Chapter Thirteen: Ashes in the Air

Eylül's goons had come and gone from the villa, and they had moved onto the next homes across the road. Xena had asked all three women to go to the woods not far from the estate. From what Gabrielle and Varinia both said, the Bastillia nuisance was after Erva. As much as Xena wanted to throw water in Erva's face or throw her against a wall, she couldn't allow the one and the only person she's trusted for so long to be killed due to her negligence.

Hours went by, and everyone was back inside the villa. Xena secluded herself in a room downstairs. She said she needed to think of her next move. Gabrielle was in the sitting area trapped with two women, who both seemed to spit foreign words at one another. Gabrielle wondered if they talked about her, but she didn't think Varinia would do something so rude.

As they waited and waited for what seemed like ages, Gabrielle huffed and began pacing around the room. Erva, still plagued by the wine she drank earlier, was restless watching the blonde run a hole in the floor.

"Can you sit down?" she barked.

Gabrielle stopped and put her hands on her hips. "You have a bad attitude, you know."

"And you're annoying." Erva flicked her wrist.

Gabrielle marched up to the brooding dark cloud of a woman. "I want you to stop treating me like this, Erva. I've been nothing but nice to you. None of this is my fault."

"Oh, none of it, huh?" Erva smirked, bobbing her leg on her knee, turning her cheek.

"I told you from the beginning that we should work together, and you…" Gabrielle crinkled her eyebrows then crossed her arms. "Look at me when I'm talking to you."

Erva slowly turned her head with raised eyebrows. "Pardon me? Who are you to order me?"

"I'm not giving orders. It's just called being polite—something you know nothing about."

"Very bold, Gabrielle."

"I'm not doing this anymore, Erva. You and Xena can't seem to agree on anything, and I don't think that has anything to do with me," she thumbed her chest. "You two have your own problems, but you're taking everything out on me, and it's not fair. I'm not responsible for your feelings."

Erva rose from the sofa, towering over the blonde. "Everything was fine before you showed up. You're only here because Xena's keeping you like some sick pet of hers."

Sitting across the room, Varinia bit the cuticles around her fingernails. She didn't know if she could listen to any more of this. She suddenly wondered what might have walked into was something more than what she bargained for. Initially, she came seeking help from Xena, and she walked into a nest of unrest.

Gabrielle's eyes flickered, showing her evident confusion settled in between her eyes. Erva instantly noticed and smiled smugly.

"Why—why would you say that?" she asked in a small voice.

"Because she did the same to Gölge. I'm sure you'll be gone soon. You know what happened to poor Gölge after all," she winked, pricking Gabrielle's shoulder.

Gabrielle took a step forward, closing the space between them. For once, she didn't feel so small standing before this woman. Erva was definitely not someone to take lightly. She was incredibly resilient, strong, and obviously very loyal, but she had one weakness. The only stupid thing she did was her inability to hide the flaw. It was so apparent that even Varinia picked up on it.

Her fingers trailed up Erva's bare skin, prickling hairs as her nails gently grazed her skin. The two locked eyes, and Gabrielle tilted her chin upward.

Everything she told Xena about being more considerate of Erva's feelings had seeped entirely out of her mind. She could tell that Erva was poking her with a hot needle on purpose. She was purposefully getting a rise out of her, and the sad thing was, it was working.

"Pet, hm. If what you say is true then, what does that make you?" she said, and Erva's jaw clenched. "As you once told me, you're free to leave at any time."

Varinia rubbed her lips together and found this a bit too much for her to stomach figuratively and literally. She got up from the sofa and walked out of the room in such a hurry. She knew neither one of them would notice her absence since they were having a staring contest of their own.

She came to one of the empty rooms in the back of the villa and closed the large doors. Breathing heavily, she rammed her back against the door and shut her eyes, trying to ignore the pangs in her stomach. She figured that was due to the lack of food, or maybe it was that horrid tart concoction that Erva gave her.

Opening her eyes, she took in a few deep, long inhales, slowly exhaling through her nose. Varinia walked deeper into the room and saw many sheets covering the furniture. She lifted a sheet, taking a peek at the furniture. It looked expensive. She recognized expensive items anywhere, only because of the people, or rather men, she was around back in Rome.

She saw Xena sitting on the back porch, staring out the large open terrace. Her entire body stiffened, and she started to turn to head back to that den of fire.

"Are you feeling better?" asked Xena.

