Best Friends, Better Enemies, Chapters 14 & 15Upon arriving in the sprawling seaside city, Xena was immediately reminded why she hated urban areas. Swarms of people surrounded her, traveling with no obvious destination, but great speed. In a hurry to get nowhere fast, she thought to herself.
Seeing the way people pushed and oftentimes hit the workhorses traveling the busy thoroughfare, Xena was glad she had left Argo at a stables outside of town. But Xena wasn't doing much better than those poor workhorses. People seemed to be pushing her in all directions. No matter which way she turned, another face was before hers.
"Let go your body and allow your spirit to find the path."
The old seers words had sounded easy at the time, but surrounded by the mind numbing sounds of town life, his idea seemed daunting indeed. Xena knew that somewhere in the city's byways was a temple to Hermes. But the question of how to find it still remained.
A darkened area ahead and to the left of Xena suddenly caught her eye. Ahh, someplace I can stop and think. Gingerly, she moved through the crowd, which was tossing her back and forth like the currents of a river. But finally, she reached the opening of the dark alleyway. She stepped inside the cool darkness between the buildings and savored the feel of empty space around her.
"Yer new 'round here, ain't ya?"
A high pitched voice asked behind her. Xena jumped and spun around quickly. Standing arrogantly behind her was a young street rat of about fourteen. His shaggy red hair hung down into his eyes, while tattered rags that somewhat resembled clothing sagged on his bony frame. Yet once Xena caught the look in his eyes and the flash of his hands, she knew his deceptive appearance concealed much that the untrained eye would miss. This child was a master pickpocket. He had probably pulled this scheme a dozen times.
"Do ya know how ta talk?"
Insolent took Xena thought with a private laugh.
"Actually yes. I was just seeking shelter from those crowds."
She decided to play along with the boy's little game, hoping her fledgling idea was following along the same route as the youngsters actions.
"Yup, they's pretty bad."
The boy walked past Xena to look out the opening of the alley. He stood there a second, before turning around again.
"Ya'd best stay close ta th' buildins'. A lady like yerself 'ould git in trouble. Good luck."
The boy made a second pass by Xena and disappeared back into the darkness of the alley. Xena smiled as she reached down to where the two bags of dinars had hung from her waist. He's good, she thought. I didn't even feel them being lifted.
Exactly as I planned, she thought, as with an agile leap, she vaulted to the roof ledge of the nearest building and began her airborne pursuit of the little ragamuffin with her dinars. If nothing else, I have to get my money back, she thought humorously to herself as she leapt the alleys.
Xena followed the boy for what must have been several miles, tracking him to the heart of the city. Many times, she came close to loosing the little thief, but after stopping and carefully listening, she could hear his rapid breathing as his hurried flight grew longer. He must never have stolen that much before.
Or so he thought. Xena smiled ruefully to herself as she remembered exactly how few dinars there were in the bag. The rest of the weight came from several small pebbles she had found outside town in creekbed. An expert would have realized right away that the bags weight was deceptive. Although very good, the boy still didn't have the experience.
Xena dismissed the thought as she saw the urchin duck under a brush covered opening and into a darkened hole in a wall. She waited a second, then leapt down from the roof. Gabrielle needs me. I can't stop now. with her decision made, Xena unstrapped her sword and chakram. A ledge several feet over her head offered the perfect hiding place for the weapons, with concealment from above and below.
Finishing her task, Xena stood back, took a deep breath, and lowered her head into the opening. It's smaller than it looks, she swore to herself as she stretched her arms out straight ahead of her. Using her toes for leverage, she pushed along at a snails pace. Spiders and cobwebs of every type dusted her head and shoulders as she rubbed the tunnel roof. But she held the image of Gabrielle in her mind, urging her forward while every instinct told her to go back. Her mind wandered over the situation with her best friend, wondering how Gabrielle fared under the control of such an evil force. If she was conscious of what was going on around her, she's been through more torture than anyone could know.
The distracting thought circled in her mind, and before she knew it, her head was through the other end, bringing her into plain view by every occupant in the room, including the boy. They froze in place upon seeing her, looking like odd statues caught in a moment of shock. It was obvious that an older boy was chastising her thief for stealing a bag of rocks. The loot Xena had filled the sacks with was lying everywhere, with only four or five shiny dinars laying among the pebbles.
But as the leader saw Xena emerge, he shook off the shock and shouted, "Intruder! Seize her!"
Xena looked up from her prone position seconds later to find several dozen small faces standing above hers. And every one of them held a blade to her throat.
Chapter 15
"What do we have here?"
The leader asked in an amazingly well pronounced tone. The young man was in his late teens, and didn't quite fit into the typical pickpocket image. Instead, he looked like he had just left his mothers kitchen, clean and wholesome in a handsome kind of way.
