Xena: Twisted Fates (part 1) (Patreon)

“Foolish princess, you have ridden right into my trap! There is no escape! You are too far into my clutches! Today we meet for the last time!”

Neither Xena nor her horse were startled by the outburst. Argos slowed his pace and snorted while Xena sighed, rolling her eyes.

It was a lovely day outside of Icaria, the sun shining through the trees along the city’s mountain path, a bracing chill in the morning air. Xena had looked forward to this part of her journey, but she should have known she couldn’t pass near Icaria without encountering Nellos the Warrior Sorcerer.

“You will go no further today, Xena!” Nellos’s voice rang out from somewhere in the woods, “Behold my power!”

There was a pause of several seconds while Xena waited to see this “power”, then a clatter of flashes and cracks rang out on the path in front of her. A moment later, louder pops rang out around her, shooting glitter and smoke into the air and starting small fires in the grass. The display culminated with a shower of sparks that erupted near the trees, accompanied by a shrieking whistle that died after a few seconds.

Xena wrinkled her nose at the sulfurous smell of black powder.

“That was merely a taste!” the voice came from somewhere in the trees, “Surrender now, warrior princess, or prepare to face the full might of my war magic!”

In reality, Nellos was no sorcerer and even less a warrior. He had been a fairly successful street magician and special effects creator on the stage, until he began to believe he was being taken for granted by the public. Turning to using his skills to rob and con people of their wealth, he had taken the name of Nellos the Warrior Sorcerer and even had designs of taking over the city of Thebes before Xena had proven him a fraud. Now he spent his time continually trying to prove his powers to crowds that had long ago learned all his tricks, as well as obsessing over defeating his nemesis and regaining his lost clout.

Xena cast her gaze around the scattered trees on either side of the path. She couldn’t deny that Nellos had talent with illusions, but he was no threat.

“Don’t even bother trying to find me!” Nellos cried, “I am everywhere I want to be! You will only see me when I choose to appear to you!”

Xena nudged her heels into Argos’ sides and guided the horse forward, her cool gaze still flitting amongst the trees. It was annoying more than amusing that he kept finding her whenever she came near Icaria. She was tempted to simply ride away and leave the charlatan cursing at her back, but she was curious how he knew where she was.

“Nellos,” she called out wearily, “Enough of this. Come out where I can see you.”

“No!” he shouted back, then quickly corrected himself, “I mean, I am everywhere! And nowhere! Surrender to me now and only then will I reveal myself! You will see me only when I come to put you in chains!”

There was no sign of where Nellos could be and Xena turned Argos around, walking him back down the path. He was probably using something to amplify his voice and the trees were making something of an echo chamber, masking where the sounds were coming from. It would be difficult to find him without checking each tree one by one.

Fortunately, he wasn’t as sharp in common sense as he was with powders and chemicals.

A crooked grin quirked Xena’s lips up on one side. He said he wanted her to surrender, so she would give him exactly what he wanted.

“Very well,” she held up her hands, “I give up. Come claim me.”

There was silence.

Xena kept her hands at shoulder height, away from the reins, idly looking around to see if he would reveal himself. He probably had some sort of hair-brained trap for her in the woods and he envisioned her bumbling around trying to find him and falling into it. She seriously doubted he expected her to actually surrender.

Her hunch seemed to be correct. It was several seconds before he responded.

“I… I don’t believe you!”

“You’ve proven your power, Nellos!” Xena called back, “You clearly have something prepared for me if I go any further! What can I do against explosions and fire that come from the ground? Surrender is clearly my only choice!”

Nellos didn’t have an immediate response to that either. The silence was even longer this time.

Raising her eyes skywards, Xena began to wonder if this was going to be more trouble than it was worth. If he kept taking this long to respond, perhaps it would actually save her time to dismount and shake trees until he fell out of one.

Finally, after almost 30 seconds, Nellos called back to her.

“Climb down from your horse!”

Sighing, Xena swung a leg over the saddle and dropped onto the path beside Argos, hands still raised.

“Take your… your shiny circle thing… and your sword and throw them aside!”

