Previously on Clarkus Maximus:
"The god instructed Spartos and the rest of us to take your friend and the lady," he finally said, his eyes darting briefly to Lois. "The man is being taken to the gladiator traders. The lady was supposed to go to the slave market."
"God? What god?" Lois asked.
"Ares?" Xena asked, spitting the name out like a curse.
The man looked at Lois and said nothing. Xena glared hard at him, a silent threat of further pain in her look.
"If you value your worthless life, you'll answer," she said threateningly. "And believe me, it gets more painful at the end."
"Not Ares. He didn't say his name," the young man finally relented. "He appeared out of thin air last night at our camp. He killed my friend Talos just by pointing at him. Please, that's all I know. I swear on Hades' head, that's all I know."
Xena undid the "pinch" that she'd put on his pressure points. Instantly, color began to return to the man's face and his strained breathing eased. He gulped in large lungfuls of air. Xena did not allow him to get up from the ground.
"What did this god look like?" Xena demanded.
"Short dark hair, strange clothing like I've never seen," the man replied.
"Tempus," Lois said, her stomach churning.
**********************
Xena knocked the young warrior unconscious, frowning as she did so. She turned quickly and gathered a few of the remaining horses that had stayed close by, munching on the grass. The rest she scared off, letting them run where they wished. She passed the reins of a black stallion to Autolycus. To Gabrielle, she handed the reins of a white mare. Lois received the reins of a chestnut gelding.
"Change of plans," Xena said. "Autolycus, I need you to ride on ahead. Get the Chronos Stone and bring it back to the city of Kratos. Wait for us there. Gabrielle, Lois, and I are going after Clark." She eyed Autolycus levelly. "Take only the stone," she warned him. "And keep a low profile. Ride hard. Ride fast. If you kill the horse by pushing too hard, buy or steal another one."
"Why Kratos?" the man asked.
"Because it is the only city with regular ships to Rome."
"Rome?" Lois sputtered. "We're going to Rome?"
"Maybe. It depends on if we can catch up with Spartos. He's got a head start on us. And we'll have to stop in Kratos for supplies if they set sail before we can catch up."
Lois paled visibly. Xena gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"It's all right. They won't kill him. Gladiators fetch a lot of money. They won't dare to damage their goods. " She paused a moment. "Autolycus, on second thought, when you get to Kratos, ask for me at the Soaring Eagle. If Licus says that we've gone and it's been a week or less, board the first ship to Rome and look for us at in the inns or at the gladiator games. Got that?"
"Loud and clear," the thief replied.
"Do. Not. Get. Caught," she warned him.
"The King of Thieves never gets caught."
He winked and then swung himself into his saddle. Xena pressed a purse of coins into his hand.
"In case you need to board that ship," she said.
"What about you?" he asked.
Xena smiled mischievously. "Don't worry. I can always make more. Be careful."
Autolycus gave his stallion a quick nudge with his heels. The horse sprang away at a gallop like a streak of black lightning. Xena watched for a moment as man and beast raced across the land. Then she turned and mounted Argo.
"Come on," she said. "We've got a lot of ground to cover."
Gabrielle and Lois swung into their own saddles. Silently, Lois was grateful for the times her Girl Scout troop had visited the Metropolis Stables. Still, she wondered if riding was a good idea. She hadn't done it in years. Plus, with her current health concern, she really wasn't sure if she should be riding.
What other choice do I have? she thought to herself. Clark needs me.
She didn't have long to think about it. Xena nudged her horse and the mare broke into a swift trot. Lois and Gabrielle let their horses catch up, then rode to either side of the warrior woman. Lois glanced back once at the battlefield. Already she could see swarms of flies closing in on the carnage.
"You've fought before?" Xena asked Lois. "I noticed that you knocked a couple of men out. You didn't fight like a first-timer."
"Not much," Lois admitted. "I've taken some self-defense classes before and I've fought off attackers a couple of times. It kind of comes with my job description. It can get a little dangerous, depending on who I'm investigating. Still, I haven't really needed to defend myself much lately. Clark kind of has that department covered." She shrugged, as if it was no big deal, even though each time she'd been the one to fight off a mugger or attacker, it had left her shaking at night when she was finally safe at home. "But, where'd you learn to fight like that?" she asked Xena. "It's unlike anything I've ever seen."
"My brothers taught me the basics of sword play when I was young. When my younger brother was killed by a ruthless warlord, I gathered an army to destroy all of the enemies of my home village. One thing led to another, and I lost my way for a long time. I became the very thing I was trying to destroy...a blood thirsty warlord, intent on conquering the world. The Destroyer of Nations, they called me. As a result, I wound up traveling all over the world, picking up moves as I went. And then there was Ares. He took a special interest in me back then, and mentored me." There was a heavy note of regret in the warrior's voice and her proud, clear eyes clouded with the memory.
