Eternal Spirit

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Eternal Spirit

Part 21

Gabrielle covered her mouth with her hand and let a gasp escape her. “Ephiny…” She stared at the lifeless body of her friend. Her face bore no bruises or markings. She was breathing but her breaths were short and shallow. Gabrielle reached over and touched her cheek. Her hand was shaking with nervousness. “Ephiny…” She heard cruel laughter from behind her. She abruptly turned and faced Draden tears streaking her cheeks. “What did you do to her and where is Serenity?”

The warrior laughed coldly. He stared impassively into her eyes. The sense of emptiness his eyes possessed sent shivers down the Queen’s spine. “Your precious little Amazon is somewhere on Amazon lands. Dead by now I am sure.” A smile spread across his face. He knelt before the Queen and rested his right elbow on his knee. He leaned forward within inches from the Queen’s face enjoying how uncomfortable he was making her feel. “And your other precious Amazon will be dead before I have the pleasure of killing you.”

Gabrielle stared at him with a deep hatred. Instinctively she grabbed her staff from the ground beside her and powerfully struck him across the side of his face knocking him backwards. “You lying bastard! What did you do to her?” Before he had a chance to stand up the Queen lunged at him and began swinging her staff at him in rage. The last swing connected with his ribs. She raised her staff and swung again but was stopped suddenly. Draden had caught her staff in his hand and was lifting himself off the ground. His eyes grew dark as fury flooded his face.

“Yaaaa!” He gripped the staff with both hands and swung it to the left causing Gabrielle to lose grip and fall several feet away from him. Anger etched itself in every visible wrinkle and vein in his body. He approached her and kicked dirt in her face blinding her. “You bitch! You dare strike me. You have no power over me. You are nothing.” He spat the words out like poison. He violently kicked her in the back knocking her back down on the ground. The Queen was rolling in pain while trying to rub the sting of dirt from her eyes. “Not so brave now are we my dear Gabrielle?” He raised the staff over his head and brought it down with a crashing force. The Queen rolled over to the right just in time to avoid it. Enraged he swung again with greater force. She rolled quickly to the right once more and just missed being struck. She jumped to her feet and glared directly into the warrior’s eyes. Her eyes were red and irritated but she was numb to anything but rage.

The Queen flipped forward and side kicked him in the head before landing just in front of him. “I…” She grips the staff he is holding and uses it to swing her legs forward slamming him in the stomach. “Am not.” Ducking to avoid the swinging of the staff she grabs a rock off the ground. “Your Gabrielle.” With a loud screech she swung the rock at his face connecting with his jaw.

Draden now visibly enraged lunged at her knocking her down with the weight of his body. He smiled at the sight of blood dripping down her chin. Maliciously he licked the side of her face. “I love the taste of fear.” His lips widened into a sinful grin. He brought his lips close to the Queen’s taking pleasure in her struggling. “Where is your precious warrior princess now Amazon?” The warrior laughed heartlessly and tightened his grip on the Queen’s wrists restricting circulation. “Sleeping well these days my dear Gabrielle?”

“I’m not going to let him get to me.” The Queen stopped struggling and remained unusually still beneath Draden her eyes never leaving his for a moment. Then unexpectedly she slammed her head forward striking his forehead with brutal strength. Ignoring the tremendous pain in her head she pushed the warrior off of her and scrambled to her feet.

Draden, with his hand to his head, looked at Gabrielle and began to laugh uncontrollably. “You fool. Do you honestly think you can defeat ME?” A sickening smile spread across his face as he walked towards the Queen. She took several steps backwards until her back met with a bark of a tree blocking her path. The warrior pulled a knife from his boot as he approached her. The moonlight glistened on the metal and reflected back at the Queen. Her body tensed as fear began to set in. She gripped the tree bark behind her trying desperately to disappear within it. The warrior grabbed the Queen by the throat and placed the tip of the blade at her chest. “You will never be free of me.” His grip around her neck tightened as he lifted her off the ground by her throat. The Queen struggled frantically for air. “No one can save you now Amazon.” His laughter was silenced by the sound of an object cutting through the wind. He released the Queen seconds before the silver chakram sliced past him. Gabrielle fell to the ground choking holding her hand to her throat.

“Heeyah!” A warrior flipped down from the top of a nearby tree sword in hand. Her raven hair caressed her shoulders. Her eyes dark with hatred stared at the warlord mercilessly. “I wouldn’t be too sure of that Draden.”

“Xena.” Gabrielle breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly rose to her feet and ran to Ephiny’s side to tend to her.

The warrior circled the warlord her heated gaze never wandering from his. “I see some things never change Draden.”

The warlord grinned in satisfaction. “So I finally meet the precious warrior princess again. I wish I could say it is a pleasure.” He laughed briefly. “But I can say it will be a delicious pleasure to kill you!” He struck at her with his sword but his attack was blocked effortlessly. He counter attacks swinging at the warrior’s head with the sword and then sweeping her off her feet with a low swipe of his leg. The warrior blocked the attack with her sword and then back flipped avoiding his kick.