Patiently, Xena reached down to unhook the chakram from her hip, then tossed it into the grass before reaching for the sword strapped to her back. The blade was a more delicate weapon than the chakram, so after drawing it from its sheath she bent down and pushed it away from her on the path, letting it skitter over the dirt without dropping it. Afterwards she stood up once more, raising her hands to her shoulders.

“Good!” Nellos called, “Good, now… stay there!”

The limbs of a nearby tree rustled and Xena saw a foot kick out, heard grunting as a large man in flowing robes struggled to climb down. In front of him, a pair of explosions sent plumes of purple smoke into the air, but they had gone off too soon. Rather than creating the illusion that he had appeared out of the smoke, when it dissipated the ungainly charlatan was still climbing down from the tree. Then, to make matters worse, he fell.

There was a short cry of surprise before Nellos landed in the grass with a grunt.

Xena’s eyebrows rose and her lips warped to stifle a smirk. Whether this ploy would save her time was still up for debate, but that almost made it worth it.

Pained but refusing to let it ruin his illusion, Nellos climbed back to his feet. He marched towards her through the wisps of smoke, admirably using an exaggerated gait to hide a limp.

Part of what allowed Nellos able to intimidate was his height. Xena was taller than most men, but the illusionist was several inches taller than her, and he often used extra soles in his shoes to look even more so. He wore a breastplate with carved muscles to give the impression he was well-built, but a close look at the size of his delicate hands dispelled that notion. An oversized sword thumped awkwardly against his thigh, probably what had caused him to fall from the tree, and he wore an iron circlet on his brow that set above greedy eyes.

Nellos had shaken off his grimace of discomfort and limp by the time he strode up to her, replacing it with a broad grin.

“Xena Xena Xena…” he let his eyes cast down her body, “The mighty warrior princess, at my mercy…”

Xena had difficulty keeping the annoyance from her face as she saw where his eyes were going.

She wasn’t what came to men’s minds when they thought of a beautiful woman, but that made her loveliness unique. Her cheek bones were pronounced and she had full lips, with a squared jaw-line that suited a warrior woman such as she. Her shoulders were strong and even broad beneath the straps of her leather armor, her bustier offering a glimpse of a plunging cleavage between the voluptuous swells of her breasts. The stiff leather and flaps of armored skirt might have obscured other bodies, but Xena’s flared hips refused to be ignored, her thighs thick, strong, and gleaming from long hours in the sun.

“Surrendering without a fight.” Nellos rubbed his hands together, “Very wise, princess, but hardly worthy of praise and song. We will have to expand on your defeat in the retelling. Or perhaps a more dramatic surrender, where you fall to your knees and offer complete, indelible submission.”

Stopping in front of her, the lanky illusionist looked his “prisoner” over more closely. Xena stared flatly back, but he wasn’t looking at her eyes to notice.

“Your legend will end here, then.” he said, “As my prisoner and prize. And what a fine prize you are…”

He reached to touch her shoulder.

“I think the first thing I shall do…” he chuckled, “Is remove this—AAH!”

Almost the instant he touched her, Xena grabbed his wrist and forearm, then twisted it so he violently doubled over.

“Careful what you say, Nellos,” she growled, “Or I’ll remove your arm.”

With a squawk of fright, Nellos tried to struggle, pushing back at her and trying to grab with his opposite hand.

“That’s not going to help.” Xena drawled, tightening the joint lock.

The increased pressure made the panicked charlatan cry out and fall to his knees. He continued to struggle, but he had no ability at grappling and Xena held him down with bored ease.

“Like I said,” she sighed, “Not going to help.”

“Release me!” Nellos bellowed back at her, “Release me this instant!”

“I’m curious, Nellos,” Xena ignored him, “How did you know I’d be coming down this path today?”

Nellos didn’t respond other than to curse and wriggle beneath her.

“I didn’t even know I was coming this way until a few hours ago,” she placed one hand on her hip, “So how did you know so far in advance that you had time to leave traps for me?”

Even with one hand, Xena had the strength and leverage to keep his arm locked. Nellos renewed his struggles, but with a simple twist she caused him to cry out in pain and double the rest of the way over, planting his face into the path.

“M-my methods are my own!” Nellos’s cry was muffled by the dirt, “I’ll tell you nothing! Release me!”

* * *

Less than a minute later, Nellos was hanging upside down from a tree, his face turning a passionate red.

