After Vacarod left, Sagon sorted through the treasure. On the very top, he found a heavy bracelet with charms of different animals dangling from the links. Sagon peered at it closely. It was obviously expensive and very well made. As Sagon looked at the charms, he found a unicorn, a bird with flames for wings, a dragon, a winged horse - and, yes, here it was - a gryphon. Sagon laid the bracelet back in the box.

Alexir offered his advice on the possible value of some of the plainer pieces, and Sagon selected those he thought Lio would not mind parting with. He took them down to the business office, where they were weighed and carefully assessed. After the agreed upon amount was taken, he took the rest and headed back to the room. There he found that Lio was awake again, and calling for him.

"Here, I'm here, Lio," Sagon hurried across the room to Lio's side.

"I thought I dreamed you," Lio whispered.

"No, it was no dream. And I have news for you," Sagon said, smiling down at the terribly sick man on the bed.

"I used some of your treasure to buy your freedom. You are free, and still have enough to live on very comfortably. No one here can take that away from you, Lio. You may leave whenever you are ready, and choose your own life from now on." Sagon waited for the reaction, anticipating Lio's joy. Instead, a look of fear and horror crossed Lio's face.

"No, don't let them throw me out! Sagon, please, you've got to help me. Where will I go? What will I do?" Lio began sobbing. "I don't feel good, Sagon. My hands hurt, and my feet, too. I'm sick. I need to go home. Please, Sagon, help me."

"Lio, Lio, shh," Sagon was alarmed at Lio's reaction. The young man was almost hysterical. "I'm right here, I will stay with you for as long as you want me to. But I want you to understand, this is your choice. I don't own you, and you don't belong to me." Sagon sighed at the look of incomprehension in Lio's eyes.

He hastened to reassure the sick man, stroking his hand along Lio's tear stained cheek. "Lio, I'm not leaving you. I'll take care of you, stop crying. It's all going to be all right. You just worry about getting better so I can take you home. Then you can decide what you really want."

Lio sniffed and stared at him. "You're going to take me home? Really? My real home?"

"If we can find it, yes. You're real home," Sagon promised. He looked helplessly at Demetri, unsettled by Lio's emotional outburst. Demetri had prepared some more of the healing tea and brought it over, encouraging Lio to drink once more. The agate egg was still clutched in Lio's swollen hand.

After Lio drifted off, Demetri examined his arms and legs again. "Well, it doesn't look like the infection, if that is what it is, has spread any further. In fact," the healer brought a candle holder closer to the bed, "these streaks seem to be fading a bit." Demetri pointed to the red lines creeping up Lio's legs, which did seem to be fading from dark red to a lighter pink along the last inch or so.

Sagon nodded, hoping against hope that Lio would recover. If not, at least he would die a free man and not a slave. He walked over to the table and sat down, pouring himself some wine. Demetri pulled the light cover up over the sleeping man and joined Sagon. After several sips, Demetri began to speak.

"Sagon, don't be upset by whatever Lio says right now. He's very sick, and somewhat delusional due to his illness and the medicine. I'm not sure he understands what you've told him. Just do what you have to do and he'll figure it out."

Several hours later, Demetri was convinced that Lio had taken a turn for the better. His breathing was easier and he seemed more lucid, able to carry on a coherent conversation with the two men. Demetri finally persuaded Sagon to leave to make his arrangements.

Just before night fell, Sagon returned, determined to spend the night with Lio. Vacarod met him in the lobby.

"Sagon, if I might have a word with you," he said.

Later, fuming, Sagon stormed up to Lio's room. His noisy entrance startled Demetri, who had been dozing on the chair by Lio's bed.

"Of all the nerve!" Sagon hissed, mindful that Lio was resting easily. "That snake! That weasel! That…" Sagon sputtered, trying to find some other animal vile enough to use for comparison.

"Sagon, whatever is the matter?" Demetri asked, alarmed at the other man's ire.

"Vacarod! That heartless, conniving, money-grubbing…"

"What's he done?" Demetri demanded.

"Since I bought Lio, and he is now a free man, that slimy disgusting toad is charging rental on the room!" Sagon fumed.

Demetri couldn't help himself. He began to laugh. "Oh, Sagon! I'm sorry. But that's so like him. He can't believe Lio had all that gold here all that time and he didn't know about it! If he had, trust me, Lio wouldn't have any of it left."

Sagon looked at Demetri soberly. "I need to get him out of here, Demetri. How's he doing?"

