Legal Disclaimer: You know
the drill. I don't own Xena all the people that made it do. Sex Disclaimer: There is
mention of sex in this story between two women, you don't like that then
go far away!
Violence Disclaimer: It's a Xena story for god sakes! Mild Violence in
this story, nothing worse than the usual show of Xena. Questions or Comments?
Please EMAIL ME!!! [email protected]
Are's Prize, Callisto's
Revenge, Ruler of Nations, Xena's Hope
Callisto's Chance Men
screamed. They flailed their arms but the torture continued. Sometimes
they would touch her to end the pain.
Which delighted her. She ripped off their fingers, she cut off their arms, she stuck her
sword into their stomachs. Since
Xena put her in Tartarus, things had been dreary. That bitch had stabbed
her when she had been laughing
when Gabrielle and Hope plummeted into a pit of fiery death. Callisto had rather liked
the image. It was sooo... nice. The
world flashed. The screaming stopped. Fresh air filled her lungs. Blue
sky formed above her. Ares stood in
front of her. "I need
a favor," he said solemnly. He was draped in a black cloak that hung loosely
around his shoulders. He looked
good. His curly hair was longer than it had last been and his beard was almost completely gone. "What
favor? I mean, you have asked many these past years. I am sick of doing
your bidding." "Look
around you, Callisto. You're not in Tartarus anymore. You're free. Be a
good girl and do something for me. I
know you'll enjoy it." "What
am I suppose to do?" "It's
really very simple. Look ahead of you." Callisto
did. What she saw excited her. It was Xena and Gabrielle rolling around
naked, touching each other all
over, moaning loudly. She laughed hysterically. How naughty those two were. How dead she
was going to make them. She reached for her sword. "Wrong.
You are going to bring Gabrielle to me." "What
the hell is that going to do?" "Lure
Xena to you, of course. And, once she comes..." he held up something. Callisto
wasn't sure what it was at first.
When it glowed, she identified it as a control stone. With it, you could posses any mortal
you pleased. Now, she understood. "I take
over Xena." "That's
right. Do you understand what Xena can do? She can destroy nations." "Are
you a fool? I've studied her ever since she killed my parents. I know everything
she can do. Although, I wasn't
quite sure if that annoying brat and her were sharing a bed. How delightful that is. It
makes Gabrielle a prime target. And, I will kill her." "Wrong
again. Gabrielle remains unharmed." Callisto
became furious. "What do you mean unharmed?! I want her dead!" "She
will die. She knows what a control stone is. Once Xena is possessed she
will run to the cave where I hid the
cure elixir long ago. It is heavily trapped. There is no way she is going to get by it. Maybe
I will let you cut her up into pieces after she's dead." "Why
don't you let me do that before she goes to the cave. I can take her! I
want to kill that little bitch!" "Because,
the traps I have planted are going to be even more excruciating than you
can imagine." This
made Callisto smile. "I'll let them finish. In fact I think I might watch." "Take
this, my dear. It will cloak you. They won't be able to see or hear you." He placed
the object into Callisto's hand and she disappeared in an instant. No one
could see her except him. "Go.
Make me proud," Ares said, his tone hungry for Xena's control. "I will
make myself proud." Trouble I curled
up into a ball and smiled up at Xena. She smiled back, running her fingers tenderly through my hair.
The sensations of her touch remained and I found myself drowning in them. Once
I surfaced with deep breaths, I snuggled my face in the curve of her neck. When she spoke,
her voice sounded directly in my ear. "We
have to go soon." "I know.
I just want to lay here a moment longer," I answered, touching her
bare breasts with my hands. Her breathing
deepened and small moans escaped her throat. Her nipples hardened easily under my
touch. It had been a week since we had traveled from the Amazon village. We hadn't made
love since then. Although we had wanted to, many encounters stopped us. I captured
her nipple with my mouth and bit down gently, careful not to hurt her but instead make her arch for
me. She did. A half
hour later we were fully dressed and ready to leave. I was about to go
towards Xena when a hand clamped
down on my shoulder and spun me around. I tried to
scream but a filthy hand clamped over my mouth. I recognized the blond
hair, the deceiving eyes, the
luscious but sickening body. Callisto. She
whispered in my ear. "Hello, hotty." She began to nibble on it and when
I bit down on her hand, hard enough to
draw blood, she did not scream. "You
can't hurt me you little bitch. It's time for us to go. Aries will be pleased.
