Chapter Five: Handful of Apples
She shielded the cut on her neck with the veil and took a step away from Xena, holding her breath longer than expected.
"I accidentally cut myself," Gabrielle lamely told her. "I was cutting material for a new canvas and…the knife slipped."
Xena raised an eyebrow. "On your throat."
She was no stranger to knife wounds as she encountered many blade wounds over the years. A quick glance was all that she needed to study the severity of Gabrielle's wound. The angle of the cut, the depth and freshness of the cut was not self inflicted, she knew that much. It would be very tricky to cut one's self with a knife at that angle with such precision.
If there was one thing she was good at it was studying others, instead of looking in the mirror to study herself. She never liked the attention put on her yet she was disturbed, yet intrigued by Gabrielle's sudden apprehensiveness and coyness. She even detected a bit of fear from the blonde's wide eyed reaction to her concern over the wound.
Gabrielle held the veil closed to her exposed neck and chest. Smiling at the tall Grecian she begged for the subject to change. She felt walls closing in on her, the crowd encircling, her chest tightening at the intense blue gaze from above.
"Did you see my portrait of the Empress?" she asked.
Xena blinked, momentarily forgetting about the party. It was obvious that the artist was trying to distract her. She followed Gabrielle across the room while keeping her eye on the Emperor and his wife talking to a couple.
Her wrist was grabbed by Gabrielle who broke her concentration on her targets. She thought to snatch her hand away as she wasn't one to be pulled around by someone else's will but she kept her composure.
Gabrielle pointed at the canvas. "I combined several colors to make sure that I achieved the correct skin tone of Augusta Sabina. I think it still needs some work but I think I'll be able to finish it in a couple of days."
Xena faintly smiled, admiring the intricate brush strokes of the Empress' dark red gown in the painting. This took a lot of time, dedication and patience to paint and from what Gabrielle told her, the Empress was not a very easy client to work with.
"You captured her essence perfectly, Gabrielle."
The young artist blushed at the compliment. "When I'm finished then I will have more time to work on your portrait. You still…want to finish it?" she hinted, hoping she didn't sound too eager.
"I think I can make time out of my busy schedule just for you," Xena said with a playful tone.
Sabina left the circle of politicians and smiled in their direction. Gabrielle froze at the sight of the Empress and Xena followed her terrified gaze and smiled at the small framed Empress coming to greet them. Sabina stopped in front of her portrait to admire it once more as she did earlier.
She noticeably ignored Xena and stepped in front of her to have a conversation one on one with her esteemed personal artist. Gabrielle's cheeks paled, staring at the smirk on Xena's face as she was being blatantly and rudely shoved aside.
"I love what you've done, Gabrielle!" said Sabina. "But I would like to make a few corrections. If you don't mind?"
Gabrielle nervously smiled. "Of course, Augusta. Just tell me when you'd like to stop by the workshop."
Xena's lips twitched into a tight-lipped smile, scanning the pregnant Empress from head to toe. Standing behind her she couldn't stop herself from examining the way the Empress presented herself so arrogantly in front of everyone. Truly, she was Nero's match.
Finally, the Empress spun around and slowly lifted her head to the tall brunette. She flashed a smile that only politicians possessed when they were met with others they weren't keen on meeting. Xena inclined her head and raised her glass flute.
"Augusta Sabina," she greeted and winked at Gabrielle nervously standing by the canvas.
"I didn't see you standing there, my apologies," the Empress placed a delicate hand over her chest.
Of course you saw me. "I was just admiring your artist's work. The painting is almost an exact replica of you."
Sabina feigned innocence with a playful roll of her eyes. "Gabrielle always does fabulous work. I don't know what I'd do without her. She is simply the best!"
Gabrielle brushed the veil behind an ear. "You're too kind, Augusta…" she hid her smile at the way Xena was playing along with the Empress' phony exterior. It was so painfully obvious though Sabina had no shame in toying with politicians with that soft smile of hers.
Xena placed a gentle hand on the Empress' shoulder. "I wanted to give my condolences, Empress."
Sabina's smile faded and she stared up at the brunette with doe eyes.
"Your friend. I heard she was murdered and crucified in the square. What an insult to be displayed like that." Xena kept a warm smile on her face and her hand slid of the woman's shoulder.
The Augusta swallowed the lump in her throat and smiled meekly. "Yes…it was quite…tragic," she croaked. "Excuse me, I should get back to my husband. He doesn't like it when…I linger with guests for too long."
