Donogh Rees

The spirit of the evil Shamaness Alti (Claire Stansfield) attempts to capture the soul of Xena’s (Lucy Lawless) unborn child. When Xena (Lucy Lawless) experiences sharp pains in her stomach, Gabrielle (Renee O’Connor) takes her to see a midwife (Beryl Te Wiata). As the midwife examines her, a baby skeleton tears out of Xena’s belly. Horrified, Xena screams and loses consciousness. Gabrielle calls out to Xena and she wakes up - it was only a nightmare.

Richard and Cara help a small group of villagers escape ruthless slave traders, killing the aggressors in the process. The deaths disappoint the matriarch of the victimized people, a pacifist group called the Minders. Some of them, though, are tired of turning the other cheek while they are being subjugated and slaughtered, and enlist the Seeker’s aid in showing them how to protect themselves against future attacks. But Richard’s attempt to teach the Minders self-defense skills unleashes their building rage, which threatens to consume them and destroy the Seeker.