Rating: PG-13 for mild profanity (hey, this is about a big game) and violence

PART I: THE PREGAME SHOW

The forest was alive. Had to be.

Gabrielle had no other way to explain it. Even the Bacchae forest was a picnic compared to this. Muscles tensed, sweat dripped, and eyes flitted about in search of the unseen enemy, but they remained elusive as Xena had said. As the warrior remained stoically silent a pace ahead, the young bard recalled their conversation the night before. Before Joxer had dropped in, that was. You'd think all the Yasi couldv'e heard that racket.

"You know anything about the Yasi?" Sch-wing, sch-wing over and over as she sharpened her sword calmly on its whetstone.

Gabrielle smiled. "Only what every child hears about 'em growing up. Descendants of Assyrians, skilled fighters, hard to catch as smoke, and, of course, magic users."

"I wouldn't doubt it," she drawled skeptically. Satisfied that the blade was razor-keen, Xena slid the weapon back in its sheath. Their campfire cast ruddy light over both their faces; nearby, Argo and Arion, the two horses, nickered softly from their grazing ground. "Tell me you don't actually believe that part?"

"You do know about the Fireseeds, right? I bet your mom told you about those growing up," joked the bard, poking her companion. Xena straightened nervously.

"Let me get this straight. The Yasi tribe is the last vestige of old Assyrian sorcerers, and their numbers get smaller and smaller as the years go by. Then, once upon a time, their leader, a sorceress herself, decides once and for all to stop dissenters. She channels her people's energy to use magic into two small rubies which she calls Fireseeds, then hides them, hoping that's that." Her voice had settled into its low, deadpan tone. "Then one of them, years later, finds the godsforsaken things, declares herself supreme leader of a dying tribe, and teaches them all the old ways. Turns out she's been studying the dark ways all along. Then," she held up a finger to stop Gabrielle from interrupting, "two traveling companions decide that, for the greater good, it's best that the Fireseeds be recaptured, tossed into some kind of bottomless pit, and the rest of the Yasi destroyed. Should I check your scroll for verification?" The light blue eyes twinkled with something between humor and grim determination.

"Yes, it's all there, except for that last part. That's an epilogue." She rolled up the piece of parchment and tossed it aside. Yawning, she asked, "You never fought them before?"

"Never. Pomira, Persians, Scythians, Furies, Dryads, gods, Harpies, yes, Yasi, no." She casually counted them on one hand.

"One for the resume, then."

"I guess you could say that. You go ahead and sleep. I won't be needing it."

"Needing it or getting it?"

"Go to sleep, Gabrielle."

The bard pulled her pelt over her and rolled over. "'Night, she mumbled."

Xena propped her hands on her knees. The bad aftertaste of salted meat stayed with her. Hunting had been bad these past few days; the thick pine forest seemed to harbor little, if any, life. As Gabrielle had harped on, despite the absence of birdsong and wild animals, the forest itself seemed to be alive. The warrior felt her clammy skin crawl a bit as she removed her bronze armor. And it was a hot, humid night.

Somewhere a cricket chirped slowly, deliberately. It seemed abnormally loud; the horses ate in silence, Gabrielle's breathing was soft and delicate, and the fire had died to a heap of embers. The warrior's hand kept straying to her chakram, convinced that ten Yasi would drop out of the trees at any given moment.

"Whahoooooaieeeeeeeeeyeouch!"

Abruptly the round blade was poised for flight and Xena pounced upright. Gabrielle sat bolt upright from her pallet and shot her eyes about.

"What in Tartarus...?!"

The cry had come not twenty yards off from their camp, and it was clearly not that of any animal. In fact, it sounded like...

"JOXER!" both women called in unison as the lanky warrior came galloping through the clearing, pale as ever and stuck with thorns in every visible area of skin save for his face. His strange helmet hung askew and he tried to shove his sword back in its scabbard. He failed and tripped, sending more stings of pain when the thorns pushed in deeper.

The Warrior Princess clipped her weapon to her side and sprinted to her fallen friend, clapping one hand over his mouth as she did so. Gabrielle followed, staff in hand.

