A continuation / sequel to 'Gods and Demigods.'
Using Gungnir, his mighty spear, Odin killed the Dahak-inhabited body of Xena, killing Dahak as well.
While Gabrielle was preparing Xena's body for burial in Amphipolis, Autolycus showed up, claiming that Xena was inside him. After proving to Gabrielle it was so, they have to find a way to put Xena's spirit back into her body before it is too late.
Chapter One
Hearing Xena
“Gabrielle, it’s me. I’m here. I’m in Autolycus.”
“What?” Gabrielle exclaimed, quickly opening her eyes and seeing only Autolycus. She brought out the Chakram, threatening him with it again.
“What is this?” she demanded. “You learned how to impersonate Xena’s voice and thought you play some kind of sick joke on me? What kind of disgusting bastard are you?”
All the time Gabrielle was berating Autolycus, she was slowly advancing on him, the Chakram on high, ready to split his skull. And Autolycus was slowly backing away, his hands defensively up in front of him until he backed into the wall next to the door.
“Now wait a minute,” he implored her. “This isn’t some kind of joke. Xena really is inside me. And I can prove it.”
“Prove it how?” Gabrielle retorted.
“Ask me something. Something that only Xena would know about you.”
Gabrielle thought, then said, “I have two brothers, one of them is named Herodotus. Is he the older or younger one?”
Autolycus waited until the answer from Xena came to him.
“You don’t have any brothers. Herodotus is your father. You have a younger sister named Lila. And your mother’s name is Hecuba.”
Gabrielle slowly lowered the Chakram, but was still suspicious.
“Why is it I hear Xena’s voice when my eyes are closed?”
“I’m not sure. Xena seems to think that with your eyes open and you see me and you only hear my voice.”
“I want to hear Xena talking to me.”
“Then you’ll have to close your eyes again.”
Gabrielle walked to the side of the sarcophagus opposite Autolycus.
“You stay on that side. If I hear you coming over here, I’ll gut you like a fish.”
“My word. I’ll stay on this side.”
Gabrielle took a deep breath, then closed her eyes.
“Xena, why are you in this thief’s body?”
Xena’s voice replied, “I don’t know how or why. All I know is that I was in the Northland and that horrible god was controlling my body. Then I felt Odin’s spear tear through me. And for a just heartbeat or two I was in control of my body, then ... I guess I died, and the next thing I knew I was here, inside Autolycus.”
“What’s it like being in a man’s body. And can you make him do whatever you want?”
“It’s very strange. Everything feels different. Well, not everything. Just some things. Like having to hold my his, organ, when I he, has to pee. And the mustache, the different body odor, and his penchant for eyeing the women he seems to be an ass-man’. But other things, like hunger and thirst, squatting in the bushes, they’re pretty much the same. And since we’re about the same height, what I see is the same.”
“And controlling him?”
“I can, if I want to. But it’s a struggle. He has a very strong will. And I think the longer I stay inside him the weaker I get. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be ... here.”
Gabrielle opened her eyes as Xena was speaking and heard the last few words in Autolycus’ voice.
“Well?” he asked. “Do you believe me now?”
“Yeah, I guess I do. So how do we get Xena out of you and back into her body?”
Autolycus shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea.”
“Has Xena said anything about how to do it? And by the way just HOW did she get into your body?”
“I’m afraid the answer to both questions is still I don’t know’.”
“Then who would know?”
“Why do you keep asking me questions I can’t answer?”
“It just seems to me that being your this so-called King of Thieves’ that you’ve been around enough to know things, things other, ordinary people, might not know.”
“Okay, what’s with this so-called’ business?”
“Anyone can claim anything, including being a king of thieves. As far as I know, you could be the King of Liars.’”
Autolycus fondled his mustache, not knowing how to respond. Then he said, “Xena want to talk to you again.”
Gabrielle closed her eyes.
