Things are getting more interesting ;)

Chapter Eight: Bells of September

Taking the back paths behind the thick forests was a bit different than traveling during the daytime. Gabrielle didn't like riding a horse at this time of night, mostly since the area was so foreign to her. The company also wasn't pleasing either. Erva ignored her for most of the ride. This was going to be a terrible night, and Gabrielle felt as if she didn't know why she was attending this party in the first place.

Eylül Bastillia had been on Xena's radar for years, so she says. She also owned several ports in the Steppe regions and traded with merchants from around the world. This woman was considerably wealthy, yet she refused to pay her taxes each year. And Xena also let her slide several times.

Gabrielle deduced that this extravagant party-goer was very charming. She had to be a good talker. From the brief conversation Gabrielle had with Eylül, she didn't get any warmth from her in the least. Eylül was very cold and short with her that day. It must've been a bad day.

On the horse, Gabrielle stared at the back of the long veil attached to Erva's headdress. This silence between them began to make her itchy all over. She couldn't help but feel like she was stepping all over Erva's toes. They didn't even have to be in the same room, and Gabrielle could feel the burning dark eyes upon her around every corner.

Clearing her throat, Gabrielle trotted up ahead, riding leisurely beside her dreary company for the evening. Not even a snide smile or a side-eye from her tonight, she thought.

"I didn't tell Xena that you told me she couldn't read," she tried to make light conversation. "I told her I was the one who figured it out."

Erva gripped the horse's reins and kept her eyes forward, focusing on the dark road ahead.

"I also…didn't tell her that you stepped out," Gabrielle leaned forward, attempting to gauge some reaction. "Where did you go, anyway? You were gone all night."

"I don't need to answer to you," Erva spat.

"But you didn't tell Xena where you went. I covered for you."

Erva halted and steered her horse around. "Nobody asked you to do that."

Gabrielle blinked, fluttering her eyelashes rapidly. Suddenly, her fears of this woman were thoroughly washed from her body, and she wore a scowl evident in the moonlit path.

"What is your problem with me? I haven't done anything to you!" she pointed her finger in Erva's face. "You've been nothing but rude to me ever since I arrived."

She took a moment to calm her nerves before she spoke again, softer this time, she said, "I can see that you and Xena have a special relationship together. You've helped her a lot," she saw the dark eyes opposite hers soften. "And you care about her. I don't want to come in between you two, but you and I need to come to some sort of agreement."

Erva smirked, "agreement? How 'bout you leave Edirne. You don't belong here, Gabrielle. This place isn't for a girl like you." she yanked the reins backward and continued down the dirt path.

Mouth agape, Gabrielle stared at the soldiers behind her, who held torches. They tried to hide their expressions of shock, but even their discipline wasn't enough to hide their true thoughts plain on their faces. Gabrielle growled lowly and trotted forward, riding beside Erva, glaring from the side.

"I'm not a girl, and I'm not leaving."

Erva wore a subtle smile and calmly retorted, "I don't know what kind of woman Xena was portraying in Rome, but there are many things you don't know about her."

This was true, but Gabrielle could see that it was difficult for Xena to express herself, especially when uncomfortable. Erva got one thing right. Xena in Edirne was not the same Xena in Rome. It was odd that Erva brought that up, yet impressive that she could slyly stab into Xena's reputation as a ruler. If only she knew how that would backfire on her like what happened last time, she might have learned her lesson. Apparently not.

"I know enough."

It wasn't a complete lie, Gabrielle told herself.

"Xena is a never-ending labyrinth. You'll never figure her out," Erva whispered, narrowing her eyes at the blonde.

Tonight was by far the most exhilarating night that Varinia had in her entire life. Upon being uplifted from her home in Syria and brought to Rome, she could never experience anything like this. Events and functions were as foreign to her as a nice piece of jewelry or clothing. The dress designed specifically for her was probably worth more than a month's earnings in Rome. The jewelry, borrowed from Eylül's wardrobe, would easily make Roman noblewomen swoon.

It took her more than an hour to leave the guest suite that night before she went downstairs. Already overwhelmed by the clothing, jewelry, and dolled-up hair, she didn't expect her heart rate to rise once she saw how many guests flooded the large Bastillia home. Her stomach was swimming as people passed her by like she was a ghost.

