Destiny’s Dominion

Chapter Thirty Six: Chobos and Demi-Gods
The sun was out, the sky was a wonderful shade of vivid blue and there were thunderclouds gathering around the Queen Regent of the Amazons as she sat brooding in the council chamber over some last minute details that she had to sort out before they could set off for Acanthus. Nearly all of the Amazon's were doing their best to avoid going anywhere near her, and the members of the Royal Guard who stood on duty outside the door were given pitying glances by any of their sisters who happened to pass quickly by.

The current pair stood stiffly and wore long suffering, patient, looks on their faces as they hoped their reliefs would arrive before their ruler decided that she needed to yell at someone again. Since they were the only one's to offer a likely target, with everyone else keeping their heads down and well away from the council chamber, they had taken more than their fair share of Ephiny's blistering tongue.

"How long before this state visit sets off?" hissed Calli, a young woman with mousy brown hair who had just been promoted into the Guard.

"Tomorrow," replied her older partner, Amantha, feelingly. "Hopefully she'll calm down once she gets on the road, otherwise I can foresee much misery for our sisters."

"I'm glad we're not going," muttered back Calli, who had gotten over her disappointment at not being chosen as part of the escort having been subjected to the Regent's bad temper during the past week.

"I can hear you muttering out there," came a thunderous voice from within the building, "If you two can't stand your guard as Amazon's should, perhaps you could both use some time in one of the outer villages digging up some weeds."

Amantha rolled her eyes theatrically, "Has she been taking lessons from the Warrior Princess?" she murmured to Calli and almost yelped as the door was flung open to reveal a scowling Ephiny.

"I heard that, Amantha," she snarled, her eyes sparking dangerously and giving ample warning that the Regent's temper was still full blown. She glared at the older Amazon who lowered her eyes and had the grace to look embarrassed at being caught out. "I want you two to get Eponin and Solari for me. You'll find them in the corral."

"Umm, we're not supposed to leave you unguarded you know, Eph," put in Amantha tentatively. The fact that she didn't really want to disturb the other two Amazon's who were rumoured to be sorting out some of their current differences .. strictly against the Regent's orders as she'd decreed that the pair should stay well away from each other .. was the only thing that gave her the courage to say anything.

"Ye Gods and Gorgons!" roared Ephiny, "Amantha, you and Calli get over to wherever they are and tell them to stop the fight right now and get back here to me, double quick, or I'll have them both hung out to dry and after they can join you out on the farm digging weeds until I get back!"

The pair took one look at the enraged Queen Regent and shot off faster than a speeding chakram heading for the corral behind the barn, where they knew that Solari and Eponin were 'sparring'.

"I don't think I'd want to be in their shoes," Calli told her friend as they sprinted along.

"At the moment, Calli, I'm not too keen on being in our shoes," commented Amantha wryly.

Ephiny glared around the town square of Themiscyra and had the satisfaction of seeing several curtains twitch as women pulled their heads back to avoid attracting their Ruler's dubious attention. Nodding her head in satisfaction, a scowling Ephiny, stalked back into the roomy, well appointed chamber that had one door and one large window at the rear .. furnished with some good rugs and comfortable chairs.. and made her way to her desk, sitting down with a thump on the cushioned seat.

She drummed her fingers on the table in nervous anger. Even after she had made her decision about who went and who stayed, Solari and Eponin had continued to bicker, finding things to niggle each other about, causing Ephiny, who was concerned and short tempered with worry about Gabrielle and Xena, to descend into a mood that had been likened, by more than one Amazon, to a bear with a mouth full of sore teeth.

The whole situation had gotten so bad, she had forbidden the pair to approach each other. The fact that they had disregarded her orders, over that, was bad enough, but to be so lax about it as to allow her to hear about their projected duel, was well out of order. She had enough to worry about without her two lieutenants acting like children and allowing Tarelle and her bunch to observe the whole sorry business.

That was how she'd found out about the 'sparring' match. Tarelle had taken great delight in revealing it to her at lunch, even telling her the time that it was due to start, which was how she knew when to judge to send Amantha and Calli off to round them up. Now she sat and waited, her temper at boiling point and she just knew that she was going to end up saying something to the pair that they were all going to regret.

Lost in her reverie, she almost didn't hear the soft creak of a floorboard behind her. Reacting with the ingrained instincts of a natural warrior, Ephiny flung herself out of her seat, executing a forward roll and came up ready to face her attacker as she heard the heavy thud of chobos smashing into the back of the chair she had just vacated. A quick glance took in all the relevant details. The woman was dressed in Amazon leathers, but her hair and features were hidden by a kind of hood that had eye holes and was drawn closed around the neck. Whoever the assassin was, she didn't intend to be recognised.

Ephiny braced herself for the attack that she knew was coming, watching the expert way that the chobos were flourished as the assassin stalked her intended prey. With a startling rapidity, the attacker swung a weapon towards the Regent's legs and, as Ephiny reacted, reversed her stroke hitting the blonde warrior hard in the stomach and heavily across the upper left arm with the second chobo.

Grunting with pain, Ephiny tried to back off from the assassin who stalked her intently across the room. The Regent threw a chair into the other woman's path, which the intruder neatly side-stepped and gave a low chuckle in response. Attempting to buy herself some time, Ephiny took a leaf out of Gabrielle's book and tried talking her way through this situation, "Who are you? What do you want?" she demanded, knowing that they were inane questions, but the bard always said it didn't matter how you got started, just find a way to make your enemy talk.

Another low chuckle was the only response she got, followed by a lightning quick attack, that Ephiny barely avoided by launching herself into another diving roll across the room. The move brought her close enough to where she had left a fighting staff leaning against a wall from a practice session a few days before. Heaving a sigh of relief, she grabbed the weapon and turned to face the assassin who backed off warily, knowing that facing an unarmed Regent was one thing, while being matched against an angry armed Regent was quite another.

Deciding that discretion was the better part of valour, the woman, gave another low laugh and backed off before turning suddenly and diving out of the rear window that she'd entered the room by. Ephiny rushed after her and swept the area outside the window with angry brown eyes. There was no sign of the assassin to be seen.

The noise of the door opening behind her made her almost leap out of her skin as she whirled, with her staff at the ready, to take on any other would be attackers. She lowered it slowly as she realised that it was only Solari arriving, "Where's Eponin?" the Regent demanded with a snap in her voice that demanded an immediate answer from her lieutenant.

"How would I know, Eph?" returned the taller dark haired woman, calmly, "You ordered me to keep away from her, remember?" Her intent gaze took in the dishevelled look of her ruler and the unusually untidy condition of the chamber, "You wanna tell me what's up?" she asked quietly, "and why weren't Amantha and Calli at their posts?"

"I sent them to find you," Ephiny told her tensely. "I'd heard that you and Ep were going to try to knock each other senseless down in the corral."

"What!" yelled Solari, "and you believed it! What's more you left yourself unguarded! Eph, what's gotten in to you just lately?"

Ephiny looked at her guard commander in utter disbelief, "WHAT'S GOTTEN IN TO ME!" she shrieked, her anger, worry and recently inflicted fear all rising to push her into a roaring rage, "Not only do I have our pig headed, stubborn little Queen to worry myself sick over, along with her half mad, wholly dangerous and likely unstable champion, my two lieutenants have been snapping at each other like schoolgirls, and someone has just been in here ...," she swallowed and paused before adding in a softer tone, "... trying to take my head off with a damned set of chobos."

"What's all the screaming in here?" demanded Eponin as she shouldered her way into the council chamber past a dumb struck Solari, "Oh, hi Soli," she said quietly putting a little distance between herself and the guard commander before turning back to the Queen Regent, "What's up Ephiny?" she asked carefully, "Why did you send Amantha and Calli to find me?" she asked, gesturing to the two guards who stood just outside the open doorway.

"Because, I thought ..." she looked at her two expectant lieutenants and tried again, "Because I was told ... Oh Hade's armpits!" she cursed, "I was taken for a sucker is what," she told them as she ran her hands through her fair curls and winced at the pain that spasmed in her upper left arm.

"You're hurt," accused Eponin, moving over to Ephiny's side as Solari moved to the other.

"It's nothing," she assured them slapping away their anxious hands, "Just a bruise. There's nothing broken," she told them firmly.

"Who told you that we were supposed to be having a fight?" questioned Solari intently, drawing a questioning glance from Eponin. "We were supposed to be having a go at each other in the corral," she told the weapons master.

"Tarelle," admitted Ephiny.

"You think she set this up?" quizzed Eponin, her face turning grim.

A cough came from the doorway, "Ah, excuse me," broke in Amantha, "That fight was common knowledge. Anyone could have started the rumour. Tarelle might just have been gloating, or she could have instigated it," she pointed out carefully. "If she started the rumour, you can bet you'll never trace it back to her. She'll have covered her tracks pretty well."

"You two get in here," ordered Ephiny roughly, "and close that damned door behind you," she instructed, "We don't need everyone hearing this."

"Is this going to alter our plans?" asked Eponin as she seated herself on the desk and raised an eyebrow at Ephiny until she resumed her seat in her chair.

"No," the Regent said firmly, "It's important that we find Gabrielle and make sure she's safe, and the only place we're going to do that is in Rome." She sighed and wiped a hand across her forehead, "I don't think whoever it was intended to kill me, probably just hurt me enough to stop the embassy from leaving. If they'd wanted my death they'd have used something other than chobos."

"You're probably right," agreed Eponin. "A crossbow bolt would have done the job perfectly," she said eying the window. "Isn't it about time we put guards out there too?" she asked Solari, whose responsibility that was.

The guard commander looked as if she might argue the point with Eponin, but then sighed and shrugged before saying, "We tried that when Gabrielle was here the time before last, but she went ballistic and told me it was like being a prisoner. So for self defence, I removed the window guards, figuring that Xena would be around to take care of any problems. We never got around to replacing them. It was an oversight on my part and I'll take responsibility for what happened."

"Bit late for that now," grumped Eponin.

"Oh, hush," Ephiny told her quietly, "You two and this bickering is what gave them this opening in the first place. Now I want it ended here and now. There is to be no feud within my supporters." She looked at Solari, "Soli, I know that you're disappointed about not being able to go with us, but you really are the best person for the job here, and Ep is the best for the work we may have to do in Rome. So let's just stop all this niggling and make sure we've got everything settled before I leave in the morning." She wiped a tired hand over her brow, "You two," she said to Amantha and Calli, "go back to your posts. One of you take the door, while the other take the window for now, until we get the rosters changed."

Both bowed and intoned together, "As the Queen commands," grinning as they straightened up.

"Get out of here," smiled Ephiny in return.

Once they had left the room, the Regent turned to her two remaining companions and spoke clearly and calmly, "The burden of trying to solve who my attacker was is going to fall on you, Soli," she told the guard commander. "I very much doubt that it was Tarelle herself, although I can't be absolutely certain because she had a hood on. Don't be too obvious about it, but see what you can find out."

"Of course I will, Eph," assured the competent woman, "I don't take kindly to having the Queen attacked by one of our own, so if ... no when I find her, I'm going to make her wish she had gone straight to Tartarus in a bucket. It should give me something to occupy my time with while you're gone."

