"Take good care of her," Gabrielle said and patted the side of Ghost. In her ornate saddle clothed in a green silk pantsuit and wearing one of a reserve armors and helmets a nervous Mai fidgeted.
"Who do you mean Mai or Ghost?" Fong asked with a gentle smile, wearing an armor, helmet and sword for the first time in all the seasons she had known him.
"Both actually," Gabrielle explained.
Trumpets blared over the camp. "It would seem that we're about to leave," Gabrielle explained and jumped onto the back of a spotted warhorse she had borrowed from the corrals. She was dressed in regular soldiers clothing, armor, wearing a Chinese sword and a helmet to cover her identity.
On her borrowed steed here and there you could, if you tried, spot the telltale signs of a rather substantial armory as Gabrielle's real clothing, armor and weapons lay hidden there. The column of her regiment followed the commands relayed to them by her first lieutenant, who had been told that Gabrielle's concealment as a regular soldier was to hide her from hordes of assassins dispatched by Temudjin to kill her before the battle was joined.
Gabrielle rode besides Fong out of the camp that the non combatants were already breaking down. She planned to follow along for a while and then disappear on a bend down the road somewhere.
"So our paths diverge here," Fong said in Greek and looked at her.
"Yeah, I've got to go and free that dragon. I know what Temudjin is planning to do. I've seen what happens with mortals that get their hands on the power of immortals before. We aren't meant to have that kind of power my friend. I've always known that," Gabrielle explained.
"What about the men that might die, because you're not here to lead them?" Fong asked obviously trying to keep any recrimination out of his voice.
Gabrielle looked at him for a moment. His voice had slipped into the tone, he always used, when he was trying to tell or teach her something. "It is for the greater good, my friend. More will die, if I don't succeed," she said and spied the best place for her to ride off coming up in the distance.
"Yes, the greater good. It rules your life," he said and looked off into the distance, contemplating what she had answered.
"Are you trying to redefine my path now," Gabrielle's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
Master Fong looked at her with a beatific smile on his lips, but said nothing.
"We are close to finding it," Fong explained.
"It will wait. What ever way I have been following takes me away from here for a while. I'll be back as soon as possible," Gabrielle said and spurred her horse into a furious gallop to take her out of the column and up a small side road just as only her army could see her.
"Stay safe my Little Dragon," Fong mumbled and turned towards Mai. The girl looked frightened stiff. "Now how about you and I tell everyone that Gabrielle isn't feeling well just before the battle? That way we avoid you getting onto the battlefield," he suggested to the frightened girl, who nodded frantically with approval.
Gabrielle rode on the dusty road baked by the heat. She had changed into her amazon battle garb that better suited the warm weather. A black enameled armor breast plate protected her chest, while heavy war boots covered her legs up to her knees and guards of the same Japanese make covered her forearms. The katana rested at her side, while her sai rested in her boots and her bow on the horse besides some rations.
She stopped the unnamed spotted horse and listened for the sounds behind the sounds. The needed focus came easily to her now, there was no need to close her eyes, to meditate or even think about it. It had become apart of her, an ability that gave her both warnings of danger and great joys of experiencing nature. It was not the first time that day that she listened like this, but this time the sounds of her horse, of leaves rustling in the hot breeze and the chirping of insects was joined by the sounds of wood and metal groaning under something large moving around. She heard wheels rattle as they ran over the sandy ground pulled by several straining horses. And she heard the sound of many men riding in armor. She had found her target.
Gabrielle pried a branch away and looked down the road at the approaching wagon. It was smaller than she had expected, but still huge by comparison to the two wheelers that the Chinese used most of the time. It was also a good deal wider. But was she had expected was its cargo. The wagon seemed to have been built around a huge metal cage in which a wondrous creature lay in what looked like a stupor. It was long and thin with black scales and a hairy back. It was a dragon like the one she had imprinted on her back, but had five toes instead of three. It seemed to be thrashing slightly from time to time.
As they drew nearer she noticed that a couple of men seemed to spend some of their time injecting the dragon with some kind of thick black liquid. Gabrielle whispered with a small smile: "From the outside this almost looks like a job for Hercules slaying the creatures of Hera instead of little old me going up against a warlord. It has been three decades, since we last saw him, I wonder how he is." She crawled out of the tree, while contemplating how she would free that dragon. She had counted six guards aside from the driver of the wagon and the two that kept drugging the dragon.
Gabrielle felt her sweaty palm sliding against the leather of her bow's grip. Taking a breath she spurred the warhorse on and thundered down the road. She would take them head on, hopefully downing most of the guards and the driver before anyone could bring up any weapons. Still she was confident that she could easily beat them even if she had to fight them in hand to hand.