“My methods are beyond… your feeble understanding!” he barked, “I have the knowledge of the gods themselves! The very earth grants me its wisdom!”

“You don’t say.” Xena drawled.

She had to respect the man’s commitment to the character he was trying to portray. Dragging him over here had left a trail of small pyrotechnics and potions, and even now a vial of glitter had fallen from his belt as he squriemd. His oversized breastplate was slipping down into his face, his skirts likewise falling down to show his spindly legs, but despite all this he maintained an air of righteous indignation.

Deciding to see how far he would take this, Xena planted her boot into his shoulder and gave him a little push.

Nellos started to swing back and forward, but it didn’t stop his rant, “The spirits of the past speak to me! I know all your secrets, even the ones you don’t know yourself! I am of the wise, the great ones!”

Xena gave him another shove to keep him swinging.

“I am—stop that!” he snapped, “Stop! Cease this ridiculousness! I command you!”

Nellos thrashed and tried to grab for anything to stop his swinging, but his breastplate weighed him down and he was too far away from the tree to reach its trunk. He tried to grab at Xena, but she simply leaned back to avoid his grasping fingers.

“This is a childish display and I will not allow it to continue!” he roared, “It will STOP! I—rrk!”

Nellos was cut off as he gagged, barely stopping himself from retching.

“I—ulp—I demand this – olp!”

Xena tilted her head and stared at him thoughtfully, “Truly, Nellos, you are a great illusionist. You can turn red AND green on command.”

She gave him another lazy push with her boot and Nellos clapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes rolling with misery. He wretched loudly and coughed behind his hand, starting to hang limp.

“Stop…” he said from behind his palm, “St—ulp—stop. Pl-please I’m going… I’m going to be ill… or faint…”

“That would be a shame, being sick all over that fancy armor you bought,” Xena nodded in agreement, “Someone will come along to cut you down eventually, but I doubt you’d ever be able to con anyone again if word got around that you were found dangling unconscious over a pile of your own vomit.”

The very mention of vomit made Nellos’ eyes bug out and his cheeks bulge. He gulped loudly then groaned in a way that almost sounded like a sick child.

“I… I bribed the gate guards… some of them still… still fear me and a bit of coin… they saw you pass the city…”

Xena nodded, then stretched out her leg to catch him against her foot.

“Heard you were… going to Anthipolis…” Nellos moaned, “Figured out the rest. Have nets and explosives buried… further down the path…”

“So, you knew I was coming through, had a general idea of where I was going, and guessed.”

Nellos shrugged helplessly, “Yes… I planted traps on other paths, but… I thought this one was the most…”

Having heard enough, Xena strode back towards Argos and Nellos watched her go, dangling like a wet rag.

“Let me down…” he moaned.

Xena took care to retrieve her sword and chakram, checking to make sure they weren’t damaged, brushing them off.

“Let me down!” Nellos called more insistently, “I-I told you the truth! Untie me and let me down!”

She clipped the chakram back onto her hip, then slipped her sword into its place on her back and strode towards her horse. Her leather skirts swished about her legs, waving with the sway of her hips as she strode away.

“I told you!” Nellos yelled, “I told you what you wanted! Let me down!”

“So you can follow me?” she called over her shoulder, “Trigger those traps? No, I think it’s best you stay here and think about your life.”

Xena swung herself up into the saddle while Nellos sputtered and began to thrash again.

“Careful,” she winked at him, “Don’t want to start yourself swinging again.”

“You can’t leave me like this! I’ll--I’ll die! Animals will find me! Or bandits!”

“You’re close enough to the city that a merchant will find you before long,” Xena continued down the path, “Just pretend you’re a very ugly piece of fruit. And if this keeps you from conning or intimidating someone out of their belongings for a while, so much the better.”

“Damn you, come back!” Nellos bellowed after her, “You—you tricked me! Xena! Xena come back here!”

But Xena and Argos were already climbing the hill, vanishing from sight.

The scene froze in place.

The warrior princess and her mount were just at the crest of the hill, riding away from Nellos in his tree, leaving a small cloud of dust in their wake. The faux sorcerer himself was almost purple from anger and blood rushing to his head, his mouth still wide in a bellow, reaching after Xena as if he could pull her back.

