War and Peace 7
Rini awoke to a knock on her bedroom door. When she swung her legs out of the bed and her feet hit the cold stone floor, she was pleased to realize that her energy had returned. Feeling like she could run a marathon, she bounded over to the door and pulled it open. Ares stood there with a longsword in hand and a smile on his face. "You said you're handy with a shortsword, let's see how you handle yourself with a proper blade."
Ares effortlessly turned the hilt toward her, indicating she should take the sword from him. The god noticed the slight dip when she gripped the heavy blade. She was strong but they would need to get some more meat on those arms to help her wield it better. "On second thought," Ares said and then waved his hand. The sword disappeared into thin air.
Rini's brow wrinkled and the corners of her mouth turned down into a frown. She'd already disappointed him again. The pit of her stomach sank. He was going to send her away, she knew it. She hadn't expected the sword to be so heavy. The shortsword that she sometimes used back at the village was half the size of the longsword. She should've anticipated that when she took it from Ares. Instead, she looked like a newborn kitten struggling to stand.
Ares tried to hide his smile as he watched the emotions run across her face. It warmed him that she cared what he thought about her. She wanted to prove herself to him. So similar to Xena in a time so long past that he knew if he didn't have godly powers that those memories would have lost their crispness. But for him, those days were merely a whisper away. Ares tilted Rini's chin up until she locked her baby blues with his own eyes. "You haven't disappointed me. I have a job for you, there will be time for sword play later."
Rini perked up. His words hadn't exactly been praise, but at least he didn't think training her was a complete waste of time. Ares let go of her chin. "First, have you eaten?"
"I wasn't hungry."
"You're not yet a god, Rini. You will need to nourish that mortal shell of yours. Go to the kitchens. When you've had your fill, go to the castle gates, call my name, and I will come to you."
While Rini took her meal, Ares did something he hadn't done in years. He walked into his war room and opened a portal to take a casual look into the affairs of mortals. When he'd thought he'd lost Xena again, he shut himself off from the world. The game just didn't have the same old thrill. But now that he had a daughter, a new protege, he'd need to start thinking about his options again. And who knew? Maybe. . . . Ares clenched his fists in anger at himself for letting her get to him again. Xena was never going to join him. Never going to fight alongside him again. For crying out loud, she was never going to apologize for what she'd stolen from him. No, Xena was going to rot away to nothingness in the Abyss of Agony. "Suit yourself, Xena," Ares whispered as he zoomed in on the screen which now showed a raging battle. Roman warriors had met a fierce opponent in a small Macedonian principality. Ares did a mental calculation. The location was about fifty miles away from where Ares had nestled his estate at the base of the Korab mountains. The Romans had encroached much farther toward the estate than when he'd last checked their progress. Rini was not yet a match for the Roman Empire, but a weakened principality, he thought, might just be the ideal first target. Something to give her the taste of the power that came with such a title as Warrior Princess. Ares advanced through a few more screens, just taking stock. He also indulged himself by looking over his temples. The decline of the Ares brand was a bit of a shock to his ego but the Romans had ensured that the Mars brand was holding its own against the rising threat of monotheism along the Levantine Coast. Oh, how he longed for a simpler time, a time before the Twilight, a time when Olympian dominance felt as certain and as immortal as his own soul.
With a swipe of his hand Ares closed down the images before him and then twisted his wrist and curled his fingers as if to summon another window. The image opened but it was blurry and shrouded in mist. Still, Ares was certain that the blond leading a band of Amazon warriors was none other than Gabrielle. She'd aged well. She was lean-muscled and golden sheened. Her hair was long again, but she now wore it in two braids that ran along either side of her head to meet in one long plait down her back. The image faded quickly. But it was enough to tell Ares what he needed to know. Gabrielle had amassed forces to come in search of Xena and Rini. They were still far enough away that he couldn't get a clear image. Or they had the protection of some god or goddess that was blocking his own powers. Either way, he would need to prepare the fortress for an assault.
Ares took a deep breath as he closed down the portal and began to open another. But before the portal to Xena's imprisonment materialized before him, Rini called to him. "Father, I'm ready."
