/ us." Rourke vaulted out the window and ran back to his group. The firing had stopped now and Hooker met him at the door of the building w/ a new recruit.
        "Where’s that nurse Hooker?"
        "Upstairs looking at one of the survivors."
        "Fk that, get her up the road, we got a man w/ an arrow through his chest."
        "Right."
        Hooker ran upstairs to relay the message and Rourke turned to survey the street, listening to the sounds of battle. Gunfire to the West. Shouting, voices, far off to the South. Sounded like a fairly large group of people.
        "Rourke?"
        "Lance. You holding up?"
        "Yeah. Just. You’re bleeding again."
        Rourke touched his face and found it was true. The exertion must have opened up the wound again. His attention focused, he felt the pain of the injury and he closed his eyes to concentrate, pushing the pain away as he heard Hooker and a couple others running up the street.
        "How are we doing, you think?"
        Rourke shrugged. "Better than we could have hoped, I think. He spread himself pretty thin, relying on fear and our own reputation to keep people placid. Guess he didn’t expect Purgatori to launch an attack right at the centre of his city."
        "Not many people live to regret underestimating her," Lance said dryly.
        "Uh huh. If we can prevent him from contacting the other Blood Warriors spread across the country I think we’ll do okay."
        "You want me to take a couple people and watch the city gates? Shoot any messengers who try to leave?"
        "Good call. He might just teleport them out, but it’s worth being safe. You sure you’re up for it?"
        "Uh, yeah."
        "Good," Rourke grinned. "We’ll make a Blood Warrior of you yet. Get going, take one of the Blood Warriors for protection."
        "Okay." Lance paused. "I’ll see you later..?" It sounded like a plea for reassurance.
        "I’ll be here," Rourke said firmly. "Be alert, keep out of sight. I’ll see you when we’ve won."
        Lance managed a smile and headed off to the main group to assemble his team.
        "He’s got balls, eh?"
        Rourke glanced around at Hooker. "You don’t know the half."
        "Snake Eyes says Purgatori went after Drakkan. The others went to help."
        "Where?"
        "Main Gate."
        "Then let’s go."
        "Sure…You really believe that?"
        "What?"
        "What you told Lance. That we’ll win."
        "Yes. Don’t you?"
        "Dunno, man. We’re outnumbered and outgunned."
        "Yeah, but we got one massive advantage."
        "What's that?"
        "Purgatori."

        Drakkan lunged at Purgatori, casting magick at her as he slashed. Purgatori blocked both, backing up under his attack. There was a ring of Akerians and Blood Warriors around them : one raised his gun and slammed the butt down on the back of her neck as she stepped closer. Purgatori snarled and spun, cutting his weapon in half but missing the soldier. She jumped aside and Drakkan’s blade sliced down like a guillotine, missing her by centimetres. She flew at him in a shoulder charge, driving him to the ground. She pushed off him using her sword and Drakkan roared as the razor-sharp steel sliced through his tunic and down to his ribs. Purple fire flared and died, smothered by yellow magick. Drakkan sprang to his feet, eyes smouldering.
        "Bitch. Is that the best of your sorcery?"
        Purgatori said nothing. This was not a fight about magick - she wanted to dissect him and bathe in his blood. He cast a ball of pure Chaotic power at her and she jumped, using her wings to leap up and over him. The power hit one of the cats in the circle and utterly vapourised it. The others suddenly began to wonder whether being here was going to be so much fun after all. Purgatori twisted in mid-flight and cut, taking off half of Drakkan’s left ear. He howled and swung at her but she had already landed and his blade barely blocked hers in time. The clang of steel rang out across the open space as the two combatants sized each other up, their blades touching. Purgatori’s senses were alive. She felt him gathering his power and she moved, pressing her sword against his hard, as if seeking to open his guard. He fell for it, pushing back strongly to block her. Purgatori’s blade was gone in a microsecond and Drakkan’s blade jarred outwards, leaving him open  - she stepped in and to
the side and Kintaro sliced open his belly. Purgatori grinned as Drakkan reeled back w/ a scream, swathed in violet fire : an excellent move, one she had always fallen for herself when she had been learning kenjutsu from Kurosawa Sensei.
        Drakkan leapt back, using his magick to smother the flames. Purgatori circled, making sure she kept out of range of the ring of warriors. Drakkan circled w/ her, sword outstretched. She saw the concern in those burning red eyes, saw how wary he was of her : her martial talents had taken him by surprise. She moved smoothly, trying to get w/in reach of the Gate, close enough so that he wouldn’t have time to intercept her power. He stepped w/ her, wise to her plan.
        One of the Akerians staggered and turned w/ a growl of anger, and Purgatori saw an arrow sticking out of his back plate. Two more hit him, one in the chest and one in the eye, and he collapsed. Drakkan saw her attention was taken and he leapt at her. She jerked back and the tip of his blade opened up a razor-thin cut on her cheek. Purgatori dropped to a knee and rammed her blade through Drakkan’s thigh. He screeched and tumbled, somehow keeping the presence of mind to roll out of her reach. Purgatori jumped up, sword raised, bathed in the sinister purple light of her magickal fire. An energy blast smashed into her left shoulder, spinning her around and almost tearing her arm off. Drakkan bounded forward as she fell, yellow power rippling over his leg wound. His blade slammed into the ground by her head as she moved at the last moment. Her sword sliced upwards, a weak cut but still dangerous enough to make him jerk back and give her time to get to her knees. Drakkan kicked her in her wounded arm, a big flash of lightning illuminating the twisted expression of pain on her face. Drakkan laughed as she fell on her back in the water, her shriek lost to the thunder. He motioned at her and she spasmed violently as her blood contracted inside her, twisting her limbs and organs.
        "Hah! Writhe, bitch! Once again your stupid impetuosity proves to be your undoing!" He stood on her hair and her sword arm to pin her down.
        Purgatori shrieked w/ rage. A jagged lightning bolt seared across the sky above them and Purgatori gestured at it. It veered in mid-air, twisted back on itself like an angry snake and speared Drakkan. The impact threw him backwards, his mane and fur on fire. Purgatori’s sorcery flowed, burning Drakkan’s magick out of her blood and she jack-knifed up off the ground, swaying slightly. Flash of light from the Gate. She ducked instinctively and the energy bolt crackled over her head. On the other side of the Gate she could see them : Akerians and Doom Magistrates perhaps six hundred metres off, charging for the portal. She motioned at the sky and another bolt of lightning stabbed down and crashed into the wet stonework of the Gate. The Gate flickered and crackled as the storm’s electrical power shorted out against the magical web of the portal. The Gate went blank and Purgatori could hear Drakkan’s howl even over the crash of thunder that shook her wings.
        Three of the Akerians fired at once, hitting her chest and back. The impact flung Purgatori through the air like a rag doll. She hit the sand hard on her back, the smoking wounds hissing in the rain puddles. Purgatori looked groggily up at the clouds. None of her limbs seemed to work properly. Spine damage, she thought fuzzily. Car accident. She pushed her sorcery though her body, alarmed at the effort it took. The Akerian weapons were horribly powerful and being hit by three simultaneously when she was already weakened and injured had done her severe damage. Her power moved sluggishly at first and she pushed harder, knowing time was short. Searing yellow fire ripped through her and she screamed as she felt her skin char.
        Drakkan watched her twist and writhe, his eyes glittering. "You should have stayed hidden, bitch," he snarled, walking towards her at a leisurely pace. "This is MY world now. You are nothing but a petty trespasser. You will be punished accordingly." He watched Purgatori flop as the Chaotic power vapourised, negated by her own sorcery. The effort had exhausted her but still he saw the burning hate and defiance in her eyes, saw them scan the ground around her and lock onto that wretched curved sword. He saw her reach for the katana, the movement slow and painful, her fingers shaking. Outnumbered, severely injured and exhausted, she still refused to give up Drakkan thought wonderingly. Perhaps I should have converted her instead. What an asset to my army she would have been. What an ironic humour it would have been for Isis to have her precious prophecy girl fighting against her!  He jammed his sword down into Purgatori’s reaching forearm, pinning her to the ground a few inches away from her weapon. She gasped in pain and slumped, her head splashing into the puddle. Drakkan toed her body w/ a smile and looked at the Gate. The image was still flickering and jumping like a badly tuned TV. Drakkan raised his hand and then hesitated : he could recast the spell as Seance had told him, but in its
unstable state, what effect would the extra power have on the Gate? He lowered his hand slowly. Better to wait, let the thing stabilise before acting.
        Drakkan turned his attention to the battle around him. Fighting seemed to be going on all around, though his elite troops were keeping the rebel scum out of the area and away from the Gate. He narrowed his eyes, considering his options. He dearly wanted to wade into the fray and hack apart some of those talking monkeys, but he was wary about leaving his Gate, especially w/ Purgatori nearby. He pulled the sword out of her arm. She STILL tried to reach her blade! Drakkan shook his head in disbelief and stamped on her chest. She made a nice crunching sound. Kill her. Kill her now - that would be safest. Yes : never mind thoughts of more torture to punish her for what she had done, the wisest option would be to take her head right now. Yes. No more playing, bitch. He raised his sword. I’ll send your face to your wretched mother for her to remember you by.
        Blinding blue light slammed into his chest and knocked him flying. He landed heavily and scrambled up, somehow still holding his sword. Lady Death dropped out of the sky right in front of him, putting all the speed and power of her descent into her cut. Apocalypse clanged against Drakkan’s sword w/ a blow that shuddered her arms.
        "Now, you flea-ridden vermin," she spat. "Now you will face my wrath!"
        "How intimidating," Drakkan yawned, slicing at her. His blade hit her shoulder pad and cut an inch into the armour, jarring her neck. "If I can defeat Purgatori, you will present no trouble at all."
        Lady Death knocked the blade aside and kicked out at him, her fury and hate giving her strength. "You beat her?" she sneered. "Funny, those don’t LOOK like sword wounds to me!"
        Drakkan hissed in anger and hurled Chaotic power at her. She got Apocalypse up just in time and the energies exploded around her like a gaudy firework. The bright red-orange flames cleared just in time for her to see Drakkan’s blade before it hit her midriff, slitting her skin and breaking four of her ribs. She cried out and parried, cutting open his forearm. Drakkan danced aside a step to avoid her second slash and kicked her hard on the hip, sending her staggering. She recovered fast and dropped
into an on-guard stance, her teeth clenched in pain.