"What is the matter with you?" the girl from Poteidaia hissed, pulling out a thorn from Joxer's upper arm deliberately. "Don't you know where we are?"

"Ow! Yes, I do! And stop that pulling!" he hissed, his tenor voice at an annoyed whisper. Being quiet wasn't something that came naturally to him.

Xena smirked. Their companion resembled some kind of human-hedgehog hybrid. "Joxer," she began deliberately, "exactly how long have you been trailing us?"

He rubbed at his nose, then pulled back when he remembered his left hand was full of sharp points. "Since this morning! I mean, you didn't *have* to leave me back there with that woman at the Grouse and Rush...what was her name?"

"Famda."

"Famda! One night of that awful mutton was enough for me, thank you very much." He pouted indignantly, then belched as if to prove his point. "Isn't three better odds than two against all these Yeti?"

"Yasi, Joxer."

"Whatever," he sighed, itching to relieve the pain of the thousand tiny injuries.

Gabrielle butted in. "Sit still and let me try and get these out. Mutton or no mutton, you should have stayed back there. That place is where civilization ends." The bard glanced about nervously through the night, convinced that an ambush was right above her head.

"I'm curious as to what exactly you did to fall into a bush of thorns," Xena murmured, mostly to herself, as she started to pull at the first few.

"Well, there's...yeow!...only so many things I can...heia!...see in the dark...ACH!" he shrieked, yelping like a puppy stepped on by a horse. "Can't you be gentler?"

"Keep talking. It'll take your mind off it." The warrior positively grinned this time.

Joxer tried to growl at her. "You know my night vision. I thought it was some Yeti..."

"Yasi..."

"Yasi, and figured it was him or me, so I got the jump on him." He winced. "I was wrong, but what if it had been some Ye...warrior ready to attack? Lucky I was here to back you up. I hear these guys are pretty tough." His voice took on its boastful, lofty tone.

Xena began to tear up a spare piece of cloth to cover her friend's pinprick wounds. "You heard right, Joxer." She seemed to ignore Gabrielle's sideways glance.

"I hope you already ate, because there's no food left," the bard interjected, working on Joxer's upper left arm.

"Famda's mutton stayed with me." He belched again, this time loud enough to startle the horses. "No thanks."

"All right, good as new," Xena said. A small pile of thorns was all that remained, and Joxer's arms were both stripped of their gauntlets and wrapped in rag bandages. "You two get some sleep. I'll watch."

Gabrielle resumed her place by the dying fire; Joxer yawned and stretched as he always did, removed his cumbersome armor, then tried to unlace his boots. They stank of mud, sweat and whatever foul condiments Famda used in her cooking. He tossed them aside with disgust.

"Did you get into a fight with a stinkweed after you slew the deadly thorn bush, o mighty warrior?" Gabrielle muttered from the depths of her blankets. "Put those somewhere else!"

"Okay, okay," he snarled, thoroughly disgusted. The boots went next to Argo and Arion's tack, and Joxer resumed his place on the ground. Gabrielle had curled up, as far away from him as she could. Too bad, he thought. I could almost smell her hair from here. Nonplussed, he rolled onto his back and gazed at the few stars visible through the patchy clouds. A minute later he snored loudly, tongue lolling out, and Gabrielle tapped him sharply.

"Bequiet," she whispered.

"Mmmmffff."

The bard and the young man slept soundly. Xena did not.

"HOLLAH! Who goes there!"

"SHUT UP!" yelled Gabrielle, dropping the goatskin flask to clap Joxer's mouth shut. Her voice reverberated in the morning mist, then abruptly died as if swallowed up. Joxer's face dripped water; it was often the only method that woke him up.

His bad mood seemed to have gone away. "Morning, Gabby."

"And good morning to you too." She frowned and tossed him a leaf-wrapped bundle. "Eat. Xena found us a few berries."

"What's the matter, couldn't find us a rabbit?"

Her emerald eyes narrowed dangerously. "Just watch it. And try to stay quiet, would you?" It came out less a threat than a plea.