The image simmered in a large iron cauldron, a faint mist rising from its surface. As she leaned on the edge and looked in, a young blonde woman grinned, clicking her fingernails against her teeth.

“What an interesting little adventure.” Callisto crooned, “All those twists and funny little dramas… what tricksy tricks were played…”

Standing back upright, she stretched towards the ceiling, running her fingers through a web of golden threads that were strung between the walls of the cave. Purring, she strummed the delicate strings, gliding from one to the next, then let out an abrupt cackle that echoed off the stone walls.

This was the lair of the fates, where the three immortal crones watched over the destinies of every living thing that ever existed. The cave was filled with millions of golden threads, each of them a mortal life, crossing and tangling with others in an indecipherable web. No two strings were exactly the same length or breadth, nor did they start or end at exactly the same place. Where those strings crossed and where they were cut was all decided by the fates.

Or would have been, if Callisto hadn’t trapped the crones and usurped their powers.

“Nellos, the warrior sorcerer,” the mad woman mused, “What a fun game to play with him. Pretending to surrender, letting him think he had succeeded, teasing him and leading him along. Then just when he’s about to claim victory, pulling the rug from under him.”

Callisto tittered and plucked at another string.

“But… it did seem like a lot of trouble just to get information.” she slowly turned to face the opposite wall, “I wonder… why didn’t you just hit him with your chakram the moment he dropped from the tree? You could have defeated him at any time, but you played that little game, letting him come closer, letting him ogle you and tell you his plans… I wonder… did part of you like it?”

Against the wall, Xena glared but said nothing. Her arms were held wide Y, golden strings coiled around them, tightly holding her firm muscles. Others wound around her chest and legs, squeezing against her breasts and thighs, keeping her utterly immobilized. Her weapons dangled in threads above her, trapped and out of her reach, but even if she could get them she wouldn’t dare cut through the strings binding her. Each of them was a life; Calliso had restrained her in such a way that she couldn’t free herself without killing dozens.

Xena, warrior princess, was literally bound by the strings of fate.

“Did part of you wonder,” Callisto said as she advanced, “What if I played this game a little further? What if I let him take me?” she grinned nastily at the thought, “What would it feel like to utterly submit myself to this pathetic little man? Were you excited? Afraid? Maybe… curious?”

“You’re insane.” Xena growled, “You don’t know what you’re doing. If you had—”

“I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I’M DOING!” Calliso shouted, suddenly angry.

Lips pulled back and baring her teeth, Callisto looked almost like she was about to attack. In some ways she looked like Xena, strong and wearing midriff-baring leather armor, comfortable with weapons and confident. She was girlishly pretty in a way Xena was not, features more delicate, and though firm she was almost sickly lean, like an alley cat. She had none of Xena’s calm composure, wont to violent mood swings and cruelty. And there was something about her eyes, too wide and showing too much white. One didn’t have to be around her long to realize she was out of her mind.

She seethed through her teeth for several breaths, glaring wildly at her captive. But then, just as quickly as it came, her anger evaporated. Her snarl was replaced by a cloyingly sweet smile.

“I know exactly what I’m doing, Xena.” She said again.

Turning her back on the warrior princess once again, Callisto cast her eyes about all the tangled strings. Sighing, she reached out and plucked one down, pulling it until it stretched, then let it spring back into place.

“You’re right about one thing,” she said wistfully, “I am pretty crazy. Maybe that’s why all this makes sense to me. All this lovely chaos…”

Callisto took a deep breath then released a heavy, contented sigh as she stroked her fingers along the strings. She wove her fingers through them like she was playing a harp and then turned into a languid twirl. She began dancing to a tune only she could hear.

“All these connections, entanglements…” she twirled once more, “I can see how they go from one place…” she dragged her finger along one string, “to the other. What would happen if there was a cross here or there, or someone twisted the string just a bit.”

She plucked one string out of the others, “Like poor Nellos. How long ago was that little episode with him? A year? It doesn’t look like things have gotten any better for him since then.” She traced her fingers farther down the string, “Oh, and it doesn’t end well for him either. It’s hard to be a false wizard when you’ve been proven a fraud.”