But, first..." An Unexpected Visitor "Gabrielle,
ready to.... go?" I looked around but she wasn't there. That's when I saw
her, Callisto's hand clamped
over her mouth. I felt fear jet through my veins and show in my eyes. I reached for my
sword, only resulting Callisto to press a dagger against my lover's throat. "Xena...
Xena. It's so divine to see you again. It looks like your in a bind, now
doesn't it? You want your little playmate
to live so you can taste her again? I think I enjoy her taste as much as you do, my darling..." I watched
in disgust as Callisto licked a trail of spittle up Gabrielle's cheek.
The dagger was pressed too hard onto
Gabrielle's throat for her to struggle. One move and her throat would be slit. "Xena..."
came a hoarse cry from Gabrielle. "Let
her go, Callisto. Take me instead," I offered, stepping forward. "Oh,
how brave of you, Xena. Ares has other plans." "Ares...
God damn it! Why can't you fucking gods leave us alone." "Because
we just love the woman warrior you have blossomed into, my sweet Xena." "Come
on, Callisto. Don't you want to have a piece of me, huh? Come on, bitch.
Let's see what you got since I sent
you to Hades." "Not
this time, Xena. But, I promise there will be a next time," she promised,
blowing me a kiss. They
disappeared. I wasn't sure how. But, both of them were suddenly gone. I
checked the ground. They had left
tracks. Two. One from Callisto and one from Gabrielle. I saddled
Argo and took off after the tracks. Callisto Returns "You
did good. Give her to me." Callisto
obliged, chucking me into Ares's arms. I humphed when I hit his mass of strength. "She's
going to be coming soon. I did what you said. I left tracks," Callisto
murmured, twirling her dagger around
in her hands. I struggled
against Ares, but it did no good. We were in a large temple and even if
I reached the large doors
of it, I still couldn't escape. He had a tight grip on my arms and I knew he wouldn't let go. I watched
as Ares handed Callisto a control stone. My heart sank. Xena had warned
me about this particular stone.
It was deadly, you could even control Hercules with it. You could control any given mortal.
That's when I knew... Xena... I prayed to the Gods she hadn't found the tracks and she
hadn't gone after me. But, I knew she had. Despairingly, I knew she had. She'd never let
me go. Ever. "Don't
do this, Ares. Don't do this!" I cried in rage, struggling helplessly against
him, beating at his broad chest. He gripped
my arms and hurt my wrists. I cried out in pain. "Come
on, Gabrielle. The world is going to be a better place with my prize, Xena.
She'll make an excellent ruler
of nations." "Xena
will not go back to that!" "With
this, she will," Callisto marveled, holding up the control stone. "Callisto,
please. Don't do this... please..." "Oh,
how cute... she's begging. Aries do you mind if I cut her tongue out?" "Yes,"
Ares murmured, running his fingers through my hair. I wrenched
and kicked, but I was no match. He pinned me to the nearest wall.
"Keep it up and I will let her kill
you. And, I'll make Xena watch. Don't think I won't!" "You're
not going to kill her," came a familiar voice from behind me. "Xena!"
I cried, leaping past Aries before he could reach and running into her
arms. She held me tightly, rocking
me back and forth. "Now,
Ares." An audible
click was head. Doors opened to the side and screaming men charged out.
I hid behind Xena, not having
my staff with me, as she cut through them with her sword, immense strength surging through
her powerful arms. I ran
for the stone. Callisto grabbed me by the throat and lifted me up. I cried
and struggled, my feet kicking,
my air shutting out. I was blacking out. Her grip wasn't loosening but to me it felt numb
and not even there anymore. The
grip was lost and I fell to the floor, gasping and coughing, regaining
my breath in long gasps.
Callisto cried out in pain. Her hands gone, Xena had cut them completely
off with her chakrum. That's
when I grabbed the stone. Callisto's fingers were wrapped tightly around
it, but I didn't care. As long as
I had the stone they couldn't take Xena away from me. The
men were down. Xena cleared a path for me and I ran outside the temple,
Xena fast behind me. She hoisted
me up onto Argo and caught on herself. We turned around when Ares cornered us in front
of Argo. Argo
bucked and turned to the side. I couldn't hold on. I fell off before Xena
could catch me and the stone rolled
out of my hands. When I hit the ground, the world went black. The Change When
I came to, I was laying against something soft. I shook my head and sat
up, immediately regretting
it when the pain became walking stairs on my face. The
dizziness and numb pain stopped. My eyes swam into focus and I gasped.