"It was nice talking to you, Empress."
Sabina frowned, eyeing her as she made her way across the room to join the conversation she left. Gabrielle covered her mouth, attempting not to burst into laughter. She never felt such vindication until this very moment. The Augusta was speechless and that never happened.
"You tongue-tied her! That was incredible."
Xena sipped the wine and caught her men standing guard by the entrance, dressed in Roman gear. Tildus gave her a curt nod and she lowered her gaze to Gabrielle's obvious gleeful face. She nearly forgot why she was here at this party in the first place.
"Everyone has a weak spot," she said and nudged her head to the side, giving a signal to her men.
They began casually walking around the room, weaving in and out of the crowd then disappeared into a hallway, bypassing Nero's guards with ease. Xena watched until they were completely out of her sight and downed the rest of the wine to quell the empty and uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Evander lingered in the alleyway, waiting for hours until the area was clear. He had his eye on Gaius Julius Vindex's villa since early afternoon. The Roman Governor apparently was never at home during the day and Evander's boredom increased as he sat, peeling apples for hours on end, handing them out to children throughout the day.
So far, he peeled over thirty apples or maybe more. He'd lost count by now. The alley was almost pitch-black and children were all brought to their homes. Women were now forbidden to leave their homes without a male escorting them. A rule surely instilled by the Emperor himself.
He groaned and tossed the scoring knife into his bag and then heard footsteps from afar. That sound of dirt scraping against the sole of a boot was a sound he studied since he was a child. He could calculate how far his enemies were by the sound of their boots.
He slowly stood up, leaning against an apartment building wall, listening for other sounds. He closed his eyes and held his breath.
Keys.
Evander wrapped his hand around the corner of the wall and lifted the mask to conceal his face and drew the hood over his head. He proceeded to listen to other minuscule sounds that would mean nothing to an average person. This was his job –his livelihood.
The key entered the lock, twisting slowly.
A blade.
Small and narrow but enough to kill someone with a quick strike to the throat.
The door.
Creaking loudly but not enough to stir the neighbors and lurkers in the shadows.
Evander's eyes shot wide open and he darted out from behind the apartment building, swinging his cloak behind him. His gloved palm rested on the hilt of his dagger at his belt and came to Vindex's villa door. He knelt down; taking a quick glance around him to be sure he was alone. He picked the lock with his small dagger as quietly as possible.
Success.
Out on one of the balconies, Gabrielle carried a tray of sliced apples and a side of sweet honey to pair with the fruit. She stood beside Xena in the cool summer evening. She offered the fruit to her guest and the Steppe Queen gave a gentle smile and graciously accepted the apples, taking one slice for herself.
Gabrielle set the tray down on the balcony ledge and chomped into an apple slice, sneaking a peek at her raven haired guest.
"These parties go well into the night, sometimes they don't end until the morning," she struck conversation, knowing she might not have any interaction on the receiving end. "You don't like crowds, do you?"
Xena stared at the apple slice in her hand and peered over at the artist. "I can only take listening to so much idle chatter. Politicians love to hear themselves talk."
"I've never seen Augusta Sabina so stunned before. That was really great, what you did back there," she inwardly felt some kind of satisfaction to see the Empress at a loss for words.
A chuckle escaped the conqueror's lips. "You act like I've defeated some great beast, Gabrielle." She took a small bite of the fruit.
"I know I'm not supposed to say this but I really like it when the Empress is put in her place. I can't ever talk back to her."
Xena smiled, chewing quietly. "If you need me to come to your rescue I will gladly come to help you."
She placed her hand atop of Gabrielle's and met eyes with her. Gabrielle's loud chewing slowed for a moment and she glanced down at the hand resting on hers. Unsure of how to respond she couldn't even smile or utter a word. For such a talkative person she always had been, she had nothing to say. Or maybe she wasn't supposed to say anything.
Xena retracted her hand gracefully and picked up the refilled flute of wine and took a small sip. She stared out at the dark city with scattered light from homes all around. While she felt Gabrielle's eyes on her to the side, her mind was elsewhere.
She counted every minute she was inside this forsaken palace. It was too dangerous to remain here for a long period of time and she was counting on her men to retrieve the document Vindex told her about. Once she had Emperor Nero's forged signature then the rebellion could begin. Rome was in her grasp and she needed to tighten the rope to bring down the empire.
