Part Eight
"I'll keep this short, you all have the sense to follow me. Tanit, daughter of Nzinga of Dahomey was kidnapped, along with Gabrielle. Desert raiders did the work, under the direction of persons unknown. I suspect the leader of this band was a Syrian called Shaitan, but I don't think he was acting on his own. Tanit and Gabrielle escaped. I met up with them in Egypt, at the house of a nobleman. I was riding with a desert raider at the time, a Nubian called Geb, an old enemy of Shaitan's. Somebody spread rumors that Tanit had been taken as a slave by an Egyptian lord, or a Harrian lord."
Xena paused at the shocked exclamations from Oromenes and Malache. "Keep your heads until I finish, it doesn't get any better. I think the rumors were started deliberately. It's smart strategy, to use any weapon to weaken your enemies. If I wanted to destroy a nation, I'd get them all riled up about something, then spread misinformation. Either the rumor got garbled, or it was set to indict both Egypt and Har. Nzinga roused her nation and marched against Egypt with half her army, taking the town of Sekhmet. The other half of the spears marched on Har, under her oldest daughters. When I was out of my head looking for Gabrielle I went to a Harrian temple in the wasteland and sent word to you that I needed help. You, Oromenes, sent me the entire Harrian army."
The Great King spoke from her throne, fathomless black eyes following the pacing Greek hero. "You are a Friend of the Royal House, Xena. I would deny you nothing." Oromenes said, in her light, clear voice.
"Well, that's a problem, too. The Amazons, all fired up about Tanit, saw the entire Harrian army on the border. They assumed you were marching to attack them, so they attacked first. No offense, but the Army of the Goddess doesn't have a prayer in Tartarus against five thousand enraged Amazons." Xena said, to Azarnes.
The General nodded, ruefully. "I know it too well. We've been losing ground since the first assault, our dead outnumber theirs three to one. But you said that Gabrielle is with the Amazons?"
Xena continued her pacing. "I brought Tanit back to her mother, to keep Nzinga from sacking Sekhmet. I thought that would defuse the situation, before it became a war. I thought wrong. The Amazons had already started fighting with you here in Baluchis. My status as a Harrian Lord got me arrested as an enemy, complicit in the kidnapping of the princess. Gabrielle managed to get them to grant me a trial, and not slaughter me outright. She must have talked them into releasing me once we got here. If I can get you to call a truce and parlay with Nzinga, Gabrielle can go free."
Malache took Oromenes' hand at the mention of Gabrielle's plight. "What about you, Lord Chabouk? The truce is easily granted, I'm sure I speak for Oromenes. We can't afford to fight the Amazons. What will they do to you?"
Xena stopped pacing. "I don't know. Make me stand trial, I suppose. My thought was only to guarantee Gabrielle's safety. You three will agree to a truce?" Xena asked, looking at each of them in turn.
"Of course. I will send a formal contingent to Queen Nzinga to parlay." Oromenes said.
"Oromenes, trust me on this, a formal Harrian contingent is not welcome in the Amazon camp. Send Azarnes and me, we're soldiers, we understand war." Xena said.
The Great King of Har rose from the throne, standing slender and dark against the Greek hero's armor clad height. "Azarnes will accompany you, yes. But so will I. I see that this war is in part my fault, for not meeting with my fellow ruler sooner. How could Nzinga hope to trust one she hasn't met in person? Every book on statecraft shows me this. The Amazons of Dahomey and the kingdom of Har need to cement their ties, face to face." The tone from the young King was commanding, assured.
Xena wanted to argue against it, but she'd been hoping that Oromenes would do this. The relationship between the nations had been sorely tested, and it would take face to face negotiations to bring them back into harmony. Xena clasped Oromenes' arm. "It'll take that kind of courage to untangle this mess. Let Azarnes and I command this mission. We'll take a small party, no company of guards, no ceremonial pomp. Just the bare minimum. I know, it's not Harrian, but we need to impress the Amazons, and we won't do that by anything but frankness and raw courage. Show up in their camp with me and Azarnes, and they'll respect your heart at the least."
"I'm going with you." Malache said, rising from the throne.
Xena looked at her, shaking her head. "Too dangerous. Sorry, Malache, it's not a good idea."
The former Harlot smiled, slightly, and took Oromenes' arm. "You forget, Lord Chabouk, I am Queen of Har. The Amazons will respect Oromenes for having me there. I'm also trained in diplomacy, politics and Amazon customs, from my time in the Temple."
Oromenes looked at Xena. "Would Gabrielle let you go alone?" She asked, settling the matter.
They left the camp immediately, under heavy dark cloaks. Azarnes retained his blackened armor and weapons, adding a sheaf of javelins to his horses' saddle. Oromenes had traded the robes of a Great King for a soldier's vest and trousers.
