"But he can't be dead!" Gabrielle exclaimed as she leaped from her seat.
Then she noticed the blood pooling onto the floor from the fatal wound in
his throat. It all seemed unreal, too shocking. One minute they had been
acting crazy pretending to talk with spirits and the next moment one of her
best friends was dead. "It was only a parlor game...."
"Well, he IS." Hercules repeated. His blue eyes, wet with unshed tears, glanced towards the Ouija board. "Aphrodite must have really contacted a spirit."
"Yeah, an evil spirit." Xena added, her sword out. She quickly went around the room and lit the candles, then the wall torches. The storm still rumbled outside, the rain pounding on the roof. "It's still in here, waiting to make another move. You heard what it said. It wants to kill all of us."
Fear gripped Gabrielle's heart and squeezed it tightly. She glanced around the temple and gasped. While the lights had been out, someone had carved hideous faces on the orange pumpkins. Now the monstrous vegetables glared at her through hollow eye sockets, gaping jaws filled with fangs. They were everywhere! The things watched her from corners, were perched high on shelves and that huge one on the altar squatting among the food - surely it was the leader! With a shaky finger, Gabrielle pointed at them. "Look!"
"Yeah, I saw." Xena muttered. "The evil spirit did that."
Gabrielle quickly hurried to Xena's side. "I can feel them watching me! What are we going to do, Xena?"
Xena gripped Gabrielle by her shoulders and gently pushed her backwards, towards Ares. "I think you should stay with Ares. He can protect you better than I can in this situation."
"But Xena!" Gabrielle protested.
"Xena's right." Hercules told the young woman. "There's nothing you can do against an evil spirit with your staff. We know you want to help, but you can help us the best by staying safe. Let us worry about this so we can cook up a plan."
"Hey, I'm not a baby-sitter!" Ares growled, glaring at his half brother. "If there's some spirit around, I want to blast it!"
"And you'll get your chance, I'm sure." Hercules rose from where he had crouched by Iolaus' body. "Just keep her safe, all right?"
"Fine." Ares agreed. He gripped Gabrielle around her waist and pulled her against himself. A faint smile creased his lips when he heard her squawk in surprise. He glanced down at the golden hair, fine as silk, that was now just under his chin. "Maybe I might enjoy this party after all."
"Don't get any ideas, Ares." Hercules warned. He glared at the God a moment, then moved to try the temple doors. Even though he used all of his Godly strength, the doors wouldn't budge. He kept it up for a good ten minutes, then gave up. "It's no use. Looks like were stuck in here for now. The spirit locked the doors."
Gabrielle squirmed in Ares' tight embrace. "Let go of me!"
"No doing." Ares replied as he pressed his mouth against her ear. "They want me to watch you, I'm going to watch you. Besides, this is the most fun I had in a long time. Your body is a lot better than what I thought it was. And I'm looking forward to blasting that freak of a spirit. You make good bait."
"WHAT? How dare you use me as bait!" Gabrielle wiggled and twisted her body harder. Ares' hands were hot on her bare stomach where he gripped her just below her breasts. Every time she twisted, the red rubies on his gauntlets bit into her tender skin. Because he was holding her with her back against his chest, she had little purchase to get away. Her brown boots slid on the smooth marble floors, leaving scuff marks. She could even feel the hair on his arms scratching her skin. And now with his mouth next to her ear ... it was just too much! Her desperate eyes settled on Aphrodite. The Goddess seemed to be in shock, just standing there staring at Iolaus' dead body. "Aphrodite, help me!"
Aphrodite turned her head to look at Gabrielle and Ares. "Oh, I'd like to help you Sweet Pea, but Hercules and Xena knows what's best. If they think Ares can protect you, then you should stay with him."
"But he's manhandling me!" Gabrielle protested as she squirmed even more. Finally she managed to turn herself around so she was facing the God of War. What she saw made her even more angry.
Ares was laughing!
