"It'll be my pleasure." he said as he began to mix the ingredients in a bowl. "Or at least I hope it'll be." he added, grinning wickedly as he added more herbs. Gabrielle didn't hear his last comment, she was too busy shoving different pastries and cakes in her mouth and washing them down with the port he had purchased, not knowing that he had added some of the red powder to it.

After two loaves of nutbread, a tray of brownies, and a dozen assorted pastries had been sacrificed to the bard's belly, Charon was certain that it was time to make his move. Just as he leaned toward her, Gabrielle jumped up with an excited smile on her face. "Let's go for a walk. I feel like wandering around town."

"You don't want to stay here with me?" he asked disappointedly, certain that the aphrodisiac would have kicked in by now.

"Oh Charon, you silly man." she said, giving him a playful shove. "Come with me and see what life has to offer." somehow the idea of staying locked up in the room when she felt so good was just not appealing. Without waiting for an answer, Gabrielle grabbed his white hand and dragged him out the door, stopping only long enough to dump the rest of the second tray of brownies into her satchel. "I just can't get over how good everything tastes." she said, shoving one more brownie into her mouth.

"Ah, the great outdoors." Gabrielle said, taking in a deep breath and looking around slowly. "Oh, Charon, look…isn't that pretty?" she pointed at an average looking tree. "Oh, the green is just so…vivid."

"Oh yes, the colors are just so much more vivid than they were yesterday." he grumbled, wondering what had gone wrong with his plan. Certainly she had eaten more than enough of his laced treats. She was even showing signs of being affected by them, but there was not even a hint of her being aroused. 'I'll have to give her more of the aphrodisiac.' he thought to himself as he patted the smaller pouch resting on his hip.

"Oh look, isn't that adorable? A little blue bull." she giggled at the sign over the tavern. The sounds of activity filtered out into the street and gave the ferryman an idea.

"Gabrielle, why don't we go inside? I'm sure they have more pretty things in there."

"Oh, I don't know…" she said thoughtfully, putting her finger on her chin and tapping it. "Didn't Xena say something about not going anywhere?" try as she might, she just couldn't remember what the warrior had told her only a few candlemarks earlier.

"She said she didn't want us to leave this town, not that we couldn't wander around." he said, hoping that the scantily clad woman would believe him. His fingers were already itching to play one of the dice games or at least a few hands of Axes and Hammers.

"Oh…I'm not sure that would be a good idea." she said cautiously before her attention turned back to the leaves on the tree. "Isn't this just so pretty?"

"Gabrielle…in the Blue Bull they have much prettier things…they have a wheel that goes round and round and it has pretty colors." he said temptingly.

"Ooh, really?" she replied, her eyes lighting up even though the lids were half shut.

"Oh yes…and they have food and drinks and-"

"Food?" she interrupted, forgetting about the treats in her satchel. "Food sounds good. I'm really rather hungry at the moment."

"Well then let's go." he said, slipping his arm around her shoulders and guiding her toward the Blue Bull.

Xena made the mistake of stopping at the Alconian Lake to wash up after the bloody battle. Within moments she found herself in yet another battle as more former residents of Tartarus emerged from the murky depths. Fortunately for her, they were unarmed and most swam in the opposite direction to avoid her until they could find weapons. Of course there were two dozen idiots that decided they could defeat her with their bare hands. It caused only a slight delay in Xena's schedule.

The warrior returned to an empty room. "Looks like they had a party in here." she said as she surveyed the wreckage on the table. Several empty platters were scattered about, crumbs were everywhere, and two empty bottles of port were lying on the floor. What bothered Xena the most was the fact that Gabrielle's staff was still there, leaning against the wall. She grabbed the weapon and left in search of her best friend and the ferryman.

Gabrielle had indeed found the spinning wheel quite fascinating. Charon wandered about the room, playing every game he could while the bard sat in one spot and watched the red and black colored wheel go round and round. Several men offered to buy her a drink, which she happily accepted, but then ignored them in favor of watching the wheel spin.

Charon was disappointed in having missed the dancing girls but took solace in the fact that he was able to gamble as much as he wanted and could freely stare at the bard's ample bosom without her threatening him. He bought a mug of port and added some red powder to it before putting it in front of the oblivious woman. "Here, I bought you a drink, Gabrielle."

"Oh, hey thanks." she said happily, draining the liquor in several long swallows. As she set the mug down her eyes fell upon a game table with multi-colored dice. "Ooh, pretty. Can we go over there?" she asked with the enthusiasm of a child.

"Oh sure, why not? I spend all these dinars to try and get you in the mood and all you want is to watch the pretty colors." he threw his hands up in defeat and led her over to the dice table. As she sat down on the stool, Charon managed to get his hand between the padded surface and her rear. 'Well at least I get to cop a little feel.' he said to himself as he stood next to her.

They watched a dozen or more rounds, the bard completely mesmerized by the dice and how they were marked differently on each side while Charon continued to grope her rear until he felt a firm hand slam down on his shoulder. "Hi Xena." he said without looking.

"First, move your hand from her ass." the warrior said firmly. "Second, what are you doing here? You were supposed to stay in the room."

