It took Xena and Gabrielle only a matter of minutes to gather their few belongings.
"All right," said Xena. "We're ready. But what are you going to do about all this stuff?" This she'd said while motioning with her hand toward all of the things which had created their shelter and made it so comfortable.
"That, Xena, is another of the few, really great, benefits of being a Wizard."
As he'd done the night before he lifted his staff high and brought it down with a thud. Just as quickly as the canvas walls and furnishings had appeared, the previous day, they all disappeared leaving not a bit of evidence to show anyone had ever been there.
"Packing and unpacking," Gander said, "is a real snap. See how simple it is?" All Xena and Gabrielle could do was to exchange looks in wonder.
Xena mounted up and the three of them began to move off in the direction of a dirt track, not far below the position of their recent shelter.
"Actually," Gander said, "I think I'll stretch my arms - er - wings a bit. That way I won't hold you up any and I can do a little scouting ahead of you."
"All right," Xena said. "That sounds like a good idea."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Gander disappeared in a glowing light. A moment later the light was gone; replaced by the slightly larger than average goose. Taking several quick, if somewhat awkward, steps while fully extending and flapping his wings, Gander was airborne in moments.
With Xena and Gabrielle looking up at him he circled them as he climbed higher and higher. Then, dipping one wing, as though he was waving at them, and with a couple of loud honk's, he headed off in the direction they would be traveling. Gabrielle followed the flight of the large bird with her eyes until it was no more than a distant speck in the sky.
"Boy! Now that's something!" Gabrielle said enthusiastically. "How does he do that?" she asked of no one in particular.
"I don't know," said Xena. "I guess it's just another one of those Wizard things. Come on, Gabby, Let's get moving."
The weather had changed greatly and very much for the better. The storm of the previous day had blown itself out. All that remained were a few, white, fluffy clouds which floated about in an otherwise, crystal clear, bright blue sky.
There was still a bit of a chill in the air stirred by a gentle breeze but the sun, uninhibited by clouds, warmed the two of them through and through. The track they were following, though wet, was not unduly muddy and the trees, bushes, grass, and other vegetation, on either side along the track, were a deep, rich, green.
Put simply, Xena and Gabrielle were well rested, well fed, filled with a deep sense of contentment and, for the moment, theirs was the best of all worlds.
Periodically Gander would return, circle them, sometimes show off a bit, then with a dip of a wing, by way of a salute, he'd honk a time or two and fly off down the trail again.
By the time the sun had reached its zenith they had passed over the summit of the pass. Most of the track was down hill now and the going for them was much easier. As they went along Xena and Gabrielle were chatting between themselves, just passing the time.
Xena was the first to catch sight of the rapidly growing speck in the sky. As she watched the speck took on the, by now, familiar appearance of a goose.
"Here he comes again," she said, drawing Gabrielle's attention to Gander's approach.
Just then, with both of them watching, a second 'speck' detached itself from a crag in the cliffs behind Gander. In only a few moments they both realized the second bird was a hawk and a big one.
The hawk, which had positioned itself directly behind Gander, had begun to close the distance while climbing to a higher level. The only thing either of them could do was watch intently, holding their collective breaths, as the large bird of prey took dead aim, folded its wings and entered its stoop.
The speed of its dive was incredible; closing the distance between itself and Gander in a matter of seconds. Only a few yards from Gander's back the hawk broke its dive, slightly, while extending its feet with their needle sharp talons ready for the deadly, spine snapping, strike.
Both Gander, and his would be killer, were still some distance away from them when the hawk, to their horror, appeared to make its strike. But then something as wonderful as it was unexpected happened.
Instead of knocking Gander from the sky the winged predator literally bounced off of Gander's back and, cartwheeling out of control, plummeted towards the ground below; screeching loudly and repeatedly as it fell. No more than an instant before it would have slammed into the ground the large bird of pray regained control. Swooping low over the ground it seemed to come right at Gabrielle and Xena. Passing only a few cubits above their heads it continued its fearful, loud, screeching as it flew off, out of sight, like a bat out of Tartarus.