"Oh believe me, Soli, you'll have plenty of things to do," she assured her friend, "You won't believe the things that pile up if you don't attend to them each day." Ephiny turned her attention to Eponin, "You're going to have another problem," she told her.

"Tarelle?" the weapons master asked.

"If she was behind this, then she's going to cause us trouble in Rome, if not before we get there. I want her and her playmates watched carefully at all times. That's going to be your responsibility Eponin. Make sure that the people you use are fully loyal to us." the blonde regent instructed solemnly.

"I've got a dozen or so that I'd trust with our lives," nodded Eponin in confirmation.

"Yeah, but make sure that they can be trusted with Gabrielle's life too ... and Xena's if possible," pointed out Ephiny with concern evident in her voice.

"Don't worry over it too much, Eph," answered the dark haired Weapons Master, "We've handpicked the guard, except for Tarelle and her bunch. I'd trust all of them. They're loyal to Gabrielle and most of them have a respect for Xena, even if they're a little wary of her ... but then there are not many who aren't, are there?"

"Fine," acceded the Regent, "I'll leave that in your hands then. Well ladies, we better get to work, I want to be on the road at first light in the morning."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

The following morning, the Amazon contingent set off on the first stage of their trip to Rome. They had been on the march for a quarter of a candlemark before the sun pressed above the thickly treed forest and gave promise of a hot, cloudless day. Nearly all the Amazon's were in high spirits, the exception being Tarelle and her crew of seven who had done everything they possibly could to avoid taking this trip.

It was a long, hot tiring day, as Eponin pushed the pace hard. They didn't expect any trouble this close to home, but the scouts were sent out anyway, as a routine precaution and to ensure that everyone got used to being alert and ready for any trouble that might come their way. Amazon's were often feared and misrepresented in the areas surrounding their territories, and such a large, heavily armed band, passing through the lands was bound to attract attention .. likely unfriendly.

They made good time and were close to the edge of Amazon territory when they stopped to make camp for the night. Tarelle and her clique had been assigned kitchen duties .. Eponin was not about to entrust them with scouting missions, nor allow them out from under her eyes. The reluctant travellers weren't too keen on either being there, or the tasks they had been assigned, but under direct orders from the Queen Regent, there wasn't a lot that they could openly do about it.

The atmosphere within the encampment was generally happy and good natured with most of the Amazon's looking forward with eager anticipation to the delights and sights of Rome. Hardly any of them had travelled far from their own lands, partly because they never found the need, but mainly because their people were looked on with resentment and suspicion from others. This trip, then, was something of a thrill for the older hands as well as the younger woman who had been brought along for the experience.

The Amazon's were just settling down for the night's sleep, when one of the pickets came loping back into the camp, making straight for where Ephiny and Eponin were settling down.

"What's up Karrellie?" asked Eponin, sitting up on her sleeping furs.

"The forward patrol's come across a man camped at the border of our lands, they're bringing him in now. He says he knows the Queen. Both of them," she added.

"Does this man have a name?" questioned Ephiny with sharp interest.

"Soma passed the word that he was calling himself Hercules," supplied the picket, "They should be here almost any time."

"Okay, Karrellie," said the Weapons Master, throwing off her blanket and climbing to her feet just a moment after Ephiny, "go back to your post and make sure you keep your eyes peeled." Eponin threw a glance at the blonde Regent, "Do you know Hercules?" she asked.

"We've met," she admitted, "and he's a real good friend of Gabrielle's and more especially, Xena."

They waited impatiently for Soma and her patrol to bring the man they had found back to the camp. Most of the Amazon's were asleep by the time that the group reached the encampment, but those still awake watched with frank appreciation as a huge, well muscled man strode confidently into the camp surrounded by six Amazon's who looked faintly on edge.

As his gaze lighted upon Ephiny, the man's face broadened into a friendly smile and his blue eyes twinkled in delight. The Regent had to admit to herself that he was a handsome man. He moved with a confidence that gave him a natural grace, for all of his size, and yet he exuded a gentleness that seemed totally out of keeping with the prominent muscles he sported.

"Hello, Ephiny," he greeted, moving towards her and Eponin, "Or should I say Queen Ephiny?"

"Ephiny's fine, Hercules," she responded warmly, "What brings you to these parts?"

"I was looking for news of my friend, Iolaus," he explained. "I heard that an Amazon delivered a message to him while I was away, and that he rushed off on some mission somewhere. He's been gone weeks now, and no one seems to know where he is. Can you tell me anything?"

Eponin and Ephiny looked at each other before the Regent drew a deep breath and waved Soma and the patrol away, "Go send out a fresh patrol and then get yourselves something to eat." As they moved off Ephiny turned back and faced the demi-god and motioned him to sit, "Can I offer you something to eat or drink?" she asked politely.

"No, I'm fine," he assured her with a relaxed smile, "but I really would like to know what's going on. It's not often that over a hundred Amazon's are seen headed out of their territories, and I really would like to know what you can tell me about Iolaus."

A fire close by crackled and popped as a knot in the wood exploded in the heat, almost making them start at the unexpected noise that had filled the sudden silence. Ephiny took a breath and tried to work out where to start, "This is a long convoluted tale," she warned him, "and for it to make any sense, I'm going to have to go back a way."

Hercules nodded, "Well I'm not in any hurry to go anywhere tonight," he assured them, "Tell me your tale and let's see what I can make of it."

"Did you know about Xena's son, Solan?" the blonde Amazon asked intently, "because that's where this story starts."

"I've heard the stories," Hercules admitted, "I haven't seen Xena or Gabrielle since it happened."

Ephiny crossed her legs and rested her arms on her knees, making herself as comfortable as possible as she began her story, "I was there, at the Centaur conference," she explained, "You know my son, Xenan, is a centaur prince, grandson of Tyldus?"

"I know," smiled Hercules, "I hope he's well, he seemed a fine young boy."

"He's just great, he's staying with Tyldus for a while," smiled the Regent happy that Hercules remembered her son, "Well Xena and Gabrielle came and what you've heard is most likely true. Do you know Gabrielle's daughter, Hope?"

"Our paths have crossed," he said bleakly.

"Well, she freed Callisto and then the pair of them plotted the death of Solan, Xena's son. Gabrielle was caught in the middle. She didn't want to believe her daughter was evil, the instrument of her father Dahok, and her love blinded her to it. She placed Hope in a position where she was able to kill Solan and that betrayal destroyed something in Xena for a while. Yet even in her pain and suffering, she pulled off some kind of miracle by sealing Callisto up in the Ixion Caverns, while Gabrielle used poison to kill her daughter."

"Sounds like they both had a pretty rough time," came Hercules's sympathetic comment when Ephiny paused.

"It got worse!" came the blunt response, "The two left the centaur village as strangers, Gabrielle came back to Themiscyra with me and Xenan, and Xena disappeared, until she turned up a few days later doing major damage to some of my warriors, killing two ..."

"And breaking Eph's arm," butted in Eponin.

"... and dragged Gabrielle off behind a stolen horse .... Hercules, all the stories I'd ever heard about the bloodthirsty warlord, were nothing in comparison to what I saw in Xena's eyes that day," she shivered, "she was deadly and unstoppable and there was nothing any of us could do to prevent her from taking our Queen, knowing that she intended to kill her."

"What happened?" asked the big man gently as he saw the Regent lost in thought.

"I sent trackers to trail them, and followed on with as big a party of warriors as I could assemble. If we'd caught up to them, I think I would have had the archers just pump arrows into Xena until she was dead," Ephiny sighed taking a deep breath, "Xena was a friend, she'd saved my life and the life of my son, but that wasn't the Xena I had come to know." It was a painful thought, "Anyway, we lost them. Their trail just vanished at the top of a cliff above the sea. Something told me that they weren't dead, so I had strong watches kept throughout our territories. I knew that one day they'd come back, and that Xena would have to face Amazon justice."

Eponin stood up quietly and went and retrieved three cups of good, hot, herbal tea, insisting that Ephiny drink some before she continue with the story, "You don't want your voice giving out on you, do you your majesty?" she asked playfully.

"Cut it out Ep, I'm not a kid," growled the blonde.

"Humour me," insisted the dark haired Amazon.

"Thank you," accepted Hercules as Eponin handed a mug to him. He took a tentative sip, "This is good," he complimented.

Ephiny swallowed some of the tea down under Eponin's watchful gaze before going on with her narration, "They arrived back here about two moons or so ago. My guard commander, Solari, was out with a patrol and found them. She placed Xena in custody and escorted her, Gabrielle and a healer named Patroclese back to the town, but there was some trouble on the way back, some bounty hunters attacked and hacked up the patrol pretty badly. They were after Xena and Gabrielle and there would have been a slaughter if Xena hadn't held them off."

"Must be a pretty big reward to make bounty-hunters risk getting caught in Amazon territory," commented Hercules pointedly.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand dinars for Xena and fifty thousand for Gabrielle, is what we've heard," supplied Eponin.

"Whew!" whistled Hercules in response, "Who wants them that bad?"

"Caesar!" Ephiny told him starkly.

"I'd heard that they'd been to Rome, and I know that Xena and Caesar have a history, but she must have done something to really make him mad." considered the soft spoken giant.

Ephiny nodded, before continuing with her story, "Charges had been laid against Xena's actions when she came and took Gabrielle, so we had to have a trial. The Elders pronounced a years banishment from Amazon territories for Xena and she left right after the pronouncement taking the healer with her and leaving Gabrielle with us. She wanted our Queen safe, while she drew off the bounty-hunters and had managed to get Gabrielle to agree to the plan."

Hercules smiled as he thought about the feisty bard, "That must have taken quite a bit of fast talking on Xena's part. Gabrielle can be really stubborn about being left sometimes."

"Don't I know it." grinned Ephiny, "Anyway, about five days after Xena left, that healer came back and told Gabrielle that Xena was heading into a trap in Narbonensis. She'd been asked for help from an old acquaintance and thought it might take the heat off if she left Greece for a while. Apparently, Caesar set the whole thing up and this healer heard some men discussing it in the village where Xena had left him. Gabrielle immediately decided that she had to try and warn Xena about the trap. She thought she might have time to get there ahead of her, because Xena was going to run the bounty-hunters over a good portion of Greece before leaving for Narbonensis." She swallowed down the last of the cooling tea and turned her brown eyes full on Hercules.

"Before she left she wrote three letters and asked me to have them delivered. One went to your friend Iolaus, the second went to Autolycus and the last was delivered to Xena's brother, Toris. I don't know what was in them, but obviously they asked those men for help. Gabrielle promised to write to me as soon as she got to Narbo. I haven't heard a thing from her. The reason that I'm sitting here talking to you is that I'm on my way to Rome on a State Visit. I think that's the only likely place that I'm going to find out what's happening to our Queen and Xena. I'm pretty sure they'll turn up there eventually. If Caesar had had them killed we'd have had news about it by now."

Ephiny looked at the demi-god in consideration, "It's likely that if Xena and Gabrielle end up in Rome, then your friend Iolaus and the others will turn up there as well. Do you want to come along with us and see what we find?"