        Drakkan mirrored her stance and grinned at her. "Come on, witch." An arrow hit his thigh and he vapourised it w/out even looking at it. Lady Death hurled a ball of blue power at Drakkan’s head and he dodged aside, swatting it out the way w/ his sword. "Pathetic," Drakkan sneered. He saw Lady Death raise her hand, the light from the Arcane Energy bathing her in a sickly turquoise light that turned the rain into sapphire chips. "Come on ape. Try again."
        Lady Death snarled at the insult and Drakkan tensed, bracing himself. Lady Death cast the fireball w/ all of her strength and only at the moment of release, when she hurled the energy slightly to his left instead of directly at him, did Drakkan realise that he had fallen right into her trap.
        The scorching sapphire energy collided w/ the obsidian construction, swept over it and enveloped it, and a fraction of a second later the whole device detonated in a blinding flash of blue and yellow. A corona of power slammed outwards, washing over the warriors and scattering them like tenpins. Lady Death threw herself flat, using Apocalypse’s power to shield her from the brunt of the blow. She saw Drakkan vanish in the inferno, saw a Doom Magistrate splattered in half by a whirling chunk of obsidian shrapnel the size of a dinner table, and then the power of the blast thumped through her body and left her lying dazed in the mud.
        She didn’t know how long she lay there, but when her eyes opened the pounding rain was beginning to settle the swirling dust. She coughed and felt her ribs jar in protest : it felt as though she had been clamped in a vice for a couple of hours. She sat up w/ a wince and managed to force a grin when she saw the jagged ruins where the Gate had once stood. Hah! Like that, did you, you scabrous mongrel? Now you’re stuck here and -
        Something yanked Lady Death into the air and hurled her into the shattered remains of the right hand pillar. She felt bones snap and Apocalypse went spinning into the night as she flumped to the ground.

        Purgatori lay on the ground, thin mist swirling in front of her eyes where the wet ground had been seared dry by the explosion. She lay still, sensing her surroundings while her body healed rapidly. She had seen Lady Death’s attack, felt her gathering her Arcane Energy for a strike, had realised what she intended to do, and while Lady Death attempted a spell to shield her from the blast, Purgatori prepared one to embrace it. A potent cocktail of raw Arcane Energy and Chaotic power swept over her and as before, on Earth, it swept into her ravaged body and recharged it, merging w/ the Chaotic power she
had received from Armageddon and Isis, harmonising w/ her instead of reacting against her and ripping her apart.
        Armageddon’s power. Drakkan’s magick. Isis’s sorcery. Honey sweet power.
        The craters in her body sucked back the blood that had leaked out of them and filled in seamlessly. She reached out and her sword snapped through the air and slapped into her palm as she stood up. There was devastation all around her. The blast had demolished most of the buildings surrounding the Gate and a few beyond. Fires burned brightly, trying to get the upper hand against the driving rain. There were a few bodies around her. Most of those closest to the Gate had vanished completely, obliterated by the energy blast. The Blood Warriors had fared slightly better, probably due to their Blood Armour. The human ones looked dead but the vampiric ones, though badly wounded, looked salvageable. Various Akerians and Doom Magistrates were scattered about. A few of the felines were obviously dead but the insects looked stunned, their impressive armour having obviously protected them.
        There was a cry of pain and thump of impact behind her. Purgatori turned to see Drakkan picking up his sword. His mane was smoking, the fur singed almost black. He strode over to the Gate and she saw a glimmer of blue there as Lady Death tried to summon enough energy to heal herself.
        Drakkan rammed his blade through Lady Death’s chest just below the left collarbone and lifted her into the air. "You insignificant maggot," he hissed, slashing open her arm as she tried to support herself as she writhed and shrieked. "You think yourself so clever. You think you have finished me? Idiot child. My very first act on creating the Gate was to send detailed plans and spells back to my most trusted general and mages. You think I was going to leave myself vulnerable to the whims of Seance and Pagan? You have achieved nothing save a postponement of the inevitable."
        "Don’t you ever cease your banal prattling?"
        "Huh?!" Drakkan whirled at the voice and gaped as he saw Purgatori standing a few feet away. Her clothing rippled and shimmered and when they settled she was wearing her customary garb of black leather and armoured shoulder pads. Her sword flickered, barely a blink of movement it seemed, and Drakkan looked around in confusion as Lady Death fell to the ground. His sword was still stuck through her body and his hand was still clutching it. Hot rich blood jetted from the stump. It paused in mid-air and snaked straight into Purgatori’s mouth.
        "Ugh! You BITCH!" Drakkan snatched up the sword and pressed his hand to the stump. The two pieces of meat melted together and he snarled at Purgatori. "Whore! I will feed your carcass to Isis for that!"
        "Really?" Purgatori grinned, licking her scarlet fangs w/ relish. "And when might that be? You’ve been fighting several billion years and still haven’t managed to get your hands on her."
        Drakkan leapt at her w/ an outraged growl. He slashed at her w/ a flurry of fast cuts and immediately cast his power at her. Purgatori hissed in pain as the crackling yellow energy blanketed her and flapped into the air, knowing that he would strike while she was blinded. She was right : Drakkan’s sword swept down and the slash that was supposed to have taken her right arm off merely cut through her wing membrane instead. The yellow magick burst as Purgatori cast her own spell. From up here
she could see flickering orange in several parts of the city. In several parts of her city. As she had suspected, much of it would be damaged, if not destroyed outright. Her people, stolen from her; her city, ravaged; her empire, decaying. Her friend, dead. She hovered, glaring down at Drakkan in hatred.
        "Come down here, coward," Drakkan spat.
        Purgatori obliged, speeding out of the sky w/ a thrust of her wings. Drakkan dived aside and cut, but Purgatori had already moved and as his sword cut air Purgatori’s cut his chest under his armpit. He slashed at her in fury and missed again. She flitted backwards out of range and landed nimbly, that infuriating smirk on her face. Drakkan bared his fangs at her and circled warily as his wound healed. The fights had weakened him more than he had expected and somehow that bitch looked as good as new.
        "Any more clever comments?"
        Drakkan roared and jumped. His sword clanged off her shoulder pad and he kicked her thigh hard as she parried, driving her down. Purgatori retaliated immediately, blocking his legs and kicking him behind his kneecap. Drakkan fell hard and rolled, scrambling to his feet only to find Purgatori already waiting. Silver flickered in front of his eyes and suddenly his throat opened, spurting steaming blood into the cold air. He croaked in alarm and ducked back, clamping his hand over the gash. He felt a
sickening suction and slashed wildly at Purgatori as he realised she was pulling his blood out. A jagged yellow lightning bolt slammed from his fingers and hit Purgatori in  the stomach, knocking her ten feet backwards. Drakkan healed his neck and charged at her, sensing an opportunity to prevail. He turned his sword, holding it in a reverse grip and drove it down w/ all his might. His foot skidded on the jellied innards of one of the Akerian guards and his aim faltered. The tip of the sword sank into Purgatori’s right biceps and ploughed all the way to the wrist, dredging a deep furrow in her meat. She screamed and dropped the katana.
        Lady Death coughed and blinked rain out of her eyes  she could feel her power inside her, healing the last of her wounds. A scream nearby. She raised her head w/ a jerk and saw Purgatori on the ground, kicking Drakkan in the groin and rolling out of range as he fell back.
       Bitch! We had a deal! Apocalypse - where was her damned blade? She sat up and looked around frantically, her senses still fuzzy from the magickal blast. Her eyes caught movement; she squinted, trying to determine if it was just the jumping and dancing shadows caused by the firelight. It wasn’t. Akerians. Lady Death swore and scanned the dark surrounding her faster, trying to keep low so they wouldn’t see her. Damn you, sword, where are you?! Another flicker of motion, past Purgatori and Drakkan : more cats. Looked like the rest of the remaining forces were congregating here, attracted by the fall of the Gate.
       There! She saw the dull pewter gleam and snatched up the sword. She looked at Drakkan, torn between the desire to jump into the battle and slice him up, and the need to prevent the enemy from encircling them. She saw more cats joining the original group, and the gleam of red armour, and that made her mind up. Be careful. They have guns. I’m still weak from that bastard’s power. She crouched down and slinked towards the cats, painfully aware of how her white skin and hair would stand out in the gloom.
        Purgatori was on her feet in a moment, snatching up the katana w/ her left hand as the right healed. Their swords rang together, each of them cutting and parrying blindingly fast. A long golden whip of Chaotic energy snapped around her sword and tore her out of Purgatori’s grasp. Purgatori howled in rage and shredded the whip w/ her own power. The sword twirled through the night and fell by one of the burning buildings, reflecting the flickering orange fire in a graceful arc. Purgatori reached out then snatched her hand back as Drakkan stabbed at it. He sliced again, catching her above the breasts. She snarled and leapt straight at him, unsheathing her talons and sinking them deep into his forearm as he swung down at her. Drakkan yelled as she tore a huge strip of skin off the forearm. His other fist hammered down on the top of her head and she crumpled, stunned. Drakkan kicked her in the face and reeled away, trying to work his magick.
        Purgatori shook her head and looked up blearily, hunting for the katana. Her head thumped queasily and she had to struggle to concentrate on her healing spell. Gunfire suddenly rattled from the other side of the clearing. She heard a strangled cry and more firing - Akerian weapons this time. Her eyes fixed on a rainbow of fire and she struggled to her knees, crawling towards the sword. The big silhouette of a Doom Magistrate stepped in front of her, shielding her from the heat of the fire. Its long javelin-like arm jabbed at her, scraping along her side as she twisted away. It said something in its own language, a rapid series of clicks and rattles she didn’t understand, then she focused on it and some invisible force cannoned into it and flung the bug deep into the raging inferno behind it. She picked up the katana and turned, feeling her strength beginning to flow, slowly. Drakkan was hunched over, yellow power slithering over his wounded arm. Beyond him, Purgatori saw a ghostly figure briefly illuminated by a muzzle flash : Lady Death. A large spiky shadow rose up behind her as she fought w/ a Blood Warrior.
Purgatori saw her kick the warrior away and whirl, staggering back under the powerful blow of the Doom Magistrate. Something went over Purgatori’s head w/ a loud WHUUP! and she saw the insect’s head explode like a dropped pumpkin. Purgatori cocked her head to one side, her acute hearing picking up faint sounds over the crackling fire and raging storm. Is that…what I think it is…?