As they returned their attention to Gander's approach there came that raucous, staccato, honking again. This time they could guess it was really laughter. His 'honking' continued as he angled his wings in a breaking action. It continued even as he stumbled all over his webbed feet and ended up making a three point landing; the third point being his beak. Even with his beak in the dirt his honking, if anything, grew even louder and more rapid.
Then came the glow of light and as the 'goose' disappeared the honking was transformed into belows of laughter. When the glowing light was gone there stood Gander, nearly bent over double, leaning heavily on his staffs and continuing to laugh uproariously.
"Are you hurt? Are you all right?" both Xena and Gabrielle asked, at the same time, as they came trotting up to where Gander was finally beginning to get hold of himself.
"Fine. I'm just fine," Gander chuckled, tears running down his face.
Then, discovering a small amount of grass stuck in his beard Gander lost it all over again.
"What's so funny?" Xena demanded.
"Yea,"Gabrielle chimed in. "Here we're starting to like you and bang! You nearly end up as lunch for a falcon; right before our eyes!"
No longer laughing but still grinning from ear to ear Gander leveled his gaze on the two of them.
"Your concern really does warm my heart and I guess what you just witnessed must have seemed horrific. But, Glimmer never lets me fly without extending a bit of his power to shield me in the event of an attack just like that one."
"That hawk looked as though it had bounced off a stone wall," Gabrielle said.
"Well, Gabrielle," Gander said, obviously still trying to control his mirth, "I think that just about sums it up."
Then another thought struck Gabrielle. She was always one to take the side of the 'under dog'.
"Poor thing," she said. "It must have been hurt when it slammed into that invisible shield of yours."
"Poor thing my foot," said Gander, with a bit of heat.
"Well," said Gabrielle, "it certainly sounded as though it was hurt; doing all that screeching."
"Oh she certainly was hurt," Gander chuckled. "Though I suspect most of the damage was done to her pride, it's likely she'll be flying crooked for a week. As for all the noise she was making: Allow me to educate you, just a little, Gabrielle.
"Being as intimately acquainted with the innards of others as she and all her kind are, her scatological repertoire is quite extensive. All the way down she was making a vast number of obscene references to me and to all of my ancestors as well as any progeny of mine, living now, or yet to come. And she was doing so in terms sufficiently hot to peal paint off a wall".
Between beginning to see the humorous side of the situation, and Gander's last remark, both Gabrielle and Xena got a good laugh out of it. Then another thought crossed Gabrielle's mind.
"Gander ... were you able to hear what that hawk was screeching about as it flew over our heads?" Again he had to laugh a little.
"Yes, my dear, I was."
"Well?" said Gabrielle.
"She was giving the two of you a few choice words as well. Please .... Don't ask me to translate. Hawkees does not translate well into human language. But I can tell you this much. Had you been able to understand her your hair might have caught fire."
As the three of them walked back to the dirt track Xena stopped and turned to face Gander.
"Gander, would you care to give your arms, eh, wings, er, oh whatever, a rest?" she asked. "Argo can carry two."
"That's quite kind of you, ... and her."
This last he said while nodding his head in the horses direction. Xena was more than a bit surprised to see Argo respond to Gander with a nod of her own and a soft snort.
After mounting Xena leaned down, offering her hand and arm, to help the Wizard up.
"Thanks Xena," he said, "but I've long since developed my own method of getting atop a horse."
So saying both of his feet left the ground and he simply floated into place behind her.
On the move again Xena turned slightly in the saddle to look back at him.
"I just don't understand it Gander."
"Understand what, Xena?" he asked.
"You obviously have tremendous power ," she said, "and you can do so many wonderful things with it. But you still walk with a limp. What happened to you anyway?"
"I suppose that's a fair question," said Gander. "Let's see how simply I can answer it."
He took a moment or two to gather his thoughts. Then he said,
"Once I had a friend. Both of us served as apprentices under the same Master: A most wonderful, powerful, and learned Wizard, who had attained great age and wisdom and who had, in fact, searched the both of us out originally.
