Tholos.



She seems to Samantha Bliss to be more in a daze than hurt, but she isn’t letting her guard down just yet. And as Morganna relates to them the events that she stumbled onto Samantha can feel a burning rising from the pit of her stomach.
“I thought when I first got here that he was alone.. He was standing over the bloody body of a young girl, she was wearing the third piece of the stone around her neck. He ripped it from her corpse as I was walking up, he looked right at me and next thing I knew I had three of those hounds on me, I fought them off just as he was hitting the path. Just like a fool I followed him and the other three hounds came up behind me and took my legs out from under me, I took out two of the hounds but he still has the other four with him.”
Samantha Bliss stands to address the members of team Alpha.
“If he has the stone, we have to go after him, Klinger hang back with your team, check the outlining areas for any sign of survivors, they may have a root cellar or something where people could hide. We aren’t leaving here for threshold until we know if anyone is alive. Sil, Ajax, Priss and I will go after the stone. And Kling?” she leans towards him nodding in the direction of Morganna.
“Keep an eye on her.”
As they turn to leave Morganna addresses her . Her voice much softer than before.
“Samantha?”
She turns to face Morganna.
“Yes Morganna?”
“If you cross it up with him, you’ll have a better chance if you leave the hounds to Sil. She’s too fast for them. And of course You already realize..”
She stares silently studying the Angel.
“You can’t let him leave this place with the stone.”

Release The Hounds.



She lets Sil take the lead down the trail with her Ajax and Priss right behind her. The little spitfire seems to be able to smell the hounds, and is the most familiar with them more so than anyone else is in the group.
They follow her lead into the deep woods up one incline and down the next, until they come to a steep slope heading up the side towards a cliff face. She stops to address Samantha Bliss.
“They’re up there, Probably in that cave Samantha. Do you want me to go in first?”
She looks up at the cave opening.
“We’re going to stay close Sil, just in case you get into trouble.”

Almost as soon as she enters the cave mouth the first two hounds are at her, and Sil quickly dispatches the first one but the second is faster than she expects and takes her off her feet and is on her, snarling and biting. That is until the massive hands of Ajax find their way around its throat. Literally ripping it off of Sil . He pushes on the smaller animal and it lets out a small whimpering noise as he snaps its neck and throws it to the side.
He reaches down helping Sil to her feet. And gives her a little wink.
“Just thought you could use a little help.”
Samantha and Priss catch up with them. Sil Smiles at her.
“ Maybe we should do this together?”
She nods. Further into the cave they hear the faint echoes of the other two Hounds, Tholos isn’t far now.

Scratch. ABT. Copyright © 2007.