Gabrielle set her hand on her cheek and it was hot to the touch. She cleared her throat and swirled her finger along the balustrade to distract her thoughts swimming in her mind.
"How is the sightseeing going? You mentioned you were in the market to buy a villa. My suggestion is to stay away from Eastern Rome."
"Any particular reason why?" Xena inquired curiously and finished off the apple slice, pressing her sticky fingers together.
The blonde shrugged a shoulder. "It's full of…brothels. I don't even go over there. It's crawling with men."
Xena turned with an impish grin. "Do Roman officials go to these brothels?"
Her cheeks flushed bright red which caused the conqueror to stifle a short laugh. "I…I don't know. I wouldn't know. Like I said, I don't go in that area for several reasons!"
Any other party at this hour would have wound down by now but not here. The guests continued to flow into the palace and as the night progressed the wine was consumed rapidly, ensuing boisterous conversations from the Roman nobles. Romans didn't have the need to go to brothels when the palace was crawling with women from Nero's circle entertained guests.
Gabrielle looked over at her shoulder at a few young women probably no older than her, circling around an elderly Roman officer, wearing nothing to conceal her breasts. Painted in gold, the woman stripped herself of her loin cloth and jeweled belt loosely hanging on her slender waist.
She groaned, disgusted by the way these men enjoyed the sight of a naked woman. She wondered if they even cared about the age or shape of the woman. Most likely not.
"Romans disgust you," said Xena.
"What?" she whipped her head up at the brunette. "Oh, well…I'm not really in a position to express my opinion freely like you are."
"I'm not a Roman, Gabrielle."
"Speaking of that." She leaned an elbow on balcony ledge. "Since you won't tell me your name and you don't have to!" she held up an open palm. "I'll call you Delphi. You still never told me what you do in Delphi."
Xena raised her chin and the corners of her mouth turned upright. "I can't tell you all my secrets. My job requires me to move around a lot."
"I guess I can't say you're a woman of few words anymore but you are now a woman of many secrets," Gabrielle teased.
"As are you."
Gabrielle titled her head with a questionable face. "How do you mean?"
She set down the flute and closed the space between them and lifted her hand. Carefully and hesitantly, she pulled the veil away to expose Gabrielle's chest and neck. With a gentle swipe of her hand she brushed the blonde locks behind the uneasy artist's shoulder.
"You don't strike me as a clumsy person, Gabrielle." Her fingers gingerly pecked the fresh wound, causing a flinch from her counterpart.
"It…was an accident," she poorly tried to cover up her lie.
Evander walked through the villa and found Vindex sitting at his desk, writing and drinking wine. The usual, he presumed. He snuck up behind the oblivious governor and grabbed a handful of Vindex's blonde hair and slammed his face onto the desk and drew a blade against his neck.
The governor growled, struggling to grab anything within his reach to attack the intruder. His was cautious of the blade to his neck and snatched the wine glass and smashed it against the table. Several snarls, growls and grunts, he tried to reach behind him to stab the intruder.
Evander jabbed the governor's arm with his elbow and Vindex cried out. He pressed his body against the squirming Roman and his flesh met the blade, drawing a bit of blood. Vindex winced and wheezed, his heart pumping and head swimming from the hot wine coursing through his veins, distorting his vision and clouding his lack of motor skills.
"What do you want?" he barked.
"Why are you drowning yourself in wine and hiding in your villa?"
The governor grunted and the sting of the blade cutting into his skin caused him to twine. Sweat poured down his cheek and he gawked at the candle with a slow burning flame.
"Who do you work for?"
"Answer the damn question!"
Vindex choked and smiled, wine infused saliva dripping from his lips. "Did she send you?"
Evander paused at the question, almost loosening his grip on the governor. He recovered and slid the dagger across Vindex's throat.
"Yes…she did," he said, sounding sure of himself.
The governor let out a snort and spat, "you can tell Xena to go fuck herself. I did as I was told! It is her who is holding everything up!"
Evander hesitated and asked, "When is Xena going to meet with you?"
"She…" Vindex arched his eyebrow, realizing that this so called intruder was toying with him to gather information. Very sly of you, young man, he thought. "If you work for her then surely…you would know that."
His heart stopped and he took the dagger away from the governor's neck and darted out of the room, slamming the door shut as on his way out. Quiet, he was not. Vindex sat up, rubbing his sore neck and swiveled in the chair, glaring at the entry door.