Ares dropped his hand. Perfect timing. His daughter had saved him from his own weakness. Maybe Xena had been right when she said he didn't deserve to be a god. Maybe he was a pathetic sap. Let her rot. Ares brushed his fingers through the air as if he could just dust Xena away like a speck of dirt. Then with a snap, he transported himself to the front gates.
When Ares appeared in front of Rini, the castle gates began to open of their own volition. With one hand at her back and another open hand pointing the way, Ares led them out of the castle grounds proper. When the gates had closed behind them, Rini looked up at the unguarded battlements. She'd heard of such places in Gabrielle's stories but they were always full of archers and lookouts. She wondered why he, a god, felt the need for the edifice, when that was all it was, a front. He certainly didn't need the protection from the dangers of the nearby woods or any marauders that might happen by.
"This way," Ares coaxed when he felt her slow down.
Rini turned her attention to the mountainside he was pointing to. To the right side of the road sat a large field that rose slightly in elevation until it reached the solid grey rocks of Korab mountain which reached to heaven some seven thousand feet. At the edge of the field was a wheelbarrow with a pickaxe inside it. "Here we are,"Ares called as they reached the tools.
"What's this?" Rini looked around for any laborers. She'd only seen the cook and Balen but had guessed that there had to be more people around to keep such a large estate functioning.
"This is your training."
"What's my training?"
"This, Rini. I want you to gather enough stone to build a wall that stretches from the mountain to the woods. Leave an opening for the gate across the road, of course."
"What? You don't need a wall." She turned and pointed to the Halls of War. "You have a fortress."
Ares smiled. He knew he was going to get resistance. She was Xena's daughter, after all. "I don't need a fortress. But I have one. Now, get to picking."
"I'm not your slave."
"No, but you want me to teach you, right?"
She glared at him with her piercing blues.
"Right then," Ares said matter-of-factly, "I expect it will take you a few days. You can break every day for a midday meal and for your evening rest but other than that, I expect you out here working. Are we clear?
"As a mountain stream," she managed to get out even though her jaw felt like a steel trap.
"Speaking of, you might have noticed, I don't have proper bathing facilities. Gods don't require cleansing. You can take your bath in the pool at the base of the waterfall before coming in the evenings. I'll see you for supper." Ares could feel her eyes boring into him all the way back to the castle. For effect, he closed the castle doors with the snap of a finger.
AXAXAXAXAXAXAX
Once Ares was out of his daughter's sight, he dematerialized into the aether. He moved through the void, encircling his estate with a barrier that would prevent anyone crossing it that meant him any ill. When he finished, he moved out twenty kilometers and erected another barrier that would alert him if a mass of forces crossed into the zone. He wasn't taking any chances with Rini. He couldn't risk Gabrielle coming in and stealing her away but he didn't want to alert his daughter to the danger just yet.
"Hear my plea great God of War. . ." Ares was caught unaware by the request. He'd shut himself off from the mortal world for so long that the prayer felt almost foreign. Ares opened a portal to view the supplicant. A young male knelt at what was left of a battlefield shrine to Ares near a small village along the Axios River. Ares watched as the man placed a rabbit on what was left of the stone altar and drew out his knife. Behind the man, Ares could see a group of roughly fifteen village men of fighting age. Before the man could bring the knife down to the rabbit, Ares appeared and scooped the rabbit up in his arms. The man gasped and struggled not to faint, some of the villagers behind him did pass out. The others backed away, some hiding behind trees and bushes.
"A rabbit? Do I look like a magician?"
"My, my, um - -" the man stammered.
"I think the word you're looking for is God, my God."
"Yes, my God, my Lord, my Ares, I mean Lord Ares."
"Getting there. What is it you want?"
"Raiders, my Lord. They've plagued our village for months. We can't continue on this way. We won't have any grain for the winter. We beseech you to smite them"
"Yeah, doesn't really work that way. See, I help those who help themselves. Now, if you want my blessing to fight them, something could be arranged, but I don't do the killing myself."
"Yes, Lord. We've been preparing ourselves to stand against them. They will come on the next full moon. That's when they collect their tribute. We intend to fight this time."