As Callisto took another string, Xena carefully squirmed in her bonds. The strings were flexible and allowed her to shift, but she was afraid too hard a pull might break them loose. As quietly as she could, she arched out her chest and pushed her shoulders back, trying to find a way to loosen their hold.

“And I can see your fate too, Xena. There’s so much pain and struggle, constant strife…” Callisto curled her lip, “Ugh. But heroic to the end, it seems.”

Carefully twisting her forearm, Xena thought she might have started to loosen her bonds, but she kept a sharp eye on Callisto. When her nemesis turned back, she quickly went still, not wanting her to notice.

“So many chances and choices,” Callisto purred, “And now I get to decide how it all turns out.”

“You can’t alter fate, Callisto.” Xena snapped back, “You can’t see all ends. Any change you make could destroy everything.”

“Oh, but that’s EXACTLY what I can do. I can change the past, the future… anything I want!”

“Anything you change will draw the attention of the gods! They know well the dangers of toying with fate! They will come to this mountain, united for the first time since the battle with the titans! I promise, they will stop you…” Xena grinned, “If I give them the chance.”

Callisto’s eyes twinkled and she returned Xena’s grin, “But I only want to make a few teensy, weensy little changes. Just one or two itsy bitsy, teeny tiny fates. The gods won’t notice. And if they do, I promise they won’t care.”

She patted Xena’s cheek. Xena jerked from the touch and glared.

“What I’ve really wanted all along was to decide your fate,” Callisto played with her captive’s bangs, “But before my options were so limited. Torturing you to death, destroying everything you love before your eyes, drowning you in grief and your own failures…”

Xena bristled, “If you lay a finger on any of my friends…”

“Oh, hush.” She put her hand over Xena’s mouth to silence her, “I was going to say, those are all well and good, but they’re so dramatic and heroic. I want you to lose everything, but I think your fate should be more shameful.”

Annoyed at being quieted like a child, Xena twisted in her bonds and tried to turn away from the smothering hand. She arched in the back and jerked her head, but all she succeeded in doing was making her captor giggle. Callisto was easily able to keep her hand clamped over Xena’s mouth and after several failed attempts, the warrior princess gave it up. Her mouth still covered, her blue eyes blazed with anger, her cheeks even flushing with a hint of pink.

“See?” Callisto giggled, “That’s what I want. Not an epic, tragic ending. Your fate should be something tawdry and humiliating, the kind no one wants to write songs about.”

She reached up to pluck a string, then stretched it down so Xena could see.

“I’ve already seen where this thread goes,” the villainess narrowed her eyes, “It’s perfect. Exactly what you deserve, Xena.” She twisted it, then wound it around another, “And all it will take to get you there, is a little change of heart… at just the right moment.”

Letting go of Xena’s mouth, she used both hands to twist them together, binding them.

“Callisto—” the warrior princess tried to cry out, but before she could finish she was blinded by a flash.

And everything changed.

“You will go no further today, Xena!” Nellos cried from his hiding place, “Behold my power!”

There was a pause of several seconds while Xena waited to see this “power”, then a clatter of flashes and cracks rang out on the path in front of her. A moment later, louder pops rang out around her, shooting glitter and smoke into the air and starting small fires in the grass. The display culminated with a shower of sparks that erupted near the trees, accompanied by a shrieking whistle that died after a few seconds.

Xena wrinkled her nose at the sulfurous smell of black powder.

“That was merely a taste!” the voice came from somewhere in the trees, “Surrender now, warrior princess, or prepare to face the full might of my war magic!”

Xena was just starting to wonder how he kept finding her, when a strange chill went up her spine. Blinking, she sat up straighter in the saddle, her eyes widening. She gripped the reins tighter, eyes darting around the trees. Nellos wasn’t a threat, but for some reason her heart was skipping, her mouth going dry.

Surrender.

“Don’t even bother trying to find me!” Nellos cried, “I am everywhere I want to be! You will only see me when I choose to appear to you!”

Closing her eyes tight, Xena struggled with the bizarre sensation. She was under attack somehow. She knew it, but she had no idea what could be attacking her other than something inside her own mind. It was a compulsion, an overwhelming urge that left her breathless and unsure, a need to do something drastic. She didn’t know exactly what the urge wanted her to do, but it frightened her.