"Oh, well, that…you see, we just decided to-"

"I don't want to hear it." she said, cutting him off. She tapped Gabrielle on the shoulder. What she got in return was a swatting motion from the otherwise occupied bard. She tapped her again, harder this time.

"Go away, I'm busy watching this. I think I've got it figured out." Gabrielle said without turning around to see who was trying to get her attention.

"Excuse me." Xena said, gripping the bard's earlobe between her fingers and pulling the young woman off her stool.

"Ow ow ow…what gives? Oh, hi Xena." she said as she tried to focus on the tall woman glowering at her.

"Hi Gabrielle." she replied, trying not to smirk at her friend's obvious condition, assuming she was just intoxicated. "Didn't I tell you to stay in the room?"

"Oh yeah!" she exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "That's what it was. I was trying to remember what you said. That's it. Yup, you're right." she nodded, then a confused look came over her face. "What'd you say again?"

"Let's go." she grabbed the bard by the arm and led her toward the exit, stopping just short of the door. "Charon."

"I'm coming, I'm coming." he muttered. "Always a killjoy, aren't you?" he began to follow them but found himself stopping at a table to place a quick bet.

Xena had just stepped outside, bard in tow, when she realized that the ferryman wasn't right behind her. She marched the bard over to a bench. "Sit and don't move." she commanded before turning around to collect her other charge. Before she could reach the door a dozen members of the king's guard rushed past her to enter the building. She stood there with arms crossed and watched as the guards began removing the gamblers and head them off to jail. When she saw Charon appear, she stepped forward. "Can't stay out of trouble, can you?"

"Oh it's okay, Xena." he replied. "They have a bed all set for me. I'll see you in the morning." he turned his attention back to the guard. "So what's for dinner tonight?"

The warrior shook her head and went to retrieve the bard only to find her no longer sitting on the bench. Half a candlemark later she found her admiring the multitude of brightly colored beads at one of the merchant's booths. It took more cajoling than Xena had patience for to convince the bard to return to the inn with her. "Gabrielle, are you hungry? Hmm? If you come back to the inn with me, I'll get you something to eat. Wouldn't that sound good right now?"

"Oh but this is just so pretty." she said, sinking her hand into the box of beads and scooping several out to fall between her fingers like a waterfall.

"Look, if I buy you some of these beads will you come back to the inn with me?" the warrior tried, knowing in her mind that the next step would be to throw the smaller woman over her shoulder and carry her back.

"Okay." Gabrielle said happily, picking out several different colored beads. Xena paid for the trinkets and tied the pouch to her belt. The bard reached for her prize but the warrior pulled back out of reach. "Hey, you said you bought them for me." she whined.

"I did, but you don't get them until we get back to the inn."

The trip back to their room took far longer than it should have because the bard decided to stop several times to look at something she found interesting, even if it was the shape of the bark of a tree. Xena had to resort to holding the pouch of beads in front of Gabrielle's face to convince her to follow, much like one would hold a carrot in front of a mule.

Once inside the room Gabrielle headed for the table, hoping that some of the tasty treats that Charon had made were still there. Of course she had eaten all of them earlier. "Oh!" she exclaimed, rummaging through her satchel until she was able to pull out several brownies. "I forgot all about these." she said and proceeded to polish them all off without offering the warrior a single bite.

Xena removed her armor and slumped into a chair to remove her boots, slightly miffed that the bard didn't even offer her one of what apparently were delicious brownies. Gabrielle found a bottle of port sitting near the fireplace and helped herself to half of it before the warrior snatched it out of her hands. "I think you've had enough, my friend."

"Oh but my mouth is so dry." the bard complained, trying valiantly to reach the bottle held just out of her reach.

"Have water."

"Meanie." she pouted, stomping off to a corner and sitting down.

"Gabrielle…." she sighed, not at all looking forward to dealing with a drunk and upset bard. She set the bottle down on the table and stared at the empty plates. "Just what exactly did you eat today?"

"Not much. Just a few things that Charon made. He's a good cook, you know."

"That Charon made? Did you watch him make these things?"

"Well, I didn't pay that much attention to them, but they sure tasted good." she smiled, her annoyance at the warrior apparently forgotten. Xena picked up the bottle and sniffed.

"He laced the port with something." she sniffed again. "Some kind of an aphrodisiac I think."

"Aphrothingy? Is that why I feel like this?"

"Aphrodisiac, Gabrielle." she knelt down next to her. "And just how exactly do you feel?"

"Um…" the bard poked herself in several places. "I feel like I always feel." she said before breaking into a giggling fit.

"Wonderful." Xena drawled. "Gabrielle…Ga-bri-elle…how do you feel inside?"

"Um…warm and relaxed…I feel kinda good, actually. You know, those brownies were really good."

"Do you have any more of them?"

"Nope, ate em all up." she giggled and slapped her hands together. "All gone."

Xena reached for the satchel and had to jerk it out of the bard's hands. At the bottom of the bag, in addition to a multitude of crumbs, she found half a brownie. Her keen sense of smell picked up the faint scent. "Cannabis. Gabrielle, how many of these did you have?"

"Um…I don't know…how many trays are there?"

"You mean all the food that was here was made by Charon?" she stood and crossed to the table. "I don't believe this." she sighed. "Just how much of this stuff did you have to eat?"