Eylül waved over at Varinia and visited with a few of her guests before making her way over. She grabbed a glass of wine and held an elaborate black and gold mask in her other hand. Setting the glass down on a table, she gently placed the mask over Varinia's face and tied it underneath her mass of curls.

"Very gorgeous," she winked, tracing a finger along Varinia's jaw. "Here, this is for you," she lifted the filled glass.

Varinia took a whiff of the wine, and her cheeks soured. "No, thank you. That wine made me violently ill."

The two trickled into the large room where the party was held, and Varinia held her breath, gaping at the filled ballroom. There must've been at least a hundred people here, and she knew none of them. At this moment, she felt like she was a tiny ant in a huge swarm of insects. Their identities were hidden behind their masks, and all women gathered in small groups, cackling and chatting.

While distracted, a plate of food was shoved in her face, and Varinia looked at the variety of finger foods beneath her nose. She took the plate with caution, and a Roman chest caught her eye from afar. Many men swarmed around the chest, blocking her view of what lay inside.

"You should eat something. You're so thin! Did your family not feed you back home?"

Varinia chuckled nervously and lowered the plate. "I'm not very hungry. I'll eat later."

Dismissively, Eylül hooked arms with her, dragging Varinia through the crowded space. She could feel a bit of resistance but grabbed a gaggle of women's attention on the far-left side of the room. The women immediately illuminated at the sight of the party's host.

"This is Varinia. She's from Syria and currently lives in Abydos."

The women whispered, nodding their heads, clearly impressed by the mention of the city. They circled around Varinia, examining her dress, jewelry, all while complimenting her hair, skin, and trim physique.

"Aiyla has family in Abydos. She also has a son who is around your age. I would love for you two to meet," Eylül suggested with a playful smile, encompassing her entire face.

Varinia wagged her head. "Oh, no, no," she waved her hands, "that's a kind…gesture, but I…it's alright." The last thing on her mind was meeting potential suitors, especially from Bastillia's circle of vapid friends.

By the home entrance, Erva walked in with Gabrielle by her side, both wearing their masks. Erva immediately scanned the foyer, eyeing all the women and men mingling. Gabrielle looked up at her partner for the evening, who was already drifting away from her. She made the mistake of grabbing Erva's arm.

"We should stick together," she whispered.

Erva yanked her arm away. "We do things my way. You follow what I say and nothing more. Look for anything suspicious. Eylül knows a lot of people. There might be people here from Rome."

"Rome?" Gabrielle radiated from within. This is why she's here. More Romans. "What exactly am I supposed to look for? I really think we should stay together."

"You used to be a mercenary. I'm sure you retained some useful skills," Erva couldn't even hide the sneer on her lips. "We'll meet up back here halfway through the party."

This wasn't the way she wanted to start the evening. From when they left the villa, Erva was resistant and silent. Gabrielle shouldn't have started any conversation with this woman, but she knew if she didn't, then the ride towards the Bastillia home would be long and painful. She didn't know what was worse; being at a party with Erva or overthinking what she said about Xena's haunting past. It was extremely difficult to focus, but she had to.

Weaving in between groups of people, Gabrielle overheard conversations. Some were not to be repeated, and some made her ears burn with second-hand embarrassment. Coming full circle around the right side of the ballroom, a whisper of Xena's name trickled in. Gabrielle whipped her head around, trying to pinpoint who mentioned Xena's name. Too many people here. Too many masks. Everyone was hidden here yet so plainly obvious for the world to see.

She stuck close to the outer rim of the circle of guests, and a couple walked by, once again mentioning Xena. She walked around herself in a small circle until she was bumped by a man who didn't even acknowledge her existence. Abruptly, loud music echoed in the room, and Gabrielle rose to her toes, trying to see over the dozens of heads. It was impossible to find Erva in this chaos.

The guests began to form two circles, and as the string instruments picked up speed, everyone started dancing in the formed circles. Gabrielle took a step out of the way as the ring inched its way around the ballroom. Everyone clapped their hands at the appropriate times, and Gabrielle watched the intricate footwork. All men and women knew this dance. Nobody was out of sync.

Making herself scarce, Gabrielle slipped away from circles of dancing guests. She went in search of the host of the event, who was also difficult to locate. Through the dancers, Gabrielle ducked down as a pair of arms swooped over her head. She crouched down, looking through dozens of legs, and saw two men carrying a large chest into a separate room. A group of women and men followed afterward.

