"YiYiYi" echoes.

"It's Xena!". One fearfully runs for his horse.

Four men surround Gabrielle. Two fumble with their encumbered inebriation.

"YiYiYiYI", echoes again.

Gabrielle cries out, "I'm here, Xena! There's eight of them."

Panic stirs within the cave. Seeing an exit out the back, one warrior leads the others. The woods absorb snapping twigs chatting behind fleeing mercenaries. Sitting alone, Gabrielle waits for another of Xena's delightful war cries. Only a light breeze whistles in. A light fire in the cave dances and swirls then stands straight up.

"Xena?", Gabby nervously cries. "It's a bit nippy, my friend."

A faint tension struggles with her wrist ropes.

"Thank the gods! Xena, where were you?" Feeling the ropes break, Gabrielle rubs her wrists. Oddly, her ankles chains fall open. "Xena?"

Mary gingerly taps her shoulder. "Quiet, child. Poor Xena lost her horsey and really needs our help."

Following Mary, Gabrielle finds a young pinto waiting under a tree. She lifts Mary to onto a worn saddle and climbs behind her. How could Mary escape Draco's men? How did she enable a victimless escape? Draco could be anywhere. Raspy breaths charge into the haunting night. Xena is in trouble.

As dawn approaches, Gabrielle recognizes a road to Amphipolis. Mary stops the pinto to study a fork in the road. She points left and a wind of dust passes between them.

"Go, Gabrielle," she says.

Gabrielle squints as the dust settles. She skakes her head for clarity. Mary is gone, no footprints in the sand. To the left, she spies Mary must have taken. Fresh hoofprints lead the way.

"I'm hurrying, Mary!" Gabrielle charges the sharp right bend.

A maverick completes the end of a long clear stretch.

Mary's voice faintly carries, "Move, child."

Gabrielle kicks for a faster race. "By the gods, you rides like the wind."

Fifty rag-tag warriors camp on a mountain overlooking a bundle of unsupecting smoke stacks. Spying down on Amphipolis, Draco leasurely savors a byte of roast pork. Xena's finely sharpened sword will soon to be his symbol of ultimate power. He swings the lustrous weapon high for the morning rays. Its reflection teases his wild awe. "Their warrior dies today."

Hearing racing hoofs, Draco's scouts hawk-cry a warning bringing his camp to arm.

Gabrielle falls off her pinto. A party of five swordsmen race to fight her. Arrows shower the grounds between them. Acting quickly, Gabrielle crawls to her staff. She stops and stares at an arrow piercing the ground. She smiles and waves to her Amazon tribe marching forward. "Amazons attack!"

Draco's men dance a thicker showers of arrows retreating into the woods. They race for horses and any side roads leading anywhere from the fight.

Gabrielle climbs in a worn saddle, raising her staff high. "Captor them all, Sister! They hold Xena captive and must pay!"

Gabrielle's party numbers thirty sounding larger with conch-shell war cries.

Draco stares at Xena strapped to a tree. "Friends to die in vain!"

Xena calmly surveys his camp. "With an army of one?"

Draco spins around to twenty meek teenagers crying as Amazons capture their rides. "No matter, Xena. I'll not need them to finish my plans. Are you prepared to die?"

"First my horse, now unarmed slaughter?" Xena wrestles lightly, feeling her ankle shackles limp around her toes.

"Aren't you going to beg for your life?"

Xena feels her wrist-bonds shift loosely along her forearm. "It's unwise to count your wins before your battles."

As Draco swings to swat her sarcasm, Xena ducks and rolls away stealing her sword from his hand.

"You'll pay for this, Xena!" He draws his own sword, slashing and missing.

"Is that the best you can do?" Xena flips backwards drawing Draco into a charge.

He growls swinging his wild sword charging. Xena playfully stands before a pine tree, lowering her sword. He thrusts forward, stabbing the tree.

Xena shoves him down, stepping on his face.

"Killing an unarmed man?"

Xena rests the tip of her sword on his back. "Not at this time." She clasps shackles on his wrists. "It's aways about money, Draco."

A patrol of Amazons take Draco from Xena. Seeing Gabrielle strolling closer, Xena sheathes her sword and waits.

Gabrielle confidently announced to her congregation. "These are traders for women's flesh. Let the punishment fit the crime."