"The thing is, you see, if one is born with what I've referred to as the 'Dubious Gift' there is only one of two ways to go. The first and best way, of course, is to become apprenticed to a Master Wizard which is what I was fortunate enough to do. With his help and careful teaching I came to understand the nature of the powers I'd been born with. I was able to learn to fully control and use them for good purposes and in the process I was also given a wonderful education. Some of the knowledge I was exposed to has the potential for tremendous good. Conversely, some of the things I learned have the potential for unbelievable evil.
"Those who do not have such an opportunity never come to understand anything about the 'gift' they were born with. They never learn to even accept the power which is theirs, much less control or use it responsibly. At best they only become mere Magicians."
Gabrielle, who had been walking beside Xena and Gander, turned to face him while walking backward.
"So what happened to you?" she asked, impatience written all over her face.
"Now you are learning first hand, Gabrielle, why Wizards are loners. Remember what I told you last night. We are windbags; every last one of us. If folks do come to know their neighborhood Wizard they run the other way when they see him coming. And it isn't his powers they fear. They just don't want to be bored to death.
"All right! So what happened?" she said, even more exasperated. This was enough to make Xena laugh.
"Perhaps," she said with a bit of a chuckle, "you ought to learn to come to the point a little more quickly."
"Yes," said Gander. "Quite right. I'll do so ... in a moment. Do you two remember, last night, when I told you a Sorcerer was actually a Wizard with an attitude?"
They both nodded affirmatively.
"Well once he was well along in his training my fellow apprentice and one-time friend developed an attitude. A very, very, nasty one. So nasty in fact that he killed our Master. Murdered him! I tried to go to the aid of my Master and in the course of the fight which followed I was rather badly wounded. These wounds resulted in my being left lame."
Gabrielle looked at him quizzically for a moment or two.
"You can mend things," she said. "You proved that with Xena's sword. Couldn't you use your powers to cure yourself?"
Gander had to smile at her last question.
"Would that I could Gabrielle. But the rules really are simple and quite straight forward in situations such as mine."
"Rules? ..... What rules?" Gabrielle wanted to know.
"Why Gabrielle!" Gander said, in false and greatly exaggerated shock, "I know you are a properly brought up young lady. Certainly you know there are rules which pertain to every facet of life. Why if there were no rules the world would be in a state of total chaos."
Realizing, finally, what the Wizard was doing Gabrielle gave him her most sarcastic grin.
"OK!" she said. "So why can't you just go ahead and fix yourself right up?"
"Ha ha," he laughed. "Now your learning. Wizards should not, always˙, be taken too seriously. Sorcerers yes. Always take them seriously. But not Wizards.
However, in my situation there really are rules and those rules say this: Whatever I may do to, for, or against, another I can undo in most cases. The rules say that whatever a more or less normal, ordinary, human being may do to cause me physical harm, I can cure and recover from; almost immediately. But the same rules also say what-so-ever another Wizard or Sorcerer is successful in doing to harm me cannot be completely cured or undone without the consent and willing cooperation of the Wizard or Sorcerer who did the deed; at least not so long as he, or she, lives.
"My one time friend, turned Sorcerer, was most unhappy with me at the moment of our parting. It would be quite unreasonable for me to think he would ever be willing to make me whole again."
Turning once again in the saddle, Xena had a crooked grin on her face and a knowing look in her eyes.
"Why do I have the feeling," she asked archly, "this one time friend of yours didn't come out of that fight in one, whole, piece?"
"How very perceptive of you Xena," said Gander with a grin of his own. "And very correct. Oh he had me down. Laid out flat on my face on the floor; absolutely unable to get up. But as he raised his fiendish black sword, preparing to finish me, something unbelievable, something truly magical, came to pass.
"There's no way I can ever be certain but, at that moment, my Master may have, somehow, still been alive; able to cast one last spell. Whatever the case: Entirely of their own accord Sting leapt from its scabbard at my side and Glimmer, laying just out of my reach, sprang from the floor. What happened next took far less time than the telling of the story.
