FOUR AGAINST THE DARKNESS
by Phil D. Hernández
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ACT TWO
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Joxer remained slightly nervous around Hope, and stayed away from her.
I won't eat you, Joxer, she said.
You're not what I'm worried about eating me, he replied. The last time I saw youI mean, you're not heroh, you know what I mean!
I think so. MotherGabrielle said that the other Hope tried to feed you to her
Yeah, that's it.
Then there's nothing to worry about, Hope said brightly. I don't have a son. I'm a virgin. Mother and Dad gave me good advice. The kind of advice you just gave Gabrielle.
I did?
You and my stepfather may have had different experiences recently, but you're the same person. Xena, too, and my mother and your Gabrielle. I'm the one who's different.
The would-be warrior's eyes widened. You mean Gabby
Oh, no, you don't, smirked Hope. You and Gabrielle have to work it out yourselves. Trust your heart – oh, and don't propose to her when she returns.
Joxer said in a sinking voice. A proposal was exactly what he intended. You know, if they bring a deer back they'll be busy with skinning and all. How about I get us something to eat?
But you can't cook!
he complained. I was thinking bread, cheese and herb tea. Gabby would kill me if I touched anything else.
That, of course, was quite acceptable to the girl. Joxer's lingering fear of Hope evaporated, and in due course he served up a light meal. Hope started reading. It didn't take long for her to discover that her memories and her mother's scrolls diverged from Gabrielle's account almost immediately after Hope's birth. Soon she was lost in the story, only absentmindedly sipping at her tea.
*****
A shamaness must fashion her own tools and ritual clothing, Xena whispered to Gabrielle, then motioned for silence. The stag they were following came into view at extreme distance. Xena raised the crude bow she had made and nocked a simple flint-tipped arrow. There was only one arrow. The Warrior Princess did not miss.
Not long after that, Xena had filled a bladder with the stag's blood, and the two women were carrying the stag between them. Gabrielle's head still buzzed with the ceremony honoring the beast's spirit. Xena explained that she would need the stag's help to cross over alive into the spirit world.
It's a very strange place, Gabrielle. As soon as it begins to seem like our world, the relationships among time and space, cause and effect shift unexpectedly. Some things can be controlled, just as sometimes you can control a dream or manipulate events here. To walk the spirit world, you must learn some of that control. Otherwise, you lose your way and never return. Your body dies. A powerful shamaness like Alti not only controls part of the spirit world, she also controls some of the spirits in it. There's a good chance that Alti could control you. Then she'd use your body to live again, and your spirit would be forced to serve her forever.
I think I understand, Gabrielle said, still disappointed but more subdued than before. It's like the time you first taught me about weaponsbut the stakes are higher.
Yes. We'll walk the spirit world together, but not this time.
Why is time so short? the bard wanted to know.
Alti and Dahak are on the move. Hope didn't show up where they expected her, so they're searching – and Dahak is calling. For now, we have the element of surprise. They don't know that we're aware of them, and they don't know they grabbed the wrong Hope. The trouble is, I don't know what they're up to, or even if it is them, and I have to go to the spirit world now to find out. Even the time I take to prepare the ceremony is time lost.
Then Hope and Joxer are in danger!
No more than we are, Xena replied, but she lacked her usual confidence. This Hope knows how to deal with DahakI hope.
*****
Hope abruptly put down the scroll she was reading. Lines of strain appeared on her face, but she waved Joxer off when he tried to offer his assistance.
this world's Dahakis trying to summon me, she told him. I can't let him find me.
It's a good thing you're good, Joxer said, mostly to reassure himself. He can't be expecting that. Maybe he won't recognize you.
Not yet, but his daughter and I have a few things in common. The moment passed, and Hope took a deep breath. It's over for now. He'll return.
Joxer wanted to go and get Xena, but he had been strictly enjoined by the Warrior Princess to stay with Hope unless it was a matter of life or death. Xena was concerned with more than the possibility of his spoiling the hunt. She did not want to confuse him any more than he was going to be once the spiritual probe against Alti began.
Touching Joxer's hand as a thank-you gesture, Hope picked up the scroll and resumed reading.