"Ares, what did I say?" Hercules sighed. "I said don't get any ideas!"
"If I had any ideas, Little Brother, I wouldn't be standing here with you watching!" Ares laughed.
Xena shot all three of them a sour look. "Cool it. And stop complaining, Gabrielle. Ares isn't doing you anything you won't live through. Just remember to stay with him no matter what happens to me. Understand?"
"Yes, Xena." Gabrielle sighed. She was beginning to realize she was stuck with Ares for now. And she couldn't get loose because he was just too strong! Maybe Xena was right. Maybe Ares was the safest place to be. Just as she was about to form another thought, all the lights were snuffed out.
Gabrielle clung to Ares now, throwing her arms around his neck. For a few moments there she had forgotten her fright, she had been too busy trying to get free. But now it all came back to her full force. The evil spirit had returned to claim one of their lives!
A scream rang out.
Try as she might, she couldn't recognize who's voice it had been. Every second seemed an eternity as her heart thudded loud in her ears. Her palms grew wet and she knew she was probably leaving sweaty handprints on the back of Ares' leather vest. She blinked her eyes but all she saw was blackness and a wild thought that she had gone blind flickered through her mind. Why wasn't there any light, even faint light from the windows? She felt a cold breeze snake around her legs, caressing her bare skin and she shivered. She imagined it had been the evil spirit as it slithered around the room like an icy snake, it's damp tendrils touching her. Then she felt the faintest sensation on her shoulder that trailed down her arm.
She shrieked loudly in Ares' ear as she tried to swat at whatever it had been. But the War God was in the way and her hand slapped him instead. "Something just touched me! It's the Evil Spirit!"
Lights flared, but it wasn't the normal torches and candles. Someone had put candles inside all the ghoulish carved pumpkins! Their glare was even worse now, for they had eyes of fire and dragon's breath visible in their mouths. They were truly demons from Tartarus! The light flickered, making them appear alive. Worse, the Evil Spirit had moved the mutilated vegetables into a big circle on the stone floor. A dark shape lay in the center of the circle, a spear sticking up on an angle from the shape's center.
Gabrielle gasped as she realized what the dark shape was.
It was Xena!
****
"Well, he IS." Hercules repeated. His blue eyes, wet with unshed tears, glanced towards the Ouija board. "Aphrodite must have really contacted a spirit."
"Yeah, an evil spirit." Xena added, her sword out. She quickly went around the room and lit the candles, then the wall torches. The storm still rumbled outside, the rain pounding on the roof. "It's still in here, waiting to make another move. You heard what it said. It wants to kill all of us."
Fear gripped Gabrielle's heart and squeezed it tightly. She glanced around the temple and gasped. While the lights had been out, someone had carved hideous faces on the orange pumpkins. Now the monstrous vegetables glared at her through hollow eye sockets, gaping jaws filled with fangs. They were everywhere! The things watched her from corners, were perched high on shelves and that huge one on the altar squatting among the food - surely it was the leader! With a shaky finger, Gabrielle pointed at them. "Look!"
"Yeah, I saw." Xena muttered. "The evil spirit did that."
Gabrielle quickly hurried to Xena's side. "I can feel them watching me! What are we going to do, Xena?"
Xena gripped Gabrielle by her shoulders and gently pushed her backwards, towards Ares. "I think you should stay with Ares. He can protect you better than I can in this situation."
"But Xena!" Gabrielle protested.
"Xena's right." Hercules told the young woman. "There's nothing you can do against an evil spirit with your staff. We know you want to help, but you can help us the best by staying safe. Let us worry about this so we can cook up a plan."
"Hey, I'm not a baby-sitter!" Ares growled, glaring at his half brother. "If there's some spirit around, I want to blast it!"
"And you'll get your chance, I'm sure." Hercules rose from where he had crouched by Iolaus' body. "Just keep her safe, all right?"