Cheers echo from the Amazons. A new brigade joins the hunt for fleeing mercenaries. As night seizes, pyres echoe blanket signals to awaiting Amazonian blacksmiths. True fear was a male impression of the Amazonian slave labor troops.

Gabrielle nods as a commander whispers in her ear. "Isn't she waiting at camp?"

The commander shrugs. "Mary Godmother said something about a horsey before vanishing, my queen."

Xena follows as a flustered Gabrielle walked aside. "Mary summoned the Amazons?"

Gabrielle gazed among early stars. "How could she find my Amazons?"

Xena rubsd her itching red wrists. "Mary's not who she appears to be."

"Is she a god?"

Xena looks away. "Let's hope not. I like her."

Hearing a lone horse gallop up the path, Xena pulls her sword and waits. Gabrielle raises her staff carefully listening as the gallops became louder and slower. Amazon warrior secret into the darkness. Slowly, Xena smiles and lowers her sword.

Mary rides Argo into camp. "Hello." As she turns in the saddle, Xena lifts her down. "She's as good as new. See?"

Xena hugs the little ole lady. "I don't know how you did it but I'm glad you cured my horsey."

It shocks Gabrielle. "Horsey?"

Mary winks. "Yes. I had to find my godchild and fulfill my promise." She passed a small tan pouch to Xena. "Do Dee Dee Dum Dee Dum. Godma always loves you. Battle on, Honey!"

A mirky breeze passes and Mary vanishes. Gabrielle rushes to Xena holding the curious pouch. "Want me to open it?" Gabrielle's eyes survey the corner stitches and several prominent bulges.

Xena lightly tosses the pouch, catching as a heavy object. "Feels like your morning biscuits."

"Ha, Ha."

Xena empties the bag into Gabrielle's hands. A fresh loaf of her grandmother's baked bread steams a wondrous aroma. The loaf is too large to refill such a small pouch. Xena weighs the bag again. "It's not empty." Xena pours it over her hand. As magically as the loaf, her chakrum rolls to the ground and then a small family pin sits in her palm. Xena tugs the strings of the magic pouch and tucks it on her utility belt.

Gabrielle inspect the pin. "What is it?", Gabrielle demanded.

"When I was young, my brother's often teased me because I was afraid of horses." Xena picks up her chakrum. "My godmother offered me this pin if I learned to ride to and from home. She placed me on her friendly mare and I rode it round and around.

"Was she Mary?"

Xena takes the pin. "She promised to lend me her horse. But, the Fates took her that same summer. With all the expenses, my uncle sold her horse at auction. I never did receive the pin."

Gabrielle nudges. "You did now."

Xena hums an odd child's tune and pets Argo's soft mane. "Thank you, Mary Godmother." She glares at Gabrielle. "You mention horsey in a tale and I'll feed you snake, morning, noon, and night."

Gabrielle grins. "Mary Godmother did say you needed more fiber in your diet."

Xena tugs Argo to water. "Picking berries is your department."

"Give my regards to your mother." Gabrielle returns to her warriors.

With the evening off, Xena rides Argo into Amphipolis greeting her mother, Cyrene, and sleeping a night, indoors. Tomorrow promises new trails south and new adventures. Unlike other mornings, Xena awakes with a faint whispered melody, "Do Dee Dee Dum Dee Dum. You go on, now, Honey. Mary Godmother's on the job!"

A warmth fills Xena's smile. "Battle your heart out, Mary!"

---

****This story is dedicated to Mary Ritchie who began her walk in the Elysian Fields, May 8, 1997. She was a wonderful Xenite and powerful spirit. Batte On, Mary!

Wonder Woman Archives

Archive Edition by Bob Kahan. This volume covers the early career of Wonder Woman,as chronicled by Dr.William Martson(Charles Moulton,if you will)and Harry G.Peter.This shows Wonder Woman's debut stories in 1941(ten years before the birth of Lynda Carter)and shows how she became the heroine for the female comic-book reader who didn't want to identify with Lois Lane. (Gloria Steinhem was 7 when these stories first came out,and she loved them...not suprisingly, considering her later career.)These stories very subtly show that Moulton believed in female superiority in many cases-and wanted to show that a woman can be as much a hero as any man.

---

1996 logan_a@hotmail.com