        Drakkan had heard it too as he straightened up, flexing his fingers experimentally. It sounded like the clamour of voices, human voices. There was renewed fighting all around them now. His troops, alerted by the destruction of the Gate, had come to investigate. That red bitch’s troops had come too, either for the same reason or because she had ordered them to. There was also the possibility that they were here because they were chasing his troops, but Drakkan didn’t want to consider that because it would imply that he was losing, his army on the run. He saw a pair of Akerians crouching by burning palm trees, saw one of them slammed backwards by a powerful gunshot, and then his attention was taken by Purgatori. She stood like some infernal angel, backlit by the burning building, eyes glowing balefully. She looked dangerous, powerful, stronger than he felt. He had lost blood : she had taken it. Drakkan circled away warily as she strode towards him. He jumped at her and slashed, grinning as he saw his blade slit open her stomach. She cupped the wound and flung the blood at him as she sliced, her Kathos sorcery turning the liquid into a steel-hard shuriken that sank into his cheek. Drakkan jerked back w/ a yowl and screamed as fire burned his arm. His hand fell to the ground w/ his sword. He made a grab for it but had to jerk back as the katana sliced past his nose, close enough to singe his whiskers. He backed off w/ a grimace, trying to quell the violet flames that were covering the severed stump and were beginning to creep up his arm. Purgatori flew at him, taking to the air and driving her bootheels into his chest w/ a blow that fractured his sternum. Drakkan hit the ground hard and rolled, coming to his feet w/ a slight sway. Drakkan roared and spun, managing to club her across the face. She smashed into a pile of rubble w/ a series of sharp cracks as her bones broke. Her head smacked against a lump of sandstone and he saw blood darken the rock.
        "You can’t kill me!" Drakkan screeched, kneeling on her chest. He slapped her across the face and tore her cheek open w/ his claws. "You imbecile child. Your own prophecy stated that I die on my own world! That slut Isis never told you that, did she not? It was one of her definite points, one she said could never be changed! That’s why I worked so hard to get here! Now, you fool, you have destroyed my Gate and cannot reach my world! Hah! You yourself have derailed that whore’s precious prophecy!" He leant closer, saliva dripping off his sharp teeth. "You will not live to rebuild a Gate to my
world, bitch."
        Purgatori glared at him, her eyes still burning. Her split bruised lips labouriously pulled back in a sneer. "What did you tell me after I had been shot?"
        "Huh?" Drakkan paused at the unexpected question and that slight lapse in concentration was all Purgatori needed. She heaved her body up against Drakkan’s weight, getting enough space to free her arm and in one flash of movement she extended her talons and gutted him like a pig. Blood and entrails flopped onto her. She felt the dark rich liquid sink into her, felt the immediate rush of power. Drakkan staggered back w/ a chilling howl, his hand scrabbling at his unravelling intestines. Purgatori pushed herself up and winced as her bones pulled themselves back into position.
        Drakkan stumbled, hunched over as he tried to get his power to flow. Pain shot through him, making his mind whirl. No NO NO! Concentrate! That whore will NOT kill me!! She will not will NOT will not will -
        He saw a pair of boots right in front of him. He managed to raise his head and he saw Purgatori less than a foot away. He felt her hand punch into him, shoving sickeningly into his innards. He let go of his intestines and grabbed at her throat. She slapped the arm away and Drakkan croaked in sick fright as he felt her claws spread out inside his body then lock around his spine, her long claws tearing out of his back as they gouged holes in the thin flesh covering.
        "N-N-!!" Drakkan looked down at her and saw no gleeful victory on her face, no satisfaction or insulting humour. Only hate, pure ice-cold black hate. "You…bitch…."
        "That’s right." Purgatori yanked hard and snapped his spine w/ a sharp wet crack that seemed to echo around the battleground.. Drakkan bellowed and collapsed as his legs suddenly stopped working. He slid off Purgatori’s fist, leaving ropes of intestine looped over her fingers and impaled on her claws like some ghastly tinsel on the branch of a nightmarish Christmas tree. Faintly, he heard the roar of an Akerian, half surprised, half outraged. A weapon fired and Purgatori doubled over as the cat's shot hit her in the stomach. Ha! Die bitch! Drakkan thought dizzily. She looked up as though she had heard him, ignoring an arrow that smacked into her arm just below her shoulder armour. Far off, strangely much further far off than it should have been it seemed, he heard guns kill the cat. Purgatori dropped to her knees, holding onto his good arm. He saw her fangs glinting and tried to pull away but horrid sparkling numbness was spreading quickly, faster than his failing magick. She grabbed his head, sinking her talons into his face and popping one of his eyes, then shoved his head back. He felt her lips on his fur, the
searing pain of her teeth tearing into his flesh. He heard his carotid crunch open and then a horribly erotic sucking as she clamped her lips over the wound and drank his blood.
        Purgatori gulped the hot liquid, hating the alien taste but relishing the flood of power. She could feel him weakening, feel his pulse beginning to stagger. His fingers wrapped around her hair and he yanked, trying to pull her away, but she resisted easily. She sank her claws in deeper and bit again, gnawing at the wound to open it up.
        A hard kick knocked her sprawling. She twisted and got to one knee, hands held up defensively, her scarlet fangs bared.
       "We had an agreement, slut!" Lady Death snarled. She hefted Apocalypse and for one brief second she felt a horrendous pulling feeling, the feeling of her blood suddenly moving towards her skin as if by a sudden change of gravity, and then it was gone, and Purgatori was just kneeling there smirking the infuriating smirk that Lady Death hated so much.
        "The agreement was you take his head. Go ahead. I’ve softened him up for you."
        Lady Death clenched her teeth, her muscles quivering. If there was anything in this world that was more infuriating than that sarcastic grin of Purgatori’s, Lady Death believed she had not come across it. For a moment she was strongly tempted to take Purgatori’s head instead, but the vampiress spread her wings and rocketed upwards into the rain, so Lady Death turned her attention back to Drakkan. He looked dead, but when she drove her pointed toecap into his side he coughed blood weakly. Lady Death squatted down beside him and placed a palm on his chest, shoving her Arcane Energy directly into his body. His arms thrashed wildly, beating ineffectively against her. She grabbed a handful of his bedraggled mane and yanked his head up to look at her.
        "You got off easily, maggot.," Lady Death hissed. "Die, knowing I killed you as I promised I would!"
        Drakkan opened his mouth weakly : to plead for his life or to utter defiance, she would never know - Apocalypse sliced though his neck and his body flopped, leaving her holding his dripping head.
        Far, far overhead Purgatori hovered and gazed over her city. From up here the damage didn’t seem too bad. A few buildings were in flames, the Temple looked rather the worse for wear and she saw w/ a flash of anger that every statue of her and Isis had been pulled down. There would be other damage - bullet holes, broken glass and such - but it would be mostly cosmetic damage. A year’s work, Purgatori thought to herself. Maybe a  bit longer. Our main problem will be keeping the Saarga and such off our backs while we recover.
        Fighting was still going on in isolated pockets all over the city. It looked like the sudden attack had really caught Drakkan’s forces by surprise and the loss of the main Gate had demoralised them : there were few things that weakened an army’s resolve more than realising they were trapped w/out backup in an enemy land. And, presumably, word of Drakkan’s death would be getting around too. She saw a large mob of people running through the streets chasing a few Blood Warriors - as she thought, the citizens had finally rebelled and helped to turn the tide of the battle in her favour. Mobs... She had seen what
they were capable of in Alexandria, and useful though they had been she would have to do something before they got out of hand.
        Purgatori swooped down and landed in the street between the retreating Blood Warriors and the advancing mob. The Blood Warriors were armed w/ guns, the mob had sticks and lumps of rock and bricks, but they had numbers on their side. Purgatori faced them imperiously, not moving as a large lump of rock whistled past her head, waiting to see if they would acknowledge her or if the mob mentality and bloodlust would drive them on.
        They ran on, carried by their momentum, and then faltered, their baying and shouting dying away. The ones at the back pushed forward until word gradually rippled back and a strange silence fell. Purgatori tensed as they suddenly rushed forward, but this time they were cheering and clapping. They stopped a few metres away, waving their weapons in the air. Purgatori grinned at them and raised her hands in the air and the cheers grew louder. She lapped it up for a few moments, relishing their adoration, their loyalty, and then motioned them to be silent.
        "Listen to me! You are free again : Drakkan is dead. Now - " She had to stop until the cheering died away. "Yes, Drakkan is dead but now is not the time for mindless violence. No more of my Blood Warriors must be killed."
        "But they betrayed you!"
        "No! They were enchanted. I can claim them back, and we will need every soldier we can muster in the months to come." She raised her chin slightly, eyes shining, choosing her words w/ care. "I have delivered you from this oppression, now I ask that you help me in return. Stop the riots and the killing - my own forces are in the city and will take care of th enemies. Instead, help out however you can : tend to the wounded and put out the fires. Tell any other citizens that you meet that Purgatori is back!" The cheers deafened her again. She turned to the Blood Warriors and walked over, her citizens following a few paces back. "Drop your weapons. You will not be hurt." One look at her convinced them to comply, and she converted them one by one. "Go w/ the people," she said after accepting their fealty again. "Protect them from any Akerians that might be around, and convert any Blood Warriors." They bowed and began to split up. Purgatori watched them go, at last beginning to feel a little at ease. She flew back to the Gate and landed by Lady Death, who was pulling Drakkan’s scorched and battle-marked jacket off him.
        "What are you doing brat?" Purgatori snarled.
        "Getting trophies, bitch. This mongrel’s head will top my standard when I go into battle on the other worlds, but this jacket I will hang in WinterHaven as a personal reminder of my - "
        "Put that down, whore!"
        Lady Death straightened up, eyes flashing antagonistically. "No, I think I’ll keep it. I might even wear it into battle, it’s quite the softest leather I’ve seen."
         Purgatori took a step forward, eyes blazing. "Put it DOWN!"
        Lady Death hefted Apocalypse. "Why, do you want it? It’s not your style. Though come to think of it, it does go well w/ your skin, although - "
        "It IS my skin, slut! Put it DOWN!!"
        Lady Death looked down at the jacket in revulsion and threw it down. Three years, he tortured her. Gods. He must have skinned her alive and used parts of…gods!
        Purgatori pushed past her, looking for Kintaro. There she was, stuck almost vertically in the ground a few metres away, serenely reflecting the chaos around her. Purgatori retrieved her w/ a sigh of relief and inspected her for damage. She was perfect, not a nick or chip in the blade. Truly, Wolf’s friend had been a genius. And another person who died because of me. She felt that hateful despair snuggling up to her again and she shrugged it away angrily. Later, for the moping. I have a maggot to hunt down first.
