Chapter Nine: The Raven

Evander chastised himself for being so careless. He was better than that. He knew better than to expose himself during an assignment.

He waited outside of Vindex's villa all morning. He got lucky when the Governor left and walked down the empty street. When he was snatched by a couple of men, Evander followed the kidnappers and was lead through a series of empty streets and narrow alleyways.

There, he saw Vindex being shoved into a small apartment in what some would call 'the slums of Rome'. He was always told by his mentors to remain in the shadows due to the risk of being caught but he was young. Anyone his age was allowed to make mistakes but not him.

He couldn't afford to make mistakes.

And now he was in the hands of the Steppe Queen.

Evander stared up at her with a snarl. He wriggled his arms that were held behind his back. A knife came to his throat and sweat rolled down his cheek. The blade pressed into his skin and he breathed heavily through his nostrils.

Xena kept gawking at the captive and recognized him from not one but two instances. She was sure that he recognized her too. Their last encounter was in the market when she was with Gabrielle. He was selling fruit and offered her an apple. Their first encounter was in the alley of Vindex's villa. They bumped into each other and he was extremely flustered.

She bent over, coming inches from his person. She reached into his cloak and Evander closed his eyes, fearing that his throat was to be slit in a matter of seconds. Her fingers grabbed onto his necklace and she ripped it off his neck.

In the palm of her hand she stared at the small leather bracelet and looked back at Evander.

"Where did you get this?"

Evander's eyes shot open. He was still alive which was surprising. He recalled her asking the same question from their first run-in. She was so fascinated with the necklace but he told her the truth last time and he was going to tell her again.

"It…was given to me."

She closed her fist around the necklace. "Who gave it to you?"

"I…I don't know."

She held his jaw in her hand and reared his head back. "Now isn't the wisest time to lie, boy."

"What does it matter to you?" he spat.

She hesitated and was nearing closer to his face, glaring into his crystalline blue eyes. Her hand slid off his jaw and she backed away, clutching the necklace in her other hand. Tildus held Evander by the hair and pressed the blade to his throat once more.

"Should I kill him?" asked Tildus.

"No!" she barked. Her men were slightly taken aback by her tone. "Tie him up and put him somewhere away from the windows." She flicked her hand and turned her back.

Gölge peered from behind the wall, listening in on the banter. Her eyes darted to her superior and watched as Xena caressed the necklace in her palm like it was a rare jewel. She frowned and distanced herself from the doorway. Rubbing her sore stilted arm, she sat down on a bench.

Knowing that she might be lectured later, she marched over to Xena and eyed the captive bound by his wrists, legs and also tied to a chair. She interrupted the fixated gaze of her mentor to which she received an unwanted look.

"Why didn't you kill him? He's obviously spying on you," she whispered.

Xena slipped the necklace beneath her blouse. "I might need him later. We've crossed paths before."

Hearing that, Gölge was incensed. More secrets that were kept from her. First this artist and now this child. What was next?

"Why are you so concerned about his charm?" she indicated to the necklace. "Does it have some value?"

Xena pushed the girl into the adjoining room. "When did you think it was okay to continue to question me like I'm beneath you?" she shoved Gölge's shoulder. "Did you think I was going to forget about what you did?"

The apprentice stumbled back and plopped down on the bench. She leaned further away as Xena got closer and closer. Her radiated cheeks put off immense heat the more Xena enclosed on her personal space.

"You will be punished later," Xena said with promise, "when we return to Edirne." She held Gölge's chin in between her forefinger and thumb. "For now I want you to stay in here but do not talk to the boy. Do you think you can handle that?"

She walked into the main room and Evander lifted his chin, sending a distrustful glare her way. She grabbed hold of a chair with her ankle wrapped around the leg and brought it towards her. She swung her leg around and sat down then rested her arms over the back of the chair.

Without breaking her gaze, she reached behind and grabbed an apple from inside a satchel. She took a knife out from within the side of her boot and smiled at Evander.

"You like apples, don't you?"

She scored the fruit and held the slice at the end of the blade to his mouth. Evander turned his nose up and gave her a cold cheek.

Xena slipped the small slice into her mouth and chewed meticulously. Now that she was alone with him she could get a better look at his face and the clothing he wore. By the bulge inside his vest he had a weapon strapped to his chest. Her eyes roamed over his bound legs and there was another weapon strapped to his outer thigh.

"Are you a mercenary?"

Evander turned his head and grimaced. He rubbed his ankles together, feeling very fidgety all of a sudden. He exhaled and looked at the wall, deliberately ignoring her.