“Gabrielle,” Xena’s voice said, “I have to tell you something. When we were about to go up against Dahak, that was the god’s name, by the way, I never thought we could lose; I never thought I would die, so I never bothered to to say goodbye, or to tell you how much you mean to me. And I am so sorry for that. But I want you to do something for me.”
“What is it?”
“I want you to let Autolycus hold you. I know it will seem weird for you, but I need to feel you in my arms again, even if just for a moment. Can you do that?”
“Of course I can. Anything for you.”
Gabrielle opened her eyes and went to Autolycus, and after several awkward moments she closed her eyes again and slid her arms around his waist as his arms went around her back. But with her eyes closed it almost felt like she was in Xena’s arms, and she held her/him even tighter, her body pressed up hard against what felt like Xena’s body. And without thinking about it, Gabrielle turned her face up as Autolycus did the opposite and their lips touched, and then their tongues met. But when Gabrielle moaned softly, Autolycus hurriedly released her and backed away.
“Okay,” he said, breathing harder. “That was too real.”
“Right there with you,” Gabrielle answered, bordering on panting, but not feeling quite as embarrassed as she thought she should. But she started tending to Xena’s body to let the moment pass.
“Xena wants to talk to you again.”
“Okay, but you stay over there,” Gabrielle said, indicating he should remain on the other side of the sarcophagus. Then she closed her eyes.
“Gabrielle, I think I may know how to have my spirit returned to my body.”
“That’s great! How?”
“Do you remember when we first got together we were talking about invading the lands where the Centaurs and Amazons were warring against each other?”
“I remember.”
“Well, one of my scouts mentioned something that I just dismissed at the time.”
“What?”
“He said the Amazons had a shamaness, a very powerful shamaness, who seemed to be turning the tide against the Centaurs. And I was thinking that if she was that powerful, maybe she might be able to help us.”
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try to find where the Amazon camp is, and to ask her to help. Although I don’t know why she would. I hear the Amazons aren’t very friendly toward men.”
“That could be a problem. But maybe if we had something to trade, or could make it worth her while....”
“Such as?”
“I don’t know. But do you realize that you’ll have to take my body with you, don’t you?”
“I hadn’t thought that far ahead, but it makes sense. Of course the problem would be how to get your body away from here without anyone finding out until we were far, far away.”
“Okay, I have to butt in here.” Suddenly it was Autolycus’ voice Gabrielle heard and she opened her eyes.
“What?”
“You seem to be forgetting who I am!” he exclaimed, obviously annoyed. “I can get Xena’s body out of here before daybreak and no one will be the wiser.”
“How?”
“You let me worry about that. You just be ready when I say it’s time to go.”
Chapter Two
Stealing Xena
“So how is this going to happen? What can I do?”
“Hmmm. Well, I’m not used to working with a partner, but maybe I can think of something for you.”
Autolycus played with his mustache for a few moments, thinking, then said, “Okay, you need to get Xena ready to travel. Put something else on her. And you will need something else to wear as well.”
“And just where am I supposed to get clothes? This is all I have.”
“Look around. Coming into town I saw plenty of clothes hanging on lines to dry so there should be plenty to choose from. Just don’t take the good stuff, and don’t take more than one item from each neighborhood.”
“You want me to steal from these people?”
Autolycus started at Gabrielle as if she had just said the stupidest thing anyone could say, then he shook his head sadly.
“Okay. Fine. You be the good, law-abiding citizen, and we’ll just let Xena die.”
Autolycus turned away as if to leave.
“Wait! Stop! Okay. You win. I’ll try to find clothes for Xena and for me. So what will you be doing?”
“We’ll need a horse or two, and a cart or a wagon, and something, some way to hide Xena’s body. That’s what I’ll be doing.”
“When are we going? I don’t think I can be ready for a while.”
“We won’t be leaving until just before dawn, while it’s still dark.”
“Shouldn’t we go before then? I would think the sooner we left, the more of a head start we’d have.”