Hercules considered the offer for a moment. What the Amazon Regent had said made sense and if Xena and Gabrielle were in trouble, Iolaus wouldn't be too far away, "Sure," he said with a slow smile, "I'd be glad to accompany you, though how you're going to explain a man being in an Amazon entourage I have no idea."

"We'll think of something," grinned Eponin mischievously.

Chapter Thirty Seven: Journey Through Tartarus
She lay in the straw tossing and turning violently, gripped by the visions that assaulted her from her past. Sweat drenched her as she moaned softly, "No, No," and she struggled to defeat her inner fears and torments that threatened to overwhelm her in her exhausted, drug induced slumber.

Fire burned in a circle around her.
She turned slowly looking for a way past the barrier.
The thought that she might be able to flip over it immediately produced a roaring increase
to the height of the flames that made the plan impossible.
She waited.
"Hello, Xena,"
came the expected voice,
"I see you came back to play,"
Callisto appeared before her,
"Do you remember how the flames destroyed my home?"
asked the goddess innocently as her brown eyes reflected the brightness of the flickering fire,
"Do you ever hear the screams of the people who died there?"
she offered Xena a smile which turned into a snarl of hatred,
"Listen to the screams of my Mother and Sister, Xena!"
she demanded and the fiery ring filled with the plaintive cries of a terrified woman and child.
"Listen to the cries of all those poor innocent people that you burned without a moment's
thought for the lives that you were snuffing out, for the souls of the living that you
destroyed."
The cries became louder and more numerous, buffeting at the dark warrior, who pressed her
hands tight over her ears in an attempt to mute the sounds that sickened and shrivelled her
soul.
"You can't block it out, pretty,"
Callisto whispered gently in her ear.
"Those cries are burned forever into you black heart. You gloried in them while you
committed your vicious destructions, and they're always going to be there to haunt you. You
will never be free of your sin."
She crumpled to the ground assaulted by the tormented voices that forever echoed through
her soul.
Silence ....
She waited ....
A hand gently brushed the hair from her eyes and she looked up into the smiling face of the
woman who had borne her, raised her and watched her turn into a cold, ruthless killer.
"Mother?"
she choked, unwilling to believe the tenderness that she saw in the woman's eyes,
"Why have you come?"
"Oh Xena,"
she said softly,
"Why would any mother come?"
she asked compassionately,
"I'm here to ease your suffering,"
she told her as she gently helped her daughter to her feet, then waved an arm to indicate
those who stood behind her,
"We've all come to ease your suffering,"
She looked and saw the crowds of faces that she had once known. Childhood friends,
kinsmen, villagers that had watched her grow up, and standing in front of them all, her
brothers: tall dark Toris, so like her in looks, and blonde smiling Lyceus, the brother she
had lost to Cortese's raiders, the brother whose death had frozen her heart. She frowned at
the hooded figure that stood with them familiar and yet unknown.
Her mouth lifted in a tentative smile as her mother stepped back into the ranks of the many,
"It's so good to see ..."
she began and then saw the smiling faces had become suddenly hostile. She looked
frantically from one face to the next and read only anger and hatred, she saw the rocks in
their hands and shot a pleading look at her family, only to see indifference in all their eyes,
"Lyceus!"
she whispered, as she felt the dagger of betrayal rip through her heart.
"No Gabrielle to save you this time, my sweet,"
smirked the insidious voice of Callisto from behind her,
"This time your loving family and home town will get to take their revenge on you."
Xena flinched as the first rock struck her arm, a rock thrown by her Mother and followed by
those thrown by her brothers.
She screamed!
Her anguish induced by the betrayal of those she loved and had tried to protect.
More of the heavy missiles slammed home, forcing her to try and protect herself with her
arms, until a rock hit her temple and she crashed to the ground, curling into a ball to make
a smaller target.
She floated in pain ...
She struggled to rise from the clinging torpor that held her tight.
Hanging from the cross, she looked down at the man she had allowed herself to love. The
man she trusted as a friend. The man that had betrayed her to an agonizing death, and
condemned her to a worse life.
"Break her legs,"
she heard him order as he turned away from her and she felt the heavy hammer blow that
crippled her body and shattered her soul.
"Aaaarrrrghhhh!"
she screamed out her agony as white heat radiated from her legs and throbbed in torment.
"Oh, Xena, Xena, Xena,"
purred a voice from behind her,
"were you ever so gullible? Did Caesar really have such an easy victory over you?"
teased Callisto as she let her fingers lightly filter through the warrior's long black hair.
Taking a strong grip on a handful, she yanked her prey's head back viciously and snarled,
"There's no one to save you this time, my sweet. M'Lila won't be coming to your rescue."
"Go to Tartarus, Callisto!"
gritted out the Warrior Princess through the cascading pain she felt.
"Been there, done that. Hades need to get the decorators in!"
came the quick reply followed by a,
"O my, Xena. Is that really anything to wish upon a friend?"
which she asked as she settled on the ground before her victim,
"Especially when it's so easy to hurt you here!"
She smiled sadistically running her hands over the broken bones of the shattered legs,
laughing in amusement as Xena cried out in agony at the touch.
"But perhaps it will be more fun to let the sea have you,"
she grinned as she indicated the rising tide that swept in an unstoppable rush up the beach.
Water dashed into her face as the waves roared towards her, she choked feebly ....

She jerked to a sitting position, wrenching her neck on the collar that was still chained to the wall. She coughed and spluttered as she choked up the water she had swallowed when the guards had dumped two buckets full over her to wake her. Roaring her anger, confused by the images that lingered in her mind, she lunged forward, only to be brought crashing down and choking by the collar once more.

Xena shook her head to try and clear her mind and throw her long curtain of hair away from her face. As she fought to master the rage and terror that were the legacy from her dreams, she pushed herself back against the cell wall, desperate to establish who she was facing, her mind still cloudy from the drug Patroclese had used.

"Stand up , slave!" barked Flaccus.

She shook her head again, trying to push the fogginess away. The motion was taken as refusal to comply and drew an immediate reprisal in the form of heavy blows from batons that rained down towards her head and shoulders. She threw her arms over her head to protect it, and drew her legs in tight to her chest, trying to minimize the area available for damage.

As her arms came up the beating stopped and she felt hands grab her and pull her to her feet. She stood swaying shakily, securely held by two guards. Flaccus grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled her head back roughly. Xena flinched as the memory of Callisto doing the same thing jumped fresh in her memory. Her eyes showed a haunted terror before she could control herself.

"You crippled six of my men, slave," snarled Flaccus, "I ought to have every inch of hide off your back and then some. You're damned lucky the general wants you in one piece."

"Oh yeah," she retorted fuzzily, "I'm really lucky to be here, aren't I?" a nervous chuckle escaped her before being silenced as Flaccus's fist crashed into her jaw, snapping her head sideways.

"I warned you about that smart mouth of yours, slave," he growled, "Keep your tongue between your teeth unless you want to lose it. Fighters don't need to be able to talk!"

The blow, though painful, had the beneficial effect of clearing her head from the last lingering effects of the drug. She drew herself up between her guards and looked Flaccus in the eye with just a hint of the icy fire, that burned within her, showing. She did refrain from saying anything, but he could see the defiance that lingered within her and Xena almost detected a grudging admiration in the senior centurion's grey eyes.

He held out his hand and one of the soldiers passed him a new leather belt complete with manacles that had been expertly rivetted into the thick leather making a far more sturdy form of restraint. The two guards holding her, moved her forward so that Flaccus could fasten the belt tight around her waist. Then he locked the new cuffs into place, before removing the old.

When he'd finished he told her curtly, "You'll be given some food. Eat it and make sure you drink. We're leaving here in less than a candlemark, and the general doesn't want you collapsing from starvation on the march."

Not waiting to hear Xena's compliance, Flaccus turned and stalked from the cell, leaving the guard detail to pass the food and water to the prisoner. Watching him go, Xena shivered in her cold, wet clothing. Released by the two soldiers, she sat down and took the food she was offered, eating ravenously. She tentatively sniffed at the contents of the water skin, but could detect no odours warning of drugs, so she swallowed thirstily and was prepared for them when they came to get her for the continuing journey down to Massilia.

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Patroclese waited patiently for Caesar to finish the paperwork he was completing, and ran through his mind just what he wanted to convey to his master. They were about half way through the trip between Lugdunum and Arelate and once again Xena had been deprived of any rest for four days. The warrior was beginning to look haggard and worn. The fire had gone out of her eyes and her normally golden skin had lost it's sheen. She stumbled along amidst her guards in a daze, and responded sluggishly to commands. Outwardly it appeared that Caesar's regime was having the desired effect, but the healer knew that this treatment was storing up trouble of the worst possible kind.

Caesar knew that the healer wanted to speak to him about Xena and took his time with the papers while he debated with himself as to what tack he should take on this issue. He was well aware that, although the exhaustion was weakening her physically and mentally, it was allowing her control over herself to slip. She'd already managed to seriously injure fifteen of the best men he had whilst caught between the twilight world of dreams and consciousness and, he had to admit to himself, that he was becoming concerned that rather than breaking her, he was awakening the darkness within her that had earned her the title of Destroyer of Nations. He wasn't too sure that it was a good idea.

He looked up and saw that Patroclese was watching patiently, "Well," he asked, "what's bothering you?"

"Xena," answer the healer flatly. "My Lord, I know that you want to tame her, but I don't think what you're doing at the moment is going to work." He didn't add that he doubted anything would actually work in this case. "There's something in the woman that she keeps deeply suppressed. It's what makes her the fighter she is. It's a power that she taps into when the situation demands. But it's like a flow of lava. It has to be kept in tight channels, because should it get free it will swallow everything in it's path."

"Go on," encouraged Caesar, leaning back in his chair and steepled his fingers to let his chin rest upon them.

"By draining her mentally, first exhausting her and then allowing her to be claimed by nightmares in deep slumber, she is gradually losing her control over the dark force that drives her. You won't break her resistance to you this way, but you may well destroy her ability to resist her own dark side. If that should break free, it won't matter who you hold and threaten the life of, the person she becomes won't care, she'll just destroy anything and everything in her path ... starting with you, my Lord." finished up Patroclese softly.

Caesar remained silent for a long period of time. His thoughts had run pretty much along the lines that his physician's had taken. He wanted to dominate and break Xena. He would have liked to achieve his aim by the time that they reached Rome, which was why he had chosen this way to work on her. He did not want her to become totally uncontrollable, which was what was beginning to develop.

He knew that he had all the time he needed to break her. He admitted to himself that he had thought that it would be a long task to achieve his ends. Why spoil the sweet outcome with a haste that might ruin everything. Once he got her safely to Rome, he'd be able to use the bard and the others to force Xena's stubborn will to bend to his own. The exercise, might prove to be entertaining. - But, by the Gods, I want her to kneel before me and acknowledge me master, - his thoughts roared within him. - For now, though, I'll have to content myself with knowing that she is mine to dispose of as I please. -

He looked steadily at Patroclese, "What you have said makes sense. I had been thinking along those lines myself, anyway," he acknowledged. "Send Flaccus in to me when you leave. I think we'll put my slave back in her cage for a while. She can catch up on some sleep for the rest of this journey."