"The murderer of our Master saw them rising up to meet his attack and he stepped back and away from me. He made a frantic attempt to fend Sting and Glimmer off but they were entirely too quick for him. Sting struck him in his left eye; flicking the eyeball from its socket. As for Glimmer: Before my nemesis could dematerialize and escape Glimmer struck him fiercely taking his right arm well above the elbow.
"When all was said and done my Master, one of the greatest Wizards who ever existed, my mentor, and one who was as dear to me as a beloved father, lay in a horrible, blood soaked, heap. ... Dead.
"As for me: I was left laying in a pool of my own blood, suffering unthinkable agonies, and my nemesis had left one of his eyeballs and an arm behind in mute testimony that my Master's hideous murder had been, at least partially, avenged. It really isn't a very pretty story," Gander said with a sigh, "but there it is."
"Then he still lives; this one time friend, this nemesis, of yours?" Xena asked.
"Oh yes. He is still very much alive. I still sense his existence, from time to time, a very long way off. And I can tell you that with every passing decade he has grown more and more evil and powerful. He has become a Sorcerer with tremendously malignant powers and I can say, in all seriousness, he is no one to trifle with."
"Does this Sorcerer have a name?" Xena asked.
"Yes. He does." Gander replied; his tone so cold it made Xena shiver. "But it's a name I never so much as utter; ever. He has become so powerful that to use his name, even in a whisper, is to invoke it. Invoke his name and you take the dreadful chance of drawing his malignant attention to you.
"There are but a very few who can withstand the devastating powers of this evil one. But because we do exist he seems content, for now, to bide his time while he studies and learns and becomes ever more powerful. He is extremely intelligent, a genius in fact, and very cunning. He also seems to have learned the value of patients.
"Doubtless he will, one day, conclude that the appointed time has come for him to extend his power and rule over the entire earth. But that time is not now and he knows this only too well. Indeed, so long as I and a few like me exist, his time will never come. But should anyone else draw his terrible attention to themselves ..... their fate is sealed. .... And horrible is that fate."
"But enough of this dark and dreadful talk," said Gander, replacing the bleak expression which had come upon his face with a smile.
"Let's be glad for the wonderful things which are ours here and now. It is a bright and beautiful day and we have the companionship of one another. We have access to food, warmth, and shelter and, for now, there is little reason to believe anything but good times lay ahead.
"By the way, Gabrielle, unless I've been very badly mislead you are a Master of verbal history and story telling in your own right. Since I have acceded to your request to tell my story, one which might cause a nightmare or two tonight, why don't you supply the all important antidote? Tell us some of your stories; stories to cheer us on our way."
This Gabrielle did gladly and with a passion. Before long their mood had changed completely as they enjoyed one good laugh after another. On those occasions when Gabrielle took a rest from her story telling, which was rarely since she thoroughly enjoyed practicing her craft, the three of them would share their hopes, dreams, and aspirations for a hoped for bright future.
Late in the afternoon they arrived at a point along the track where the pass began to widen out. Here the stunted trees and scrub began to give way to the real forests of the lower elevations and they were able to begin to see the valley far below. Here also was a fast moving mountain brook, running cold and clear, which could provide them with all the water they needed. So not far from the edge of the woods, a short distance off the track, they decided to spend the night.
Once again, with no more than a thump of Gander's staff upon the ground, all of the necessities, and a few luxuries, for their overnight stay materialized. The canvas, this time, had taken the form of three large lean-tos with long, soft, pads laid inside for beds. There were also soft, warm, blankets folded neatly at their foot.
There was the ring of stones containing the bed of glowing coals from the night before. There were also a number of moderately sized, sawed off, tree trunks positioned conveniently close to the coals and upon these were a number of soft cushions; also from the night before.
Laying near by were a couple large but plain wooden platters. Piled on one were several loves of long, crusty, bread. On the other were several small wheels of cheese of different kinds; and of course there was the wine skin looking every bit as full as it had when it had first appeared the previous night.
Sitting quietly beside the low burning fire, eating their simple but filling meal, they watched the many brilliant colors in the sky created by the setting sun which they found quite pleasant to behold. The whole world seemed to be completely at peace. At least this seemed to be the case until Gander, laying his food to one side, sat bolt upright.