“That’s why I’m the King of Thieves and you’re just a semi-useless tag-along. If we leave too soon, someone is sure to see us, and once Xena’s body is discovered as gone, then we’ll be suspects. But if we leave just before dawn, we’ll seem to be simple peddlers leaving early enough to get to the next town in time to set up our goods.”
“Well, I guess that does make sense.”
“Of course it does. Oh, also, you need to get sacks of grain or something you can shape to look like Xena lying under a burial shroud. That should give us time to get far, far away before anyone discovers she’s gone. And if you can, find a weapon or two. They might come in handy.”
As Gabrielle nodded, Autolycus disappeared into the night. Gabrielle turned to Xena and pulled the linen sheet from her face and gently caressed her face and hair, unaware that a tear escaped from one eye. She bent down and softly kissed Xena’s cold lips and whispered, “Don’t you worry, this is going to work. We will get you back into your body ... somehow.”
She then put out all but one torch and left the mausoleum on her own mission.
Stealing the clothes she needed was simple, but the only weapon she found was a rusted knife blade thrown into a garbage pit. She tied it onto a broken tent pole she found to make a serviceable short spear. Plus, she also had Xena’s Chakram, but would rather not have to use it if possible.
For most of the night Gabrielle nervously paced, fearful of each noise thinking that someone was coming, and wanting to know why she was still at Xena’s side. She didn’t dare let herself nod off, just in case. But each noise also raised her hopes that Autolycus was back.
Despite her resolve, Gabrielle found herself nodding off. So to keep awake until Autolycus returned, she talked to Xena’s body:
“I want you to know that we WILL get you back into your body. How did you end up in You Know Who? Do you know? And how is it that he was here so fast? That’s something I need to find out. Do you think Ares had something to do with it? I think these gods have powers we know nothing about. I really wish I could have visited Valhalla again. And I wish you could have come with me. I think you would have loved it there. I’ve heard that the dead can hear our thoughts. Can you hear mine? Well, I guess I’ll have to wait until Autolycus comes back. And what an EGO that guy has, claiming to be the KING of Thieves! Anyone could say that, but that doesn’t mean it’s true. But I have to admit, if you were going to inhabit a man’s body, you sure picked a handsome one. Not that I’m attracted to him! Not at all! Far from it. Still....”
The next thing Gabrielle knew, she heard the clip-clop of two horses, and the squeaking of four wooden wheels badly in need of lard to grease the axles.
“It’s about time!” she chastised Autolycus, covering the fact that he had almost walked in on her asleep.
“That’s not too bad,” he said, eyeing the ragged clothes she was now wearing, and those she had struggled to put on Xena. He was wearing well-worn clothes he had found as well.
Together they put Xena’s body into the small cart, having to bend her legs at the knees to make her fit. They then covered her with a blanket and baskets filled with old clay bottles, and whatever else Autolycus could find to fill them with. Next they arranged, and pounded into shape, several bags of grain to look like a woman’s body, then covered everything with a blanket. The last thing Gabrielle did was to inscribe a small sign asking that mourners respect the dead, and not touch Xena’s body until it was time to put her into the sarcophagus that was being constructed.
“This town only has two roads in and out one east and one west. Xena told me we need to go west to find the Amazons, so we’ll take the eastern road, and when we’re far enough out of town, we’ll circle around to head west.”
“To throw them off our trail,” Gabrielle added.
“Exactly.”
The journey to the eastern gates took them through most of the town. Fortunately they only encountered a couple of traveling peddlers with carts similar to theirs, one going their way, and one coming into town to set up his wares in the market place. A few dogs barked as they passed, but no one bothered to look to see what they were barking at. A sleepy guard barely looked at them as they left the city gates. By the time the sun had risen, they were well on their way to find the Amazon camp.
Chapter Three
Traveling with Xena
“Did you find her? Did you find those people who took her?” Cyrene was beside herself with worry and anguish, and anger.
