Then, she was going. That was all. Confusing, but Gabrielle was sure Xena had a good reason for it. “I’m sure it’ll be worth it.”
The queen chuckled, and guided her horse over to where the other members of the raiding party were waiting. “Evening, boys.” She greeted the group.
“Majesty.” Brendan eased his horse over to her, and bowed in the saddle, equally at ease as she was. “You do us a great honor.”
“By letting you come along for the ride? Yes, I do. You’re welcome.” Xena replied, with a wicked chuckle. “You get to ride on my royal coattails, and maybe if you’re lucky my little Gabrielle here will put you in her story about the whole thing.” She slapped the slave on the leg.
“Story, m’liege?” Brendan asked. “Have we got us a storyteller then?”
“We do.” Xena motioned for one of the grooms to open a small, inconspicuous door half hidden by a curve in the wall. It was just large enough to admit them mounted, if they ducked. Xena had to duck more than most, because of her height and the stallions, but she did it gracefully, leaning her body to one side then straightening as they moved along a narrow stone corridor that ended in yet another set of thick, barred doors.
They all were silent, only the horses footfalls sounding as they filed out, the doors opened by the grooms trotting ahead of them. The night spread out before them, a softly beaten path leading down from the doors they’d just left down to the road. Sounds were muted, the rustle and clank of habitation mixed with the restless motion of livestock as they ambled past the town and headed off into the dark countryside.
Xena waited until they’d past the market, and the outlying hamlets and the trees had swallowed them on either side. “Now you listen to me, my little muskrat.” She turned her head and murmured to Gabrielle.
“I’m not a muskrat.” Gabrielle objected mildly, tipping her head back to look up at the stars. “Oh… look!”
“What?” Xena swiftly checked the area.
“No, up there!” Gabrielle whispered. “It’s moving!” She pointed at a streak of light.
Xena stared at it.
“Make a wish!” The slave urged her. “If you make a wish when you see one of those, it’ll come true!”
“Gabrielle.” The queen drawled in amusement.
“It will!”
Xena shook her head and chuckled. “Ten thousand slaves, and I had to pick this one.” She mock sighed.
The road was empty before them, as she’d expected. It was lined with forest as it headed down to the river valley, where it would open up a little as it crossed the ford and entered the fertile lands on the other side. Evgast’s stronghold was nestled in a fold of the next valley, the approach easily visible from it’s stone walls. She’d have to find a way in less conspicuously, but until then she settled down and decided to just enjoy the ride. “So.”
“Hm?” Gabrielle leaned closer.
One of the girl’s thumbs was rubbing her absently just above her navel, and Xena found it delightfully distracting. “What’d you wish for?” She asked, letting her free hand drop down to rest on the slave’s thigh.
“I can’t tell you.”
Xena turned her head. “Can’t?” She growled.
“It won’t come true, then.” Gabrielle explained. “You can’t tell anyone.” She rested her cheek against the queen’s shoulder as she peered out past her. “It’s a pretty night out.”
Pretty? Xena observed the landscape. It was lit in faint starlight, the new moon barely a sliver on the horizon. “If you say so.” She said. “Now listen. When we get where we’re going, I’m gonna stick you up a tree, and you will keep your mouth shut and just wait for us to get back. Understand?”
“Okay.”
“Hm…” Xena traced the side of her knee through her leggings. “I love it when someone obeys me without question.” She drawled softly. “It’s one of the reasons I wanted to rule everything.”
Gabrielle watched the horses’ ears flick back and forth, as though he were listening to Xena too. “What are you going to do?”
Xena kept an eye on the forest to either side, the caution of a lifetime stirring instincts that she had to admit were rusty at best. It had been a very long time, she was suddenly conscious, since she’d left the security of her troops and her stronghold to walk the land virtually alone.
Was this really a good idea?
She frowned, disturbed at the thought. Her plan had been relatively simple, in abstract. She’d lead her small group up into the hills, and sneak into Evgast’s castle. He lived in the heartland of the kingdom and there hadn’t been so much as a renegade road bandit in the area for years. She felt sure they could get inside, then find the girl and get out again.
But would it be that easy? Was she kidding herself? Was she a nutcase for coming out here and risking herself in a crazy attempt at…
At what?