Varinia froze, curling her fingers into a fist. "W-what was that?"

"I heard your heavy breathing. Are you feeling alright?"

"Oh," she thought it safe to approach Xena now and said, "yes, I feel a little better."

She finally came around, and Xena lifted her head, raising an eyebrow. She sat down on one of the benches and relaxed her tense shoulders.

"Okay, I don't feel better. I feel worse."

The corner of Xena's mouth tilted upward slightly, barely exuding the bit of energy she had left to somewhat smile.

"I—I just wanted to say I'm sorry if I caused you a lot of trouble. I didn't know what to do, and it was so hard to find you! I thought you could help me. I'm not from here, you know. Well, of course, you know that" Varinia laughed and rambled on, "anyway, I'm sorry. It's just, I don't know what to do about Evander, and now all this stuff keeps happening and—"

"Girl, please," Xena raised a hand, contorting her face. "You're worsening my headache."

"Sorry…"

Xena sighed, "don't be sorry. I uprooted you from your home. You feel out of place."

"Oh, no, no, you didn't. Rome wasn't home. Evander is my home," she smiled warmly and received a side-eye glare. "I know…his name is Xian, but he will always be Evander to me."

"He must be very worried about you. I would've sent word that you're safe, but I can't seem to trust any of my men now," she released a heavy, exhausted exhale.

The soughing of the wind caused the tree branches to crane and wane. Varinia brushed a curl behind her ear and peered over at the permanent frown and wrinkle of the brow on the warrior's face.

"Have you decided what you plan to do about Eylül?"

"I don't want to involve you in this little game of 'hide and kill,'" Xena said half-jokingly.

"I'm already involved."

Xena sighed, tapping her nails on her knee. "I apologize for what I said."

Varinia cocked her head, staring intensely.

"About you cutting ties with him—with Evander," she added bitterly. "I was upset at something else, and I took it out on you."

"Oh, it's okay," Varinia wafted her hand. "I could tell that you weren't in a good mood." At that, she received a quick side-eye from Xena. "Can I ask you a question?"

Xena swiveled her body around, lowering her head.

"You and Gabrielle seem to be…good friends now," she said cautiously, receiving a raised eyebrow. "How come she doesn't know that Evander is your son?"

He had been very distant lately and avoided going to Yunus' shop lately. He felt more unsafe here than he did back in Rome. Although there were a group of people, he could rely on back in Rome, but in Abydos, he was nobody. Evander chastised himself for spilling so much information to Soner. He certainly couldn't trust that man, especially since he was asked to kill Xena. Again.

He had failed the first time, and he would surely fail again. But, he didn't desire to kill Xena anymore. He hated to admit it, but without her, he'd probably be thrown into the ocean if he stayed back in Rome. Nero knew everybody in the mercenary corners and crevices of Rome. He may not know what they looked like, but someone could always find out.

Even now, Evander worried that someone from Rome was going to come and find him. Now, he felt somewhat lucky that he was essentially trapped in Abydos. Nobody knew him here, all except Soner Bastillia.

On a stormy day, Evander was stuck in the back of the shop, carving intricate designs into a bow that he constructed a couple of days prior. For now, he was free of Soner, as far as he knew. He did know that he was probably being watched from afar, but as long as he didn't have to talk to Soner, his days went by quicker and smoother.

Yunus entered the small room in the back and smiled at the young man hard at work. He dropped a basket of leather swatches on the table, startling Evander.

"Didn't mean to scare you," he laughed.

Evander smiled uneasily. "I'm just really focused on this."

"I can tell. You seem a little on edge. Something bothering you?" Yunus folded his arms.

There was so much to be bothered about, but he couldn't keep spewing word vomit to every single person he encountered. Evander set aside his carving tools and rested the bow on his lap, staring at his mentor.

"Are you familiar with the name 'Bastillia'?

Yunus released a hearty laugh, slapping his hand on his thigh. "Everyone knows the Bastillia clan, boy!"

Evander crinkled his nose, unsettled by the reaction. "Oh, yeah? What's the deal with them?"

"Now I know you're a true foreigner," Yunus shook his head in delight. "The Bastillia clan has been 'round for hundreds of years. They spread themselves out 'cross the entire Steppes," he waved his hand above his head.

He realized he was in big trouble when he heard that. It was no wonder Soner wanted the Steppe ruler gone. Xena was just an annoying thorn in his family's side.