*****
Gabrielle knew how to skin a deer, for Xena had taught her. However, Xena had to do this job alone. Joxer paid close attention, and for once it was not lost on the bard that he tried to learn whatever he could from the Warrior Princess – and, she realized, from Gabrielle herself. It resembled her own experience with Xena, but unlike Gabrielle, he didn't brag about his modest accomplishments. His flights of fancy seemed to be a way for him to express his innermost feelings without them being trampled on. He didn't seem to mind people laughing at him for what he wasn't, but he was devastated when he was laughed at for what he was.
There's a connection between blood and life, breath and spirit, Xena was saying. She tugged on a forelimb to make it easier to detach the skin clinging to it. The shamaness uses that connection to supply her with power beyond what her own life force provides. Some people have rituals where they eat the heart or liver of a lion or bear to obtain the animal's strength and courage. Not so long ago, men would do the same to each other.
People ate people? Joxer felt sick to his stomach.
That's right, Xena agreed. But the shamaness only needs a little of the blood to tune into the life around her, and only for the most powerful ceremonies. Only an evil shamaness like Alti would do more than that, because it takes a great deal of power to dominate others. Those who turn to evil are usually destroyed before they can achieve such power.
So the Northern Amazons expelled Alti because they couldn't destroy her, Gabrielle concluded.
Yes. The shamaness is always tempted by evil. It can be instantly gratifying, but the price for choosing evil is steep. In the end, I couldn't pay it. I needed to love and to be loved. I needed to be human.
With the stag's head and hide removed, Xena began to work the antlers and the attached piece of deerskin into a headdress. Gabrielle enlisted Joxer's help in butchering the carcass. Aside from a late meal, they would dry over the fire as much of the meat as they dared to carry so it would not go to waste. Hope scraped the hide; there was no time to tan it, but the matter of Dahak would be settled one way or the other long before the hide started to stink.
From time to time Hope reported that Dahak was attempting to locate her again. She responded with meditation, continuing to scrape the hide mechanically while seeking her inner serenity. The idea was to subtly deflect the evil god's influence without putting up a negating block that would reveal too much.
Eventually Xena stopped her work. Dipping certain twigs in the stag's blood, she established a perimeter around the camp, sprinkling water and blood to form a circle and placing the twigs at the cardinal points of the compass. All the while, she chanted and made mystical gestures. She taught these to Gabrielle as she went, and the bard was soon able to join in the ceremony.
Did that help? the Warrior Princess asked Hope once the chant was finished.
I think so.
Good. We're all going to need sleep, and I knew you wouldn't be able to rest and fight Dahak at the same time. As long as we all stay inside the circle we should be safe for this one night, at least.
But what if one of us has toyou know, Joxer asked hesitantly.
Behind that set of bushes to your left, Xena replied. They're inside the circle.
The companions ate well but not too heavily. There was more than enough venison to go around, of course, to which Gabrielle added herbs and some roots she tried to keep on hand for times like this. Joxer contributed carrots that he had bought for Argo, who was not present. Dried fruit topped off the meal, which they washed down with water; the situation was too hazardous to risk even a sip of wine.
No one's appetite was dampened. They were all used to balancing on the edge of danger, even Joxer. Alti was as much an unknown to him as to Hope. Xena's story about the shamaness, which Joxer had read in Gabrielle's scrolls, spoke for itself. Dahak, however, Joxer had seen at first hand. The evil god had nearly taken Gabrielle away from him, raped Gabrielle, caused the death of Xena's son and almost succeeded in causing Xena and Gabrielle to kill each other; yes, he was scared of Dahak, but Joxer would stand with his friends against the darkness.
Hope was the calmest of the four companions, thanks to her training. She had no illusions about Dahak, even though this version was not her father and apparently was stronger than him. She contemplated the flickering of the peaceful campfire, its warmth reflecting the love she felt all around her. In contrast, Dahak's flame was a destructive force. While he promised renewal after the destruction, as new growth follows a forest fire, Hope knew all too well that the only thing humanity could expect from him was barren devastation, and any new growth would be for evil.