“The Xena you knew died a long time ago Draden.” She swung several times at him with her sword. The sound of the blade slicing the air was deafening. He blocked the array of attacks with great effort and then smiled gloating. In that moment he left himself vulnerable to attack. Noting his unprotected left side, the warrior viciously kicked him connecting loudly with his ribs.

Draden grunted loudly in pain and gripped the hilt of the sword tighter. Sweat slid down the side of face dripping onto his shoulders. He looked briefly at the crouched figure of Gabrielle and licked his lips repulsively. “You have delicious taste in women Xena. Do you enjoy her as much as I did?” A smile played proudly on his face.

Without hesitation the warrior leaped at the warlord her nostrils flaring with anger. She backhanded him across the face sharply splitting his lower lip open and violently kicked the sword out of his hand. She spoke in a low growl. “I should have killed you a long time ago.” Xena struck him in the side of the head with the hilt of her sword knocking him to the ground. She delivered several blows to his ribs and face oblivious to anything but the hatred that consumed her. A distant voice calling to her broke her from her thoughts.

“Xena! Stop it!” Gabrielle had made her way to her warrior’s side. “Xena STOP!”

The warrior stopped the violent attack on the warlord and faced the bard. “He deserves to die.” Her voice was chilled with hatred. She looked down in disgust at the bloody face of the warlord.

The bard placed her hand gently on the warrior’s arm. Her emerald eyes glistened with moisture. She shook her head slowly. “Not like this Xe. Not like this.” The warrior and bard stared at one another intently neither breaking eye contact. An alarming moan broke the uncomfortable silence between them. “Ephiny…” Gabrielle released her hold on Xena and ran towards the Regent.

Xena quickly followed her confusion playing in the expression on her face. Before the bard had a chance to speak the warrior noticed the Regent’s body before her. “Ephiny?” She questioned apprehensively. She sank to her knees beside the still Regent. “What happened Gabrielle? How did she get here?” She brought her fingers to the Regent’s neck to check for a pulse.

The bard cried softly. “I don’t know Xe. I don’t know.” She wiped the tears from her eyes and shook her head. “I thought she was Serenity…and then he…and…” She put her head in her hands and growled in frustration.

“We found Serenity Gabrielle. She is back at the village right now.” Xena examined the Regent closely noticing her irregular breathing. She brought a piece of the blanket that draped over Ephiny’s arm to her nose and inhaled the scent. Her eyes widened in recognition. She turned to Gabrielle before she could speak. “We both have many questions to ask but right now is not the time. We need to get Ephiny to the healer quickly.”

Sensing the urgency in Xena’s voice Gabrielle moved quickly with no questions. Xena lifted Ephiny into her arms effortlessly and placed her on Argo. The warrior then turned her attention to the concerned bard. “Listen to me very carefully Gabrielle. You get on this horse and you ride as hard as you can back to the village.”

The bard shook her head in objection. “But Xena…”

“No listen to me!” Xena’s voice was gentle but firm. “Get her to the healer and tell her she has Atropa in her system. It is a herb, which if used incorrectly can have fatal effects. She will know what to do.” Gabrielle stood there unmoving in a state of slight shock. “Gabrielle we have no time to lose…go.”

The bard quickly mounted Argo and draped her arm around Ephiny. She turned and looked towards where Draden laid for the first time and noticed the amount of blood he had lost. She looked down and closed her eyes briefly. “And what about Draden Xena?”

The warrior’s eyes narrowed. “He can rot there for all I give a damn.”

The bard shook her head from side to side. “No we are not going to be like him. We are not monsters.” Her tone grew serious. “We cannot leave him here to bleed to death Xena.” She tried to reason with the warrior who was blinded with rage.

Xena sighed heavily. She clenched her teeth tightly together. “I will take care of him. You go and get her to the healer.” She saw the hesitation in the bard’s movements and the doubt in her eyes. “I won’t kill him. I give you my word. Now go and I will be right behind you.” The bard nodded and began riding back towards the village holding the limp Regent to her tightly.

Xena approached the warlord her sword slung over her shoulder carelessly. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you.” She raised her brow challenging him.

Draden sat up slowly and coughed blood. After catching his breath he met the warrior’s gaze. “Death means nothing to me.” He grinned wickedly. He stood up his arm supporting his bruised ribs. Draden took a few steps towards Xena and then paused. A sickening smirk settled on his face. “Just like my dear Gabrielle,” the warrior’s muscles flinched in response further encouraging him, “even death couldn’t free you Xena.” He took another step closer to the warrior. “She will never again feel your touch or desire you. Kill me Xena and I still live in each touch, each kiss, each dream.” He smiled callously. “Spare me and I will still remain in each thought. She will still see my face, feel my touch, and hear my voice. “Death means nothing for I have already destroyed you.”

Unable to control her rage any longer Xena powerfully struck Draden in the face breaking his jaw. Blood trickled from his mouth. He stared at her in disbelief and brought his hand to his mouth in an effort to stop the bleeding. Xena met his gaze and for a brief moment felt captivated in their emptiness. Swiftly she struck him hard across the face with the hilt of her sword knocking him unconscious. She spat on him in disgust. “She will be free of you.”

Continued In Part 22