"What happened to your army?" Lois asked. She'd seen no army so far with Xena.
"They turned on me and, with Hercules' help, I destroyed them. That's when I gave up being a warlord and starting fighting for the side of good. He helped me to transform my life, even though I had tried to kill him. I'll be forever in his debt."
"And what was that...thing...that you threw in the fight before? I've never seen anything like it either." She gestured to the strange Frisbee-like metal ring hanging at Xena's hip.
Xena smiled slightly and subconsciously brushed it with her fingertips . "That's my chakram. It's my most trusted weapon, as much as I live by the sword. As far as I know, it is the only one of its kind." A note of pride rang in the woman's voice.
They lapsed into a companionable silence as they urged the horses faster. Lois was fidgeting in her saddle, straining her eyes ahead, trying to catch a glimpse of the sorely diminished group of thugs who had taken Clark.
The day wore on and they saw nothing. Xena often stopped, dismounting and checking the ground for signs of the path that Spartos and his men had taken. Lois chafed at every delay, even though she knew that they were necessary. Too soon, the sky turned to red and orange as the sun began to set. Xena slowed Argo to a trot and angled the mare towards a thin sliver of a stream alongside a massive, twisted and bent tree. At the tree, she dismounted. Lois and Gabrielle rode up behind her.
"We'll camp here for the night," Xena announced as she tethered Argo.
"No, we have to keep going," Lois protested.
"Lois," Xena said softly, "I know you're worried about Clark. But we're no good to him if we kill our horses and wear ourselves out. We need to conserve our strength."
"You didn't seem too worried about Autolycus killing his horse," Lois pointed out, though she had been taken aback by the unexpected tenderness in the warrior woman's voice.
Xena shook her head. "Autolycus has a lot more ground to cover then we do."
Lois grudgingly dismounted and tied her gelding to a low branch of the tree as Xena had done with Argo. Xena unsaddled the horses, promising that they would be on the move again at first light. Then she stalked off, leaving Lois and Gabrielle to start the campfire. Less than an hour later, Xena returned with two small gray rabbits. She handed them to Gabrielle.
"You seem to do all the cooking," Lois observed.
Gabrielle laughed lightly as she skinned them, diced the meat, and began preparing a stew with a few vegetables that she pulled from a saddlebag. "I always do the cooking. Trust me, you don't want to eat what Xena cooks. She can burn water."
Lois laughed despite herself. "Well, that makes two of us. At least, that was me once upon a time." Thoughts of Clark's patient cooking lessons came unbidden to her mind.
The night passed too slowly for Lois' liking. Her dreams were fitful as her mind threw every worst case scenario at her. Clark in chains. Clark being tortured. Clark being forced into the gladiator ring. Clark laying dead in a pool of his own blood. She awoke several times in the night, sweating from the exertion of her nightmares, tearing drying on her cheeks. Each time, she saw either Gabrielle or Xena leaning against the tree, keeping watch in the dark night.
She was glad when morning finally came. After a quick splash of water over her clammy skin, Lois joined Gabrielle and Xena for a fast breakfast. She noted, as she ate, that the horses had been saddled once more. It was not long before they were on the move once more.
Lois barely saw the landscape rushing by her. Her thoughts were only of Clark. Where was he now? Was he hurt? Would they catch up to his captors before they could leave Greece? What if they didn't catch up in time? Would he be thrown directly into the Coliseum to fight? What if Clark died? She fought the tears of panic that were welling up within her.
They paused briefly to rest the horses in the afternoon. Lois felt bad for the animals, though she didn't voice it. They were pushing them pretty hard. Not enough to kill them, but enough that the animals were streaming with sweat. She patted her gelding and rubbed his nose. The horse snorted and nuzzled her with his head.
If only Clark could see me now, she thought with a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. He'd get a kick out of seeing me with this horse. No matter what else Clark is, he's still a farm boy at heart.
Soon, they were back in the saddles. As they had on the previous day, they rode until the light was failing. Xena would catch something for dinner and Gabrielle would cook it. They would not let Lois take a turn during the night watches, insisting that she needed to sleep and keep her energy up. Three more days passed in the same manner. Lois' nerves were shot. She barely slept at night. Nightmares plagued her.
As hard as they had been riding, they hadn't managed to close the gap between themselves and Clark's kidnappers. In fact, they seemed to be slipping further behind. The trail that Xena was following grew cold. She abandoned the trail and cut across the land on the fastest route to Kratos. On second day, they had run into a small band of highway robbers that were harassing a handful of travelers. Xena had stopped and flattened the bandits, but it had still taken time that Lois was sure they didn't have to spare.