No. She dismissed the thought. She was doing this because she knew she’d do it right, and….
Xena frowned again. “Why in Hades am I doing this?” She asked aloud.
Gabrielle assumed she was being addressed, and considered the question carefully. “Because you want to help out the duke, and get him on your side?” She ventured. “And it’s a really amazing thing to do.”
Hm. Xena signaled the men forward, and pressed her knees into her stallion’s sides. The horse’s pace increased from a walk to a canter, and she felt Gabrielle grab hold of her in a sudden death grip. “I’ll go with that.” She said. “Better make sure you remember all the heroic details, hm?”
“Uhhhh…” Gabrielle was now moving faster than she’d ever gone before in her life. The wind blew her hair back, and she blinked as the cold air stung her eyeballs. “Thhh.at wwould be easier if you didn’t put mmme in a ttree.”
Xena peered at her. “You’re stuttering.”
“T…the horrrse is bbbbouncing.”
“Ahh… I can make him stop bouncing. Would you like that?”
Gabrielle nodded vigorously.
Xena chuckled, and clamped her knees down, leaning forward and letting out a soft yell. The horse bolted into an all out gallop, his pace lengthening as the trees whipped by. “Better?” She called back to her passenger.
“Yyyeeewooooooooo!” Gabrielle wrapped her arms around Xena’s body and hung on for dear life. She could feel the queen laughing, and felt the muscular flexing as her body moved with the horses motion. It was scary, and very uncomfortable and she felt like she was about to fall off.
And then, she figured out if she stuck to Xena like a snail and moved when she moved, it got a little better.
Just a little.
They thundered through the night, sweeping down the road towards the river. It was dark, and the sky overhead seemed full of shooting stars.
Gabrielle decided it would either be the best adventure she’d ever had, or the worst nightmare she could ever imagine. But if the gods listened to her, and granted her wish – then she and Xena would be okay.
And… Her body melded a little more tightly to the queen’s. Xena was right about one thing.
It would make a really, really good story.
**
Xena crawled up onto the ridge, perversely exulting in the feel of the cold, hard ground against her knees and elbows. She slowly pulled herself up over a root at the top, peeking over and gazing down in the valley below.
The small castle was well lit by torches, and the gates were manned by no less than six stalwart looking fellows, bearing long spears with barbed points on them. Xena noticed also the narrow slits in the stone walls, where she could just make out the faintest of glints on the crossbows mounted inside.
Slowly, her head turned and she surveyed the lands around the building, nodding a little at the strictly cleared space that allowed for no intruders to creep up unexpectedly. Good planning, unfortunately for her. Her eyes tracked across the ripple of starlight on the small stream that ran alongside the walls, offering more protection and taking the castle’s refuse away in a nose cringing flow.
Hm. Xena eyed the water. She cocked her head and listened intently, hearing very far off a rich burbling sound somewhere up the slope behind the castle. She considered the force she had with her, then backed off from the ridge and returned to where the men and Gabrielle were waiting.
“Looks to be pretty sharp on the door, Mistress.” Brendan remarked, in a low voice. “Almost like they was specting trouble.”
Yeah. “Evgast knows he’s got a prize in there.” Xena said. “It’s not out of the question that Lastay would try to get in.” She indicated the slope. “We need to leave the horses here. Put them into that patch of trees over there.”
Brendan looked. “Aye, Mistress? Then?”
“Then we climb.” Xena smiled at him with cheerful wickedness. “Hope you’re up to it, old man.” She patted him on the head and started towards the copse of trees with Gabrielle trailing quietly behind her.
“Xena?” The slave murmured, as they reached the trees. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Could I stop you?” The queen led her big mount inside the protected space and tied his bridle off. She edged out of the way as the rest of the men followed her lead. “Hm?” Her fingers found Gabrielle’s chin and tipped it upward.
“Sure.”
“What?” Xena asked.
“Couldn’t you just go to the front door and ask them to give her up?”
Xena gazed down at her. One eyebrow hiked up.
“I mean, you’re the queen. They’d have to listen to you, wouldn’t they?” The slave went on.
“Hm.” Xena put her arm around Gabrielle’s shoulders and started up the ridge as the men clustered around them. “I could do that.” She admitted. “But I don’t want to.”