"Uh…well actually I was kinda hungry and you know immortals don't really need food…"

"Are you saying that you ate everything that was on these plates?" Xena shook her head in disbelief. "What about the empty port bottles? Did you drink all of that too?"

"I was thirsty." the bard protested, not at all understanding what her tall friend was getting so upset about. "I'm an adult…I can drink whatever I want."

"Gabrielle, you're stoned, drunk, and under the influence of a powerful aphrodisiac. I can't believe you didn't realize that something was wrong."

"Something's wrong?" she looked around to find whatever it was that the warrior thought could possibly be amiss. "Where? I don't see anything-"

"Relax, Gabrielle." Xena scratched her head and tried to figure out what to do next. When she looked down at the bard again, she noticed that the young woman was studying her fingers intently, as if seeing them for the first time.

"Xena? Did you ever notice that we have ten fingers and ten toes?" she wiggled her feet within the confines of her boots.

"I've noticed."

"Yeah, but why is that? I mean, do we really need ten of each? It's so strange. We have two ears, two eyes, but ten fingers and toes." she continued to wiggle her fingers in contemplation.

"That's just the way we're made, Gabrielle." she sat down next to the bard.

"You know what else?" she giggled as if getting ready to tell a great secret.

"What?" she sighed.

"We've got two breasts too." she cupped her mounds and laughed. "Yup, two of them, I checked."

"Good for you, Gabrielle. What do you say we just head to bed now, hmm? I think you could use a rest right now." she reached for the bard's boot and began to undo the laces, trying hard not to look at her best friend touching herself in a way that she could only dream about. There had been more than one time when circumstances presented the opportunity for Xena to pursue the idea of deepening their relationship beyond simply being friends but each time her own fears held her back.

"It just seems so…so unfair. Why do we need two of them? Why do ours get big but men's don't? Why do we bleed each moon and they don't? I don't think it's fair." her hands continued to fondle her generous swells of flesh. "Hey, look at that."

"What?" she reached for the other boot.

"They're getting hard." Gabrielle whispered in amazement.

"Well, they'll do that if you play with them long enough." she pulled the bard's other boot off and went to reach for her hands, deciding instead to grab her wrists when she saw what Gabrielle's fingers were doing.

"Hmm…that feels nice." she sighed. "Hey!" she protested when Xena pulled her to her feet, moving her exploring fingers in the process.

"It's bedtime, Gabrielle." she said firmly.

"You wanna help me get undressed?" the bard said seductively, her fingers twirling the laces of her top. Xena swallowed hard and reminded herself that Gabrielle really didn't mean what she said, that the aphrodisiac was doing the talking. She had to remind herself of that more than once before she could find her voice to answer the amorous bard's question.

"I don't think you need any help." she said, silently congratulating herself for not answering it the way she truly wanted to.

"Do you need help?" Gabrielle said, pressing herself up against the warrior and reaching behind for the laces that held the leathers in place.

"I don't need any help either." Xena replied, reaching behind herself and removing the bard's wandering hands.

"Are you sure? Sometimes you like to have my help." she reached back again only to have her hands stopped by the warrior's much stronger ones.

"Gabrielle…" she said in a warning tone.

"Party pooper." the bard pouted, stomping off to the bed and flopping down. Xena sighed and watched as the young woman shrugged out of her small green top, her nipples fully erect. "Look at that, Xena…look how much they're poking."

"I see, Gabrielle, now finish getting undressed and get to bed." she said as she turned her attention to a spot on the floor.

"But I'm already in bed." she giggled.

"I'm not in the mood for this tonight." the warrior said, pulling the bard to a standing position and reaching between their bodies to undo the belt that held Gabrielle's skirt in place.

"I thought you didn't want to help me get undressed?"

"I don't want to wait all night for you to do it either." Xena replied, letting the belt drop to the floor and unwrapping the leather skirt. She thought about helping the bard out of her breeches but decided against it. She didn't need the added temptation. "Now go to sleep." she said, giving the young woman a gentle shove back onto the bed.

"But I'm not tired. I feel good." her hands traveled back to her breasts. "Real good."

"Glad you're enjoying yourself, go to sleep."

"Aren't you coming to bed with me?" Gabrielle asked, scooting over and patting the empty space next to her.

"I'll be along in a little while." Xena replied. 'After you're asleep.' she thought to herself.

"If you're not going to sleep than I'm not going to sleep." she said defiantly. The warrior sighed and went to their saddlebags to look for their shifts. Finding them, she tossed one to Gabrielle and set hers over the edge of the chair. Within moments she was out of her leathers and into the soft cotton of her shift. She turned around and frowned to see the bard was still sitting there, the shift lying next to her. "I'm hot." the bard said in explanation.

"No kidding." Xena said wryly. She climbed into bed and turned her back to the younger woman. Instantly she felt Gabrielle press up against her, the hard nipples poking into her back.

"Xena…" she whispered as her arm snaked around the older woman's waist. "Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like?" her fingers twirled in small circles on the warrior's stomach.

"Gabrielle…I don't think now is a good time to discuss this. Go to sleep." she reached down to stop the bard's roving hand.

