DISCLAIMERS AND WARNINGS: This site and its author have no connection whatsoever with the actual show Xena: Warrior Princess. That show and all its characters are the property of its creators and the appropriate licensed agencies. This site is run for fun by a fan, and no profit is made from it. Gods willing, there is nothing here to sue me over.

This site is subtext friendly, and yes, some of the stories may contain graphic descriptions of sex between two women. Some of the stories may also contain graphic descriptions of sex between men and women. There may also be a certain degree of violence in some of the stories. They may contain all sorts of things. I won't know for sure until they have been written after all. In any event, if this type of content offends you, or if you are under the age of 18, or if this is illegal where you live, please go away.

SPECIFIC TO THIS STORY: The Characters Xena and Gabrielle belong to RenPics et al. I make no claim to their creation. Original characters and situations are mine and no fault of the PTB's. Certain events in the actual canon timeline, for example the Twilight of the Gods bit, Callisto the good, and other events in Season Five, did not happen in this timeline. Major Warning for Violence Later in the story, small degree of het content (not our girls of course). Not exactly my usual type of story... darker overtones... but still Uber, more or less. The violence begins to show itself in this chapter. Some people may find this chapter disturbing.

OUT OF THE SHADOWS

CHAPTER FOUR

Kayl hunkered down looking through the breach in the wall. In a few minutes the last of the raiding parties would leave for the night. She had to get to Magnus before they returned or her knowledge would be old news. She'd done her best to hide the remains of her party, but there were still traces she hadn't had time to obliterate. With any luck, the rain would have taken care of some of them.

It had taken her the better part of two hours to find the perfect spot on the outer perimeter. Just below her was a sheltered nook that was only visible from one spot out of the outer circle. Sheltered as it was, the ground there was barely even damp. Scrubby trees and bushes kept it hidden from the inner circles of guards.

The little clearing had been a lover's grotto during the park's heyday, sheltered even then from prying eyes by the overhanging trees and rocks. Now it was virtually invisible. It had boasted a fountain at one time, and there was still a small pool of water half hidden by the undergrowth. It had made a wonderful bath earlier, a luxury she could seldom allow herself. She'd already set up the scene, a cozy looking campsite.

The two men on the outer circle were young, barely out of their teens. They were about 45 minutes apart on their leisurely circuit of the boundary. If she timed things just right, she'd be able to take one of them out in plenty of time to slip in right after the other one passed by.

From her vantage point, she could clearly see one of them strolling along. He'd be in position in just a few moments. It was time she moved. Jumping lightly to the ground, she lit a match to her carefully laid fire. Attached now to a thin metal rod, her belt buckle was unobtrusively tucked into the flames.

She hurriedly stripped out of her leathers, leaving herself in nothing but a cropped tank top and a smallish leather thong. She lay down on the bedroll, carefully arranging her long limbs for maximum exposure. A quick check assured her that her knife was in place under the fallen leaves. Closing her eyes, she pretended to sleep.

It wasn't long before she heard the sentry's footsteps cautiously approaching her little trap. She hid a smile as she heard his sharp intake of breath when he saw her. She knew what kind of a picture she presented, her silken hair fanned out around her face, pale limbs gleaming in the firelight. It was a gambit that had never failed her.

This time was no exception. As she anticipated, she heard him put down his weapon and move stealthily toward her. They were all fools. Despite her reputation, they never expected any trouble from her. That was why she did it; she couldn't resist rubbing their noses in their own stupidity.

He was so close she could almost feel his breath on her skin. As he dropped to his knees beside her it was all Kayl could do not to flinch. Knowing what was coming was by far the hardest part. As always, the pretense took everything she had.

There. There was the first touch. Without questioning his right to do so, he ran his rough hands over every inch of her bare skin. His exploration caused a trembling inside her that had nothing to do with desire, and everything to do with rage. When he parted her thighs, she opened her eyes and smiled lazily up at him.

He dropped down on top of her, crushing her, grinding his pelvis against her. She egged him on, moaning and writhing beneath him until he was blinded by his own lust. While he fumbled awkwardly with his pants, her hand crept under the leaves and grasped the smooth hilt of her knife.