The new challenge both excited Gabrielle and repelled her. She wanted nothing further to do with Dahak. Vengeance held no claim on her, as she had proven with Callisto, her husband's murderer, but unlike Callisto there was zero possibility that Dahak would ever abandon evil. The bard would fight beside Xena against Dahak, and alone if Xena fell. On the other hand, Gabrielle now had her daughter back, in a sense. She had not given birth to this Hope, but she would love the girl as if this were her true daughter. When Xena accepted Hope, it reinforced an idea Hope had suggested: Gabrielle had not failed her daughter; rather, her daughter had failed Gabrielle.
A second challenge also lurked behind the immediate problem of Dahak and Alti, namely how to send Hope home. While Gabrielle did not want to lose her, she knew that Hope needed her family, and vice versa. This chain of thought led her to Joxer. The bard could guess why Joxer had hidden his love for her. The first time she had ever considered the possibility, she laughed the whole thing off, assuming that Joxer didn't love her and would enjoy the joke. Now the joke was on her. Gabrielle had grown fond of her silly friend, when he wasn't being obnoxious, that is. Though she tried to shrug off such feelings, when Joxer lay hurt (through no fault of his own, for a change) she had helped Xena nurse him back to health and punish the men who had hurt him.
Gabrielle knew that when she talked things over with Joxer, she needed to have an explanation for her diffidence. She suspected that Joxer understood her behavior better than she did.
It was another battle for the Warrior Princess, a desperate one, to be sure, but either she had Alti's measure or she didn't. The probe would be critical. Xena needed more information before she fought her former teacher, even though this would certainly reveal her to both her foes. It bothered Xena, but she was forced to gamble on Hope. Though the girl may have turned out to be who she said she was, Hope was in no less danger from Dahak for all that. If Dahak took over Hope, then Gabrielle and Joxer would certainly die, and the frightful scenario Xena had warned Gabrielle about would play out with Xena herself as the victim.
After helping to clean up the meal, Xena resumed her work on the headdress, intending to finish it before she snatched some sleep. Hope used the respite gained from the warding circle to sleep now. Gabrielle tried to stay awake, to watch Xena and learn more, but she quickly nodded off. Only Joxer remained, and he was thoughtful.
Worried about Gabrielle? Xena asked him.
No. You guys will get through this. That business about warning Ephinyyou weren't just making up something for me to feel wanted, were you?
I wish. This is dangerous enough that I have to plan for the worst, and I had to impress on you how bad it can get. Gabrielle, too. I'm not shielding her because I don't think she can face the situation; it is beyond her comprehension and skill now. It won't be, later.
Gabby's a quick study, Joxer agreed. Whatever you want, just tell me.
I will. Now, what's really bothering you about Gabrielle?
When Xena raised a disapproving eyebrow, he shrugged and continued: I'm afraid I'm gonna screw up and lose hernow that she knows.
Gabrielle has suspected something ever since the temple of Mnemosyne. We had a long talk about you afterwards, and I have to say you were lucky to get off with a tweaked nose and a twisted ear. We were both angry with you – but Gabrielle forgave you before I did. She realized that you couldn't lie to her even when she was as empty-headed as the other girls you manage to impress. And she's always known you care about her. You two have been friends from the moment you looked Callisto in the eye and refused to kill Gabrielle. If you'd made another pass at heryeah, you would have screwed up big time. But you didn't. That says you respect her, no matter how much you pretend to be a mighty warrior and her protector. Gabrielle doesn't need a protector.
Nah, she's got you. Xena, there isn't anything I can give her that she doesn't already get from you. The two of you love each other. I can't compete with that.
There isn't any competition here, Joxer. I know how much you care about her, and for all your fantasies about the three of us in a love shack, Gabrielle is the only woman you want. If I thought your love for Gabrielle would hurt either one of you, I would have done something about it a long time ago. Besides, just because Gabrielle has my love doesn't mean she doesn't need your love. The one time she needed me most, I wasn't there, but you wereand you even tried to defend her from me. It's still too painful for Gabrielle to talk very much about that day, but she will never forget what you did for her. Trust Gabrielle. She trusts you.
