The Tour: Chapter 21

HelsMouth was huge. It was a natural mountainous rock formation that towered into the sky, forming a wide, wide ring of dark stone the color of blood. It glistened wetly in the light, but as one passed through, the sensation of looking at spilled blood, changed to a sensation of looking at cold cracked dried blood. It was, for those not used to it, an icky feeling that made even Xena shiver. That feeling was acerbated by the length of the tunnel which seemed to go on forever. The only redeeming thing was that one could see the end's warm light ahead and if one looked back, one could see the entrance too. In between, one rode very cautiously in the cavernous dark.

There were creatures who lived in places like HelsMouth, Izzy said, and they were definitely not dumbunnies. Not that they should have to worry, HelsMouth was a popular passageway for merchants and was kept pretty clear, by the Hels' residents, of the worst predators who had been attracted by the murky cool. There were some who lived in its deepest recesses protected by the cave and its dark. There were various reasons they lived in Helsmouth. Not all Tararans, once changed, could deal with the light of the world's sun. Not all Tartarans walked on two feet or even had eyes. Some folks just liked Helsmouth as a community.

Izzy's discussion of HelsMouth was somewhat soothing to those who could only see by the flickering light of the torches. The comfort, however, did not run deep for the Elysians. Penho, who rode guard in the back, kept her own counsel, but she was also affected by the cavern, though not for the same reasons as the humans. It was just that she found the place entirely too symbolic. The only one who seemed unaffected by HelsMouth was Izzy, but then again, she'd been through this passageway so many times, it was more like an old friend than anything scary. Besides, she'd learned long ago to appreciate its beauty and its denizens.

Perdicus, who was learning not to ride too close to Marcus, yet still be by the man, realized that he was truly not liking the chittering noises that he heard in the depth of the passageway. He swore he could hear things being. . .gnawed on and the idea of what it might be twisted in his stomach. Still, he kept up a brave face, mostly for his. . .friends.

They'd never said anything to him. Not once. He'd expected Xena to at least say something, but there was nothing. His greatest shame and secret had been revealed and. . .well, Melosa had said something along the lines of, "If you ever need to talk about it." Apparently they judged him less harshly than he did.

He wondered if it were true, what Hades said, if the only reason he'd made it to Elysia was that he'd been so confident that he deserved it. After what happened in the plains, he had to wonder at his audacity. He'd so easily fallen into that mode, the place he most feared to go. Yet, if Hades knew of it and still let him pass. . .And Xena. . and, his gaze turned to Marcus. . .He had to ask himself, What had Gabrielle done that was so horrible, that she should be lost somewhere in this place?

Salmoneus found if very difficult to take notes in the dark. He had to give it up. It was okay though, he had a good memory and it gave him an excuse to talk to Izzy and glean details.

He was still trying to get the group to come up with a name for themselves, but not putting so much "pressure," as Penho called it, on his friends. She said it would naturally arise, but it might be his place to act as a reminder to look for the name. Then she reminded him to be patient. The naming of things in Tartarus often took longer than expected. It was rare that a person "changed," overnight.

"What's it like, changing?" He'd asked his lover. He still wasn't quite used to that. It felt odd to have what was the equivalent of a medical condition that *required* that he have sex. Melosa had been. . .kind. . . and had asked him, before asking Penho, what his preferences were. He suppose he should have asked to be with an Elysian, possibly Xena, but the thought made him feel incredibly. . .shy. He might joke about it, but. .they were his friends. Penho, she was his lover first. So the transition was easier for him. The thing was, he didn't know if she'd travel with them all the way, or if. . .well, if she'd stay behind in her village. All he could do was be grateful for the time he had, get to know her better, and hope.

Penho had deliberated so long on her answer that Salmoneus had come to the conclusion that he'd really stepped in it. But she did answer. "It's like . . .becoming your own mirror or, better, your own pond."

