The end result finding, they are hunted.

         What the queen has learned? She is afraid of what she has found out. Someone has

been dealing with the daemon, as she found that perhaps the other woman was dealing with

the daemon and perhaps she is responsible for doing this woman having come here. Tears

ran from her eyes, she wrung her hands about. Her skin was white as talc powder.


         She looked at Sir Grey as he stood there trying to calm his nerves. He was trembling,

his eyes narrowed to a pinprick in scale, he rubbed her back as he tried to reassure her that

she was safe. He said,"You are safe. No one can come here to see you. I will see to that."


         She sobbed. Torts of water poured from her. Her teeth were being grit together and eyed

Sir Grey. She held his forearm in her hands.


         Benedict carried the garments of the bishop away from the room. Three guards helped him

carry the garments away from the room. He was shaking, his mouth was dry. Tears ran from his

eyes. Stared into the room. It seemed of decay. It was putrid. He saw an image of a dragon appear

in the room, it was a shadow but he saw it there, he could not believe what he was seeing. The

dragon's shadow loomed before him. His foot steps faltered, a sleeve of the garment fell to the floor, as

his foot made its purchase there. He fell head over heels to the floor.


         A chill slithered down his spine, he was wept. The shadow turned to look at him, he saw a green iris

that was a slit. It opened its maw, the priest saw a forked tongue uncurled to sweep out of its maw. It

looked black as pitch, it touched him and he felt the chill of its tongue reach his arm. It felt solid as stone,

there was a cold sense of moisture there.


         It batted his arm, he tried to get to his feet. The weight of the tongue was enormous, it drove him to

his knees. Its maw was filled with huge fangs, a massive forked unigue that leapt out of its maw seeking

to find its prey. He saw a faint light within its maw. The tongue was thick and ungainly. His fall caused the

others to turn and face him. The guards charged toward it.


         Benedict screamed, "No!"


         Sir Grey whirled about to see what was there. He saw the shadowy dragon. Its gums were grey,

and the fangs were also grey, the nostrils were black, it looked solid enough to be real. He leapt at its

neck, his sword was in his hands in less then an instance. He reached out to grab its neck. The scales

gave him a hand hold on it. His fingers fit beneath the scales, The scales felt sharp and jagged. It had to

be real, but he had killed it already. Or had he? He was not sure, the bishop helped him do this, didn't he?


         Smoke billowed out of its maw and nostrils. Sir Grey hung onto its neck as it tried to shift its head.

Its scales tried to crush his fingers of his empty hand. He let go of its neck slid to the floor on his belly.

Blood ran from his finger tips. He rolled over on to his back. Struggled to get to his feet, he dropped his

sword on the floor. The dragon lowered its tongue toward Sir Grey, he swung his sword at it catching it

inside its mouth, the right fang began to tremble.


          A droplet fell from its mouth. The droplet burst exploded covering Benedict and Sir Grey in its

poison.


         The massive tongue rose up from the Benedict on his knees. His back stung from the weight of

it resting on his shoulders and back, he struggled to remain upright. He fought for every gasp of air his

lungs gave him to breath. he rolled out from beneath it. The tongue slapped the ground where he was

kneeling. It rose to the ceiling.


         The other soldiers swung their weapons at it. Its tail caught a few of the guards. The guards

were driven into the nearest wall. Their weapons bounced off the dragon's hide.


         Sir Grey luimbered to his feet, he lifted his sword. It seemed lighterr in hsi hands. He swung the

sword as a droplet fell upon the sword's blade. The sword began to glow in a silver light. He trembled

as he swung the sword at its tail. The sword sank beneath its scales.


         He felt the electricuty that surged through the blade. It filled his soul. He saw an image of himself

hiolding this very sword. He saw huim swing the sword to cleave through a body of an undead soldier.

He knew he had not done this. Yet what was he seeing, He did not know.


         Blsck fluid spilled from where the sowrd made contact. A segment of its tail was flung into the

wall with such force to batter its way through the wall od the room beside the bed where Marissa sat

weeping trying to remove the teats which sped from her eyes to remove tha talc from her face where

it ran.


