ACT TWO

FADE IN:

EXT. PATH - EARLY EVENING

The sun is close to setting and the day has grown progressively colder.  Still dressed in wet leathers, the chill hangs around Xena like a mist. 

GABRIELLE

We need to start thinking about

a place to sleep for the night.

(beat)

And no camping out.  You’ll be an

icicle by morning.  I already don’t like

the way your voice is starting to sound.

XENA

(hoarsely)

There’s a town on the sea

coast, but it’s about a quarter

day’s walk from here.

GABRIELLE

That far?

XENA

Yup.

GABRIELLE

Nothing any closer?

XENA

Nope.

GABRIELLE

Great.

(beat)

Well, at least riding Argo

kept my legs pretty fresh.

XENA

We should both ride.

Get there quicker that way.

Gabrielle considers for a moment, then nods.  Clasping the hand reaching down to her, she swings aboard, settling herself comfortably behind Xena, wrapping her arms tight around her partner’s waist as Argo eases into a canter.

CUT TO:

EXT. FIELD TRAIL - MID EVENING

Xena and Gabrielle are riding along the trail in the deepening dark.  As they ride, the faint sound of music comes to their ears, a sound that becomes louder and more frenetic the closer they come.

GABRIELLE

I thought you said there

weren’t any towns between

here and the coast?

XENA

There aren’t.

GABRIELLE

Then where’s that

music coming from?

XENA

Looks like we’ll find

out soon enough.

Argo crests a small rise and in the slight valley before them they can see a myriad of colorful tents, each with a banner fluttering in the cool breeze.  Spread out from the tents are ten or more strange looking, six-wheeled covered wagons pulled by large draft horses.

A sizable group of men and women gather around a blazing bonfire, laughing, drinking, and shouting to one another.  It is a scene of barely controlled chaos.

Slightly away from the central fire, a group of musicians plays while a group of colorfully garbed women twirl like wooden tops, around and around and around.  As Xena and Gabrielle watch, the rhythm speeds up, and the dancers spin so quickly that they become a blur of color. 

GABRIELLE

(wonderingly)

Who are they?

XENA

Czigany.  Borias called

them gypsies.

GABRIELLE

Gypsies?

XENA

Yeah.  Borias admired their merchant

skills and as you can see, they’re

not bad as performers either.

GABRIELLE

I’ll say.  I’m getting dizzy

just watching them.

Suddenly, two men jump up from their seats on the ground before the fire and begin to shout at one another in an unintelligible language.  Several more rise up followed by still more, until there is a swarming group of men pushing and shouting and brawling.

Behind them, the music comes to a cacophonous stop, but the women continue their frenetic dance, oblivious to everything around them.

A woman, gray-haired and heavy with years, pulls herself up to her feet and attempts to force her way between the combatants.  She makes her way to the center just as one of the men withdraws a short sword and thrusts forward, unintentionally stabbing the old woman through the shoulder.  She drops like a stone.

Needing to see no more, Xena urges Argo into a run.

CUT TO:

EXT. CZIGANY CAMP - MID EVENING

Bodies fly like sacks of wheat as Xena and Gabrielle break their way through the melee and into the center.  Gabrielle squats down and examines the fallen old woman.  She nods up at Xena.  The woman is alive.

A YOUNG WOMAN kneels beside Gabrielle and applies a clean cloth to the old woman’s bleeding wound.

Xena stares down the man who started the fight.

XENA

What’s going on here?

MAN

This is none of your business.

Xena grabs him by the front of his vest and pulls him close.

XENA

The minute you stabbed that

old woman, I made it my business.

The man looks at her for a long moment, then nods.  Xena releases him.  He then points to a SECOND MAN standing across from him.

MAN

He put a spell on our women!!

MAN #2

I did not!!

MAN

You did!!

MAN #2

Prove it!

XENA

Enough!!

The feuding men fall silent.

XENA

(cont’d to first man)

What do you mean?

What kind of spell?

The man turns and flings his arm out pointing in the direction of the wildly twirling dancers.

MAN

Look at them!  They’ve been like

that since the sun was high in the

sky!  He says this is normal, but I

say they’ve been spelled.  By him!!

Xena looks at the women.  Her eyes narrow.

XENA

Wait here.