They moved quietly through the trees, Xena leading them on a slanting path up the hill. Gabrielle was quiet for a few steps, then looked up again. “Why not?”
“Two reasons.” The queen answered. “First, because Evgast’s gone so far at this point, he may have told his people to kill her if anyone approaches the castle.”
“Oh.” Gabrielle murmured. “Wow. That would be bad.”
“Mm.” Xena nodded. “And two, because all the fun for me in this is outsmarting the little bastard and stealing his prize away under his bulbous nose.”
“Ah.”
“And I intend to have the most fun possible tonight.” Xena concluded. “Especially since they think I’m busy in my quarters indulging in hedonistic rituals their feeble imaginations could not even begin to picture.” She ducked her head as she walked, gracefully capturing Gabrielle’s lips and exploring them without missing a step or bumping into the slightest twig. “Understand?”
Gabrielle nodded. “I think I do, yes.”
“Good.” Xena reached the end of the easy slope and released her slave, examining the rocky outcropping ahead of her. “Okay.” She flexed her fingers. “Here’s where it gets tough. I’ll go first, everybody follow me. If you fall, keep your mouth shut. No screaming.”
Gabrielle watched as the queen unhooked her cloak and draped it neatly over a tree limb. She was dressed in her armor, but to that she’d added knitted leggings tucked into her boots and a coal colored shirt of mail that covered her arms and rendered her almost invisible in the darkness.
Xena started the climb up the rocks, picking her handholds carefully and moving with steady, cautious deliberation. After a moment’s pause, Gabrielle realized the men were waiting for her to go next, and she scrambled forward, taking hold of the stones and pulling herself after the queen as fast as she could.
It wasn’t easy at all. Gabrielle realized very quickly. Xena made it look almost effortless, but the stone edges cut into her hands and the energy it took to pull her body up was almost more than she could handle. She heard the men start to climb up after her, though, muffling soft oaths and she felt just a little bit better about it. It was tough for her, but at least she was light. They weren’t.
The path got steeper, and she struggled to grab a handhold Xena had used. The stone was a little slick from the night air and her grip slipped, making her fall back against the rocks with a painful thump. “Ow.” She mouthed silently, remembering Xena’s warning.
“You all right, little one?” Brendan murmured, just beneath her.
“Yes.” Gabrielle whispered, catching her breath and taking a firmer hold on the stone. She tugged her body upward, glancing up only to find a pair of icy blue eyes looking back at her. “Sorry.”
“Yes, you are.” The queen said tartly.
Gabrielle blinked at her, wincing at the sting of the words. It wasn’t as if she’d spent her life crawling around mountains after all.
“At this, anyway.” Xena reached down and grabbed the back of her tunic, hauling her up onto the next little ridge as easily as if she’d been a sack of corn. “Glad you’ve got other good points. C’mon.”
With Xena’s grip on her, climbing became a whole lot easier. Gabrielle pulled herself up past the last bit of rock and settled down on her belly next to the queen. After a few minutes, the others joined them, and they edged up to peek over the top of the ridge.
Now, they were on one side of the castle. Gabrielle could see the walls in the rear, equally as imposing as those in the front, their gray surfaces broken only by two guarded doors and a wooden stockade like thing which covered a pile of rocks near the very back.
Xena motioned Brendan forward. She pointed at the guards by the door nearest them. The old soldier nodded, then crept down the line, tapping one of the men on the shoulder and indicating he should follow.
Gabrielle watched them go, their armor blending quickly into the dark foliage as they inched their way down the slope. It was amazing to her how silently they moved and she observed in fascination the barest hint of a shadow as they crawled along. She leaned over very close to Xena’s ear. “What are they going to do?”
Xena turned her head and regarded her. “Take the guards out.” She uttered.
“Oh.” Gabrielle watched a moment more, before the meaning of the words penetrated and a cold chill went down her back. She looked at Xena. “D…”
“Yes.” The queen enunciated the word precisely. “Close your damn eyes.”
Gabrielle held hers for a long moment. Then she turned and let her chin rest on her forearm, fastening her gaze on the guards standing unaware in the torchlight. They were no more than stick figures at this distance, faint motions as they shifted barely visible and it was impossible to distinguish what they looked like.
