Xenite Temple | Fan Fiction Site | Home Page
These pages were last updated: Sept 14, 1997
©September 1997
The following is a bit of alternative fiction based on certain characters from the Xenaverse. It is not meant to infringe on anyone else's rights. If you don't agree or disapprove, please go read something else.
It was cold, damp, pretty much dark except for where the torch light reflected off the stones and otherwise scary, no matter which way one hung, Kalai decided. At the moment she was tipped awkwardly, hovering over what appeared to be stillish water, though she could see the light bubbles of the spring trying to work their way up. She had NO idea how she'd let Arete convince her to do this, except it was so hard to resist beautiful green eyes when they were very very sincere. "I promise I won't drop you," Kalai mocked to herself. Well her blonde giant was going to be doing some serious pay back when the little Amazon made her way back up. Some honeymoon. Dousing fires, politics, being dropped down wells that weren't working right. . .
As far as she could tell there wasn't much to see. The way the flame lit up the well didn't really help and only made what was left of the water in the well seem deeper, darker and danker than it really was. Apparently the Amazons of this village had to do some real maneuvering with the buckets to get them to fill. Kalai gently pressed her hand into the wet substance and shivered. BRRRRRR it was cold. It didn't even reach to her elbow. Not a good sign.
She felt carefully around the bottom, trying to see if there was some piece of rock or something wedged where it could block the natural flow of the water. She felt nothing. Only the burble of air escaping against her fingers. There was nothing obvious. "'Temis!" A short cuss for Artemis, who didn't mind the use of Her name in vain, since She understood the necessity sometimes. She was the hunter Goddess after all. "What is going on with this spring?"
Kalai yanked her hand back out of the water, spooked by the abrupt cascade of bubbles that erupted from the well's spring. She heard what sounded like a scream above her and looked up to see the fire seeming to stretch itself all the way to the top of the torch until it seemed one elongated flame. It reminded Kalai of the time one of her friends first encountered a snake. She'd ended up on a rock standing on her toes, screaming at the top of her lungs. Of course she was only, what, five. Now a body couldn't spook that friend for anything. Kalai should know. She'd tried every which way. The young Amazon narrowed her eyes. Another one?
Then she felt a splash against her cheek and looked back down, into a very solemn watery face. For a moment, all that could be heard was the sound of Kalai's breathing as she tried to decide what to do. She decided to go with the obvious. She coughed a little nervously. "So, uhm," she paused, "Hi. I'm Kalai."
"Aaaanipe."
Kalai pursed her lips. Well that made sense. The village spring named after the village. "So," another paused, "You want to tell me what is going on here?" She waved her hand a bit and swung.
A voice came from above. Arete, "Is everything alright down there?" It wasn't a strain to hold her lover, but it seemed like she was sure taking a while.
"Fine!" Kalai shouted up, "I'm having a conversation."
Conversation? Arete blinked, "What?!!"
"Anipe's gonna tell me what's wrong!"
"Oooh." Arete sounded like she knew what Kalai was talking about. The blonde woman smiled around at the concerned Amazons reassuringly. "She's talking to Anipe."
"Ooooh." The Amazons had no clue.
The brunette returned her attention to the spring. "As you were saying?" The water surged up a little, its face just a few inches away from Kalai's. Fire screamed again. Kalai looked up. "Cut that out. She's not going to touch you." Fire settled down and hissed at water who sprinkled back warningly. Kalai interceded with her body. "Look you two, let's not start this." The young Amazon couldn't believe she was peacekeeping between elementals. She pointed up at fire. "You, just stay up there and you'll be fine." It flickered at her, but seemed to settle down. She looked back at the spring, "You. Tell me what the problem is."
The water burbled at fire once more, just for good measure. Then it turned it's attention to the Amazon and spoke as seriously as it could, "Bloooockked Eeearth."
Kalai blinked, "But I felt for a block. . . ."
"Nooot here." Its expression was intense.
"Oh. Like some rocks fell down elsewhere or something?" Kalai wasn't sure what kinds of question one asked elementals. She wasn't sure that anyone had ever done something like this before.
"Liiike."
Okay then, making progress. "Where?"
"Faarther." Okay then. They *were* making progress. Kalai pressed her free hand against her forehead. The blood was pounding in her head and she wondered if hanging upside down for long periods of time was a good thing.
"How much farther?" And here was the dilemma. How did water measure distance? And did water even think of measuring itself.
It looked thoughtful, trying to find a way to express itself and came up short. It tried again, very sincerely, "faarther."
Okay. Distance was out. There was no way they could follow the spring to the problem. Kalai thought carefully about what her next clue should be and while she was thinking, Anipe had an idea. "Faarther. Noooo Viiillage."
Kalai grasped at what was offered, "No village? You mean the problem's outside the village."