"Why not?" she pulled her hand out from under Xena's larger one and her fingers resumed their exploration, this time moving upward until they were dangerously close to the bottom of the warrior's right breast.

"Gabrielle…" she said in a warning tone, grabbing the bard's hand and putting it on her hip, figuring that it was safe. She was wrong. Within a heartbeat, Gabrielle began rubbing up and down the curve of the older woman's hip.

"That's it." Xena said, exasperated and tortured far more than she thought she ever deserved. "Roll over." the bard reluctantly complied. The warrior slid her arm around Gabrielle's waist and pulled her close. "Now go to sleep." she whispered into the younger woman's ear.

Everything was quiet and peaceful for a few moments and Xena thought that perhaps she had managed to get the bard to fall asleep. But soon she felt Gabrielle's hand moving against her own breasts. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." the bard replied, her hands suddenly stilling. Xena felt the silent chuckle and groaned in frustration before rolling over so they were back to back. She thought about moving to the floor but worried that the incredibly amorous bard would slip out of the room in search of someone to satisfy her need. It wasn't long before she felt Gabrielle roll onto her back and soon heard the soft sighs that accompanied the self-pleasuring. Xena tried to concentrate on what needed to be done the next day, on how she should spend time brushing Argo, on any number of things in her attempt to ignore what was going on next to her. The sighs gave way to soft moans and Xena buried her head under her pillow. 'I'm only human.' she thought to herself, hoping that her friend would hurry up and finish so she could get to sleep and not have to think about it any longer. But no matter what the warrior tried, her keen hearing heard every sound, her body felt every motion of the bard's rocking hips. As if that wasn't bad enough, her body was reacting to the activity going on behind her back as well. Xena gritted her teeth and squeezed the pillow tighter around her head, wondering if she suffocated herself if it would ease the intense desire she had to roll over and turn Gabrielle from her best friend into something far more intimate. "Oh gods…oh…oh gods" the bard cried out as her body stiffened and her fingers moved with blinding speed against herself. She finally slumped back against the bed and let out a long sigh. 'Thank the gods.' Xena thought to herself as she stuffed the pillow back under her head and tried to settle down to sleep while ignoring the aching between her own legs.

A few moments later the blue eyes popped open as a soft hand moved up her thigh. Xena groaned to herself. It was most definitely going to be a long night.

"You know, there's inflation and then there's swindling your customers." Charon said as he dropped dinar after dinar into the magistrate's outstretched hand. "Sixty dinars for gambling." he muttered.

"It goes up with each new offense, stranger. Next time it'll be a hundred dinars." the magistrate said, wondering if the strange looking man could afford that as well. It seemed like no matter what price they affixed to his fine, the stark white man with black lips pulled out enough dinars to pay. "I assume we'll see you tonight?"

"The way my luck is going, count on it." the ferryman replied. "Why, next thing you know it'll be a crime to cross the street."

"Only if you do it." Xena said as she stepped around the corner.

"Oh man, you again?" he whined. "Look, I've told you there's nothing you can do to get me back so why don't you just be a good little girl and go play with your sword or something?"

The magistrate took one look at the raven haired woman sporting armor and weapons and quickly pulled out his book filled with wanted posters. He flipped the pages until he found someone who appeared similar but when he lifted his head to get a better look, he found himself alone.

They entered the room to find a scowling Gabrielle waiting for them. "Charon, if you weren't immortal, I'd…I'd…well I would do something really rotten to you." she growled, shaking her fist for emphasis. Her head pounded and her memories of the previous night were fuzzy at best, but she remembered enough to know that he had spiked her food and drink. She had found herself half naked in bed when she woke up and prayed that the things she thought had happened were just hallucinations.

"Relax, Gabrielle. He's sorry, aren't you?" Xena said, pinching the skin on the back of the ferryman's neck. "Say you're sorry."

"Oww, why are you always trying to hurt me? Yes, I'm sorry." he muttered something unintelligible to the bard and received another pinch from Xena. The warrior leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "Charon, you'd be even more sorry if it 'did' work." she released her grip and motioned for him to sit down in one of the empty chairs.

Xena explained what had happened when she found the portal. While she was talking, Gabrielle found herself staring at her friend and trying to piece together the previous night's events. The dark circles under the warrior's eyes were testament to the lack of sleep, but Xena had said nothing when they woke up except to say that she had been under the influence of two different drugs thanks to the ferryman. Yet the bard noticed that Xena had taken a chair to sit in instead of joining her on the bed, giving rise to her fears that her memories of trying to fondle her friend had been real, that the drugs had caused her to act on long hidden desires. "…so we're at a dead end. Gabrielle, any suggestions?"

"Huh, what?" she said, startled out of her revelry. Xena flashed her an annoyed glance.

"I asked if you had any suggestions. Haven't you been listening?"

"Oh yeah…the portal. No, sorry, I have no idea." she said lamely.

"We have to figure out something. I passed a healing temple on the way back into town. They're overflowing with people that most likely should be dead but aren't. Obviously Celesta is still holding out on taking the good souls, but it won't be long before she'll have to avoid the wicked ones as well for lack of space." the warrior said. At that moment the bard's stomach announced itself as being ready for breakfast. "I guess the first order of business would be breakfast."