“Not yet,” the chief magistrate said. “But we will. We have questioned the guards who were at both gates. The one at the west gate said no one entered or left. But the one at the east gate reported only one peddler entering before dawn, and only two carts left. But the curious thing was that one of the carts had a horse pulling it, and one was tied to the rear of it. There were two people, an older man and his wife, but they didn’t look wealthy enough to own two horses.”
“And this so-called guard didn’t think THAT looked suspicious?” Cyrene’s anger increased.
“It was very early, just before the shift change. And after being awake almost all night...you understand.”
“No!” Cyrene exclaimed. “I do not understand. I do not want to understand! Where is this guard? I want to talk to him!”
“He is not available at this time, he is somewhere in the city, searching.”
“In the city! Why are they not scouring the countryside?”
“Because it only makes sense to insure they are not still within the city walls, hiding until they think it is safe to make an escape.”
“Incompetent fools! All of you! Incompetent, inept fools!”
xxxx
After the slight worry, when the guard on the east gate gave them a longer than expected eyeing, entering into into the forest, then circling around to finally being on the road heading west, eased their minds. But the slowness of the cart worried Gabrielle.
“You couldn’t have stolen a wagon? I can walk faster than this cart. With a wagon we could have hooked both horses up and made three times the speed we are now. Maybe four times.”
“Relax,” Autolycus said, trying to ease her fears. “Right now they are too busy searching the city from top to bottom. It will be tomorrow before they send out a search party. And even then, how will they know which direction we went?”
Gabrielle shook her head, not comforted at all.
“I want to talk to Xena. Can you drive while I do?”
“The horse knows to stay on the trail. Close your eyes.”
Gabrielle complied, then said, “Xena, does this guy really know -- can he be trusted?”
“Yes, for the most part,” Xena’ replied. “I know where the Amazon camp is. It is many days travel. But you are right, a wagon would be better, faster. In the next town I will have him trade the cart for a wagon. But you two need to travel as fast as possible, I can feel myself growing weaker. And my body will not last too much longer.”
Gabrielle opened her eyes. “You heard what she said?”
“I did,” Autolycus replied. “The next village is still a day away."
Gabrielle was silent until they stopped at a stream to water the horses, and to change the one who was tied behind to pull the cart. As they ate a small meal, Gabrielle got curious.
“So, just what were you doing in Amphipolis?”
“I was coming to see you.”
“No, I mean why were there in the first place?”
“I wasn’t. I was on my way to Athens. I stopped for the night, just two days from there, but when I woke up I was just outside Amphipolis, with Xena in my head telling me I had to find you and her body.”
“So you have no idea how you got there? Because I know that Athens is west and then south from here. Many days travel.”
“No idea. And I have no idea how Xena got into me, either.”
“Does Xena know?”
“If she does, she hadn’t told me.”
They traveled on the rest of the day in almost silence, and by sunset they were just outside of a small nameless town. The next morning Autolycus drove the cart, without the extra horse and Xena’s body, into the village, hoping to trade. In the meantime, Gabrielle stayed out of sight well into the woods. When Autolycus finally returned he had the horse, but was without the cart, and without a wagon.
“I decided that we needed food and supplies worse than we need a wagon.”
“So what are we going to do, just throw Xena’s body over the horse?”
“No. We make a litter to drag. Not only can we move faster but we can go places a wagon can’t.”
Gabrielle had no satisfactory argument, so she set about making the litter. She first cut two saplings as big around as her arm and half again the length of the horse. Then using rope Autolycus also traded for, she weaved them between the limbs until they were able to support a body. This she covered with the ragged clothes and cloaks and blankets. The ends of the saplings were affixed to either side of one of the horses, tied to the saddle. Xena’s body was laid on it, then several wraps of rope were used to keep her from falling off. Gabrielle mounted that horse while Autolycus rode on the other since he weighed much more than Gabrielle.
And despite her initial misgivings, they were able to triple their distance in the time it would have taken them even with a wagon. But after a while, Autolycus suggested Gabrielle ride backward in the saddle since she turned around so many times to make sure Xena’s body hadn’t fallen off. He was rewarded with a dirty look.
