"Duncan?" As they reached a huge pair of gates a small dark-haired woman came running out. The largest wolf limped over to her and nuzzled her hand as she dropped to her knees and threw her arms around his neck, tears glistening in the blue eyes. After a pause, she turned her attention to the two women being carried by Gabriel and Raphael.

"Take them straight to my treatment room. The rest of you to my waiting room. I want to see all those cuts and bruises." She spoke in a tone that was a sign she would take no-nonsense. Chara couldn't help but instantly like the amazonian sounding woman, even if she was tiny, she had the soul of a commander. The vampires carried them towards an odd-looking dwelling, unlike anything Chara had seen before. She glanced back as she heard the small dark-haired woman's voice again sounding stern.

"Everyone!"

"I have guest rooms to set up and meals to prepare." Replied the unusually tall-looking dwarf, he looked uncomfortable as he was stared down by the petite woman.

"Everyone!" She repeated with her hands on her hips. The rest of the exchange was lost to the hind as she was carried inside the building and placed on a firm bed with the softest and whitest sheets Chara had ever seen.

The small woman came straight to Chara and tried to look at her stump which only humiliated the hind all the more, she pushed her hand away.

"It is long healed and requires no attention." She said trying to stop the woman from seeing the scarred remains of her leg.

"I'm a doctor, I just want to check."

Chara pushed her hand away again and listened. Was that Kaia's voice? Feeling a lump in her throat she turned her body and placed her foot on the floor. She was sure she knew that voice.

"Please, you need to stay in bed, you've sustained injuries."

"I... I hear my sister." Her voice cracked a little as she pushed herself from the bed and holding onto the wall with suddenly shaking hands started towards the door. She was so desperate to get to the sound of that voice she didn't even try to stop the doctor from putting her arm around her waist and helping her to the doorway. Nothing in that moment mattered more than getting to Kaia. When they reached the door Chara caught hold of the doorframe and stared in shock at her beautiful sister holding a tiny infant, she glared daggers at the vampire Gabriel.

"You flagitious pediculous excerebose morosoph." Spat Kaia angrily, her golden eyes flashing as she moved the fussing infant back up to her shoulder to start rubbing her back again.

"He doesn't seem like a wicked, lice-infected, brainless fool. But I didn't speak to him for long." Chara kept her voice even as she spoke, trying to battle the emotions that were raging to break free. Kaia turned her face slowly at the voice and gasped.

"Chara?" Kaia stared at her, her eyes wide and her mouth open. Her anger seemingly forgotten as tears filled her eyes.

"He had said you were here but even hearing your voice... I needed to see for myself after all this time." Without taking her eyes off her sister Kaia handed her infant to the child's father and threw herself at her sister. Flinging her arms around her neck making the two of them topple to the floor to just sit holding each other as the emotions overwhelmed her and Kaia began to cry. Chara wrapped her arms around her youngest sister and let her own tears flow. She didn't even notice as silently everyone filed out through the other door leaving them to their moment.

"Chara? Is it really you?"

"Yes. Kaia, I never thought I'd see you again." Her one golden eye swam with tears as she held her baby sister's face.

"Oh Chara, your leg? Your eye? What happened to you? They told me Zeus killed you all."

"It's a long story. What happened to you? What did Artemis do with you?"

"That's a long story too." Sobbed Kaia as she held her sister close and both women sobbed, pulling each other even closer.

***

Myron looked up from the metal he was hammering as a shadow fell over the entrance to his forge.

"Gabriel. What brings you to town? No Kaia?" Gabriel smiled at his friend and strolled over to the anvil where he was working.

"No, she's at home. We found one of her sisters still alive, they haven't left each other's sides since, I had to sleep in a spare room last night." He chuckled. "The sisters a little war-battered and I was hoping you might be able to craft her a new leg." One of Kaia's sisters still lived? He swallowed a calming breath. One of the hinds.

"I've not made a leg before but I would imagine I can." Replied the centaur eyeing a large piece of oak across the room he'd been planning to craft into bows. He tried not to let his mind think about what Gabriel had just said, it couldn't be his hind, not after all this time. He couldn't think like that. The disappointment would be too much. His hind was gone.

"When could you come by?"

"Winston got any pies made up?" He wanted to shout now and dash out of his forge, Gabriel laughed at his old friend.

"Yes, he had two in the pantry if Raphael hasn't beaten you to them."

"Give me twenty minutes to pack up. I was going to stop soon anyway." Watching as the centaur pulled the heavy leather apron over his head Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck.

"You were at the battle where the Oracle was lost weren't you?"

"Yeah. It's how I lost this." Replied Myron pointing to his missing eye. "Heavy casualties that day. My village didn't get there in time to save many of the amazons. Didn't think any of the hinds survived."

"What actually happened?"

"I can't tell you much more than the history books. By the time we got there, most of the amazons were dead, the temple vanished within minutes of me reaching it. Trolls, ogres and demons had taken over and were slaughtering everyone. Then the bright flash of light that we now know was Zeus' lightning bolted killing the hinds." He looked at the vampire's brow which was creased with worry.

"You're worried Zeus will come after the sister?" Gabriel nodded.

"Thoughts crossed my mind. It would kill Kaia. You haven't seen them together. They are clinging to each other and baby Artemis like drowning men a stray branch in the river."

"Two Kaias. You have your hands full." He was trying to sound calm and chatty but the centaur could hear the stress in his own voice.

"Oh no. This one's as tough as an old minotaur's hide. She's not as excitable, innocent or chatty as Kaia, that one's definitely seen things. She doesn't seem too interested in cake either."

"We never met the hinds. They didn't leave the temple. But I heard tell, the oldest was as dangerous a warrior as any amazon only stronger physically."

"Maybe I shouldn't get her that leg." Laughed the vampire, "I think she's a little nonplussed at her sister being with a lower creature. Or it's just her countenance, I'm not sure. She gives little away."

"You need to stop thinking like that." Said the older man as he put his tools away. Myron paused and glanced back to the vampire then back to what he was doing. "I wonder if she knows what happened to that amazon I saw." Cadmus had told Gabriel the story of Myron's mystery woman decades ago. Since finding Kaia Gabriel could understand his drive to find the woman again or at least discover her fate. Myron found his hands a little shaky as he got ready to leave. It isn't her, he told himself over and over. If only he could kill the hope that had sprung up in his heart. Damn Pandora for keeping hope in the box. It was truly the worst of all sins.

"You can ask her. She's not the chattiest though as I said. You might manage a yes or no."