Xena was chained. All that remained
on her was her white cloth that was her last layer. Her armor was completely gone. Her
eyes were closed. She remained still even as I sat up. I approached
her cautiously and pressed a hand to her cheek. It was warm. She was alive. Xena
stirred and her head snapped up. I screamed. I couldn't help myself. Her
eyes were glowing the color of the
stone. She growled and snarled and thrashed at the chains. "Stop,
Xena." Callisto's voice. Xena
ceased, panting and gasping, her eyes sinking to demonic green. "No....
No.... NO!" I cried, clawing at my hair. "Oh,
yes, Gabrielle. Consider yourself lucky. You're the first one to witness
the demonic Xena. The one that was
long and buried in a small cell of her brain. The one that you destroyed. But, she's back
now. Oh, yes, she is..." Callisto murmured, purring and rubbing the back of her hand against
Xena's cheek. "Kiss
me, Xena," Callisto murmured. The
stone grew red, as did Xena's eyes. They closed as she planted a firm kiss
on Callisto's full lips. I started
to cry. I knew Callisto was doing this so I would. But, I couldn't stop.
The tears kept coming. I had lost.
Lost my love, my warrior. Lost... Xena... Everything we had fought for and yearned for...
gone. GONE! I slammed
my fist on the ground. Over and over until I felt a bone crack. I ignored
the pain that fired up my arm.
I was yanked hard to my feet and shoved into Xena's arms, now unchained. I looked
up into those evil eyes. The majestic blue I had so loved to get lost in
was gone. Vanished. I cried
harder. The touch that Xena held me with was no longer comforting. It was
cold. So cold. The heat that
swelled her veins was gone. She was gone. I pounded
on Xena's chest. She seemed not to notice. I couldn't halt my fists. They continued to pound on the
broad bone's covering Xena's ribs. My hands
were forced tightly behind me and I was shoved to the ground. Callisto
stood over me, as did Xena. They
both stared down at me. "We're
going to have fun with you, Gabrielle," Callisto murmured, bending down
and tracing my chin with her
fingertip. I wrenched my face to the side and the touch was gone. "Stop
right now, Callisto," Ares said from behind me, stepping inside the room
and hauling me to my feet. "Give
me the stone," he commanded, reaching out his hand. I wanted
to grab it. But, even if I did and I ordered Xena to take on Aries and
Callisto, she would be no match against
the both of them. The stone would be taken back or Xena would be killed. I would
be killed. I was Xena's hope. Xena's only hope. I knew
I had to leave. I had to leave before things got worse. Xena had told me
where the cure was. In Ares's
cave. Only Hercules knew where the traps were. I had to find him. Covering Ground I snuck
out of the temple when Callisto and Ares turned back to Xena. By then it
was night. I looked up and
watched the sky. The stars were nowhere in sight. Argo
whinnied. I mounted her and let out a shrill whistle. She took off immediately.
I rode all night. By morning, I was back into Amazon territory. I had covered
good ground. "Gabrielle,
you're back. But, without Xena?" Ephiny said, holding out her hand as I dropped off of Argo. My
body was trembling. "Gabrielle,
are you okay?" "Xena...
control stone... Uhhhhhn..." Dots
formed in my eyes and my legs disappeared into oblivion. I sank into Ephiny's
arms and then passed out. Searching Ephiny
came with me to search for Hercules. She hadn't seen him in over a year.
We both knew the search may become
impossible. But, he had traveled to the cave where Ares hid all the cures to certain stones.
He got by all the traps easily, without setting any off. If I could do that myself I
would save some time. But, I'd die in there. I know that for sure. Two
days passed and we already had word of Xena's destruction. One woman told
us that she had killed the women,
children, men, babies, everything. Looted the town, burnt it into ashes. She was the only
one to survive. Her family now deceased. My breath
caught. I didn't want to hear it. I wanted the old Xena back. The one I
adored and loved and cherished.
I told myself to get off it. That it would only make things worse if I thought about the love
we shared. Three
days later, we finally received a lead. A young man said that Hercules
had helped saved the town from an
evil warlord just hours ago and he was on his way to Athens. We were lucky. Athens was
not far away. A day or two on foot for Hercules and 15 hours or so with Ephiny and I on horseback.