Xena had warned her against dressing in armor. "The Amazons are very sensitive to clues from their Queen. If they see the leader of an enemy nation coming in armed and wearing mail, they'll consider it an attack. They know me as a fighter, they'll expect me armed, and Azarnes is the General. You and Malache should wear simple clothes, that you can move in." She had said.
Azarnes selected the horses, mounts from the Royal Messengers, noted for their speed and wind. Xena knew his thinking, that he feared they might have to cut and run. She did what any good commander would do. She hoped for the best, and readied for the worst.
The Amazons of Dahomey rejoined the two halves of the army on a plain below the dun hills of Baluchis. Gabrielle watched the reunion between Nzinga and her daughters. The company of Amazons marched up to the Queen, led by two tall, splendid looking women, both wearing the red gold armbands of the royal house. In tandem they knelt, offering their spears to Nzinga.
The Queen went to them and raised them up, kissing them both. "I am overjoyed to find you both hale. How is it with the army?" Nzinga asked.
The taller of the two, Enomwoyi, clasped her mother's hands. "All is well now that you are with us. Is it true, Tanit has returned?"
"You will see for yourself." Nzinga said.
A great central fire was prepared, and the royal family gathered around it. Beer gourds were brought out, and wine, passed from hand to hand. The warriors of Dahomey were rejoicing to be in the company of their sisters and lovers and kin, the war with Egypt over, the battles with Har proceeding apace. They sat their spears on their knees, tore at the joints of beef roasting over cookfires and laughed to the gathering night. Gabrielle sat next to Nzinga on a lion's hide, in the place of honor before the central fire. Enomwoyi and Izegbe sat with them, their wives and soldiers sitting around other fires. Griots went from fire to fire, proclaiming the bravery of the soldiers who had battled the army of Har for the women who'd been in Egypt. In return, tales were told of the capture of Sekhmet, of the bloodless victory, and the return of the Princess Tanit to the circle of her mother's arms. Inevitably the tales included Gabrielle, the escape from the raiders, and Xena.
Enomwoyi, after a skin of good Harrian wine taken off the body of a fallen officer, sprang to her feet, calling out in a booming voice. "I hear much about the spectacular Greek! Where is the Harrian Lord Chariotwhip now, who thought she could deceive the spears of Dahomey?" The laughter around the central fire ceased.
"I released her." Nzinga said.
Enomwoyi, hearing her mother speak Greek, answered her in that same tongue automatically. "You released an enemy of the people, who might even now march against us? Mother, why?"
Nzinga indicated the small blond Greek sitting at her side. "Gabrielle, Queen of the Amazons of Greece, has taken her place. She will pay the forfeit if the Greek Harrian betrays us."
"A Queen, pay the forfeit? Is the fighter her family, her house?" Enomwoyi asked, confused.
"The Greek fighter--" Nzinga began, only to be cut off by Gabrielle.
"Has a name. Xena is my consort, and a hero."
Enomwoyi looked closely at the small Greek Amazon, sitting next to her mother. "Consort. You do this for one not your wife, not your blood? Greece has changed, then, since the days of old. I have heard that Greek Amazons cared for none but their kin, that their enemies trembled before them, their daughters walked with pride. Even their beast foes, the Centaurs, gave them heed and stayed off their lands." Enomwoyi said, with a gesture redolent of disgust. To her surprise, the small Greek woman stood up and faced her, undisturbed by their height differences. The daughter of Nzinga had her powerful whipcord build, her height, her mahogany flashing eyes. Yet, when the bard faced her, the gathered Amazons drew in breath. There was an undeniable presence to the Greek Queen that belied her stature, a power unlike the raw anger of the warriors. She had a knowledge of herself that made her tall.
"Greece has changed. We've learned that the Centaurs are not our enemies, learned to forgive and create peace out of generations of hatred and mistrust. We learned that a warrior's strength is not measured by the number of foes she's killed, but by knowing when to fight. And we learned that swaggering, drunken braggarts are more trouble than good for the nation."
A murmur ran around the fire, the gathered Amazons anticipating trouble just from the tone of the words. All eyes went to Enomwoyi. The daughter of Nzinga looked down at Gabrielle then moved like a striking snake. Her large hand clamped down on the Greek Amazon's shoulder in a buffet that would have knocked her off her feet had her stance been weaker. As it was she bent her knees to absorb the shock of the blow. Enomwoyi laughed out loud, clarifying the purpose of the blow.
"Eyhah! The Queen speaks, and wisdom is granted to the tribes. I apologize, Gabrielle of Greece, for insulting your house. Your consort has no enemy in me. If the trial proves her innocence, I will give her my hand, out of respect for you." Enomwoyi sat back down, to relieved laughter from the gathered Amazons.
Izebge asked Nzinga, "Now, if Oseye and Tanit would deign to join us, the family would be complete. Where are the girls?"
