Chapter 8
Gabrielle lifted herself form the bow section of the rowboat that had brought her ashore. She splashed in to the clear water up to her knees and turned to take the travel pack already being held out to her by the captain. He smiled as he let her take the pack from him.
“Are you sure you have enough to last you?” He asked.
“Are you sure you don’t mind coming back in a few days’ time to pick me up again?” She countered returning the man’s smile.
“It will be a merciful break from the norm coming to see what you’ve found here.” He said and gave the oarsmen the signal to head back to his vessel.
“See you soon.” Said Gabrielle and she turned and waded to dry land, her travel pack thrown over her shoulder.
Gabrielle slowly moved from shadow to shadow in the rubble of the streets of old Knossos. She’d seen a ship leaving the shores of Crete as her own transport had approached the extinct island kingdom. The ship had no doubt dropped people off, probably the Thracians getting a step ahead of her. Moon light poured down on to the ruined city bathing it in earie shades of blue grey. The red paint on the old structures darkened by the night appearing almost black. Bushes and other wild plants sprouted through cracks in the old paving and street surfaces. Dust and dirt crunched under her booted feet. She knew she would be best resting at this point, gathering some of the strength, and food, lost on her sickness filled journey from the mainland. But she also knew that if it were the Thracians that had landed ahead of her she would need to push on. But push to where? She’d had no further visits from Callisto since getting the bronze chest plate from Amphipolis. So far every ruined street and square she’d entered had been completely deserted. If the Thracians were on the island they were choosing to stay out of her way. For now at least!
Now crouched behind a part fallen wall she glanced about trying to figure out her next step. Darkened and ruined buildings met her wandering eyes. Brushes and plants waved gently in the nights breeze. She looked up to the moon high above then back to the surrounding destroyed city. Finding a place to make camp would be a good idea for now, she thought. She scanned the buildings for one she supposed would give her the best chance of staying undetected by the Thracians should they be lurking about the dead city. Directly across from her was a large building, a whole wall covering one side of it had long since collapsed to reveal the walls partitioning rooms within. Darkness prevented her from seeing all the way to the backs of the rooms. But if she couldn’t see in then neither could anyone else. She got to her knees, gripped the broken wall in front of her and looked carefully about before making a run to the ruins opposite.
Getting to the old ruin she had to clamber over what remained of part of the ancient wall. Scrabbling about in the dark she found her way inside more through luck than judgement. But she was inside none the less.
Inside she tried to get her eyes to adjust to the deeper darkness. The far corners of the room slowly came to view, but only just and moving about was still littered with guess work. A fire would give her away should a patrol go through. Darkness it was. As for the cool night air, a cloak would have to do. Twisting to look over her shoulder she made sure she could see the shadows engulf her as she stepped in to the building proper she pulled her cloak from the pack as she went.
Gabrielle rose to the suns light filtering in through the missing wall of her nights refuge. Tucked away in the far back corner of the room she’d hidden in she was still partly shrouded in shadow. Lifting her head she looked about her surroundings and pulled the long cloak from her body. Everything was as quiet as it had been the night before. Not even bird song greeted her. Standing up and keeping an eye on the hole in the side of the building she rolled her cape, returning it to her pack. Swapping it for what little food she had left. She sat herself down and tucked in to the hard tack and swigged clean water from a cask.
The Thracian commander and his men sat around outside several tents, their weapons and armour discarded on the ground next to them as they either poured fresh water over themselves or ate the food offered under Vita’s hospitality. Tripods with pots hanging under them from cooking meals the night before now swayed empty and gently in the morning breeze. Ladles still poking out over their brims.
“So the traders men report the Warrior of Eli is on the island, but they don’t know where she got to after nightfall.” Said the officer.
