LAND OF THE STRANGE AND UNUSUAL
Lector eyed the strange man who was stroking the small green parakeet very gently which was sitting on his shoulder. He still hadn't said why he was here, or even why he had stayed he had just sat himself down in among them inviting himself in which was odd. He looked up slightly. "I still want to know what you mean by dreamer." Betcherrygah felt a smile form. "Oh it's nothing you need to concern yourself with, I'm sure the dreamers will be here soon, you just need to patient." Lector ignored the confused looks from the others over that remark. "Look I don't mean to be rude but what are you? I mean you just literality came out of that stone wall I mean are you some kind of god?"
Betcherrygah carried on stroking his little pet. "A god no a man yes, I'm more of a guide and mentor if you will, I help dreamers learn their place in this great land." He felt his smile widen. "Guides like my self are very long lived but I am far from the only one, my duty is to guide the dreamers thought the dreamtime." Damokles moved his hands in front of the fire to warm them. "How old are you?" Betcherrygah raised an eyebrow as he turned to him. "Oh I think this year I'll be two hundred years old but compared to some I'm just a child age wise. I gave up my human life to do the duty of my great leader like many others."
He sat down. "To give ones life to do this is considered the greatest honour among my people." He looked up at the mountain high above. "It pleases our leader greatly." Lila folded her arms it was clear that what ever this man meant by dreamer, he wasn't going to tell them. She looked up at the moonlit sky before turning back to the fire. "I'm sorry we don't have any food to offer you, we came here with nothing." Betcherrygah felt a wicked smile form. "This land will provide all you need you just need to harness its power." He rose his hand watching as the white smoke drifted out from it. "You just need to have a little imagination." He grabbed the smoke shaking it watching as it faded away revealing a very large dead fish. "Would you like this?"
Eudora looked up sharply. "We'd love it." She took it from his hands as he passed it to her. "Thank you." Agapios eyed the strange man. "How did you do that, I mean it's not possible…you made that out of nothing but thin air?" Betcherrygah watched as the younger woman started to de-scale the fish. "Imagination is the key." He turned eyeing them all. "You still have not told me who you all are, I'm curious to know." Lector breathed in deeply gods this was harder than he ever thought it would be, now every thing made even less sense. In fact he now had even more unanswered questions than answered questions.
He put a hand through his hair in frustration. "My name is Lector and next to me is my fiancée Lila." He turned to the others. "Opposite her, is her cousin Eudora and her partner Agapios and next to them are Sophia and Damokles." Betcherrygah eyed Sophia then Damokles. "Your not related though are you? I don't sense it from you." Damokles blinked. "No we aren't we just know two members of Lila's families but there not here right now, we in fact have no idea where they are." Betcherrygah turned looking out at the desert. "Oh there on their way here, there's been a little mix up you see but once they get here, we can straighten it out."
Lector looked up sharply. "What in Tartarus do you mean by little mix up?" Betcherrygah stroked his little pets head again listening to it chirp happily. "I'm sorry to say that you all are not meant to be here, you should have been able to return to the place which you came from but things here are not working as they should." He narrowed his gaze. "The others who came with you should be sitting in your place right but such is the way off things right now." He breathed in sadly. "Nothing is right and our great leader is suffering, you will meet him though soon enough, then maybe we can find out how this all ended up happening."
8
Gabrielle watched as the dim light all around her slowly cleared she looked around her realizing that she was in a room which she didn't really recognise. It had high white pillars and was beautifully decorated with flowers which were surrounded the pillars it was ether or a temple or a villa but she couldn't really tell which. She could smell the sea air though she moved her hand across the desk in front of her which was made of wood taking in a deep breath everything felt so real. She looked down catching sight of the white peplos robes she was dressed in which looked beautiful with their silver embroidery on the shoulders and a thick silver belt around the waist and on her feet were white sandals. Her hair had been tied and plated back and on her head was a silver crown. She looked up sharply watching as her sister walked in wearing her beautiful decorative light blue robes, her hair had been plaited back, she gave her a smile as her voice hit the air. "Come on Gabrielle your going to be late." Gabrielle swallowed feeling nervousness in the pit of her stomach. "I'm not sure about this."