Gabrielle jumped up, shoving her way through people, attempting to get closer to the room. The group of people she searched for disappeared into the adjoining room, closed the door, and now two men guarded the secretive room. She grumbled and turned around. Much to her surprise, she saw Erva in the circle, dancing with others.

"That's amusing," she mumbled, chuckling under her breath.

With an eye on Erva, she saw one person in the circle drop to the floor. The smile wiped off her face, and darted to the other side of the circle, and saw another person close to Erva fall to the floor. Gabrielle realized by the look on Erva's face that she was just as baffled.

In the circle, Erva clapped hands with the person next to her, spinning around herself. She peered down at the floor, searching for the bodies that mysteriously fell to the ground. The bodies were gone. Distracted, her shoulder was bumped as the circle continued to move towards the left. She was behind two beats of the music and struggled to keep up with the others moving forward with the dance. Clumsily, she clapped her hands, trying to make sense of what was happening.

Backing up slowly, Gabrielle bumped into someone and turned around to apologize. The woman she bumped into apologized at the same time, and Gabrielle awkwardly smiled. She tried to step away until her arm was grabbed. Gabrielle tensed and looked into the big green eyes above her. she tried to get away, but the longer she looked into those eyes, the more familiar they became.

"Gabrielle?"

That voice. The soft, accented voice was recognized by Gabrielle. A rush of adrenaline ran through her veins, and she grinned, lifting the mask over her eyes.

"Varinia? What…what are you doing here? I thought something terrible happened to you!"

Varinia lifted the mask over her eyes and hugged Gabrielle so tightly she heard a small squeal. She kissed both cheeks, and if she wasn't already overwhelmed before, she was so overwhelmed that she was speechless.

"Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be in Rome? I can't believe you're here! Do you know Eylül Bastillia?"

Gabrielle smiled, overjoyed and enthused by Varinia's talkativeness. "I…I really want to talk to you, but I'm busy doing something. I'll come back."

"Wait, Gabrielle!" she blocked the path. "You aren't still trying to kill Xena, are you? Is that why you're in Edirne?"

"What? No…I, just wait here. Don't move from this spot!" Gabrielle backed away, putting a finger to her nose, and pulled the mask over her eyes. "Stay there!"

It wasn't like she could just leave the circle. Erva had to keep up with everyone else, but the more she continued to follow the dance with others, the more cautious and aware she became. The bodies that fell to the floor were a significant sign to be wary of her surroundings. Making her way around to the left, she saw Gabrielle flailing her arms around and rolled her eyes.

Gabrielle kept pointing to the ceiling of the room, and Erva frowned, trying to make out what she was mouthing from afar. Suddenly, in the middle of the dance, Gabrielle pushed through the people, causing everyone to bump into each other, and some women fell over. She wrapped her arms around Erva's waist, and they collided, falling backward onto the floor.

Erva growled. "Get off me!"

Gabrielle let up and stood from the floor, staring at the pairs of eyes on them. She smiled nervously, adjusting the mask on her face, and tried to lend a hand to her partner for the evening. Her hand was snubbed, and Erva jumped up, brushing her hands on her dress. She left the circle, seeing only red. She snapped her fingers to the blonde to come forward

Gabrielle drew her eyebrows together and stalked across the room. They entered a narrow hallway, and Erva ripped the mask off her face, exposing her wild eyes.

"Why did you do that? What is wrong with you?!"

"I was trying to save you," Gabrielle said with a low growl. "There was someone on the second floor with a bow and arrow aiming directly at you," she poked Erva's chest. "Forgive me. Next time I won't help and allow an arrow to plunge into your heart." She smiled, clamping her palms together.

Varinia ran forward and came upon the narrow hallway. The two women looked her way, and Erva folded her arms, staring at the wall. Varinia smiled, ripping the mask off her face, and entered the hallway, to which Erva slowly backed away, overly cautious of everybody and everyone here in this home.

"There you are! You ran off so fast!" Varinia, barely able to contain herself, looked over at the tall brunette. "Who's your friend?"

Gabrielle raised an eyebrow. Friend not so much, she thought. "That is Erva."

"Oh! Erva! I've heard so much about you. Eylül talks about you a lot. She told me that you have direct contact with Xena."