"Sounds good to me." Gabrielle agreed.

"I could whip something up." Charon offered, receiving warning glares from the two women. "Geez, no trust."

"I think we'll take our chances with the inn's food." Xena said.

Breakfast would have been a quiet, uneventful affair had not a scruffy looking man entered the place. With his short blond spiked hair and darker but equally short beard, Xena recognized him immediately. "Thersites." she growled, dropping her fork on the table. Gabrielle looked up and saw the Sumarian assassin as well, her hand reaching immediately for her staff. Had she had such a weapon when they first met, the bard was certain she would have beaten him senseless for climbing over her body while they hung precariously on a broken bridge. As it was, all she could do at the time was weakly pound on his body with her fist and hurl insults at him. "I'll handle this." Xena said as she began to rise.

"Let me help." the bard replied, visions of her staff connecting with his head a few dozen times filling her mind.

"No. Stay here and keep an eye on Charon. We don't want him running off."

The bard shot a look that told Xena exactly what she thought of that idea but she reluctantly sat back down. The warrior rose to her full height and turned her attention to Thersites. The other patrons looked from the well armed woman at one end of the room to the blond man at the other and decided that being between them wasn't a good idea. Thersites laughed as the throngs of people quickly left. "Xena, I still owe you for keeping me from getting the Sumarian treasure and now I intend to collect." without warning, a knife flew from a hidden spring attached to his wrist. The warrior twisted, caught the projectile, and whipped it back at him.

"You may find the price to be a little high." she said as she watched him duck the knife, the motion allowing her time to draw her sword.

"Ah, but I think it will be you who pays the price this time, Xena." he taunted, pulling his sword. "When I'm through with you perhaps I'll go after that little brat." the warrior let out her battle cry and somersaulted over the tables between them, landing her boots hard against his chest and bouncing back away from him.

While the two battled, Gabrielle and Charon failed to notice the brown haired woman slipping up behind them. Abrama took careful aim and slammed the hilt of her sword against the back of Gabrielle's head before repeating the motion a heartbeat later on the ferryman. By the time Xena was able to look in their direction and discover them missing, the female warlord had already loaded them onto a chariot and was racing out of town. The distraction cost Xena as Thersites sword found its mark, slicing a shallow cut across her left arm just above her gauntlet. "Ah, first blood." he said joyfully, raising it again for another blow. Xena pivoted, dropped to one knee, and brought her sword back, sinking it deep into his chest. Without waiting to see if he was really dead, she somersaulted to the far end of the inn. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest when she saw Gabrielle's staff lying on the floor. Xena raced out the back door and looked around but there was no sign of the bard, Charon, or whoever might have taken them. She heard a shuffling noise behind her and rolled out of the way just in time to avoid Thersites' last attempt to make her join him in the Underworld. As he fell to the ground, Xena rolled him over. "Did you see who took them?"

"Go to Hades, Xena. I'm not telling…you…nothing." he gasped as his mouth filled with blood.

Xena let his dead body slump to the ground and stood. "Celesta! Show yourself!" she yelled. A moment later she saw the beautiful form of Hades' sister.

"What is it that you wish of me, Xena?" the dark haired goddess asked pleasantly.

"Who took them?" the warrior asked urgently.

"I'm afraid I cannot help you."

"Celesta, if I don't find Charon and get him back to the Underworld you know what will happen. Please!" she made no attempt to hide her concern.

"I believe the fear you have is for your mortal friend and I wish there was a way I could help you but alas, I have no knowledge of this matter. I know all those you have sent to Hades but I'm afraid it would take too long for me to recite them." the goddess of Death said, her tone never condescending or judgmental. Xena sighed in agreement. There was no way she could figure out who took them by going through all the people she'd killed. She lowered her head and noticed the chariot tracks. Without another word to Death, the warrior turned and followed the twin lines.

Stopping to collect Argo, Xena continued her chase of the chariot tracks. Less than a league out of town, however, the trail stopped. She saw the chariot sitting on the side of the road, empty. There were horse tracks leading away but since it was the main road leading in and out of town, the tracks quickly became lost in the multitude of other hoof prints on the road. She came upon a fork in the road with fresh marks in both directions. Knowing that one road had to lead her to her quarry but unsure of which one, Xena stood there, indecisive for a few moments, before sighing and following the trail on the left.

Gabrielle awoke to find herself in the back of a wagon, her hands tied securely behind her back. Charon was sitting across from her in the same position. "Friend of yours?" he asked.

"Never saw her before. Any idea who she is?" the bard whispered.

"I can't remember the names of every person who rides my boat, but I remember her. She was one pissed off woman, as I recall." he stroked his chin. "Kept trying to tell me that it wasn't her time, as if I had anything to do with it. I'm just a ferryman, you know."

"Shut up back there!" Abrama growled from her seat in the front of the wagon.

"Must be her time of the moon." Charon whispered.

It was a good four candlemarks longer before they entered the burnt out remains of a town. Darkness had fallen long ago, only the full moon casting any light on them. Abrama stopped the wagon outside the only building that seemed to have survived whatever force had destroyed the town and roughly dragged Charon out of the wagon. "Hey, easy on the merchandise."