Nzinga shrugged. "Oseye is out among the nation, seeking what pleases her. I know not, these days, what that might be. And Tanit is in seclusion. I cannot lure either of them to my fire. But I am only their mother."
Gabrielle had a fair idea of where Oseye might be. Griots marched along with the army, including the famous Agassou the Panther, the chief griot of the royal house. From what Tanit had told her during their captivity, Oseye was enamored of Agassou's apprentice, Malika. The Amazon princess was probably out in the night with her griot's apprentice.
Nzinga had refused to explain the nature of the trial to Gabrielle, to tell her what she would face if Xena failed. Gabrielle wasn't able to question any of the other Amazons. She cursed the language barrier, and the quirk of Nzinga's that made her daughters, of all the nation of Dahomey, learn to speak Greek. I might as well be in Egypt, for all the luck I'm getting out of talking to Nzinga. - Gabrielle thought. Tanit was still avoiding her, and Izebge hadn't said a single word to her. Damn the luck, the only Amazons who speak Greek are the royal family, and they aren't speaking to me! - the bard thought, frustrated. Izegbe, Enomwoyi, Tanit, Nzinga, all of them useless for gaining information.
Gabrielle refused the wineskin that Nzinga held out. She wanted to keep her wits sharp, to be able to strategize. That's what Xena would do. Keep reviewing the situation in her mind, until a weakness in her enemies defenses presented itself. Gabrielle had trouble even thinking of the Amazons as her enemies in jest. Despite the situation she found herself in, she thought of the nation of Dahomey as her sisters. All Amazons are sisters, Tanit had said to her when they first met.
A thought ripped across Gabrielle's mind, clear as a strike of lightning. Sisters. She could get information from the one daughter of Nzinga she hadn't met, the one who might need an advocate for something she wanted. Oseye, who loved a griot's apprentice.
Gabrielle stretched and yawned, copiously. "This fire is getting to me. Think I'll take a walk, cool off a little." She said, to Nzinga.
The Queen of Dahomey was surprised. She couldn't lay hands on the Queen of a visiting nation and restrain her, but she could hardly let Gabrielle go strolling around the camp alone. "It's a poor night for a walk. Why don't you sit down and join us in a skin of wine." Nzinga said, in a firm tone.
"No thanks. I don't drink much." Gabrielle said, brightly. She saw that Nzinga was hesitant to command her, and resolved to use that to her advantage.
"Wait! You can't just go strolling around by yourself. It isn't safe." Nzinga said.
Cool green eyes leveled at her. "Not safe, in the middle of the Ten Thousand Spears?" She asked, innocently.
"You have to have an escort. As a visiting Queen, it is due your rank." Nzinga maintained.
"Oh, all right. Why don't you send Captain Musu with me? She looks very competent." Gabrielle said. Competent, and unable to speak a word of Greek.
Nzinga reluctantly agreed, not able to find fault with it. The Greek Queen had accepted an escort, one of the most powerful fighters in the nation. She couldn't possibly be thinking of escaping, not with Musu accompanying her. She had to let her go. Nzinga called Musu over and spoke with her. "The Queen of the Greek Amazons desires to take a stroll. Accompany her, and let none give her insult. Keep her safe." Nzinga said, and Musu inclined her head. She hefted her spear, towering over the little Greek. The blond smiled broadly at her, and waved her to follow. Musu looked at Nzinga, who motioned after the visiting Queen. Captain Musu shrugged, and followed Gabrielle away from the fire.
Gabrielle marched into the night, the hulking Musu trailing at her heels. She suppressed a snicker at the picture they made, reflected back to her in the face of the hundreds of Amazon warriors sitting around the campfires, eating and swapping tales about the battles passed, the battles yet to come. Some sharpened their spear blades, some slept, or joked, or gambled and passed beer gourds back and forth, but all around the camp spirits were high. They would glance at the Greek Amazon Queen and her escort, and roll their eyes at Musu after Gabrielle had passed on. A dangerous flexing of Musu's massive arms and shoulders quieted the humor.
Walking from fire to fire across the valley floor, seeing the red flames illustrate the handsome faces of the warriors, Gabrielle had to admit that the Amazons of Dahomey were as beautiful a gathering of women as had ever existed under the sun. The first ten fire circles she and Musu visited were the soldiers of Nzinga, who had been with her in Egypt. Each circle held twenty or thirty Amazons, with more off on the edges, blending into other circles. Gabrielle wondered if they stayed in companies, if they broke off into village or clan gatherings. There had to be a way to find Oseye.
They were near the slope of the valley where the dun hills rose up into the blackened sky. Gabrielle walked a little way up the hill, pausing while Musu scrambled after her. "Just wanted to get a good view of the valley." She said to Musu, who frowned and looked away. The Captain stood with her back to Gabrielle, leaning on her spear.