Erva's arms dropped to her sides. "And who are you?"

"Varinia. I've been trying to get close to Xena for weeks. Can you take me to her?"

Erva's mouth parted, and her face immediately chalked. It was one of the few times she couldn't keep a straight face in front of Gabrielle. Unfortunately, her reaction was noticed by Gabrielle, and she closed her mouth, attempting to save face.

Gabrielle, suspicious of the reaction, went ahead and grabbed Varinia, pulling her aside. "Um, what are you doing here?"

"It's such a long story," Varinia waved her hand dismissively, peering back at Erva. "She keeps looking at me. Is there something wrong?"

"There's always something wrong with her," she muttered, then smiled falsely. "You really shouldn't be here. Erva and I are supposed to be spying…on Eylül Bastillia."

Varinia gasped. "Oh, Gabrielle, that woman is bad news. She is making trade deals with the Romans."

"Romans, huh?" So, Xena was right after all. "You know this for sure?" she asked, and Varinia nodded. "We should get going before someone else tries to strike."

"What do you mean?" Varinia tilted her head.

"Someone tried to kill Erva," she whispered. "Let's go back to the villa," she called over her shoulder.

Erva put a hand on her hip. "We are following my rules tonight, and we aren't leaving. If someone tried to kill me, then they must still be here. We aren't finished."

"We have our information source right here," she pointed to Varinia. "There's no reason to stay here unless you want me to save you again," a sly smile crept up on her.

Erva, attempted to spit with a comeback, realized that someone was watching her. She was stalling more than anything. She didn't want Varinia to come back with them. It would spell disaster everywhere, especially since this girl was looking to talk to Xena. Her departure from Abydos caused such a stir, and Erva didn't know why Varinia left in the first place, but since she was right here, in Bastillia's house, nothing sat well with this. This entire thing could be orchestrated by Eylül, but Erva had a hard time believing that woman could be so crafty. Eylül was smart, but she wasn't that smart. Yet, then again, there were several Bastillia's in the Steppe provinces.

"I'll go out the back of the home and meet you out front," said Erva, waiting for the two to leave.

Gabrielle gave a narrowed eye stare then quietly left the hallway with Varinia in hand. So, you have been here before, Erva. Of course, she's been here, thought Gabrielle. It made sense. Erva knew precisely where she was going the entire evening. Still, whoever was on the second floor had long disappeared by now. They could be in the crowd right now.

They could be the man sitting in the corner talking with two women. The assassin could also be a woman. She could be the lanky woman in the dark blue dress, chatting with a man who was half her size. Or perhaps it was the couple that was secluded in a hallway, whispering to each other, drinking far too much wine.

Whoever it was, wasn't after Erva. That person was after Xena. Maybe, with all the whispering in the ballroom, people thought Xena was here. People thought Xena was Erva. But how would they know? Erva was wearing a mask. Everyone wore a mask tonight.

How would they know?

"Shouldn't I say something to Eylül? She's going to notice I'm missing," Varinia said, interrupting Gabrielle's thoughts.

"Ah, it's best if you don't engage with her anymore. If what you say is true, then…you shouldn't be around her."

"I don't know what she's up to, but let me tell you, she paid a lot of money for whatever is in those chests! I've seen several noblemen come to the brothels with chests like those back in Rome."

Gabrielle knew exactly what chests she was speaking of. She, too, had seen large chests carried around the city from time to time. They were usually directly taken to and from Nero's home. She never knew what was inside, but assuming these were the same chests Varinia spoke of, then Eylül was indeed making secret deals with Romans. She knew something was odd when she saw a group of people disappear into a separate room earlier. Xena, you are always right on the mark.

They walked far away from the Bastillia home, still able to hear the music from afar. This villa was quite secluded from the rest of the city, yet it was still close enough to the market and not too far from the villa where Xena currently stayed in. They rounded a large building where the horses were kept, and Gabrielle stopped abruptly.

Varinia looked around, wrapping her arms around herself, shivering. "What is it?"

Gabrielle walked steadily over to the horses and quickly scanned the area. "There were two soldiers that were supposed to wait for us."

"Where'd they go?" Varinia's nails dug into her arms, imminently freezing from the cold breeze blowing by her.

"Good question," Gabrielle mumbled, untying the reins from the post. "Get on this horse. You can ride with me. We'll wait for Erva."