        Movement : she saw a huge shape walking towards her, arms held wide and empty.
        "Rourke."
        "Yes Empress."
        "You look like sht."
        Rourke stalled at that but Purgatori just ignored him and made her sword vanish in a violet flash.
        "…Empress?"
        "What?"
        "…"
        "No Rourke," she said, turning to look at him. "It wasn’t your fault."
        "I…was negligent. I should have known something was wrong."
        "I can see inside minds, and I couldn’t detect anything."
        "…but I…"
        "Rourke, I’m not going to punish you, much less kill you for what you did. If I were, I would have to kill virtually everybody else in the city as well. Save your guilt for later, I have a job for you."
        "Anything Empress."
        "Take troops, spread out across the city. My people are beginning to help fight the fires and tend the wounded. Help them, and protect them against any cats."
        "Uh…yeah. I’ll get Garryk to do that if you don’t mind, Empress. Some of the citizens might…not be too happy to see me."
        Purgatori raised an eyebrow. "And what have you been getting up to?"
        "Well…y’know. Getting people eaten alive and stuff."
        "I don’t EVEN want you to explain that. Fine, get Garryk to sort it out. Is Cobra here?"
        "No, he’s hurt."
        "Badly?"
        "Aye."
        "Fk. Alright, listen : keep an eye on the mob. I don’t want them getting…over enthusiastic. Get word around the citizens : we need anyone w/ medical training immediately - get our people seen to, and organise conversion if you can. If you come across any Akerians that surrender, take them alive and lock them up."
        "Alive, Empress…?"
        "Yes, once things are back to normal, we’ll put them in the Arena and let the people tear them apart. It should be quite cathartic."
        "Aye. What are you going to be doing, milady?"
        "We are going back to her world. I have business to take care of. Place guards on the Gates to the worlds he has been invaded, in case patrols come through."
        "Yes Empress. We -"
        "Mistress!"
        They turned to see Demonica and Diabolica weaving their way through the rubble.
        "Woo-hoo! Told you we’d kick their ass!" Demonica crowed. "Hiya Rourke! Oooh, look at your face! Was that a cat? We fought ‘em too, look at Di’s chest, she got raked by - "
        "Demonica, save your babbling girl."
        " - a big - um, oh."
        "I see you converted your sister, despite what I said."
        "I had to! She attacked me!"
        "Hmm."
        "Honest! Um, where’s Snakey?"
        "Hurt," Purgatori said. "Get the emergency services sorted out : I want those fires out before they spread."
        "No! I want to see Cobra! Where is h- "
        Purgatori whirled and her hand clamped into Demonica’s shoulder, making her squeal. "I gave you an order, girl!" Demonica stood quaking in her grip, her eyes wide and terrified, her throat locked. Nice, Purgatori. This girl saved your life. All she was doing was being concerned for someone she loves. You DO remember what love is, don’t you? Purgatori felt a clench of self-disgust and let go of  Demonica. She scuttled away, bumping into her sister. "Rourke, take her to Cobra," Purgatori said quietly. "Diabolica can sort out the fires. Send a couple of guards to meet me at the Gate building."
        "Yes Empress."
        "I don’t know what amuses me more," Lady Death smirked as Rourke bowed and left w/ the girls. "The way you treat your staff, or the fact they stick w/ you. If you treated ME like - "
        "Shut your mouth."
        "Where are YOU going?"
        "Your world," Purgatori said, not stopping.
        "Really?" Lady Death said, hurrying after her. "If you’re after Pagan, I remind you that I have my own score to settle - "
        "Fk your score."
        "You obnoxious bitch! That is MY world! You do not just come and go - "
        "Are you so arrogant now that you assume you own an entire planet? Horus wept."
        "As you presume to own this one, tramp."
        "I presume nothing : I rule my empire. If I want any more of this planet I will take it by conquest or merge w/ it by treaty. I will not mope around in my palace and pretend everything belongs to me anyway. You pompous scrubber."
        "You repulsive harpy. The sooner we can part company the better. If only Drakkan had pulled your tongue out."
        "He did, brat, several times."
        "I can sympathise w/ him."
        "Yes…you were very alike."
        "Meaning WHAT?!"
        Purgatori ignored her, walking quickly in silence until they reached the Gate building. She pushed open the door and stopped, sensing for guards : there were none - either Drakkan had not considered them worthy of guarding, or the troops had left to join the battle. Their footsteps echoed w/ a weird hollow tone as they walked through to the Gate. Lady Death watched Purgatori warily as she approached the Gate and inspected it for damage or trap spells. The walls bore the odd sign of battle and the vampiress seemed to be tensed up, trembling on the edge of an explosion of rage.
        "What’s wrong? Is the Gate damaged?" Purgatori glared at her and Lady Death saw how blindingly bright her eyes were. Gate…damage. She said Pagan came to my world, he killed someone she loved. Was it here? Is that the damage? Did he kill someone and flee to my world? Lady Death opened her mouth to ask but one look at those eyes convinced her that now might not be the best time.
        The Gate sprang into life and bright light angled into the darkened chamber. Lady Death looked into the image. Cold white snow, jagged grey rocks and watery blue sky. Home, Lady Death thought, and felt pleasure and discontent at the same time. Yes, this was home, a place she ruled…but it was a barren, inhospitable place, cold and windy. Purgatori had a hot, beautiful land. She had a palace, and empire. She had a constellation named after her.
        Bitch.
        "Oh what a shame, it’s sunny. You’ll just have to -"
        Purgatori stepped through the Gate and stood in the calf-deep snow, shading her eyes against the sun.
       By the Abyss…! Can NOTHING kill that bitch?!
        Lady Death walked through the Gate, shuddering at the shocking change in temperature. Purgatori was standing a few feet away, looking at the ground - the same piece of ground, Lady Death recalled, that she had stared at before they left. She saw the emotion on the vampire’s face and was once again surprised at the concept of Purgatori actually caring about somebody. Purgatori turned towards her, casting an irritated glance at the sun.
        "Well bitch? What are you going to do now? Just wander about the planet until you find him?"
        "No, idiot, I can find him by sensing him. He is a creation of Hell - he will stand out from the rest of the animals here." She waved her hand at the Gate and it blanked out.
        Lady Death snorted. "And you intend to scan the whole planet? He could be anywhere! You can get your whore out of my castle first. I don’t want you or your harem anywhere near me." Purgatori shifted and said nothing. "Well? Don’t you want your toy back?"
        "…no."
        "Pah. Use them and dump them. You tramp. And you don’t even have the courage to tell her to her face."
        "Shut up brat."
        "I will tell her just before I kick her out. And if she’s so angry that she wants to come and kill you I will help her find you and put my arsenal at her disposal. Hopefully she will - "
        "Oh shut up for five minutes will you?!" Purgatori exclaimed. "Blessed Anubis! Whine whine whine! Go and tell her. Go and do ANYTHING as long as it’s far from me! Go back and mope some more. Better still, go find another corpse to fk," she snapped as she turned away.
        "Scabrous slut!" Lady Death punched Purgatori hard in the nape of the neck, grabbed her as she stumbled, and spun her around to slap her as hard as she could across the face. The vampiress staggered back, stumbling in the deep snow. Lady Death drove her boot into Purgatori’s solar plexus and slammed her fist down on the top of her head as she folded up. Lady Death’s eyes flashed w/ bloodlust. "Get up slutbitch. Or has all the fight gone out of you?!" she sneered.
        Purgatori raised her head w/ a jerk, her eyes burning behind blood-soaked strands of hair. "Not by a long way, brat!" she hissed.
        Lady Death swung Drakkan’s head like a mace and his heavy skull smacked into Purgatori’s head, knocking the vampiress to her knees. "Good!" Lady Death grinned. "The longer this lasts the better!" She dropped Drakkan’s head to grip Apocalypse w/ both hands and screamed as Purgatori’s claws ripped her breasts open. Purgatori had moved faster than Lady Death could believe, going from a hunched kneel to a standing strike before the cat’s head hit the ground. Lady Death dropped Apocalypse as Purgatori backhanded her across the face. One hand staunched the wound as she grabbed Purgatori’s throat w/ the other and shoved Arcane Energy directly into the vampiress. Purgatori howled and fell on her back, most of her face and shoulder blackened and burnt. Lady Death’s power flashed and swirled over her chest, healing the inch-deep furrows, and she scrabbled for Apocalypse - that bitch moved far too fast for her liking and her resilience was terrifying : that blast should have vapourised her head.
        Purgatori was shaking her head fuzzily and Lady Death saw w/ awe that there was no trace of wound or burn on her head. The healing, on top of all the fighting of the past few hours, seemed to have exhausted her momentarily and that was just fine by Lady Death : it was time to end this once and for all, before Purgatori recovered and decided to use that hateful blood alchemy, or invoke that deadly blade.
        Lady Death jumped forward, raising Apocalypse above her head w/ both hands, determined to decapitate the vampiress and then cut her body into chunks, burn them to ash and bury them in separate parts of the country. She landed by Purgatori, putting all her impetus and strength into the cut. Her arms jarred to a stop, wrenching her shoulder muscles, and she looked around in surprise and anger as she saw the person who had blocked her strike.
        "Cremator! What are - "
        Cremator twisted Apocalypse out of her hands and struck her, hard. Lady Death flew backwards and flopped in the snow, dazed and bleeding from her lips and nose. Purgatori looked up at Cremator towering over her, not trusting his actions at all.
        "Whoo-hoo! That was quite a catfight!" Purgatori’s lip curled at the voice, that hateful voice that represented so much pain. "Looks like we arrived just in time Purgy-baby! You were getting your ass kicked! ‘Course ol’ Chesty there always did favour a sneaky surprise attack rather than a face-to-face duel."
        Purgatori started to get up, but Cremator put Apocalypse’s tip an inch from her eyes. She saw the Hellfire crackling around his other fist as he readied his power as another weapon.
        "Uh uh cutie pie. Stay where you are, unless you want our big brute of a friend there to live up to his name. And none of that magick naughtiness - he can sense magick, and if he gets a slightest whiff, you fry!"