The commander grunted. While the presence of the trader crew would be useful, they would make good fodder for the warrior woman’s sword, they were no experts in tracking and observation. Much as Vita would claim they were. “Amateurs.” He said gruffly as he pulled meat from the chicken leg he’d been picking at. “Send men to each end of Knossos and see what they find.” He then spat a lump of gristle on to the ground. “If they find her, just report back, no more.”
The officer stood and walked off to relay the order to several men still eating. Without question, and without putting down their food, they began gathering up their armour and weapons and trudged off.
Vita was tying her long locks back when one of her men entered her tent hurriedly. She looked over her shoulder casually at the man who appeared flustered and in urgent need to speak with her.
“What is it Tulus?”
“The Thracians have dispatched scouts to find the warrior woman.”
Vita paused momentarily then carried on securing her long hair behind her head. “Let them scout.” She shook her long hair as it trailed down her back. “They won’t do anything, this is just their commander showing his authority while in our company.” She turned and faced Tulus properly now and moved to grab her sword belt. “Just make sure our own scouts stay out of sight of his.” Tulus rushed from the tent leaving her to adjust her belt and finish sorting herself before presenting herself to the world.
Gabrielle pulled the pieces of bronze armour she’d stashed in her travel pack. Despite their size, the ornate design left little weight to hinder movement of the wearer. Crouched against a wall she looked at the armour as if hoping it would bring inspiration as to her next move in the hunt for the rest of Xena’s belongings. The armour rattled as she twisted it in her hands. Sighing heavily she looked out of the ruin, trying to think of where the armour would be best hidden. There’s only one place, she thought. The labyrinth. It could only be the labyrinth. It was such an obvious place but it had to be there. She pulled the pack close and slipped the armour back inside and tying it shut. She stood and walked to the open wall of the ruin, slung her pack over her shoulder and set off to find the labyrinth entrance.
Stepping over pieces of collapsed masonry Gabrielle made her way to where she hoped would be the main hall of the old palace of King Minos. The king used to condemn people to the minotaur in the labyrinth, perhaps she could find a clue as to where the entrance was from there. Picking her way through the rubble she scanned the demolished buildings every so often to make sure she wasn’t being trailed. Approaching the centre of the old palace ruin she could see it was in a worse state than the rest of the city. Probably best part ruined by looters over the years rather than the passing of time itself, she figured as she wondered about the lower part of some dilapidated buildings. Coming to a corner wall it was half collapsed and she could see in to dark rooms beyond. Pausing she looked up at the higher floors of the building and then back in to the darkened rooms before her. Finding a safe way up to the higher levels could take time, and besides, she wanted, needed, to go down. She disappeared in to the darkened rooms and hoped to find a way to lower levels of the palace.
Step by slow cautious step Gabrielle ventured further and deeper in to the old palace. As she went she was sure she could hear echoing beneath her. Like rocks landing at the bottom of a deep ravine or water droplets falling and landing in a deep cave. She stopped and tried to listen as best she could in an attempt to figure out where the noises were coming from. Nothing! She moved again. This time she tried her best to walk as softly as she could on the old palace floor. Carefully she moved one foot after the other still trying to pin point the source of the sounds coming to her.
A few more feet in and she felt a slight tremor. Just so mild she wouldn’t have noticed it if she weren’t already trying to locate the sounds. She crouched and waited for the tremor to subside. With barely a spec of dust dislodged by the tremor she moved on. She placed a hand against the wall and adjusted her travel pack on her shoulder while pressing on still at a slow careful pace. While the mystery sounds continued she relaxed a little and crept onwards. Another tremor stopped her in her tracks and made her flatten against the wall. If the ceiling were to cave in she would be crushed if unlucky enough to be under it. Pressed against the wall she figured would be her safest bet, especially with nowhere else to go, and trying to move in the dark too. Flat against the wall she could feel the tremor increase. Dust could be felt falling in to her hair and on to her body. She coughed at the stuff and waved a hand about her face to clear the dust from entering her eyes and nose. She allowed the travel pack to fall from her shoulder and held it in her hand as she tried to flatten against the wall properly without it hindering her. Suddenly as the tremor increased even more, she could feel it through her feet, her ankles and her legs. The ground beneath her feet was what was shaking, not the ceiling.
