Xena looked at the trail. "No he didn’t, which means he is dumber than what we thought, or he just doesn’t care. Which makes him more dangerous." Xena and Sophia hopped back on their horses. "Let’s go."

Sophia watched as Xena pushed Argo harder and harder. She had hoped that she wouldn’t need to do what she was about to do. But as they were getting closer to Herodotus and Gabrielle, Xena started to show more of her darkness. After another candlemark of hard riding, Sophia pulled her horse along side Xena. "Xena, we need to talk."

"Now? Can’t it wait."

"No. If you want to do what’s best for Gabrielle, stop Argo now!"

Xena reigned in Argo. "What is it?"

"Gabrielle might be seriously hurt when we find her…"

"Tell me something I don’t know."

"And she is going to need you to totally focus on getting her to help and safety."

Xena grew impatient. "Do you have a point?!?"

"Xena she needs you to get her out, not me. You do not need to be distracted by Herodotus." Sophia paused for her words to sink in.

"Do you know where you are going to take her?"

"No."

"Do you have a plan to get her out of there?" Xena did not answer.

"So what have you been thinking about for the past few candlemarks?!"

"I’ve been thinking about her, how she doesn’t deserve this, and how I should have protected her, and what I will do to him when I find him."

"No! You do not need to be the one that goes after Herodotus. You need to focus solely on Gabrielle. How far away is Amazonia from here?"

"About one and a half days journey, maybe two."

"Okay, so you will take her to Amazonia. I presume they have healers, and more importantly, she will feel safe there."

"And what will you be doing?"

Sophia looked down at her hand. She knew she was taking a big risk, but she did not see any other way. "I won’t lie to you Xena. I have certain powers, and one of those powers is to temporary take away someone’s darkness and claim it as my own. Ares taught me how to use it. Unfortunately, I’ve never tried it with someone whose darkness equals my own. But it is the only guarantee that we have to make sure that your darkness doesn’t overcome you." She raised her hand to stop Xena from interrupting her. "And don’t tell me it wouldn’t. For the past few candlemarks I’ve seen your muscles clench up, as if you were preparing for a battle. I’ve seen you push Argo to her limits. Besides, our darknesses are similar. And I too have been thinking about charging in there, cutting Herodotus into tiny pieces and scattering him to the four corners of the earth.