Did that make watching easier? Gabrielle swallowed. They could be just regular guys, like the men Xena had brought with her. They could be someone’s brother. Or husband. She pictured Brendan’s face. Or father.
But soon they would just be bodies. Gabrielle didn’t know any of them, but it made her sad and she wondered if this is what life just had in store for her from now on. Should she just get used to it?
Could she? She shifted and looked at Xena’s profile. The queen was resting her weight on her elbows, watching the stronghold with quiet, alert eyes. The beauty of her strong, sculpted features was evident even in the low starlight and Gabrielle wondered again at how so much blood and death could live so easily inside the woman next to her.
Just something else she’d have to get used to, wasn’t it? Gabrielle exhaled, briefly wishing she’d never asked to come along. “Can I leave out this heroic detail when I tell the story?” She murmured to herself with a little shake of her head.
Xena pretended not to hear her. She gazed confidently ahead, watching the flicker of motion she knew were her men heading down to take care of business. Once the guards were dead, she could get in that back way and this time of night be pretty much guaranteed a period of time to find her quarry. She’d leave two of her men outside in case anyone gave the door a casual look, and it should go nice and easy for everyone.
Echoes nibbled annoyingly at her ears. Except for Evgast’s guards, that is. She shot a glance at Gabrielle, and watched the girl’s fair lashes flicker, her profile a study in pensive dismay.
Damn it. Feeling like she had to justify her decisions really pissed her off. Xena frowned and dismissed the slave, concentrating on thinking through her plan.
Moments later though, she found herself watching Gabrielle again. The girl had turned her attention from the guards to a small beetle in front of her nose, and she put a careful finger in front of it and watched it crawl up and over to continue on it’s way.
Now, why in Hades would anyone do something like that? Xena wondered. “Hey.”
There was a brief but perceptible hesitation before Gabrielle looked up at her. The slave’s lips pressed into a very faint smile, then relaxed as she waited to see what Xena wanted from her.
What do I want from her? Xena mused, as she studied the gentle, innocent face. “Listen.” She put the tip of her index finger on Gabrielle’s nose. “We live in a nasty world. You can’t be nice to everyone.”
“I know.” Gabrielle said. “But…” She glanced out at the castle. “Couldn’t you just have tied them up?”
Xena sighed. “No.” She returned her attention to the guards, seeing a shadow slide towards the right of them and taking in a breath of anticipation. “For one thing, we don’t have any rope.” She observed. “And for another…” The queen paused, a wrinkle appearing in her brow. “Anyway, it’s too late now.” She turned and rested her chin against her fists. “Everyone get ready to move.”
Gabrielle wrestled with herself for a few minutes, forcing her eyes finally to fasten on the guards. She closed her hands on the ground in front of her, catching two bunches of leaves and twigs and feeling them bite into her palms.
One of the guards looked at his partner across the doorway, making a faintly seen motion with his spear. The other waved a tiny hand in response.
She could almost imagine them sharing a joke together, just the two of them there alone in the night.
Then as she watched, unable to look away, two shadows detached themselves from the ground and swept down on the doorway. The guard nearest her started to react, then his spear dropped and he followed it, clutching his throat as he fell.
The other guard didn’t even have time to let out a yell. One moment he was standing, the next he was just a huddle of fabric on the hard, cold ground. Death had come to them in silence, and in silence the dark shadows picked up the bodies and pulled them back into the rough brush they’d come from.
“Nice.” Xena complimented them quietly.
Gabrielle looked down at her hands. Slowly, she uncurled them and let the leaves fall, feeling sick and more than a little sad. She folded her fingers together and rested her forehead on them, breathing in the smell of the earth as she said a little prayer to Hades for the two men’s journey to his lands.
“Let’s go.” Xena got a grip on the back of Gabrielle’s tunic and lifted her to her feet, surging over the ridge and starting down the slope towards the castle. “You don’t want to miss the fun, do you?”
Gabrielle found herself trotting down the hill after the queen, towards the torchlit doorway. She almost pulled up on seeing the two guards in place on either side of it, then she realized it was Xena’s men in the guard’s tabards.
There was no sign of the original guards as they approached.