Across the valley, in what had to be the encampment of the soldiers of Enomwoyi and Izegbe, a bonfire larger than the rest burned. Gabrielle thought she could hear drums coming from that direction, and smiled. If there were drums, there might be griots. She pointed to the large fire circle, and tapped Musu on one brawny arm. "There. I'm headed off that way."
The Captain regarded her as one might regard a puppy, jumping and pawing at your heels. Gabrielle started walking down the slope, and heard the Captain sigh, then follow her. Around the great fire Amazons were ringed in a circle so tight Gabrielle couldn't see through them. The soldiers stood, shoulder to shoulder, blocking even the flicker of flame.
Gabrielle could the beat of hide drums struck with open hands, hear the shake of rattles, hear singing, but couldn't get a glimpse of what was happening. She tried to peer between the tightly packed bodies, to no avail. Frustrated, she turned to Musu, who lingered some paces behind her. "Could you move a few of them, please?" Gabrielle asked, pleasantly, and waited.
Captain Musu looked down at the small Greek Queen she was guarding, her face stony and unreadable. The woman had asked her something in that ridiculous barbarian language she spoke, and now looked at her with big green eyes, almost like a child who expects a treat. What in the world did the barbarian Queen want from her now? - Musu thought, and shifted her weight to her hip, leaning on her spear. This was the consort of the impressive Greek fighter, she well knew. She had seen the small woman curled like a cat into the lap of the warrior. What didn't make sense was the way the fighter did everything the Queen asked, even hung her head when being chastised. Where was the power in this girl-sized Amazon?
The Queen was waiting, staring at her. It made Musu uncomfortable, so she spoke to the Queen in Dahomey, the tone she would use on an untried girl. "I don't know why you're staring at me. Are you hungry?" She asked, in a deep voice.
The green eyes didn't leave her, so she shifted, hitching her shoulders. The barbarian pointed at the fire circle. Musu nodded, and grinned. The small woman couldn't see the dancing, and wanted a space cleared for her.
"How like a child you are." Musu said, more gently. She shouldered forward, her body clearing a space that the Greek Queen pressed after her to fill. The soldiers looked at who was shoving them, and faded back. Musu had quite a reputation, and none were willing to take offense when the scarred captain was holding her spear and scowling at them.
Gabrielle poked her head around the Captain's broad back and got a front row view of the fire circle. There were four women holding standing drums, beating out a open palmed rhythm. Four soldiers had stripped out of their kilts and vests, and danced around the fire in armbands and anklets, their bare feet swirling in the dust. Gabrielle blushed and tried not to stare at the oiled flesh, glistening in the ruddy light. The watching soldiers chanted an accompanying rhythm, occasionally shouting out encouragement to the dancers. It was a test of endurance, the speed of the dance increasing, the movements running from stamping, to kicking, to whirling, jumping higher and higher into the air. The crowd increased their chanting, urging the women on, the flash of teeth in the firelight, the momentary reflection of flame on sweat slicked skin, was all Gabrielle could catch as the dancers rode out the frenzy.
The drums abruptly stilled, mid beat, the dancers collapsed to their knees, spent. Into the circle, ringing with the silence after the chanting died, strode Agassou the Panther, griot to the royal house of Dahomey. Gabrielle knew immediately who she was, from the deference the warriors paid her. Many went down on one knee, giving her the royal obeisance, and even Captain Musu held out her spear in a salute. Agassou has been a warrior before she'd been called to be a griot, and still had some of the warrior's bearing. But age had slowed her step, and the weight of years bent her shoulders. Gabrielle guessed that she was in her seventies, a woman seamed with a lifetime of wisdom. Eyes black as kohl looked out of the map of her face, her hair was cropped close to her skull, pure white, under the cap made of a panther's hide. Her cheeks were scarred with running stripes, like the marks of a great cat, made after she'd found her spirit guide. She leaned on a spear haft as she walked, but the blade was gone.
"Children." She said, in a voice as soft as a cat's paw, eerily able to be heard all around the fire. "You celebrate, you drink, you dance. What victory have you won?" She asked, in her ageless whisper.
One of the dancers rose from her knee, saluted Agassou, and answered her. "We have secured the return of the Princess Tanit from the enemies of Dahomey. We fought the Harrians in three battles, beating them back into their own land. We now slake our thirst with the wines of their vineyards!" The soldier proclaimed, in a loud voice.
Agassou cocked her head, turning away, listing to other voices in the night. "I have heard that the Princess Tanit was freely returned, by the hands of a foreign fighter. I have seen the slaughter of the soldiers of Har, a people of a Goddess not so far from ours. I have seen the long spears pierce the armor of a sweet natured, pleasure loving people, who have never had skill at arms. Tell me again, why do you celebrate?"