Without further warning the floor gave way.
With a loud yelp of surprise and sudden fear Gabrielle dropped with the stone flooring in to a deep cavern. Luckily, the stone flooring was already breaking up as it hit the water before her. Sinking harmlessly out of her way as she herself splashed down. She gripped the handle of her pack desperate not to let the armour within sink beyond her reach in the unknown waters. Feeling herself sink after impacting the water surface she kicked with her feet and used her free arm to swim herself to the top. She broke the surface and shook water from her face and looked about treading water. So this is where the noises were coming from, she thought wryly.
The cavern was huge, the sheer size making it an echo chamber of rather impressive proportions. She looked about for a ledge or some sort of shore on which to get herself. Much to her surprise several torches not far from her point of splashdown could be seen illuminating what looked like a small jetty. A dark doorway just beyond. With nowhere else to aim for she swam for the jetty. Oh well, Callisto, we’re about to find out just how unabandoned this place is, she thought as she pulled herself through the water. Nearing the jetty she started to realise just how cold the waters were. Shivering already she hauled her travel pack from the depths and threw it as far as she could on to the jetty. Using both hands on the jetty edge she bobbed in the water a few times to gather momentum and then pulled herself free of the cold waters and on to the jetty.
Rolling on to her back she gasped and shivered while wiping water from her face and smoothed back her wet hair. As her hand moved away from her soaked strands of blonde her eyes widened in disbelief and horror. Staring down at her in the torch light was a creature she thought to be a mere myth. Something made up to frighten children. Or a tale told for money by remnants of the old Minoan society that now wandered the lands as homeless nomads. The great bulls head, appearing upside down to her, huffed though its nose and grunted sounding displeased with her intrusion. She looked to her pack, it was still on the jetty but getting to it now meant reaching through the hooves of the minotaur. As quickly as she could manage Gabrielle twisted and made to dive between the creatures legs.
With surprising speed the beast leaned down and grabbed her by the ankle as she darted through its legs. With no effort at all it lifted her up and dangled her before it. Her arms outstretched at her sides, her free leg hanging somewhat limp at the knee and her weapons hung heavily from their places on her belt. She eyed the great bulls head now looking at hers. Once again upside down. Her hair fell straight and dripped cold water on the wooden jetty. The minotaur turned and reached to grab her pack, scooping it up as it then made for the dark doorway. Her pack in one hand and Gabrielle hanging in the other the minotaur stomped its heavy way in to what Gabrielle could only assume was the fabled labyrinth. Despite being up the wrong way she could still make out passage way after passage way lead off in different directions. All looking the same in the dim light provided by the torches in their holders. The creature made no sound apart from its heavy laboured breathing as it carried her. Finally arriving at what Gabrielle guessed was the centre of the labyrinth.
The room it now carried her in to was wide and circular. Its ceiling was lower than that of the passages and its one continuous wall was dirtied and streamed with water, damp and what she dared to guess was blood. She twisted in the hand of her captor and tried to look about more. Getting quick glimpses of what looked like piles of metal and weaponry stacked all around the edge of the room against the wall. Before she could make out any discernible objects she heard her travel pack with the bronze armour land somewhere close by, she then felt herself being thrown across the rooms centre and against the furthest part of the room. Still up side down as she hurtled through the air to collide with the stone wall. The impact knocked the wind from her lungs and she slid almost headfirst to the floor of the room. Falling in to a collected mass of various items. Some metal and some leather and cloth. She landed awkwardly and rolled to a sitting position and tried to get her bearings. Shaking her head and supporting herself on her hands outstretched to the floor.
