Chapter 6
"The stars are bright tonight." Caecilius commented absently.
Xena raised her face skyward. "Yes, they are." Slowly a smile spread across her face. "See the group to the North, almost over head?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"What does it remind you of?"
Caecilius studied the stars for a moment. "A dipper." he finally decided.
Xena laughed, ignoring the pain it caused her. "Gabrielle..." chuckling softly. "Thinks it looks like a bear."
"A bear?" repeated Caecilius frowning at her. "How on earth could she see a bear in that? That's the dumbness thing I've ever heard."
"It's not dumb!" Xena snapped. "Gabrielle has a way of seeing things others miss." There was a touch of pride in her voice as she spoke of the bard.
"You speak of her as though she is something special."
Xena shrugged. "To me she is."
"You still believe she will come, don't you?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Once more Xena turned her gaze skyward. "Because she's my friend." Both grew silent, lost in their thoughts.
Xena felt herself drifting off, when Caecilius's voice pulled her back. "Warrior?" he called softly.
"Yes?" she replied, trying to shake the fog from her mind.
"How long do you think we can last here?" Fear crept into the young man's voice.
'Good question.' she thought, but aloud she answered. "Three, maybe four days without water, even longer without food. But,..." Realizing it might not be wise to finish, she let the sentence trail off.
"But, what?"
Reluctantly Xena continued. "But, when a person suffers blood loss they need more water than usual. It helps the body heal faster."
"We've going to die aren't we?" It was more of a statement than a question.
"No." replied the warrior quickly. "Not if we don't lose hope. Help will come."
"I hope you're right." he answered solemnly.
"Caecilius, do you have any family?" she asked, feeling a need to change the subject.
"Just a sister." answered the young man. "My folks died during a fever outbreak a couple of years ago, leaving me and Durene alone. Last summer she married a guy we grew up with. They own a little farm in Seria."
"Why did you leave?" asked the warrior.
"The last thing a couple of newlyweds needed was a brother in law hanging around. So I took off, shortly after that I met Zared and he offered to take me in. It's been over a year since I saw Durene last. Zared won't allow us to contact our families." sadly he added. "I miss her." Turning to Xena. "How about you, warrior. Do you have any family?"
Studying the star's she answered quietly. "Just Gabrielle."
+
"It's a nice night, isn't?" Septimus asked as he sat down beside Gabrielle.
"Yeah." she replied halfheartedly.
"Leioander says we should catch up to Zared in the morning."
"Good."
Hoping to draw the bard into conversation, he continued. "How was your dinner? Sorry we couldn't build a fire."
Laughing Gabrielle waved at him dismissingly. "Don't worry about it, I'm use to it. When Xena and I are tracking someone, sometimes we go for days without a fire or a hot meal." Slowly the laughter died, leaving a lonely silence.
"She means a lot to you, doesn't she?" Thought he could not see her face, he was almost certain she was smiling.
"She's my family. No matter what, she's always been there for me." sighing heavily. "More than once she has risked her life for me."
"And you for her." his comment was more of a statement, than a question.
Gabrielle snickered. "Yeah, I guess so." She sighed again.
"Are you going to be okay?"
Though he could not see her, she turned and smiled at him. "Yeah, I'm all right. It just...I wish I knew what happened to her. The worse part, is not knowing."
Septimus started to place an arm around her shoulders, then thought better of it. Instead placing a hand atop hers. "After we rescue the girl, I'll go with you to the cave to look for her." In the starlight he could not make out her expression.
"Thanks." There was no mistaking the sadness in her voice.
"The stars are bright tonight." Caecilius commented absently.
Xena raised her face skyward. "Yes, they are." Slowly a smile spread across her face. "See the group to the North, almost over head?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"What does it remind you of?"
Caecilius studied the stars for a moment. "A dipper." he finally decided.
Xena laughed, ignoring the pain it caused her. "Gabrielle..." chuckling softly. "Thinks it looks like a bear."
"A bear?" repeated Caecilius frowning at her. "How on earth could she see a bear in that? That's the dumbness thing I've ever heard."
"It's not dumb!" Xena snapped. "Gabrielle has a way of seeing things others miss." There was a touch of pride in her voice as she spoke of the bard.
"You speak of her as though she is something special."
Xena shrugged. "To me she is."
"You still believe she will come, don't you?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Once more Xena turned her gaze skyward. "Because she's my friend." Both grew silent, lost in their thoughts.
Xena felt herself drifting off, when Caecilius's voice pulled her back. "Warrior?" he called softly.
"Yes?" she replied, trying to shake the fog from her mind.
"How long do you think we can last here?" Fear crept into the young man's voice.
'Good question.' she thought, but aloud she answered. "Three, maybe four days without water, even longer without food. But,..." Realizing it might not be wise to finish, she let the sentence trail off.
"But, what?"
Reluctantly Xena continued. "But, when a person suffers blood loss they need more water than usual. It helps the body heal faster."
"We've going to die aren't we?" It was more of a statement than a question.
"No." replied the warrior quickly. "Not if we don't lose hope. Help will come."
"I hope you're right." he answered solemnly.
"Caecilius, do you have any family?" she asked, feeling a need to change the subject.
"Just a sister." answered the young man. "My folks died during a fever outbreak a couple of years ago, leaving me and Durene alone. Last summer she married a guy we grew up with. They own a little farm in Seria."
"Why did you leave?" asked the warrior.
"The last thing a couple of newlyweds needed was a brother in law hanging around. So I took off, shortly after that I met Zared and he offered to take me in. It's been over a year since I saw Durene last. Zared won't allow us to contact our families." sadly he added. "I miss her." Turning to Xena. "How about you, warrior. Do you have any family?"
Studying the star's she answered quietly. "Just Gabrielle."
+
"It's a nice night, isn't?" Septimus asked as he sat down beside Gabrielle.
"Yeah." she replied halfheartedly.
"Leioander says we should catch up to Zared in the morning."
"Good."
Hoping to draw the bard into conversation, he continued. "How was your dinner? Sorry we couldn't build a fire."
Laughing Gabrielle waved at him dismissingly. "Don't worry about it, I'm use to it. When Xena and I are tracking someone, sometimes we go for days without a fire or a hot meal." Slowly the laughter died, leaving a lonely silence.
"She means a lot to you, doesn't she?" Thought he could not see her face, he was almost certain she was smiling.
"She's my family. No matter what, she's always been there for me." sighing heavily. "More than once she has risked her life for me."
"And you for her." his comment was more of a statement, than a question.
Gabrielle snickered. "Yeah, I guess so." She sighed again.
"Are you going to be okay?"
Though he could not see her, she turned and smiled at him. "Yeah, I'm all right. It just...I wish I knew what happened to her. The worse part, is not knowing."
Septimus started to place an arm around her shoulders, then thought better of it. Instead placing a hand atop hers. "After we rescue the girl, I'll go with you to the cave to look for her." In the starlight he could not make out her expression.
"Thanks." There was no mistaking the sadness in her voice.
