Xena returned swiftly to the private office in her quarters. She shut the door quietly hoping to get some alone time but soon found that her chair was already occupied.
"Xena," Came the hoarse voice from the behind the desk.
"Alti."
The soft sounds of bony jewelry jangling filled the room as Alti slowly rose from her spot and made her way toward the Conqueror. "I hope you don't mind that I took one of your men last night."
"My men?" The warrior woman kept her voice even.
"A foot soldier, I think," Alti elaborated. "I needed another sacrifice and, besides, he was getting close to my territory."
Alti stood to face Xena, staring deeply into the woman's blue eyes. Her lips curled upwards slightly into a slight smile by what she saw. Alti knew that behind the hard, tough warrior exterior of the Conqueror, there lay a hint of fear. Fear of Alti. The shamaness had saved Xena's life, helping to orchestrate the slave uprising in Rome. In doing so, she had delivered the then young and vulnerable Xena from having to endure a humiliating appearance at Caesar's Triumph. This one act had been enough to have Xena ever indebted to her. Alti held great power over the Greek ruler. But, Xena was not a fool. She knew this and had maintained a proper working relationship between her. One that was of give and take. But, as of late, Alti was growing disturbed. Their usually friendly encounters had started to grow tense. Xena was pulling away, conversing minimally, keep her responses short and making excuses for not visiting Alti.
"Next time, I'd appreciate if you asked me rather than informed me of your antics, Alti."
The smile dropped from the shamaness's face. She knew her younger friend had always doubted her abilities but had yet to verbally express it or outright rebuke her. Something had changed between them. Whether it was because the Conqueror was caught up in the looming war ahead or it was more personal, Alti was not quite sure. She slowly began to walk past Xena, stopping at her side to speak into her ear, "My powers are getting stronger. Visit me sometime and I will show you." Her eyes, heavy in kohl, widened in enthusiasm.
The ruler turned to meet her gaze but didn't say anything. The shamaness decided it was time for her exit and reached for the door to leave.
"Welcome back, Xena."
"And how long exactly has this been going on?"
"I'm not really sure. As far as I can tell, this is the second time he has approached her."
Brendan looked off to the side, lost in thought as his fingers tapped lightly on the surface of the desk. "She's going to be hurt by this, you know," He stated quietly, running his hands over his graying hair.
"Of course, Xena gave him a part of Corinth, no doubt she thinks he favours her." Marcus responded.
He leaned into the chair, watching Brendan's hand ministering his hair. He thought it odd that he didn't notice the patches of white hair before. Brendan was deep in thought, mulling over the information he had received, as always. He was always slow and methodical -a trait the general greatly admired in the older man. It allowed him to fulfill his role as head of security efficiently. Brendan furrowed his eyebrows, as if trying to remember something, the wrinkles on his face on clear display. He was beginning to look his age too, Marcus observed.
"Business or personal?" The security chief finally asked, wondering about the nature of Nicholaus' betrayal.
"I'm not quite sure. I didn't exactly grill Atia about this. I'll try to pry something out of her."
Brendan thought for a long moment again before responding, "You do that and get back to me. I'll inform Xena of this. But I think it's better to play along. He might reveal more players in the game and then, when the time is right, we can deal with all of them all in one sweep."
Marcus took a moment to consider this. It was a good idea but a part of him worried. Atia has already been persuaded by Nicolaus' reasoning. He wondered if prolonging such talks would cause her to seriously entertain the idea. For as long as he had known her, she was never the ambitious type. Having abandoned behind the wealth and comfort of the luxurious life in the North, Atia had traveled the country side in search of adventure and excitement. Luckily, she had found it in Marcus' small band of warriors. Living life on the road, helping villages in need in return for coin.
He remembered when she had told him how much she had enjoyed their simple life. It had given her a chance to view the people she met in a new light. Marcus smiled at the memory. But things were different now. He saw the way she spoke about Nicolaus' proposal -she thought it would be better for the citizens. Perhaps a part of her wanted to re-experience that feeling of fulfillment they had felt on the road . At least that's what Marcus desperately hoped.
Atia was one of the top generals of a successful army now. Power would corrupt her as it always did. He had seen it in Xena but he prayed to the gods he would not see it in the noble woman. Choosing between his closet companion and his lover was not a choice he wanted to make. He knew it was imperative to convince her she was wrong and keep it a secret. If Xena found out, she would not hesitate to rid of all conspirators against her.
Marcus forcibly drew himself out of his thoughts and looked into the face of the security chief, a man he greatly respected. "Alright. I'll keep you updated."
Brendan observed Marcus carefully, noticing that the general seemed bothered. "Alright, so we will go from here. Everything alright?"
Marcus nodded but remained mute as he rose to stand.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" Brendan offered.
"Not that I can think of," Marcus lied, offering a quick smile, giving a parting nod and heading quickly out of the office.
Brendan took Marcus at his word. He had no reason not to. He had known Marcus for possibly longer than a decade. At first they had witnessed the horrors at Caesar's palace, then escaped into Greece to live life on the road. It was one of the most difficult decisions Brendan had ever made in his life -to betray his commander, to abandon his homeland and live out the rest of his life in enemy territory. Leaving with his wife and very few of their belongings, they had hoped to live peacefully away from Caesar's rule. Brendan had grown tired of the way the Roman dictator dealt with prisoners, directly witnessing the consequences as a dungeon guard. Not to mention, he strongly disagreed with him in politics, having been a life long supporter of the Republic.
It was ironic to think that now his duty was to protect a Greek ruler instead. But not just any Greek, rather the very woman Caesar had taken pleasure in torturing. The same woman whose village he had burned and whose family he had murdered. But Brendan knew he would always support Xena, even if he disagreed with her at times. He had known her for so long, seeing her grow and mature before his eyes. For this reason, he felt quite paternal towards he, having a strong need to protect her. As chief of security, he knew he would do whatever it took to keep her safe.
