AS THE DARKNESS FALLS AND THE LIGHT FADES AWAY
Lila felt the pistol push harder under her chin she swallowed looking at Tlaloc and Amoxtli who were raising there weapons. She looked in to Akemi's eyes what she wouldn't give to know what her sister knew at this moment. Then she would be able to hurt her but the sad truth was that she had no combat skills and she was at this bitch's mercy. She narrowed her gaze feeling the cold metal under her chin she raised her hand watching as Tlaloc Amoxtli stopped still. She turned looking in to Akemi's dark gaze. "I hope my sister is alive and when she comes for you, I hope she kills you." Akemi sneered slightly. "For a peasant girl you're very bold."
She shrugged slightly. "I guess it must be your mother she obviously gives birth to loud mouths who just have to annoy people and don't know when to quit." She felt a smile form. "As much as I hate your sister I admired her passion for getting the things she wanted. She was the best at what she did. That is after all why they called her Blood Jaguar, because when she was done she was covered in the blood of her enemies." She sneered slightly. "It doesn't paint that great of a picture when you think about it, does it? Frankly if she had been my sister I'd be ashamed." She felt a cruel smile form. "So you should be happy that I'm about to wipe her out of existence." Lila looked at her for a long moment. "Have you always been this out of your mind, or is it a new faze you're going through?"
Akemi snarled as she leaned forward. "You are starting to really annoy me and unless you want to loose your teeth one by one you'll listen and you'll listen well! I need you to tell me when your sister was born and if don't tell me I'm going to shoot one of your friends! As I've said before they are becoming living which means that can be hurt very badly or even die." Lila breathed in deeply eyeing Tlaloc and Amoxtli she could see that the other warrior now had his strange weapon pointed at them. Akemi didn't think as she grabbed the young woman's face roughly with her other hand. "You have never had any ones blood on your hands, so I'll let you in on a little secret it's not a nice feeling it twists an ugly knot in your stomach."
She felt her grin widen. "It's almost as awful as when you make your first kill and it's just as painful. I highly doubt that you want this feeling on your conscience because if your little friends die today it will be on your hands." She took in a deep breath. "So you're going to tell right now when your sister was born?" She clicked the flintlock back as she narrowed her gaze. "Don't you dare lie to me ether every time you lie they get very badly hurt." Lila felt the other woman let go of her face. Every part of her felt like it was on fire with uncertainty she felt her eyes dart she didn't want this to happen to her sister as much as she found it hard to say she loved Gabrielle.
She lowered her gaze painfully that was the truth thought wasn't it she did love Gabrielle despite all her wrongs she would never stop being her sister no matter what time or place she was from. It had just taken her far to long to see this as she'd been too wrapped up in her anger and hated to truly give it the time and thought. Akemi turned eyeing Ehecatl. "Okay start with the female warrior!" Lila didn't think as she turned in panic. "No please don't do that!" Akemi sneered slightly. "Let me make this really simple you get to five and then she looses the ability to have children! So start talking right now!" She eased up her hand. "Five…four…three…"
Lila looked up sharply feeling the pain hit her chest as the words came out. "She was born twenty one seasons ago." Akemi smirked enjoying the look of pain on the young woman's face. It was the pain of betraying her own family it was a look she'd remembered seeing on her own face a long time ago after she betrayed her father. Still seeing the look on the cruel bastards face as the blood flowed out of his nose from the pinch was amusing. As was seeing the light fade in his eyes it had felt like a truly joyful moment. She got finally gotten her revenge for her mother sister and grandparents deaths. She felt that she could die with her honour at last.
If only she'd realized that the after life would be cursed and her scum bag of a father would return in demon form to bring his brutality to her once more. If she'd have known that, that would be her curse then she would have thrown her dishonour to the wind and spent the rest of her life having sex with the Warrior Princess every night for the rest of her life. She leaned closer to Lila's ear. "It really hurts doesn't it when you're forced to betray your own family? Don't worry though I've been there you'll get over it in the end. Family are after all throw away things which can be replaced believe me." She laughed enjoying the mocking sound. "As I said before she's not even your real sister you're just killing an impostor, so don't feel bad."
