The Empty Throne by Ru Emerson

Author:Ru Emerson [Emerson, Ru]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781443445443
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Published: 2015-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

For a long moment she thought he wasn’t going to answer; then he squared his shoulders and stared directly into her eyes. “Who wants to know?” He peered more closely at her, then eyed what he could see of Gabrielle in the deepening gloom. “You’re—you’re women!”

“Very good!” Xena applauded quietly, then stepped past him to gaze along the beach in both directions. “Would you mind if we continued this conversation down by the oars? We stand out where we are.”

She turned, started down the deck; turned back when she realized he wasn’t moving.

The young prince glared at her. “What of it? Who are you, to come sneaking onto my father’s lands?”

“I’m the person who didn’t break your neck just now,” Xena replied softly. “I think that makes me a friend.”

“Friend,” he said bitterly. Xena gave him a long, chill look, tapped Gabrielle’s shoulder, and murmured against her ear.

“Talk to him; if he’s not down there ready to listen in short order, I’m coming back to dump him in the tide.”

“Got it,” Gabrielle said flatly, and stalked over to join the boy, who stood irresolute in the middle of the deck. “She’s right about one thing; anyone coming along shore could see us both. How about sitting down here and listening for a moment?” He hesitated; she dropped down cross-legged and patted the deck in front of her knees. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid?”

“Of you?” he demanded rudely, and settled down where she indicated. “So who are you, and who’s she, and why are you here?”

“I’m Gabrielle, and that’s Xena—you’ve never heard of me, but I’d wager her name is familiar.”

He shrugged, apparently bored, but his eyes were suddenly bright. “Sure. She’s that woman warrior, I guess. So?”

“She came on behalf of King Menelaus—”

“Him,” Telemachus growled. “If it wasn’t for him and that—that—”

“Never mind,” Gabrielle said hastily. “He sent us to find out how things were going here. Obviously, they aren’t going too well.”

“Oh, everything’s great,” he replied sarcastically. “There’s a big party going on and—”

Gabrielle leaned forward and tapped his knee. “Did anyone ever tell you that you have a bad attitude? We already figured out there was trouble here. Xena’s here to take care of it.”

“Oh. One, or maybe two of you against—you know how many men are out there?” He waved an arm.

Gabrielle grabbed it and brought it down to deck level. “We were going to stay out of sight, remember? Matter of fact, I have a good idea how many. Not my kind of odds, but then, I’m not Xena.” Silence.

Telemachus sat back and gathered his feet under him. “Look, if you two aren’t going to let me have the ship, do you mind if I just go now?”

“You were gonna sail this all by yourself? Where?”

He sighed, but stayed where he was. “I was watching; I saw the older men get off but not the boys. They don’t have family here to worry about. I was pretty sure I could convince them to help me sail her.

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