"You're leading the Romans?" Gabrielle was incredulous. She had returned to her room to rest in comfort whilst Xena explained her journey to Egypt. "And you've left Eve alone with Nero? Have you lost your mind? You do realise he's a psychopath?"
"Ares filled me in but I'd already seen the bruising on his neck…You shouldn't have taken the pinch off."
"I'm not Akemi."
The bitterness in her voice caught Xena off guard. The softening she felt previously vanished. There was so much more that they hadn't said to each other.
"Nero taught me one thing," Gabrielle bit out. "You can't afford to leave an enemy at your back, not when you travel alone."
Xena sighed. She didn't want to this to escalate into another argument, not when some measure of progress had been made between them. She waited a moment whilst Gabrielle eased herself out of the chair and moved to the bedroom window.
"Eve can handle things a little while longer," Xena assured her. "I only agreed to lead them to Memphis to defend Egypt against the Persians. Sekhmet made out you were dead."
Xena paused remembering Gabrielle's blood on the chakram. It made her sick to know her own weapon had been used to torture her soul mate.
"Yeah, well she gave it her best shot." Gabrielle said darkly. She had the look of a caged animal; wary and restless. It was understandable given her ordeal and yet Xena sensed something much deeper was troubling her.
"Gabrielle…?"
A look of tired resignation replaced the darkness in Gabrielle's eyes. She was hurting inside. Xena knew this too but hesitated to speak; so unsure of how things stood between them and feeling every ounce of her unvoiced pain.
"Talk to me," Xena implored. The old Gabrielle would have scoffed that she had been the one to ask that question. This woman before her was not quite the bard she had known. She was a true warrior now and scarred by experiences she knew little of.
"Nothing to talk about Xena," Gabrielle cut her off and dropped her eyes; unable to hide because the warrior knew her too well.
"I think there is," Xena said taking a step closer.
Gabrielle winced slightly as she straightened her back and flexed her right hand, still wrapped tightly around the khopesh Khnum had given her. Xena was in her space now and she had to force herself not to react.
"I ignored your pain once before. I'm not going to do that again and I'm not going to let you either," Xena promised.
Gabrielle raised her head and a sad smile graced her lips.
"You always think you can fix everything," she said softly.
Xena tilted her head, eyes softening hoping to draw the Amazon out of her shell.
"It's what I do" Xena said.
"I used to think so…." Gabrielle said and then pinned her with a stare that didn't spare Xena one shred of the pain she felt, "But not this. You can't fix what Sekhmet did to me and telling you about it changes nothing!"
"It does for me," Xena replied and instinctively gripped the warrior's hand in hers and held it tight. "And it will for you. Maybe it's not my place anymore but I'm begging you please talk to me sweetheart, tell me how you feel. Right now."
The endearment struck home and Gabrielle's composure dissolved in a heartbeat.
"Sometimes I feel dead inside, like I'm still there," Gabrielle whispered hoarsely, "I can see it when I'm awake, when I sleep, feel her touching me. The metal against me. Can you fix that?"
Xena tugged gently on her hand and drew her into circle of her arms. Gabrielle didn't respond but let herself be held and rested her forehead lightly against Xena's shoulder.
"First things first," Xena told her and then leaned closer into her hair; blue eyes now fixed on the darkness beyond the bedroom window. "Keep a tight hold of your blade….There's something moving outside."
Gabrielle froze in her arms and then felt the slightest whisper of air movement across her exposed body. Her eyes met Xena's, the word unspoken but understood. Down! She rammed herself full force into Xena and the warrior pulled her tight to her body as a blur of yellow motion vaulted effortlessly through the window, claws extending for the kill.
The lion sailed past Gabrielle's upper back and neck, missing her by a whisker and clattered clumsily to the marbled floor as he frantically tried to turn midair. Xena rolled away to her feet to find Gabrielle had the lion's full and unnatural attention. She was already waiting for it, khopesh held loosely at her side as his huge bulk launched itself in attack. For the briefest moment Xena thought Gabrielle had left the strike too late. The khopesh swung effortlessly in a wide slashing arc; its curved edge slicing through the giant cats' sinuous neck and drenching Gabrielle in a spray of blood.
Unmoved by the death throes of the lion Gabrielle's focus remained sharp.
"This isn't normal behaviour and there are more of them out there. Another two at least."
"Three," Xena corrected and slipped through the window reaching for her sword.
. . . . . .
Khnum paused at the door to his home. He could feel Sekhmet's presence burning beyond the wards he had placed to keep her out; probing, searching, testing their limits. It was rude not to receive one of his own pantheon when foreigner Gods came and went freely but he had promised Gabrielle sanctuary whilst she recovered.
"You going to do something about her," Ares enquired casually.
"I will go and speak with her."
"Yeah, like that'll work. Don't you know a predator when you see one? She's on the hunt."
Khnum flashed a glare at him.
"Why don't you accompany me if you're so concerned about Gabrielle's welfare?"
"Wrong warrior. Worrying about her is my sister's gig, not mine. You want to go and make nice whilst she's busy daubing her dagger in Apophis venom be my guest."
Khnum shook his head. "You really don't understand us Ares. Sekhmet would never harm me. I am sure we can work this out. She has no reason to pursue Gabrielle with the mark of Apophis gone."
"Your funeral," Ares said. "I better get Xena out of here just in case your little chat doesn't go well."
. . . . . .
Gabrielle stood in the centre of the garden, lit only by the moonlight; the bedroom window a yellow flicker of light at the corner of her eye. Three stone benches and an array of low standing vases planted with shrubs and greenery surrounded her. The air was thick with the scent of jasmine and the heat settled heavy on her body; sweat trickling from beneath her blood soaked hair. She listened for the stealthy paws of the great cats and felt their eyes on her as they stalked her in the darkness. She was the prize bait but the lions had invoked a predator of their own and even now she could faintly detect Xena's shallow but steady breathing. One thing had not changed; her faith in the warrior to watch her back.