Varinia hurried over and cuddled close to the warm animal. "You sure you want to wait for her? She seems like she knows what's she doing. Plus, I don't think she likes…you…very much."

Gabrielle smiled softly. "I won't leave without her."

Hearing footsteps inching closer, Gabrielle slowly pulled the knife hidden beneath her dress. She put a finger to her lips, indicating Varinia to be silent. She crept alongside the building and then drew her blade as the footsteps became closer.

She stepped out from the building, and the two men jumped back, ready to draw their weapons. They relaxed when they saw Gabrielle and took their hands off the hilts of their swords.

Gabrielle huffed and had not yet sheathed her weapon. "Where were you two? You were supposed to be watching the horses."

The soldiers looked to one another, and Demir, the younger of the two, spoke, "we…just went for a walk. Who is that?"

Gabrielle sheathed her knife, frowning. "She's coming back to the villa with us."

Demir eyed the green-eyed beauty near the horse, smiling. "Yeah? Why's that?"

"That's none of your business."

"We can take her back to the villa. Where's Erva?"

Gabrielle turned to look at how uncomfortable Varinia was and stepped aside, blocking the soldiers' view. "Erva won't be long. We're waiting for her and riding back together."

"It's no trouble. You can wait for her, and we can take –"

"We're waiting."

The thick silence created a tense atmosphere around the four until a loud chime of bells echoed throughout the city. Gabrielle clamped her hands over her ears and looked at the two soldiers unaffected by the overbearingly loud bells.

Evander actively avoided Soner Bastillia over the last week. While his mind was preoccupied with Varinia's disappearance, he decided to keep going to the shop and work for Yunus. He needed a distraction, but he could see Soner watching from him afar several times during the week. The man didn't even try to hide it. One day, Evander was welcomed by two men who worked for Soner at the villa's doorstep.

An odd time of night, considering most of Abydos' citizens were settled in for the night. Evander felt obligated to go with the men, and he did. He walked all the way to the southern side of the city, closer to a large port, different than the port miles away from the villa he stayed in. Evander was completely blown away by the size of the port villa. It had a really nice view of the sea, which wasn't very calming.

The threat of being buried at the bottom of the Bosporus Sea was something he hadn't forgotten since his last encounter with Soner. Entering the large home, he saw Soner in the foyer, dressed in simple clothes, a tunic, and pants. He stood without shoes, holding a bottle of wine. The doors closed shut, and Evander flinched.

"So, you came…Evander, or should I call you Xian?" he winked.

"Evander is fine…" he took a good look around the fine woodwork of the home.

"Why the multiple names? You got another life?"

"No…"

Soner shrugged a shoulder and walked through his home, waving for his guest to follow. They entered a larger room, which they both sat on opposite couches, facing one another. Soner poured a cup of wine and passed it over to Evander.

Taking the cup of wine, he looked at the dark liquid pensively. Being in this place was unnerving and made his stomach knot. Meanwhile, Soner seemed so casual and leisurely reclined on the couch, sipping the drink with a lopsided smile.

"You're nervous."

Evander flashed a smile. "I'm not nervous."

"Hmm." Soner cleared his throat and reached underneath a pillow, pulling out the feathered arrow. "You recall this."

Evander eyed the blue and green peacock feather, and his fingers clutched the cup tightly. The arrow was thrown onto his lap, and he jumped back.

"I've been watching you at the shop. I'm sure you've seen me. You do nice work, Evander."

"Thank you…" he grabbed the arrow, inspecting it carefully.

"As I said before, I know you saw me passing the arrow to someone else," said Soner, deepening his voice. "You're curious about the arrow."

Evander nodded. "It's interesting. I've never seen one like it."

"I'm sure you haven't. I want you to work for me. You seem like a smart young man," Soner smiled, making Evander lose eye contact. "And you're great at bow making, which means you probably know how to use one."

He shouldn't have come here, but he wasn't given much of a choice. "I'm not much of an archer," he shyly admitted. "You want me to make bows for you? I can do that."

"I want you to do something else. I think you'd be a great help."

"What is it that you need help with?"

"I want you to help me assassinate Xena."

Evander's jaw hung open, and then a lurid chime of bells went off in the distance. The cup slipped from his grasp, spilling the wine all over the rug beneath his boots. He panicked, clapping his palms over his ears.