Joxer nibbled on the morning's offering...early chessberries...and tasted the aftertaste of the mutton at the same time. He tried to drink from his canteen, only to find it almost empty. What little there was he swished around to no avail. Famda's evil sheep seemed to be there to stay. But a warrior did need a full stomach to fight, so he finished the bitter berries and gulped down the last heel of black bread in his possession. Why hadn't Xena caught a fish?

As if in answer to his question, the warrior strode back into camp, empty rod in hand and a look of frustration on her angular face.

"Nothing. In that whole creek..."

Both friends knew to ignore Xena when she murmured to herself like that. The day would likely be one of few words.

"Get those horses and let's go," she said dully.

Joxer swept over the remains of the fire; Gabrielle packed their few provisions onto Arion's saddlebags and swung aboard. A few minutes later all three were plunging once more into the unearthly silence.

Xena took the lead astride her mare, sharp eyes darting about in search of enemies, one hand straying constantly to her chakram. Gabrielle and Joxer stayed back a few lengths, the bard equally jumpy aboard her bay. Joxer, however, disn't seem to be fazed by either the possibility of a brutal death at the hands of the Yasi or the complete absence of normal forest noises. He swung his clumsy sword about at every pace, clipping the tops off small saplings neatly, and more often nearly hitting himself in the face. "Hey, Gabby, did you hear that joke that Famda told about the Cyclops and the..."

"Joxer, later. I'm trying to think." Her reply was curt, cold, and his buoyance was quickly deflated. He noticed her staff was gripped so tightly that her knuckles were white.

"You're right. On guard, huh?" He kept his sword in hand, but stopped swinging it about.

The two horses' hooves and Joxer's boots made muffled crunches on the undergrowth. No birds sang here, no squirrels or rabbits scurried about, no wind blew. Argo nickered lowly, her golden hide shuddering with the nerves she felt. Xena was equally tense as she continued to study the trees.

"What was that?"

The horses stopped and both women turned to look at Joxer. He had frozen in place and was quaking as if he were made of ambrosia. "Did you g-guys hear that?"

"Joxer, you're hearing things," began Gabrielle.

"Listen closer." It was Xena's voice this time.

It seemed to be a high-pitched whine, almost like a baby in distress combined with the flight of Xena's prized weapon. It was faint, but seemed to rise, slowly but surely, in intensity.

The Warrior Princess dismounted and instantly had her sword in hand. "Stay here. I'm going to..."

She couldn't finish. Out of nowhere an explosion of purplish smoke rocked the ground, sending Joxer flying into the bushes and Gabrielle tumbling from her terrified horse. Neither could see anything in the blinding heat and haze of the explosion.

Blindly Xena, still on her feet, tried to squint through the violet haze. A pair of bodies in the trees...no, four? She ripped the chakram from her belt and let it fly even as she heard the sharp, piercing cries of her descending attackers.

It did not return to her.

Sword gripped tightly, she slashed at the first two bodies that came at her from the tall pines. Both fell wordlessly. Abruptly the silence came again, and the thick smoke began to clear.

What the hell...

Two more shapes seemed to materialize...from the ground? Xena thought wildly. The smaller of the two pushed back the cowl of her thick cloak. It was a young woman, lithe and supple, with an aquiline face and an expression that was clearly aggressive and fearless.

"Back," the warrior woman called to her companions, even as they began to pick themselves up.

The little raider remained where she was, coiled like a spring. Her escort did not budge, but Xena could see a wicked short halberd in one of his hands. Xena didn't know how many more awaited above. Wisely she stood her ground and smiled dangerously.

"I think we can call a truce here," she growled, blade still gripped.

A flash of round metal was all she received as a reply. Her chakram! The thief quickly stashed it in the folds of that odd cape.

"Xena." The woman's voice was thickly accented, but understandable. "You've paid your toll. I was looking forward to defeating you in battle...pity..."

"Let's see what you've got."

"We Yasi are an honorable race. You will get your chance." Neither woman moved.

"Yasi?" Gabrielle, who had rejoined Xena, took a fighting stance with her staff. "You're Yasi?"

"Chiobe's the name. And I look forward to seeing you both cower before me and my people!"

PART II: THE COIN TOSS

Neither moved for a moment. Xena was intently studying the newcomer, every muscle stretched taut in anticipation. She knew that reinforcements...too many...awaited in the trees. Her mind batted around what few options she had.

