My appologies to a guest reader who I wasn't able to moderate their review in time. Also my thanks for all reviews. I really apreicate them.
4
" Let me explain." Deimos said as he let them in to his house and lit the oil lamp. He had led them through the back streets to his house avoiding the temple so the guards wouldn't see them and report it to Micha. He didn't feel any easier about having them there but now they at least were under cover." We went to sleep in Amphipolis and woke up here, care to explain that and where are we exactly?" Xena asked frowning at him and he looked uncomfortable." This is Urgit. Micha seized the temple and shaman's crown and he holds Theron the real shaman prisoner. He cast a spell and brought a demon goddess through the hole. Then people started getting killed." he said. Xena looked at him." Wait a minute, what do you mean a hole?" she asked and Deimos shrugged." It just looked like a hole, I think he wants to be more than just shaman, he wants everything, the whole country, maybe even be king of the world." he said looking at her.
Urgit was a long way from Amphipolis which explained how they had got there overnight and this Micha sounded as ambitious as he was clever, getting a goddess on side was smart but risky and Xena wondered who she was." This goddess, does she a name?" she asked her frown deepening." Never heard it said and when the other one came we heard her mention it was you she wanted. Revenge for some crime or other." Deimos said.
That didn't help much she had enemies a plenty and not knowing who it was just added to her problems." Hold on, there's another one who came?" Gabrielle said hitting on what he had said earlier." Seems that was a mistake, she came in on a strange beast and we had to run for our lives but we know nothing about her because we can't understand a word she says." The mayor said." I'd like to see her where is she?" Xena asked wondering if this was just another problem along with the rest." She was injured when she hit the tree and she's with our healer, but the beast died though. I'll take you to her." Deimos explained." Show me this animal first." Xena said wondering what sort of beast this was.
" The hole came up there." Deimos pointed." And she came through and hit the tree there." his hand shot across fast to show her the way the stranger had come and Xena saw the huge mark on the trunk where it was hit. She walked around the thing and knew it was not an animal but a strange machine that must have moved judgeing by the deflated wheel. It was made of many different things, some she knew and recognised like the metal but there were other things she had no idea of. The plastics and rubber were new to her and she looked at the tank leaking it's fuel into the earth and it all had a horrible smell. She checked around the glade and noted it must have been coming in at speed." Be careful of that I think it's inflamable." she warned him pointing at the leak. " What is that?" Gabrielle said grimacing at it." Your guess is as good as mine but it's no animal." Xena said quietly and then looked to the mayor." Right let's go meet this woman now." she said and Deimos led them from the glade.
Leia was very relieved when she saw Deimos come in but she knew straight away the other two were serious warriors and she felt a tinge of fear when he introduced her and Kara to Xena and Gabrielle. This was the woman the goddess was on about and she looked at Deimos who looked back at her and shrugged. Xena asked the healer about her patient, how badly was she injured and was she fit enough to talk to. The healer pointed to the woman on the bed watching them with interest as Xena and Gabrielle inspected her things stacked against the wall." Not sure how she'll take it." Kara said and Xena turned to Gabrielle." See what you can do." she said to the bard and Gabrielle wondered how she was going to begin with this woman who didnt speak their language. Baby steps, she thorght to herself and sat down by the stranger. Jan pulled the covers up to her chin, not liking to feel the object of such interest and with no clothes she felt exposed. She wasn't at all sure what was coming next by these two who were dressed so differently from the other people here. The young woman before her looked friendly but the dark haired one she felt had an air of danger about her.
" Gabrielle," Gabrielle said putting a hand to her chest. pointed to Xena and said." Xena" then she did the same to Kara and Leia pointing to each and saying their names, then she pointed to the stranger. Nothing at first and Gabrielle repeated it then Jan got what she was doing and said." Jan." she said. Everybody smiled feeling they had gotten somewhere except Xena who stood back and watched Jan intently. Jan pointed to Leia and said her name and then to Deimos repeating them each time learning their names happy to feel the contact at last. Gabrielle tried her next question. She spread her arms wide indicating the whole place and touched the floor." This Urgit. Where home?" she pointed to Jan. Jan couldn't get it as Gabrielle patiently acted out her depiction of home. Jan was starting to feel frustrated at this inane playacting and she let her feelings go sharply." Look this is absolutely crazy. I'm not getting any of this I'm from London, England surely you've heard of Great Britain and can call the embassy." Xena started at the one out of the unfamilier words she thorght she understood." I think she said she's a Briton, the island north of Gaul." Gabrielle turned back to Jan." Briton?" Gabrielle sighed with relief as Jan nodded suspiciously at them, Gaul was France wasn't it, and Briton, those terms they used were old, very old she thorght. Wern't they the names the Romans called them by? " Roman?!" she exclaimed stareing at Xena. Xena glared at her." Do you mind." she growled and Jan got the meaning if not the words, Not Roman and not a fan of them Jan thorght and began to feel very cold all of a sudden. Where was she for goodness sake?
" Let her rest now." Kara said quickly concerned for her charge seeing her obviously in some distress and Gabrielle sighed at being stopped so soon. She had wanted to continue but Xena's look told her to end it there and she turned to Deimos." We've got to talk, there's much to plan." she said to him and he nodded." I'll call the council together. I need their support for this." he said enphaticly and accepting it Xena nodded. There was a risk with too many knowing about them but then, she had need of everyone's support too and she said." I want to talk to them too, and get her on her feet as soon as you can." she said to Kara.
