The King and the Enemy

8

Xena sat up quickly. She heard it. It woke her for her sleep. But now that she was fully awake everything seem peaceful.

She shook the grogginess from her head and looked up at the sky. There was still a few more hours until dawn and she knew it would be another hot day.

She got up, stretched, and redid her ponytail. She walked over to where Loki laid asleep and gentle kicked him in the leg. "Wake up." He grumbled but sat up rubbing his face.

Next she walked over to Thor and kicking him slightly harder she told him to get up too.

Five minuets later they were walking again.

They reached the city before Sunrise. The streets were still abandoned because it was way to early for anyone to be up. They still had two or three hours to make it to The other side of the city to the prison before anyone was fully awake and roaming the streets.

Fires still burning as they walked through the abandoned streets. Rubble from the building were scattered all over. The smoke from the fires thickened the air and made it hard to breathe.

"I didn't know it was this bad over here," Thor coughed.

They were almost to The prison when Xena heard something.

"Shhh," she whispered putting a finger to her lips. She held out her other arm to stop the brothers. They stopped and stared at her.

Xena strained her ears. She knew she heard something but maybe she was just imagining it like she did this morning.

When she finally decided that she imagined it. She heard the noise again. It was something like a hiss but came out like a hoarse bark. Fear froze her in place.

They can't be here! They never come this far into the city! She thought.

Loki saw terroir in Xena's and and gently placed a hand on her arm. "Xena," he asked, "what do you hear?"

She quickly snapped out of it and turned to them. "Run," she told them just as the thing came out from behind a buildings and saw them.

It kind of reminded you a over grown lizard with antlers. It had a flap of skin around his head that looked like a cone with spikes around the edges. The antlers on top of its head were deadly, covering in minute spikes that contained poison. His body was half scales and half fur.

Xena took off running and Loki and Thor turned to see what she was running from. When they saw the beast the only thing that went threw their mind was to follow Xena's action.

They caught up to Xena easily. They could hear the thing gain distance right behind them.

"Why doing we just fight it?" Thor huffed each word.

"If you want to die fighting it, be my guest." Xena said through labored breath.

Thor looked at Loki and in agreement the stopped and turned to face the creature. Thor spun his hammer readying the lightning that gather in the sky. Loki withdrew his daggers. 

Just as the creature lunged at Loki, Thor jumped into the air and slammed his hammer into the creature. Lightning came down fast and traveled through his hammer into the lizard. It jumped back shaking off the smoke of electricity.

This time it lunged at Thor's hand that held the hammer.  Loki made eye contact with Thor for a a brief moment. In understanding, Thor swung his hammer and slammed it into the lizard throwing it backward to where Loki now stood. Loki thrust his daggers into the back of the creature avoiding the spikes around its flap of skin.

The creature cried out but dashed away from Loki. Loki and Thor circled it. Each waiting to see who would attack next. It lunged at Loki. It's jar opening to reveal row upon row of razed like teeth and a forces toung.

Before Loki could react Xena threw herself in front of him the lizard snapping its jar shut on her shoulder. She cried out in pain as the the flap around its head started to enclose her in it, like a cacoon. Loki and Thor started forward to help but all of a sudden the lizard unleashed her and fell off her. It's neck was slit and a dagger laid in the left side of its stomach.

Xena stood looking at it for a second before she collapsed. Loki caught her before she hit the ground.

"The heart is in the left side of the stomach," she could barely get the words out.

"Xena! What do we do? How do we help?" Loki asked almost pleadingly. Thor notice how Loki grip Xena to him, not wanting to let go and he saw the pure terroir in his eyes as he looked down at her.

Thor came and crouched next to them.

"There is no helping me." She stared into Loki's green eyes. I tear ran down her face and her shoulder burned from the poison along with her exposed arms from where the flap of the lizard skin touched her.

"There has to be something we can do?" Thor asked.

"There's not enough time." Xena stated her eyes starting to close and her breath coming out shallow.

"What is it?" Loki asked. He had to be strong, unemotional, if he was going to be able to save her.

"In the prison," Xena began, "there is cure for this poison." Before she could say anything else her body started twitching and foam secreted from the corners of her mouth.

"Thor!" Loki looked at him in alarm. "We have to get her to the prison."

Thor nodded his head and Loki picked Xena up in his arms making sure her head was to the side so she didn't choke on the foam coming for her mouth. Together the brothers ran in the direction they were heading until they came upon a giant fortress

Guards roamed around the edge of the building in on top of it. Thor and Loki stopped for a moment, out of site. "What do we do?" Thor asked.

Loki looked him and and then at Xena who stopped convulsing but now laid limp in his arms.

"I have an idea."