"I guess they're pretty wealthy, then."

Yunus snickered, "they're comfortable, definitely. I believe the father of one of the Bastillia homes died a couple years ago," he rubbed his chin. "He lived in Edirne. Yea, Edirne, that's right. There was a huge funeral for him. It lasted for fourteen days or some crazy shit like that. They have so much coin they don't know what to do with themselves," he snorted.

Edirne. Xena lives in Edirne, he recalled. "I'm assuming that Xe—the Edirne ruler, allows the Bastillia family to take over some ports?" he inquired.

Yunus shied away from the topic, averting his gaze. "Listen, boy, I don't talk about her much. I don't even know what she looks like."

Evander drew his eyebrows in, sensing extreme discomfort from his mentor at the mention of Xena. So far, he didn't quite understand Xena and what her people thought of her. By the look on Yunus' face, he guessed that Xena wasn't well-liked by many. Big surprise, he thought. She is far from likable.

"What is it? Do the conqueror and the Bastillia clan not get along?"

Yunus shrugged. "Not my place to say, but anyway, you're done for the day. You can leave when you clean up your area."

After the awkward encounter, Evander left the shop, ready to go back to the villa. It was nearly sundown, and he dreaded this time of day. He could hardly sleep at night, and he had yet to hear a word about Varinia. He could only hope that she was in a safe place, but he really wanted to know why she left in the first place.

As he strolled across the square, a loud whistle caught his ear. He turned around to see Soner leaning on a wall of a shop. Evander groaned and hastily walked over to the smirking nuisance.

"One of Xena's men should've delivered the message by now."

"Good. I'll let you know if I hear anything."

Evander tried to hurry away, but his shoulder was forcefully yanked.

"You know what's so interesting?"

Evander rolled the unwanted hand off his shoulder. "No, but I bet you're going to tell me."

Soner raised his eyebrows, chuckling at the saucy attitude. "I was told that Xena is not in her villa. You wouldn't have happened to…warn her about what I told you?"

"No…I didn't."

"I don't know if I can believe you, Evander, or Xian, whatever your name is."

"I'm not a liar."

Evander walked off only to be followed by his shadow. He came to the villa, and just before he opened the door, he turned to face Soner.

"Why do you want to kill her so badly, anyway? What did she do to you?"

"The better question is what didn't she do," Soner spat back.

"Meaning?"

Soner raised a thick eyebrow. "You say you know Xena, yet you act like you know nothing about her."

"I've got to get to bed soon. I'm sure I will see you sometime tomorrow," Evander briefly nodded, then walked into the villa. He waited for a moment and peered out the window to see Soner standing outside, still.

The storm seemed to have blown over, and Gabrielle contemplated several times to talk to Erva, but something in her mind told her not to. She didn't feel somewhat remorseful over what she said to Erva. She could tell the words she spoke hurt immensely—she could see it written all over Erva's face. The worst part of it was that Erva had nothing to say and instead had been in her room for the last few days, completely shutting herself off from the world.

Gabrielle walked down the hallway upstairs with a tray of food, heading towards Xena's bedroom. She eyed Erva's bedroom, and lingered for a moment, then hurried to the end of the hall. She pushed the door open with her hip and was shocked to see dozens upon dozens of parchments scattered on the floor.

There were also clothes everywhere; on the floor, draped over the chairs, desk, and edge of the bed. Gabrielle stepped into the room, slightly horrified at how messy the room was. She continued to learn new things about Xena each day, and she came to find out that Xena was a messy person. It appeared that she was so used to people picking up after her that she didn't even bother to clean up after herself. Perhaps, that was part of Erva's many tasks?

"Xena…"

Setting the tray onto the bed, she began to pick up the crumpled parchment and the clothes lying around. As she was cleaning the bedroom, she heard a loud crash nearby. She threw the clothes onto the bed and hurried to follow the sound. She rounded the corner of the bedroom, leading to the terrace.

Xena spun around, twirled a large wooden staff, and smiled at the guest standing by the arched doorway.

"Good morning."

Gabrielle exhaled and peered down at the shattered vase. "Doing some morning exercises?"

"Would you like to try?" Xena thrust the staff forward.

"Oh, I don't really know how to use that."

"Ah. You're more skilled with daggers," Xena teased, then threw the staff to which Gabrielle caught in midair. "But you have good coordination. I will teach you."