        Purgatori relaxed as she considered her options, fully content to let Pagan prattle on - the more time he spent babbling the longer she had time to rest and heal, recover and recharge. She was fairly sure her speed could take her out of range of the sword and her sorcery could disable Cremator quite efficiently, but they had gone to pains to take her alive and she wanted to know why. She looked over at Pagan. He stood by a large boulder that jutted out of the snow at the head of a deep wide gully
that zig-zagged steeply downhill to where the ground levelled out briefly before plunging into the deep chasm that afforded WinterHaven some of its protection. His thin frame was hidden by a carelessly wrapped fur cloak but she could sense a whisker of her sorcery on him, and judging by the grimace on his face it seemed as though her sword strike hadn’t missed completely after all.
        "Probably wondering why I didn’t have you killed," Pagan said in a pompous tone. "Well toots, I wanna make a deal w/ you."
        "Cre…mator," Lady Death croaked. "You bastard…" She struggled to her knees and wiped blood off her mouth. She blinked rapidly to try and clear her vision and gaped as she saw him in possession of Apocalypse. "How…dare…"
        "He’s been converted, idiot," Purgatori snapped w/out taking her eyes off Pagan.
        "I see you managed to kill the big fuzzy fella," Pagan said, grimacing in pain. "But all your troops have been converted by him (and me, heh). Heal me, and I’ll tell you the spell to release them."
        Purgatori shoved Apocalypse out of her face and stood up fast, whirling to face Cremator and stepping back out of his range. Lady Death looked up w/ a jerk as she heard a loud flat BANG! and saw Purgatori punched rudely forward by the impact of the bullet. The vampiress fell forward w/ a cry as the chunk of lead slammed between her wings, narrowly missing her spine. Cremator dropped Apocalypse and caught her deftly, turning her around and pulling her tightly to him. Purgatori grimaced and squirmed as her wings and wound were crushed against him and she felt one huge hand cup the top of her skull tightly.
        "Oh great shot!" Pagan crowed. "First time I’ve used one of these too!" His grin contorted into a rictus and he shuddered. "Come on toots, I ain’t after much."
        Purgatori shoved against Cremator and he tightened his arms powerfully, crushing her ribs. She sank her talons into his forearms and he squeezed even harder. Scorching heat enveloped her head and she howled in agony, releasing her grip.
        "Don’t be stupid toots; he’ll turn you to ash if he wants to. Come on baby - deal. Just heal this little cut." Purgatori just gazed at him, her eyes blazing coldly. "Need some convincing eh?" Pagan beckoned and Brock appeared from the gully that ran down the mountainside, pulling Lexus up beside him by a chain around her neck. "Gotta give you credit, babe, you sure have fine taste in girlies! Now - heal me before I blow this pretty little face all over the mountain!" He shoved the Eagle against Lexus’ temple.
        "Ha!" Lady Death sneered, watching developments. "Bad call maggot - she cares nothing for her little slut."
        Lexus’ wail of torment was muted by the thick gag in her mouth.
        Pagan faltered momentarily. "I’m not kidding toots!"
        "Neither am I," Lady Death called. "Do me a favour Pagan - kill this harpy in an interesting way and I MIGHT kill you quickly!"
        "Uh, no dice sweetheart. Tell you what though - get this obstinate old bat to cure me and I’ll leave your dear sister in one piece, how’s that?" He motioned at Brock, and the goblin reached down into the gully and yanked Vandala up by her hair.
        Lady Death’ jaw dropped as Vandala stumbled to her knees, gagged and tied like Lexus. "Let her go you maggot! This instant!" She raised her hand but Pagan stepped neatly behind Vandala, smacking Lexus across the forehead w/ the pistol to get her out the way.
        "Watch that power, sugarlips. Never know who you might hit by accident!" He put the gun to Vandala’s head, smirking that idiotic smirk. "How bout it toots? How’s your powers of persuasion? Think you can convince that winged beauty to save your sister?"
        Lady Death didn’t even have to consider it. "Are you insane you moron?! That whore would probably deliberately make you kill her just to annoy me!"
        "Oh. Guess you’re sht out of luck in the deal-making stakes then, eh?" Pagan tutted. "Oh well. Cremator? Be a dear fellow and see if YOU can convince her."
        Blinding heat enveloped Purgatori’s head and she bucked and screamed. Visions of the casket walls glowing in the volcano’s heat choked her and she thrashed in panic, the pain almost convincing her that she was back in the lava. It stopped a moment later, and the pain faded slowly : this was Hellfire, the fire that burned but did not consume, the fire of torture.
        "Whoooah sugar! You got a fair set of lungs on ya! Don’t hurt her too much Cremator, we need her to be able to do her sorcery."
        "Yes Lord."
        Lady Death looked on as bright flame engulfed Purgatori’s head again. How much would Purgatori be able to stand? Would she be able to reach Pagan and kill him while he was occupied w/ the vampiress? The fire died and Purgatori slumped, hanging limply in Cremator’s arms, her head lolling forward.
        "Well done, dolt. Wake her up. Brock - get that Gate active. I have a feeling that bitch will stall forever if she can. I want to find Seance - if he can help me I can dispose of this stubborn buzzard altogether."
        "Yes Lord."
        Cremator loosened his grip slightly and shook Purgatori. She flopped loosely in his arms. He grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked it hard, but Purgatori gave no reaction at all.
        "My Lord, I think she - "
        Violet fire flared and Cremator gave a grunt of surprise as Purgatori’s katana appeared in her hand, held in a reverse grip. She jabbed her arm backwards and rammed the blade through his chest. Cremator gagged and stumbled back, releasing her. Purgatori landed on her feet and pulled the sword free, spinning to face him for the killing blow.
        "No!" Lady Death saw the blade go into Cremator and leapt forward, but even as Purgatori was landing and turning Cremator was reacting : one of his huge fists clubbed her across the face. Purgatori reeled, recovered, and her blade clanged off Cremator’s battle axe. He had vast strength; Purgatori had perhaps the same amount, or more, but she had one thing Cremator didn’t - speed. She circled around his axe and kicked him three times - kneecap, groin and stomach - in a blink, felling him on the spot. She raised the katana and a blast of Arcane Energy tore her arm off at the elbow. She howled and crashed to the ground as Lady Death slammed into her. Her wings flexed and batted Lady Death across the face - they looked delicate, but they could support the weight of the vampiress in flight and transport her at great speed; they were far from weak. The unexpectedly powerful blow knocked Lady Death off and Purgatori was on her knees instantly. She grabbed her severed arm and it melted back into place as she kicked Lady Death across the jaw. Where’s my sword? Movement - Brock. She gestured at him and his blood burst out of his nose, blindfolding him tightly. He stopped, scrabbling futilely at the blood.
        "No, you bitch!" Pagan cried - the Gate was still inactive. He raised the pistol and fired at Purgatori, hitting her shoulder. She snarled and the Eagle twisted out of his grip, breaking his index finger. Pagan yowled and dived flat behind Lexus and Vandala, hoping that being out of sight meant being out of reach of Purgatori’s sorcery.
        Purgatori spread her wings, ready to take to the sky after him, and Cremator’s battle axe crunched into her shoulder, smashing her collar bone and biting down through her top two ribs. Purgatori screamed as Cremator grabbed her, his Hellfire seeping deep into the open wound. She wrenched herself free, whirled and slashed four deep trenches across his neck. His blood jetted out, wrapped around his arms and throat and Cremator fell to his knees, straining massively against the bonds. They wouldn’t give an inch.
        Purgatori collapsed, her mind wheeling and her body spasming. Con…cent…rate… The bloodflow slowed, stopped, and reversed. Quick. Quicker. Someone grabbed her wings and yanked her over onto her back. She flumped awkwardly in the deep snow and Lady Death straddled her, pinning her arms under her boots. The sharp edge of Apocalypse’s blade pressed hard against Purgatori’s throat.
        "Listen to me slut!" Lady Death snarled through clenched teeth. Blood streamed from her mouth and nose and a large puffy black bruise coloured her cheek and jaw where Purgatori had kicked her; it stood out in angry contrast to her pale skin. "You may not care if your strumpet gets ripped apart, but I care for my sister!" She felt Purgatori’s muscles, as tense as a wound spring, under her body and knew that w/ her strength the vampiress would probably be able to throw her off : if she got free, Lady Death knew it would probably result in the deaths of most everyone here. Lady Death didn’t know if she would be fast enough to decapitate Purgatori, or if the threat of beheading would be enough to convince Purgatori to ease up, because at the moment she looked completely off the map. And yet, had she seen a flicker in Purgatori’s eyes at the mention of Lexus being killed? Lady Death stared into those cold white eyes and noticed Purgatori’s skin was smoking very slightly. Lost her powers : or at least, exhausted herself. Don’t give her time!! "Do what he wants Purgatori! Heal him, let him go, whatever. You KNOW you can catch him later, when he holds no aces, and then you can deal w/ him as you please." Lady Death thought she felt Purgatori relax a fraction, but those eyes were still pure hate. She pressed the blade harder against Purgatori’s neck and a razor line of blood seeped up. "I swear Purgatori, if one hair of her head gets damaged I will kill you in the most excruciating way possible." Purgatori’s lips curled in contempt, and the sunlight sparked off her fangs. "And I promise you this. I will find whoever your precious Isis is fighting against and I will join them. I will do my utmost to ensure your goddess is tortured and humiliated and killed as slowly as possible." Purgatori spat in Lady Death’s face and wrenched an arm free, claws unsheathed. The movement ripped open the slowly healing wound and she jerked in pain. Lady Death took advantage of the falter, playing the only card she had left. "And I will remind her, every minute during her torture, that YOU are the cause of it!" Purgatori froze. Her eyes locked on Lady Death, her hand hovered w/ her claws flexed. "Come on harlot! See sense! Where can he go that you cannot follow?"
        "Nice one toots!" A voice croaked. She turned to see Pagan a dozen or so cautious metres away, fumbling w/ the Desert Eagle in his left hand. He had Vandala on her feet and was holding her tightly to him for cover. The pistol pressed hard against her temple. "Be sure and keep that harpy under control! Boy, don’t you look hot on top of each other like that!"
        Lady Death heard Purgatori’s low ripping growl and tensed herself for a shove that would sever her head. "Purgatori! Don’t! Help him or I won’t help you! I swear!"
        Purgatori clenched her teeth and eyes and Lady Death could feel her entire body shaking, her muscles clenched. The vampiress raised her hand, every tendon quivering…and then gestured viciously at Pagan. Lady Death felt a clench of panic, wondering if she had cast power to hurt Pagan or Vandala, and then she heard the gasp of surprise and relief. Purgatori slumped, her forehead sheened w/ sweat. Some of Lady Death’s blood dripped onto her and her body absorbed it greedily.