"Smart mouth for a dead man." the warlord sneered. They disappeared into the building, Abrama returning a short time later to collect the bard. "Let's go, Gabrielle." she said, grabbing the bard by the hair.

Once inside, Gabrielle realized that they were in what must have once been the local jail. They passed the cell that now held Charon and entered the next one. She saw the manacles on the wall and tried to remain calm. When Abrama released the ropes that held her wrists together, Gabrielle saw her chance. A quick elbow to the midsection knocked the wind out of the warlord. The bard raced for the door only to be stopped by the biting sting of a whip wrapping around her neck. "Oh no you don't, Gabrielle. I have plans for you…big plans." Abrama jerked the whip back and quickly wrapped her arm around the smaller woman's throat. Gabrielle's arms flailed helplessly in the air as darkness came over her. "This is called a sleeper hold. Before I'm done with you, you'll know all sorts of different holds. You think Xena knows something about pressure points? Wait until you see what I've learned." the warlord said before throwing the unconscious woman on the floor.

Gabrielle awoke to find herself chained to the wall. Her arms stretched out to either side of her, the restraints digging uncomfortably into her wrists. Her legs slightly more than shoulder length apart, the ankles manacled. "Ah, good to see you're finally awake. Now I can have my fun." the brown haired warlord said as she rose from her chair at the opposite end of the cell.

"Who are you?" the bard asked. "How do you know who I am?"

"Oh, tsk tsk, one question at a time, little one. I am Abrama, the worst terror the world had ever known before that bitch Xena cut me down. As for the other, well, I know all about you, Gabrielle of Poteidaia. You see, I've been in Tartarus for over seven summers thanks to that murdering scum you hang around with, so I've made it a point to find out all I could about her and about whoever she was with. She sends lots of souls to Tartarus, you know. I just have to mention her name and suddenly I have them falling all over themselves to supply me with information." she pulled a knife from her boot and pressed it against the bard's cheek. "Imagine my surprise when just a few summers ago I hear that she's turning on her own, fighting for justice of all things." she snorted derisively. "Then I hear that she's got a companion, a little brat with a big mouth and an even bigger heart. Well of course I wanted to hear all about that." she drew the blade down the side of Gabrielle's cheek, smiling at the thin trickle of blood. "Oh yes, Gabrielle, I heard many stories about you. In fact, some of the best ones came from someone near and dear to your heart. Tell me, does the name Callisto ring a bell with you?" the green eyes grew wide and Abrama laughed evilly. "Ah yes, she told me all about you, little bard wanna be. Tell me something…" she leaned in close. "Was Perdicus any good? Hmm, did you enjoy your one and only romp between the sheets with him?"

Gabrielle jerked hard against her restraints as she tried to lunge at the warlord. "Oh yes, Callisto warned me you were a bit touchy about that particular subject." she dug some dirt out from under her fingernails with her knife. "I guess it mustn't have been all that good, huh?"

"When Xena finds you-"

"Oh, when Xena finds me she'll wish she hadn't. I've been waiting far too long for my chance at her and I'm not going to screw it up like Callisto did. You know what that blond psycho's problem was? She was obsessed with Xena in every possible way. She had opportunity after opportunity to kill her and she just let them slip through her fingers. Not me, I never had a decent chance at her. I was injured and trying to recover when her band of murdering thieves raided my town and killed everyone. But now I have my chance at revenge and I'm not going to be as stupid as Callisto. Tell me something, Gabrielle…did you think that blond whacko was dangerous?"

"Yes."

"Well, compared to me, Callisto is just a little pussycat. She always went for the quick death. Not me, I like pain. Do you like pain, Gabrielle?" she brought the knife back to the bard's still bleeding cheek. "Hmm?" she pressed harder than before and dragged it down until she reached the jaw. The bard's teeth clenched tight to keep the scream inside. She didn't want to let her adversary have the pleasure of hearing her suffer. "Ooh, that's a nasty cut you have there. Better get that stitched up before you bleed to death." Abrama chuckled at her own joke. "So tell me, Gabrielle, are you and Xena doing it? Hmm, do you keep her warm at night? I bet it must be exciting, huh? Getting it on with a lying, murdering bitch like her. Tell me, does she make you scream?"

"We're not lovers." the bard said angrily.

"Oh, well then I guess she won't care if I do this." as she said the last word, Abrama brought her knee up hard between the bard's legs. While not as effective as it would be on a man, it was still more than enough to bring tears to Gabrielle's eyes and to cause her to release a whimper as the pain shot through her center. "Oh, did that hurt?" she repeated the painful move, this time with even more force. The bard was in agony and the feeling of helplessness only made it worse. She turned her head and locked eyes with the ferryman in the next cell.

"Hey, hey Abrama." Charon said. "If I can draw your attention away from your human punching bag for a moment, I might have something of interest to you."

"What could you, a lackey for Hades, possibly have that would be of interest to me?" the warlord said as she stepped toward the bars that separated the two cells. Charon thought quickly. He had managed to get her away from Gabrielle, now if he could just keep her away.

"I can tell you where you can find more wealth than you can possibly imagine. I can help you find an endless supply of dinars, make you the richest woman in all of Greece. After all, you certainly are the wickedest."