With confident steps, Xena approaches the dancers, taking care to keep out of their way while observing each one very closely.  What she sees concerns her greatly.  What could be taken for laughter and shouts of joy are instead screams of agony and pleas for help.  Each woman’s face is frozen in a horror’s mask of naked pain, mouths twisted into cruel shapes, eyes wide and pleading.

Assured that the old woman is in no immediate danger, Gabrielle leaves her in the care of her young tender and slowly approaches the dance circle, watching Xena watch the dancers.

After another moment, Xena comes to Gabrielle’s side, her expression grim.

GABRIELLE

Do you know what’s wrong?

XENA

Tarantism.

GABRIELLE

Excuse me?

XENA

Tarantism.  It’s what some people

call this… condition.  Uncontrollable

dancing movements.  They

literally dance until they die.

GABRIELLE

By the gods….

What causes it?

XENA

Some think a shaman’s spell.

Others say it’s caused by

the bite of a spider.

GABRIELLE

A spider?

Xena nods.

XENA

However, in this case, I’m pretty

sure the culprit’s right there.

Gabrielle looks over to where Xena is pointing.  Her eyes widen.

GABRIELLE

Xena, that’s Hemlock.

XENA

(grimly)

I know.

CUT TO:

EXT. CZIGANY CAMP - EARLY EVENING

The entire camp, save for the still dancing women, gathers around the fire, where Xena is carefully pouring a boiling cauldron full of water and herbs into another deep pot covered by a thin cloth.  Gabrielle is kneeling next to the second pot, moving her face away from the noxious fumes coming up from the hot liquid.

MAN

(belligerently)

How do we know you’re not

trying to finish the job he started?

XENA

You don’t.

MAN

Then....

Having had enough of the man’s constant bickering, Gabrielle stands up, pulls her sais, and faces him head on.

GABRIELLE

Look, I’ve heard just about all I want

to from you today.  Xena is the best

chance those women have, so just

sit down and be quiet, or I’ll put

a ‘spell’ on you you won’t forget.

The man, and indeed half the camp looks at Gabrielle, aghast.  He begins slowly reaching for his sword, only to be stopped by a look from Xena.

XENA

I wouldn’t.

His eyebrows rise in twin question marks.

Xena slowly shakes her head.

He relaxes his arm.

Xena smirks, then grins at Gabrielle, who returns the smile.  She deliberately re-sheathes her sais and squats back down next to the pot, removing the straining cover.

GABRIELLE

I think it’s ready.

XENA

Good.

MAN #2

How are you going

to give it to them?

XENA

You’ll see.

(beat)

Gabrielle?

GABRIELLE

Right behind you.

CUT TO:

EXT. DANCING CIRCLE - EARLY EVENING

Gabrielle stands outside of the circle, pot and a crude wooden drinking cup in hand.  Xena steps forward toward the dancers.  Ducking and dodging away from swinging arms and legs, she patiently awaits her opportunity.  When it comes, she steps forward, lashes out her own arms, jabbing her fingers into the neck of one of the women.  The woman collapses to her knees, gasping for breath.

Gabrielle steps forward and lifts a cup of Xena’s concoction to the laboring woman’s lips while Xena steadies her head.

GABRIELLE

It’s okay.  Swallow.

(beat, smiling)

That’s it.  Good job.

Gabrielle steps back and nods to Xena, who removes the pinch, and releases the woman to lie on the ground, limbs still spasming slightly.  A moment later, the drink comes back up in a violent rush, along with the last vestiges of poison in the woman’s system.  She collapses back to the ground with a grateful sob, her muscles relaxing at last.

Two young women come forward with robes and cloths to aid the stricken woman.

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

Thank the gods.

XENA

Ready for the next one?

Gabrielle nods.

GABRIELLE

Ready.

CUT TO:

EXT. CZIGANY CAMP - NIGHT

The recovering dancers are clustered in a small group, watched over and cared for by women and men from the clan.  Xena and Gabrielle, well fed and finally warm, stand close by, receiving the heartfelt thanks of the group. 

The old woman, her arm in a brightly colored sling, presses a bundle of food into Gabrielle’s hands.

OLD WOMAN

Thank you both for saving our

women.  You will always be

a friend to the Czigany.

GABRIELLE

Thank you.

Gabrielle looks around as various men and women hurry around the camp, quickly packing their stores into the oddly shaped wagons that ring the perimeter of the camp.