At the last possible moment as he raised himself over her, prepared to plunge inside, she drove her blade straight up between his ribs. Surprise and death mingled in his eyes as he collapsed on top of her.

With a strength that belied her slender build, she rolled him off of her and onto his back. It was quick work to brand him and douse her fire. The night breeze would disperse the smoke long before the other sentry came around. While her buckle cooled in the pond, she dragged her clothes back on. In no time, the belt was back in its accustomed place around her hips.

She fastened the torch to her belt where she could get at it easily. She would need it soon enough. It took but a few moments to sink her scant belongings in the pool. With the addition of a couple judiciously placed rocks, they would be safe enough for the time being. With any luck at all, she wouldn't need them after today anyway.

A last look around the little grotto showed nothing but the sentry's corpse and the scattered remnants of her fire. Well enough. It was nearly time for the second sentry to pass. Using the tumbled rocks and trees for cover, she got as close to his path as she dared and settled down to wait.

It was about a half hour's walk from her place to the local shopping centre. Most of the shops in the little strip mall were closed, but the Survival Source would be open even after the rain. As far as she knew, Sam never closed his doors for anything short of a world-class disaster.

It wasn't a sense of dedication that kept him open, he was merely a greedy man. If he stayed open when others closed, he stood to make more money it was as simple as that. She had always wondered why he had chosen his line of business; portly and balding, he was nobody's idea of a die-hard survivalist. He was, Xena thought with a grin, a consummate merchant. He never missed an opportunity to turn a profit. As always, he was happy to see her.

Fifteen minutes later, after a bout of jovial haggling, her pack was heavily laden with trail rations and ammunition. With a last goodbye, the warrior was on her way. She'd be hitting the edge of the Burnouts just after the raiding parties headed into the City. That would give her most of the night to find and set up an observation post. Thanks to Gwyn, she was starting over from square one.

Several times while she was walking she was certain she was being followed. No matter how she turned or doubled back however, there was no one there. Finally she quit trying to catch them, chalking the feeling up to paranoia. If there was anyone on her tail, they were as good as she was. She'd have to wait for them to screw up, betraying their presence.

Gwyn had been struggling to stay awake when Xena stepped out of the doorway and into the street. Great. A late night foray into who knows where. Just what she needed. Yawning hugely, she stuffed her blanket back in her bag and followed from a secure distance. No doubt it would be a challenge to keep the tall woman from noticing her, but she was up to the challenge. She had spent years evading the people from the orphanage after she left them.

It had been child's play to sneak through to the second set of sentries. The perimeter guard had no idea his ring had even been compromised. A tangle of scrub had provided excellent cover, allowing her to creep up unnoticed.

When she spotted the first man on the second ring, she crowed a silent triumph to herself. Luck was with her in a big way, and her plan had just changed drastically. She realized wistfully that she wouldn't be able to use the torch, but the opportunity that had just presented itself was too good to pass up. The guard that minced his way towards her was one of the camp prettyboys. Rumor had it that the doghandlers were his current playmates. That meant he was her ticket through the third ring. This was going to be a piece of cake.

Oh, he was lethal enough in his own way, absolutely deadly with a garrote. If he hadn't been skilled, he would not have drawn guard duty no matter whose toy he was. Hissing through her teeth, Kayl readied herself to spring.

She had sheathed her knife in favor of the drywall saw. The serrated blade had greater potential for leaving nasty scars, something he would view as an unbelievable threat. All she had to do was be very, very convincing.

In the end, his capture was something of an anticlimax. He saw the potential of her blade immediately, capitulating to her demands with little resistance. It was a little disappointing really. By the time they reached the edge of the third ring, the little peacock was nearly in tears.

She had stripped him naked, then wound one of her lengths of spiked chain carefully around his abdomen and thighs. She left his feet free for walking, but bound his hands tightly behind his back. The spikes on the chain, she placed in such a way that if he tried to run the links would tighten, driving the spikes into his scrotum and smooth white ass.

There was a length of wire attached to her belt that ran directly to his crotch. A gentle tug was all it took to convince him that shouting wasn't a good idea either. As it was, the tips of the spike pricked his tender flesh with every step. Tiny droplets of blood welled up on his buttocks, bringing a twisted smile to her lips. The sight made up a little for his lack of resistance.