Patroclese bowed and backed up two paces then turned to leave the command tent, before being arrested by Caesar's voice, "Oh, Patroclese," he said thoughtfully, "I think perhaps you should give her something to make sure she does sleep. Even when she's been offered the chance to do so she's refused to close her eyes."

"She won't take anything, my Lord. She knows much about healing and herb lore and she is careful to check anything that is given to her now." answered the healer tonelessly.

Caesar smiled grimly, "If she won't take it willingly, I'll have her held down and force it into her. One way or another she will learn to obey."

"As my Lord commands," agreed Patroclese as he bowed once more and finally left the tent shaking his head as he went.

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"No," snarled Xena angrily as she struggled against the chains that bound her to the stake in the centre of the camp.

Patroclese remained patient as he tried to explain to her, "You need to sleep, Xena. You won't allow yourself to do so naturally, so you must ...."

"NO!" she repeated more forcefully as she turned haunted blue eyes on him that contained a barely suppressed fury.

The healer laid a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder, but she shrugged it off with a surge of muscle. He tried to make her understand once again, "Xena, unless you take this willingly, you're going to have it force fed to you. Flaccus has his orders ... all I'm trying to do is save you some trouble."

She looked at him sullenly as he raised the cup to her lips. She took a mouthful then shook her head violently, knocking the cup away and spilling the contents. The liquid she had in her mouth she sprayed out over Patroclese, "No," she hissed, "I won't face them again!"

Flaccus appeared by the healer's side and barked gruffly, "We've tried your way, man, now get me some more of that stuff so I can carry out my orders."

Unhappy with the situation, Patroclese did as he was instructed and produced another mug full of the brew. He saw Xena clench her teeth firmly shut as he handed the cup to Flaccus.

"Bring that funnel over here," the centurion commanded as he shot out a large right hand and squeezed the Warrior Princess's jaw until she was forced to open it. She attempted to struggle against the hold, but Flaccus was strong and had a firm grip.

Xena gagged as the funnel was forced into her mouth and Flaccus began to trickle the drug down her throat a little at a time, the position of the funnel forcing her to swallow or choke. As she felt the mixture flowing down into her stomach she had to force down the wail of despair that sought to escape from her. The thought of the nightmare images that awaited her caused her to tremble in dreaded anticipation. Inside her body quaked as she tried to fight off the mixture of herbs that drove her relentlessly towards the deep slumber that she was desperate to avoid.

"There's a good girl," grinned Flaccus as he removed his hand leaving stark finger marks and the faint beginning of bruises on her jaw. As the funnel was withdrawn, he patted her lightly on the cheek, "Sleep well, slave."

In full Warrior Princess mode, Xena pinned him with an icy blue stare and dropped her voice to a lower register before growling at him, "I have never been, nor ever will be, a 'good girl!'"

"How long will that put her out for, healer?" demanded Flaccus for once ignoring the woman's disrespectful words.

"At least twelve hours, possibly longer," Patroclese answered him, "Once she wakes up we'll get some food into her and then put her out again. After three doses of the stuff she should be over the exhaustion enough to be able to control her sleeping patterns and get her back to normal.

The men's voices began to fade in and out of focus as Xena fought to concentrate against falling into the insidious creeping darkness that waited to claim her and lacerate her soul. There was so many heinous deeds walled up inside her conscience, so many acts of violence, so many instances of ravaged innocence and goodness that she feared for her very sanity.

As Patroclese and Flaccus moved off into the night, Xena was claimed by the terrors of her darksoul and left to battle an unequal fight against everything that she was trying to atone for in her life.

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On the eve of the seventh day since leaving Lugdunum, the Seventh Legion marched into Arelate and Xena found herself once more locked into a cell in the prefecture, and shackled to the wall like an animal by a chain fastened to her slave collar.

She'd been awake for most of the day. The nightmares that she had experienced had been ghastly once more. Her cries and screams had echoed along the road they had travelled and filled the silence of the nights when they stopped, but she had survived and the grinding fatigue that had robbed her of control was gone.

The thought of sleeping still filled her with a nameless dread, but she had managed to edge herself into a light doze in the afternoon, while shut in the small cage, rousing herself when the black memories began to intrude upon her rest. It was an improvement, but sleep now held a terror that she shied away from.

As she sat quietly in the cell, she silently took stock of her situation. She was alive, although she really wondered if that was such a good thing. She was injury free, she didn't count the odd bruise that dappled her skin. They'd had no cause to beat her for three days and her normal magical recuperative powers had worked their usual miracle. She was fit, long days of walking had seen to that if nothing else, and she had, by some god's grace, clung to her fragile sanity.

On the down side of all of this was the fact that she was still held, as securely as ever, by Caesar. Gabrielle was a prisoner of her enemy and would be at his mercy once again when they reached Rome. Autolycus and Joxer had both been captured and would be used as hostages against her behaviour, and she had no idea what had happened to Iolaus and her brother, Toris. - Situation desperate, but not critical ... yet! - she told herself despondently.

She looked up as she heard movement in the guardroom beyond the cell door and saw Patroclese approaching with a plate and a wine skin. He waited while the cell door was opened and then entered and moved to where Xena sat on the wooden bench.

"Brought you some dinner," he offered her the plate and as her stomach grumbled traitorously she noted that the healer had brought a huge meal of steak and vegetables, all of which had been cut into bite sized pieces. He handed her the plate and a wooden spoon to eat with.

"Thanks," she said grudgingly as she took both with a faint rattle of chains as she moved. "What did I do to earn this?" she indicated the steak as she took a mouthful and relished the change of taste in her usual diet.

"Peace offering," grinned Patroclese, who sat down on the bench beside her. "I know this sleep thing has been hard on you, but you're through it now. I think I've convinced my Lord that it shouldn't be tried again," he tried to assure her.

"Thanks again," she told him flatly. She didn't want to be reminded of her nightmare trips into Tartarus, and she was reluctant to express gratitude to anyone in Caesar's camp. She ate hungrily, avoiding conversation, allowing Patroclese's words to wash over her seemingly unnoticed.

"We'll be in Massilia in three days," he told her watching her spoon the food up with a fixed attention, "We're going back to Rome with the fleet that's been out chasing the Carthaginians. It should be a swift passage with nothing but sea and weather to bother us. Once we're there, you'll probably get to see Gabrielle again," he ventured.

"Oh yeah!" agreed the Warrior Princess, looking up from her half empty plate and pinning him with a stern glare, "I can just bet what Caesar has in store for her when he gets us back together. Is the thought of that supposed to make me feel good?" she demanded of him.

The passionate intensity of her outburst left the healer speechless for a moment. He hadn't really thought that she was listening to him, - But then, - he reflected, - you can never take anything for granted about this woman. - "Erm ... no," he got out finally, "I was just ...."

"Yeah, I know," she growled, turning her attention back to her food.

Patroclese looked at her with a mixture of the sympathy and sorrow that she had aroused in him for many, many days. He would have liked to help both her and her friend, but his loyalty lay with Caesar and this woman was a murderer, - But the bard isn't. - His conscience told him. - I can do nothing to help either of them, - he told himself firmly, - Both have broken the law and Lord Caesar has shown mercy by condemning them to slavery rather than death! - He bit his lip as his conscience came back at him, - Keep telling yourself that for long enough and just maybe you'll convince yourself it's true! -

She handed him the plate and spoon in silence as he passed her the skin, "It's wine ... it's not drugged. You have my word," he told her.

She gave him that half quirk, lopsided, almost smile, before she unstoppered the wineskin and took a long draught from it, "It's good," she told him, taking a second swallow, before replacing the bung and handing it back to him.

"You had enough?" he asked in surprise.

"Getting drunk won't help my situation," she told him bluntly, "And I really don't think you want to see me drunk. It's not pretty or healthy ... if you know what I mean."

"Right," agreed the healer uncertainly, "Well get some rest, we'll be leaving early in the morning."

She nodded her assent and curled up on the bench once Patroclese had stood, her mind focusing on the three day trip to Massilia and then the voyage to Rome, - And Gabrielle - she thought as she slipped into a light doze.

Chapter Thirty Eight: Hunters and Thieves
As Autolycus pulled Joxer into the trees, Gabrielle guarded their rear, taking careful note of just how many were likely to be following them and how close they were. A faint smirk scuttled across her lips as she turned and ran into the woods to join her friends. "Looks like they're spread pretty thin," she told them quickly, "That soldier headed back south, probably looking to gather up more men to come after us. If we get going, we may be able to slip away from them. They're not going to find it easy to track us through this. We can talk while we're moving. but we need to put some distance between us and them."

The wood was fairly thick and verdant green under the summer sun. Their footsteps were muffled by the thick loam that lay heavily beneath the canopy of branches and their movements were cushioned by the springy earth. Under other circumstances, Gabrielle would have relished the beauty of their surroundings, but now, as she worried about just how close the pursuit was, she just tried to keep the two injured men moving as quickly as possible away from the danger.

"Where are we gonna head for?" asked Joxer, and he stumbled heavily again as his foot caught a root and his recurring dizziness nearly sent him sprawling .. and would have if Autolycus hadn't managed to grab him. "I don't know where we are and I know nothing about the geography of Italia, do either of you?"

Gabrielle looked at Autolycus and sighed when he shook his head, "None of us do, Joxer," she answered him calmly. "All we can do is find a town or village and try and get some bearings and some supplies."

"Where, exactly do you have in mind to head for?" asked the thief carefully, already guessing the answer with a sinking feeling.

"We've got to get to Rome," the bard told him as she helped support Joxer so they could quicken their pace a little.

"Now how did I know that you were going to say that," muttered Autolycus unhappily, "Gabrielle, don't you realise that Rome is full of soldiers and that our descriptions are likely to be plastered up and down this Gods forsaken country just as soon as Brutus gets his wits about him. Hera's toenails!" he swore, "it's like putting our heads into a lion's jaw."

"Hey that's not a bad metaphor," commented the smiling blonde brightly, "mind if I use it sometime?"

"Gabrielle ..." began the thief a serious rumble to his tone.

"Look, alright, I know, Autolycus," she answered with a sigh, "But I can't leave her in Caesar's hands. I've gotta find a way to get her free. It terrifies me to think what he's been doing to her all this time. By the time we were separated he'd already had her nearly beaten to death, left her to pick up infections in her wounds that nearly killed her and has got her fighting gladiators to win him money." She turned almost frantic green eyes on her friend, "I can't let her continue to suffer and as long as she thinks that Caesar still has me, she won't be able to free herself. He's turning her into an animal and I won't allow him to destroy all the hard work she's put in, all the pain she's endured for the last three years, as she'd tried to climb out of that pit he put her in before."

Her eyes flicked back to the course she was steering through the trees, "I know this is dangerous, Autolycus, far more dangerous than I have a right to ask you or Joxer to risk." She took a deep breath and continued, "So if you want to leave and find a ship back to Greece, I won't blame you."

