"Where are
they Callisto?" she asked slowly, her tone promising unfortunate
consequences if the dark-haired warrior didn't get what she sought.
'What have you done now?' silently asked the ephemeral observer
to her unstable twin. 'Abducting Xee-nah's friends again? Well, I can
at least say that you're predictable, my lunatic counterpart. Always
wanting to hurt Xee-nah by destroying what she loves, who she cares
for, what she believes in. Why don't you ever just kill her and get it
over with?'
Callisto's introspection was interrupted when the one at the
table finally spoke. "Missing something, Xee-nah?" inquired the
wild-eyed woman. "Is your bard gone, hmm? I don't know how you ever get
anything done when you misplace so many of your possessions. If Argo
was as dumb as that babbling bard of yours she'd probably end up
missing too."
As her sing-song voice filled the room, Xena stalked to the table
then went around until she was standing next to the sitting blonde, who
turned her head to keep Xena in view. "Not thirsty?" asked the imp with
a wicked smile. "How about a biscuit? I bet you've been riding
practically non-stop for the last two days. I'm sure you're hungry and
the biscuits are quite good. Good enough for a King, if there were
still one alive in this castle."
"She sure talks a lot when she's with Xee-nah,' thought the ghost to
herself. 'She seems so nervous around Xee-nah. Wonder why?'
The slim woman picked up a biscuit and ate it slowly, talking to
the Warrior Princess between bites. The two women locked eyes as Xena
willed Callisto to answer her question. Callisto finished the biscuit
and started reaching for another when Xena grabbed her arm.
|
"Enough with
the charade Callisto," threatened Xena venomously. "Where are Gabrielle
and Cyrene?"
The blonde psychopath glared at the reformed villainess until her
arm was released. Her smile came back as she got up and sat down on the
table, her feet resting on her chair. She still had to look up a bit to
see Xena eye-to-eye.
"Gabrielle, Gabrielle, Gabrielle," chanted the blonde in a
lilting voice. "Oh, she's around here somewhere. In fact, I believe
she's with Cyrene. That's your mother, right? Why they're both nearby,
all safe and sound. For the moment. I can't say the same for you."
Suddenly, Callisto screeched and swung her leg up, clipping Xena
on the chin and sending her staggering backwards. The blonde
backflipped to the other side of the table and drew the sword kept on
her back. "Since you're not hungry let's get on to the dessert, shall
we?" quipped the Warrior Queen with a mad gleam in her eyes.
The former Destroyer of Nations recovered rapidly and assessed
Callisto. With a feral yell, she grabbed her chakram and flung it
sideways, sending it spinning about the throne room. Simultaneously,
she charged the demoness on the other side of the table, flipping over
the table to come down behind Callisto.
Both warriors spun around and clashed their swords, the fury of the
impact throwing tiny sparks . Xena pressed her attack, now that
Callisto had her back to the table. The she-devil was laughing now from
the sheer joy of the fight. The chakram kept bouncing off the walls and
columns of the room.
|