"Fine." Ares agreed. He gripped Gabrielle around her waist and pulled her against himself. A faint smile creased his lips when he heard her squawk in surprise. He glanced down at the golden hair, fine as silk, that was now just under his chin. "Maybe I might enjoy this party after all."
"Don't get any ideas, Ares." Hercules warned. He glared at the God a moment, then moved to try the temple doors. Even though he used all of his Godly strength, the doors wouldn't budge. He kept it up for a good ten minutes, then gave up. "It's no use. Looks like were stuck in here for now. The spirit locked the doors."
Gabrielle squirmed in Ares' tight embrace. "Let go of me!"
"No doing." Ares replied as he pressed his mouth against her ear. "They want me to watch you, I'm going to watch you. Besides, this is the most fun I had in a long time. Your body is a lot better than what I thought it was. And I'm looking forward to blasting that freak of a spirit. You make good bait."
"WHAT? How dare you use me as bait!" Gabrielle wiggled and twisted her body harder. Ares' hands were hot on her bare stomach where he gripped her just below her breasts. Every time she twisted, the red rubies on his gauntlets bit into her tender skin. Because he was holding her with her back against his chest, she had little purchase to get away. Her brown boots slid on the smooth marble floors, leaving scuff marks. She could even feel the hair on his arms scratching her skin. And now with his mouth next to her ear ... it was just too much! Her desperate eyes settled on Aphrodite. The Goddess seemed to be in shock, just standing there staring at Iolaus' dead body. "Aphrodite, help me!"
Aphrodite turned her head to look at Gabrielle and Ares. "Oh, I'd like to help you Sweet Pea, but Hercules and Xena knows what's best. If they think Ares can protect you, then you should stay with him."
"But he's manhandling me!" Gabrielle protested as she squirmed even more. Finally she managed to turn herself around so she was facing the God of War. What she saw made her even more angry.
Ares was laughing!
"Ares, what did I say?" Hercules sighed. "I said don't get any ideas!"
"If I had any ideas, Little Brother, I wouldn't be standing here with you watching!" Ares laughed.
Xena shot all three of them a sour look. "Cool it. And stop complaining, Gabrielle. Ares isn't doing you anything you won't live through. Just remember to stay with him no matter what happens to me. Understand?"
"Yes, Xena." Gabrielle sighed. She was beginning to realize she was stuck with Ares for now. And she couldn't get loose because he was just too strong! Maybe Xena was right. Maybe Ares was the safest place to be. Just as she was about to form another thought, all the lights were snuffed out.
Gabrielle clung to Ares now, throwing her arms around his neck. For a few moments there she had forgotten her fright, she had been too busy trying to get free. But now it all came back to her full force. The evil spirit had returned to claim one of their lives!
A scream rang out.
Try as she might, she couldn't recognize who's voice it had been. Every second seemed an eternity as her heart thudded loud in her ears. Her palms grew wet and she knew she was probably leaving sweaty handprints on the back of Ares' leather vest. She blinked her eyes but all she saw was blackness and a wild thought that she had gone blind flickered through her mind. Why wasn't there any light, even faint light from the windows? She felt a cold breeze snake around her legs, caressing her bare skin and she shivered. She imagined it had been the evil spirit as it slithered around the room like an icy snake, it's damp tendrils touching her. Then she felt the faintest sensation on her shoulder that trailed down her arm.
She shrieked loudly in Ares' ear as she tried to swat at whatever it had been. But the War God was in the way and her hand slapped him instead. "Something just touched me! It's the Evil Spirit!"
Lights flared, but it wasn't the normal torches and candles. Someone had put candles inside all the ghoulish carved pumpkins! Their glare was even worse now, for they had eyes of fire and dragon's breath visible in their mouths. They were truly demons from Tartarus! The light flickered, making them appear alive. Worse, the Evil Spirit had moved the mutilated vegetables into a big circle on the stone floor. A dark shape lay in the center of the circle, a spear sticking up on an angle from the shape's center.
Gabrielle gasped as she realized what the dark shape was.
It was Xena!
****