"Always the better option." Ares released the rabbit into the bush and then motioned for the man to stand. "What's your name?"
"Tyrimmas, Lord."
"Tyrimmas. What will you give me in return for my favor?"
"Anything you ask, my Lord."
"Anything?" Ares looked to the villagers who accompanied Tyrimmas. "Which of these is your best tracker?"
"Andros," Tyrimmas pointed to a young man who had scampered up a tree when Ares appeared.
"Good, I'll take Andros for now. Who is the leader of the raiders?"
Andros dropped down from the tree. "His name is Petras. They have an encampment about three kilometers down river.
"Good, you are going to take the fight to them," Ares smiled. A few of the villagers grumbled. "Trust me, they will never see it coming. Attack at night, while they sleep,"
"Isn't that murder?" Tyrimmas asked.
"You'd rather your wives and children starve to death?" Ares asked. "Look, you aren't warriors." Ares looked them over again. "At least most of you aren't. If you want to defeat them, this is how you do it. Otherwise, continue with the tribute until you build your strength and military prowess but without grain, you'll grow weak and eventually they'll ask for more than food."
An older man in his mid-forties stepped forward. "They've already taken my Laken, she's only fourteen." Anger flared in Ares like he'd never experienced before.
"Your daughter?" Ares asked the man.
"My only child, yes. Her mother has taken to bed with grief."
"When was she taken?" Ares knew that young women were often the prize of raiders and it had never bothered him before, but things were different now, now that Rini was in his world.
"Three kilometers," Ares asked.
Andros nodded.
Ares disappeared into the aether.
The raiders camp was larger than Ares had anticipated. Ten tents created a semicircle around the camp's perimeter and in the center of camp, halfway between the other tents and the river sat the larger command tent. Ares surmised from the size of the tents that the raider's numbers were close to fifty. As Ares surveyed the camp, he saw a cage of young women and his mind was transported back to a time when he'd posed as Xena's father and pretended to help her free slave girls. Now, here he was actually going to free slave girls. What was he doing? He was a god! He didn't get involved this way. A scream followed by ruckus laughter came from one of the tents. Ares made his way to the sound. When he got there, three warriors were having their way with one of the slave girls.
At Ares' entrance, one of the men turned and said. "She's only got three holes, wait your turn."
"I'm more interested in how many holes you have," Ares said as he used his powers to lift the swords from the raider's hilts and gore each scumbag with his own sword.
The girl screamed as the men fell all around her, blood spurting all over her. Ares moved toward her. "It's okay, I've got you now." She screamed even louder until finally shock settled in and she went still and silent.
Ares could hear that she had alerted the rest of the camp, and he heard the unmistakable sound of clanging armor as the men hurried for the tent. Before the men could make it to the tent Ares burst forth from it. Twenty or more men were headed straight for him, straight for their doom. Ares centered himself as best as he could between all the men then reached toward the sun, drawing down its strength and obliterated each man, smiting them with the burning power of the sun. A few of the stragglers who hadn't been charging him, tried to escape but Ares used his lightning to cut down any who tried to flee.
When he was finished the raiders were nothing but ash along a muddy river bank. Shocked at himself, Ares unlatched the cage that held the women prisoner and told them to return to their homes.
As the women fled, Ares remembered why he'd come to the camp in the first place. "Wait," he called to the freed prisoners. "Which of you is Laken? Your father sent me."
AXAXAXAXAXAXAXAXAX
After Ares returned Laken to her father and promised the villagers that the raiders would no longer harass them, he asked to talk to Andros in private.
"I have a favor to ask of you?'
"Anything, my Lord."
Laken had told her people of Ares' great power and how he had obliterated the raiders with little more than a thought. There was nothing the people wouldn't do for him.
"My daughter was taken from me for a long time. And I fear there are those who seek to rob me of her still. A band of Amazon warriors from the Northeast I fear will be coming for her. I need you to seek them out, Tell me their numbers and their movements."
Ares opened the portal image of Gabrille and the Amazon warriors. "This is the best I can do right now. But I need you to find them. They'll be somewhere northeast of here. When you've found them, call me. I will come. Can you do this?'
"It will be done."
"You will be rewarded," Ares promised.