Brendan worked the latch as they arrived, pushing the door gently open and ducking his head as Xena slipped past him into the castle.
“Good job.” The queen patted his cheek.
“Aye. Not bad for an old man, eh?” Brendan chuckled.
The door closed behind them, and Gabrielle found herself in a small, closed courtyard that was empty of anything save a set of old barrels.
“All right.” Xena murmured. “That was the easy part. Split up. You two..” She indicated two of the four remaining me. “Go to the tower stair. Make sure no one comes up this way and blocks our exit.”
“Aye, Mistress.” The two men slipped away.
“You two, find the barracks and stables.” Xena instructed. “Gabrielle and I will find the girl. When I whistle, get your selves back here and get ready to move like Hades.”
“Mistress.” The taller of the two touched his forehead, and they melted into the darkness.
Gabrielle was left with Xena, alone in the courtyard. She felt her heart start to pound, as she suddenly realized she was going to be involved in whatever plan it was Xena had come up with.
There would be no safety of an anonymous tree to sit in. She would be going where Xena went, and risking whatever it was the queen had in mind.
It was profoundly terrifying.
What if she screwed something up? What if they got caught? What if….
“Hey.” Xena patted her on the cheek. “Stop losing your mind. We’ll be fine. There’s no one in this place that can put a touch on me. You’re safe as a baby.”
Gabrielle blinked at her, and tried to project a confidence she didn’t feel. “Okay.”
“Let’s go.” The queen put a hand on her shoulder and started to walk, placing her boots carefully as they moved down the hall. “No squeaking.”
Yeah. Gabrielle clamped her jaws together. Easy for the cat to say.
**
“Where is everyone?” Gabrielle whispered, as softly as she could. She and Xena were standing at the bottom of a long, spiral stone staircase inside the tower nearest to the back door. “It’s so quiet.”
“Mm.” The queen laid her hand against the stone and leaned towards it as though she were listening to it’s silent secrets. “Supper, probably.” She straightened, apparently satisfied. “Keep quiet. Don’t scuff your feet or I’ll….”
“Cut them off?” Gabrielle suggested, in a low murmur. “Boy, that would be messy.”
Xena patted her cheek. “That’s my girl. Keep working on that sense of humor.” She started up the steps, placing her feet with caution as she slowly lifted her body up. She cocked her head and listened, straining her ears for the least sound above her as she lead Gabrielle along.
The tower was empty, almost too empty. The queen felt a prickle of nerves as she continued upward, mindful of the short, blond responsibility hanging just off her hip.
Was she nuts, to have brought Gabrielle? Xena scowled, pausing in the middle of the staircase to crane her head up, and examine what she could see of the top landing. A single torch burned up there, and she could hear the light licking of the flame against the stone of the wall.
No breathing, no motion that might indicate a guard. “Hm.” Xena continued her stealthy upward motion, one hand on Gabrielle’s shoulder as she stepped around the last curve of the stairs and ended up at the upper doorway.
“Hold up.” Xena knelt and examined the ground, her fingers brushing over a dark stain before the door. She sniffed carefully, then she stood and pressed her ear against the doorway. From the other side, she could just barely detect a murmur of low voices and her heart rate picked up in response. “Stay behind me.”
Gabrielle had no intention of staying anywhere but. She tucked herself behind the queen’s reassuringly solid form as Xena put her hand on the latch and worked it silently. Her heart was racing so quickly it was making her dizzy, and she concentrated on taking deep breaths as the wooden door eased slightly open.
A puff of air trickled out, full of reeds and oil smoke, and the tickly scent of wool. After a moment of utter stillness, Xena inched the door further, slipping her body inside and tugging Gabrielle in after her.
You wanted adventure. Gabrielle reminded herself, as she felt the door close, sealing them into a hallway with a tall, arched roof and a number of inset doors. You got it, so now shut up and do what she says.
There was a slim, woolen carpet on the floor, and hangings on the walls that warmed the interior. Torches were tucked neatly in sconces spaced along the length of the hall, but other than that it was empty. Gabrielle could just barely hear voices, off in the distance, and as she craned her head around Xena’s elbow she also spotted something else.
At the end of the corridor was another doorway, but this one was different. It bore iron bars, and a large, heavy lock secured the entrance that looked stout enough to withstand even a giant’s blow.