Inhaling deeply she looked about the room and tried to ignore the headache building in her. Warily she dragged herself to her feet and stood looking about for her travel pack. It had landed against the wall atop a pile of items just as she had. She staggered as she took steps towards it and looked about the room. On top of a pile of swords and shields opposite her was what she’d been looking for. Laid out almost neatly were the remaining parts of Xenas leather garments. Her tight linothorax, her knee boots and bracers clad with bronze. Her sword laid across the top of them reflecting torch light. Gabrielle looked in relief at them only to suddenly be brought back to the here and now by the sound of the minotaur grunting as it watched her. She straightened slightly and rubbed the side of her head as she took in the minotaur starting to circle the room, watching her with its dark eyes. She side stepped to match the bull creatures movement, her arms reaching to her sides readying for a leap one way or the other.
The minotaur bent at the waist slightly as it moved sideways on its great hooves. The movement was slow compared to how it had grabbed her on the jetty. The hooves thumped down in to the dust one after the other as it moved. Torch light flashed across its face as it circled the room opposite Gabrielle. Grey markings in the black fur caught her attention. The mouth and the eyes were surrounded by greying hair. She looked down at the hooves as they moved. The grey showed above the hoof line and parts of the legs. The beast was old. Despite having fast reflexes the actual way it moved now showed signs of its age. Even though the hooves were thumping in to the ground they were slow to move the beast sideways. Gabrielle slowly reached a hand for her sword and parted her feet for better balance while sidling sideways. Slowly she drew the sword from its half scabbard and gripped it in both hands. The old beast grunted loudly and spread its arms as if challenging her. Gabrielle matched its continuous side stepping and spun the sword returning the beasts grunt with the action.
The beast stopped and backed away slightly to the wall. Gabrielle watched holding her breath as the creature leaned round and scooped up a large handful of the discarded metal objects behind it. Without warning the items were launched towards her as the beast twisted back round from the wall. A mix of goblets, knives, bracers and jewellery made of precious metals and encrusted with gems sailed through the air with great speed. Gabrielle gasped and rolled to one side, hearing the fragments hit the wall behind where she’d just been standing. Her roll brought her to one knee, her sword now in one hand, she looked at the damage done to the wall. Almost a certain death blow had the handful made contact with her. Quickly she looked for the minotaur. It was standing with its arms spread wide and entering in to bellow that filled the chamber. Gabrielle clutched her hands to her ears and watched as the beast now launched itself at her. Despite its size its age now slowed it down as it lunged for her from above, trying to use its height to its advantage. The great muscular arms powered its large hands at her in swipes aimed for her head.
Gabrielle once again rolled, but this time under each swipe taken at her. One the third swipe she rolled on to one knee and swiped back. Her sword blade slashed deep in to a large arm of the minotaur. The huge arm was quickly withdrawn as the creature reared its head and bellowed in pain. Gabrielle slowly rose to both feet, her now bloodied sword in both hands. In front of her the minotaur looked at its wounded arm and then back to the smaller fighter. It grunted and side stepped once more, now more cautious of the sword wielding woman. Gabrielle watched the beast move sideways, a trail of blood on the floor from the wound. The beast lunged again bringing both hands down as if trying to squash Gabrielle in to the floor. As before Gabrielle was able to dodge the aging beast and bring her weapon against it. Using both hands on her sword she slashed upwards against both wrists, the strike causing massive trauma to the creature. And then, as if in one single movement she slashed the sword at the throat left unprotected by its position. Bringing her sword to bear so quickly and with so much force Gabrielle was made to spin on her heels as her blade sliced through the throat and up in to the air. A thick trail of blood following it was sent spattering to the wall and floor.