Agassou walked around the fire circle, staring at the fierce soldiers. To a woman, they dropped their eyes when she passed by, their laughter gone. Agassou spoke as she walked, watching the soldiers bow before her. "I remember long ago, before your grandmothers were born. The Queen in that day was Yeye Omo, and she was famed before all nations as the bravest fighter to stride the dust of the earth. The Pharaohs in Kemet heard her name, and they shook in their gilded collars, in their skirts of linen. In Ethiopia, the Kandake's court, bristling with proud warriors, fell silent when mention was made of Yeye Omo. Memnon the Great, the most handsome man in all the world, the hero who went to fight with the Greeks in their lands, was known to step aside, that he might not brush her path with his shadow. All feared Yeye Omo! All praised Yeye Omo! In the palace of heaven, Oya the warrior, She who is the gatekeeper of cemeteries, heard the praises the living were heaping on Yeye Omo. Her warrior's pride grew hot, on hearing the boasts the Amazons made about their Queen. 'The waters of raging rivers turn aside from Yeye Omo and let her pass!' 'The sun darkens when Yeye Omo is angry!'
The heavenly court heard these things, Oya heard these things. Anansi the Trickster, heard these things. He came crawling up to Oya, lady of fires and lightning, and kissed her feet. 'I sorrow for you, Great Oya! A member of the living has taken over your domain! Mortals now pray to Yeye Omo for bravery, for success in battle. Soon your name will be forgotten.' At this Oya waxed wroth, and shook out the fires of heaven from her hands. 'There are none who are braver than I!' She cried out, in her pride. 'Yeye Omo will be taught the meaning of fear.'
Anansi the Trickster said to her, fawning, that he would be glad to see it, to see her receive her glory from the living once again. So Oya was set in her mind, and rode the lightning down to earth. She watched the village of Yeye Omo, carefully, for the turning of two days. She saw how the Amazons bowed down to their Queen, how their praise brought a smile to the face of Yeye Omo. Oya knew what she would do. The praise of her women was what Yeye Omo valued most, so that is what she would take away.
Oya went to Oshun, mistress of sweet waters, and said to her, 'Hold back the water from the lands of the Amazons. Let the rivers dry up, let the cattle die for lack of drink. Let the women suffer, let the children wail.' So Oshun did so. The land became as dry as a bone left in the desert sun. The grass grew gray and parched, the crops failed, the cattle died. The women suffered from lack of food, the children began to die. Plague stalked the land, taking away with her every third woman from every house.
The women cried out to their Queen, save us, save us Yeye Omo! But the Queen could not, for how does a warrior make it rain? How does a strong spear hand fight off plague? So she trembled in her fear, and her women died around her. They turned away from their praise, cursing her name, for they knew even then that the Queen is the nation. If all is well and the favor of heaven is on the queen, Dahomey will prosper. If the favor of heaven leaves the Queen, the nation will suffer. Yeye Omo suffered despair. She put aside her spear and wandered off into the grasslands, crying out to the orishas. 'Help me, emissaries! My people are dying, my land is a dry bone! Let me know what I may do, to bring back the water.'
Hearing this plaintive cry, Oya appeared to her. Her warrior's pride was set aside, she took pity on Yeye Omo. 'I will send the water back to your nation. But remember this, Yeye Omo- never let me hear your women falsely praising bravery again, or I will show them the meaning of fear.'"
Agassou finished her story, standing directly in front of Captain Musu and Gabrielle. The warriors walked away from the firelight, chastised. Agassou regarded the Greek woman with her bright black eyes. She said to Musu, "This is the Queen of the Greek Amazons, of whom I have heard much?"
"Yes, Agassou. But she doesn't speak out tongue." Musu said.
The griot motioned with her staff to edges of the firelight. "Bring her. The playmate of my apprentice speaks her language. There are things for us to discuss."
Agassou walked into the night, away from the gathered Amazons. Her own small fire was set near the outcropping of stone at the foot of the hills. She walked surely over the broken ground, leaving Gabrielle and Musu struggling to keep up. As she approached her camp, she clapped her walking stick on the ground, calling out "Enough kissing. We have guests."
A form seated in the shadow of the tent sprang apart, becoming two distinct outlines. One ran to Agassou's side, helping the ancient woman lower herself to a camp chair. She took the walking stick and panther skin cap, setting them reverently aside. Her hair was close cropped like Agassou's. A necklace of cowry shells and red, yellow and black stones hung around her neck. She had a pretty, mobile face, and looked to be about sixteen. The girl she'd been kissing came shyly into the firelight. She was the same age, but had the elaborate braids of a warrior. On her left arm, she wore the red gold lioness of the royal house. Agassou spoke to her, her black eyes watching Gabrielle closely.
The girl then addressed Gabrielle in Greek. "I am Oseye, Nzinga's daughter. The lady requests that I introduce everyone. She is Agassou the Panther, griot to our house. here is Malika, her apprentice." Oseye recited this dutifully, then walked forward and offered her hand to Gabrielle. "Tanit told me about you. Thank you for saving her."