She shoved the pistol up again hearing it smack Lila's jaw hard. "Speaking of which what part of the season was she born in?" Lila blinked feeling the pistol press harder. "Winter…she was born late in winter just before the snow melted." Akemi lowered the musket putting it back in her belt. "Very good, now we can finally get down to business." She didn't think as she grabbed Lila by the hair pulling her towards savagely the altar. "Now all I need is your blood on that sacrificial stone and I can open up on your sister's whole life!" She grabbed her hand slamming it down on to the altar she eased out her dagger watching as the two warriors began to move forward. "You two idiots move another step and I'll slit her throat!"
8
Gabrielle turned looking at Xochiquetzal as she pulled away from Xena. "Where is my horse I'll need if we are going to pull this off?" Itzli breathed in deeply as he moved forward. "Your horse died, its life force was attached to yours." Gabrielle felt her teeth grind together she hadn't wanted to hear that. "Great now we are missing a horse." Xena squeezed her lovers arm gently. "Its okay Gabrielle I'm sure we can bring it back to life somehow." Xochiquetzal looked down slightly she slowly eased her pendent free. "Please take my pendent it will bring your dead horse back to life and it will allow you both access to the C'thulon's temple."
Chantico stood up walking forward. "That won't be enough it has to be merged with another godly object, only a combined seal will allow access in side the temple." Tezcatlipoca sneered in disgust as he eyed her. "How the hell do you know that, you weren't born when the temple was made?" Chantico turned eyeing him as she came to stand next to Xochiquetzal. "I like to read temple ruins." She slowly eased the dagger of treasures free she carefully eased the Tlalli pendent free from the other woman's hand studying it for a long moment. She looked up eyeing Tezcatlipoca. "Thanks to you I had a lot of time to look around them, after you left me for dead. Safe to say I found some really old ruins which are as old as you."
She eased the dagger of treasures up above the pendent, frankly she had no idea how this was meant to work. She turned the pendent again carefully checking its contours. Xochiquetzal put a hand on the taller woman's arm. "Are you sure about this? It's just my pendent has no moving parts, none that I've ever seen at least." Chantico turned giving her a smile. "Trust me your pendent has moving parts I just need to find the mayor one." She moved the dagger slowly pressing it in to side of the pattern only to stop. She was looking at this all wrong she moved her finger over her daggers hilt feeling a piece at its centre start to slide.
She watched as it rose up fully out of the hilt which causing the central dagger to spit in to four parts which moved outward like a hand. She blinked as the pendants outer circle began to sink inwards on all four sides. The daggers four clawed parts grabbed hold of these sunken groves sinking in to them creating a clawed bone and gem stone hand which was clutching the pendent. White red and gold light blasted outwards in streams all around her as her dagger locked in to place fully. The hilt twisted on to its side locking in to the chain as the light faded away. She smirked as she eased up the merged pendent. "It looks like my dagger and your pendent are a perfect fit."
Huitzilopochtli stepped forward eyeing the pendent he turned eyeing the fire goddess. "That is impressive." He felt his thoughts turn to a difficult matter turned looking at both Xena and Gabrielle. "I need to ask something of you both and there is no easy way to ask it." He shook his head. "We cannot turn off the elder god's device, but ether one of you can because your mortal and only mortal hands can touch the device." He looked up slightly. "The device will bring hell to this mortal plane and we have no power against it. We beg of you to turn it off before C'thulon awakens. The elder god will not take well to it being turned on and we will all have to face his wraith." Xena looked up slightly. "What do we have to do to shut it down?"
Chantico stepped forward she stopped in front of Gabrielle then carefully placed the pendent in to her hand. "Our merged pendent will get you both inside the temple." She turned meeting Xena's concerned gaze. "As you're both attached spirituality only one of you needs to wear it. Should Itzli come with you he will need to put his hand on one of you, only then can he cross the threshold that protects the room in which the device is sealed in." She looked up slightly. "The Star Coyote will have a merged pendent like this one, you need to find it." Huitzilopochtli breathed in sharply. "None of us have ever seen the time device, but I do know that this merged pendent is at its very heart. You will have to pull it out once it's free the device will shut down."