Her stare was more than intense; it was enchanting in a way. Gabrielle had to hold herself back from telling the truth. She couldn't risk being exposed especially to a woman who barely knew her.
"You should apply a salve so the wound doesn't get infected," Xena advised.
Gabrielle nodded, clutching her throat, reminding herself of that moment she was attacked. She could've been dead. No, she should have been dead. Those dark eyes that she remembered so vividly were burned into the back of her mind. Her job consisted of dealing with several enemies but she didn't understand why she was almost killed. She had someone tailing her at all times. She couldn't open up to anyone, not even her.
"I can prepare a salve for you and bring it by tomorrow evening at your workshop."
"That…is kind of you but you shouldn't worry about me," Gabrielle's eyes shifted and she kept rubbing the throat wound.
Xena gripped the artist's arm firmly. "Next time, be more careful."
She caught a glimpse of her men leaving the palace through the front entrance. She inhaled sharply and turned to the miffed blonde in front of her and quickly took her hand off the artist's arm. She smoothed out her dress and faintly grinned.
"It's getting late. I should go back to my villa. You should leave too."
Gabrielle fidgeted with her veil and licked her dry lips. "I…have to stay for a little while longer."
Lowering her gaze, she emits a small smile. "Augusta Sabina," she supposed. "I'll stop by and give you the salve. You'll be there, yes?"
"I'm always there," said Gabrielle.
Varinia took the goblet from the Roman soldier she was supposed to entertain for the evening and walked towards the window where she kept a cupboard filled with various types of wine. She could barely listen to the man rant on about how hard his life was in the military. This had to be the worst night this week but he did pay her a hefty amount of coin which she couldn't refuse or she'd be in a lot of trouble with her superior.
She poured a generous amount of sweet Nile wine in the goblet. This was his fourth serving of wine and he was bound to either keel over or continue his ranting, she preferred the former. She took a seat on the bed next to the Roman and forced herself to smile.
"Your wine, soldier." She handed him the goblet.
He nodded and grabbed her by the chin, bringing her close. He felt mild resistance from her and the cup slipped from his grasp. He gripped her slender arms firmly and then lifted her layered skirt, squeezing a handful of her meaty thigh.
Varinia flinched and set her hand on his, weakly smiling. "You've had too much wine…" her eyes glittered in the candlelit room and she traced her fingers along his bare chest.
The soldier took a whiff of her curly wild hair. "Where are you from, girl?"
"Syria, soldier."
He gazed into her green eyes then threw her onto the bed. Varinia yelped and she watched as he climbed on top of her, ripping her blouse open. She put her hands on his chest, trying to push him off. He growled and pinned her to the bed and kissed her neck, pressing his heavy against on her thin frame.
The door was kicked open and the drunken soldier looked over his shoulder at a masked man standing in the doorway. Pants halfway down his legs, he stood and swung at the intruder. Within a second he was knocked off his feet with a kick to his kneecaps.
He whined, rolling onto his back he stared at the icy blue eyes above him.
"Get the fuck out of here and if I ever see you in here again I'll skin you."
The soldier stood up, pulling his pants to his waist and gaped at Varinia on the bed, just as shocked as he was. He tripped over himself and hobbled out of the room without putting up a fight.
Varinia closed her blouse and sat up in the bed, scooting to the headboard. The masked man was revealed and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Evander!" she squealed in delight and hopped off the bed, embracing him tightly.
He cradled her luscious hair and kissed the top of her head. "What did I tell you about letting other men into your room?"
She pulled away. "What am I supposed to do? Only serve you?"
"I don't want another man's hands on you."
Varinia chuckled and smoothed her palms over his vest. "That's not how I conduct my business, Evander. If you want me so badly you might as well just marry me!" she laughed at the idea.
He went to sit on the bed and he ripped off his cloak. He took the ribbon out of his coiled hair and the raven locks tumbled down, resting just below his shoulders. He had his head hung lowly, rubbing the nape of his neck, his eyes set on the floor.
She cocked her head and sat next to him. "I don't like the line of work you're in, Evander. It's too dangerous." She gripped his inner thigh. "I worry about you."
"You shouldn't."
The bitter tone in his voice concerned her and she inched closer. "What's wrong?"
"I…just had something confirm my suspicions today and I feel…" he twirled the necklace in his hand and gripped it firmly, "Sick to my stomach."