The hooves of her horse hammered a steady beat. Gabrielle drew back an arrow and fired in spite of the constant rocking of her view. The arrow sailed through the air.
The driver sank together and dropped the reins.
Gabrielle quickly drew another arrow from her saddle mounted quiver.
One of the guards took out a horn and blew a long note.
"It's a trap," Gabrielle realized and loosened the arrow towards the bugler. The horn fell silent.
Gabrielle watched the remaining mounted guards pull out their weapons and bows. She dropped her bow down on the saddle knob and grabbed the reins of her horse. She commanded it to wheel them around.
The guards sent arrows her way, but the shorter range of their bows saved her and she quickly gained distance, as she rode off. Her ears caught the noise of many horses coming from both behind and in front of her. Gabrielle looked sideways. On one side the undergrowth was thick and thorny, but led down to a muddy stream. On the other side it was an uphill ride through undergrowth and trees and on the other side lays a section of open grasslands. If she didn't abandon the horse she might get away. "Yah," she yelled and spurred the horse into a desperate gallop up the side of the hill.
She heard, whoever it was that were following her, copy her example. The noise as her pursuers crashed up the forested hills somewhere behind her was thunderous.
With both chin, clothes and legs slightly torn by the branches Gabrielle thundered out onto the grassland.
Suddenly a huge group of riders emerged from the forested hills to her left. A tall and muscular man with long dark hair flapping in the wind led the way. The description matched the one she had gotten of their enemy, of Temudjin himself.
"Damn it," she cursed and veered away to the right hoping that her horse was faster than the ones they were using.
They slowly gained on her. The next section of forested hills seemed so far away that they might have been in another country to her. "Why didn't I just take Ghost instead," Gabrielle thought knowing very well that her larger warhorse would have given her the advantage now.
Arrows whizzed past her. "Damn it," she thought, when she felt the by-now familiar growl and itching feeling that signified her dragon protecting her back. An arrow clattered as it slipped from her back onto the saddle and fell to the ground.
Suddenly everything whirled and Gabrielle found herself flying through the air, the high grass quickly approaching. Behind her somewhere the horse cried out in pain.
She tucked her head in and forced her body into a roll. Instincts took over and she landed on her feet with a dust raising thump and a teeth jarring impact. "Get ready to defend yourself," she thought almost hearing Xena's impatient inflections during one of their rare training sessions. She whirled around, while drawing her katana.
A rider was in front of Temudjin, he was dressed in robes and clothing that she had only seen before amongst the desert people living beyond Egypt. He was dressed like one of the Arabs that had enslaved so many of her amazon sisters in the past. Above his head he swung a scimitar, while he and his steed thundered towards her.
Quickly she leapt up and forward, swinging her katana in a tight curve as he passed her. The jarring feeling in her arm, the sound of the cutting of both metal and flesh all ensured her that he wouldn't be an enemy in the next moments. Just as she landed an armored fist carried forward by a horse slammed into her face and sent whirled back and to the side.
She landed with stars whirling before her eyes and the landscape slightly out of focus. "A concussion," she heard the dry voice of Xena diagnose, as if they were sitting in a hospice discussing a patient. Gabrielle fought the sense of nausea and forced herself to stand as several enemy soldiers, all large, well armed and looking very angry, walked towards her.
She grabbed her katana that had landed besides her and prepared herself. In the background the man, she presumed was Temudjin and who had hit her, dismounted slowly as if the ongoing fight was a mere trifle. She decided that his arrogance would be his downfall, if she had anything to do about it. One of the men that had formed a half circle in front of her yelled out loud, as if to scare her and charged forward.
Gabrielle took a half stride forward and swung her weapon in a blinding fast slash from high left to her low right. The man opened from left lung to belly moved past her in a spray of blood and gore. The others eyed her, a lot more carefully while slowly reinforcements joined them. "Surrender Warrior Bard," the man, she presumed was Temudjin, suggested as she was outnumbered twelve to one.
She made no move; instead she judged her chances of getting out of this alive. Several of them had drawn arrows on their bows and the rest were no less armed and ready. She stood a slight chance of defeating them, but that would probably cost her life in the process. "What happens if I surrender?" She asked addressing the man, who seemed occupied with looting the corpse of the man dressed in Arabic garb.
"I want you alive General. I wouldn't have gone to all this trouble, if I hadn't thought you were worth the risk of capture. I want to speak with the woman, who is so capable. I risked the safety of my most important possession for this. I could have easily diverted that wagon onto a safer route. I am sure you know the significance of that," he explained and moved towards them.
Gabrielle hoped her ability to judge warlords wasn't off, but the look in this man eyes said that while he would let her die without batting an eye, he could be trusted on his word. In a way he was a lot like Caesar, fascinated with himself and completely aware that he was the greatest male specimen to have ever seen incarnation in this world. But for now he looked like he needed her. Later on he would either try to subjugate her and simply betray and kill her. "I surrender," she said and dropped her katana.