Those were long speeches for Xena, and Joxer was impressed that she would take the time to counsel him, though of course she kept working throughout. They both fell silent again, but Joxer didn't seem to be as troubled as before.
*****
Joxer finally fell asleep, and soon thereafter Xena finished the headdress and tried it on. Satisfied with the fit, she set her work aside and woke Gabrielle.
Too earlystill darkwe'll talk later, Joxer, the bard mumbled.
Wake up, Gabrielle. I need you to stand watch.
Xena? What's wrong?
Nothing. I want you to keep an eye on Hope.
You still don't trust her, Gabrielle accused.
Actually I do – with our lives. The one I don't trust is Dahak. Hope may need your help tonight. You're the closest thing to her mother that she has. She's been very brave, but she's still lost here, and very lonely.
Not with us around, pledged the bard. She got to her feet, poked at the fire with a stick and poured water into a pot so she could steep some herbs and ground acorns in it once it boiled.
You're the best cure for loneliness I know, Xena whispered. She lay down, closed her eyes, and allowed that last thought to comfort her until she dozed off.
To stay awake, Gabrielle started a new scroll. She wanted to keep her new lessons fresh in her mind, and to do this it was best to write about the current adventure. That also meant confronting her awkward feelings about both Hope and Joxer, but she decided that this was a good thing after all.
Occasionally, Hope would twitch with discomfort. That was Dahak's doing; Xena's warding could not keep out all of the god's influence, but it was enough to bolster Hope's unconscious defenses. One episode was particularly bad, and Gabrielle dropped everything to hold Hope's hand. The girl calmed down in an instant, but it was enough for Gabrielle to sense Dahak. Although the bard recoiled in horror, she continued to hold Hope's hand and stroke her hair.
So much like my daughterbut the fire inside her shines with the light of love. What could I have donewhat more could I have done for my babymy Hope
*****
Hey, sleepyhead, it's your turn.
Huh? Gabby? Joxer was groggy.
I'm fading fast, Gabrielle told him, and Xena needs more rest. Hope is practically exhausted, thanks to Dahak. So it's up to you. If anything happens, I want you to wake Xena, then me. I left you some acorn tea. Okay? The bard yawned the last word.
Joxer said, and stretched aching muscles. Gabrielle took Hope's hand again, and fell asleep snuggled next to the girl.
The would-be warrior studied Gabrielle and Hope, identical in the firelight except for their clothing. He could not understand how his counterpart could be a father to the Hope, but the other Joxer at least had met her at a more youthful stage of her rapid growth. Still, if he was capable of that kind of lovehe wondered what he would say to Gabrielle. He was afraid that he might blurt out something foolish like wanting to see her naked. The trouble was that he did want that. One of the few things he was actually good at was lovemaking, and he wanted to share that with her. However, he knew that Gabrielle neither wanted nor needed that from him, especially not now.
Just tell her the truth, his conscience said. Remember when you first thought she was in love with you? You were gentle. Stay that way.
He watched over his friends until the pre-dawn hours, when Xena rose as she customarily did when there was danger about. The Warrior Princess was surprised to see Joxer on watch, but when she saw Gabrielle with Hope, Xena understood.
Good job, Joxer. Grab what sleep you can. She patted him on the back.
Thanks, Xena. You gonna be all right?
With friends like you and Gabrielle, how can I go wrong?
Once Joxer was asleep again, Xena turned her attention to the deerskin, which she would turn into a crude tunic and trousers. Normally she would also make a breast piece and embroider it with beadwork, but a simple pattern on the tunic using leather strips would have to do. The fancy detailing could wait for another time.
Xena worked until dawn.
*****
The smell of breakfast – more venison – woke Gabrielle, which perhaps would be one of the few normal occurrences of the day. That all was not normal was quickly reasserted as Hope opened her eyes and noticed Gabrielle still holding her.
Oh, Mother! I had the strangest dream Hope's voice faded off when she realized that it had not been a dream and that she was still in a different world with a Gabrielle who was not her mother.
It's all right, Hope. We'll get you home, Xena said. All we have to do is save the world first.