Oseye went and sat on the ground next to Agassou's chair. She walked to Malika's side, but a small hrumphing noise from Agassou made her stop, and sit on the other side of the chair.
"Please tell Agassou that I need to speak with her."
The griot laughed, when informed of what the Greek Queen had said. How delightful the young woman was! Agassou kept laughing through her words, leaving Oseye to translate.
"The lady says that of course you need to speak with her, she invited you here. She wants you to tell her about your capture, about meeting with Tanit."
Gabrielle did, and Agassou appeared to be listening, at least partially. She kept opening a pouch of shells at her waist, casting them out into the palm of her hand, shaking them, then putting them back. She showed a handful to Malika, then had the girl throw more wood on the fire. She then sent Malika to her tent to get a gourd. Agassou poured a measure out onto the ground, held the gourd high, then started drinking. When Gabrielle paused in her tale, and Oseye paused in reciting it, she tapped Malika on the shoulder, and sent her running out into the night.
"Malika goes to fetch Tanit. Agassou says that the signs are all there, you tell her no ordinary tale. She wants to ask you certain things, to see if you understand them. Did you hear the tale she told the warriors, earlier?" Oseye asked.
Gabrielle shook her head. "It was in Dahomey, I couldn't follow it."
Agassou interrupted, and had Oseye recite the tale for Gabrielle.
"Now, what do you make of that story?"
"It's a cautionary tale, to warn against false pride. It's meant to teach warriors that there is more than one type of strength, and no matter how strong you are, you can't stop plague or disasters. It's a reminder that the gods watch our behavior, and are given to interfering, given to emotional involvement's, pride and vanity." Gabrielle said, after a moment of reflection.
Agassou lifted her hand and held it level. "That is the level the people hear. You are a storyteller, what is the level a storyteller hears?"
"It gives a clue as to how the gods operate. Oya is proud, but she wouldn't have gotten involved if Anansi hadn't manipulated her. It shows his strength, the strength of rumor and emotion to sway warriors, without their knowledge. It shows that weakness being exploited, by Anansi, who is never caught or punished. It is a cautionary tale, but also a tale of strength. The strength of the Trickster. And it reminds us that the Queen and the nation are one. If Yeye Omo hadn't been unbalanced in her pride, Anansi wouldn't have had an opening to interfere with the Amazons. It's a parallel to what's happening now. Nzinga is unbalanced, and it left an opening for Anansi to make trouble for the nation. You think he's behind all this?"
Agassou lost her mirth. The sadness that came over her face was sadness born of great love, of knowing how human beings often fall prey to their own weaknesses. "We are all pawns of the Spider. We, all of Dahomey, the kingdom of Har, you and your Greek consort. It is his delight to weave chaos, setting things on their heads, drawing together impossible happenings. Who else would delight in age-old allies going to war? He weaves, and we catch ourselves in his web."
Malika returned, with Tanit in tow. It was the first Gabrielle had seen of the girl since Xena had been arrested. She looked terrible, as if demons haunted her sleep. Her eyes were hollow when she glanced at Gabrielle, and she flinched as if burned. Agassou spoke gently to her, and she sat down next to Oseye.
"There is a way. There is a way for all to be revealed. Once we recognize the schemes of Anansi, his power over us lessens. The Spider overstepped himself, this time. He took the nation and set it to war against Har. Oya the warrior is guardian of Dahomey, she and Har will not be pleased that Anansi has been manipulating their people. Blood has been shed, it is a jest no more. We have to unweave the web Anansi has cast. Now, Gabrielle, tell me what a griot hears from the tale."
"When Yeye Omo and Oya spoke face to face, the trouble stopped. To set things right, we have to reveal them. Anansi has to be shown as the author of these events, Oya has to speak to the Amazons directly. I think Nzinga is the key, the Queen and the nation are one. If we can heal Nzinga, we can heal the nation." Gabrielle said, her excitement rising.
Agassou agreed, through Oseye, but kept questioning her. "How? What does Nzinga need?"
"She misses her wife, Mazena. I think she needs to grieve, but I don't know how to get her to do that. She needs to speak with Mazena, but that's impossible. The dead can hear our thoughts, but we can't hear them, at least, not most of the time."
"Ah, you are half of a wonderful balance, you see the lack in Nzinga. She won't hear it, from her own people, from her family. She has been cut off too long, her heart is hard. Her house is out of harmony. You hold the heart of your warrior, I see this. If you are there, she is there - balanced, powerful. She is might fight and strive, but needs you to be free to do so. Were her eyes not fixed on you, she would be lost in the outer darkness, beyond the light of home. So it is with Nzinga, but she will never reveal this weakness.
