Chapter 4

It didn't take long for Solan to fall asleep in Gabrielle's arms. The steady gait of the horse rocked the boy into slumber and he relaxed against the small woman, trusting that she wouldn't let him fall from Argo. Unfortunately, Gabrielle's mind was not so easily slowed, as she racked her brain trying to formulate plans of rescue for her partner. The stress and tension of the day did nothing to help her thoughts; at last giving up, she noticed that Argo had picked up her pace with the rising sun. The bard tightened her embrace around the youngster, and let her thoughts drift as the warhorse carried them closer and closer to Kaleipus.

Leaving the jail for just a few moments, Terek entered his house and grabbed a blanket to protect him from the cold of the jail and then returned to the secure room to keep watch on the prisoner. Even though he approached as silently as he could, he was startled to find Xena's gaze fixed on him as he came into her view. The silent, watchful mask of the Destroyer of Nations continued to unease the centaur; at last deciding that being uncomfortable from the chill was better than the on-going mental onslaught of her icy stare, Terek entered her cell and threw his blanket over the head of the woman. The prisoner remained silent as he relocked the door behind him. Grabbing a pole that was left leaning against the outer wall of the cell, Terek reminded himself that he could still reach the prisoner with the stick and jolt her into wakefulness if he thought she was drifting off to sleep. He resigned himself to his watch, and hoped his relief would be quick in coming.

Xena shook her head and shoulders as she tried to rearrange the weight of the cloth more comfortably around her. She was glad that she had been able to unnerve the young centaur enough in order for him to make his first mistake. With the blanket over her head, she could at least shut down that part of her brain that had to tell him that she was visibly aware of the jailer at all times. Relying on her hearing to tell her if conditions should change, she took a steadying breath and rocked her weight back onto her heels, wriggling her toes at the same time. Her leg muscles were not protesting their inaction yet, but they soon would be. Xena next stood on her toes, stretching the calf muscles in order to keep them limber. Unfortunately, her arms were another matter. Gabrielle had tried to help by massaging and warming her fingers, but they already felt useless from the lack of adequate blood flow. Xena knew her fingers were still and cold, but the only thing she could do was flex her palms and fingers as much as possible. She didn't want to make any noise, and was careful not to touch or jostle the chain above her head. The warrior did not want Terek to interrupt her mental exercises, and the few physical ones she could do. Xena took another steadying breath, and formed a picture in her mind, forcing herself into a higher mental state that would both relax her and energize her for the ordeal to come. Releasing her breath, she closed her eyes under the blanket, and...

Lorenz awoke early in the morning; his excitement of actually having captured the Warrior Princess made the normally heavy sleeper toss and turn for most of the short night. At last deciding it was useless to try to return to Morpheus, he rose and went to check on Solan, only slightly surprised to find the youngster was not in his bed. He was just about to go out and try to find the boy, when there was a knock on the door.

"Enter!"

A middle aged centaur entered Lorenz' home. He looked a little shaken, as he thought of the best way to tell his leader the news. "Uh, Lorenz..."

"What is it, Javet?"

"The prisoner's horse...it's gone. The saddle too. I know I should have put a guard at the stables last night, but..."

Lorenz snorted in disgust. "Forget about it. Solan's not here either. He's probably still upset about what we're going to do to his 'friend'."

The stable master was relieved that Lorenz was not that angry at the loss of the horse. It was an excellent animal, and could have been sold for a large sum of dinars if Lorenz had decided to get rid of the mare. "Do you want me to go look for them? I'm sure they couldn't have gone far."

Taking a moment to consider his options, Lorenz shook his head. "Don't bother. Instead, I want you to relieve Terek at the secure room, and take over guarding the prisoner for this shift."

Javet smiled at the thought of watching the warrior. It was an honor to be picked by Lorenz for such a special duty, and he wanted to make the most of his opportunity. At the very least, Javet hope to make up for the loss of the mare, and work his way into the leader's good graces. It was going to be a good day after all.

The damp and chill started to effect the Warrior Princess. Her arms felt like dead weight hanging above her head. She struggled to flex and stretch her hands and fingers as much as she was able, but the tingling feeling in her arms added to her discomfort. Xena made an effort to disregard the painful stabbing sensations she felt when her protesting shoulder muscles managed to contract and relax on her command, and instead, concentrated on her legs. She completed different exercises to keep her legs in condition; at first she would stand on her toes, counting to herself how long she could remain motionless in that position, and then drop on her heels and do the same thing. Trying to stretch every muscle possible, Xena also balanced first on one leg and then the other. Even with the cold, her coordination was fine, but she was starting to feel tired from the lack of sleep. Just as she began to form a mental picture of quiet times past to relax herself, she heard someone coming down the slope into the secure room area. Xena recognized the gait of a new centaur, and let herself become an emotionless mask while she waited to meet her next guard.

"Terek," Javet called out. "I'm here to relieve you from your shift," the grey haired centaur announced as he entered the room. "How's our prisoner been?"

The young centaur felt exhausted, and he knew he looked it from the expression in Javet's eyes. "Quiet. Nothing to report." He handed over the pole he was leaning on, and started to move towards the exit when Javet called him back.

"What's the blanket doing on her head? I thought we were supposed to observe her at all times, and make sure she doesn't try anything." Taking the key from Terek, the older centaur entered the cell, and unceremoniously ripped the cloth from Xena's head and shoulders. The icy look of determination and strength from the woman startled him into speechlessness. Javet had expected the prisoner to be tired and disorientated; instead he was confronted with a true warrior who had the boldness to look her jailers in the eye relentlessly. The centaur suddenly realized that the assignment he had wanted so badly came with a high price to pay. He backed out of the cell, and after locking it, tried to hand the blanket back to Terek.

"Keep it," Terek snorted in a tone of derision. "You might find you need it."

Javet knew he would soon be alone with the prisoner. Wanting to keep Terek with him for as long as possible, he called out after him, "What about my relief?"

"I'll be back at dusk to take your place. And remember," he couldn't help but add a little harshly, "Watch her closely. And don't let her sleep."

In the dimness of the secure room, Javet looked at the warrior who stared back at him expressionlessly. The centaur knew it would be a long day.

It was mid-day before Gabrielle pulled Argo to a halt to give the horse a rest. They were still following the stream, and as the blonde gently woke Solan and helped him down from the mare, Argo moved closer to the water to quench her thirst. The bard slid from the horse and landed with a small splash next to the thirsty animal. Bending down herself, Gabrielle scooped up some cold water and washed her face with it, hoping to keep herself more awake and alert. Solan was stretching his legs when the woman handed him some cheese and apples that she had retrieved from Argo's saddlebags, and then helped herself to some of the food.

"Solan, do you know how much further it is to your uncle's village?"

Swallowing a piece of cheese, the boy glanced around him. "Things are starting to look familiar, Gabrielle. I think by dusk, we should be in Uncle Kaleipus' territory."

"Good. I don't want to be away from Xena for too long. Do you know anything about how the centaurs in Lorenz' nation bring people to trial? How long will they keep Xena in that jail?"

Argo grazed on some sweet grass as Solan approached her and started to run her down. Images of Xena chained in the cell flashed through his mind while he thought back on all he knew about Lorenz and his village. The boy's voice was shaky when he answered. "They'll keep her at the jail for several days. They always try to get their prisoners as weak as possible before trial, so they won't cause any problems, or try to escape. During the trial..." Solan struggled with the words as his breath caught in his throat, "...I don't know."

"It's ok, honey," Gabrielle soothed the youngster, and gave him a tight embrace to comfort him. "We'll get there in time." The bard grabbed Argo's reins, and led her back to the edge of the stream.