Sensing his mistress’s worry, Argos nickered and stomped his hooves, becoming nervous himself.

“I am everywhere!” Nellos continued, “And nowhere! You have but one choice: admit defeat and offer yourself as a prisoner to my power! Let go of the reins and come down from your horse!”

Xena did it. She wasn’t sure why, but she let the reins drop against Argos’ neck, then swung a leg over the saddle and stepped carefully to the ground.

The instant she obeyed, she was almost staggered by a rush of fear, excitement, and shame. Stunned and bewildered, she blinked at the grass on the side of the path and swayed on her feet, as if dizzy. The urge was only intensifying and Xena felt like she was no longer in control of herself, something she hadn’t felt in many years.

“Your sword and your throwing ring!” Nellos called out again, “Toss them aside!”

She obeyed. Her hands moved clumsily, like they belonged to someone else, but she undid her chakram and tossed it into the grass. Reaching back over her shoulder, she untied her sword and sheath from her back.

It felt almost like a dream to the warrior princess. Her body was moving on its own, holding out her sword for a moment so Nellos could see it. She looked at her famous weapon and another shiver of fear and excitement tickled up her spine. She knew she shouldn’t, knew Nellos was merely a charlatan, but she was possessed. She tossed her sword well away, letting it clatter far out of reach.

For several seconds nothing happened.

Feeling uncharacteristically self-conscious, Xena clasped her hands in front of her thighs, then began pulling gently at her fingers. It was something she did sometimes after long hours of practicing the sword, loosening the joints to relieve aches and strains. Now she did it to fret, her eyes casting about worriedly, wondering where Nellos was.

A pair of explosions threw plumes of smoke into the air and Xena jumped with a gasp. Argos, already unsettled, whinnied and reared. He bucked, tossing his head, then retreated from his mistress, stomping and snorting.

The smoke billowed an unearthly purple, two twin plumes that blocked out several trees. From out of them, his cape flapping gloriously, stepped Nellos the warrior sorcerer. He strode forward with the lazy pomp of a king, chin held high, expression hard and disapproving.

Her hands still clasped in front of her, Xena stared at him with her mouth ajar, eyes wide.

As he continued to advance, Nellos’ eyes narrowed and he couldn’t resist an eager smile. He knew he wasn’t truly a sorcerer, but he knew how to perform. Watching the faces of a crowd, he could tell when he had them enrapt, when to draw things out and when to strike suddenly. And looking at Xena’s face now, he knew he had her.

He only wished he had a bigger audience.

“You have no chance, Xena,” he began speaking low, but grew louder as he approached, “You’re one pitiful woman with a sword facing magics that have existed before the dawn of man. You were doomed the very moment you rode into my trap.”

Nellos stopped and tossed back his head haughtily, though he took care to stay out of her reach.

“Any move you make against me will be your last.” He sneered, “But I will grant you mercy. You will offer the unconditional surrender of yourself and everything you possess. In return, I will spare you my wrath.”

Xena’s mouth was dry and she swallowed hard. This was utterly insane. She had stood defiant against warlords, entire armies, even the gods themselves, but now she faltered. She shook herself, hoping it would free her of the madness gripping her.

“I… I…” she breathed.

“Accept my terms, princess.” Nellos said, “Beg for my mercy.”

Lowering her head, Xena stared forlorn at the sorcerer’s boots. Her firm shoulders drooped, upright warrior posture slumping into one of despair and exhaustion. She couldn’t fight whatever power was controlling her; not even she couldn’t resist the strings of fate, even those altered by a mad woman.

“I accept your terms, Nellos,” Xena’s voice was soft and tired, “I surrender to you unconditionally. I offer myself and everything I own into your possession.” She sighed heavily, “Please… have mercy. I have no chance against you.”

The moment Xena had begun speaking, Nellos could barely contain his glee. His lips spread wide in a ghoulish grin and he gritted his teeth to restrain a cackle. Every word she said was music to his ears. He had only pictured this result in his fantasies, but now here it was, real and standing before him: the warrior princess was his.

When she finished, the victorious magician burst into an almost childish giggle of excitement.

“Yes, Xena,” he tittered, “Yes, indeed. There was never any doubt.”

(to be continued)