It is like the relationship of a griot to the nation. A griot carries the nation's heart. We remind the people of what is best in them, of what to be wary. Anansi found you with Tanit for a reason, beginning this mess. I think he put you there, to in the end undo his own scheme. I think he feels pity for the nation, with the Queen's heart on the ground. We are not so amusing anymore. So this is his way of reminding us. Your balance is new; it is our reminder. You will help me to heal the nation."
Agassou tilted the gourd again, pouring a libation on the earth between herself and Gabrielle. "Before we heal the nation, we must be of one mind together, or the openings for Anansi's mischief will be very great. So. You tell me your desire, Queen of Greece, that it not be hidden, and open to the weavings of the Spider. "
"I want Xena back, I want her to be alright. That above all. I want Har and Dahomey to be allies again, the war to end. And, I'd like Nzinga to return to her family. I think Tanit and Oseye both need her."
"Good! You speak from the heart, and so the spirits will hear you. Your consort above all, the nations after, the family of Nzinga then. Eyha! It is good to see a heart that knows itself. I, Agassou, want the nation healed above all. The Queen must be in harmony. Then, her family, whom are my own responsibility. Then, your consort returned to you, for you are a friend to us. We have the same goals, in different order; there is no fear between us for Anansi to play. Now, these girls gathered about my chair, must be as honest, or the web will be open. You, pretty daughter of Nzinga, who are always kissing on my apprentice. You tell from your heart your goals."
"I want Mother to be healed, so we can be a family again. I want her to let Malika in, as my bride. I want the nation to be healed." Oseye said, with a glance at Malika. The girl blushed, and dropped her head, pleased and embarrassed.
Agassou caressed the head of her apprentice. "You now, shy girl. You must learn to speak as a griot, from the heart.
"I love Oseye. But I want Nzinga to be healed before all, then all can come from there." Malika said, in a quiet voice.
Agassou smiled indulgently."Ah, you are wise to know that all comes from that, and your own desire is supported in it. Never forget, the nation carries you, you carry the nation's heart. It is a good order you have chosen, and I am pleased with you."
Tanit sat back, her knees drawn up under her chin. Her shadow haunted mahogany eyes flickered from Oseye, to Agassou, to Gabrielle. Agassou glanced to her. "You, now, new warrior, daughter of Nzinga. You must tell."
The girl shook her head, the braids shaking on her shoulders. "Agassou, I cannot."
"Child, desire is only a knife in your heart if it is unspoken. Once given form in the breath it can become many things, it can rise to fulfillment, it can blow away on the wind, but it cannot stab you any longer. Speak it, that it might be released from you and given rest. Speak, and grant yourself peace."
Tanit's head dropped down onto her folded arms. When she raised it, into the silence of the night, into the face of gentle green eyes, there were tears on her cheeks. "You gave me hope when I had given up. You gave me a reason to be brave, when I had none. I became something more than myself in saving you. I wanted to give you my heart. There was only room in you for the Greek fighter, for Xena. So I wanted her gone. If she were, you might look here, in Dahomey, for a new consort. I told Nzinga about her being a Harrian Lord. Worse was what I didn't say." The tears poured from Tanit's eyes, blinding her. "I let my mother believe that Xena might have kidnapped us when I knew it could not be so. I let this lie gain strength in my silence, until the trial was granted. I tried to take from you the only thing you ever told me you loved. I know that you will never forgive me. In doing what I did, I slaughtered all that was good in me. I do not deserve the spear of the nation."
Tanit's head went back down on her folded arms, and she sobbed as quietly as she could, muffling the sound. Oseye stood, but a single sharp motion from Agassou made her sit back down.
Gabrielle got up and went over to Tanit, kneeling next to her. She put her arms out, drawing the girl against her. "Shh. I was angry, Tanit, when I didn't know how to save her. I never hated you. You're wrong about a few things, you know."
Tanit pulled away, looking at the Greek Queen. "In what am I wrong?"
"You were brave because you have that bravery in you. You're the daughter of Nzinga of Dahomey! You didn't need me. And you didn't slaughter everything that was good in you. You made a bad decision. We all do that, I've done it more than I care to remember. But now you get to choose. You can do the right thing, help set things back the way they should be. That's what separates a warrior from an untried girl, the warrior knows that things aren't easy, but chooses to do what is right despite the pain."
Mahogany eyes met green, and held them. "You should have been born in Dahomey, Gabrielle. You are wasted on Greece. I cannot give you my heart, but will you take my hand?" Tanit held out her arm, and met Gabrielle's in a firm clasp.
"I'd be proud to. And don't give up on your heart, Tanit. When you least expect it, a girl will come along that will knock you right off your feet. Particularly when you least expect it." Gabrielle said, with a broad grin.
Agassou clapped her hands. "Good! All is clear. Now, to the business of the ceremony. Here are the things that you will need to tell your consort, Gabrielle of Greece. Listen well, and remember all. The nation rests on these words."
