Chapter 10: One step closer

After an hour of riding, Kim and Shego found themselves at a cross road. Kim pointed in one direction. "You want to go down this road, until you reach the edge of the forest, from there turn west and go through the forest road until you find the town. It shouldn't take you more than a day or two. Watch out for robbers, they like to hide in the trees."

Shego scoffed. "I'd like to meet the unlucky bastard to hold me up." Both laughed at this.

"I'll see you in a week." Kim said as she clicked her tongue and galloped off in the opposite direction. Shego watched her for a moment before speeding off toward the forest.

888

Shego had been riding for what seemed like hours before Shego found herself staring up at the massive trees of the forest. She stopped just short of another fork in the road. She found herself lost, she had no way of knowing which way was west. She shrugged and turned her horse down a path and began her gallop again.

It had been an hour before something caught her attention. It sounded as though something were moving in the trees. She did not slow her pace thinking of the robbers Kim had told her about. There was another rustle in the trees and then pain shot through her shoulder. She fell from her horse and watched the animal halt and rear up. Shego couched and looked up at the feathered end of a long arrow. The deep sounds of rustling and laughter filled the air around her.

"I think we got a live one." A deep voice announced. A man leaned over her examining her as she lay in the dirt growing angrier by the second.

"She's a real pretty one, should catch a fine reward for her." Another voice said.

"Aye, why don't we examine this one a little farther? Just to be sure she's worth the arrow." She felt a hand slip up her skirt. She growled and kicked her assailant away. Enough was enough; she sat up right and leapt to her feet. Five large men surrounded her while the sixth scrabbled to his feet; he wiped the blood from his mouth and staggered around before falling to the ground again. She snapped the end of the arrow and threw the remains aside.

"Look alive, we got us a fighter."

Shego smirked at the statement and drew her sword. One man gave a hearty laugh. "Don't hurt yourself now." He jeered.

"Oh I won't." Shego replied throwing the sword to the ground. "I just wanted to make sure I didn't lose my sword while I kick your asses." Before the men could react Shego went into a furry of kicks and punches. One and after another fell, finally she was faced with the last man, who cowered in front of a tree. She grinned widely as he struggled to aim an arrow at her chest. She began to stroll toward him; in a panic he released the arrow. Shego catch it, inches before reaching her heart, and raised a brow at the arrow. She ignited her hand and watched as the arrow turned to ash. The man gulped and whimpered, a wet yellow stream pooled around his feet.

"Get out of here." Shego said. The man didn't hesitate to run as fast as he could away from her. Shego then bent over and picked up a good size rock. She threw it in the man's direction, a moment later the man fell to the ground. "Still got it." Shego said to herself with a smile. She picked up her sword and mounted her horse taking a moment to admire her handy work; all six men lay on the dirt path unconscious.

It wasn't long before Shego found herself riding blindly on the path. The sun had gone down and the moon gave a dim light through the trees. Suddenly her horse stopped, she found herself facing the dim silhouette of a huge brick wall.

She was in the middle of contemplating climbing over the wall when an urgent feminine voice shouted from up above. "Who stands at our gate at this late hour?" Shego looked up at the shadowy head peering over the wall's edge.

"I have an urgent message for your leader. From the…" She strained to remember the name everyone called the queen. "From Hippolyte." She wasn't sure if that was the right word. The head disappeared from view. She thought she had gotten the wrong word; she must have gotten the wrong place all together. There was a loud creak as a set of double doors opened and inward, a tall woman came into view.

"Come in. Quickly." She urged in a short tempered tone. Shego urged her horse into a quick trot and entered through the doors. She was now in the dimly lit village of Egesta. "Dismount your horse. I will lead you."

Shego leapt down and walked with the woman through the town. Everything was quiet compared to the constant noise of the palace. She was led to a large stone house and told to wait. The woman entered the house, before long Shego was hurried into the house. The door was slammed behind her. The house wasn't lavish, as the palace was, it was a simple three room house. The woman led her to the back room; there wasn't much to get excited about. A bed and dresser sat at one end of the room and a long table with dozens of lit candles. A woman sat, bent over, in a chair at the table. She looked as though she had been woken up and thrown on a pair of pants and a white shirt to prepare for Shego's arrival. It was a definite change from the palace and the town that surrounded it.

"You Antiope?" Shego asked gruffly.

The woman sat upright and pushed back her long hair. A few rebellious curls fell back to frame her face. "Yes." She replied. Her sight drifted slightly. "You have an arrow in your shoulder." She said wirily. Shego looked down to see the broken arrow still jutting out of her shoulder. She pulled the arrow from her shoulder without a second thought and it to the ground. The woman stared expressionless at Shego's act; the woman who led Shego to the house looked alarmed at the action.

"Didn't that hurt?" The woman in the chair asked. Shego shrugged. She had gotten worse from Kim when she had a head cold, this was nothing. "Well, before we do anything else I'm going to need proof you really are a messenger for the queen." The woman said. The only thing Shego could think of was on the hilt of her sword. Before anyone could react she drew her sword and started toward the table. The woman who led her in leapt forward to stop her but was quickly thrown to the floor. Shego set the sword on the table in front of the woman.

"There's your proof." Shego said. She eyed the woman on the floor. The woman in the chair didn't even flinch. She examined the symbol on the hilt and leaned back in her chair.

"Well this must be important if Hippolyte is sending you. Least she didn't send that arrogant sow of a woman Bana." The woman said. Shego sheathed her sword and her the scroll. The woman read the message, her expression never changed throughout the entire time. She set the message down on the table and stood. "I suppose you want to leave now." She said stretching.

"The sooner I get back the better." Shego saw feeling her shoulder to be sure the wound had healed. "So I expect you to be ready quickly." The woman raised a brow.

"And I expect not to be rushed by the queen's hired hand." The woman replied sitting back in her chair. Shego snarled in anger, she ignited her hands. The woman stared unblinkingly at the green glow of the plasma.

"Let's get one thing straight right now. I am not her hired hand. I am a missionary for my own damn cause and I'm not about to deal with some spoiled brat of a grown woman who doesn't see how seriously fucked we are. Now Get off your ass and get ready, because I am leaving now. With or without you." She blasted the candles off table. The woman sighed and slowly stood. She approached Shego until they were eye to eye.

"That's a nice trick. Tell me is it that a result of the ring on your finger?" She took Shego's hand and played with the ring. Shego jerked her hand away.

"No, it's all me." Shego turned to leave. "And if you don't want to show up without a limb you'll get your ass in gear." She warned over her shoulder.

The woman watched her leave with a black stare. The tall woman who had lead Shego there stood dumbfounded. "Ready my horse. It looks like I'll be taking an unexpected trip to see my dear sister."