How had, Gabrielle suddenly wondered, the queen known exactly where to go? She wanted to ask, but one look at Xena’s serious face convinced her to keep her tongue inside her mouth and her thoughts to herself. She could see, though, why there weren’t any guards. No one could get inside that room.
The iron bars didn’t seem to dismay the queen, however. Somehow, Gabrielle didn’t feel a lot of surprise over that.
Xena turned, and put her hands on Gabrielle’s shoulders, her eyes quiet, and very intent. She pressed backwards, pushing her against the wall and into a slight alcove. Then she released her, and put a fingertip on Gabrielle’s nose. “Don’t move.” She mouthed silently.
Gabrielle nodded.
Without a sound, Xena turned and walked down the hallway. As she approached the first doorway she paused, easing her head around the corner and examining the space before she moved on. Her motions were smooth and graceful, and she seemed to radiate an alertness that Gabrielle could feel all the way back at her end of the corridor.
It had an eerie beauty to it.
She held her breath as Xena came to the next entrance, her entire body going absolutely still. With horrified eyes, Gabrielle watched as the door opened, spilling candlelight out into the hall and a man emerged, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
He walked right past the tall, dark haired woman standing against the wall, and didn’t even see the arm that snaked around his neck and broke it.
The soft crunching sound hit Gabrielle right in the pit of her stomach. She watched the man slump into Xena’s arms, and saw the dispassionate look in the queen’s eyes as she tucked the body into a dark corner on the other side of the door.
It was no longer beautiful. Gabrielle closed her eyes on the image of the man’s staring eyes, looking right at her before his head was turned and his life extinguished between one of her breaths and the next.
Cautiously, Xena peered inside the room. Then she turned and picked the unlucky man up, hauling his body up over her shoulder as though he were a sack of grain and dumping him inside the room. She closed the door behind him, and dusted her hands off.
Her eyes met Gabrielle’s. Then Xena turned and continued down the hall towards the locked chamber.
It was like being caught in a nightmare. Gabrielle pressed her shoulders back against the stone, willing her body not to just turn and run as it so desperately wanted to. She didn’t want to be here. She didn’t want to see anyone else die, or watch Xena practice those dark skills she seemed so very proud of.
She tried not to think of those same hands touching her. Patting her cheek.
Gabrielle felt sick, and more than a little ashamed. She dropped her eyes to the ground and hoped it would all just end quickly, before anyone else found them.
Xena padded up to the iron gates and examined the lock. She was quite satisfied with herself so far, having guessed right about Evgast’s architecture and remembered the interior of his castle that she’d only seen once. Her sense of hearing told her there was no one else in the tower yet, and she flicked her eyes around the hall before she concentrated on the iron clasp in her hands.
Was Gabrielle watching how clever she was? Xena glanced down to where she’d left the slave. She frowned when she took in Gabrielle’s posture, and wondered what the Hades the problem was with the kid now.
As though sensing Xena’s eyes, Gabrielle looked up, met her gaze, then looked away, unable to hold it.
But that brief moment was enough, almost more than enough, to make Xena drop the lock, turn her back on the door and return down the hall.
Forgetting her task, forgetting the captive. Intent only on the slight, pale haired figure huddled in a dark corner at the far end of the stone walls. She reached the girl and put a hand out, touching her face in question.
Gabrielle pulled back in almost a cringe.
Xena felt… She stared at the slave, shocked at the rush of hurt that overtook her at that slight motion. She reached out again, and watched as Gabrielle pressed back against the wall, moving away from her fingers.
Neither of them spoke. Xena looked down at her hands, then she turned and looked at the second door as she recalled her actions. She looked back at Gabrielle, who was gazing unhappily at the floor.
The queen felt her own shoulders slump. The emotions inside her was almost too much, and the danger around them increasing proportionately. She found herself not caring about the captive, or the castle, or Evgast, though – the pain focused right on the slave before her.
She should just go get her job done. Xena wrestled with herself. She was insane to be standing here. Insane!
So she knelt, dropping to one knee in the hall, accepting her insanity as she let this need of hers take precedence over everything despite how incredibly stupid she knew it was. There, at last, she met soft, green eyes full of startlement.
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