"Amazingly, he seems to be doing much better. I don't have the faintest idea why, but his fever is down and the streaks are fading. He even drank some broth earlier and managed to keep it down. I think he can be safely moved within the next day or two. How are your plans going?" Demetri asked.

The two men sat down at the table where there was a tray with some bread, fruit, and cheese. Demetri poured the wine while Sagon ate some of the cheese he had grown so fond of.

"I took some of the plain chains to a couple of jewelers in town and sold them for coin. I don't want to get rid of all of it; after all, it is Lio's and not mine. I want him to choose what he wants to keep. Anyway, I bought a sturdy wagon and a couple of good horses to pull it, as well as a nice little mare he can ride when he gets better. I wonder if he knows how?" Sagon mused.

"Whether he knows how or not, it will be several weeks before he's strong enough," Demetri cautioned.

Sagon grunted, then continued. "When he's ready, we'll load up the wagon and head northeast, see what we can find. I got some maps of the area, and I just can't imagine where he can be from. There's not that many villages or towns that way, depending on how far north we go. Once we get to the mountains, well, who knows?"

The next two days passed quickly for Sagon. He arranged for delivery of the wagon and horses, then began to get their gear together. He bought food that would travel well and other camp supplies, including some heavy canvas sheets they could use for a ground sheet and protection form the elements as Lio was recovering, in case they found themselves too far from a village at nightfall. Sagon also had to buy all new clothes for Lio, as the silk pants and tops he wore at the Palace would do little to protect him from the elements, much less draw the kind of attention they would not need.

Lio continued to get better under Demetri's care, finally being able to eat solid food and get himself to the bathing room. Sagon spent all his spare time with Lio explaining to the young man what he was doing.

Lio was as excited as he had ever been. Once he understood that Sagon had purchased his freedom, but wanted Lio to stay with him, all his fears had melted away. He had been halfway afraid that Sagon would just abandon him once he left the Palace.

Sagon had laughed gently and reassured the former slave that, now that they could be together, it would take a team of wild horses to drag him away from Lio's side. Lio had blushed and told Sagon that he wanted nothing more than to stay with Sagon and serve him for as long as Sagon wanted him.

That last statement had brought a stern rebuke from the older man. "Lio, don't you understand yet? I want you with me because you want to be with me. Not because I own you or you owe me, or out of some sense of gratitude. But because you, Lio, want to be with me, Sagon. Do you want that, Lio?"

"Yes, Sagon. More than anything! I just can't believe… all this. That you're taking me home."

Sagon laughed again, something he was getting used to. "Oh, believe it, Lio. After all, you're financing this little trip, don't forget!"

Finally, the day came for them to depart. Sagon had loaded the wagon carefully, piling all their supplies and possessions on one side and making a soft pallet out of straw, blankets, and pillows for Lio on the other. Carefully, he and Demetri helped the still weak man out to the wagon. Before getting in, Sagon took him around to the back to meet his horse.

Lio's eyes lit up when he saw the dainty gray mare tethered next to the big warhorse. He walked right up to her and began to rub her nose, speaking softly to her. The mare twitched her ears at him and snorted softly into his hand.

"She likes me!" Lio exclaimed, looking exactly like a seventeen-year-old boy with his first horse. "Oh, you're a beauty, aren't you?" he crooned. "What's her name?" he asked, turning to Sagon.

"Well, I think that's up to you. She's your horse, after all," Sagon smiled.

"Mariah. That's what I'll call you. Mariah. It means 'wind'," Lio said. The mare nickered as if in agreement, and Lio laughed out loud. Beside her, the big warhorse snorted, as if that was the silliest thing he had ever heard.

Sagon smiled indulgently then helped Lio into the wagon. With a shake of the reins, they were off, heading for the north gate of the city. Once free of the town, they would make their way northeast to see what they could find.

Far away, in a green valley ringed by the mountains, an old man woke suddenly from his morning nap. He walked out into the bright sunshine and looked around at the withering crops and dying trees. He stared at the mountains, knowing of the savages that lived just across those peaks. Finally, he had a message of hope for his people. The man began to chant and sing, raising his voice so that all the people could hear.

"They are coming! They are coming! Let all make ready! Soon, before the snows fall, they will return." The old man turned until he faced south and west. "The Shaman and The Warrior are coming!"

End - maybe!

*Note - Tai Chi forms from Chen Tai Chi The only change was "Warrior Pounds Mortar" instead of "Buddha's Warrior Pounds Mortar"