Gabrielle gripped the staff, looking down at the floor. While she was busy ogling the weapon, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Lifting her eyes, she saw Xena holding a staff a few feet away from her. She supposed she had no choice but to play this game, so she walked forward, holding the heavy staff.

"You teach me how to read, and I'll teach you how to fight."

Gabrielle snorted, "I know how to fight."

"No, you know how to run," Xena's eyes darkened. She began twirling the staff and lowered into a balanced stance. "I'll go easy on you."

Gabrielle breathed in, feeling her heartbeat in her ears; she got a good grip on the staff and stiffened her thighs. She gasped as soon as Xena whacked her staff, forcing a lot of weight down unto her. Gabrielle gritted her teeth, feeling herself lower, closer, and closer to the floor. Looking upward, she saw the grin widening on her opponent's face.

Finally, Xena let her opponent recover and then began circling. Gabrielle then followed, and they stared at one another. Xena winked, thrusting the staff forward, and Gabrielle arched her back, barely escaping the attack.

"I was doing a lot of thinking last night," said Xena, as she continued circling, waiting for the next move. "Writing, reading."

Gabrielle, breathing heavily, replied, "really? Is that why your room's a pigsty?"

Xena fluttered her eyes, and with a swift swipe of the staff, she hit Gabrielle's ribcage. A second swipe, whacking Gabrielle's thigh, and finally, a jab to the abdomen, sent her to her knees, doubling over.

Crouched down, Gabrielle wrapped an arm over her throbbing stomach and coughed. She felt like her insides were burning from within.

"I thought…I thought you were going—"

Raising her chin, she met blue eyes inches from her face.

"Easy…"

Staring at the other's lips, they inched forward, though awkwardly, Gabrielle tried to pull back once their lips finally touched. The small inhales, almost in a whisper, as they drew closer—the curling of her lips, indicating a little grin opposite her own, which Gabrielle returned. Ripping away, Gabrielle inhaled, opened her eyes, staring above.

Xena's thumb traced over the blonde's lip, then the cheek, and finally cupped the jaw. Her eyes crinkled at the large smile across her lips.

"I have a lot to teach you," she whispered.

She paddled Gabrielle's cheek and walked backward, twirling the staff.

Gabrielle wiped her mouth and shakily stood up, hoping her knees weren't to give out. She brushed the blonde fringe from her eyes, nearly perspiring at the brow. Centering herself, ready for another attack, she couldn't contain her quivering arms.

"Nervous?"

"Maybe I should lose on purpose next time," Gabrielle hinted.

Xena raised an eyebrow. "Nobody likes to lose, Gabrielle, although I think you'll have no problem losing to me if you keep this up."

"It's my first time!"

Xena's mouth quirked upward, resisting to snicker. "I can tell."

She added, "thank you for being here—for staying here…with me."

Gabrielle lowered the staff. "I chose to stay for you," she rested her palm over her warm cheek. "I've…learned a lot of things about you."

Xena grinned, "oh?"

"This Xena is definitely a different person than the woman I met in Rome."

At that, Xena's gaze dropped, and her fingers picked at the wooden staff. "And which do you…prefer?"

"This Xena—the real Xena. Although I don't know everything about you…yet! I'll figure you out one day. That is if you let me."

Somehow, Xena knew that whatever she tried to do to evade Gabrielle's talkative nature, she wouldn't be able to hide anything. Gabrielle was able to pry things out of her that not even Erva could do, and she had known Erva for a very long time. The only thing she feared was if Gabrielle knew every little thing about her, she'd end up wanting to leave.

Gabrielle walked over and brushed her fingers along the ruler's arm, startling her. There was a hint of sorrow in those eyes. She could see it.

"What is it?"

Xena shook her head. "Nothing." She grabbed Gabrielle's hand and gave it a firm squeeze. "I was…thinking a lot last night, and I've come up with a plan."

"A plan…"

"I'm going to go to Eylül's villa. Alone."

Gabrielle's eyes enlarged, then returned the hand squeeze out of pure nerves.

Laid-up in her office, Eylül was busy reading all of the documents sent over from various people across Edirne and some from other Eastern regions. She licked her fingers and turned the page, reading silently to herself. She dipped her quill into a bed of ink and signed her name at the bottom of the page.

Incessant knocking caused the vein in her forehead to pulsate.

"What?" she barked.

One of the many servants in the home walked into the office. The young servant approached the desk, making sure to keep her distance.