The old woman notices Gabrielle’s interest and smiles.

OLD WOMAN

They believe the ground here is

cursed.  We will travel on to the

coast and seek our fortunes there.

GABRIELLE

That’s where we’re headed

too.  Maybe we’ll meet again.

OLD WOMAN

If it is willed, we shall.  Goodbye

to you, and thank you both.

Xena returns from a final check on the women, walking to Gabrielle’s side and nodding to the old woman as she takes her leave and returns to her family.  Xena sniffs interestedly at the warm bundle in Gabrielle’s hands.

XENA

What ya got there?

GABRIELLE

Dessert.  And if you’re very good,

I’ll let you have some of it later.

Xena smirks.

XENA

I’m always good.

Gabrielle laughs, and the two leave the camp, leading Argo by the reins.

CUT TO:

EXT.  FARM - LATE EVENING

Having traveled another hour, Xena and Gabrielle have chanced upon a lone farm sitting among the vast rolling fields that dot the way to the sea.  At Gabrielle’s suggestion, they have stopped to ask for lodging for the night.  Xena’s chest congestion has worsened, and Gabrielle is concerned.

Gabrielle stands before the stout wooden door, hand poised to knock, when the door flies open and a gaggle of giggling young women and girls brushes past them as if they weren’t even there.  The women head toward the large barn and soon disappear inside.

Xena and Gabrielle look at each other, the barn, and each other again.

Gabrielle shrugs.

GABRIELLE

Could have been worse.

(beat)

They could have been sheep.

XENA

Don’t start.

Smirking, Gabrielle returns her attention to the doorway, which is now filled with the form of a large, middle-aged farmer who is scowling at them both.

Gabrielle gives him her best smile.

GABRIELLE

Beautiful daughters you have.

The farmer’s scowl deepens.

Gabrielle’s smile fades a bit.

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

We....

FARMER

Don’t have nothin’ for no beggars.

(beat)

Come back tomorrow with honest

coin, and I’ll deal with ye.

GABRIELLE

No. No. We’re not

asking for anything.

(beat)

Well, sort of, but not really.

(beat)

What I mean is....

FARMER

Ye deaf, then?  Didn’t ya just

hear me tell ya ta get lost?

Xena steps out of the shadows.  The farmer stiffens.  Gabrielle hastily reaches out and lays a calming hand on Xena’s wrist.

GABRIELLE

Please, sir.  We’re not beggars

and we don’t want your food.

(beat)

We’re cold, and tired, and looking to

take shelter for the night, that’s all.

FARMER

I’ve got a full house. You’ll have

ta look somewhere else.

GABRIELLE

Your barn, then?  We’ll gladly pay

you for the use of your hayloft.

Gabrielle removes her money pouch and gives it a little shake.  The farmer’s eyes light up with greed.  A smile twitches the corners of his seamed mouth.

FARMER

Five dinars.

GABRIELLE

(loudly)

Five dinars?!?

The farmer’s scowl reappears.

GABRIELLE

A very fair price, wouldn’t

you say, Xena?

Xena’s scowl outdoes the farmer’s, and Gabrielle squeezes the wrist in her hand. She then pulls the dinars from her pouch and hands them over the farmer.  He makes them disappear.

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

You’re an incredibly generous man.

Thank you.  Solstice Blessings on you.

FARMER

Just don’t go touching my daughters,

or you’ll wish you never saw this place.

GABRIELLE

Don’t worry, we....

She finds herself talking to a slammed door.

GABRIELLE

(cont’d sotto voce)

Well aren’t you just Mr. Sunshine?

As they turn toward the barn, Xena grins.

XENA

Ya know, this reminds me

of a traveling merchant joke

Salmoneus once told me.

GABRIELLE

(falsely)

Sounds like it must

have been a funny one.

Xena opens her mouth to respond.

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

But I don’t want to hear it.

Xena closes her mouth.

CUT TO:

INT. HAYLOFT - NIGHT

Xena and Gabrielle are snuggled into the warm hay, their exhausted bodies all but groaning with relief.  The young women are still beneath them, laughing, singing, and tending to the animals in the barn in an almost mindless manner.

Despite the din, the duo’s eyes grow heavy, and they nearly find sleep when Xena stiffens.  Gabrielle notices, and looks up at her partner questioningly.

XENA

Do you smell something?

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