"What makes you think that I care at all about dinars, or wealth? Perhaps I just want to cut this little bitch here into lots of little pieces for Xena to find, then when the murdering scum is grieving over the loss of her little worshipper, I'll just sweep in and slice her throat." the warlord said.

"Then what? I mean, once you kill Xena, you'll need those dinars. If you let us go, I'll show you where to find them." faster than he could react, her arm shot out and grabbed him by the throat.

"If I could figure out a way to kill you, I would. Right now, shut up and leave me alone." she hissed, shoving the ferryman with enough force to send him crashing against the stone wall and into unconsciousness. She turned to look at Gabrielle again. "Now, as for you…" the warlord rolled up her sleeve as she approached the helpless bard.

Morning still showed no signs of either Gabrielle or Charon. Xena reluctantly accepted that she had followed the wrong trail. There was no way to cut across, either. She had to turn back until she reached the fork and then go in the other direction. "Come on, Argo…we need to keep going. I promise you an extra helping of oats when this is through." she urged the tired horse onward, hoping that the golden mare had enough hidden energy to help her get to Gabrielle, and soon.

Charon regained consciousness to the sound of Gabrielle screaming in pain. As he focused he saw the reason for the young woman's cries. "Oh, did that hurt? I bet Callisto never thought to break your fingers one by one. Tsk tsk, she just had no imagination." Abrama said as she gripped the bard's pinkie finger. "No, she didn't believe in torturing people for the fun of it, she wanted to see you suffer only when Xena was there to watch. Personally I find this much more interesting." with a malevolent sneer, she snapped the finger sideways until she heard the popping sound accompanied by the bard's screech of agony. "Ah, that's the idea…I like to hear my victims scream."

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size, like a rhino?" the ferryman said as he rushed to the bars that separated them.

"The only reason I don't kill you is because I haven't figured out a way yet, you creepy thing." Abrama snarled.

"You just wait until I return to the Underworld. I'll be more than happy to shuttle you across the river."

"Big words, little man." she stepped away from the bard and drew her sword, plunging it deep into the ferryman's chest.

"Oh, that tickles." he said as he backed away from the weapon. "I like being a pin cushion." he stepped up to the bars again. "Wanna try that again? This time aim a little more to the left."

"Arggh!" she growled. "You're just trying to distract me." without looking, she brought her booted foot up and slammed it into the bard's lower chest. Gabrielle's face was the picture of agony as she felt several ribs crack and gasped for air. "One more word out of you and I'll just run her through with my sword, do you want that?" the brown haired warlord pointed her sword menacingly at Gabrielle. "What do you think, little bard wanna be? You want me to just end this? Hmm? Come on, I want to hear you beg for your rotten useless little life." she rested her sword against the bard's thigh. "You know I have no qualms about killing you before Xena arrives. It makes no difference to me." she dragged the blade upward, slicing a fair gash up the length of Gabrielle's thigh.

"Please…" she begged as she tried to control her painful ragged breaths. "Please no more."

"Did you beg Callisto for your life? Did you beg her for the life of that useless impotent husband of yours?" she brought her knee up between the bard's legs again, striking with vicious force. "See, you know what the problem is, Gabrielle?" she spoke in a calm voice, as if it was perfectly normal to beat a person senseless and then try to carry on a conversation with them. "I don't need any reason to torture you. I don't think it even matters that you're a friend of that murdering bitch any more. I like torture. I like being mean and heartless. I enjoy hearing my victims scream like little children for their lives." she leaned close, pressing her fist against the bruised and cracked ribs. "But enough of this for now. I'll be nice and let you rest for a while. Perhaps we can have another session later, hmm?" she brought her right hand back and punched Gabrielle hard across the face. "You know…there's something I forgot to tell you." she swung her left fist, striking the bard against the right cheek. "I'm ambidextrous." she stepped back to admire her handiwork. "Ah yes, looking good. Well, if you'll excuse me, I think dinner is in order now. Nothing like a good torture session to work up the old taste buds." she cackled to herself as she left the cell. Once the door shut, Gabrielle's head fell forward, her tears streaming down her battered face and striking the dusty floor. Charon tried to reach her but the bars blocked his way. He wanted to say something, anything to make the young woman feel better but there were no words that would help. The ferryman knew that nothing would help save Xena arriving to rescue her. He hoped that Gabrielle could withstand the abuse that long. He knew that even though he was immortal, he didn't want to be around if the leather clad warrior arrived to find her friend dead.

Xena reached the fork and considered taking the right turn when she looked up and saw the town straight ahead. She dismounted and stoked Argo's nose. "You're not going to able to help any more. You've done well, now it's time for you to rest." she walked the golden mare into town and left her in the hands of the capable stable boy, taking the largest and fastest horse she could, using her palomino as collateral until she returned it. After giving the boy several dinars and instructions for her horse's care, Xena mounted up and headed back on the road.

She had been on the road for about three candlemarks when she came upon a lone man walking. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled as she moved closer and recognized him. "Linos." she said evenly, her hand lowering to her chakram while her eyes watched for him to reach for his sword. He made no move toward his weapon, rather raising his hands in surrender.

"I have no quarrel with you, Xena." he said, maintaining eye contact.