Now *that* answer wiggled in the back of Salmoneus' mind and he still didn't get it. Of course, he was wondering if he should trust the answer at all. . .considering . .This woman was Tartaran, right. That meant, she'd done. .bad things. . right? And possibly she was lying. Yet, when He looked at her,the way she held herself regal, the way she used her voice and joked with Izzy and talked equally with Melosa, he had to question himself. It all came to one curious, nosy point, which he would never ask. What had she, who had been so kind to him, done that brought her to this place?

So now he tried asking Izzy, another stranger he could talk to, the same question. Izzy didn't say anything for the longest time either, but patted her striger lightly on neck and clicked a no at Tok who was sniffing at a puddle of something murky. Xena, looked at Salmoneus through that bright blue impenetrable gaze of hers and then winked. Oh good, he wasn't the only one.

Izzy's response was just as perplexing as Penho's. She let go of the reigns and brought her hands together, palm to palm. The she opened them up. "It's like uncovering the butterdragon." Well, that didn't answer what he thought he was asking. So he thought maybe he ought to clarify.

Xena, who'd been riding besides Izzy and holding her peace, spoke up, "Does it hurt?" Now *that* was what he'd been asking. He was curious about the physical changes. The warrior prodded her mount with her knee and the Striger stepped around a dark, soft looking, wrinkly mass that seemed to rise out of the floor of the cavern.

It leapt. The warrior sliced. Now there were two bloody wriggling heaps on the ground. One of the heaps had teeth. Both bits seemed to have millions of tiny claws. The rest of the group behind the trio guided their strigers carefully around the bits. Tok teased at it, pouncing, but never too close, until Izzy called the daggite up front.

Izzy looked towards the end of the tunnel, grateful to see the width that indicated they were almost through. She turned her fire green eyes on her lover without smiling. Then, in what seemed to be typical, at least, of the two demonesses in this group, she answered without answering, "This is Tartarus, Xena."

"And that is supposed to mean what?" asked the ex-warlord. She was slightly peeved at Izzy's prevarication. More importantly, she felt the wound within the answer and it clenched in her gut.

"It means," said Izzy, as she pulled her striger to a stop. "That everyone's experience, despite some commonalities, is different." Which of course, did not answer Xena's question at all.

Izzy watched in silence as a group of bird like creatures waddled past, their neon green plumage seemed so out of place in the cavern, but their natural glow outshown the torches her people carried. They had broad flat beaks to match their broad flat bodies. There flat feet (with retractable claws) made no noise on the cavern's surface. They couldn't fly, but damn they were fast. Which they proved as soon as Tok noticed them. They scattered into the depths, hiding behind rocks and dimming their plumage, much to the frustration of Tok, who couldn't smell them because they smelled so much of the cavern.

Still, daggites are intelligent creatures. Xena watched observantly as Tok, carefully, returned to the place where it first attempted its pounce. Then she watched as the creature "planned," its next move. It seemed to follow an arbitrary trail, without lowering it's head to the ground. Then next thing she knew, the daggite ran full speed, leapt up some rockface and behind. There was a snarl and a high pitched yowl. Moments later, the horned creature hopped back into view with incriminating plumage on its face and a fuller gullet, looking very pleased with herself.

Xena made a mental note. Daggites track by memory. She began to see why the Tartarans might have a fear of them. Then she, piecing together the various looks and attitudes of those theyıd encounterd, Xena took a moment to really examine what she knew about Izzy. Not Much. Which meant, soul mates or not, and Whatever Xena might think of Gabrielle, Izzy was *as* dangerous (perhaps moreso) as she looked. The only sure thing she knew. . .She was loved, by Izzy and by Gabrielle, wherever she was in there. The knowledge would have to be her key and starting point.

"What were those," asked Marcus. The Daggite's hunting method hadn't been lost on him either. He and the Amazons shared a grim look and an even grimmer understanding.

"Telites. Those were telites." the tall red woman said as her tail flicked against her striger's flank. The creature surged towards the end of the tunnel, and led the others on.