At last, the city of Kratos was before them. High walls of gray stone encircled the sprawling city on all sides. The western most side overlooked the sea. Large gates stood open to the sea and docks in times of peace, but could be closed and fortified in times of trouble. Xena slowed Argo from a swift cantor down to a halt only a mile or two from the wide main entrance.
"There it is," Xena said. "The city of Kratos."
"Do you think Clark is somewhere in there?" Lois asked, half fearing the answer.
"Only one way to find out," Xena said with a shrug. She dismounted quickly and rummaged in her saddlebags. "Here, put this on." She handed Lois a long, weather-stained cloak.
"What? Why? It's too hot for something like this!"
"We need to keep a low profile, remember? If, by any chance, those thugs are still in the town, we don't want to tip them off that we're here too. Those clothes of yours stick out like a sore thumb. Even if they don't see us, townspeople tend to talk about things that are out of the ordinary."
Lois sighed, but mentally agreed that Xena's answer made sense. She wrapped the heavy cloak around her shoulders, keeping the hood off of her head. She quickly fastened the garment with the clasp at the neck.
"How do I look?" she asked, forcing a smile.
"Like any other unremarkable villager," Xena said approvingly.
"Won't you be recognized?" Lois asked.
Xena shook her head. "I don't often come to this city. Only a handful of people have seen me here before. And Gabrielle has never been here. I'm friends with the innkeeper, but he's not the type to rat us out." She turned to Gabrielle. "How much money do you have on you?"
Gabrielle thought for a moment. "About thirty dinars, give or take."
"Good. After we get to the inn, I want you to take Lois into the market and get her some clothes so that she will blend in."
"What are you going to do?" Lois asked, as Xena remounted her horse.
"I'm going to see what I can find out about Spartos."
Xena nudged Argo into a walk. Lois and Gabrielle followed suit. Steadily, they closed the distance between themselves and the city. In no time at all, they rode under the wide stone arch of the main gate. Lois looked up as they passed beneath it. A sturdy iron portcullis was visible above their heads. On the ramparts above the wall, armed soldiers kept watch.
Lois blinked as they entered the city proper. She hadn't quite known what to expect. She was used to big cities in her world and time. She'd been in every nook and cranny of Metropolis. She'd spent time in New York City and in Los Angeles. She'd visited Chicago once in her college days for a writing conference. She thrived on the unique pulse of each of those cities. The heartbeat of modern city life made her feel alive. So she had been fairly certain that Kratos would be a disappointment.
That disappointment never came.
Her eyes and ears were assaulted as soon as they entered the city. Merchants hawked their wares at passersby, each one shouting the virtues of the fruit or cloth or beads that they were selling. There were no shops, only open-air stalls. Townsfolk dressed in every color milled about. Children dashed between the adults, kicking leather balls from one to another or waving wooden swords in games of warlords and heroes. Lois caught the smells of roasting meats and various work animals. Guards in polished silver armor stood watching the crowd at regular intervals.
As they rode through the city, leaving the marketplace behind, Lois began to see homes and shops. She guessed that the stone houses belonged to the wealthy. The wooden farmsteads outside of the city would belong to the poor. Gradually, the noise of the marketplace was replaced by other sounds. The ringing of metal from a blacksmith as he hammered red hot metal into finely crafted wares. The jaunty tune that the baker was whistling as he placed fresh loaves of bread on the wide windowsill to cool. The shouts and laughs of fisherman on the docks as they hauled in their nets. Lois crinkled her nose at the smell of fish in the salty air.
Xena stopped before a large two-story building. Outside, a wooden sign was hanging. It had been carved to resemble a bird, wings outstretched in flight. The red paint on the sign looked fresh and the edges were trimmed in shining brass. Xena dismounted and two stable boys ran out from the detached stables. Xena handed her reins to the redheaded boy.
Gabrielle tossed Xena the purse of money she was carrying. Xena took a few coins out and gave the purse back.
"Think you can get Lois a new wardrobe with," Xena counted quickly, "fifteen dinars?"
"Hey, I'm good at haggling," Gabrielle smiled. She swung out of the white mare's saddle.
Lois followed suit. The stable boys took their horses as well. Xena tipped the boys a dinar.
"Good," she replied. "I'll meet you back here later on today. I'll get us rooms for the night and then see what I can find out Spartos and ships leaving for Rome."
As Gabrielle and Lois left Xena behind, Lois finally had the courage to ask the one question that had been bothering her the most the last few days. She spoke as they made their way back through the city towards the marketplace.