Xena crookedly smiled and cut another slice of the apple. "You have two weapons on your person," her eyes drifted to the apple and she pressed her thumb against the dull edge of the blade, "one on your thigh and one on your chest."

He pressed his tongue on the roof of his mouth and narrowed his eyes, keeping his focus on the wall.

"You probably have one on your hip and another located on your shoulder blade."

The knife cut into the crisp apple and Evander closed his eyes. His ears were sensitive to the most miniscule of sounds. Her teeth dug into the fruit and Evander wrinkled his eyebrows at the sound of her teeth grinding against the brittle apple.

Xena noticed he was extremely fixated on something. She twirled the knife in her hand and threw it in his direction. Before the blade stuck into the floor, Evander rolled over onto his side to evade the attack.

She kicked herself up off the chair and walked towards him with heavy boots that caused the floorboards to creak and wane. She knelt down and snatched the knife out of the floor and grabbed Evander by the arm to help him sit up straight.

He panicked and tried to attack her somehow and gathered a glob of saliva in his mouth. Xena's eyes enlarged and she pinched his cheeks together with her fingers. She leaned in closer, boring into his eyes. The bracelet in her tunic brushed against her breast and her gaze softened.

She pulled away and sat back down in the chair, crossing one ankle over the other. She took out the bracelet buried in her blouse and held it in her palm. With a quick glance she saw Evander fixated on the charm and she closed her fist around the necklace.

"I'm going to ask again: where did you get this?"

He licked his dry lips. "If you're going to kill me, just do it but I want that back," he pleaded.

A lump caught in Xena's throat. She dangled the necklace.

"This is very important to you."

"Yes," he croaked. "Please…"

She snatched the necklace back into her palm. "I'll check on you in the morning."

Gabrielle searched all afternoon in the north for Evander but most of the areas that were used for scoping out suspicious behavior or acts were void of his presence. She decided to go to the area where Gaius Julius Vindex's villa was to see if Evander had done some searching there.

After the horrid display of Vindex scalped head in the square, Gabrielle was sure that the attacker was none other than Xena. It was mentioned to her that Vindex was working with Xena and Evander found that out by luck of invading the Governor's home. Gabrielle went to the Roman's villa and there was nothing of use for her there.

She was even so bold to attempt to break into the villa but that wasn't a very thought out plan since Romans were posted outside the home. News of the harm done to Vindex had reached Nero and now the entire city was swarming with soldiers. They continued the search for Xena and tore homes apart looking for her.

Gabrielle chose not to pull the hood over her head so she would seem less suspicious around the Romans. She acted like a regular citizen and walked in the crowds to blend in. Whispers of Vindex fell on her ears and she took in every detail of the gossip. Romans loved gossip, she thought.

She had her eye on every woman wearing a veil over their hair. She eyed the brunettes especially. Xena was hiding in the sea of Romans in front of everyone's eyes and they had no idea. But she wouldn't have the audacity to show her face now, would she? Gabrielle wondered just what kind of woman Xena was.

How could someone be so stealthy yet so out in the open at once? Xena was able to kill Augusta Sabina's friend without leaving any clues behind. Xena also conducted secret meetings with Governor Vindex which meant she had to make frequent visits to his villa. She also set fire to all of the ships on the coastline but those ships belonged to her.

Gabrielle wracked her brain over the numerous amounts of acts Xena committed while in Rome. She didn't understand this woman no matter how hard she tried. There's no way that Xena's men could roam around the city without being seen. They had to be dressed as Roman citizens too or even…

Her eyes darted to soldiers who were questioning a poor blacksmith in the square. Soldiers. Xena's men were probably dressed as Roman soldiers. Oh Xena, you are good, Gabrielle smiled and wagged her head.

A hand came to rest on her throat wound and she recalled the attack. It felt like a lifetime ago now but the wound had no intention of healing anytime soon. She forgot to apply the salve this morning. Inwardly cursing, she turned around and head back to the workshop.

Wandering around the city was pointless now. She didn't want to be questioned by Romans but she was curious as to what questions they were asking the citizens. She came to the square where Vindex was found earlier today.

The blood of his scalp lingered in the dry soil and Gabrielle's lip curled in disgust. She kept walking to the workshop which seemed so far away. She passed by the large open arched windows of the shop and saw Zenodorus inside. There were a couple of soldiers inside, questioning everybody.

Air trapped inside her throat and she hastily ran inside but not too urgently so she wouldn't cause alarm. When she entered the shop, the soldiers whipped their heads towards her. She took off her cloak and hung it on a chair then smiled at Zenodorus.

The soldiers went back to questioning the sculptor and Gabrielle slinked by, pretending to act normal as possible. She stood by her station and cleaned her brushes, listening in on the interrogation.