Lila grabbed her arm. "It's going to be fine don't worry, I mean it's your wedding you have both been planning this for ages." She moved her hand up adjusting her sister's robes at the shoulders very slightly. "You look beautiful Xena knows you look beautiful, so stop worrying." Gabrielle looked up sharply realizing that this wasn't a dream at all. This was in fact a vision but it wasn't like any she'd ever had before. This was the future yes but it wasn't a day ahead or a week it was much further ahead, it had to be. Despite that she was awake in this vision she couldn't control a word she was saying ether it was just happening. "But what if..." Lila shook her head. "Gabrielle for the love of the gods, please stop worrying, everything has been taken care off Xena's fine, your fine and mother and father are taking care of your little one. Everything is going to be fine trust me and two hours from now you're going to be married."
Gabrielle felt her eyes snap open only to close them again as the pain hit home as her stomach twisted painfully. She opened her eyes slowly feeling the grass underneath her body it was still dark. She looked down seeing that her lovers hand was around her waist she carefully eased it off as she staggered painfully getting to her feet trying to ignore the pain as it became more intense. She moved towards the nearest tree unable to stop herself as she threw up violently. She leaned her head against the bark what she wouldn't give to have some ginger right now. She turned painfully seeing that everyone was still sleeping. It had been a relatively quite night everyone had been too tired to talk they had just wanted to eat and rest. Her lover was the same not she blamed her, she had been the first to close her eyes and call it a night. She breathed in deeply trying to ignore the foul taste which was in her mouth. She wished she could be back home in hers and Xena's bedroom naked under warm sheets and not in god forsaken desert which just never seemed never ending, maybe once Aphrodite talked to this god they could all leave.
She moved away from the tree kneeling down next to the water taking a long drink then washed her face only to stop as she realized that all the burns from the sun had vanished from her body completely. She stood up eyeing her lover whose body had also healed up she moved closer so she was standing over her seeing that she was I a very deep sleep. She kneeled down very slowly running her fingers over her arm feeling the healed skin. She knew that this wasn't normal they should both have deep burns which should be inflamed and painfully. She had suffered from sun burn before but that had been many years ago when she had been young they are both been walking though a desert, she had become separated from her lover in the sand storm.
Xena had found her a day later and just in the nick of time, she had, had terrible sunburn and was about to pass out from heat stroke. She had not had the right protection or any water. After this they had both had to completely rethink how to navigate deserts together her lover had also taught her afterward how to navigate deserts so that she would never get lost again if they ended up being separated from each other. She stood up slowly walking over to Aphrodite and Ares their burns hadn't healed which meant that this was going to be a painful experience for the both of them. Her gaze drifted to Bastiaan whose burns had also healed up, she looked around her this was just plain confusing herself Xena and Bastiaan had healed up but the other hadn't, it made no sense.
"Because they don't have the power needed in this land."
Gabrielle turned sharply seeing Amaroo who was lying on his stomach opposite his red eyes watching her intensely. No doubt he had been awake all this time she looked at him for a long moment. "What do you mean by power?" Amaroo felt a smile form as he eyed the small golden haired woman. "You will see soon enough." Gabrielle rolled her eyes gods she hated it when someone was this cryptic she took in a deep breath eyeing him. "Is your leader this cryptic as well or is it only you?" Amaroo looked up sharply. "I can tell by the tone of your voice that you don't like the sound of him, would you like to clarify why you disapprove of him as you haven't even met him yet."
Gabrielle narrowed her gaze. "He's a snake." Amaroo laughed as he eased himself up on to all fours. "That's poor you'll have to do much better than that." Gabrielle eyed him for a long moment before speaking. "Snake gods eat people, so do big snakes shouldn't the answer be obvious?" Amaroo tapped his clawed hand on the red sands. "You shouldn't judge things in that way after all just because my leader is a snake it doesn't make him like the gods you have met." Gabrielle folded her arms as she leaned against a tree. "No offence but I've never met a snake that I liked they tend to try and eat me alive." Amaroo breathed in deeply. "Ah and now it becomes clear, you are afraid of snakes, hence why you're being judgemental." Gabrielle felt her teeth grind together. "I am not afraid of snakes I just don't like them!"
Amaroo narrowed his gaze. "Don't lie to me Gabrielle, I see and know everything, in any other land you might be able to cover up your feelings and your truths but not here. The land of the Rainbow Serpent has no secrets all secrets become open here. I already know that the woman you sleep with is called Xena and that she's your lover and that you're carrying her child." Gabrielle blinked feeling the shock hit home. "What in Tartarus, how do you know my name, I never told you my name?" Amaroo shook his head sadly. "You know that emotional turmoil going on in your mind is really holding you back. You used to be a much more open person once and very none judgemental when you were younger, it's such a shame."