We might even catch up to him. The Destruction Callisto
watched Xena light the town up with fire. It licked her skin, warming her, enveloping her with glorious
heat. She instructed Xena to stand by her and Xena complied. Oh, it was darling to command
the great Warrior Princess with just a movement of her lips. She was so strong. So glorious.
Much more powerful when she wasn't around that annoying blond Gabrielle. This showed
the destruction and power she could wield. Ares
used the stone for pleasure. It was sickening. He ordered Xena to touch
him in places that Callisto really
didn't like to hear spoken out loud, especially around Aries. Callisto couldn't believe
what he was wasting. Time and destruction. In these three days of beholding Xena they could
have destroyed a mass of ten or fifteen towns. And, because of Aries sexual side they
hadn't accomplished that yet. Only three towns. With the help of Aries and Callisto Xena
was indestructible against the pitiful men and women who attacked her. Callisto mostly sat
back and laughed when they attempted to strike Xena down. It was pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.
Soon she would rule the world. Hercules "Hercules!
Hercules!" I cried, leaping off Argo and running to him. He caught me in
his powerful arms and hugged
me tightly. "Gabrielle?
What is it? What's wrong?" he asked, setting me down and placing strong hands on my shoulders,
his long brown hair flowing around his shoulders.
"You have to help me. You have to. The world and my life depend on it." "Sit
down and tell me," he said, guiding me to a nearby log and sitting me down
on it while Ephiny hovered nearby,
glancing around for something to eat or drink, something to help me keep my cool. "I need
the cure," I said, my hands clinging to his skin. "The
cure? For what?" he asked, his hazel eyes burning into mine. His face was
handsome and somewhat comforting
to see. I dimly wondered where Iolaus had gone and then focused on telling him the whole
nature of the problem we needed to face together. "Callisto
and Ares captured Xena with a control stone. She's already taken out three villages. The women, the
children, everyone! If we don't get the stone back there will be even more deaths, even
more destruction. Callisto won't stop. I know her. We have to get the cure to the control
stone." "The
cave is five days away from here on foot and I-" "You
can ride on Argo with me. We need to cheat time, Hercules, before this
gets any worse." "The
horses will save us two days. We'd better get going." He mounted
Argo, pulling me up with him. He was just as strong as Xena. I was surprised she could wield the strength
of a demi-god like Hercules. She was amazing. Evil now... crazy. She needed to be stopped.
And, I was going to be the one to save her. Campfire Callisto
watched as Xena stared at the campfire. Her eyes were still glowing that awesome color. It was a
very light green. It lit up that now evil face of Xena. So beautiful. So sexy. Callisto would
love to claw it. But, she knew better. Xena was the key to all the villages they had conquered.
Nine today. How she'd relished the way the people screamed when the magnificent grace
of Xena's sword stuck through them, killing them. Callisto
found herself surprised that none of the Gods had barged in yet. They were usually ripe with anger
when a God abused their power. Aries always did. She hated Ares, although he was the one
who had taken her from Tartarus. It was nice to be in the real world. Very nice. "Xena?"
Callisto said. Immediately
the head struck upwards and those glowing eyes met Callisto's. "Come
sit next to me." Xena
did. "Touch
me." A hand
went to Callisto's shoulder. "Squeeze." Xena
squeezed and Callisto winced. God, the power. Even with a simple pinch
Xena could have any opponent crying
out in pain and begging for mercy. She was incredible. Even phenomenal. And now she
was Callisto's. "Talk
to me, Xena." "What
do you want me to say?" came the hollow response. The stone had dimmed
Xena's voice and made it ghost-like. "How
much you enjoy my company." "How
much you enjoy my company," Xena repeated, thinking that was what Callisto
asked her to say. Callisto
laughed and gently slapped Xena's cheek. Normal Xena would have furiously struck back. This Xena
acted nonchalant. Like nothing happened. "Oh,
Xena, I adore you when you're under my control. We both knew that goodie-goodie act of yours was never
going to last," she traced a finger down Xena's cheek. "And,
now, you're mine. So much for Gabrielle. Doesn't Ares please you even more
than she did? He seems to want
to fuck you every second. What do you feel like Xena? Hmmm? What's that sexy skin of
yours feel like when it's throbbing?" Xena
said nothing. She merely sat still and stared hard at Callisto while hands
roamed her body. Inside she was screaming.