"You said that Xena came in here?" asked a soldier.

Zenodorus nodded. "Yes, she told me her name was Xena."

"What did she look like?"

"Medium build, kind of tall, but not too tall," Zenodorus raised his hand just above his head. "Hazel eyes, tan skin, and she had very long hair. It was black as kohl!" he described and the soldiers frowned in confusion. "Very dark hair."

The soldier questioning nodded, taking notes. "Did she have a group of men with her?"

Zenodorus rubbed his chin. "No, she came alone."

Gabrielle cinched her eyebrows together and wiped her brushes with a dirty rag. She organized the brushes by size and proceeded to grab her leather satchel hidden under the table. Her hand recoiled and she kicked the bag with her boot.

"What was the purpose of her coming here?"

Gabrielle froze. Don't say it, Zenodorus. Don't say it.

"She wanted to speak with one of our artists," he pointed to Gabrielle.

The soldiers spun around and Gabrielle released a deep sigh. She heard the boots approaching and she turned with an uneasy smile. She didn't want to be involved in this. She hadn't even seen the woman nor did have any relationship with her. She also wanted to deter the soldiers because they had no idea she had orders to kill the woman they hunted.

"Why did Xena want to see you? Do you know her personally?" the soldier immediately questioned.

She denied, "no, I've never seen her before in my life."

"Then why did she specifically want to see you?"

She scratched her head. "Maybe she wanted a painting from me? I am the Empress' personal artist you know," she said casually and they weren't amused. "I wasn't here when she came by. I was told after the fact…"

The Romans grumbled and looked at one another before asking another question. "Do you have any reason to believe that Xena might be targeting you?"

Her fingers touched the gash on her throat and she gazed at the floor for a brief moment.

"No…no."

"This woman is very dangerous," he lowered his voice. "She is the most wanted woman in the empire. If you are harboring any information about her then you must report it to the Emperor."

Gabrielle blinked. "I…I don't know anything about Xena." She raised innocent hands. "I swear."

Satisfied with her answer the soldiers left the building, mumbling and whispering about the investigation. Gabrielle found her mouth drier than a desert and she reached for a pitcher of water to quench her thirst.

She chugged the cup of water and her eyes followed the Romans as they walked by outside. Wiping her mouth she let her head hang and her veil of golden locks framed her hidden face. A hand was clasped onto her shoulder which made her flinch.

Zenodorus jumped back. "Sorry 'bout that Gabrielle. I didn't mean to scare you."

She answered with silence.

"You were gone all day! You took off suddenly." He sounded suspicious. "You've been gone a lot lately."

"What's it to you?" she snapped.

Realizing how rude she came off, she sighed and turned to the puzzled sculptor. She brushed her hair behind her ears and made an effort to smile but it wasn't sincere.

"I'm sorry, Zenodorus. I have a lot on my mind."

"Is this about Augusta Sabina?" he quirked his mouth into an uneven smile.

Her heart raced. "Yeah…" she gently paddled his chest, "she's a real pain to work with."

Right now the Empress was the last person on her mind but Sabina definitely did play a part in this game.

"I doubt she will be coming by anytime soon!" he cheerfully said. "With this Xena woman wandering around, there's no way the Emperor will let his pregnant wife outside, so you can consider yourself lucky. You'll get a break from her," he playfully slapped her arm.

She rubbed her arm. "Oh joy…"

The following morning Xena woke before everyone else in the rundown villa. She made sure not to disturb Gölge who slept beside her on the floor. She slept in the same clothes she wore yesterday and walked across the creaky floorboards to find Evander sleeping with his head slumped on his shoulder.

She smirked and kicked the boy's thigh and Evander jolted awake. Startled by her towering over him, he scooted a couple of inches away from her. Xena smiled and walked to grab another apple off the table and sat down opposite Evander.

"I see you got some sleep," she observed.

His eyes were now adjusted to the darkness but a sliver of sunlight crept in from the well concealed boarded windows. His foggy brain hadn't registered that he was still in the same place he was in yesterday. He forgot that he was tied up since his wrists had gone numb.

"Sleeping on the job huh," she sliced the apple with the paring knife. "Not a very good mercenary." She winked and took a small bite of the fruit.

"I could've killed you and you wouldn't have even seen it coming," she added.

Evander scoffed audibly.

"Don't make it look like I'm talking to myself now," she teased, "people will think I'm crazy."

"You are," he barked scornfully.

"That's a start," she continued to score the apple. "About this job of yours," she locked eyes with Evander, "you're barely a man. Why would you want to be a mercenary?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you."

"I think you do." she knelt down and held out an apple slice at the end of her knife. "You've been spying on me. If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm not letting you go."