        "Goddamn that feels good!" Pagan cried, dragging Vandala over to the Gate. "Nice one Purgy-baby!  One last favour and we can all go home!" Lady Death was still transfixed w/ Purgatori. Her wound was completely healed and her body was relaxed. Lady Death’s eyes narrowed : what was that bitch planning? "Come on Whitey, unless you want to be able to see through your sister!"
        "Do it!" Lady Death hissed at Purgatori.
        "You’re an idiot to trust him," Purgatori said flatly. "You of all people should know - "
        "Do it!"
        "Get off me." Lady Death hesitated. Surely Purgatori knew that Purgatori didn’t have Lexus…would she attack him w/out regard for Vandala, or had that threat about torturing Isis worked? "Get off me or I’ll tear your heart out," Purgatori said calmly.
        "I warn you Purgatori…" Lady Death grated. She eased back a bit and moved Apocalypse. The vampiress pushed her off and stood up fast, making Pagan jerk back and crouch down even further, moving the gun to Vandala’s back, pointing straight at her heart. The vampiress and the Valkyrie locked eyes and Purgatori could see the dread and helpless resignation in the blonde’s eyes. Lady Death jumped to her feet, Apocalypse raised and ready to take Purgatori’s head. Purgatori took a step towards Pagan and he flinched again.
        "Careful toots! I’ll put a hole in this angel the size of your head!"
        "Purgatori - !"
        "I need to be closer to my Gate."
        Lady Death watched helplessly as the vampiress walked. "Don’t you dare do anything to harm her…"
        Purgatori picked her sword up and she vanished in violet fire. "Shut up."
        She stopped about twenty feet from the Gate, lowered her head slightly and closed her eyes. A few seconds later the Gate flickered sharply into life and Pagan turned his head to see a stark landscape of jagged black rock and sullen red sky.
        "Woo hoo! Nice one bitch - now back off a step or two." Purgatori backed up, calm and relaxed, and Pagan edged forward, pushing Vandala ahead of him until he stood level w/ the Gate, a few feet from the precipice. "Nice doin’ business w/ you ladies!" Pagan snickered. "Sorry ‘bout your boyfriend darlin’ - heat of the moment and all that! And you toots - nice to see you again. Put that G-string on again next time though, ‘specially if you’re gonna do some more grappling w/ the Scarlet Harlot there."
        "Go to Hell, worm!"
        "I’m goin’ sweetheart, I’m goin." He backed up a step. "Oh, and by the way : here’s a little going-away present for ya!" Pagan pulled the trigger and Lady Death screamed as the bullet punched a wide ragged hole out of Vandala’s chest. "See ya!"   Pagan laughed, and jumped through the Gate.
        And landed in the snow on the other side. If he had paid more attention to Seance, he would have known more about the nature of Gates - he would have realised that Purgatori had opened the Gate from Hell, not to Hell.
        He gaped, utter confusion giving way to utter horror and then total panic. All was lost - he held no bargaining chips now and he was trapped on a strange world w/ TWO furious goddesses. Time to bail, get the Hell out of the area and get himself some breathing space and time to think. He began a transvection spell that would teleport him to the other side of the planet. Purgatori’s blade sliced through his left arm, taking off the hand w/ the pistol and leaving him w/ a burning stump. The hand spasmed as it fell and the gun blammed, firing harmlessly into the snow. Pagan shrieked and the transvection spell shorted out as his concentration broke. It had only been a fraction of a second from jumping through the Gate to reciting his spell, but already Purgatori had him.
        Pagan dodged away, wracked w/ pain - the hairline of flame on his chest was nothing compared to this. "N-n-now w-w-w-wait a - " Fire enveloped his shoulder as Purgatori took his other arm off. she stood poised, watching coldly and hatefully. If she derived any pleasure from his agony she didn’t show it. Pagan screamed as she rammed the katana through his stomach and twisted it. She kicked him off the blade and he fell in the snow in blinding agony and Purgatori wondered if he was aware that she had cut him in two. She watched his pieces judder and quiver and then kicked him hard in the head, silencing his screams. The violet flames, under her command, flicked out - she didn’t want to burn him until he was awake to feel it.
        Lady Death saw nothing of this. She leapt forward as Vandala crumpled to the ground, her blood spreading in a stark ruby pool around her. Lady Death grabbed her and cradled her w/ a wail of helpless misery, tearing the gag off her mouth to help her breathe. Vandala jerked in her arms, her movements already frighteningly weak. Lady Death pressed her hands over the wound, sobbing wildly. Vandala’s mouth opened, her eyes gaping w/ terror and pain at her sister, but only a thick stream of blood came out.
        A strong hand pulled her own away from Vandala’s breasts. Isis cupped her other hand over the wound. Lady Death saw the bright light of her sorcery glowing around Vandala’s chest and then her sister jerked and coughed in her arms. Isis moved her hand and Lady Death blinked the tears away to see the hole had gone, the skin healed. Vandala’s head slumped and Lady Death panicked briefly until she saw her chest rising and falling w/ normal respiration. Lady Death hugged her tightly, the relief making her want to cry all the harder.
        "She will be fine," Isis said softly. "We were lucky, the bullet missed her heart by a fraction." Lady Death just looked at her numbly, not knowing what to say.
        The Gate blinked, changing focus from Hell to New Necropolis. Purgatori beckoned her guards through and pointed at Pagan’s twitching pieces. "Take him. Lock him up SECURELY. Put each part in a different cell and nail it to the floor. If he gets away, I will do to you what I was going to do to him, is that clear?"
        "Y-yes, Empress!"
        She watched them go then deactivated the Gate, trying to calm herself down. Her mind was whirling w/ raging black hate, her eyes and skin hurt from the sun. She needed blood. Isis had turned up, and instead of coming to see her she was kneeling in the snow w/ Lady Death and her trampy sister. Up on the ridge she saw Lexus struggling weakly to sit up where she had fallen, hampered by the snow and her bonds. Purgatori took a step towards her then stopped, her head drooping. Struggling to her left - she looked over and saw Cremator, still helpless in his blood bonds. She watched him expressionlessly for a moment then a cold frightening grin exposed her fangs. Magick flowed over him and he blinked as Purgatori’s sorcery flowed into him.
        "What - you!" Cremator strained again, watching the vampiress nervously as she strode over, sword shining in the sun. "What..are you doing?"
        "Let him go!"
        Purgatori paused to see Lady Death standing w/ Apocalypse raised. She looked back silently as Isis came up behind, moving w/ her elegant grace.
        "I said let him go, bitch! Now!"
        Purgatori raised her hand, eyes never leaving Lady Death’s, and the bonds began to constrict around Cremator.
        "Stop it you slut!"
        "Say…’please’…"
        "You whore! Let him go NOW!"
        "Sakkara, my child," Isis said in her soft sweet voice. "Release him, please."
        The bonds gripped tighter and Cremator groaned as several bones cracked loudly.
        "Sakkara, please. Lexus is hurt, she needs you."
        Purgatori’s head rocked back as though she had been slapped. The veins on her neck stood out like ropes as she half-moaned, half-snarled at the sky.
        "My child, please…help her, she - "
        Purgatori staggered back, whirled and clawed a rift in the air. She vanished in a moment, leaving only Lexus’ distraught wail hanging in the air.
        "What -!" Lady Death spun to face Isis. "Where is she?! Where did that slut go?"
        "She is not a slut," Isis said distantly. She gestured at Cremator and his blood flowed smoothly back into him.
        "Why didn’t you just do that to begin w/?" Lady Death said grumpily and stomped over to help Cremator.
        Isis went over to Lexus, removed her bonds and helped her to her feet. Lexus was shaking, tears flowing over her bruised face and mixing w/ the blood from the gash on her temple. Isis put her arm around her shoulders and drew her close and Lexus felt warmth seeping into her. It didn’t stop her shaking.
        "My child, are you hurt?"
        "N-not much," Lexus sniffed. "I saw Pagan convert Brock. I tried to get out to warn Purgatori, but Cremator caught me."
        "You are still shaking."
        "Sh-she said P-Purgatori did-didn’t care if I d-died!"
        "What happened?" Isis asked softly. "I though I could use you to focus her…Have you had an argument?"
        "Yes," Lexus said, crying harder. "She hit me and I said I ha-hated h-her and she s-s-said she n-never wanted to s-see me again!"
        "She hit you?!"
        "S-sort of. But - but it was my fault! I provoked her because I was angry! I thought she didn’t like me any more, and - and - oh I don’t know! She’d just been tortured and I was j-just - just - "
        "Shh, child, shh." Isis held her close and kissed her hair. "I know my daughter and I think I know what is eating away at her."
        "W-where did she go?"
        "To Wolf."
        "I need to see her," Lexus whispered. "I…need to know how she feels."
        "I will take you. Let me settle things w/ Hope first."
        "A-alright."
        Lady Death helped Cremator stand up and glanced over his wounds. "They don’t look bad, considering. How do you feel?"
        "Like I got trampled by a rhino. What happened milady? Did…did I hurt you?"
        "Not really my friend. It was Pagan’s fault. He enchanted you."
        "That slime-eater. Where is he?"
        "In Purgatori’s world I assume. In pieces."
        Cremator grunted. "And where is she? Bitch, I think she fractured most of my ribs."
        Lady Death smiled wryly. "If that’s all the payback you get for leaving her in that cell, you will be luckier than you could ever know."
        "…yes."
        "I thought she had killed you…Why did you not die?"
        "That sword has spells built into it. One of them is to prevent the sword hurting its owner : that’s one of MY spells. She must have…I don’t know, stolen it from me or something. She seems to have altered it, but not enough - it is still mainly MY spell, and as such will not harm me."
        "Hmm. I suspect she will remedy that oversight."
        "Hope. We must leave now."
        Lady Death turned to Isis, her expression cloudy. "Fine. I need to get Vandala back home anyway. Listen Isis. I thank you for saving my sister’s life. I will never be able to repay that debt…but if I ever see that bitch of a daughter of yours again…well, let’s just say I will pay her back what I owe. W/ interest."
        Isis let it go, determined not to provoke another argument. "You owe me nothing for the life of your sister. I love all life, despite what you may believe. That is what triggered our whole war in the first place."
        Lady Death nodded. "This war is still a threat?"
        "Yes. Drakkan’s actions seem to have kick-started events anew. His troops will still fight on the other worlds, others will take his place."
        "He said he had sent details of the Gates back to his world."
         "That is our main priority."