The King of Thieves looked at the bard with a growing respect. The girl he'd first met when Xena 'introduced' herself had matured into a confident and able woman. "You've really thought this through?" he asked her, getting a nodded affirmation, "You know that they're gonna work out that we're headed for Rome?"

"Yeah ... " she began and then realised just what he'd said, "You're coming?" she asked with a delighted and relieved squeak that brought back the girl in her again.

"Well I could hardly let you go alone. "Xena'd carve me into little pieces with a blunt knife ..." he was stopped in his tracks as she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a ferocious hug. "Hey!" he demanded, "What's that for?"

"Just for being you. The nicest thief that I know." grinned the bard.

As Autolycus made embarrassed huffing noises, Joxer whined, "Hey, what about me? I'm coming along too!"

"I never had any doubts about that, Joxer," Gabrielle told him sweetly.

He puffed his chest out and said in his 'I'm being serious here guys' voice, "Well us warrior types know all about loyalty and sticking with friends to see our way through to the end." He turned his head and looked over to where the other two were walking, adding, "We know how to work out what's important in life. I can see the wood for the trees ...."

His voice tailed off suddenly as he walked directly into a very large, very solid oak tree that resisted the collision unmoving, and dumped Joxer rather suddenly onto his butt, leaving him in bewildered uncertainty about what exactly had just happened to him.

When they heard the crash of the collision and fall, Autolycus and Gabrielle turned back to find their companion staring in dazed amazement at the tree he'd just walked into, "Hey, who put that there?" he complained.

"We really haven't got time for this," muttered Autolycus as he turned back and hauled Joxer to his feet, "Listen log head," he told his companion tersely, "Just try to keep on your feet. We've got to slip away from here before Brutus manages to catch up to us, and you leaving a trail by damaging trees with that thick head of yours is not going to help us."

"I know that," snapped Joxer feeling insulted, "just tell those trees not to step in my way." He thought about what he'd said for a moment, "You know what I mean. If I just had my sword I'd hack a way through here no trouble." he boasted, pantomiming wild slashes with a blade, "Yeah, these overgrown blocks of firewood wouldn't stand a chance."

Autolycus rolled his eyes and got a firm grip on Joxer's leather jacket, "Come on, Knot head. We haven't got time for you delusions of hacking power," and dragged him off after Gabrielle, who was doing her best to smother the giggles that kept trying to creep up on her every time she thought about Joxer hitting a tree with his sword. She'd tried attacking trees with swords and staves, you didn't get very far, just smothered in bark chips.

Taking a firm hold on Joxer's other arm she ushered him along at a faster pace as she considered, that in all probability, the trees would probably have knocked lumps off of Joxer, - That would make him a chip off the old block. - she thought irreverently. She giggled and said, "C'mon, Chip," drawing bemused looks from both the object of her mirth and the thief, "Never mind she told them. Let's just get a move on."

They headed east as far as they could tell. Luck was with them as they stumbled across a fast running stream that gave them their first chance to drink since before the storm had hit the ship. All three made the most of it, thirstily swallowing as much as they could, filling their stomachs with the cool, sweet water, in the absence of food.

They decided to take a short rest there. It was close to midday and Gabrielle really did want to check Joxer's head wound and bathe it in some fresh water before they moved on. As the bard tended the nasty lump and cut, Autolycus left to scout around and see if he could find any berries for them to munch on. He left his friends to the accompaniment of Joxer's moans and griping.

"Ouch!" he grumbled as Gabrielle unwrapped the bandage, "That hurts," he protested.

"Don't be such a baby, Joxer," she reprimanded, "If you hold still this won't take long." she promised as she expertly unwrapped the bandage, washed it out in the river and used it to clean the cut that seemed to be healing fairly well.

As she gently wiped his brow, the wannabe warrior looked up into her misty green eyes and sighed contentedly, "That feels so good, Gabby," he grinned letting his mind drift off into a private world where the bard was all his.

"Joxer!" her sharp tone cut into his revery bringing him drifting back with a contented smile on his face.

"Yes, oh light of my life?" he murmured dreamily.

She twisted his ear hard, "Get your hand off of my butt!" she told him.

"Owwww!" he squealed as he was brought firmly back to reality, "Okay, okay. Sheesh, Gabby, I was almost asleep there," he told her moodily.

"I know," she smiled sweetly as she retied the bandage around his head, "That's the only reason that you've still got teeth."

"Umm! Right," he acknowledged, "Boy am I hungry," he announced trying to change the subject. Gabrielle's stomach chose that moment to growl loudly in protest at it's emptiness. "Did I miss something?" questioned Joxer, "Did you swallow a live bear while I wasn't watching?"

The bard gave him a fair imitation of the 'look' that Xena used to quell opposition, and she nodded in satisfaction as her patient held up his hands in surrender just as Autolycus returned with several pocketfuls of blackberries, "Best I could do," he shrugged as he shared them out.

"They're great," encouraged Gabrielle as she hungrily demolished her portion. "At least it's better than nothing," she told them as they finished eating.

"We gotta get going," advised Autolycus. We need to find somewhere to shelter before dark, and make sure that those soldiers haven't managed to hit our trail."

"We could head upstream for a while," suggested the bard, "it's going in the same direction that we are, and Xena says that it's real hard to track someone in a stream. We're just going to have to be careful when we get out."

"Sounds like a plan," agreed the thief, "You up for it?" he asked Joxer who was climbing to his feet.

"Sure," he agreed, "What have we got to lose?"

They headed upstream, pushing as fast as they could while trying to keep their feet from turning under them in the awkward conditions of the stream. It was far harder to travel this way, but they calculated that they had a big enough lead over Brutus's men to make it worth the risk .. especially if it hid their trail as they hoped.

- At least we're were close to a source of good water. - thought the bard as she splashed along doggedly. The day was hot and, although the thick canopy of leaves gave them ample shade, the heat made the wood steamy after the drenching from the storm. They were all grateful, in a way, for the cooling freshness of the stream even thought they were constantly attacked by vicious biting insects.

Gabrielle suffered worst from this insidious attack as more of her bare skin was exposed for easy access. She muttered imprecations and slapped vehemently at buzzing mosquitos as they attempted to feast upon her, "Guys," she said at length, "We're gonna have to climb outta here soon, or I'm going to scream."

They selected an exit where a stoney shelf had been exposed by the lower summer water level, and carefully picked their way across it before climbing up onto the bank. With luck they'd travelled far enough in the water to hide their trail, so that now they could make better time until they could leave the woods behind.

They pressed on and were surprised when they stumbled onto a woodcutters track less than a candlemark after leaving the stream, "Looks like we could be getting close to a village," grinned Autolycus, "I should be able to use my skills to good advantage there," he said happily as he flexed the fingers on his good right hand and shook his arm to loosen it up.

"Autolycus, no," protested Gabrielle. "The people who live in villages don't have much and they work hard for what they've got. It's the same all over the world. We can't just rob them."

"Gabrielle," the thief turned to her and gave her a serious look, "We have no money, no weapons, other than your stick, nothing to make traps for hunting with. We need water skins and food and probably a change of clothing for you as you stand out in that garb and we need to blend in with the locals. We really don't have a lot of choice about this."

She bit her lip, looking perplexed at the situation she perceived, "I could always go to the village inn and tell some stories," she offered, "I usually make enough dinars for Xena and I to get the supplies we need."

"Like I said," returned Autolycus slowly, "We really don't have a lot of choice," he turned and started along the track.

Gabrielle watched his retreating back before shaking her head and running after him, "Hey! What did you mean by that?" she asked.

"Oh c'mon, Gabrielle. Surely you realise that just one word of a female bard in this area is gonna draw soldiers down on us like bees to a honeypot," he told her tersely.

"So you're saying that stealing is the only option we've got?" she demanded flatly, angry at having failed to realise what the thief had pointed out.

"No," he admitted, "There's two other options. One: we can go on as we are and ultimately starve to death. And two: We can let ourselves be captured again. You decide which you'd prefer," he stopped and crossed his arms over his chest waiting for her decision.

"Hey guys," Joxer broke in trying to break the tension, "We could always try working for food. You know odd jobs, that kind of thing."

Two pairs of eyes turned towards him, looking at him as if he'd just crawled out from under a rock, "Shut up, Joxer!" they said in unison.

"Geeze!" mumbled the object of their joint ire, "What rock did you both sleep on?"

"Oh for ..." said the bard throwing her hands into the air, "Look Joxer, we haven't got time to stay in one place. We can't afford to be recognised either. Much as I hate to admit it, we're gonna have to do this Autolycus's way."

"I knew you'd see reason," acknowledged the thief, "If it's going to make you happier, we'll limit what we take from each individual. With luck, that way, they won't notice that anything's missing until we're well away from the area."

Gabrielle nodded reluctantly, "I don't like doing this," she told him firmly, "but if it's the only way ..."

"It is. Remember we're doing this for Xena," reassured Autolycus. "C'mon, we'd better get moving." He started up the trail with the others close to him as he said, "Listen. Here's how we're going to do this ...."

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The village of Cannetto was hidden in a vale between the folds of two sheltering hills and beside a swift running river which had been bridged, making it a natural place for merchants travelling through to Volaterrae to stop and break their journey. It seemed a peaceful and moderately prosperous little town with an active and noisy market that made Gabrielle itch to be able to go shop in.

The hillsides were dotted with sheep and goats and they saw a few cows in lower pasture land, but it was evidently not cattle country. The trio trudged into the village, getting friendly waves from the natives who were used to travellers passing through. Gabrielle got a pensive look on her face, which forced Joxer to ask, "What's up Gabby?"

"I just don't like abusing the friendliness of people," muttered the bard.

"Gabrielle," Autolycus whispered sternly, "we've been all through this and you know that it's the only way."

"Yeah, yeah," she griped, "I don't have to like it though."

They drifted into the village as they had planned, and Autolycus moved on his way rounding up the things that Gabrielle had insisted that they needed. He worked the market, picking up a pair of waterskins from different traders with deft nimbleness, and pocketing a flint and striker from another. His next targets were a frying pan, a pair of cooking pots, and three knives, all acquired without any undue problems. It was an easy exercise for him even with a broken arm, and the challenge was negligible, but he relished it anyway. Gabrielle and Joxer took a seat on the edge of a water trough and waited for the periodic return of the King of Thieves as he deposited his treasure trove at their feet, "We'll need something to carry this in," Gabrielle hissed at him before he moved off into the crowded market once more.

"Umm, Gabrielle," murmured Joxer as he nudged the honey blonde in the ribs with his elbow, "Does that merchant look like he's taking too big an interest in Autolycus," he said pointing with his jaw.

The bard looked towards the man her friend was indicating and saw just what he meant, "I think we need to raise a distraction here," she muttered back to him.

"Like what?" demanded Joxer having no idea what kind of distraction the two of them were going to concoct between them.

Gabrielle took a quick look up and down the pathway they were sitting beside, "Stand up Joxer and step in front of me," she instructed. "Face the other way," she told him impatiently when he stood looking down at her.

"Well, alright, but I can't see as how this is going to help us," he complained.