She was still there but something was holding her back. Some strange power had
a hold on her that she could not get rid of. She wanted to scream. To shout. But, all she
could do is obey orders. She began to tremble. It wasn't for Callisto's greedy hands. It was for
her freedom, which she could not have. The Cave The
cave was dimly lit by torches. The mouth of the cave was covered with black.
When Hercules walked in, he
was swallowed by the gaping shadows. All Ephiny and I could do now was wait. Wait for his
return with the cure. Hours
passed. They were long and boring and somewhat suspenseful. I had no idea
where Hercules was in the cave
and when he was going to return. Or if Ares replanted the traps and he had caught one and
died. Many questions without answers merged into my brain. I rubbed at my temples warily. Just
when the sun was retreating behind the mountains, Hercules reappeared,
a vial in his hand. "Thank
the Gods! Is that the cure?" I asked, approaching Hercules. His arm was
slightly cut, a little blood leaking
out. "Yeah,
it's the cure. We need to hurry though. Find out Xena's location." "Is
your cut okay?" "Just
a scratch," Hercules murmured, smiling slightly at me. I ripped
a piece of cloth off of my sleeve and tied it around Hercules arm to stop
the bleeding. He smiled and
we decided to camp the night. The trails were useless in the dark, they were even hard to
detect during the day. It would be extremely difficult to get back and the chances were great
of us losing our way. I tried
to sleep. I couldn't. All I could think about was the evil eyes that I
had looked into when the change overcame
Xena. It was sickening. It made my stomach roll in hard waves that made the night
spin. I slept
little. Hercules noticed my wariness and we stayed up for awhile, talking
about previous adventures. I
had never been so honestly open with a man, besides Perdicus and I really didn't want to think
of him right now. Not at a time like this. Not now. "And,
now we're down to the day when Xena told me..." I stopped. Could I tell
Hercules? Could he understand the
love that Xena and I had shared? Hercules and Xena had once shared a bed too. For all
I know he could be thinking of Xena in a more-than-friendly way, as I always did. Once you
fell for her you couldn't stop. That was the hold Xena had pressed onto men. Onto me. I knew
I was the only woman she had ever been intimate with. She had a magic charm that not many
grasped so firmly. Could Hercules sense that charm? By the look in his eyes he was very
curious about what Xena had told me. "Xena
told you...?" "Hercules,
there's something we must discuss." "What
is it?" He asked, placing his hand over mine. I knew it was a friendly
gesture but I couldn't help my fear.
I was shaking and not even aware of it. "Are
you okay, Gabrielle? Everything all right?" "It's
just that, um... Well, before I tell you I have to ask... I was wondering
if you still... had feelings for Xena,
that's all." There
I said it. I spit it out like an idiot. I felt like an idiot. Why would
I tell him anyway? Because he wanted to still
be intimate with Xena? She hadn't seen him in a long time. Had the feelings remained in
his heart? All I had knowledge of was that I had to find out. "To
tell you the truth, I am not so sure. Last time I saw her... she seemed...
different. Like..." "Like?"
I asked, anxious for him to continue. The uneasy feeling I had felt moments
ago was now gone. The feeling
of trust for Hercules had washed over me again. I was swimming in it. "Like
she was in love with you. I see it in your eyes, Gabrielle." I pulled
back, unsure of what to say. When he politely asked again what Xena told
me I continued. "Well,
Xena isn't much of a poet, or a writer or even a storyteller. She's the
opposite of me. But, that night she
handed me a scroll. On it was a note. It said a lot of things. Mostly how she felt about me.
The desires, the love, the need, the want. The way she had put the words together was... Was..." "Beautiful?"
Hercules asked, again placing his hand over mine and wiping away the tear that had rolled down my
cheek. "Yes...
I never knew she could write so well. Xena was no good at explaining her
feelings. Until that night of course.
