It felt like they had been walking for hours, for all they knew they had been walking that long mainly because the only indication of the passage of time was the sun overhead. Even this could have been an illusion, but with little else left to do the trio could only hope that they were making good time.
Despite this Xena walked on in silence, anger spread plainly across her face.
Gabrielle and Joxer followed close behind watching the surroundings for anything that might be of use to them or of danger. Every few minutes on of them would trip over the roots and tree limbs spread haphazardly across their path.
After a little while Xena stopped and turned to Gabrielle. "This is getting us nowhere let's sit here for a minute and gather our ideas," she said never stopping to examine thoroughly her surroundings with her keen eyes and experienced instincts.
Xena and Gabrielle sat opposite of each other while Joxer settled down in the middle. Out of sheer boredom or just not wanting to be in Xena and Gabrielle's way he began to silently pick at the bark of the root that he sat on.
"All right, let's think for a moment, what do we know," asked Xena.
"Well," answered Gabrielle, "we know that Eve has been kidnapped, we have thirteen hours to get to the center of this Labyrinth and we are making horrible time because we can't seem to find an outlet although more likely than not there is one and we just can't see it or haven't found it."
"We also know that this Goblin King has something up his sleeve for us," added Xena, "we just need to figure out what it is."
"Maybe he is in league with the gods," asked Joxer still playing with the roots.
"Maybe but why would he help them and what could they offer him that would be of use to him," Xena replied rubbing the back of her neck and looking upward at the sun again.
"He's got magic, and he is powerful, maybe they offered him something that he can't get on his own."
Xena turned to Gabrielle, "That's only true if his powers don't extend past this realm, and that is something we don't know for sure yet."
During this interlude Joxer had been happily content to examine the tree limbs around them and only imagine what they were in for, as they got further into the Labyrinth. It was in his distraction that a worm that had been watching the conversation chooses to stick his head out and get a better view.
He examined the man first, being that he was closest to him. He looked big, although to a worm almost anything is big in comparison. He then looked to the obvious warriors conversing. He looked warily at the strange weapons that they carried and the anger and worry that covered their faces. He had seen that look many times before; they were in the Labyrinth for a reason. Someone that they loved was in danger. Another victim was entertaining the Goblin King in his Labyrinth.
Always being one to engage conversation and just finishing tea with his wife and having nothing better to do at that moment he decided to speak up.
"Hallo," came a high pitched out of the relative silence.
"Aahah," yelled Joxer out of fear that it came directly behind him. He jumped to his feet and ran to the opposite wall, this being the furthest that he could get from it for the moment.
Xena and Gabrielle both stood and turned to see where the voice had come from. To their equal surprise they saw a little gray worm with blue spiky hair and a red scarf around its neck.
"Who are you," asked Xena.
"Me, I'm just a worm, who are you"
"Xena," motioning to Gabrielle, "Gabrielle, and Joxer over in the corner, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, I'm just sitting around," he replied in a cordial voice, "I just finished tea with my wife and heard some noise out here, I thought that I would see what was going on."
Gabrielle leaned down closer to the worm and smiled at him, "Maybe you could help us,"
The worm smiled warmly, "I'll do my best, what do need help with."
Gabrielle sat down so that she was eye level with the worm, "My friend's baby was stolen by the Goblin King and he told us we had thirteen hours to get to the center of the labyrinth, you won't happen to know the way would you."
"Who me, no, I'm just a worm," he smiled happily.
Xena exhaled sharply and walked over to where the worm and Gabrielle sat. She kneeled on the ground and met the worm eye to eye.
"Look," she said trying very hard to keep her anger in reign, "we don't have time for this, can you help us or not, my baby has been kidnapped and will, in thirteen hours be turned into a goblin. I'm not too happy with that and we need to get to the center of the labyrinth."
"Stolen," the worm asked looking at Xena with a confused expression, "I know the Goblin King isn't the nicest person in the world but he never steals children without right, they have to be wished away."
Gabrielle and Joxer looked at each other in shock as the magnitude of what the worm said sank in.
Xena stood abruptly and glared down at the worm, "Can you at least give us a general direction to work with."
The worm smiled warmly again, "Oh sure, there's an opening right across the way there."
All four inhabitants of the passage way looked across at a seemingly solid and slime covered wall.
Gabrielle looked at the wall and turned back to the worm, "What passage way, that's just a wall, no way through."
The worm laughed to himself, "Things are not always what them seem in this place so you can't take anything for granted."
Xena walked up to the wall cautiously to the wall and reached out to feel that wall. To her surprise her hand went right through and disappeared into the hidden passage in the wall. She turned back to her friends, "Let's go we don't have much time." With that she promptly walked through the passage.
"Thanks," said Gabrielle to the worm as she got up and followed her companion.
"No problem at all," the worm beamed back at her obviously pleased with himself.
Joxer smiled at the worm and got up to follow his friends. Unfortunately he was not paying attention to the ground and tripped over a tree stump. He lost his balance and fell through the passageway. To his dismay, he had not yet realized that the way in which he had fallen caused him to go into the other passageway and not the one that Xena and Gabrielle had just disappeared.
The worm looked after them and chuckled to himself. "At least that clumsy man will be safe," he said to himself, "as for those two girls, I'm sure they will be ok. They look like people who can take care of themselves."