         Sir Grey brushed his hair from his eyes. He was excited seeing this having happened. He

did not know what was happening to him or what he was seeing. The weapon had been handed

down from father to son. It must be blessed in some fashion. He had never seen the sword

behave in such a fashion as this. The other soldiers steppped a way from him as he strode

tpward the dragon.


         The dragon tirned its frightful maw to him, a gout of fleme engulfed him. It was deep red in

hue. The fire should have consumed him but it did not. He laughed as the fire flared about him. Sir

Grey did not fell anything that was wrong about his situation presently before him.


         The dragon threw its right hand toward him to knock him off his feet. Sir Grey saw the hand

began to try to grab him. He swung his sword at its hand.. He cleaved off its thumb. The dragon

pulled back its wounded hand. Bringing its head toward Sir Grey, it seemed as if it disregarded any

of the attacks by the soldiers.


         Sir Grey had grown in size. He felt as if he was growing larger in size and muscle mass.

The dragon did not move away from him. It He swung his sword at its head catching it just

below its jaw. The blood ran down its neck, the neck was as tall as the person who was there.

The muscles made ir almost impossible to cleave through it. He had to finght to have it do this.

He struggled as it had tore through its neck.


         "What happened to you?" Jarrat said as he stepped into to join him in his arrack, He to

swung his sword at the dragon. recoiled in terror of the weapon held by his hand. The sword

was glowing brightly, smoke rose from the blade. The fluid that was on the sword's edge was

black, there rose a scent that was pungent and awful.


         "I don;t know what you are talking about?", Sir Grey smiled at him, he was surprised at

his observing this, He did not know what was happening to himself, but the weapon felt

amazingly light in his hands,


         "You've grown bigger in an instance."


         "What do you mean?" Sir Grey said as he found he could not lift the sword any longer.

It fell from his hand. He toppled to his knees. He looked haggarded from attacking the dragon.


         Queen Matissa believed hat they were safe. Now. She looked at the dragon's body that

lay there in pieces. White wisp of smoke crawled skyward. Marissa thought she saw blood \

run from the smoke's body, she thought she could see blood run from its appendages of

which there were four appendages looked like those of the same dragon who attacked them.

$$$$

         The King climbed to his feet, he looked a lot younger than he had been when the soldiers

were with him. He lifted his hand to his sword. He lifted it into the air. He smiled as he rose. He

looked as if he did not have a worry in anything that is there. An arrow sped toward his heart

beneath his breastplate. It bounced off his chest, he looked in horror at the archer who fired the

arrow at him.


         His own soldiers turned to face the archer and they fired their arrows at him. The archer

did not have a chance to ellude their arrows as they sped to him. He fell to the ground with

several arrows in his body. The other archers looked at the rest of the soldiers there with the

archer who has been killed by the soldiers of the other faction of fighters.


         They began to walk toward where they had come from. They were aware of what they

had gotten themselves into, they had to get to their castle. They had to walk toward to their

kingdom. Their King knew that they were safe once again. There were no soldiers their to attack

them. They were sertain that they had to do this.


         They were happy with this happening. They were afraid of what the Pope would do. If they

retreated frim where they had been sent by the Pope. They were exhausted having to walk back

to their kingdom from this and they were fearful of what they have been doing there.


         Around them was bodies of the dead and their own soldiers were there as well. The area was

strewn with them and their dead horses as well. THye felt that they were having to be careful of what

they were doing, The soldiers of other soldiers who were protecting hem as well had taken an arrow

to their king did not suggest that they would appreciate this happening.


         They did not let their guard down as they came through the woods. The other soldiers did not

look as if they were happy doing this. A few of them reached for their weapons as they passed them.

The soldiers did not lower their weapons until they were long gone.


         There were communities between where they were doing to their realm. The people of these

communities wouldn't be pleasent seeing them return through their land. They knew that they would

have to careful to do this.

