Chapter Nine

To Amphipolis

"That sounds like a bad idea."

"Buffy, you have to make up your mind. It's a five or six day walk to Amphipolis, or a three day ride. You don't want to walk, but you don't want to ride, either. I'm sorry, but it has to be one or the other."

"I know. It's just that I've never really been on a horse before."

"Then why don't we do this -- we'll try riding for a while, with you sitting behind me, and if you decide you don't like it, then we'll walk."

"Are you sure there's room up there for me?"

"Trust me, there's plenty of room. If I can ride behind Xena, you can ride behind me."

"You won't go too fast, will you? I'd hate to fall off. Not that it would cause any permanent damage, but . . . ."

"We'll start out slow, then we'll see how it goes."

"Okay -- let's ride."

Gabrielle climbed into the saddle, then reached down for Buffy. After a brief hesitation, Buffy took the proffered hand and jumped up as Gabrielle pulled her on the horse's back.

"See? Not so bad."

"No, not yet, anyway."

After riding for almost half the day, Buffy had gotten into the rhythm of moving with the horse, and was actually enjoying the ride. But she never consciously realized it because she was so busy answering Gabrielle's questions about her life, slaying, the 21st century, and the Hellmouth.

"So whatever happened to this Faith? She's still in prison?"

"As far as I know. If she had gotten out I'm sure Angel would have called me."

"I'm still curious about the arts in your time. Do people still listen to music and poetry and go to the theater?"

"Music, yes. Poetry, not so much. Unless you count song lyrics. There is still a big following for the stage. But mostly we go to movies and watch TV."

"It sounds like you live in a magical land. All the things you've described -- never in my wildest fantasies could I have imagined such wonderful things."

"Well, it's not all ice cream and puppy dogs. We have some frightful things in my world. And I'm not just talking about demons and vampires. We have horrific wars, with terrible weapons that no one has any hesitation to use."

"I guess war is just a way of life. It's sad to think that, but nothing you've told me makes me think it will get any better."

Buffy had no way to answer her to give her hope that wars would eventually diminish, so she said nothing at all.

Just before sunset, they stopped to camp for the night. Buffy gathered firewood while Gabrielle unsaddled the horse, brushed it down, started the fire, and laid out their sleeping furs. Supper consisted of hard cheese and harder bread from the saddle bags. Gabrielle decided to save the smoked deer meat for breakfast. The protein would help to sustain them for most of the day.

The next day passed much like the previous one. Buffy decided that riding behind Gabrielle was much preferable to walking. But today she queried Gabrielle about her life with Xena.

"It's a hard life," Gabrielle told her. "And I'm not just talking about life on the trail. Too often we've had to battle warlords and their soldiers. And sometimes there have been conflicts between what Xena needs to do, and my conscience. More than once I've known in my heart she was right, but her methods were -- unsettling. Don't get me wrong, I love Xena with all my heart and soul. But there are times when her dark side frightens me. But it seems like, in the end, most of the time, things work out okay."

The next day and night passed uneventful, but just after dawn, right after they gotten up and were breaking camp, an arrow flew out from the forest at Buffy. She barely was able to duck away from it. Then a second was shot at her, but this time she was ready and she easily dodged it. The third arrow she caught in mid-flight.

The fourth one was shot at Gabrielle, and would have killed her if Buffy hadn't dived at her and knocked her out of the way. But the arrow went into the upper thigh of Buffy's right leg. As she screamed out in pain, there was a rustling in the bushes and then silence. The attack was over.

"Are you all right?"

"No. Oh my god it hurts! I've been wounded before, but never with such pain. The arrow must have some kind of poison on it. I think I need a doctor."

"There is a Healer in Amphipolis."

When Buffy tried to stand, she collapsed into unconsciousness, but Gabrielle wasn't strong enough to lift her onto the horse. Using Xena's sword, she cut down two saplings the diameter of her arm, then lashed them together, the width of Argo, with vines criss-crossing to make a support, forming a litter. She padded it with the sleeping furs, laid Buffy on it, then fastened it to the saddle so it could be dragged. She tied Buffy to the litter to keep her from falling off, then mounted up and urged the horse into a fast trot.

That afternoon they arrived in Amphipolis. Buffy had never regained consciousness and was burning up with fever. Gabrielle's first stop, after asking directions, was at the hut of the town's Healer.

After careful examination, he had only bad news. "I can't help you. She's been poisoned, but it's a poison I'm not familiar with. I have no antidote for it."

"Can't you do something! Give her some kind of medicine or potion or -- anything that will help her?"

"I don't know what it would be. I wish I could be more helpful."

"So, there's nothing that can be done? She's just going to DIE?"

"There may be one thing. A half day's walk from here, going north, there is the hut of a shaman. I understand he is very powerful. Perhaps he will know what kind of poison is killing her, and can save her life."

Gabrielle wasted no time in putting Buffy back on the litter and riding to the north as fast as she dared go. She was at the hut just before sunset. She pounded on the door until a frail and sickly looking old man opened it.

"The shaman -- where is he? I have a sick friend who needs his help."

"I am Cinchona, the shaman you seek. Please come in. I will help you with your friend."

After Buffy was lying on the small bed in the one-roomed hut, Cinchona slowly and carefully examined her.

"Can you help her?" Gabrielle asked anxiously.

"This is a very deadly poison. I'm afraid there is no antidote."

"But the Healer in Amphipolis said you were powerful. He said you could help."

"Gabrielle, I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can do. We can only hope that Buffy's inner strength will restore to her to health."

Gabrielle bowed her head in despair, then it snapped up sharply. "How do you know my name? And how do you know Buffy's?"

"You must have mentioned them earlier."

"No! I never said who we were." Gabrielle was becoming suspicious, and her voice became steely and hard. "How do you who we are?"

The old shaman took a ragged breath then said reluctantly, "Because you have already been here, four days ago."

"No! That can't be. We were four days from Amphipolis four days ago!"

He shook his head sadly. "You only think you were. Four days ago you came to my door. But it was Xena on the litter, not Buffy. And you were too late. Xena died on the way here from Amphipolis."

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