His eye twitched. "You'll kill me instead."

"I didn't say that." She shoved the apple to his mouth. "Take it."

Slowly, he opened his mouth and Xena smiled then sat back in the chair. He chomped on the apple and didn't take his eyes off her the entire time. They were having a staring contest of who was to break first but neither of them let up. Not even when Gölge stirred in her sleep from across the room.

"You won't be able to hide forever," he spat.

"I don't intend to."

She slipped her fingers into her blouse and pulled out Evander's necklace. His eyes were fixated on it like a cat that had just discovered its favorite toy. She tossed the necklace on the floor and it was just out of his reach.

"You aren't Roman," she stated as fact. "Where are you from originally?"

Evander caught the lump in the middle of his throat, staring at his necklace. It was so difficult to focus and he lifted his eyes to her intense glare.

"Why do you care?"

She dug the knife into the core of the fruit. "I care."

"I don't remember," he muttered. "I was taken from my home and family."

Xena felt tightness in her chest and the knife slipped from her grip. She quickly retrieved the knife off the floor and avoided eye contact with Evander. She drove the blade into the apple's core to quell her nerves.

He didn't let her clumsiness stop him from telling a sliver of his past but he took note of the blade in her hand. A woman as skilled as her wouldn't have allowed a simple slip of a knife happen if there was a human body at the other end –but an apple?

"I was taken by Romans. I woke up in a ship and then before I knew it I was far from home and on Roman soil," he sighed and wiggled his feet inside the tight boots. At least not all of his limbs were numb yet.

"That necklace is the only thing you have left of your home and family," Xena said, finally meeting his gaze.

"Yes."

She rubbed her lips together and kept cutting into the apple absentmindedly until pieces of it were falling onto the floor. In a distant daze within her mind she momentarily forgot that there was a pair of eyes watching her every move. She retracted the knife and broke the apple in half, or what was left of it and set on the table behind her.

"You've been separated from your family for a long time."

Evander arched an eyebrow, studying her fidgety fingers.

"I'm sure you miss them very much," she flashed a short smile.

"I can't miss something I don't remember," he responded tersely.

Xena cast a frown. She could detect bitterness in his tone. It wasn't his fault that he was taken from his home or family. He was completely innocent yet he felt like his family probably abandoned him. If he was taken at a young age then that would make sense as to why he felt that way at some point.

"You…don't remember your mother?" she asked softly.

He was taken aback by the question and the longer he stared into her eyes, the more intense her glare became.

"I…no, not really," he swallowed. "She gave me that bracelet. That's why it's important to me." He was hoping that she would give the necklace to him. "I need it back."

Xena's softened face hardened in a matter of seconds. She stood and the chair scraped against the floorboards. She took the necklace up off the floor and held it in her clenched fist. Wrapped up in her own emotions she was reminded why she kept Evander here in the first place.

"You won't be getting this back until you tell me why you've been spying on me." She turned her back to him and looked at the small bracelet fit for a child's wrist.

Evander gaped. "I told you who gave it to me!" he screeched. "You won't get any more information out of me!"

Xena ignored him and walked off briskly.

"Are you listening to me?" he barked. "I'm not telling you anything!"

Gölge awoke to his loud voice traveling across the villa. She rolled over onto her side and scowled at the captive who was heaving and whispering to himself. She peered down at the empty spot beside her and searched the villa for her mentor.

It was a chore to move around without harming her injured arm but she tried to get off the floor and did it so clumsily. She rose to her knees and ruffled her long messy hair and caught Evander glaring at her from afar. She remembered that Xena told her not to engage in any conversation with him. She didn't want another lecture from Xena so she paid no mind to him.

After she got out of bed she went to wash her face and peeked out one of the windows to see Tildus guarding the alley. She groggily made her way out of the washroom and then turned her head from left to right, searching the villa. The place wasn't too large but it wasn't small either.

She dragged her bare feet along the floor and saw Xena sitting in adjoining room by herself. She crept inside and heard sniveling and soft whimpering. By now, Xena would've said something to her since Xena knew when people were behind and around her at all times.

Gölge knocked on the side of the doorway to grab her mentor's attention.

Xena frowned and wiped her cheeks then turned around to the young apprentice. "Why are you standing there like that?"

"I…woke up and you weren't there," she said. "I thought you might've gone outside."

"As you can see, I'm here." Xena dismissively combated.

Gölge nodded. "What are you doing…in here?" her eyes roamed around the empty room.

"I need Tildus to give me a report about what's happening outside. Could you tell him to come inside?"

"Alright, sure Xena." She trailed away, cautiously eyeing her superior.