"Gabrielle, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"Don't take this the wrong way but, uh, how well do you know Autolycus? Can we trust him to hold up his end of things? I mean, what's to stop him from riding off with the money that Xena gave him? He is a thief, after all."
Gabrielle's lips quirked up into a smile. "Autolycus may be a thief, but he's got a good heart. I've seen him do some noble things. Xena and I trust him with our lives. In fact, he actually did save Xena's life once. He risked his own life to save hers."
Lois felt a wave of relief. "Good," she said, letting out a shaky breath.
They spent the rest of the afternoon moving from stall to stall, inspecting the merchants' wares. Eventually, Gabrielle found some long skirts and peasant blouses that would fit Lois and that they could afford. It was getting late when they finally began to make their way back to the inn. Lois, in the meantime, had barely watched Gabrielle as the woman had haggled with the merchants. As discreetly as she could, she kept her eyes on the crowds around them, praying that she would catch a glimpse of Clark or his captors. She had no such luck.
The sun was just beginning to set when they reached the inn. Lois stuck close to Gabrielle's side. Drunken men were sitting around in the common room. Some were eating. Most were talking and laughing loudly. A long, loud belch punctuated the air, followed by more laughter. It made Lois a little uneasy and she had to wonder why for a moment. She'd been in bars before. But the leering men that she had seen at the Metro Club didn't have the same dangerous looks as most of the men she saw before her now. Gabrielle approached the bar and asked for the owner, Licus. He emerged from the kitchen, drying his hands on his clean white apron and showed them to their rooms on the second floor.
"Any chance of a hot bath?" Lois asked. "I smell like a horse."
"Down the hall to the left," Licus said, smiling.
Lois looked at the man. He was a fat, kindly looking man with gray hair and red cheeks. Instinctively, she felt that he was a good man.
"Thanks," she said.
A little while later, Lois and Gabrielle emerged from the common bathing room. Lois was dressed in a long brown skirt, supple deerskin traveling boots, and a rose colored, lightweight peasant blouse. She had to admit, the clothing was more comfortable than it looked. But she still preferred her shorts and tank top.
They made their way back down to the common room for dinner. To Lois' surprise, Xena was already at a table, and a serving girl was placing down platters of roasted venison, potatoes, carrots, and tankards of water. Lois was starving and dove into her plate of food without hesitation. She liked venison - it reminded her of the times she'd visited her cousin in the mountains when she was young. He was twelve years her senior and was an avid hunter. Venison was often served at his house.
Xena barely glanced at her plate as she ate. Her eyes were constantly watching the crowd of people around them. She seemed to appraise every man in the place. Lois almost hated to break the woman's concentration with her questions. But she had to know what Xena had discovered that afternoon.
"So, what did you find out?" Lois asked, unable to contain the question any longer.
Xena sighed as she tore her eyes from a group of merchants who were throwing daggers at a target on the wall. She shook her head slightly. "Spartos set sail for Rome a few days ago. He had a small group of prisoners with him. Five, maybe six men in chains."
"How can that be?" Gabrielle asked. "We rode pretty hard. How could he have gotten here that fast?"
Xena shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe he rode through the nights. Maybe he had help from this Tempus guy."
"When do we sail?" Lois asked, her face white with terror for Clark, though she held a note of determination in her voice. Her nightmares were coming true.
"I'm still working on that. The best we can hope for is the day after tomorrow. There's a ship headed for Rome at dawn. It's a trade ship, but any ship's captain can be persuaded to take passengers for the right price. I'm going to talk to him in the morning."
"But in two days, Clark could be hurt or worse!" Lois' voice was creeping into a high pitched panic.
"He'll be okay," Xena assured her gently. "It's the earliest ship I could find. And I'm going to need tonight and tomorrow to gather supplies."
"Supplies?"
Xena nodded. "I need to make some money to bribe the captain with. Passage to Rome doesn't come cheaply. And we are all going to need disguises."
"Disguises?"
Xena nodded once more. "Spartos was overheard boasting that his prisoners will probably be fighting shortly after they arrive in Rome. Julius Caesar is having some sort of festival. The gladiator games are always a part of his celebrations."
"That doesn't explain why we need disguises," Lois prodded, chewing the last bite of her venison.
Xena locked eyes with her. "Caesar and I have a history. I met him about ten years ago when my army and I sacked a village. As I got to know him, I thought we could join forces to take over the world. But he had other plans. He captured my ship, stole my treasure to finance his war campaigns, and crucified all of us. I would have died if it hadn't been for an escaped slave girl named M'Lila. Ever since then, I've been the thorn in his side - the one enemy who got away. If Caesar recognizes me, we lose our chance to get Clark out of Rome alive."
To Be Continued...