"Knock her out," Temudjin commanded without batting an eye as one of his men charged forward with a club and slugged her on the head. Gabrielle fell down in pain and not long after the repeated blows of the soldiers put her in a place without pain at least for a while. "Yep, just like Egypt," a dry voice, that she knew as the cynical part of herself, commented.
Gabrielle woke up to the throbbing of her head. Her mouth tasted salty probably from her own blood, but a little test shake of her head ensured her that any concussions had only been minor. Slowly she opened her eyes to find herself tied to a pillar in a large hall. Her hands were tied so that they were bent around the wide pillar behind her back. Opposite her a throne-like chair stood besides a large wooden table laden with food, drink and maps. This was probably Temudjin's headquarters, she mused.
She felt eyes stare at her and turned her eyes to the left. A woman with black hair filled with gray strains dressed in animal pelts and stinking of herbs and blood was standing in a doorway studying her. Slowly she walked over. "This is Temudjin's witch Jenn," she realized recognizing the woman from her description.
She stepped close and sent her foul smelling breath in Gabrielle's face with each wheeze. "Who are you? What is your name?" She asked and grabbed her throat. A move she had seen done by Alti. No pain or flashback followed though.
The woman seemed surprised that Gabrielle didn't react to her question and began choking her. "I am your doom little witch. I've defeated great evils before and you're playing way out of your league," Gabrielle said with more conviction than she felt.
"Really, why don't you stop me from killing you then," the witch asked and put another hand around her throat.
"Stop," Temudjin commanded as he ran into the room. Jenn released her grip, but still hovered at her side, while Gabrielle gasped for air.
"She must die Temudjin. She is dangerous to us. Don't make this mistake. Kill her now. Don't show her your mercy now! She doesn't deserve it. No one of them does," the witch screeched and slugged Gabrielle in the stomach. Gabrielle suppressed a groan not wanting to give the witch any satisfaction.
"She has been a worthy enemy and an honorable opponent. She'll die rest assured of that. I will grant her a warrior's death later. But not now leave us alone. Now I wish to speak to the woman that has outsmarted all my generals time and again," he commanded in a voice that brooked no contradiction.
"I'll go and prepare the bloodletting. The dragon has been weaned of the poison and the army is about to clash with the enemy. There is little time," the witch explained.
Temudjin looked at the witch for a moment, nodded, then dismissed her with a wave and walked over to the bard.
"How did you know I would come?" Gabrielle asked as he stopped in front of her as if seeing her for the first time.
"I have many spies in your camp. I knew all along that General Wu wouldn't believe any stories of dragons or magic. He is famed for his fervent beliefs in a world free of mystery. But you were way too smart to ignore anything like that. When I learned, how my scouts had been drugged, but no one had seen the assailant and one man had gone missing, I just knew that you had done it. After all you had been traveling through the area with your army and none of your spies are known for being creative like that. Putting Henbane in their food is quite a neat trick," he chuckled.
"So you see I knew it was you and I knew you would come alone. When I received messengers telling me that you and your regiment rode alongside Wu into combat, I almost called it off. But a little voice in my head told me that it would not hurt to be prepared if you decided to show up after all. And what do you know. Here you are. The mysterious Little Dragon. The foreigner that the impressed the conservative general Wu enough for him to give an army and the title of General to a woman. Now all I want to know, before I go to get the strength to lead myself and my people into lasting greatness, is. What your real name is? Are you really a dragon in human shape sent to stop me, as my men thinks?" He looked her straight in the eyes.
Gabrielle smiled and chuckled herself. "I guess you don't know me at all. I am just a woman, like you're just a man. Neither of us are real dragons, Temudjin. I bear a tattoo of one on my back. It was the last gift from two spirits in a faraway land, but that doesn't make me a dragon. I come to all my skills honestly. I come to them through work and suffering. So did you I believe. Don't take the gifts of that witch Temudjin. What she is giving you cannot be what you really want. I know people like her. I've fought one before. She only wants power for herself," she tried to explain.
"Bah. Tell me your name woman," he commanded.
"I am not one of your subjects Temudjin. I am not afraid of violence either. Torture and death threats don't scare me. I've both died and felt greater pain than you could ever cause before, so don't even bother. I won't bow down to you now or when you've usurped a power that doesn't belong in mortal hands. Now would be the time, when you hit me," she said and looked him straight in the eyes anger flashing in her green eyes. He lifted a hand and almost struck then stopped and shook his head.
"I'll break you in the end. All women come around in the end," he muttered and walked away leaving her alone in the echoing hall.