And it was obvious that he knew it too. The cut of his black pants, the folds in his blue shirt, and even the way he tossed his long, blonde hair was calculated to draw the eye. But Xena saw more than that. Hidden beneath his unusually good looks was a leader, concerned for his people after her discovery of their lair.
"Phrixus, it's the woman! The one I stole the loot from."
Xena's thief was pointing accusingly at Xena, as if she were to blame for his mistake. I wonder if the little rat would thank me if I just gave him the money, Xena humorously thought to herself. On second thought, no, probably not.
The blades were still held to her throat, but Xena didn't dare try to defend herself. She knew she could easily overcome her captors, but she didn't. Xena knew she needed to earn their trust in order to find the shrine. But primarily, the children holding the blades on her were between the ages of five and fifteen, and all had the look of desperation that living on the streets stamped in. If I try to defend myself, those children will get hurt.
"Wait. I'm not here to harm anyone. Or turn you in. I don't even want the little amount of money you stole back. Please, hear my request before you make any rash decisions."
"Phrixus, she's lyin'. We's gonna get caught by dem guards, I tell ya. She's settin' us up fer a trap."
The leader listened to the little thieves words, but said nothing in response. For a minute, he simply stood there, staring straight into her eyes. There's more inside this kid than most see, I wager. Xena held his gaze steadily and began to admire this youth for the wisdom he displayed. No snap decisions here. Finally, he spoke again, turning to the younger thief first.
"By the gods, Abas. How could you be stupid enough to steal from this one? Her looks scream of warrioress."
He smiled and nodded. "Back off everyone. Let her up."
His words were obeyed, but not willingly. The children stepped back and put their weapons away, out of sight but not out of reach. Once given the space, Xena quickly exited the hole and arose to her full height. She towered over everyone in the room, except the leader.
"You spoke of a request. What is it and how much is involved?"
Phrixus settled back into a chair he obviously used as a type of demi-throne, and waited for Xena to begin. But before she could voice her request, Abas jumped in again.
"I tell ya, Phrixus, she's up ta no good. Ya cain't trust her."
Phrixus rolled his eyes dramatically and replied, "Abas, I know who to trust much better than you. I was working the streets before you were born, and I think I can tell when someone is trying to deceive me."
He waved the younger boy away and turned his attention back to Xena. "Now, where were we?"
Xena calmly started relaying the story, leaving out only the parts that were too painful or personal.
"I must find a temple or shrine to Hermes. That's the only reason I came here. Please, can you take me to one?"
Xena's stirring story over the domination of Gabrielle's spirit obviously touched the young man, but practicality won out in the end.
"What's in it for me?"
Xena had known something like this was coming, and had prepared for it.
"If your willing to take a walk down to the ocean cliffs, I can show you a cave full of treasure. More than you could steal in three lifetimes. You can have it all, if you find me a shrine to Hermes."
Xena remembered the cave from hr days as a warlord. She had been sailing through the area with a load of stolen booty in her hold and a pack of pirates right on her tail. Her ship was foundering from a broken mainmast, and taking on water from a hole gouged in the side from a coral reef. Xena had seen the caves as a good place to hide her stolen treasure and eliminate the added weight as well. So, with little time to spare, her men packed the treasure into the deepest cave she could find.
She had never gone back for it. Shortly after, she had left her old life behind, shaping her future into one needless of the allure of gold.
"You mean, you will show us where this treasure is in return for us showing you the shrine?" He grinned then asked, "But how do I know I can trust you?"
Xena stepped closer and replied, "You don't. You just have to have a little faith, the same as I must have in you."
"Deal"
Phrixus held out his hand to seal the agreement, and Xena took it willingly. Releasing their grip, Phrixus sat back and asked casually, "Answer me this, if you will. Why didn't you try and find a door?"
Xena merely raised one perfect eyebrow as she replied, "Simple. Most doors are either guarded or traps themselves, especially in a thieves lair. It's doubtful you would have just let me walk right in like that. And since I saw Abas come in that way, I knew it had to be safe."
At hearing her words, Abas snuck away to hide, knowing he would be in trouble for letting anyone follow him back to the hideout.
"Safe for some, maybe. You're lucky you didn't get stuck. I haven't gone through the tunnel since I was twelve."
Phrixus rose and walked to a curtain draped corner behind his chair. He stopped there and turned to look Xena in the eye.
"You wanted the temple to Hermes. Well, here it is."
And with a yank, the curtain came tumbling down to reveal an opening to a cavernlike area, descending down below the buildings and earth, where a huge shrine crusted with wealth glittered in the dim light. Hermes temple. At last.