He looked down slightly. "If you are forced to jump through time you both need to know something very important. Should you end up you jumping in to your own past and someone hurts your younger self you will feel it as well." He breathed in deeply. "You must not tamper with anything in your past C'thulon will know the moment you do so." He eased up his hand. "My hope is that you will not end up in that situation but should it happen you need to be ready for it. Once you have freed the merged pendent from the time devices heart any copies of it will vanish back in to there own time." Gabrielle breathed in deeply as she looked up. "We'll turn it off."
Xena turned looking at the younger woman. "Gabrielle are you sure, you want to do this?" Gabrielle breathed in again. "Yes I'm sure we can't allow Akemi to destroy our past or anyone else's." Xena turned slightly her lover statement was true they couldn't allow it the truth was that Akemi was their problem and they needed to stop her. They also needed to get Gabrielle's sister back and ensure that this device was shut down for good. She breathed in feeling the anger start to burn Akemi had effected both there lives very seriously in the past. Her manipulating behaviour needed to be stopped for good and she had no issue with killing her.
In fact a part of her would truly enjoy seeing the light die in the little bitch's eyes. She could feel the painful sting of Gabrielle's death returning in her memories. The look on the younger woman's face as she'd looked at the blood soaked wound which had been made by the katana. She closed her eyes for a spilt second before opening them. "She will be stopped." Itzli moved forward. "I'm coming with you both." Xena eyed him for a long moment she opened her mouth only to close it again. There was no point in even trying to deny Itzli he was their friend and he been with them all the way. She felt a smile form as she looked at him. "Yes you are coming with us because I need you to show us the way."
She folded her arms watching as he smiled. "Now show us where you put Gabrielle's horse bones." Gabrielle slowly eased the pendent over her neck before turning back. "He has my horse's bones?" Xena nodded before turning back to face the others gods. "You all wait until we are inside the temple then you should enter the city as soon as the feathered serpent lands." Xochiquetzal looked up slightly. "I'll tell the others when you land in the city as I can sense Gabrielle through the tattoo as you already know." Huitzilopochtli looked up sharply eyeing the three of them. "You do not have a moment to spare, you have to leave now." Gabrielle nodded before looking up. "What ever Akemi is doing we'll end it."
She looked at the floor for a moment before moving towards the keeps steps, Ohtli and the other warriors stepped back as she walked past she gave them a smile as she carried on moving forward. A part of her was already feeling unsure about this but she knew that they had no choice the events that were now in motion had to be stopped no matter what the cost. Xena moved up the keeps steps following Gabrielle she could see Itzli following them a part of her would have liked to rest longer but it was evident that, that would no longer be possible. She stepped outside looking at the sky above realizing for the first time that it was much darker than it should be.
They had so little time, they couldn't even say good bye, but if what had been said was anything to go by this was no longer about Mexica it was all lands which were being affected by this device of time. She looked up catching sight of Argo who had her saddle on and her full tack, she'd been groomed. She smiled as the horse looked up shorting she walked forward patting her nose watching as the huge feathered wings flapped. "Did you miss me girl?" She heard the low pitched nay as the golden horse tapped her hoof. "I know I was away for a long time I'll try to back much sooner next time."
Gabrielle moved slightly catching sight of all the white bones which had been laid out, she turned to Itzli. "Who laid out the bones?" Itzli gave her a slight smile. "I did, I had a feeling that you'd need them ready for when you were well enough to travel." Gabrielle smiled as she put a hand on his arm. "Thank you." Itzli nodded watching as she stepped closer to him. "I'm always glad to help the both of you." Gabrielle slowly eased her sai blade free from her boot she watched as her lover moved so she was beside her. She didn't think as she ran the sharp end of her blade lightly over her palm ignoring the pain.
She closed her hand only to watch as her lover put her hand over her own, her eyes followed the blood trail as it ran down hitting the horse's skull. The empty sockets instantly lit up with orange light, her calm words hit the air as the bones started to lock back in to each other. "Return to me I need you." Xena looked down seeing insides appeared on the skeleton body in front of her thick muscle started to grow over them all over the body. Dark fur and skin grew back as the horse started to rise to its feet. Two huge bone burst out of its back instantly covering in muscle. She narrowed her gaze realizing that, this hadn't happened before.