"I'm supposed to believe that?" she scoffed. "I killed you four summers ago. You were released from Tartarus to kill me, you certainly don't expect me to turn my back on you."

"Do what you want, Xena. I'm not going to raise my sword to you. You don't know what it was like for me, all that time in the fiery realm of Tartarus. I had a lot of time to think. I thought about what my life was like, what it could have been, all those people I murdered senselessly. If I had it to do all over again, I'd do it differently. Now I have that chance. Sysiphus released me. Now I'm mortal and have another chance." he slowly raised his hand, making sure not to appear threatening, and ran his fingers through his blond hair. "I know Hades will send me back to Tartarus when I return but until then I have this chance to do the right thing. If you want to send me back now, do it." he lowered his hand and held his arms out. "All I want to do is try to make up for even a fraction of the things that I've done wrong in my life."

Xena moved her hand back to the reins. "You were many things when you were in my army, but a liar wasn't one of them." she noted that he visibly relaxed. "Tell me something, have you seen anyone come by with two people in tow? I'm looking for Charon and a small blond."

"Charon's pretty hard to miss, but I haven't seen anyone since I've been on this road." Linos said apologetically. "Have you run into Abrama yet?"

"Who?"

"No, you haven't run into her then. You'd know if you had. If you do, stay away from her. She's insane, worse than Callisto." he shuddered at the memory of the mayhem the two women caused while both were residents of Tartarus. "Sysiphus released her several days ago. She swore she'd get you."

"I don't remember her. Do you know anything about her?" she asked, hoping for any clue that might help.

"I was in the crowd of people hoping to be transported back across the river by Sysiphus. He asked if there was anyone among us who was certain they could destroy you and she spoke up. She said you destroyed her village a long time ago…that she took thirty of your men down before you killed her. Something about being home recuperating from an injury and not being up to form."

"The village, did she say the name of it?" she asked anxiously.

"No, I'm sorry." he replied, lowering his head. "I just know that she said it was seven summers ago. Perhaps that'll help?"

Xena racked her brain trying to remember the specifics of her life of terror so long ago. There were just so many villages, so many people who fell to her blade. She thought hard. Certainly someone who took out thirty of her men should have been memorable. "Linos, have you passed through any villages recently?"

"Well, nothing worth mentioning, just a burnt out husk of one about four candlemarks or so up the road. Nothing there, though…looks like it was burned to the ground long ago."

"Burned?" that triggered a memory. A village in flames, people running around. She vaguely remembered one battle where a woman was trying to defend her home and was pretty lethal with a sword. It took her chakram to bring the woman down. Could that have been it? "Linos, is it straight up the road?"

"Yeah, just keep going and you can't miss it. You know Charon had better return to his boat pretty soon. The dead souls are so packed that I heard that Hades was going to tell Celesta to stop sending them down."

"He can't get back." Xena explained. "Sysiphus has blocked the portal from the inside with some kind of magic. I can't get to it."

"No you can't. There's about a hundred souls waiting for you to arrive. They'd never let you get near it. Why can't you send him through the Alconian Lake?"

"He's immortal…they have a special portal further up the riverbank. Until that portal is opened I can't get him back." she gathered the reins. "I have to go find my friend and Charon. I wish you luck in your quest, Linos. Perhaps Hades will take notice of your change when it comes time for you to return." she urged her horse forward.

"Wait!" he yelled, running up behind her. "It's important that Charon get back. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not unless you can find him. I'm going to go check out that village."

"Let me go with you. If it is Abrama, you'll need all the help you can get."

Xena thought for a moment. "Linos, I'd appreciate the help but time is not something I have on my side right now. I need to get there as fast as possible. If you were to ride it would only slow this horse down. I can't afford the delay. Good luck." she urged the horse forward. Linos looked at the woman he once served, remembered the stories he had heard about her in Tartarus. How she had changed, no longer slaughtering innocents, how she fought for the side of good now. This is what he wanted to do. Without any indecision, he began to follow her on foot.

Xena pushed the horse as hard as she could, slowing only when she felt the stallion's breathing become labored. By her calculations, the village could only be about three candlemarks or so down the road. She dismounted and walked as fast as she could while trying to let the horse cool down. Once she was confident that the horse would be fine, she tied the reins to a low hanging branch and began to run toward the village, trying hard to remember whatever she could about this mysterious woman. What did Linos say about her? That she was worse than Callisto ever dared to be? Xena found it hard to believe that anyone was more deranged than her nemesis, but of course it was possible. Despite Callisto's obsession with her, the blond warlord wouldn't have hurt Gabrielle until she arrived. That was a pattern that Xena had counted on more than once. This Abrama woman was an unknown quantity. What if she chose to exact her revenge on the bard before she arrived? The thought was enough for Xena to find new energy reserves and pick up her pace.

"Oh come now, Gabrielle, I thought you were made of stronger material than this." the brown haired lunatic said as she grabbed the bard's hair and lifted her head. "No wonder Callisto never bothered to try and beat you before Xena arrived, she probably knew you were too much of a pansy to survive." she let the semi-conscious woman's head drop. "Why, I've only just begun to have my fun with you." that got a low moan from the bard. "What do you think, Charon? You think she could survive another one of my sessions?"