Gabrielle pulled at the ropes tying her hands around back of the stone pillar. "Here we are again," Gabrielle mused, "Didn't we do this in Egypt already." Gabrielle looked around, but it looked like there were no implements around to cut her bonds. Something occurred to her.
"Nitwit," she cursed, as she realized that if she was tied around the round pillar, she could slide her around it.
Slowly Gabrielle edged her way around the pillar. Against the back of the room her pack, boots with sai and katana lay in a messy pile. Blood still clung to the unsheathed blade. "Damn it, don't these fools realize that a katana rusts easily if it isn't kept clean," she muttered for her own amusement as she dropped down on her butt and stretched her legs and toes out for her katana.
Straining her toes she managed to drag her katana by the hilt across the stone floor. Outside she heard drums and voices chanting. Some kind of ritual was beginning. She was running out of time and there was no way she could pull of the same trick that she had used in Egypt to cut her ropes. But then again her katana was longer and sharper than any roman sword. Gabrielle smiled a little, slowly pulled one of her boots over and tipped it on its side.
Sweating profusely she angled the blade up onto her boot and managed to make it rest of on the blunt back side instead of on one of the sides or the edge.
Gabrielle pressed herself back up from the cold stone floor and slid back around the pillar a little.
Gabrielle hammered an outstretched foot down on the hilt of her katana. The blade slammed against the stone pillar. The cut rope felt down around her bare feet.
Running quickly over to her possessions Gabrielle grabbed her boots with the sai put them on and sheathed the dirty katana at her side. She turned towards the door Temudjin had left the room through.
Gabrielle found herself on a battlement besides a slim set of stair leading down to the sandy courtyard. The sky was lightening with the first rays of dawn. Down in the courtyard the witch was dancing around the dragon which was tied to the ground with a great number of ropes stretched from poles set into the ground. The witch was dancing around while the men that had been at her capture, Temudjin's bodyguards she assumed, were either beating drums or dancing along. In front of the creature's head stood Temudjin his chest bared and waited.
Gabrielle looked around the courtyard. She needed to free the creature that seemed increasingly to be awakening from its stupor.
Jenn whirled around and revealed a bloody dagger in her hand. Gabrielle could see a wound in the shoulder of the dragon. The witch walked towards Temudjin, her face rapt in what looked like ecstasy.
Gabrielle swallowed a lump in her throat and ran along the battlements until she was parallel with one row of ropes capturing the now snarling dragon. She drew her katana and leapt into the air, hoping that all the tricks of landing that she had seen Xena use still rested in her memory.
Gabrielle landed cutting through the first rope with her katana.
The eyes of all the bodyguards turned towards her, but few moved as they were too caught up in the ceremony.
Gabrielle charged forward, ducking below the ropes that were strung out at the height of her throat, while holding the katana in their path. With twangs indicating the released tension in the ropes, she got closer and closer to Temudjin. He was her goal. If she could, kill him or the witch the danger would be banished.
A tall warrior stepped into her way swing at her with his crude metal sword.
Gabrielle parried his sword.
Jenn smeared the blood covered dagger across the chest of Temudjin.
Gabrielle parried another strike, then suddenly turned, while completing the backwards slash that she had seen Xena do so make times before. She heard her enemy topple behind her as she whirled all the way around to face in the direction of Jenn and Temudjin again.
The dragon roared and burst free from its prison.
The bodyguards stopped dancing and beating the drums. They stared at the diminutive intruder and realized the gravity of what she had just done. The dragon was free.
Temudjin screamed in triumph, as he seemed to swell slightly. His muscles grew and his skin seemed to become slightly bronzed. Then he and Jenn turned, seemingly noticing for the first time that Gabrielle and the dragon was free.
"Quickly poison that dragon again!" Jenn commanded. No one moved.
"Now before they escape," Temudjin bellowed.
"Hop onto my back, little one," a deep and surprisingly friendly voice reminiscent of her friend Master Fong emanated from the dragon.
Temudjin jumped into the air landing besides one of his bodyguard, who had a bow.
Gabrielle blinked twice in surprise then jumped onto the back of the dragon and took good hold of its long soft hairs.
Temudjin grabbed the bow and cocked a poisoned arrow.
The dragon flew into the air carrying them away quickly. The wind rushed around it like it recognized an old friend.
Temudjin's arrow cleaved the air. It burrowed into the soft belly of the dragon. The dragon continued on flying south west towards the battlefield. "Damn it," he cursed.
"You mustn't let it get away, Temudjin. The ritual isn't finished. If you don't drink the last drop of blood from that dragon as it dies, the transfer of power will be incomplete and temporary. The arrow you shot should bring it down to rest at least for a few moments," Jenn explained.
Temudjin studied her for a moment. "Everyone on their horses, we are going after them," he commanded not noticing that his words were so loud that they echoed around the keep like thunder.