As Chiobe stood ready to pounce, the warrior glimpsed a movement out of the corner of one eye. Not Gabrielle or Joxer; this one was too quick. Instantly she made her move, deftly springing backwards.

The shadow was a Yasi, a young woman with the same sleek raven hair and olive coloring as Chiobe and the big man. Xena's gamble had paid off...the youth wore plenty of jewelry along with a circlet, perhaps indicating high rank. Instantly she placed her blade flat against the Yasi's throat, and the girl yelped in surprise.

"Move and she dies." Xena was all business. Her hostage did not struggle at all, but was clearly terrified.

Chiobe blinked, seemingly uninterested. "She is worthless. I would not miss her at all."

"Fine thing to say about your own cousin!" shot back the prisoner, speaking for the first time.

Cousin. That gave her a slight edge. Leaving the sword exactly where it was, Xena spoke once more. "I mean her no harm. Give me back my weapon and I'll let her go. I'm not interested in anything more." She tried to bluff, hoping the Yasi leader would take the bait. Gabrielle stood next to her, staff lowered but ready, and Joxer had begun to quake violently at the knees. His weapon remained sheathed.

"I am not interested in returning this weapon at all. Let me say that I have a certain fondness for such exotic craftsmanship. I'm most honored you gave it to me."

Xena saw that her opponent would not fall for simple tricks and deceptions. She was a magic-wielder, yes, but what were the extent of her powers? She had no idea how many more of Chiobe's people awaited above, and, with the absence of her chakram, wasn't confident of the outcome of any conflict.

"Then let me take this girl...your cousin...as proof that you will return the stolen artifacts of your people. The Fireseeds," explained the warrior, extending her right hand and leaving the sword in her left. "They are useless to you if stolen, if I am familiar with your people's stories."

The Yasi's deep almond eyes flashed with anger. Outsiders were not supposed to know so much.

"That is of no concern to you. I am rightful leader of my tribe, by blood, and I intend to rule as I see fit. I do not need foreigners telling me what I may or may not do," Chiobe hissed. The chakram remained hidden in her robe, but one slender hand darted towards it. More fire and smoke, or maybe a Torture spell? The possibilities were endless.

Chiobe's young cousin, unfazed by the situation, interjected. "C'mon, Chi, what about the Challenge Rule?" she asked with all the enthusiasm of one her age.

"Ayya Smoke Eyes!" the leader half-shouted at her impudent kinswoman. "You are not to speak until spoken to! Especially not in my presence!"

The one called Ayya persisted, throat bobbing against Xena's blade. "Please? Lady Kaspa would have wanted it. I mean, they seem like a good enough group, and..."

"We are," Gabrielle said quickly, dropping her staff as a sign of peace.

"Tell me about this Challenge Rule," Xena smirked, confident that she had found a loophole.

The Yasi Lady's eyes were cauldrons of anger now. "Our race is one of tradition. The Laws of Ehu, our first ancestor, have been passed down through the generations. One such law states that in the dispute of ownership of a magical talisman, those claiming possession have the right to challenge its rightful owners," she emphasized these words, "in a contest of the Yasi people. In our tribe's case the contest is that of Aeryon."

"Aeryon?" interrupted Joxer. He stuttered so much that the foreign word came out in five syllables.

"Aeryon!" little Ayya shouted with glee. She had apparently forgotten that she was a prisoner. "Aeryon's our people's sport. You'll love it."

The tall Yasi beside Chiobe cleared his throat. His voice was slow and deep. "It is a sport played in the air astride winged creatures. Four players play on each side and the game lasts from sunup to sundown."

Chiobe continued reluctantly. "The object of the game is simple. The team that scores the most times wins...and takes what it will from the losers."

"I don't know if this occurred to you, but there are only three of us and we have no access to flying animals," Gabrielle said sarcastically. Xena shot her a warning glance, hoping it hadn't provoked the plethora of Yasi.

"We will see to that. In the meantime I am keeping the symbols of my tribe's heritage where they belong," shot back Chiobe.