Over the evening meal, Gabrielle questioned Autolycus again, who wasn’t so happy about it, but he knew any lie he might tell, Xena would know and he would be forced to tell the truth anyway.
“I know I’ve never seen you before, so did you know Xena before she and I met?”
“You might say that. Back in the older days I more or less dealt in weaponry, you know, borrowed’ swords, spears, bows and arrows, shields whatever she needed. Xena was one of my best customers.”
“I don’t understand that. Why would she need to get armaments from you when she could get whatever she needed after every battle?”
“Like I said, it was back in the older, old days. I think it was when she was first forming her army. She only needed around sixty or seventy of each at first. Then it grew to a couple hundred. But when she and Ares joined forces and they moved on to greener pastures they didn’t need my services anymore.”
“So, when you said borrowed’, you meant....”
“Yes, I meant stolen’. I was a king of thieves back then as well.”
Chapter Four
Dragging Xena
“I’m sorry ma’am, but it appears they are not in the city, so we can only surmise they have escaped somehow.”
“They escaped? Somehow? Really?” Cyrene was incredulous. “Even I know they left through the east gate before dawn! Have you sent men out to look for them? Are they scouring the countryside?”
“I have had men looking for signs, but there are more than the two roads leading away from the village.”
“So?”
“So, how many men should I send out? And how many roads should they travel? And how far? And for how long? And what about the security of Amphipolis? We only have so many soldiers. And the volunteers have families and shops and farms to attend to.”
In her rage and grief, Cyrene slapped the magistrate, then her hands immediately went to her mouth in fear and regret. For several moments he looked at her, his expression unreadable. Then he said, “I understand your pain and your heartache at losing your daughter. And we will never speak of this again, but be warned my patience is running low. My men can only search until sundown today. If they are not found, then we will have done our best.”
Cyrene nodded slightly as the tears trickled down her face.
xxxx
“Are you sure Xena said to go this way? It seems like we’ve been going in circles for a couple of days now.”
“So you want to ask her yourself?”
“Actually, I would. Anyway, I think this is a good place to stop for the night.”
They dismounted, unsaddled the horses, and while Autolycus set up the camp and got a fire started, Gabrielle tended to Xena’s body. She had been coating her body and face with a mixture of Bergamot oil and borax and lard. And several times a day, dribbling water into her mouth. But the past ten days on the road, and the weather, hadn’t been especially kind to the her remains. And Gabrielle despite all she could do, she could tell the deterioration was beginning to increase.
“If we don’t get Xena back into her body in the next few days, I don’t think there will be a body for her to come back to.”
“That’s not the only problem we have. I haven’t heard anything from Xena for a while now. At first she seemed to be buzzing in my ear a dozen times a day, but it’s gotten less and less. There has been nothing today at all.”
“What? Why didn’t you said something? What’s the matter with you?”
“I just thought maybe she was conserving her strength.”
“I need to talk to her, NOW!”
“Well, you can try. Maybe she’ll answer you.”
Gabrielle closed her eyes. “Xena, are you there? Are you all right?”
There was no answer and Gabrielle opened her eyes.
“Are you doing this?” she accused Autolycus. “Are you keeping her from answering me?”
“No! I swear. If Xena wanted to talk I wouldn’t be able to stop her. Try again. Just be more patient this time.”
Gabrielle once again closed her eyes, and in a more gentle voice she said, “Xena, can you talk to me? You don’t have to say much, just -- just let me know you are still -- that you are still in there. We’re trying. But neither of us seems to know where the Amazons are. Please, say something.”
Then in a whispered voice that Gabrielle could barely hear, Xena said, “I I’m still here, but I’m so weak, so tired. You aren’t far now, not far. But when they find you, Autolycus needs to go to his knees, his hands on his head, or they will kill him. And you have to clap your hands over your head, and keep them there so they will know you come in peace. Not far to go, not far....”
And Xena’s voice faded out.