. . . . . .
Khnum stared at Sekhmet's priest in abject horror. The terror was flowing from the man in waves. Behind his sewn lips Khnum could feel him screaming.
"What have you done?"
"He committed blasphemy. He will not do so again," Sekhmet told him. "You dare to challenge me whilst you commit treason with the Olympians? Whilst you favour Greeks over your own kind."
"Yet you have a Greek warrior leading your infidels now," Khnum pointed out mildly. He had no intention of giving Sekhmet the fight he could clearly see she was spoiling for and kept his voice calm. "Tell me again which part of Egypt did your Romans come from?"
Sekhmet made a dismissive gesture.
"A necessary evil but only until Cambyses and Apophis are dealt with. I will not sit idly by like the rest of the pantheon whilst that murderous snake crawls back into the world. It is my sacred duty to defend Egypt as it yours to withdraw your protection of the one mortalwho threatens all of it."
"Not at any cost," Khnum protested. "Gabrielle is no threat to you. Sekhmet, this is not what Ptah would have wanted for you. He was your husband, my friend. He was the first amongst us all and yet he would be the first to tell you this was folly."
Sekhmet's hand traveled quickly to her mouth as if to stifle a cry and she nodded.
"Thank you old friend," The Goddess said softly, still tracing her fingers over her lips.
Khnum leaned closer to her. This was the response he had been hoping for. He knew he could reason with her despite Ares warning. She gazed into his eyes and kissed him gently; out of friendship and loyalty to her dead husband. It was a kiss of goodbye.
"I see it clearly now…." Sekhmet whispered. "And if you won't save Egypt I'm sorry I can't save you…Traitor."
He staggered back from her; a fierce burning on his lips, his mouth filling with liquid fire. Shock froze on his face as molten agony thundered into his divine flesh, setting his throat on fire. He dropped to his knees, his body swelling; eyes locked staring as his body burned alive from the inside out. Sekhmet leant over him dispassionately and took a fine linen cloth from her belt.
Carefully dabbing away the Apophis venom from the gold body paint on her lips and fingers she waited for Khnum to die.
. . . . . .
A strangled cry sounded in the gardens. Xena wiped the blood from her sword on the animal's body. Only two lions left and they were stalking Gabrielle. One each she mused and readied her chakram before becoming aware of his presence.
"Ares," Xena muttered, noticing a sudden tension in Gabrielle's stance. Could she feel him too? "Not a good time."
"Never is," Ares said, flashing into view and nestling amongst the bushes with her. "Hate to break up the reunion but we got to go."
His hand stayed her wrist as she made to hurl the chakram.
"What are you doing," Xena hissed through clenched teeth.
"You kill one of Sekhmet's pets with that and she'll know you're on to her. Better she thinks Gabrielle did it."
"I'm not leaving."
"Oh Xena," Ares sighed. "Who said I was giving you a choice?"
"No!"
Gabrielle reacted to Xena's cry and with her distraction the lion struck. He caught her left arm with a mighty swipe of his extended paw and ripped a line of claw marks across her bicep. The force of the blow span her around and she reverse cleaved the khopesh above her head and smashed it down into the animal's skull as he came back for seconds. The wedged tip hooked itself deep into his brain matter and the beast crumpled. Gabrielle followed it down, desperately trying to wrestle the blade free of the still twitching corpse. It was stuck fast.
She felt it then, the presence of the third lion at her back. She half turned her head and saw the lioness crouched amongst the vases ready to pounce. Immortality wasn't going to last as long as she thought. She wondered idly how much being eaten alive would hurt and then the lioness accelerated towards her; ready for the kill.
Gabrielle instinctively raised her arm to protect her face but as the lioness pounced the animal was hit squarely in the chest with a blazing pink fireball. The great cat was hurled backwards with such ferocity it smashed several of the garden vases before tumbling into an unconscious heap.
The warrior lowered her arm and relief flooded her. She knew of only one Goddess who could throw fireballs that colour.
"Dite?"
"I am so not a cat person," Aphrodite said extending her hand to her lover and pulling her quickly to her feet. The Goddess cast a critical eye over Gabrielle as the warrior retrieved her sickle sword. Her left arm would need stitches but aside from that none of the blood was hers. The khopesh popped free with a dull squelch and the Goddess wrinkled her face in distaste.
"Come on sweet pea," Aphrodite advised looking anxious. "We've got to go."
. . . . . .
Sekhmet watched Khnum's blackened corpse fracture into pieces. His body shattered into thousands of fragments which were carried up into the air on a rush of wind. The desert reclaimed its creator as the God's ashes were dispersed across the sands. The wards had fallen but her prey had already escaped and three of her beloved lions were dead. She mourned for the lost beasts.
"It had to be done," Sekhmet intoned listlessly almost seeking approval for her actions from Kadin. "You see that don't you? Khnum's death is only the beginning. The entire realm will fall when Apophis returns and Gabrielle is the key. I was wrong to show her mercy before."
Kadin blinked at her, wordless in mind and body. The Goddess fervently believed every word she was saying.
Sekhmet let out a sigh and hardness replaced the emptiness in her eyes. Her anger had muddied her tactical thinking. She would not be Egypt's Athena. The ultimate fate would be decided at Memphis so perhaps all she had to do was wait for Gabrielle to come to her.
"It's for the greater good, Kadin. That is my solemn duty and that is why Gabrielle cannot be allowed to live."