"You will," promised Gabrielle with a smirk as she watched her target approaching. She flicked a glance towards where Autolycus was about to liberate a large pack from a leather merchant and hoped that the timing of this worked out just right, "Hold your arms out wide," she hissed to her friend.

"Gabrielle!" Joxer protested.

"Just do it, Joxer," she insisted as she got a firm grip on the water trough and watched the unwitting participants in her little ruse step into place.

Swiftly raising her foot she planted it with surprising force in Joxer's posterior, shoving him forward into an attractive older woman who was just passing them. The amateur warrior grasped convulsively at the woman to stop himself from falling to the ground and managed to grab something that he shouldn't have.

"What do you think you are playing at," demanded a shocked voice which was followed by a sharp slap as the woman hit Joxer squarely across the cheek with enough power to leave behind the reddened imprint of a hand.

Gabrielle noted that heads were beginning to turn in their direction, but the merchant hadn't yet heard the commotion and was still watching Autolycus. - The heat needs to be raised on this little shindig, - she decided.

Moving into the fray, the bard took a painful hold on Joxer's ear, Did my no account husband just assault you?" she asked politely, twisting the ear so that Joxer yelled balefully.

"Owwwww! ... Ouch! ... That hurts ... Takeiteasywillya!" he implored, "It was an accident .... aggghhhh!" he yelled at another painful twist.

They were collecting quite a gathering around them now, and Gabrielle was pleased to note that when the merchant turned around to see what was causing all the commotion, Autolycus slipped nimbly away.

The woman who had been assaulted flushed scarlet and replied stridently, He grabbed my ...."

"Oh he did, did he?" broke in Gabrielle sporting an angry glare which she threw at her 'husband'. "Out drinking all day, and now this. Just wait 'til I get you home, buster, I'll teach you a thing or two," she scolded relentlessly. "Don't you worry about him, ma'am," she turned back to the affronted woman, "I'll make him see the error of his ways."

She shoved Joxer back to the water trough where she found the pack for the newly acquired gear. Autolycus appeared at her side and shoved a heavy purse into her hands, "Go buy some food with this, it was easier to steal the money than it would have been to get the meat and vegetables," he told her.

"Did you know you were being watched by that merchant?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Who do you think I took the purse from," he smirked.

"You're bad, Autolycus," she told him with a smile.

"Well that's a relief to know, I thought my reputation was slipping," he answered her. "Listen, thanks for the diversion, now I'll take the boy blunder and the gear and meet you on the edge of the village on the east road."

"Right," agreed Gabrielle. I'll get the last few things that we're going to need, then I think we'd better get as far from here as we can before these people start missing things."

"Be careful," he warned grabbing Joxer by the arm, as the wannabe hero continued to rub his sore his ear, and pushed him off down the road.

"You're getting to sound like Xena," she sniped back at him.

He gave her a good imitation of the 'look', raised eyebrow and all, before waving to her and, hustling Joxer into carrying the heavy pack, steered them into the still busy flow of traffic on the street. Gabrielle sighed, took a peek in the purse and let out a contented whistle as she thought of what she could buy with that.

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It was almost dusk before she rejoined her two friends. She was heavily burdened with a sackful of provisions, three thick blankets, three cloaks, a change of clothing for herself, a medical kit including herbs and bandages, and some scrolls and ink for herself. She still even had coins left, thanks to her practised skill in bargaining, so it looked as if they would at least be able to survive for a while.

Autolycus and Joxer were waiting with barely restrained impatience, knowing that the bard had a propensity for getting herself into trouble that was totally out of proportion to any other known living being. She heard them arguing as she approached.

"I tell ya Autolycus we ought to go back and find her. Letting Gabby loose in a market is asking for trouble," Joxer protested.

"Letting Gabrielle loose anywhere is a recipe for disaster," admitted the thief, "but it would look just too suspicious if we were to go back now. We'll just have to wait, but if she's not here by the time the sun sets ..."

"Hey! Isn't that her coming now?" interrupted his companion.

"You could be right, but what in Zeus' name has she been buying?" demanded Autolycus, "She was only supposed to pick up some food."

As she joined them she answered sweetly, "I thought of some other things we could use, and since I had the money, I thought that I might as well use it so that we can stay well clear of the other villages we come across. Too many people might remember us here and give Brutus too many clues as to where we went."

"She's got a point you know," agreed Joxer, as he helped the bard divest herself of the stores she'd purchased and began to divide the things up into three packs so that they shared the burden.

"Sheesh! Alright already!" protested the thief, "Can we just get out of here. The mere thought of Brutus catching up is enough to make my skin itch."

They each gathered up their packs and headed off into the gathering dusk, eager to be away from Cannetto and the danger that posed for them. As soon as they could they headed into the hills to find shelter, "I bought us a map," mentioned Gabrielle as they walked. "We should be able to work out a route to get us safely to Rome."

"I'll be happy if we can just find somewhere safe to sleep," returned Autolycus, "Is it me or has this been a very long day?"

"C'mon guys, don't worry. We're free, we're well provisioned, and we're gonna rescue Xena. Everything's gonna be alright!" Joxer exclaimed optimistically.

Gabrielle and Autolycus looked at each other and answered, "Right," drawing the word out pessimistically.

"I still think we should try to push on further," the bard protested as they wandered into the gloom.

"Gabrielle,"

"But we've got such a long way to go!" she insisted.

"Gabrielle!"

"I know ... we need sleep. You really are getting so like her, Autolycus. You sure that there's not a piece of her lurking around in you somewhere still?"

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Brutus and his men arrived in the village the following day. He had twenty legionaries with him, but more men were on their way to join them from the local garrisons. He called all the people of Cannetto into the market square, enforcing his will with his soldiers. He then addressed them.

"I'm looking for two men and a woman," he announced in ringing tones. "The woman is small with honey blonde hair, green eyes, is scantily dressed and wears a slave collar around her neck. She goes by the name of Gabrielle and she is a talented bard. She is the property of Caesar. A runaway and there will be a reward of a thousand dinars for anyone who can lead me to her." The crowd stirred with greedy muttering as Brutus continued, "The two men with her also belong to Lord Caesar. The first man has black hair, brown eyes, a moustache and a goatee beard. He's a thief and a scoundrel. The second man has brown hair, brown eyes, he looks and acts like a fool. There's a reward of five hundred dinars each for these two. If anyone has seen them I want to know about it."

"They were here," growled the merchant that Autolycus had stolen the purse from, "That thief robbed me. We saw the girl and the other man too, but we didn't see a slave collar."

"She had it wrapped in cloth," a woman offered, "I thought it a little strange, but it just seemed like some piece of odd decoration,"

"Did anyone see where they went," demanded Brutus.

"They headed east on the road to Volaterrae," volunteered another man, "Are these slaves dangerous."

"They are," agreed Brutus - Though not for the reason you'd think, - he added to himself. "But Lord Caesar wants them back alive! If any of you sees them again, get word to me as quickly as you can, and remember there's a reward for their apprehension. If they're killed you get nothing except a flogging. Do I make myself clear?"

The villages understood and nodded their agreement, or voiced their ascent to Brutus's satisfaction.

The Optio Lucius approached him and asked, "What are your orders sir? Do we continue trailing them?"

Brutus thought about it for a moment, "No. Wherever they are heading for the moment, they are bound eventually to turn for Rome. I want to get between them and the city. Pick a man, find a horse and get a message sent up to Volaterrae. Put the garrison on alert and get them to send out patrols. Send some of those description flyers with the messenger so they know who to look for ... and you might as well include the description for the other two men. The way things are going they're likely to turn up here as well."

"Sir," saluted the Optio smartly and hurried off to carry out his orders.

Brutus knew that he could pull men from the garrisons to serve in this search and since the trio didn't know the countryside he felt he had a fair chance of picking them up once more. Once he got south of them he could put out a picket screen and net them as they tried to get through. He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. He needed them safely back in his hands. He knew that he was too useful to Caesar for his commander to execute, but failure here would prove bad for his political aspirations.

Chapter Thirty Nine: Pirates, Queens and Concubines
It had taken the Amazon procession three days to reach Acanthus and during that time they'd had to run a gauntlet that consisted of the merely curious to the blatantly hostile villages that lay along their route of march. There wasn't any trouble. One hundred Amazon warriors armed to the teeth made certain of that. It would have taken a fairly major army to give the Queen Regent's retinue any problems. But the fact that so many people still remembered rampaging hordes of Amazon warriors sweeping victorious through the land, even after all the years since it had last happened (not counting the occasional raid by renegade bands), left Ephiny feeling despondent.

She and Gabrielle had both sought to secure good relationships with their neighbours, hammering out treaties and trade agreements that were beneficial to both parties. It had been good to stabilize their position in the area. The Amazon Nation had been in decline for several years, with many small factions being split off from the leadership of Themiscyra. Slowly, with patience and diplomacy rather than war, the problem was being addressed and the Amazons now had a firm foundation on which to build for the future.

That was why it hurt to see the angry reactions of people that hadn't even seen an Amazon war party in over thirty years. As she thought about it, though, it brought a wry half smile to her face, - Is this how Xena feels every time she faces people who know her reputation from her warlord days? Even the Amazons, tend to treat her like some half mad animal, and for the most part she's only ever been a friend to us! - She shook her head guiltily at the thought.

Apart from some hostile attitudes, they also had to deal with the excitement and interest that the Amazon cortege drew. The vision of an exotic group of one hundred women passing through a village drew out young and old, male and female in profusion to watch the unheralded parade. The knowledge that it was the procession of the Amazon Queen gave the whole thing a sense of being something from a fairytale. To see a queen in progress was something that would give many of these simple people something to talk about for many moons to come, and would undoubtedly take it's place in folk-lore as something to pass down from generation to generation. It was a genuine rarity in the drab lives of so many humble villagers.

Hercules found himself pleasantly ignored for a change. All attention was focused on the Amazons, and they were such an unusual sight, that no one really noticed him. He did attract some envious stares from young men who, evidently, had made certain assumptions about his role there, but for the most part he was an almost anonymous personage.

On the third day, the big, tawny haired man, strolled along at the side of Ephiny, "We've spoken about how to explain my presence, we've talked about the possibility of all of our missing friends still being alive. What we haven't discussed is just what we're going to do when we get to Rome, or how we're going to manage to get everyone back out again."

"Ah," acknowledged the Regent vaguely, "I thought that it might be better to thrash that out on the ship, once we put to sea."

Hercules shot an inquiring look at her. He'd felt a tension within the Amazon camp and had narrowed it down to a group of women that everyone else seemed to be careful around, "Is there a problem?" he inquired carefully, not wishing to offend.

"Amazon internal politics," shrugged Ephiny, "you know how that can be."

"No, not really," admitted Hercules, "but I guess it's something you don't really want to talk about."

"Believe me," returned the blonde sourly, "you really don't want to know about it."

"Could it cause us a problem in Rome?" he asked, wanting to get some idea of how the ground stood.

"It shouldn't do. I've taken precautions that should prevent anything from getting out of hand," she saw the concern in the pale blue eyes of the demi-god and, placing a friendly hand on his arm, she told him, "I'll let you know if anything happens to endanger our situation from that source."

