Goddess of Battle
Chapter 6
"Oh... gods... the room is spinning... oh...." Gabrielle slowly rose to the fringe of
consciousness. "Where..." she asked as her eyes flickered open. Losing the battle, she
fell back into the drugs grip. She once again kissed oblivion.
Hours had passed since her first attempt to regain her senses. Her personal sun had risen
towards a false dawn, only to sink back hissing into the night. This time, she fought the
siren's call of the drug, her will maintained control, slowly, analyzing incoming sensations
from her eyes and ears. Beneath her she could feel the floor undulating. "Why am I
moving" she wondered drunkenly. Slowly the hangover gave way to a throbbing
headache. "It was probably the headache that woke me anyway." she mused.
The lethargy quickly wore off, and she began to take a look around. "A ship's cabin...
probably the captain's." Jumping off the bed, she looked around quickly - "Xena! Xena?!
Where are you!?" No response. Gabrielle stumbled to the door, trying the handle.
"Locked!... What in Tartarus... Ok Gabrielle think" she chided herself, "Where are you,
Xena?"
As if in answer to her question, a key turned in the lock. "Xena?", she called hopefully. As
the door flew open, to reveal a menacing-looking man attired in black. The man wore no
armor, nor for that matter the trappings of a sailor, as she had quickly surmised by the
rolling and pitching of the cabin floor that she was on board a ship. Obviously. And now
her stomach got into the act, as it quickly remembered that it did not like ships - which in
her state brought the nauseating remembrance of being full to bursting with squid.
Quickly using the pressure point that Xena had taught her onboard Cecrops' ship, she
started whacking her wrist with the fingers of the other hand. The black-garbed man
watched, unmoving, a slight hint of perplextion appearing at the corners of his eyes. "I'm
sea sick - this helps... who are you? And where am I? And Why am I here? And where's
Xena?"
His only answer was to grab her wrist and pull her out of the cabin. As she came onto the
deck she saw five other men in the same garb as the one dragging her behind him. They
had arranged themselves to prevent any attempt at escape. Seeing the railing so close at
hand Gabrielle pulled away from the goon holding her and raced to the port side railing.
She made it, almost hurling herself over the edge in the process. A massive hand grabbed
her shoulder spinning her away from the railing and her intended purpose. Unable to stop
the bile rising in her throat it spewed violently into the face of her attacker.
"BITCH!!!" he screamed, bringing his fist around to strike her.
"Stop." The man froze. "Bring her to me."
His face still dripping, the man dragged a struggling Gabrielle towards the owner of the
authoritative voice.
"Release her ... Go below."
Gabrielle was instantly released. She watched as the goon headed below. Despite the
heaving of her stomach she turned back to the obvious leader, who examined her with a
cold, hard, calculating stare through almond shaped eyes that resembled black pits.
"Clean up your mess. Then bathe." He pointed towards a mop and a bucket near where
she had been.
Gabrielle turned and walked with apparent meekness towards them. Picking up the mop
she vigorously dunked it into the bucket of seawater soaking it to repletion.
The man to her left turned to watch, and saw the mop sailing upwards to connect with his
chin, throwing him to the deck. The next fool to come too close had his legs swept out
from underneath him and the blunt end of the mop quickly following through and sending
his face into the deck.
A streak of black rhino hide horsewhip lashed itself around her ankles, and jerked to pull
her off her feet, slamming her head and shoulders into the deck. A boot pressed down
onto her neck, pinning her like an animal.
"Now that I know your strength, there will be no more of this. Am I understood?"
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