He ignored the shocked expression as it spread across her face. "You always used to have such nice dreams as well." Gabrielle felt her hand form a fist. "That's impossible how can you know this I never told you this?" Amaroo turned walking slowly away from her. "You should wake up your friends and your lover you all have a quite a few hours of travel before you get to mountain of Uluru." Gabrielle narrowed her gaze. "I asked you a question, I want an answer!" Amaroo turned sharply eyeing her he moved his clawed hand through the sands watching as a thick leather water skin appeared in it. He tossed it watching as it landed next to her boots. "I know you don't mean that comment your pregnancy is just making you very temperamental. You need to drink this, it's got the medicine in it which will help you think straight and stop you from throwing up."
He narrowed his gaze. "Clearly the true face of your soul the horned werewolf with a scar on its right eye that lives with in you is also bursting to get out as well, but its time will come." He moved forward on all fours. "I'll give you a piece of advice to share with your lover, when the time comes embrace the dream, don't run from it." Gabrielle took in a deep breath picking up the water skin uncapping it before taking a long drink instantly tasting the ginger. She took in a deep breath closing her eyes, gods she felt so confused by this land, every one just seemed to talk in cryptic riddles. Amaroo also knew her he knew everything about her, her name her secrets her unborn child even that Xena was her lover.
How could he know all this, had Ares told him? No, Ares wouldn't be that stupid and Aphrodite was her friend as was Bastiaan they wouldn't say any thing. She opened her eyes taking another long drink from the water skin feeling the knotting sensation in her stomach start to ease. She had just had a vision and not a dream and that made even less sense to her as her vision was so out of the ordinary. The vision seemed to be months ahead rather than days or hours, which forced the question was it was true vision or a possible one? She'd been getting married in it but she'd had no idea where she had been, only that it was by the sea. She kept on thinking of Apollonia but there was no proof to show it and the sea in the villa could have been anywhere in Greece assuming it was Greece and not Crete.
She looked up at the sky seeing the first rays of sun as they appeared in the distance what were they doing here anyway she wasn't even meant to be here? All she'd wanted was to go to Apollonia and have a break from everything but instead she was here stuck on an adventure that made little or no sense to her with intelligent being who knew her every secret. She ran a hand through her hair in frustration leaning against the tree only to feel her self shift down the trunk coming to sit at its base. She took another long drink from the water skin looking at the sun rise in the distance for a long moment, before closing her eyes trying to clear her mind of all the thoughts which were twisting around in it like hydra heads.
"Are you okay?"
She looked up sharply realizing that her lover was awake and standing over her, she watched as the taller woman kneeled down so she was in front of her the concern in her light blue eyes. She'd been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't even heard her get up and walk over to her. She took in a deep breath before speaking she wanted to be honest from now and stop hiding her emotions from the older woman. "I don't feel good and this place is strange." Xena eased up her hand running it gently through the younger woman's long blonde hair. "I know it is sweetheart." She paused leaning over keeping her voice at a whisper seeing that Amaroo was close by. "I heard your whole conversation with Amaroo." Gabrielle breathed in sharply. "Obviously everything here isn't a secret, he knew about our child among other things."
Xena took in a deep breath putting her hand on hers. "Yes he does but it was nice of him to give you the water skin with your medicine." Gabrielle felt a slight smile form she couldn't fault Amaroo for that. "Yeah that was nice of him." Xena leaned forward kissing her head. "Come on lets get you up on to your feet." Gabrielle nodded as the other woman gently pulled her in to a standing position. "Let's wake the others up." Xena watched as the younger woman nodded as she put her arm gently on her shoulder. Frankly she was just as confused as her lover by Amaroo words the being clearly knew everything about them and their unborn child. If she was honest though that didn't really bother her, he obviously wasn't the type of being who wanted to cause them harm he had just given her lover a water skin with her medicine because he'd seen that she was having trouble.
What bothered her though was his reference to the horned werewolf with the scar on its eye, she knew that had be her lovers werewolf form, the Aztec gods had said that after their souls had been fixed that her lover may once more change forms before her soul healed fully from its ordeal. She was concerned about how the younger woman would take to changing forms and if it would affect their unborn child. The thought of that scared her more than anything the last thing she wanted was for anything to affect their unborn child in anyway. She also didn't want the younger woman to go through any more stress as it wasn't good for her. She took in another deep breath as she looked up at the sun rays in the distance she would have to deal with this issue when the time came to deal with it. Right now getting to Uluru was what really mattered and the fact that her skin had healed up would make the trip easier.
End of part 44
Silvermoonlight