        "I will continue to fight, as I agreed." She looked pointedly at Isis. "But I do so for my own reasons, not for your quest nor that bitch’s. I still owe Drakkan, and if I cannot take my full measure of revenge out on him, I will do so on his army and followers."
        Isis nodded. "Whatever your reasons, I thank you. Brock knows how to work our Gates, I will return in due course to advise you of the battle’s progress on the other worlds so that you can best plan your strategy.."
        "Come alone."
        "I will. I suspect my daughter will be occupied w/ the reconstruction of her empire for some time yet…and, I fear, w/ Pagan."
        "Humph. That is one occasion that I hope she does a thorough job."
        "She will. She is…attentive to such matters." Her expression clouded and Lady Death’s coldness abated slightly as she again saw a similarity to her own mother : that pained sorrowful expression was the same one Marion had worn when she had seen Hope give in to her dark nature and become Lady Demon. "I will return soon," Isis said. She made a sign at Brock and he came around w/ a start as the conversion spell burned away and his blood bonds slipped away. "I will give you destination spells for the other Gates upon my return…I would suggest, however, that you do not travel to New Necropolis…regardless of your feelings or lust for revenge."
        "I will take that under advisement," Lady Death said stiffly.
        "As you wish. Be well, Hope. We shall meet again soon."
        Isis walked back to Lexus, who was brushing snow off the Desert Eagle w/ sad movements. "Come child. We will go and see Sakkara now." Lexus hesitated and Isis cocked her head to one side questioningly.
        "I…I want to see her alone," Lexus said haltingly. "Forgive me, Goddess, but…I…"
        "You want her to accept you because she wants to, not because I talked her into it," Isis finished softly. "Perhaps that would be best. I will take you to her and leave you to talk. I will visit you again in New Necropolis."
        "If I make it there."
        "I will see you again in New Necropolis," Isis repeated w/ a smile. "Come."

        Purgatori knelt in the cave by Wolf’s body. He lay in a circle she had clawed into the rock floor, her spell protecting his body from roaming scavengers. She hadn’t moved a muscle since coming here. She had meant to pick him up and take him through the Gate, to be properly buried w/ due ceremony in New Necropolis, but sorrow and self-loathing had overcome her and she had knelt by his body, wondering if prayers for forgiveness would be heard and answered.
        "Purgatori?"
         She didn’t turn at the quiet voice. Go away. I don’t want you here. Leave. Please.
        "Purgatori?" Lexus swallowed w/ difficulty and stepped closer, her legs trembling quite badly. She saw Wolf’s body and her stomach clenched in a knot. Heart ripped out! Oh Goddess! That’s HER favoured method! Goddess, did she kill him after all?!
        "Yes, I did."
        Lexus jumped. "P-Purgatori…please…"
        "Go away Lexus."
        Lexus’ eyes brimmed w/ tears. "No." Purgatori turned to look at her and she took a step back involuntarily. Her teeth were chattering. "P-please Purgatori. I-I-I’m sorry for what I said. I just, I - "
        "Leave Lexus. I don’t want you around me."
        Lexus’ legs gave way and she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. "No! Why? I didn’t mean what I said, you just hurt me!" She saw Purgatori just look away and the tears came harder. "Why do you hate me so much?"
        "Hate you?" She said it so softly Lexus almost didn’t hear it over her sobbing. "I don’t hate you. I love you more than anyone I have ever loved."
        A burst of hope flashed through Lexus’ heart. "But…then why do you want me to leave? Why won’t you even look at me?"
        "Because I’ll kill you." She saw Lexus jump and she shook her head. "No, not like that. I wouldn’t murder you…but I will kill you. Somehow. Everything I have ever loved has died in some way or another. I killed Wolf. I will not be responsible for your death too."
        Lexus wiped her eyes w/ the heels of her hands. "If you turn me away, you will  kill me." She saw Purgatori look up sharply and she got up and walked over to kneel beside her. Her eyes scrutinised Purgatori’s face, looking deep into her eyes. That feral, psychotic creature seemed to have gone, but Lexus wasn’t sure she liked what it had left behind. Purgatori seemed as though a part of her had died. Lexus reached out and took one of Purgatori’s hands, holding it tightly between her own.
"Yes. I love you more than you love me. If you don’t want me, I don’t want to live."
        "You’ll die. I’ll get you killed. I couldn’t live w/ that."
        "Purgatori you won’t! We’ve been together thirty years. We’ve had troubles, we’ve been through some tight scrapes. I trust you. I love you. You’ve got to stop this Purgatori, this self-doubt. I don’t know why you killed Wolf but - " Lexus broke off w/ her heart in her mouth as Purgatori yanked her hand free, but the vampiress subsided almost immediately.
        "I was consumed w/ rage. I left him to pursue my own goals. He warned me. I ignored him. He got killed. That fkr Pagan took my form and killed him." Her eyes were blazing, every muscle rock hard w/ tension. "All Wolf did for me, all he gave up. He saved my life, released me from torture, fed me and brought me a potent weapon. He gave up everything for me, crossed a world of the living dead for me...and he died believing that I just used him and cast him aside like a piece of litter." Purgatori
closed her eyes, squeezing out a tear, her hands clenched into tight fists. "That hurts me so much."
        Lexus reached out, the wetness in her eyes now tears of sympathy. Touching Purgatori was like touching a stone statue. "You couldn’t have known what would happen."
        "Lexus. Please. I don’t want the same to happen to you. I would kill myself."
        "But Purgatori, listen to me! I’ve always fought w/ you, I will take any risk to be beside you and I will - "
        "I will not! I will NOT be responsible for killing another friend!" Her voice was getting angrier. "Do you know what it feels like? DO YOU?! To kill someone who loved you? To kill one of the very few people who ever cared for you? You sit there blithely saying words you think are so meaningful and you have no comprehension of the feelings of the consequences! Go. Leave me NOW!" She glared at Lexus, her eyes as hard as diamonds. "You said you hated me. I said I never wanted to see you again."
        "I didn’t mean it!"
        "I did. Get out of my sight before I lose my temper."
        Lexus knelt numbly, shaking badly. "You don’t mean that," she whispered.
        Purgatori looked away, deliberately dismissing her. "Get out of here. Don’t make me angry girl. You know what happens to those who cross me."
        Lexus hung her head, the tears flowing fast down her face. Her trembling had stopped though, and a strange, unreal, sense of calm had come over her. That's it then. Only one thing to do…Oh Isis please…please help me…. Lexus looked up, wiping the tears off her cheeks w/ sharp movements. "Look at me."
        "I told you to get out."
        "I said look at me, you BITCH!" She saw Purgatori start at the word, and the harsh tone, and when the vampiress looked at her, white eyes shining in anger and maybe a little surprise, Lexus slapped her face. The crack of impact reverberated loudly in the cave. "You little tramp!"
        Purgatori seemed to have been stuck mute. She gaped for a moment then managed to get her voice working. "What…how DARE - "
        "You bitch! You think you can just dump me like some discarded toy? Who the Hell do you think you are?" Lexus raged. "You worthless whore! I ought to drag you back home by your hair and give you the thrashing of your life!"
        Something flickered in Purgatori's eyes. "What are you talking - "
        "Harlot! You think you can get rid of me that easily?! Ooh, the big noble Empress resorting to feeble excuses to dump her girlfriend!" Lexus sneered. "You’re pathetic!"
        Purgatori bared her teeth. "It’s you who will get a thrashing bitch! It will be the last thing you feel before I tear your heart out and feast on it!"
        "Come on then, big girl!" Lexus spat, and slapped Purgatori across the face, as hard as she could.
        The impact smacked Purgatori’s head to one side, but in a blink she had recovered, grabbed Lexus by the shoulders and shoved her to the ground and straddled her like a spider over a trapped fly. Her eyes blazed like nuclear blasts. "As you wish, whore!" One hand gripped Lexus’s throat, pinning her, and she raised the other, letting her long deadly talons slide out smoothly.
        "Go on then," Lexus said, eyes wet again. Purgatori’s hand wavered, the claws flexed and trembling. "Go on, bitch. Show me what you think of me."
        Purgatori’s hand shook. She grimaced, seemed to recover herself and raised her hand again, readying for the punch that would drive straight through Lexus' ribs. Again her arm froze. She arched back as if in pain, clenching her fist tightly, and when she looked down at Lexus large tears spilled out of her eyes. "I….can’t…."
        Lexus flopped, only then realising how tense and nervous she had really been. She pulled Purgatori’s hand off her throat and reached up to circle Purgatori’s neck. She could feel the vampiress shaking. "Shh. I know. Come here."
        "N-no…" Purgatori hitched, but when Lexus pulled she went w/out resisting and Lexus pulled her on top of her into an embrace. She buried her face in Lexus’s hair and hugged her tightly.
        "Shh. I love you Purgatori. Shh." Lexus held her, stroking her wings and hair, the release of tension making her tremble again, but now she didn’t care, because everything was alright again.
        "I love you Lexus. I never want to be apart from you."
        "I know. You won’t. I’ll always be w/ you Purgatori, no matter what. And if I die, I will die happily by your side. I can imagine nothing worse than living w/out you."
        Purgatori pulled away and sat up, wiping her eyes to look at her. "You knew didn’t you? You were pushing me."
        "Yes, I was pushing you. I had to. You would either realise you really DID love me, or you would at least kill me and put me out of my misery - I couldn’t live if you sent me away. To be honest, there was a point where I really did think you would kill me, but I had to force your hand." She grinned up at Purgatori, that naughty little grin that Purgatori found so erotic. "I had to make you realise you were talking a load of rubbish."
        Purgatori raised an eyebrow. "You dare talk to your Empress like that? What am I going to do w/ you, you bad little girl?"
        "Punish me, hopefully," Lexus smirked wickedly. "You already promised me a thrashing for insulting you."
        "Thank you for reminding me." She pulled back to let Lexus sit up, and then hugged her again.
        "…then, of course, we’ll have to address the fact that YOU slapped ME…."
        "…oh…" She looked at Lexus, and her grin was every bit as wicked as her lover’s. "But YOU deserved it..!"
        "Bitch! Just you wait…!"
        They grinned at each other, and then Purgatori pulled Lexus close and they kissed a long deep kiss, their hands entwined in each others hair. When they finally broke, Purgatori gazed rapturously at Lexus, and the brunette could see that old familiar love in those gorgeous white eyes. Still mine. Still mine. After all that happened, all I said, she still wants me. Lexus held Purgatori fiercely, relishing the feel of her body again.