With that he crawled back into his hole in the wall to see if the missus had dinner ready yet.
Despite this Xena walked on in silence, anger spread plainly across her face.
Gabrielle and Joxer followed close behind watching the surroundings for anything that might be of use to them or of danger. Every few minutes on of them would trip over the roots and tree limbs spread haphazardly across their path.
After a little while Xena stopped and turned to Gabrielle. "This is getting us nowhere let's sit here for a minute and gather our ideas," she said never stopping to examine thoroughly her surroundings with her keen eyes and experienced instincts.
Xena and Gabrielle sat opposite of each other while Joxer settled down in the middle. Out of sheer boredom or just not wanting to be in Xena and Gabrielle's way he began to silently pick at the bark of the root that he sat on.
"All right, let's think for a moment, what do we know," asked Xena.
"Well," answered Gabrielle, "we know that Eve has been kidnapped, we have thirteen hours to get to the center of this Labyrinth and we are making horrible time because we can't seem to find an outlet although more likely than not there is one and we just can't see it or haven't found it."
"We also know that this Goblin King has something up his sleeve for us," added Xena, "we just need to figure out what it is."
"Maybe he is in league with the gods," asked Joxer still playing with the roots.
"Maybe but why would he help them and what could they offer him that would be of use to him," Xena replied rubbing the back of her neck and looking upward at the sun again.
"He's got magic, and he is powerful, maybe they offered him something that he can't get on his own."
Xena turned to Gabrielle, "That's only true if his powers don't extend past this realm, and that is something we don't know for sure yet."
During this interlude Joxer had been happily content to examine the tree limbs around them and only imagine what they were in for, as they got further into the Labyrinth. It was in his distraction that a worm that had been watching the conversation chooses to stick his head out and get a better view.
He examined the man first, being that he was closest to him. He looked big, although to a worm almost anything is big in comparison. He then looked to the obvious warriors conversing. He looked warily at the strange weapons that they carried and the anger and worry that covered their faces. He had seen that look many times before; they were in the Labyrinth for a reason. Someone that they loved was in danger. Another victim was entertaining the Goblin King in his Labyrinth.
Always being one to engage conversation and just finishing tea with his wife and having nothing better to do at that moment he decided to speak up.
"Hallo," came a high pitched out of the relative silence.
"Aahah," yelled Joxer out of fear that it came directly behind him. He jumped to his feet and ran to the opposite wall, this being the furthest that he could get from it for the moment.
Xena and Gabrielle both stood and turned to see where the voice had come from. To their equal surprise they saw a little gray worm with blue spiky hair and a red scarf around its neck.
"Who are you," asked Xena.
"Me, I'm just a worm, who are you"
"Xena," motioning to Gabrielle, "Gabrielle, and Joxer over in the corner, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, I'm just sitting around," he replied in a cordial voice, "I just finished tea with my wife and heard some noise out here, I thought that I would see what was going on."
Gabrielle leaned down closer to the worm and smiled at him, "Maybe you could help us,"
The worm smiled warmly, "I'll do my best, what do need help with."
Gabrielle sat down so that she was eye level with the worm, "My friend's baby was stolen by the Goblin King and he told us we had thirteen hours to get to the center of the labyrinth, you won't happen to know the way would you."
"Who me, no, I'm just a worm," he smiled happily.
Xena exhaled sharply and walked over to where the worm and Gabrielle sat. She kneeled on the ground and met the worm eye to eye.
"Look," she said trying very hard to keep her anger in reign, "we don't have time for this, can you help us or not, my baby has been kidnapped and will, in thirteen hours be turned into a goblin. I'm not too happy with that and we need to get to the center of the labyrinth."
"Stolen," the worm asked looking at Xena with a confused expression, "I know the Goblin King isn't the nicest person in the world but he never steals children without right, they have to be wished away."
Gabrielle and Joxer looked at each other in shock as the magnitude of what the worm said sank in.
Xena stood abruptly and glared down at the worm, "Can you at least give us a general direction to work with."
The worm smiled warmly again, "Oh sure, there's an opening right across the way there."
All four inhabitants of the passage way looked across at a seemingly solid and slime covered wall.
Gabrielle looked at the wall and turned back to the worm, "What passage way, that's just a wall, no way through."
The worm laughed to himself, "Things are not always what them seem in this place so you can't take anything for granted."
Xena walked up to the wall cautiously to the wall and reached out to feel that wall. To her surprise her hand went right through and disappeared into the hidden passage in the wall. She turned back to her friends, "Let's go we don't have much time." With that she promptly walked through the passage.
"Thanks," said Gabrielle to the worm as she got up and followed her companion.
"No problem at all," the worm beamed back at her obviously pleased with himself.
Joxer smiled at the worm and got up to follow his friends. Unfortunately he was not paying attention to the ground and tripped over a tree stump. He lost his balance and fell through the passageway. To his dismay, he had not yet realized that the way in which he had fallen caused him to go into the other passageway and not the one that Xena and Gabrielle had just disappeared.
The worm looked after them and chuckled to himself. "At least that clumsy man will be safe," he said to himself, "as for those two girls, I'm sure they will be ok. They look like people who can take care of themselves."
With that he crawled back into his hole in the wall to see if the missus had dinner ready yet.