JUST ONE BITE

pt.6

As Xena was walking away, Gabrielle was stopped by a concerned Joxer from following her.

GABRIELLE
What do you mean Xena's been bitten? I'm sure if she was, she would've said something. So I'm willing to bet it was probably just something else that you saw.

JOXER
Listen, I have seen every kind of wound encountered by man or beast. And I am positive about that, my friend, being a bite, specifically, a Bacchae bite.

GABRIELLE
(Suspicious tone) Okay, then why hasn't she turned into one?

JOXER
Hey these things take time you know. Infact I bet any second now, Xena's gonna be sporting a new set of fangs, big ones. Wait a minute. Now I know why she didn't want me with her. Because she knows I'm the only one who could stop her.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes slightly.

GABRIELLE
(Sarcasm) Okay, sure.
But if you insist that you saw bite marks on Xena's neck, there's an easy way to settle this right now. I'll just go ask her.

JOXER
No, don't ask her a question! Are you kidding me? The slightest thing could propelpropel her into a bacchian frenzy! Listen, you better give me this.

Joxer grabbed Gabrielle's staff from her hand as he pulled out a dagger and began to sharpen it.

GABRIELLE
Hey, what do you think you're doing?! Give that back.

Gabrielle swiftly took her staff back as she momentarily examined several new scraps now on the top of her weapon and gave Joxer an annoyed look.

JOXER
What do you think just giving Xena a good wack on the head with that will be enough when she goes full killer Bacchae? You're gonna need a real weapon, so give me that so you can defend yourself.

Joxer reached for Gabrielle's staff, and she pulled it out of his immediate range.

GABRIELLE
(Irritated tone) Joxer you touch my staff and I'll use you to test just how effective a wack to the head with this really is.

As the two bickering over Gabrielle's staff, tired of waiting around, Xena called over to them.

XENA
Hurry up! What are you two doing back there?

Gabrielle and Joxer looked towards Xena.

GABRIELLE
(Lying) Nothing.

JOXER
Just sharpening our weapons.

Joxer returned his attention to Gabrielle as he stopped reaching for her staff.

JOXER
Okay, fine, but when Xena bites your head off in the middle of the night, don't come running to me.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes again as she and Joxer caught up with Xena and Orpheus as the foursome left. After traveling for a while, the group stopped and set up camp for the night. Gabrielle worked on making dinner as Joxer gave her a hand. Meanwhile, Xena stood from her spot near the campfire as she walked over to where they had placed Orpheus nearby and sat across from him as she saw the troubled look on his face.

XENA
You alright?

ORPHEUS
I'm a musician without my hands. And just 'cause you've agreed to help us, it doesn't make us friends, Xena. My wife died in your war camp, and you did nothing to protect her. So all that being said, how should I feel?

XENA
I'm sorry Orpheus. There was nothing I could do. Most of my men had already fallen. I tried my best to hold back Bacchus in the hope that she would escape.

ORPHEUS
(Quiet angry tone) But you failed.

XENA
(Quiet angry tone) Your wife shouldn't have even been there in the first place.

ORPHEUS
(Angry tone) You know I'll never understand why Eurydice thought she could befriend a ruthless warrior like you. Her blood is on your hands!

Xena scowled as she got up and angerly stormed off as Gabrielle and Joxer took notice.

JOXER
Looks like we're all in for a long night.

Later that night, as the group slept, an ominous shadow loomed around the camp. It moved swiftly and in silence as it found its way to the snoring Joxer. Seeing the sleeping man, the shadow raised a dagger over him. Then for reasons unknown, joxer began to stir. And as his eyes peeked open, he saw the figure above him with the dagger. With his eyes quietly widening in fear, Joxer yelled in terror as the figure drove the weapon down. The blade sunk into flesh as Joxer whimpered.

XENA
Sand spider.

A second later, Joxers eye adjusted to the darkness and saw Xena pulling back holding the dagger with a large, poisonous spider impaled on the blade. Joxer breathed heavily in his now fading fear as Xena looked at him.

XENA
Everything all right?

JOXER
(Nervous tone) Yeah, I'm good, I was just thinking about the best way to kill Bacchae. Not that I haven't killed them before, you know.

XENA
There's only one way to kill a Bacchae. We'll get what we need on the way to the catacombs. For now, try and get some sleep.

JOXER
(Nervous tone) Sure. No problem.

Xena walked away as Joxer rolled to his side, facing away from everyone as he lay layed there with a terrified look on his face as he was convinced that the sand spider was merely a convenient cover as he was certain that if he hadn't woken up when he did, Xena would have killed him.

BACCHUS
Under the light of the baccha moon,

Bacchus stood in his lair, surrounded by his legion of Bacchae as he approached a pedestal.

BACCHUS
my initiates will drink my blood and become one of us.

The god held out his hand as he used a dagger to slice open his palm. As his blood began to flow from the wound, he then clenched his hand closed and held it over a goblet of wine. He stood there as he allowed his blood began to drip into the goblet and mix with the cup's contents.

BACCHUS
By this time tomorrow, we will have a new breed
of eternal Bacchae. And one of them will be Xena.

TO BE CONTINUED...