Micha was in the library franticly searching through the scrolls for more spells and secrects as the sargeant walked in. Things hadn't quite gone the way he worked it. Xena should have come so he could send her beyond as intended and instead a total stranger had come from the tear he had created, and the goddess was absolutely furious with him." Sir, a spy has just come with news. Xena is here." Micha looked up at him from a dusty piece." Where?" The sargeant sighed, this boy was a fool he thorght." She was seen with Deimos. I told you he was going to be trouble. We should have killed him when we had the chance or got 'her' to." Micha shook his head." And I explained why not, his death would only bring about a full scale rebellion and we can't afford that, not yet anyway. So the Warrior Princess is here, good that saves me from having to call her again now we can get on with the rest of it." he said aloud though he wasn't really talking to the soldier." Go back to your duties I'll call you when I want you." Micha waved him away, he had a lot to do and he had to start on it. The soldier saluted and left with utter contempt on his face. He hated that he had to crawl to a mere boy and obey him but one day when the goddess wasn't around he was going to give that boy something he wouldn't forget or just wave away.
Xena looked at the group of people squashed into Deimos' small house and began." First we have to find the real shaman and rescue him." she heard an audible gasp." Or there wont be any way we can change things." she said sharply and turned to Deimos." I must know the temple layout to give me some idea of where he might be held." One of the men called Kazim clearly wasn't happy about this." You can't do that, he'll send her after us." Leia joined in." She'll come anyway, we have to do this." Kazim laughed." You would say that, to keep your boyfriend happy." Leia paled at his suggestion and Deimos glared but didn't speak." No she said it because she is right. You dont have a choice unless you want to go on taking orders from the demon and her boy wizard." Xena growled at Kazim and the others started up each with their own opinions. Deimos tried desperatly to keep their voices down. Xena hadn't mentioned the alternative, that Theron might be dead already and there wasnt any chance, but she let them go on believeing there was for the moment.
" Deimos said this was a council desision and you all have to approve it so I'm asking because I need your help, all of you." Xena said and stared them down one by one before she stepped back and leant against wall. The council members huddled close and talked on. Xena wanted to hurry them. If they disapproved she had her plan anyway but she would rather it was with their consent and she just had to wait for them to come to their desision themselves.
Kara had given her meat with flat bread and another drink and Jan snuggled down in the bed feeling the warm glow spreading over her body. Her head was swimming. She's zonking me out she thorght to herself suddenly realising that she was being doped up. Yes it stopped the pains but it also stopped her from thinking clearly and she had to find a way to stop that somehow. Probably it was in the wine and she had to refuse that and stick to water she told herself. The meeting had been very interesting and she had learnt quite a bit, mostly names but it was a start. It was still a crazy situation and she still had no idea how she'd got there. Came in the Tardis with Doctor Who her inner voice said and she began to giggle. No think straight you came through that hole, that other voice said and another thorght struck her and two faces swam before her eyes. The dark haired woman with the steel blue eyes and the younger blonde whose eyes sparkled like emeralds. They know, the other voice said in her head and Jan knew she had to ask, had to find out more and she suddenly came to and called out." Kara?"
They were still arguing about it and Xena and Gabrielle watched on waiting for the council to make up their minds. Xena groaned impatiently." Get on with it." as the differing views tooing and frowing amongst the group seemed to go on forever. Gabrielle patted her hand." They have to discuss it Xena." Xena pulled a face, her way was much quicker she thorght. This was just a lot of hot air and a waste of time." I know that, the longer this goes on the more chance we have of being found out before we can start." she didn't like that they were boxed in like this, they could be surounded. Deimos and Leia were gradually winning over their detractors." Their in love Xena." Gabrielle suddenly said grinning as she saw it." Then why didn't he back her up when Kazim had a go at her?" Xena growled." Maybe he can't. Some societies have strict rules about relationships and her position in the council could be threatened if she were seen as bedding her way to the top." Gabrielle said." It's like that in most societies Gabrielle he should just declare it and clear the air." Xena said flatly.
" Xena." she looked round and the group had turned and was looking at them." We have come to our decision. We'll do as you say and help you." Deimos said." Hector here knows the full layout of the temple he helped to build it." he said clapping the older man on the back." Good, first we are going to need weapons, they were left behind when we came through." Xena said and everybody looked nonplassed by this. The only weapons in town were owned by the temple guards and Deimos said." We don't have any, we're not fighters we're farmers." Xena held back a string of oaths.
" Alright a cooking knife then." she said through gritted teeth." I think I can help you there if you come with me." Leia said and Xena nodded." Gabrielle will explain things and we shall be back as quickly as possible." She said giving Gabrielle a mischeivious grin as she followed Leia out.
Gabrielle wasn't expecting that and she held back the verbal tirade she had wanted to give Xena and smiled at the assembled group looking expectantly." Right, Hector you start on that map. We need to get in, normally Xena would just let herself be captured. But she knows she can't do that here." she added quickly seeing a sea of horrified faces. " So we will need disguises and a diversion." she finished with a beaming smile.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.