Gwyn cursed under her breath and ducked into the shadows again. Xena was appallingly hard to tail. She stopped without warning, disappeared into the shadows like mist, only to double back unexpectedly. Twice now, the warrior had nearly caught her.

It was like a deadly dance, a game of hide and seek with an edge to it. Despite the difficulty, some inner part of Gwyn reveled in the challenge. There was something almost comforting about it, a feeling of familiar ritual.

The doghandler provided disappointingly little sport. One look at his face had told her everything she needed to know. He would do whatever it took to protect his little plaything. She had to resist the urge to hurt him just for fun.

They were getting to the tricky part now however. They were nearing the center of the camp and the last big hurdle; Brion, Magnus's second in command. He would not be as easy to get past as these fools had been.

As she had expected, the camp was nearly deserted. These days, every able body went out with the raiding parties. Only Brion and the sentries had stayed behind to guard Magnus. Up to this point, it was a fact that had been heavily in her favor.

Now she wasn't so sure. More people would have given her a better chance of grabbing someone important to Brion. This way, it was going to be a little dicey. At this point, everything could still fall apart on her.

As usual, Brion was in the command post, just outside of Magnus's office. His back was to them, his graying head bent intently over the computer. The machine was a recent acquisition, a new link to the world outside the Burnouts. As such, it was Brion's new baby. For a big man, he got awfully caught up in little things. She smiled grimly as she realized what she would have to resort to. Apparently her torch was going to come in handy after all.

Human death had long since ceased to bother her, but the destruction of useful equipment did. Technology had been at a low ebb in the Burnouts since the Uprisings, so every improvement was to be treasured. To destroy something like this was near sacrilege in her eyes. Nonetheless, she lit her torch. The characteristic noise it made drew Brion's attention immediately.

His eyes widened in disbelieving horror as she directed the flame toward the cables running to the computer.

"I need to see Magnus." She pinned him with a cold stare, her eyes like black diamonds.

"Magnus sees no one." His voice was as frigid as a winter's day, his eyes calculating. He had already noted and dismissed her two hostages. Their welfare was of little concern to him.

Kayl matched her tone to Brion's, keeping her gaze level. "He'll see me." The flame from the torch crept a little closer to the network of cables. She could almost feel the big man flinch.

Finally he couldn't take the threat, couldn't bear the thought of his precious computer going up in flames. "About what?" It was a last effort to stave off the inevitable, a way to save face, and they both knew it.

"Last night's missing raiders." Kayl kept it brief deliberately, letting him have his point but no more.

His grizzled eyebrows rocketed up almost into his hairline before he turned and opened the door behind him. "Sorry to disturb you Boss. There's news of last night's losses." A low grumble answered him. Shaking his head, he merely said, "I really think you should see to this yourself."

Kayl heard the scraping of a chair being pushed back, then the muffled thump of a body hitting the floor. That didn't bode well, it meant she had disturbed him at play. The hand holding the torch twitched nervously as Brion stood aside to let Magnus have a clear view of the outer room.

He was a huge red bear of a man, bearded and menacing. It wasn't merely his size that intimidated however, it was his eyes. They gave a person the sense of otherness, of looking on something evil. There was nothing at all reassuring in the way those eyes narrowed as he took in the tableaus before him His rumbling voice was deliberately expressionless. "Kayl. Isn't this a little dramatic even for you?"

"It was necessary." Her voice sounded flat and cold even to her own ears. Good. At least her edginess didn't show.

"I see. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I was with the group that didn't come home last night. Morgan's dead." She saw the brief flicker of expression in his dead eyes at that. Right on target. It meant she was getting to him.

After a moment, Magnus stood aside, motioning her to enter his inner sanctum. "Leave your toys outside."

Kayl didn't move a muscle, merely watched him unwaveringly. She wasn't fool enough to think she was out of the woods yet.

A look of grudging respect crossed his face then. "You have my word no harm will come to you."

It was what she had been waiting for. He was a twisted bastard but his word, once given, was his bond. Smiling, she handed the still flaming torch to Brion as she breezed past him. Her captives she left where they stood.

Text & Original Images (c) M.C. Sak 2000

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