Chapter Twelve

Athinius

Xena rode slowly away from the destroyed village. She was in no hurry to tell either the Amazons or Lila about Gabrielle’s death. It wouldn’t make their lives any better.

One day ran into the next. She would ride until dusk, make camp, eat if she felt hungry, and then sleep holding Gabrielle’s pendant close to her heart. The next morning she would carefully place it into her leather pouch, making sure it was secure, and then ride on until dusk. On the evening of the eighth day a stranger approached her campfire. Such was her inattentiveness that she only became aware of him when Argo  neighed a warning. But it only took a heartbeat for her to draw her sword.

“Please,” the man said as he approached into the light. “I mean you no harm.”

“What do you want?” Xena asked suspiciously as she looked him up and down. Although he carried a short sword, his clothes told her that he was a tradesman, or perhaps a farmer or field hand.

“Your help. You’re the Xena, the Warrior Princess, aren’t you?”

“Maybe. Why are you looking for her?”

“Our village has been attacked time and again by a terribly brutal and cruel army of  warriors. It has been all we can do to make it from one day to the next. They come at night and they kill everyone they can find – men, women, even our children.”

As he described them, Xena wondered if this army was the same one who attacked the village, and killed Gabrielle. Their method of assault was different, but maybe their strategy was designed to keep their target villages, and the defenders, off balance.

“Where is your town?” Xena asked, now becoming more curious, and angry. If this WAS the same army of cowards . . . .

“Southeast of here,  six, maybe seven days’ on horseback. Longer on foot.”

“You had a horse?”

The man nodded.

“Until two days ago. He came up lame and I had to continue on foot.”

“How did you find me?”

“I guess I was just lucky. I was told to find help, any help I could. I wasn’t looking just for you. But when I saw you out here, alone, I knew of no other woman who would be so brave.”