Chapter 8 - Gabrielle
The bag was removed from her head. Bright sunlight invaded her eyes,
causing her to squint until they adjusted to the change. Finally, she
was able to look around and see that she was in the center of a circle
of women warriors, each armed with a sword or spear, each garbed in
combat leathers. She noted that her hands were tied behind her back and
her feet were bound.
"My, what a lovely day for a picnic!" cheerfully exclaimed the blond
captive. "But you didn't have to go to all this trouble to get me to
come along. A simple 'please' would have sufficed."
"Quiet Callisto!" warned one of the amazons, who prodded the prisoner
with her spear for emphasis.
"Ouch! Careful with that spear little girl, before someone takes it
from you and clubs you senseless," snarled the captive.
"Enough!" said a familiar voice from behind.
The amazons bowed as one to the approaching figure. Callisto turned
around and saw that the Queen of the Amazons had arrived. The Queen
bore the scars accumulated over the years of hardship and danger like a
badge of honor. For the first time since they had initially met, the
Queen of the Amazons actually looked the part.
"Well hello there, Gabrielle," she said to the Queen. "My, you've grown
up since I last saw you. Spending time with the Destroyer of Nations
has done wonders for you. Speaking of which, where is Xee-nah?"
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Gabrielle
silently stared at the prisoner. Then with one sudden move she swung
her arm and punched the captive in the jaw, sending her sprawling.
"How dare you!" said the bard with obvious fury as Callisto slowly got
up.
"What was that for?" asked the prisoner, stalling for time while she
formulated a plan. "Did Xee-nah finally leave you? It's about time. I
don't see what she ever saw in you. Argo never liked you, did you know
that? I think she was was Xee-nah's favorite between the two of you.
How about that? Taking second place to a horse!"
"SHUT UP!" yelled Gabrielle. Callisto did. For a minute.
"Are you just waiting until I die of boredom or do you actually have
something to say to me?" asked the captive in a dismissive tone.
"Bring her," said the Queen as she turned around and walked off.
Two amazons escorted the hobbled prisoner through the village. Callisto
looked around. No, it wasn't a village, it was a city of some sort. It
wasn't until they almost reached the central square that she realized
that this was Sparta.
But where were the Spartans? She hadn't seen any men yet. She had seen
a lot of amazons going about their business, fixing damaged structures
and generally cleaning up the aftermath of a battle.
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