All disclaimers can be found in the first installment...

Dancing Mad

Chapter Nine -- The Moon Calls Her Own

“Because it’s a great big white world and we’re drained of all our colors.

We used to love ourselves, we used to love one another”

Marilyn Manson / Great Big White World

 

“Another day, another season and another mystery for you to explore. This is the summer mystery.” Nysa swept her arm out in a grand gesture over the grounds of the thatch built temple. It was surrounded by waves of purple and green stretching out in every direction, coming close to the outer border of the village. “This is the mystery of self-discovery. Here are your tools.” Nysa handed Gabrielle a small knife and a wicker basket with a wide strap. Melanthe and Kepa hefted the baskets up, wrapping the strap around their hips to hold it in place.

“Here is your wine.” Kepa handed Gabrielle a wine skin. Gabrielle uncorked it and took a drink without a second thought. Nysa tied her basket tight and pointed down the field, giving assignments for everyone to harvest the grapes. Kepa and Melanthe trotted off, giggling among them selves and giving Gabrielle curious looks.

“There is more to this than harvesting, of course. During the day, you will be touched by Dionysus with a vision. The details of this vision will tell you where your place is in the faith. You may choose to tell us, or not. Don’t worry, nothing will harm you here in these blessed fields. Go grab some grapes and have fun.” Nysa adjusted her basket once, then started to walk towards the outer ring of the vineyard.

“What happens if I get hungry?!” Gabrielle called out.

Nysa turned her head and laughed, “You’re in the middle of a vineyard! How can you get hungry? Leave a grape for the god when you decide to eat! Now go! Apollo stops for no one!” She gave the blonde a last wave and began to walk away, the shimmering green vines eventually masking her trail. Gabrielle took another drink, slinging the wine skin to rest against her hip. She took the knife and began to slice off bunches of grapes larger than Xena’s fist.

Xena. That was a name she never wanted to hear again. Gabrielle tried to drown the memory in a flood of dark scarlet forgetfulness. The memories of the incident at the inn was still a fresh wound to her. Another flash of the knife and she dropped a bunch to join the small group at the bottom of her basket. She looked up at the sky. The sun pressed down on her from its clear vantage point above her. She drank again, smiling at the feeling of the cool liquid dropping into her stomach. A grape found its way into her fingers. She popped it into her mouth without a second thought. The crunch in her mouth sent fluid through her mouth to mix with the wine in an intensified ripple of sweetness that made the woman think of the cool streams near her village. She briefly remembered Nysa’s advice and dropped a single grape on the ground.

The further Gabrielle went down the winding line, the more she drank and the less she gathered. She fed herself well on grapes. Eventually, she became too uncoordinated to even manage the basket. Dropping on the ground with a satisfied plop, Gabrielle jammed a couple of grapes in her mouth, tossed a couple behind her and leaned back to enjoy the day. Her eyes burned with fatigue. With another guzzle of wine, Gabrielle let her eyes shut with relief.

When she opened them again, it was night. The sun had abandoned its path in the sky to let the moon come out. Every star was clear and every constellation clamored for attention. Gabrielle’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of the Milky Way spanning across the sky like a bridge of light. She sat up, rubbing dirt and leaves from her hair. Her stiff muscles groaned as she stood up. Nysa and all the others must be inside the temple, she thought to herself as she looked in the direction of the building. The torches were unlit and everything else was silent. Apparently, she had missed the gathering. No matter, there will be others. She gathered up her basket and started to pick her way through the darkened fields. Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Gabrielle dropped the basket and held her knife up.

There was a shimmering in front of her, like moonbeams filtering through the clouds. The glowing gathered into the form of a woman. She was dressed in a green top that looked more like leaves and covered enough to be modest. A belt of soft silver was wrapped snug around her waist, holding up a dark brown skirt that was split along the sides for ease of movement. The woman’s hair was as dark as the sky above her and her eyes were storm gray. A quiver of silver and green fletched arrows was banded across her broad back. In one hand, she held a bow that gleamed metallic in the low light.

“Greetings, Daughter of the Moon.” The woman’s voice was gentle, almost a whisper. Gabrielle felt something stir in her heart. She thought that she knew this woman -- the air of familiarity was thick. “Surely you remember the patroness of your sisters?”

Gabrielle swallowed a slug of wine to nerve herself. “I have no sisters other than Kepa, Nysa and Melanthe. I follow no other god than Dionysus. Good evening.” She reached down to pick up her basket and started to walk away.

“Gabrielle, stop this. You are an Amazon. You are their Queen. You are stronger than this!” Artemis’ voice carried the power of the Olympians behind it. “What has happened to you?”

“Just leave me alone. Go away!” Gabrielle stomped around the goddess. Artemis grabbed her follower’s arm and squeezed hard. The smaller blonde tried to power her way out of the grasp. It felt as if someone had clamped a band of steel around her bicep and chained her to a mountain. “Let me go, damn you!.”

“Listen to yourself. I can undo this. I can go to Dionysus and he can release you from your vows. You don’t have to be here. I can take you to the Amazons at Corinth. We can heal you, just come with me. Please, Gabrielle -- my fondest daughter -- I beg of you. Turn your back on this.”

Gabrielle’s eyes glittered pale emerald fire. She twisted out of her slacking grasp and met the goddess’ gaze. “There is one thing I will give to Xena”, the last word came out like a slur, “is that she was correct about the gods and their meddling with mortal affairs. Can’t you let me alone? Can’t anyone leave me alone to follow my path?”

“Not when it leads to destruction, Gabrielle. But, Xena is correct about our unwarranted meddling. So, I will give you your wish. I will not do anything to help or hinder you from here on out. I can only hope you will see your folly, daughter.” Artemis stepped back, her eyes winking with quicksilver tears as she faded away into the night. Above her head, she heard the rumbling of thunder strong enough to make her teeth jump in her mouth. She looked up defiantly. “GO ON AHEAD AND SHAKE EVERY MOUNTAIN DOWN, YOU POMPOUS BASTARD! I CAME HERE ON MY OWN AND GOING TO DAMN WELL STAY HERE! THERE IS NOTHING MORE YOU CAN DO TO ME TO POSSIBLY HURT ME ANYMORE THAN HAS ALREADY HAPPENED!”

The sun came back, blinding and searing into her skull. She writhed madly under the blazing light. Hands grabbed her shoulders to coax her to a sitting position. Other hands caressed her hair, face and back while words assured her that she was safe. Gabrielle’s eyes adjusted to the surroundings as she looked around. Nysa, Melanthe and Kepa clustered closely around her, their touches bringing her peace and comfort.

“What happened?” Nysa asked.

“I had the vision.” She looked at Nysa “This is the path I was meant to chosen. The gods told me so.”

Nysa smiled approvingly and held her close. The other two women joined in, then broke off the embrace. The leader withdrew last, helping the blonde to her feet. “Congratulations, Gabrielle. No one else had ever had a vision with the gods in it. This is a great sign.” She picked up the wineskin and handed it to Gabrielle. She took a drink and passed it to the others.

“Sorry that I didn’t get enough grapes.” She muttered as she took back the wineskin. Nysa laughed musically.

“Don’t worry about the grapes, dear. We have others to handle the serious picking. Now, let’s get you inside before you pass out from the sun.” Kepa took Gabrielle gently by the shoulder and steered her in the direction of the hut. Gabrielle looked skyward, smirking as she stepped into the shade of the roof.

 

Chapter 10