By Mike Ciani
The Amazons in the main village were going about their daily tasks. Gabrielle said to no one in particular, “Gods, it’s great to be back here again.”
Ephiny, then announced to the entire bustling village, “Amazons, our Queen has returned!”
The other Amazons then gathered around a blushing Gabrielle to pay their respect to the returning queen of the Amazons. Gabrielle thanked them all and then went off to the large hut that belonged to the queen along with Xena and Ephiny.
In the center of the hut was a large bed made of straw. Different crafts and ceremonial masks decorated the walls of the hut to represent the legacy of the Amazon queenhood passed down from generation to generation. Ceremonial oils and fragrances were placed on a small wooden table in the corner of the hut.
Gabrielle then smiled to Ephiny, saying, “Just the way I remember it!”
Ephiny then swiftly replied, “Well, YOU are the queen actually. I’m just a stand-in for you, you know.”
Gabrielle quickly added, “Yes, but if there is anyone here in the village, that can be a great and capable leader, then it’s you, Ephiny. For all purposes, you’re the real queen of the Amazons.”
Xena was looking around the hut, while the two friends chatted. Her eyes came to rest on a sparkling piece of jewelry resting in the middle of the queen’s bed. It resembled the shape of an amulet or pendant of some sort.
Xena asked, “Ephiny, what is that on your bed over there?”
Xena picked up the amulet and carefully examined it. It didn’t look like anything out f the ordinary though. It was a circular medal made of copper metal and it had the symbol of a reindeer’s antler in the middle of it, as well as some symbolic form of writing that Xena couldn’t decipher.
Ephiny looked closely at the amulet and said, “Xena, I have never seen that before. How did it get on my bed?”
Something about the antler symbol on the amulet intrigued Xena. She knew that she had seen it before somewhere, but she just couldn’t remember where she had seen it.
Xena announced, “I don’t know how it got there, but I don’t like the looks of it. I’m going to hang on to this, if you don’t mind, Ephiny?”
“No, not at all Xena, as long as it doesn’t mean trouble for the Amazons.”
“Ephiny, I think it might mean trouble for all of us, the Amazons included.”, Xena sighed.
Gabrielle asked, “Xena, someone had to put that thing in the hut. Maybe, we should ask around and find out if anyone saw someone enter the hut today.”
Xena replied, “Sounds like a good plan to me. It’s getting late though, so we don’t have a lot of time left. I think it would be good to start the search for the missing girls tomorrow morning, first thing though.”
As Gabrielle and Ephiny called the Amazons to gather around, Xena noticed out of the corner of her eye, two Amazons talking together while headed towards the woods away from the village. With that, Xena raised her eyebrow suspiciously.
Xena then called Ephiny aside and asked her who the two Amazons with the green headbands were. Ephiny shot Xena a confused look, and stated, “But Xena, none of the Amazons here wear green headbands.” With that, Xena just grimaced and nodded her head affirmatively.
Xena said to Ephiny, “Tell Gabrielle I’ll be right back.” Ephiny nodded confusedly.
Unfortunately for her, by the time she found the two Amazon women’s trails it was getting too dark to follow them for a long time. With that, Xena headed back towards the village but not before placing a marker to indicate the direction that the two women were headed in.
Gabrielle and Ephiny were in the queen’s hut, when Xena returned. Gabrielle immediately asked, “Xena, what’s going on?”
Xena just simply replied, “I think I have an idea of how this amulet got placed here. Tomorrow, I’m going to find out who did it and why. Now, Gabrielle it’s time to get some rest, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
Little did Xena know, how much truth was spoken in those words.