She leaned closer watching as the wings fur grew back followed by feathers which mirrored Argos. The huge teeth which had been on the skeleton mouth fell out the horses head pulled back as the flesh and skin reformed on its face along with the mane and tail. Normal teeth grew through taking there place were the others had fallen out. It hit home all at once as she realized the truth of what she was seeing this wasn't an un-dead animal anymore, it was living. This was all the more confirmed by black horse brown eyes forming in the socket and eyelids appearing giving the animal the ability to blink. She stood there as it shook its body snorting loudly in a very normal manner.
It shifted its weight as the original saddle reappeared along with the blanket, bags and mouth bit. She leaned forward running her fingers down the black snout seeing the shock in Gabrielle face. She rubbed the horse's nose. "Your horse is living?" She turned looking at Itzli who pulled his hands up as the confusion hit home. "Why has this happened?" Gabrielle put her hand on the pendent looking at her horse. "It's the merged pendent Xochiquetzal's power can bring things back from the dead but Chantico's makes it real as anything else." Xena eyed the younger woman as she stepped away she turned eased herself back in to Argo's saddle getting comfortable.
Her gaze shifted as Itzli got in to the saddle behind her, she eyed him for a long moment before turning to the younger woman who was getting back in her horses saddle. "That makes sense." She watched as her lover moved her horse so it was next to Argo she felt a smile form as the golden mare leaned over nudging the stallion's dark nose. She felt her smile fade as she looked at the light spire which was now very noticeable in the darkening sky. "How do you suppose Akemi found out about the god's time device?" Gabrielle looked at the spire of light before looking down at her saddle. "She's resourceful and she's been in Mexica for a long time or so she said right before she knocked one of my teeth out."
Xena sneered slightly. "Long enough to rot her brain…" Gabrielle turned to her lover feeling her gaze dart as she tried to think of how to pose her next question. "Xena we might have to kill her and I know that you used to care for her…" Xena turned pulling up her finger sharply. "No Gabrielle, I stopped caring about that bitch when she took me away from you and put me in limbo." She looked up slightly. "Believe me even more when I say ever since I saw her stab you in Tezcatlipoca's keep I've wanted nothing more than to break her limbs one by one while watching the light die in her eyes. What ever she said to you about me still loving her and not you, when she captured me it's was a lie."
She felt her other hand form a fist. "It will always be a lie and nothing will ever change that." Gabrielle breathed in deeply liking her next words even less the problem was that they had to be said. "I never believed anything she said Xena I just needed to know because I wanted no doubt in my mind if I'm forced to end her life." Xena looked at her for a long moment seeing the darkness in her lover's eyes. A part of her knew that this day would come one of them was going to end up killing Akemi. She was not going to stop her lover if it came to her ending the little bitches life, it had to be done and there was no way around it.
She wasn't going to give the other woman a hard time over her saying what was the truth or look at that darkness in her eyes with fear or disgust since she'd met the true face who ruled that part of her lovers nature. She moved Argo back slightly as she met the other woman's darkened green gaze. "Well you have no need to doubt." Xena looked at her lover for a long moment seeing the darkness in her eyes. "It's going to be one of us and that's the way it has to be." Gabrielle breathed in as she kicked the horse in to action feeling its hooves smash the ground. Her horse spread its feathered wings she turned seeing Argo do the same as they both leaped off the keeps edge taking to the air.
Xena looked at the fertility goddess's city below them as they both flew over it she turned to the younger woman who was flying next to her. "Do you both know where the city of the gods is?" Itzli adjusted himself in the saddle behind her he had kept quite to allow them to talk since what they were talking about was very important. "Yes we know where it is." Gabrielle watched her horse beat its wings she hadn't really thought about this until now but she was truly lucky to be alive. If Huitzilopochtli had wanted to he could have chosen not to give her back at all. He had also been one of the few people to ever apologise for coming between them and a part of her was starting to feel slightly guilty over her reaction to him. His apology had been truly sincerer and with out malice, and he had done everything possible to help them both. The truth was that she would need to speak him once more when all this was done with and say how grateful she was that he'd given her, her life back. He deserved that from her and he would get it when the time was truly right.
End of part 104
Silvermoonlight
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