By Mike Ciani
A large lone hut stood in a long-abandoned village. Olya's one single thought was of how perfect everything was at the moment. The disturbance of the thunder and lightning in the air, the ominous and dark place where she was. The events that were about to take place, would end up forever changing the world. This much Olya relished.
Olya was the priestess of a group of young Amazon warriors. A strangely tall and hoarse voiced woman had been showing Olya things about the spiritual realm that she never even knew existed. All this was exciting to Olya, especially since her new mentor mentioned the rebirth of the spirit that resided over this forbidden wasteland that once was a place of warmth and family.
Even though Olya was excited to witness something she didn't quite understand, she knew that things had to be perfect or else her mentor wouldn't be pleased.
A large altar stood in the middle of the hut and many torches and candles were lit in the room. Tonight the boundary seperating the real world and the netherworld was at its weakest. Voices were heard in the distance.
They're here was the thought that ran through Olya's mind. She giggled childishly and gleefully as it was time to begin. The doors to the hut opened and in came the Amazon Warriors who were loyal to Olya and her mentor. Another woman was with the group. Olya recognized her, her name being Senna. Senna was a young Amazon herself, but was fiercely loyal to the Queen, Ephiny.
Olya's mentor walked in to the hut dressed in a flowing red robe. She ordered Senna to be strapped to the altar immediately. It was then that Olya realized what dark ritual was about to take place in the hut, a human sacrifice.
Olya walked up close to the woman in the red robe and asked her, "Mistress, do we need to kill this young girl? The others will come looking and find out..."
"Silence! Do not question my motives. I told you when I asked you to join me that there was much that you didn't understand, but that you would learn in due time."
Olya, unsure of what her mentor meant by that said, "But Senna is only a young girl. Why are we going to kill her?" Olya felt that she might know why, but was hoping that the thought wouldn't become reality.
"Foolish young one! I once had an apprentice much like you, until she met someone else and got killed, that is.", the older tall woman huffed. "You see little girl, in order to give life I first must take life away. It is the balance of nature."
Olya gasped, "The rebirth. You need to take Senna's life in order to do this ritual? That isn't right, you'll be robbing her of her life and all the things she might do."
Olya's mentor answered her, "I will not be questioned about this, Olya. Either you are with me totally or you are against me totally. You take your pick, but being on the opposite side of me is not a pleasant experience. Ask Xena if you don't believe me."
Xena was a very sore point with Olya. The last time Olya saw Xena was in the Amazon village when Xena came through looking for Queen Gabrielle, after the deaths of Xena's son, Solan, and the Queen's daughter, Hope. Xena was totally irrational and started fighting the Amazons. Ephiny had been lucky to escape with a broken arm, but Olya's mother, Cresca, wasn't so lucky. She died from a broken neck inflicted by the Warrior Princess. Xena never even returned to the village to apologize or anything.
Olya felt nothing but contempt for Xena and the mere mention of Xena's name was enough to strengthen Olya's resolve to go ahead with the ritual. It was true that Ephiny told Olya to forgive and forget about what Xena did, but Olya couldn't do that.
When her new mentor showed up for the first time, Olya couldn't believe that this woman wanted to destroy Xena's life. Olya decided Senna's fate at that moment.
Olya said, "All right, mistress, we'll proceed with the ritual just like you want to." The mentor smiled to herself and thought "like a fly to honey" while regarding Olya. Corrupting a young girl with so much hate was so easy.
The mentor started a dance and chant and directed Olya, the priestess to prepare to take Senna's life. Senna looked up at Olya nad pleaded and cried for her life. Senna asked, "How can you do this? We grew up together and we were best friends at one time."
Olya grimaced and replied, "Times change dear. I'm afraid that the Olya you once knew has been long gone ever since Xena killed my mother." With those final words the priestess raised a dagger over Senna's heart.
While the true evil mastermind continued an ancient chant, Olya looked up into the sky and noticed a swirling mass form above the hut. The mentor started screaming, "Spirit of the damned of this village. You couldn't find peace or rest where you are now, so I invoke you to come back into this world and take the form of this young Amazon woman we are about to offer up to you. You're destiny hasn't been fulfilled yet, so I offer you a new chance at life."
With that a large lightning bolt struck the ground outside and the winds started howling like a Bacchae. The mentor gave Olya the signal and Olya thrust the dagger down into Senna's chest without giving it a second thought or look.
A rumbling was then heard followed by the groaning noise seemingly made by a large gate opening even though no gates were present in the burned-out shell of a village.
The roof exploded off the hut and a spiritual mass of light entered the room and loomed over the body of the dying Amazon girl. With one movement, Senna's spirit left her body and flew into the night sky being given the curse that the new holder of her body had to endure ever since her death.
The chanting stopped and the priestess stepped back from the altar to behold this new woman sitting on the altar in the garb of an Amazon Warrior.
The woman started looking at her body. It no longer resembled Senna's as far as the woman's features were concerned. The only thing that remained the same was the clothing and the short blonde hair that this woman possessed. All of a sudden the woman jumped off the altar and turned toward Olya and asked, "What is going on here? Why?"
Olya was stunned as she never witnessed a reincarnation like this. Olya's mentor then stepped forward and said to the new woman, "I'd like to welcome you back to the real world Callisto. There is much that we can do for each other."
Callisto still perplexed but now accustomed to her surroundings said, "Cirra, this is Cirra. The last thing I remember is Xena stabbing me and I was being tortured by fire in merciless place. I escaped and thought that Cirra was a place that would give me peace."
The mentor said to Callisto, "Ah, but it didn't did it? All you have here are bad memories. I am going to change all that. I want to help you become a force greater than Xena. You can finally get what you have always wanted, revenge on her for killing your family."
Callisto again looked puzzled and replied, "How do you know so much about Xena and I, hmmm? You and her friends or something."
"No, definitely not friends. I will tell you that I want Xena's power. I want to be the Destroyer of Nations, and with your help Callisto, I will get that power and we will destroy the Warrior Princess together. Then, finally, the name Alti will be feared throughout all the world. Hahahahaha!!!!"