"Ooutside." The water bobbled in a nod.
Good good. "Okay. What direction? Can you give me a direction?"
The sprite disappeared, sank back into itself and vanished. Kalai had a fear that she'd offended it and was quickly thinking about how she managed that. A few moments later Anipe resurfaced, the fire screamed and Kalai had to settle everyone down again. She decided it would be a long time before she hung upside down on tree limbs again. The young Amazon looked expectantly at the spring and watched as it dived to her left. Left.
After a few moments of getting to know how Arete felt when having to determine location, Kalai decided that it was really hard to tell directions in a well. She created markers. The Amazon looked up, spotted an outcropping and called that Left. She determined that she would find a way to mark it from the top so they could see it and used it as a start off point.
Then she realized there was one more important question to be asked. She looked back down, "Uhm, Anipe? Can this be fixed? Or are we gonna have to dig a new well?"
There was that silence again. Kalai's breath echoed all over the well. It was plenty of time for the short Amazon to realize that she was cold. Really really cold. She started shivering. There was that ripple of disappearing sprite.
Was that it then?
A few seconds later the water flowed up again. This time fire didn't scream. It just fainted and flickered dimly. Now Kalai was in the dark and cold.
Anipe spoke, "Fix." There was a pause, "Please." Then there was silence and Kalai heard that now familiar drop of sound that indicated the sprite's disappearance.
So. . ..That must have been the end of the conversation. Kalai gave a good yank on the rope and felt her body being lifted back up. Yep. This was not a position she would be taking soon.
It was pure bliss to be out in the sunlight again and even more blissful to be able to wrap her cold self around Arete's warm body. Her blonde giant rubbed big hands against her soft skin, helping relieve the goosebumps that prickled all over Kalai's body. The village leader stepped forward.
She was a light haired woman, middling height, middling width. Theirs was a comfortable village, just far enough away from the Centaurs that they'd missed the last confrontation. It was one of the oldest Amazon villages, made of stone instead of thatch and wood. Theirs was a permanent settlement. That's why the loss of the well was so devastating. It was their primary source of potable water.
The leader's voice was high and sweet, "What did Anipe have to say, honored one?"
Kalai shivered in Arete's embrace and tried to keep her teeth from shattering. She'd oriented herself once she was out of the well. "There's some sort of blockage to the northeast. She says it can be fixed. I'm sure she's right, because she's definitely live down there. I could feel," she gave an involuntary shudder as her body tried to warm itself, "the spring trying to push its way out. It's low, but it could fill again. I think." Kalai looked around at the sturdy Amazons who listened with intent, but relieved expressions on their faces. They were all taller and bulkier than she was. (The reason she'd been chosen for the duty in the first place).
The leader's expression perked up immediately, then fell. "But how will we find the block? There's miles of north east. I mean, it could be anywhere. . ." Kalai shuddered again and her blonde lover held her as warmly as she could.
Arete spoke firmly, "We'll just have to figure that out la. . ."
"Hello! Hello!" A middle sized woman with darkish curly hair made her way through the crowd, "I can help with that!" Everyone turned to look and the leader's face broke into a huge smile.
"Iovene!!!!" The leader grinned and hugged her friend, the dowser. Maybe things would work out right. If they could survive the woman's mouth, that is. She hugged her friend tight again and let go.
"Josia! Long time no see." The leader was about to speak, "Oh I'm fine. Fine. And you look very well indeed. I'm sorry to hear about your well, but it looks like you found the right people." The leader turned to introduce her guests and Iovene stepped forward and grabbed their hands, "Ah. Kalai and Arete. Congratulations and Boy have I got news for you. You're going to need to sit down for this one." They opened their mouths. "But we can talk later. In your rooms," She squeezed Kalai's cold hand, "after *you've* warmed up some." The dowser smiled brightly as the the two women tried to get a word in, "I'm so happy the well is still alive. I was very worried we'd have to dowse a new one. But a blockage? That we can take care of." She patted the tall blonde, "But you'd better take care of your lover, sweets. Tomorrow's going to be a long day and we'll have to start early. The earlier the better. Hmm. I'm going to go talk with Josia here and we'll hash out some plans." She felt at her pockets, "Oh, wait. Here's something from Xena to you." She handed them the sealed scroll, "They send their love. I'll be by to talk in a few candlemarks." She grinned wickedly, "Take advantage of the silence while you can." Then she turned her sights on Josia.
The two envoys looked on, flabbergasted, as the dowser somehow managed to swing the Amazons' attention away from them and onto her. Actually not a hard thing to do, considering. Then Arete felt another shudder from her smaller wife. "Let's go get you warmed up, hmm." They made their way, unnoticed, to their rooms.
Xenite Temple | Fan Fiction Site | Home Page
These pages were last updated: Sept 14, 1997
©September 1997