That's when everything came together..." "Whatever
floats your boat," he said, chuckling, putting a beefy arm around my shoulders. An hour
later, I finally fell asleep. Discovery The
town was completely annihilated. Smoke fled off the buildings and tables,
dead corpses burned and scarred
scattered all over the ground. Blood poured out of victims gaping wounds. My stomach
clenched. I felt a tear fall down my cheek. The woman that I so loved had done this. Had murdered
over fifty souls with absolutely no sign of mercy. I fell to my knees and threw up. The stench
of the corpse's was rendering me helpless and making me dizzy. The smell of death infested
my lungs and made me puke all over again. Hercules
hoisted me onto Argo and we rode on. I tasted my sickness in my mouth and found myself spitting to
the side. I was disgusted, hurt, angry, nauseous, scolded and upset. This madness had to end. I heard
a familiar war cry. Gods, it was Xena! Clashing of swords sounded and Argo galloped harder. She broke
into a run and I clung onto Hercules with all my might. Once Argo stopped, Hercules
flipped and grabbed Xena from behind. She
kicked the vial out of his hand. I was stunned. It flew through the air
and at that moment everything stopped.
I felt my heartbeat pound on my chest. I stood up and leaped as fast as I could. I landed
with a solid thud and felt a rib crack. The vial landed between my breasts. I gasped
for air, the pain in my chest excruciating. I could hardly breath and I
definitely couldn't move. Pain throbbed
through every vein in my body. The world was swaying back and forth. And, then I felt
hands on me. Strong hands caressing my hair and a familiar touch wiping the blood from my
mouth. I looked
up. Xena. Her eyes were normal now, surpassed by that jubilant blue of
the sky's color. Her hair cascaded
over my face, tickling my cheeks. I tried to giggle but I couldn't. I tried to speak and I couldn't
do that either. I was frozen. I was too hurt to do anything except embrace the darkness
that was surrounding me. Waking Up Faint
voices. My vision was very blurry. I could see close faces over me but
because of the sloppy vision I couldn't
make them out. There were whispers, slow and confusing, above me. And, then, everything
came into focus. First Ephiny. Second Hercules. And then, Xena. Oh, Xena... Oh, my love!
She looked stunning and beautiful. That smile curved on her lips as the realization that I
had woken up coursed through her and I opted to smile back with all my might. How I ached to
drown in that husky voice she spoke to me with. "It's
all right, Gabrielle, you're going to be fine," she spoke. I tried
to move my arm but it felt like something was sitting on it. I could barely
feel it. My legs worked, my toes
worked but not my arms. My head moved to the side fine and my hearing and vision were
correct. So, why not my arms? I remembered.
I had leapt off Argo onto the hard ground below me, only to save the elixir that had rescued
my warrior's life. Oh, Xena if only I could tell you how much I feel for you at this moment,
my deepest love. Having
Xena back was like having the power that had corrupted her mind with that
stone. I felt on top of everything.
Felt like I could move mountains if only I could move my arms. I wanted to sit up. I wanted
to move. But, I couldn't. My breath would hardly cooperate. I fell back into a dreamless sleep. Thoughts I looked
down at my younger lover. I faintly caressed her cheek with the pad of
my thumb, only to have her
nuzzle it in response, although she was fast asleep. She was almost healed. With the medical
treatment attended to her she would be fully aware of her surroundings in a week
or so. She had broken one rib while saving the elixir that had cured my disease. I never
wanted to go back to that again. The feelings of helplessness and sorrow
that I had felt had been the worst
experience I had ever faced. I would rather die than feel it again. Hades
had risen after discovering that Callisto was no longer in the underworld.
Ares had fled like a coward once
he saw Hades. He had taken off like a bad habit. The
things he did to me aroused my thoughts. He had raped me countless times.
I did not want to have a child by
him. Ever. The only thing I wanted was to know that Gabrielle was okay and she had not given
up on me. And, now that I did know that, my soul was at peace. However, there were things
to worry about. If I was going to have a child, if everything was going to be okay or not
if I did have a child. I would
destroy it. There was no doubt about that. The last thing I wanted was
another demi-god. With my strength
and Ares' polluted mind, the child would be a devastation. Hercules had deserved to
be born. He was a living legend much like myself. If I bore the child, it would be an evil
vessel that should never have been born. I continued
to caress Gabrielle's cheek. At least we would face this unease together. Underworld Callisto
felt the needle pinch into her. She screamed in agony. For her crimes she
was now being punished. Everything
had been so right. And, now they called it wrong! Another
dull pain that sharpened like a taut string. She screamed louder and writhed against the chains bounding
her. "Until
next time, Xena... Until.... next time...."