“Maybe stopping for the night isn’t such a good idea,” Gabrielle said, worried. “If we are getting close maybe we need to keep going.”
“In the dark?” Autolycus replied. “There’s no moon tonight. And I don’t think traveling by torchlight would do us any good other than the horses stumbling over rocks or roots, or us being knocked out of the saddle with low hanging limbs.”
Gabrielle reluctantly agreed to stay where they were for the night, but insisted they break camp at the first sign of dawn. To help pass the time and to try to keep Gabrielle’s mind occupied, Autolycus tried conversation.
“So, I couldn’t help but notice there were a lot of visitors to the mausoleum. Did you expect so many?”
“I really wasn’t sure how many would show up. Being that Xena grew up in Amphipolis, there were some who grew up with her. And I think that until she rallied the villagers to battle Cortese’s army, then built her own army, Xena was well liked by everyone who knew her. So many of the women expressed their condolences to both Cyrene and to me. But after Cyrene left, it seemed like most of the visitors were just curious to see if it really was Xena.”
When Autolycus opened his eyes at the first sign of daylight, Gabrielle was already awake. Both horses were saddled and the litter was attached to Gabrielle’s horse. She was sitting across from the dead campfire staring a hole in the sleeping man, chewing on a tough piece of smoked venison, impatiently waiting.
“Will you give me a little time?” he asked crossly. “I need to relieve myself, I need something to drink, and I need to eat breakfast.”
“Fine,” Gabrielle snapped. “Take your time. If Xena dies, what will you care? Other than the promise that I will kill you in the slowest, most painful ways I can think of. You would be surprised at the things I learned watching Xena and Ares.”
Autolycus hurried a short distance away to empty his bladder, then waited until he was in the saddle before he drank any water, and started eating the venison jerky. As the day wore on, and they still seemed to be going in a very circuitous route, Gabrielle began to notice something.
“Autolycus, have you been seeing all the horse droppings?”
“I try to avoid looking at things like that. It’s not something I’d care to examine.”
“Well, I have, and you know what? I don’t think they are from horses. I think they are from Centaurs.”
“You think the droppings are from Centaurs?”
“Yes. Horse droppings only contain undigested grass and straw. But the ones we’ve been seeing have undigested bones from swine and birds and cattle.”
Autolycus only shook his head, trying to hide his revulsion.
Gabrielle continued. “I think Xena has been directing you to take us in directions that will let us avoid them.”
“Why would she do that? We don’t have any quarrel with them? Well, at least I don’t. What about you?”
“No. I’ve never had any dealings with them. Although, Xena and I and her army avoided them while they were warring with the Amazons. Maybe they still are, and knowing we have to find them, she is trying to make sure we won’t be stopped by the Centaurs.”
“Makes sense. Uh oh.”
“What?”
“I just got a thought from Xena. We need to get off the horses and start walking.”
“Why?”
“Can’t say, but I think we should.”
They both dismounted and started leading the horses through a particularly dense patch of forest, and just as they entered a clearing, a half dozen arrows were shot into the ground in front of them. Autolycus immediately went to his knees, his hands on top of his head. And Gabrielle clapped her hands over her head, and kept them there.
From all around them, Amazons descended from the trees using vine ropes. They were surrounded with arrows aimed at them. A tall woman wearing a bird-like mask suddenly stood in front of them, then she took the mask off. She wasn’t unattractive, but she had a very severe and a definitely unfriendly expression. She looked first at Autolycus with distain and disgust. She didn’t look that much happier to see Gabrielle.
From behind her, Gabrielle heard one of them say, “She’s dragging a dead woman.”
“I can explain,” Gabrielle said. Then rushed to get it said before she was stopped.
“The woman is Xena, the Warrior Princess. I am Gabrielle. And this man is Autolycus. Somehow, when Xena was killed, her spirit went into him. Through him, she told me that there is a powerful shamaness in your camp who can put Xena’s spirit back into her body. That is why we are here. We meant no disrespect bringing a man into your lands.”