Xena did not lower her hold on Ayya. "Before everyone starts taking bets on this game of yours, let's get a few things out of the way," she said, a note of false pleasance in her voice. "If it's going to be fair, I suggest you leave your powers...and those of any spectators...out of this contest. Agreed?"

Chiobe looked to her companion, to the trio of outsiders, than up at the trees. With a clenched jaw she nodded. "Agreed."

"Oh, come on, I need assurance here." Xena knew she temporarily had the upper hand.

"In the name of Ehu, agreed."

Gabrielle wanted to speak, but the warrior held up her right hand instead. "Second of all, where are we going to procure mounts for this? My horse and hers cannot fly, and our friend Joxer does not have a horse of his own."

"As I said, that will solve itself," the Yasi Lady said tersely, apparently unwilling to reveal any more on the subject. "Do you have any more requirements to assure that you lose by the smallest margin possible?"

"If we lose, Yasi." Xena retained her ground. "If we lose you may keep my weapon, your Fireseeds, and our horses. All three of us," she indicated Gabrielle and Joxer, "leave your lands peacefully. Provided there should be a tie, you and I will settle it, in, shall we make it sudden death?"

"Sudden death." Her opponent seemed to enjoy the sound of it. "And if you should by some stroke of luck win, I agree to return your possessions and let you leave in peace. Only if you win do I allow you to leave."

The tension had ebbed, and now both women eyed each other with contempt. It was Xena who spoke first.

"I'm assuming you and your people will provide us a day to practice and get ready for this game," she said, making it a statement rather than a question.

"One day. That is all." Gabrielle's jaw dropped with surprise at Chiobe's words.

"Shall we shake on this...like sportsmen?"

Taking one hesitant step closer, Chiobe clasped her enemy's hand once firmly. "I look forward even more to defeating you in my element, Xena. You and your friends meet me the second sunrise from now." With that she and her tribesman swirled their cloaks about them and, before anyone could blink, had disappeared into thin air. Whatever remained in the trees was as silent as a tomb. Ayya Smoke Eyes, however, remained, rubbing her neck graciously when Xena relinquished her grip.

"Ayya is most grateful to you, Warrior Lady, for saving her life."

"Saving your life?" Xena was almost disgusted. "I did nothing of the sort, Yasi."

The girl peered at her with the curious grey orbs that were her namesake. "Oh, but you did. Cousin Chiobe is very angry with Ayya, yes, yes." The eyes cast downward, chagrined.

Gabrielle looked the young girl up and down. She was probably sixteen or seventeen, hard to tell with her loose brown garb and tomboyish looks. Not unlike some of the younger Amazons, thought the bard.

"How can we trust you?" she asked, somewhat skeptical of their unlikely friend.

Ayya nodded briskly. "Yasi tradition. She," indicating her departed cousin, "has something of yours, you have something of hers. Better business agreement, yes?"

"You're a slave?"

The grey eyes lit up with fear. "No, no, must not say that word to Ayya. Very, very bad word." She seemed ready to cry.

"If you're not a slave..."

"Chiobe's bonded servant, her closest blood relative." The girl pressed her flat chest out with pride. "You win the game, you do as you like with Ayya. You lose, well..." The tears rose again. "Ayya won't live to see the next sunrise."

Xena put one hand on the frightened Yasi's shoulder. She was completely harmless. "So that's what Chiobe meant about working things out with Aeryon. You will be the fourth member of our team, right?"

"Warrior Lady is very smart. Ayya will play for you outsiders. She is a great Second Wingsman, yes!" She glowed with pride.

The bard shook her head. "You've got a lot to teach us. Xena may have experience up in the air, but just the thought of it usually makes me sick," she told Ayya, thinking with queasy nerves about the time Callisto had captured her. "And Joxer, well, he's..."

All of a sudden Ayya clamped a hand on Gabrielle's shoulder, surprising strength for one so slender. "Joxer. The Joxer?"

Xena and Gabrielle shared a bemused look. "Don't tell me that's a common name around here?" asked Gabrielle, chagrinned.

"Joxer is the greatest hero Ayya knows. What a great man he is!"

The great man had collapsed with fright and lay senseless in the underbrush five minutes ago.

Continue >>>