You say that so casually, Hope replied. The funny thing is, I know you're serious. And, as Mother keeps telling me, you're always right.
Not always. You're mom's pretty smart, though. Xena was doing her best to put everyone at ease while she finished the deerskin clothing.
Yeah. You are smart, Gabby, Joxer chipped in. Gabrielle gave him a withering glance, but evidently flattery was not on his mind; food was. He even managed to serve everyone without dropping anything or burning his fingers.
The party ate in silence, unwilling to voice their fears. On the other hand, they were all relieved to have passed the night in safety.
By the time the others had packed up the camp, Xena had finished her sewing. Now she removed her armor and tunic. Joxer politely turned his back as Xena finished undressing; once naked save for her boots, she put on the deerskin trousers and tunic. She would have preferred to make soft boots as well, but her own would serve, and every moment saved was precious. Gabrielle gave Joxer a light touch on his arm to let him know he could turn around again. He saw Xena's lips move in a soundless chant while she slowly placed the antlered cap on her head.
Gabrielle, Hope, take these strips of hide and fasten them around your wrists, Xena directed. They did so. Now extend your hands in each of the four directionsnow up, now down. Good. Watch me and clap your hands as I do. She did so thrice, and they imitated her, leaving their hands cupped as Xena did. The Warrior Princess shook her cupped hands at Gabrielle, then at Hope, then at Joxer.
So far, so good. Now for the lifeline. I don't have a ritual knife to take with me against Alti, but I can use my chakram. First Xena dipped her fingers in a bowl filled with the stag's blood. It was thick, already clotting. With two fingers she smeared blood on her forehead and drew lines on her cheekbones. Dipping her fingers again, she smeared more blood on Gabrielle's forehead, and again with Hope. She also did this with Joxer, though he would not be directly involved. Xena agreed with Hope that his love for the bard would provide Gabrielle with an extra reservoir of strength, one that Alti could not possibly know anything about.
It's time, Gabrielle.
the bard said, and turned to Joxer. Whatever we decide later, I want you to know that your love is important to me. This is just in case. With that, she kissed him on the cheek. Remember what Xena told you to do.
Go to Ephiny, he replied in a distant voice, then Hercules. Even overwhelmed with love – or perhaps because of it – he did not lose sight of his part in the plan.
Very good, Xena approved. If any one of us tells you to go, don't stop to argue. Think of it as a rescue mission for our souls. I'm betting it won't come to that so soon. All right, Gabrielle, give me your hand. We have to mingle our blood. This will hurt a little.
Though the bard did not flinch, the sharp hiss of breath taken in told the others that Xena had slashed Gabrielle's palm with the chakram. Xena did the same to her own hand, then clasped Gabrielle's bleeding hand, pressing the two palms together. They sat down.
Joxer, I'm going to drink the rest of the blood now. As soon as I do, break the warding circle by pulling up one of the twigs. Hope, stand by Gabrielle. And Gabrielle, don't let go. Ready?
the other three chorused.
With her free hand, Xena put the bowl of blood to her lips and drank. She was dimly aware that Joxer turned away, queasy, before following her last order. She focused on the spirit world, beginning the wordless, soundless chant Alti had taught her so many years ago. The others saw Xena twitch uncontrollably and at random, but in fact the Warrior Princess was moving with the flow of the chant. Xena's head spun. She was acutely aware of herself and Gabrielle among the myriads of living spirits around her. The physical surroundings seemed to fade away. Xena did not notice that her body slumped bonelessly to the ground, eyes open but staring intensely into an unknown distance, but she continued to feel her connection with Gabrielle, warm, strong and loving. Glowing with her life and that of the stag, Xena's spirit was ready for its journey.
Outside her body, Xena took a single step –
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END OF ACT TWO
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COPYRIGHT NOTICE:
Xena: Warrior Princess, Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer, Hope and all other characters who have appeared in the series, together with the names, titles and backstory, plus scenes and dialogue from the series, are the sole copyright property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No infringement of copyrights or trademarks is intended in the writing of this fan fiction. This story is © 2003 by Philip D. Hernández and is his sole property along with the story idea. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.
