Crossroads
Chapter 1
"Xena, where are we?"
Gabrielle's words, the first in hours, seemed to be swallowed up by the fog surrounding them. It had seemed like an eternity since she had seen the sun, only minutes before they had entered into the desolate swamp land surrounding them. Visibility was almost nonexistent, leaving the only things in sight the straggly swamp trees with their fringe of moss, the brackish water and Xena mounted atop Argo.
Xena didn't answer right away, giving Gabrielle tingles of dread.
"The Abrax Crossroads."
An unknown fear had haunted Gabrielle since the morning, when Xena had recieved a message. She hadn't told Gabrielle what it was about, simply asking her to get provisions for a journey. Then Gabrielle watched as Xena carefullly began sharpening her sword. Such mysterious behavior never boded well for her friend, Gabrielle knew.
"Xena, waht's this all about? Why are we in the middle of nowhere, trying to find our way in the dark?"
Xena reined Argo to a halt and dismounted next to her friend. She sighed deeply before gently grasping Gabrielle's shoulder.
"I never told you this before, Gabrielle. When I was a child, I had two friends. They were like sisters to me. Just like you."
Xena closed her eyes mournfully for a split second, and Gabrielle could see her sorrow. "We were very young when the village suffered a draught. So the townspeople decided to make a sacrifice to the gods. All the children were entered into a lottery, and the two chosen would be sacrificed."
Gabrielle instantly knew what had happened.
"Your friends were picked, weren't they?"
Xena nodded.
"Yes. The next day, they were prepared and taken to the forest. They left them there. I never knew what happened to them."
Xena's fists clenched with the memory.
"Gods, Gabrielle! They were only six summers old. And they abandoned them. I thought they were dead. Until this morning."
"The note!" Gabrielle cried.
"It was from them, wasn't it?"
Xena nodded as she gathered Argo's reins and began walking.
"Yes, And they need my help."
Gabrielle stood watching Xena for a moment, then ran to catch up with her.
"But, how do you now it was them?"
Gabrielle could easily see someone using this as a clever trap for her friend, and wasn't about to let it happen if she could help it.
"As a child, I couldn't say their names correctly. My tongue tripped all over them. So we had nicknames only the three of us used. No one else knew them. And the note was signed with those names. They need my help, Gabrielle. I'm not about to turn away."
Xena knew her friend would understand how she felt. Nothing was worse than loosing someone you care for.
