Xena Warrior Princess; Sins Of The Past

Chapter Five

Gabrielle reached the bridge Xena had crossed not long before.

 She held onto the handrail- her bag held in the other hand-, chanting to reassure herself; “The bridge will hold me up, the bridge will hold me up” as she crossed.

 The young woman reached the other side, kept walking for a few paces looking around herself, enjoying the countryside. She stopped near group of boulders and reached into her bag for a snack. “Being an adventuress isn’t that hard.” She said smiling to herself.

 The blind Cyclops appearance suddenly from the boulder behind her and placed a huge wooden cage over her, trapping her all before she could even react. The Cyclops knelt in front of the cage. “Gotch ya!”

 “Mortal father of Zeus in heaven curse this brute if he eats me! Torture him with the slain serpents’ blood and the crows’ droppings!” Gabrielle exclaimed in a rush, trying to intimidate him with superstitions.

 “Shut up!” The Cyclops growled. “I hate chatty food!”

 “I know Xena, the Warrior Princess!” Gabrielle said trying a different tact.

 “I hate Xena the Warrior Princess, she blinded me!” He said. “It will give me great pleasure to rip one of her friends apart with my teeth” The Cyclops reached a huge hand through the bars of the cage.

 “Friends?” Gabrielle pressed herself back against the bars, avoiding the giant fingers.  “Who said anything about friends; I’ve been tracking her to kill her!”

 The Cyclops pulled his hand out. ”How’s a young thing like you gonna kill Xena?” Judging her age from the high light tenor of her voice.

 “That’s the point, she’d never let a man get close enough to do her, at least not that kind of do her.”  Gabrielle said thinking quickly. “But a young innocent looking girl like me, I’ll catch her totally off guard, cut her evil throat, and hack off her Cyclops blinding hands!” She was gesturing theatrically with her hands even though he could not see her.

 “You’re really gonna mess her up huh?”

 “You know what I think I’ll do to her?” Gabrielle said getting into the flow of her story.

“What?” The Cyclops asked getting excited.

 “Blind her! Gouge out them eyeballs and bring them back to you! Make a nice little appetizer don’t you think.”

 “You’d do that for me?” The Cyclops asked. Gabrielle put her hands on her hips. “I feel we’re bonded in our hate for this she-demon!”

 The Cyclops deliberated for a moment, then stood up and lifted the cage off the young woman; he deposited it on the ground next to him. Gabrielle grabbed her bag, which she had dropped on fright when the cage had trapped her.

 “Go on!” He said waving her away. “And if you’d bring me a leg too I’d appreciate it.”

 “A, leg, she’s got two, doesn’t she? You’ll get them both.”

 “And maybe a…” The Cyclops started.

 “Hey lets not get greedy.” 

 “Oh sorry.”

 Gabrielle punched the air. “Xena’s blood or die!’ The Cyclops laughed. Gabrielle moved quickly past him, keeping her eyes on him.

 “Thank the gods for dumb Cyclops.” She muttered to herself before turning and  walking away.

****                              

 Some distance away Xena was riding through a wood, the branches hung heavy with green foliage. She guided Argo round a tree at a walk and ducked to avoid its low branches, she had taken off her breastplate as she didn’t expect any trouble in a region as remote as this.

Unknown to the warrior princess, a few seconds later Hector rode around the same tree with two men riding in a line behind him, all the horses had face protectors and small plumes between their ears, prepared for a fight. He held up his hand for a halt and watched. Xena disappear around another tree.

 He pointed after her and signalled forward. They did not notice the Warrior Princess walking along a branch above them as the passed under the next tree. Hector and the man directly behind him rode passed a huge boulder that rested beside the tree that was Xena's hiding place.

 As the third man passed, Xena moved smoothly from her tree to the boulder, leapt off it. and kicking out toppling the man off his horse- he hit the ground knocked out-she took his place astride the chestnut horse. No one noticed the silent exchange. She pushed herself up so she was crouched on the horse’s saddle then launched herself into a somersault that landed her behind the man on the horse in front of her. She instantly cracked him on either side of the neck with the sides of her hands, reached around him with one arm grabbed him across the chest and pulled, throwing him off.

 He landed with a quiet thud that Hector did not hear so concentrated was he on tracking Argo’s footprints.

 Xena took the reins of his horse, a white-grey, and rode along behind Hector, who stopped his mount when he saw Argo standing quietly across the clearing from him.

 “What do you think?” He asked over his shoulder.

 “I think you got a sore throat.” Xena replied. Hector’s eyes widened when he heard her voice.

 Then she launched herself out of the saddle, grabbing Hector as she fell and pulling him off his horse. He landed on his back, Xena on one knee, using both hands, she hit two archeries in his neck with two fingers then using his armour-covered chest she pushed herself to standing.

 “I’ve just cut off the flow of blood to your brain.” She said turning and looking down at him. “You’ll be dead in twenty second unless I release you.” Blood was trickling out of Hector’s nose.

“Now why are you following me?”

 Hector lifted his head looking for his men.

 “Ten seconds”

 “Draco, he sent me.” He said struggling slightly to speak.

 “Draco.” Xena was not surprised.

 “He plans to destroy your home valley.”

 Xena looked at him, her expression a mix of blank nothingness and outraged then quickly touched his neck again.

 Hector sighed, breathing easily again.

“You’ll regain feeling in a few minutes.” Xena said before jogging off toward Argo.