      "Where is Isis? And that white brat?"
        "Isis returned home. Lady Death was on her way to WinterHaven, last I saw."
        "W/ Cremator?"
        "Yes…"
        "Good."
        Lexus was silent for a moment, remembering what had happened when Purgatori had sensed Cremator at WinterHaven. "Good why?" she finally had to ask.
        Purgatori’s grin was both arousing and chilling. "When I burned out his conversion spell, I left a little something in there for him."
        "A little something…?"
        "Just a little spell. Should prove quite…entertaining."
        "You’re an evil bitch."
        "Thank you." Purgatori stood up, the smile evaporating as she tenderly picked up Wolf’s frozen body. "Open a portal to the Gate."
        Lexus did so, watching Purgatori’s face closely. She still seemed haunted and Lexus wondered how long it would take for her to fully recover….if she ever did.

        Lexus came awake w/ a start and Purgatori jerked violently beside her, throwing off the arm she had looped over Purgatori’s shoulders. This had been an almost nightly ritual since they had gotten back. Purgatori was sitting up in bed, the sheets pooled around her waist, her hair untidy and her skin textured w/ gooseflesh. She had shapeshifted slightly tonight, losing her wings so that Lexus could snuggle up to her and hug her. Lexus reached out and stroked her spine.
        "Purgatori?"
        "Did I hurt you?" Purgatori asked distantly.
        Lexus sat up beside her and kissed her shoulder. Purgatori’s skin looked so gorgeously warm and soft when the red hues were lit only by the gentle moonlight. "No. You’re hurting yourself. This is killing you Purgatori, you have to let it go."
        "Let it go how?" Purgatori said in a low and almost threatening voice. ""How can I?" she said bitterly. "Every time I see myself I remember that I am alive because of him - and you, of course. I…can’t bear the thought that he died thinking I used him."
        Lexus swallowed w/ difficulty. She knew exactly what Purgatori was feeling : hadn’t she herself sat in WinterHaven and feared Purgatori might get killed, and die thinking Lexus hated her? "Purgatori, this is eating you alive. Is there nothing that might calm you?" Purgatori shifted, and this time it was as though it was Lexus who did the mind reading  "Your sorcery. Can you not raise his shade? You dabbled in necromancy many years back..."
        "Yes," Purgatori said in a strained voice. "I could, I believe."
        "But you’re afraid of what he might say," Lexus said softly.
        "Yes," Purgatori said simply.
        "Oh Purgatori." Lexus took Purgatori’s chin and gently turned her head around to face her. "You have to, lover," she said quietly. "You cannot go on like this. It will rip you apart. Surely it would be better to know for sure?"
        "Would it? Supposing he does hate me?"
        "But, what if he doesn’t? You know him better than I, surely you must think he could be reasoned w/. Surely you could explain." Purgatori just looked at her, and that stricken, haunted look made Lexus’ heart break. "Purgatori, please. He seemed kind and loyal to me. If he is angry, you could explain, he would forgive you, I’m sure. And…and if not, at least you will know for sure. You can at least work to…I don’t know, atone or placate him. To do some penance." Purgatori tried to disengage herself from Lexus, but the brunette held on. "It’s hard Purgatori, I know. But you’ve got to. Indecision will torment you
forever."
        "Yes," Purgatori breathed. "I…I…"
        Lexus let go and kissed her lips. "Go to him. Talk to him. If he is even half of what I suspect, he will not hate you."
        "Yes…yes I will," Purgatori said, looking blankly at the moon. "I will go and see him tomorrow - "
        "Now Purgatori."
        "…yes." She stood up and shifted, bathing Lexus is brief soft gold as her wings reappeared.
        "Shall…shall I come w/ you? To talk to him too…?"
        Purgatori pulled on her panties and managed a brief watery smile as she fastened her bra. "You mean to make sure I REALLY go, and not just pretend? No Lexus, I need to go alone."
        "A-alright."
        Purgatori padded out of the room, barefoot and utterly silent. Lexus blew out a shuddering sigh and cupped her elbows in her palms. She found she was trembling slightly. She knew she had done the right thing - Purgatori had to know for definite - but at the same time, if it turned out badly and Purgatori was devastated by Wolf’s hatred, she would be to blame for urging Purgatori to go. Oh Isis, what have I done? Lexus thought as she lay down and pulled the satin sheets up to her chin as if for protection. What I had to, she thought firmly. What I had to. I’ll just…just lie here andwait for her to come back…and pray.

        Purgatori knelt in the funeral house, a few scattered torches holding the pitch blackness at bay, fluttering and popping somnolently. Wolf’s body lay in front of her, wrapped like a mummy in specially prepared bindings and circled by five candles. It took her ten minutes to work up the courage to begin her incantation. She bit her finger and drew a sigil on the bindings over Glenn’s forehead and whispered her spell then sat back, head bowed, waiting to see if he responded.
        The candles guttered. Her skin goosebumped as the air temperature fell about five degrees, but it wasn’t the chill that caused it. She raised her head hesitantly and saw him kneeling in the gloom on the opposite side of his body. He was dressed as he had been and his chest bore that same horrific wound. His eyes were white; she could see through him.
        "Purgatori." The voice was dry, hollow, not at all like the voice in her dreams. It sounded as if he was at the far end of a long corridor.
        "Glenn," she whispered. Her mouth felt like wool. There had been no inflection in his voice save slight surprise, and now she searched his face for signs of emotion.
        "What are you…what am I doing here?"
        "I need to talk to you," she managed.
        "I know what you’re going to say. Don’t bother."
        Purgatori’s stomach clenched. "But Glenn, listen please! I didn’t kill you! It was Pagan who - "
        "Yeah I know."
        " - ripp…what?"
        "When I died, I left my body. I saw everything that happened." He paused, his head tilted to one side. "It was pretty weird. I tried to talk to you, but I guess you couldn’t see me."
        "But I…if I hadn’t left you…"
        "Listen to me Purgatori. You saw a chance to avenge yourself against one of the fkrs who took your empire and tortured you. I asked you not to go, yes, but I had the luxury on not being you, do you understand?" She just looked at him in silence and he sighed. "Purgatori…sometimes what we need to do isn’t what we should do. It isn’t always the wisest choice. If we had been at the Gate and I had seen the men who killed my Sensei, you would not have been able to drag me through the Gate. I would have left you in a second to try and kill them, even if it meant giving up a chance to escape. Yeah, the best decision was to get out and regroup…the best logical reason. But logic doesn’t ease the heart. Believe me Purgatori, vengeance is a concept I’m very familiar w/."
        Purgatori lowered her head again and closed her eyes. "It hurts so much that you’re dead. I…I loved you…"
        "’Loved’. Past tense?"
        "No," she said emphatically, looking at him. "You know what I mean."
        "Yeah…well, if you still love me, do me a favour."
        "Anything."
        "Let go of this Purgatori. You didn’t do what you should have done, you did what you had to."
        "But it got you killed regardless! How can I…atone for that?"
        "Christ, Purgatori, haven’t you heard a word I’ve said?"
        "Yes," she whispered, "but…"
        He rose to his feet and she stood up too as he came over, stepping through his body. He reached out to stroke her cheek and she felt a delicate sensation like smoke brushing across her skin.
        "Look at me Purgatori. I’m dead, but so what? I’ve not vanished. I’m still around - you can call me anytime you want. My blood is in you - I’ll always be w/ you, always be part of you. I was p*ssed when a first got killed, but I’m fine w/ it now - everything didn’t end, it just changed. I still see you, I can still help you if you want. It’s fascinating here Purgatori : I’ve seen things I’ve never dreamt of."
        She reached out to hold his arm and clutched only air. "Do…do you forgive me?"
        "You didn’t kill me Purgatori. Your actions didn’t kill me, that fkr Pagan did."
        "Do you forgive me?"
        "Purgatori," he said gently. "It’s not my forgiveness you need. You need to forgive yourself."
        "I…think I can…now I know you don’t hate me."
        "It was an accident Purgatori. Don’t sweat it."
        "I…wish you could be here by my side. You would have been a fine general."
        "Me? Jesus. You want a good general, go find Akira."
        "I have already sent scouts…It will be some time before they return though."
        "Lexus explained. Ain’t time streams a bitch? Now, go sleep Purgatori. You’ve been wound up about this for too long. Go and cuddle up to Lexus and sleep well. We can talk later."
        Purgatori nodded silently. She closed her eyes and wiped the dampness from the eyelashes, and when she opened them again she was alone. She stood in the middle of the room, feeling the warmth gradually return, feeling her muscles trembling minutely from the release of tension.

        Lexus heard the elevator and her stomach knotted again. She rolled over onto her side, back to the door. If Purgatori was depressed she might blame Lexus for it - she would just lie and pretend to be asleep and see what Purgatori did. Give her a chance to cool off if she was upset. Purgatori was the last person you ever wanted to get into an argument w/. Oh Isis - she probably won’t hurt me, but I couldn’t bear it if she resents me! I was only trying to help! She listened to the soft and erotic sounds of the vampiress removing her clothing. Oh Isis…
        The bedclothes moved and Lexus felt the mattress give slightly as Purgatori slid in beside her.
        A cool arm slid around her waist as Purgatori pulled herself up close and Lexus thought she might cry w/ relief.
        "Purgatori? Is - "
        Soft lips kissed her ear oh-so-gently. "Yes," Purgatori breathed. "Everything is fine."
        Lexus’ entire body seemed to melt as she blew out a huge sigh of relief. She started to roll over but Purgatori stopped her.
        "No, lover. Let’s just…lie together. I just need someone to snuggle up to tonight."
        "Of course, sweetheart." Lexus relaxed and eased back, pressing her bare skin against Purgatori’s. She closed her eyes blissfully, relishing the curves of Purgatori’s body, the silky touch of her hair, and the reassuring weight of her arm around her waist, the hand gently stoking her belly. Lexus felt Purgatori nuzzle up to her neck, and felt how calm and relaxed the vampiress felt; so different from the tension-filled and guilt-wracked creature that had shared her bed these past couple of weeks,
twitching fitfully and mumbling and crying out in her sleep.
       Thank you Goddess. Thank you. We have lots to do to get the empire back to full strength, but none of that matters. Only Purgatori matters. She’s fine again. She’s at peace again. She still loves me. She still LOVESme - that’s the only thing that matters.
        Lexus closed her eyes and drifted off into a deep serene sleep, wrapped up in the protective loving arms of her vampire goddess.