"You've already paid any service I could render you, Lord."
Ares nodded. The memory of his wrath still fresh on his mind.
"I'll pack a bag and leave right away, Lord."
"Good, and Andros, Don't confront them. Just find them and call me."
Andros nodded and bowed then headed toward his hut.
Ares looked at the village that he'd just protected. It was a small farming community made of thatched huts, not a stone building in the bunch. He'd spent most of his life thinking of this type of people as sheep. His people were the raiders, not the farmers. But had he been wrong?
Ares felt uneasy. Had he done the right thing? Getting involved personally. The gods would no doubt hear about it. Either way, what was done was done. Time to go home.
AXAXAXAXAXAXAXAX
When Ares made it back to his fortress, he fought the urge to check on Rini. If she needed him, she would call. He wasn't going to turn into some mother hen. He went straight to his throne, materialized a goblet of nectar, and tried to settle himself. Three goblets later and a plate of ambrosia to recharge himself and he still couldn't shake his uneasiness. He needed to see her. He needed to know she was safe. Ares materialized himself on the parapets and watched her load rocks into the wheelbarrow. Once he had satisfied himself that she was safe he was able to calm his nerves.
He looked up at the sun, there were still a few hours of daylight left. Rini would be hard at work for a bit. Ares supposed it was time to check on his other girl. The one who consistently seemed to put herself in harm's way.
AXAXAXAXAXAXAXAXAX
Ares could smell her urine from the other side of the door. He'd done this enough times, with enough prisoners to know that the smells were going to get even more unpleasant before the trial was over. He unlatched the lock and pushed the door open. The light in the hanging brazier flared to life just as Xena cracked him across the head with a piece of wood. It stunned him briefly. It shouldn't have surprised him that in her hours of contemplation she had chosen to take the only thing he had left her and fashion a weapon.
Xena had been waiting for him. She knew her ability to feel his presence was one of the tools she could use in her arsenal. If she had any hope of escape, she was going to have to catch him off guard as he entered the room. Fighting her hunger, her pain, the cold, the despair, she waited, she waited to feel any brush of him through the aether. She thought she'd felt him earlier in the day but it evaporated so quickly. But then finally, he was there, unmistakably there on the other side of the door. She heard the metal bolt slide and felt the cold air of the cavern rush in. She needed to act in the dark. As soon as she felt the air, she slammed the board against his head. The light above whooshed on. She heard him groan but she was moving through the door frame and headed toward freedom.
The path through the cave had been polished smooth by years of use and Xena made her way easily along the tunnel. She was surprised at the ease with which she was able to call upon her internal map of the place. Left, right, right, left, the path that ascends to the left. Then she heard his laughter echoing down the tunnels.
"You can run my little rat, run as fast as you want, tire yourself out but you will never escape."
Xena wouldn't give into despair. She couldn't. Her freedom, her daughter's soul depended on it.
Another left, two sets of stairs, a right and then nothing. Where there should have been another pathway there was nothing. A void. It was an illusion, it had to be. He was creating an illusion to throw her off her game. It was the right way, she knew it was. She pushed through the void and found his hand. He materialized and smiled at her. "Caught!"
In a flash, they were back in her cell.
"Fuck!" She cried.
"If you insist," Ares spun her around and pushed her up against the wall. The rock was solid and cold against her face. "Tell me no, Xena."
"Fuck you,"
Ares pushed himself against her ass. Her ass pressed back into him. She wanted it. This is how she wanted to be with him. Feral, trapped like a hellcat in heat. "In the ass or the cunt, Xena? Or you could just apologize and I could play nice."
"Fuck you."
"The ass it is." Ares pressed his forearm against her back, pinning her against the wall as he used his other hand to undo his leathers. "Did you really think a board was going to take down the God of War, Xena? Did you think you could outrun me? Outsmart me?"
He freed his cock and it pressed hot and demanding against her ass cheek. Ares brought his hand up to her face. "Lick it, Xena."
She spat on his hand. Ares chuckled. "That'll do." He smeared her spit on his ready cock and slid it into the cleft of her ass. "Last chance to apologize, Xena."
"Fuck you," she cried then speared herself on him.