"I can't ask for more than that," he answered with a soft smile.

They walked along in silence for a while, listening to the banter from the Amazons who marched around them. Every now and then, Ephiny stole the chance to look at the son of Zeus, trying to evaluate him.

"Is there something you wanted to know?" he questioned finally, when the silence between them had stretched to an uncomfortable length.

Ephiny started guiltily as she realised her covert examination had been intercepted, "Well," she began hesitantly, "I've wondered for a long time now ... if you don't mind me asking ... just why did you spare Xena's life when she was still such a brutal warlord?" It was something she'd never been able to figure out, and she really was intrigued as to just what his answer would be. Hercules seemed to look far into the distance as his mind sorted through his memories of the time. He was silent for such a long time that, at first, Ephiny didn't think that he'd answer her, "You know, it was kind of an intrusive question," she said suddenly feeling a little tactless, "please forget it."

The big man sighed, "Usually I get Iolaus to deal with things like this. He knows all the details of my adventures and he likes to talk about them. But even if he was here I'd probably have to answer this one myself. It was a painful time for him, and I think it took him a while to forgive me for giving Xena the chance to redeem herself."

This of course pricked Ephiny's, and not a few of the nearby Amazon warrior's, interests. All any of them knew was the barest outline of the story that Xena's army had turned on her for sparing the life of a baby, put her through a gauntlet, and that she'd gone after Hercules to kill him to use that feat to regain control of her men. Even Gabrielle hadn't been able to pry many of the details loose from Xena, and those she had she tended to keep to herself.

However, feeling that she ought to make some effort in the direction of not wanting to pry, the Regent said, "If this is too personal ...."

The big man seemed to start a little before allowing a quirk of his lips and replying, "No. Not at all, at least it really is a story that should be known, as it shows the incredible strength of will that Xena truly has. I seriously doubt if she'd tell anyone what happened, or just what she had to go through to bring about the change in herself. Anyway, even without that, it will pass some time."

Ephiny nodded and noticed the eager breeze of muttered anticipation that ran through the Royal Guard that marched around her an Hercules. Ephiny was almost tempted to tell them to spread out a bit, but a glance at Hercules told her that he didn't seem to notice the avid interest being displayed by the women he was surrounded by.

"About three and a half years ago, Xena decided that she could enhance her reputation if she could kill me. She hatched a plan to that end that involved seducing Iolaus, turning him against me and then getting me to kill him. She hoped that, I'd be devastated over killing my best friend, so I'd then be an easy kill for her. The plan would have worked, except my friendship with Iolaus was too strong for either of us to harm the other. It rather soured Xena and Iolaus' relationship for a while." he explained.

"What?" questioned the blonde walking beside him, "You didn't mind that she meant to kill you?"

"Oh, I minded," he admitted, "but at the time I was far more interested in getting my best friend back in one piece."

Ephiny grinned, "I can understand that," she agreed. "So what happened to Xena?"

"When her plan fell apart, she took off with what remained of her men, and I didn't hear anything of her for a while. Then about three moons later, I met up with a young cousin of mine who told me about an army threatening the area he lived in. He asked for my help and I agreed to go with him. Iolaus had gone home to Corinth to visit my Mother and make sure she was safe. I also think it was an excuse for a fishing trip," he smiled as he thought about the blonde man's second favourite pastime.

"Anyway, the army that was rampaging around the Parthia area was butchering men and setting them up on crosses and wheels as examples to others. One man left a note in his own blood that it was a woman warrior who was responsible. I guessed it was Xena and was determined to stop her, but it wasn't until we came across a village in which every living thing, man, woman, child and animal, had been murdered, that I knew that I had to bring her to justice or kill her." There was a grim look on the big man's face as he remembered the horror of that devastated village and his certainty that Xena had been responsible for it.

Ephiny let out a low whistle, "You let her free after that?"

"Well actually Xena hadn't been with her army. She was off to the north with her scouts. It was her lieutenant, Darphus, who was responsible. Xena only returned in time to save the last living survivor ...."

"A baby," butted in the Regent nodding to herself, "which is why she was put through the gauntlet."

"Right," agreed Hercules, "You know it can't have been more than a day after she'd almost been beaten to death that she came after me. It was a close run thing and she almost ran me through before I got the upper hand and held that sword across her neck. I really don't think I'd like to face her fully fit as an enemy."

"What made you let her go at that point?" Ephiny almost demanded. After what Hercules had been describing it seemed incredible that the demi-god should just do an about face and release the Warrior Princess. Her mind was also full of the images of Xena storming into Themiscyra and sweeping through some of her best warriors as if they weren't there. She knew exactly what Hercules had meant about facing her at full fitness.

"I looked down into those incredible blue eyes of hers," he answered softly, "and I saw all the hurt, anguish and pain in the world. Here was a woman who should have been in a sick bed. She comes out and comes close to whipping me, when she really didn't have any right to being able to stand. And when I looked in her eyes, I didn't see some vicious warlord murderer. I saw a vulnerable woman, hurt, confused, with a goodness deep within her that was just waiting to be given a chance to flower."

The Regent swallowed loudly. The sensitive tone of Hercules's words told her something about his relationship with Xena that she was sure that he never meant her to know, "So you let her go?" she prompted.

"I was certain that if she was just shown a little trust, she'd be able to turn away from the dark path she'd been following for so long. I'm glad I've been proved right. She saved my butt from Darphus and his army. Since then, well the road hasn't been easy for her. People don't want to believe she's changed. It's easy for them to see her as Xena, Destroyer of Nations. She's been hurt and betrayed so often, I sometimes wonder how she has the courage to continue."

That last was said almost wistfully as the demi-god's thoughts once again focused on something far away, leaving Ephiny to feel slightly ashamed of herself and her Amazons who seemed to have reinforced that final thought with their recent actions. The thoughts were sobering and it left her wondering just how she would have coped with the trials of the Warrior Princess's life.

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They reached the outskirts of Acanthus in the late afternoon when the sun began dipping into the west in a sky decked out in scarlet, pink and orange glory. Unsure of how the port would take being invaded by a host of Amazon warriors, Ephiny instructed Eponin to set up a temporary camp while she, Hercules and an escort of ten went into Acanthus to make contact with the shipmaster they were to be sailing with.

Even in this much reduced group, the Amazon's continued to attract attention. Attention that was much more insistent, now that it was faced by smaller numbers. On several occasions the warriors were jostled as they made their way through the still busy streets and down towards the harbour.

At one point, a group of drunken ruffians, coming out of a seedy tavern, made a grab at Ephiny and two of the other women, "C'mon, darlin'" a large ginger haired brute of a man cried, breathing the raw fumes of cheap alcohol into the blonde's face, "Lets you an' me have a party. Am'zons like to party," he belched at her.

"No thanks," the Regent declined politely, not looking to start a scene here. She threw some looks at her guards to discourage them from doing anything rash, and nodded in approval when she saw Tassi and Malonda trying the same tactics to discourage the men pawing at them.

"Wassa matta?" demanded Ginger belligerently, "Not good 'nough for you harlots? Thought ya liked ya men bit rough."

Ephiny tried again, pushing away the pawing hands as she told the man evenly, "Thanks for the offer, but we have a meeting to attend."

"No damn harlot's gonna say no t'me!" he growled, making another grab for the small blonde, only to find his hand intercepted by a much larger, stronger one.

Hercules squeezed his fingers together and saw the pain in the man's face suddenly help in the sobbering up process, "I believe the lady declined your offer," he said softly, "If I were you, I'd act like a gentleman and accept her decision."

Ginger gaped at the big man that was suddenly in his face. He shook his head trying to clear it and demanded, "Who d'ya think y'are ... Hercules!?"

"Funny you should mention it," he allowed a grin to appear, "Now be a good boy and take your friends home," he suggested. He glanced around and saw that they were beginning to attract a crowd of more drunkards as they rolled out of the tavern to look at what was causing the commotion.

The drunk man pulled away from Hercules and stood staring at him and the woman who had turned him down, "Don't like for'ners comin' in here an' acting snooty. Think we mi' jus' teach ya all a less'n. C'mon lads! get the harlots an' the big bastard!"

"Oh boy!" muttered Hercules as he was descended upon by half a dozen drunken louts, "doesn't anyone listen to reason anymore?" he asked rhetorically as he backhanded Ginger gently across the street ... about thirty feet or so.

"Amazons," called out Ephiny in a clear commanding voice, "no swords. Defence only!"

And then the fight was on. The twenty or so intoxicated roughs who piled into the fight weren't really any match for Hercules and eleven highly trained Amazons. In fact the son of Zeus was more than capable of taking care of the whole business on his own. However, the Amazons felt that since it was their honour that had been insulted, they didn't see why a man, even if he was Hercules, should have all the fun.

With a fist to the stomach of a tough who approached swinging, the man was bent double and Hercules swung over his back to deliver two solid kicks to the chins of a couple more of the would be fighters, dropping them out of the game. Grabbing the luckless man he was using as a leaning post, the big man swung him round and sent him crashing into half a dozen more of his accomplices.

While Hercules got to work on the bulk of the opposition, Ephiny and the Amazons worked their own brand of mayhem on those imprudent enough to get too close to them. Men fell to sharp painful jabs from fists and feet. These women were the elite members of the Queen's Guards and more than a match for almost any other fighter, with one or two notable exceptions, one being the man who was fighting on their side. Ephiny was no mean warrior herself and quite capable of holding her own in this type of street brawl.

It was all over in very little time with Hercules applying a light kick to a retreating backside that sent the staggering victim flying after his running companions, "They never learn," he declared as he brushed his hands together to remove the dust from the fight, "Shall we continue with what we came here to do?" he asked the Regent politely.

"Of course," smiled Ephiny regally, "Please lead the way," she grinned.

It didn't take them too long to find their way the wharf where 'Poseidon's Treasure' was berthed, and Ephiny had to strangle a cry of dismay as she saw the ship she had contracted laying alongside the dock with it's mast down and ships carpenters swarming all over the hull as they worked to repair whatever had happened.

She caught hold of the sleeve of a scurrying sailor and demanded, "Where's Captain Jurdis?"

"You'll find him on the quarterdeck, ma'am," came the hurried reply, "'Scuse me but I gotta get to the chandlers or the first mate'll have me hide."

While Ephiny was getting that information out of the sailor, Hercules spotted a familiar face further down the wharf, "Excuse me for a moment, Ephiny," he said to the distracted Regent who was trying to pick out the ships master, "I'll meet you back here in a short while. I've just seen an old ... friend who might just be able to help us."

"What?" asked Ephiny, having only heard part of what the man had said, but registered him moving purposefully away, "Oh, right," she answered, as she gathered up her guard and headed for the quarterdeck of the ship and the unlucky captain who was about to get a full taste of an irate Amazon Queen.

Before he had travelled half of the distance towards his target, the dark skinned woman with flashing, mischievous eyes and a mane of wild black hair, turned towards him and flashed him a brilliant smile, "How's my favourite demi-god keeping," she greeted as he reached her at last, giving him a friendly hug, "and where's Curly?" she questioned.