%%%

         Oliva woke on the strreet there was a crowd about her looking at her form as she lay there.

She slowly lifted her head from where it lay. She ran her tongue about her mouth to see if she

could see if she lost her teeth. Tasted blood in her mouths.She hadn't that was a releif. The crowd

slowly disperesed. as she sat up.


         She asked,"What happened? Where is Jules?"


         The other people looked at her in disbelief, they could not understand what she was talking

about. It did not make sense, she was here. Where was this Jules? They were on a street beside

the dock. They had seen her running toward the dock, there was a man in front of her attacked

her. They saw this happen. Didn't they?


         One of men kneeled before her asked, "Where's who?'


         That made sense, but there was no one else around here, that could be this person she

was calling Jules. Unless he was where she had come from, that could be the answer that she

was seeking to find. One of them walked toward the sidewalk. where they were going to find him..


         She rose to her feet and followed them from where she had come. She arrived on the

street where Jules had hung. She saw men encircling some thing at the door to this tavern. She

saw Jules' face within the circle of men. She approached being careful not draw any undesired

interest in her.


         Jules said,"Oliva. You are okay. Did you find the bowman who shoot me?"


         "I did find him. He knocked me out and fled the scene. I am afraid?"


         "So, Where did you go?"


         "To the wharves." Oliva supplied as she raised her sleeve so she could handle his

wound, the blood fell in torts.


         "I think, I should see a surgeon to heal my wound!"


         The men about him and her agreed with that suggestion. They led him to the surgeons

abode. The surgeon looked at him as he nearly fell on the floor as he stumbled in, The surgeon

looked at the man, He reached for his arm to keep him from falling, Jules crashed into the

examination table.


         The surgeon lifted his legs up to the table, he shifted his weight to allow him to arrive

on the table. He removed his jacket and shirt he saw the fletching feathers that were on its

base. The surgeon dug a larger hole in his shoulder toi clean the wound. He tore away at

the hole in the arm. Blood ran and spilled onto the floor. He whistled as he began to draw

up the bolt from the shoulder. The surgeon had to cut through the clothing he was wearing.


         Jules bit his tongue to avoid screaming. His hand was clutched as he tried to calm

his nerves from allowing him to be worked upon. The surgeon had to break the bolt in two.

He moved about like a man possessed. He smiled as eh finshed his work. He said,"Its

done."


         "Thank you. I think we should go to the wharves where you saw him," Jules ]

suggested as he luifted himself from the table where he was laying.

         He was moving although it was slow movement, heading toward the door through they

had used to enter the room.

###

         Carta tried to kill Jules by his crossbow but missed. He needed to make the

bounty on his head, he wanted to collect. But he needed the body to collect it. It would be

good if he got it. He could relax and take it easy. He hadn't done this yet. He sat in the

tavern. It was a busy place. People were playing cards, others were drinking. A minstrel was

playing on his lute. A woman danced to his music that he played.


         Beautiful women were plying their trades there as well as the males there. It was

good money. Carta could do with some pleasure he thought. The innkeeper made a

sizable profit with them doing their business there. He knew what they would do.


         He never had any difficulties with them, the new comer has arrived a day ago. He was

a quiet sort, kept his head down. He got on board from the castle that they were going away

from. He paid for s safe passage,


         He was wearing a silk blouse, black pants. On his belt hung a sword. It seemed as

if he had been carrying crossbow in his possession. He lost the crossbow when he reappeared.

When a customer walked toward him, he looked up at the figure who approached him.


         Jarta looked at her, she was shapely. She put her hand on his shoulder, he smiled and

said, "What do you want?"


         "To take you to my bed. Are you interested in me," her silver hair fell past her shoulder

in curlss, the blouse she wore was open to the navel. Her legs were enclosed in stockings. The

skirrt she was wearing barely hid her bottom.


         He reached out to grab her hand, as he got to his feet. They barged through the crowd as

they made their way to the stairway, where there were rooms upstairs for the patrons to partake

of the people desiring to have sex with each other.




"Rome"