Gabrielle staggered as she tried to recover from the motion her swing had sent her in to and turned just in time to see the great creature fall forward, lifeless. Its blood flowing like a river across the floor. Breathing hard from her efforts and relief Gabrielle lowered her word and stepped to stand over the dead creature. Grimacing she wiped the dark blood from her sword on its fur and sheathed the weapon. Stepping away from the corpse she looked about for her travel pack, retrieving it she pulled the bronze armour from inside. It was undamaged thankfully. She discarded the pack on the ground and looked about now for the rest of Xenas armour and her sword. She rushed to the items and dropped to her knees in relief and near rapture. Putting the piece in her hand down on the floor she slowly reached out her hands and lifted Xenas sword from the pile. Laid across her hands Gabrielle tilted the long weapon side to side inspecting it. Torch light flashed off the polished blade and bronze guard. It was just as she remembered it or could remember it. The slightly flared tip of the blade, narrowing down to the guard, the balance allowing it to sit comfortably on the palms of her hands despite its weight. The leather on the handle seemed to be in better condition than she imagined it would be. Gently she gripped the sword by its handle and flexed her fingers about it several times and looked the blade up and down. Very gently she ran the fingers of a hand the length of the blade and off the tip at the top before setting the weapon down.
She turned her attention to the boots and the leather linothorax sat next to each other on the pile of precious items the minotaur had been collecting. Very tenderly she lifted the leather garment first and held it up before her. The material was tough and rigid in places, a few cracks in the edges had started. But it was still wearable even after years of being buried. She guessed that someone, either the trader, or even the minotaur adding to its collection were to thank for that. Having taken time to clean and oil the leather to save it from its time in buried neglect. Lovingly she folded the garment and placed it next to the sword and the bronze armour she’d brought with her. Now she noticed the white undergarment and upper arm bands, hidden by the linothorax that had been placed on top of them. These too she lifted and inspected, and like the armour were in a remarkably good state. She folded the under garment too and placed it and the arm bands with the other items. Looking now at the final pieces, the boots. Her iconic knee boots, stood with the bracers placed over their toes. She lifted a bracer, like the linothorax the leather had become tough in places and cracked around one edge. The bronze showed signs of the green corrosion but was otherwise totally usable. She lifted the other and held them side by side.
She looked down at the bracers held in her lap and the other pieces of Xena’s belongings around her. She laughed briefly and then tried not to cry. “I’ve done it.” She breathed with tears in her eyes. “I’ve done it!”
She let go of a bracer and put a hand to her mouth and sobbed. The realisation of what she’d achieved rapidly sinking in. She’d collected the God Killer’s armour, Xena’s armour. But now what? Callisto had made no mention of what she was to do after she actually possessed the items. Not knowing what else to do Gabrielle removed the chakram from her belt and began to lay the entire ensemble out in the centre of the chamber. The linothorax was placed with the undergarment next to it, the bronze chest and back plate on top, the bracers just above the pteryges belt, the boots were placed laying down while the weapons were placed on the chest of the linothorax. Resting on the bronze chest plate. The sword tip aiming down, the blade passing through the chakram at the centre of the whole arrangement.
Standing Gabrielle looked down on the setup. Suddenly something didn’t look right, out of place, or, missing. Missing, but what? She examined the whole setup over and over. What was missing, what was it she wasn’t seeing? Her eyes started at the boots and travelled their way upwards. Pteryges, linothorax, bracers, sword, chakram, upper arm bands. Then the item she was trying to recall made itself obvious by its absence. The breast knife. The little push knife that Xena had taken from her so long ago after it had fallen from its concealment in her own clothing. Gabrielle smiled at the seemingly ancient memory.
“Technically that knife was mine.” She tilted her head in thought. “Let’s hope that little omission doesn’t make a difference.”
She waited in silence not truly knowing what to expect. When nothing happened her heart sank a little. She looked skyward, the ceiling of the chamber her only sight. She threw her arms wide and shouted.
“I have the armour, I have everything.” Her voice echoed slightly in the empty stone room. “I have done everything you told me to do, collected everything you told me to collect.” Nothing. Her hands slumped to the sides of her thighs. “CALLISTO!”
To be continued in Chapter 9