"There is someone here to see you, Eylül."

She raised an eyebrow. "Tell them I am busy," she waved her hand.

"She says it's important, and she must speak to you."

"Everyone wants to speak with me," Eylül smiled, fluttering her eyelashes. "She can come by another time."

The servant sighed. "She told me to tell you she's not leaving until she talks to you."

Eylül growled and rose from the chair, grabbed her a loose kaftan, and angrily stormed out of her office. She raced down the stairs, and many servants instantly moved out of her way. Reaching the entrance of her home, she swung the doors open, and her mouth parted.

Xena turned around, uncrossed her arms, and smiled warmly at the petite woman.

"Good morning, Eylül. I hope I'm not disturbing you. May I come in?"

She bypassed Eylül and entered the home uninvited. She frowned, staring at the number of foreign items scattered around the villa. There were tapestries on the wall that looked more expensive than some of her twenty-year-old weapons. She took off her gloves and heard whispers behind her.

Eylül came around, running her fingers through her long dark hair, staring at Xena's clothing from head to toe. She had her eyes glued to the silk kaftan and long veiled headdress. Her wandering eyes didn't go unnoticed, and she quickly composed herself.

"I love your dress," she marveled with sparkling eyes. "Where did you acquire it? Is this silk?" she touched Xena's long sleeve.

"I bought it in China."

Eylül, simply in awe of the fabric, grinned from ear to ear. "China…" she said skeptically. "I thought Xena forbade trade with China years ago."

Xena gave a tight-lipped smile. "I am not originally from this area. I had no idea Xena had trade restrictions with China."

"Ah, yes, well, she has many restrictions set upon us."

"Oh, but I'm sure you have found ways around that," said Xena, noticing Eylül's pale cheeks. "Which is why I wanted to speak to you. You do remember me at your party, don't you?"

Eylül snapped her fingers. "Of course, I do! You gifted me with a lovely bloodstain on my rug," she laughed uneasily. "Come inside, please. You can go through those doors. I will bring tea to you."

"I won't be staying long."

Moments later, Xena walked into a large room with several sofas. She sat down, crossed one leg over the other, and whacked her gloves on her knee several times. She looked over once Eylül brought a tray of tea and sat down opposite her. She grabbed a glass with no intention of drinking any of it.

"I'm not a horrible host. I can have food brought in if you want."

Xena waved her hand, "I said I won't be staying long. I just have a few questions about the property you brought—the Roman properties."

"Oh, I see. Well, I don't just give anyone that type of information."

"I just want to know the channels I have to go through to purchase an estate."

Eylül smiled awkwardly. "Yes, yes, of course. Those estates require a large deposit."

Xena, remaining expressionless, "if you are worried if I don't have the funds, I have plenty of money, Eylül. I could probably buy all of the estates you have."

"Oh, well, then, I can give you the documents so you can look them over."

With a clenched jaw and a pit in her stomach, Xena reached out, gripping Bastillia's knee. "That isn't necessary. As I said, I'm a bit pressed for time."

"Let me at least give you one document. It's for the largest estate I have. I will have a copy of it written for you. If you'll just wait a few minutes."

Xena grimaced as soon as Eylül left the room. She sighed, anxiously tapping her fingers on the glass. As she waited, she heard horses stampeding outside and an excessive amount of shouting. She set down the tea and walked over to one of the windows. What she saw was unusual. Many of the citizens were marching down the streets, coming from all directions. The men on horseback looked very much like Eylül's men.

How this woman was able to keep a small army for herself was incredible. The audacity of this woman, Xena thought. She walked over to the other side of the room, peering out of another window, and then she saw the mob of people heading north.

She thought to get to higher ground to see exactly where the crowd was headed. She exited the large lounge and bumped into Eylül.

"You are in a hurry!" Bastillia jested. "I have the document for you."

Xena pointed to the doors. "There's a mob outside. Do you know what's going on?"

"I haven't the slightest idea."

Xena furrowed her eyebrows, then walked up the stairs, periodically looking out the windows to follow the crowd. She briskly walked down the corridor and came to one of the balconies. She rested a hand over her tight chest and felt her throat narrow.

Her villa in the mountains was up in flames. Thick black smoke covered the mountain peaks and spread across the blue skies, creating a looming cloud over the entire city. Soon, if not contained, the trees would catch fire and possibly turn Edirne into a pile of ashes.