The Harrian royal party, such as it was, arrived at the fringes of the camp, met by surprised Amazon sentries. It looked like soldiers deserting from the embattled Army of the Goddess, until the lead rider threw back her cloak and roared at them. They recognized the Greek fighter, even if they couldn't understand her. Another of the riders, a young Harrian woman with brilliant red hair and bright green eyes pulled down her hood and rode forward. The Harrian was beautiful, as many of their women so often are, and charmed the guards by speaking their language. She praised their strength and courage, extolled their virtues as a nation, and politely requested an audience with Nzinga, who would surely be very grateful to them for providing an escort. Proud, pleased, and thinking that a chance to visit the Red City and get to know the women there might not be a bad idea, the guards provided them escort into the heart of the camp.
Following the Greek fighter's signal they dismounted and shed their cloaks. The Amazons could see that the Harrian woman was unarmed, other than her beauty. Her companion, a slim dark boy with a god's face was similarly unarmed. The older Harrian man wore blackened mail, a round iron helmet, and a straight sword rode his hip. The Greek wore her armor and weapons. Nzinga had released the Greek fighter, and given her the weapons back, so the guards let her keep them. What danger from one armed woman, in the camp of the nation of Dahomey?
Into the center of camp they marched, the fire circle of the royal family drawing them on. Into the fire circle strode Xena, her hands itching to snap to Chakram and sword hilt, an urge she ruthlessly restrained. She walked back into captivity, to spare Gabrielle. There was no other choice. Nzinga rose from her seat by the fire, her eldest daughters flanking her. All three women had a similar look, power and beauty mingled with strength, marred in Nzinga with the unmistakable addition of profound grief.
"You returned, Xena. Your word is good, Gabrielle of Greece is free of your forfeit. And the war? What said the Great King of Har to your request?" Nzinga said, in Greek.
"Ask the Great King herself. Nzinga of Dahomey, Oromenes of Har." Xena said, bluntly, leaving off their respective titles.
The Harrian boy with the night black hair strode forward, clapping Xena on the shoulder. He was clad as a peasant, in trousers and vest, boiled leather sandals on his bronze feet. His face was stillness made flesh, the air that came from him was the air of great age, of emptiness, of space that had existed naked under the moon. His beauty was disturbing, lost in the ancient stillness he walked in. With him walked the Harrian woman with the blood red hair, taking his hand. He came to life when she did so, a smile of gentle grace bestowed on her, even standing before the nation of Amazons as they did.
"Nzinga. I am Oromenes of Har, and this is my wife, Malache. I regret deeply that these are the circumstances under which we meet. My father Amasis was a friend of your house all his life, it is a goal I find most worthy." The voice was light and clear in the stillness of the waiting Amazon nation.
"You are the Boy King of Har. You must be, you dress like a peasant, but you speak like a prince. You are bold, Oromenes, to face the lioness in her lair. That, or a fool, but you do not look like a fool." Nzinga said, walking into the circle.
"I am only a fool if I continue to be seen as the enemy of Dahomey. I, and my nation, are not your enemy." Oromenes answered her.
"You sue for peace, because you know we might dine in the royal palace in the City of Har tomorrow, if we so chose." Nzinga said, her voice harsh.
"My army cannot stand against you, that takes nothing to admit. But no, I sue for peace, because there is no need for war. Har was not involved in the kidnapping of your daughter, who is well, I hear. Xena of Greece was not involved. The Army of the Goddess was on your border because I sent them there, at the request for help from my friend. Gabrielle, her consort, had been taken, as Tanit was."
"Is the Great King in the habit of sending out the army everytime a foreign born Lord calls? If you expect me to believe that, you are mistaken. A ruler does not behave so."
"A ruler, no. But a friend, yes. My heart ruled my head, as it is said is the curse or blessing of all Harrians. I owe my throne, my marriage, and my very life to Xena and Gabrielle. If they require aid of me they have it."
Nzinga walked right up to Oromenes, looking down at the slim form of the King. The rulers of the two nations faced off, the powerful Amazon Queen, raised up in the ways of war, the sheltered prince who had been raised in seclusion in the desert. Something passed between them in that moment, a recognition, perhaps, of a similar nature. The Queen of the Amazons and the Great King of Har both took a step back. Mahogany eyes regarded jet-black.
"If that is so, then you are a friend to have, Oromenes. I was sorry to hear of your father's death. He was a great man." Nzinga said.
"We were sorrowed to hear of your wife's death, Nzinga. I was a Harlot at the time, word came through the temple." Malache said, in her sweet voice.
Nzinga looked at her, pausing on the splendor of her face. "Thank you." She said, softly.
The Amazon Queen strode back to her royal seat, speaking to all her gathered Amazons. "The Great King of Har has offered peace. I accept. Let the trial of the Harrian Lord Chabouk prove innocence, and I will give Oromenes of Har my hand."
Continued in Part 9.