"It's good to see you too, Nebula," smiled Hercules with sincerity, "and Iolaus is partly what I want to talk to you about."

"I see," she answered reflectively, "Do you want to come aboard? It's private on there, at the moment. I'm looking for a new crew."

"Well, if you listen to what I have to tell you, It might just be that I'll get you a paying crew for a while, and a chance for an adventure that might just appeal to your sense of ... nobility," he told her intriguingly.

"Well come aboard and weave your yarn," she invited. "I could always do with another favour owed to me by the Son of Zeus," she grinned sharply.

"Somehow I knew you'd say that," muttered Hercules as he climbed the gangplank and followed her down to her cabin.

"Make yourself comfortable," she invited him, gesturing towards a padded seat that ran around the cabin's stern. "Care for some wine?" she asked, pouring herself a glass then replaced the stopper at a shake from his head. She took an appreciative sip and smiled slowly as she said, "A donation from the King of Seriphos," she told him, "A good vintage and he had plenty more, so he won't miss it."

"I thought you weren't going to do that anymore," he chided.

"Now whatever gave you that idea?" she asked playfully, "Actually, that's why I need a new crew. We did so well on my last voyage that my men have made enough to retire on."

"And you?" asked the big man.

"I enjoy what I do too much," she admitted. "Now down to business. What is it that you want me to do, and just how much is it worth to me?"

"I need someone to take me and some friends to Rome." he replied keeping it simple.

"That's easy enough, but it doesn't tell me where I'm going to make my profit, or where my crew is coming from," she answered, now all business woman.

"Ah, well my friends will pay you well for your time and trouble, and they'll be delighted to act as your crew ... although they'll be a little green as few of them have ever been to sea before. But you won't have to worry about pirates," he smiled gently at that thought, "or anyone else attacking you ship as they're all very competent fighters."

"Warriors?" she asked and got his nodded answer, "Warriors don't tend to make good sea men," she said simply.

"Oh, I think you'll find that these particular warriors will manage all right," he informed her in an amused tone, "they've all got a very good head for heights, so the rigging won't be a problem, and I can always help out while they learn the ropes."

Nebula gave him a hard look, "All right Hercules, let's cut out the crap," she told him in no uncertain terms. "Just who are these friends of yours?"

He looked mildly at her and answered, "Ephiny, the ruling Amazon Queen and about a hundred of her warriors."

"Poseidon's good graces," breathed Nebula impressed, despite herself.

"Funny, I never really noticed that my Uncle had any 'good' graces" muttered Hercules, before saying to the sometimes pirate, "Well, what do you think?"

She looked at him considering and he could tell that she was working out just what questions she needed to ask before giving him an answer, "I think that you haven't yet told me what's going on, or where Curly is?" she answered him.

"Ah, I was kind of hoping that you'd wait until we were at sea before asking those questions," he suggested, playing for time.

"Not a chance. I don't risk 'Wave Dancer' unless I know just what I'm risking him against," she told him flatly.

"Him?" he ventured.

"We all have our preferences about our ships. Most masters are men, so call them her. I'm all wo..."

"Yes I've noticed," agreed Hercules, "and it's quite understandable when you put it like that."

"Now quit stalling and spill the info, or demi-god or not, you won't be sailing on my ship this time," Nebula told him bluntly.

"Right. Um, well we have to get to Rome, because some friends of our are probably in a bit of trouble there," he tried to keep it simple again.

"What friends and who's the trouble with?" inquired the woman as she took another appreciative sip from her glass of wine.

"Their names are Xena and Gabrielle," he told her neutrally.

She gave him a long look and finally said, "The Warrior Princess, Xena, and her bard, Gabrielle?" came her question with an arched eyebrow.

"Eeeyeah," he agreed.

"Okay," she said slowly wondering just how the big guy had become friends with a woman who was a murdering, ruthless, warlord ... and that being her good points. "What's the trouble that they're in?"

Hercules looked her in the eyes, "We're not sure," he held up his hand for silence as he continued, "We think that Caesar's got them and we don't know what he's planning to do with them."

"Oh great," she breathed heatedly, "You want me to risk trouble with him. Have you any idea what he does to pirates? No don't answer that," she told him quickly, "If you know Xena you know what Caesar is likely to do to me if he catches me."

"He's got to catch you first, Nebula. And all you'll actually be doing, this trip, is ferrying the Amazon Queen Regent and her entourage on a state visit to Rome," he told her calmly.

"All right, I can buy that you're a friend of Xena's ... you've got some really odd friends, by the way," she informed him.

"Tell me about it," he told her looking at her frankly with a humorous twinkle in his eye.

"Yeah, well that's as maybe, but just why are the Amazons going, and remember you've already told me that you're in this together," she said quickly.

"Well, actually," replied Hercules, "they're going to rescue their Queen."

Nebula shot him a sharp look, "I thought you said this Ephiny was queen. You trying to tell me that Xena's really Amazon Queen?"

"Ah, no," said the big man shaking his head to emphasise that, "Actually I said the Ephiny was Queen Regent, and it's not Xena who's the true Amazon Queen, but Gabrielle."

"Bacchus' Buttocks!" swore the pirate, earning herself an amused look from the blue eyes of her guest, "Okay, say I believe this fairytale, where does Curly come into all of this?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry I forgot that part," he grinned sheepishly, "Well Gabrielle sent him, and some other friends, letters asking for help. He hasn't been heard from for some time, so I'm beginning to get a bit worried about just what kind of trouble he's managed to get himself into."

"That'd be like him," laughed Nebula in a coolly melodious chime, "Alright, here's what I'll do. If you're Amazon friend can make this little trip worthwhile for me, I'll take you to Rome. I may even hang around and bring you home from there. I'd like to meet this Xena and I want to catch up with Curly."

Hercules stood, making sure to avoid banging his head on the low ceiling beams as he did so, "Thanks, Nebula." he accepted gratefully, "I'll bring Ephiny over so that we can get matters arranged."

"Remember, you'll owe me," she reminded him.

"Never forgot it for a moment," he answered with his slow smile.

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Ephiny was waiting impatiently for Hercules to return to the point on the wharf where he promised to meet them. Her meeting with Captain Jurdis had not gone well. Apparently, shivers had appeared in the tall mast, making it unsound for further use. If they'd tried to sail without replacing the timber, they'd have undoubtedly found themselves dismasted in the first blow that got above a breeze! The man had been apologetic, but there had been nothing he could do about it. The mast would take at least a week to replace.

The Regent was winding her temper up to frustrated rage as she remembered the Captain returning her retainer while she had asked him, "Do you know of another ship available to accommodate me and my people?"

"No ma'am," had come the seaman's prompt reply. "From what I was hearing down at the harbourmaster's earlier today, all honest ships are waiting to load cargo, and there's no new ships due in for at least the next few days."

She had nearly challenged him about what he had meant by 'honest' ships, but feeling her temper mounting, she decided to see what Hercules had to say, before traipsing around Acanthus looking for any vessel that might be able to get her to Rome, "Everything seems to be conspiring against me," she muttered under her breath as the wait grew protracted in length.

"I think that I may have an answer," said a strong voice close to her ear.

Ephiny had to use all her strength of will not to jump out of her skin, as she whirled around to face the big man who had managed to approach her so silently, "How did ...." she began before changing her mind and asking, "Never mind .. Have you found a replacement ship?"

"Maybe," he told her, "It'll depend upon how well you impress the captain and what you're willing to pay for passage," he began to turn away before adding, "Oh yeah, and how well you think your Amazons will take to being sailors."

"What?" demanded Ephiny as she watched him begin to move back in the direction she had come from.

"The captain needs a crew, part of the deal will be that your Amazons will sail the ship," he informed her.

She hurried after him, not wanting to lose him in the crowd, and was tailed by her guard, "But Amazon's don't know anything about sailing ships," she complained as she caught him by the arm.

"They'll learn," he assured her, "and this is about the only way I know that we'll be able to get a ship." He grinned, "C'mon, let me introduce you to a friend of mine. Her name's Nebula and she's a pirate."

"For a demi-god and a champion of justice, you do know the damnedest people," Ephiny told him, shaking her head at his retreating back.

"I heard that," he retorted, "Can you tell me why everybody keeps saying that to me?"

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It proved remarkably easy to strike a bargain with the tall, graceful, pirate captain, as it turned out. - I don't know what Hercules told her, but she seemed almost eager to get involved in this, - mused the Regent as she leant upon the rail on the main deck, and watched the night lights of Acanthus slip slowly away in stern of them.

Ephiny winced a little at the dent that the cost of the passage had put into her treasury, but considering the likely danger they were heading into, she couldn't really blame the woman for insisting on such a high price. She'd actually been surprised that Nebula hadn't required more.

As soon as the deal was struck, the Amazon Queen had sent two of her guards back to Eponin with instructions to bring the rest of the sisters straight to the dock and onboard the 'Wave Dancer'. As soon as they were on board, Nebula began instructing them, with Hercules' help, on just how to sail a ship. Most of the Amazon's soon had the basics, being quick studies, and Nebula had seemed mildly surprised at just how swiftly they had picked up what she was trying to impart to them.

"Right," she had declared finally, "You've got the basics, you can pick up the rest on the voyage. Now since we have the chance of catching the evening tide, we might as well slip the ropes and head to sea," declared the captain.

- And that had been that, - meditated Ephiny, - After all the delays and problems, we're finally headed for Rome. Lets just hope we can find Gabrielle and Xena, and work something out to get them out of the fix they're no doubt in. -

"NO!" came a very firm, slightly angry bellow from below decks.

- What's gone wrong now? - thought Ephiny rolling her eyes slightly, though she thought she could probably guess the problem.

She headed for the companionway steps that led down into the cabin area of the ship, and made her way to where she could hear muffled laughter and far from happy grumbles. - I told Poni that he wouldn't like it, - she thought with a wry chuckle.

Opening the door to the main cabin, she found Hercules stripped of his usual attire and now wearing a lion skin loin cloth and some silver ownership bands, - Artemis alone knows where they found those, - she thought, although she guessed that Nebula might have provided them as she saw the smug appraising look that the pirate was giving the big man.

"What's the matter, Hercules?" she asked politely, "You know that you agreed to this part of the plan. It's the only way that we can really account for you being with us."

"Ephiny I don't mind the plan," he yelped as Eponin stuck out a hand to feel his muscular back, "It's just that I don't see why I can't wear my own clothes."

The Regent took a deep breath and looked at him patiently, "Because to play the part of the Queen's concubine, you've got to dress the part. And that means what you've got on."

"I still ...." he protested.

"Please Hercules," she said quietly, "It's the only way for it to work."

He gave her a long hard look, before issuing a heavy sigh and conceding with, "Alright. But you tell your ... Amazons! to keep their hands off me," he told her sternly.

Ephiny grinned and looked at her Weapons Master, "Poni, keep your hands off of him, alright. The same goes for all the others. Make sure you tell them that from me." A mischievous smirk popped onto her face, "After all, he's mine." she laughed as she ducked out of the door.

"Ephiny!" she heard his raised voice as she scurried, very un-regally back up to the deck and away from the demi-god's very voluble and loud protests.