Turning his head slowly from side to side, like a forest creature who has sensed danger, he surveyed the entire area including the tree line of the nearby forest with all of his senses. Gander's bearing and continued silence told Xena and Gabrielle there was probably trouble afoot and coming their way. Both of the young women stood; Xena drawing her sword while Gabrielle collected her staff and held it at the ready.
Xena slowly came over to stand close by the Wizard as she studied the tree line herself, trying to penetrate the gathering gloom.
"What is it Gander?" she asked very quietly.
"I believe we have company Xena," he said in a voice as low as her's had been. "And somehow I have the feeling they don't have partying on their minds."
"Are they bandits?" Gabrielle asked, having joined them. "What do you think they want?"
"I really can't tell with any degree of certainty what they may want. In fact they may not know themselves. The only thing I can tell with some certainty is there are an awful lot of them and their mood appears to be an exceptionally ugly one. It's a poor way to end a wonderful day but I fear there is great danger here. It might be prudent to begin moving away from the fire."
As they began opening the distance between themselves and the light of the fire Gander asked Xena to put away her sword and Gabrielle to simply use her staff for walking; instead of holding it ready as a weapon. The look they both gave him was questioning but they did as he asked.
It was then that those who had been lurking in the shadows of the tree line began to show themselves. Only a very few held a rusty sword or spear. Most of the rest were armed with short, brutal looking, clubs fashioned from thick tree limbs or, roughly hewn, stout wooden staffs. Their clothes, what could be seen of them in the gathering darkness, appeared to be quite ragged and dirty.
Tapping her knowledge of warfare and experience in battle Xena appraised the gathering host very carefully.
"Whoever these people are they don't even look like bandits," Xena said. "And they sure aren't warriors. In fact they have the look of simple peasants. But you're right Gander. It looks as though they are about to attack. What I don't understand is why."
"I have the same feeling Xena," Gander said, "but somehow I doubt they are in the mood to talk about their problem with us; at least not now. So, what I need to know is, will you trust me to handle this in my own way?"
"What do you have in mind?" Xena asked.
"What I'd like the two of you to do," Gander said, "is to take positions close to me and assume a kneeling position. And please ... don't bare or brandish your weapons. At least not unless it appears certain we are about to be overrun. I want to do everything I can to break their charge, when it comes, without doing a single one of them any permanent harm."
"And just how do you propose to do that?" Gabrielle asked.
"I'm afraid you're going to find out only too soon," he said, looking grim.
It was obvious neither Xena or Gabrielle cared much for this notion but they did as Gander asked.
Seconds later a man, somewhere at the edge of the three line, shouted, "NOW!"
There was none of the screaming, shouting, or battle cry's they had expected to hear. But their attackers came in a rush, all at once, from all directions and the manner in which they brandished their weapons showed clearly that mayhem was their intended purpose.
Bringing his 'Dubious Gift' to bear he raised both his arms. Pointing with his extended fingers, tiny balls of brilliant light began to materialize and fly with blinding speed toward whoever Gander pointed at. These projectiles of intense energy never failed to hit their mark and their effect was totally debilitating. When hit an attacker's knees would buckle and he'd fall to the ground; his head and limbs twitching and trembling.
In less than two minutes it was over. Those not yet struck down took to their heels. As for those who had been knocked senseless: They lay in a semi-circular heap around Xena, Gabrielle, and the Wizard. All were out cold.
Coming slowly to their feet Xena and Gabrielle looked about them. They scarcely believed the evidence of their own eyes. There must have been close to a hundred of them laid out like so many poleaxed cattle. Yet there was no wound, nor a single drop of blood, to be seen on a single one of them.
"You say they aren't permanently injured?" Xena asked.
"Given time," he said, "say eight hours or so, they'll be fine; although it will take them longer than that to be as frisky as they were."
"And what happens when they all begin to wake up?" Gabrielle wanted to know.
"Then we do what we could not have done before," Gander said. "We find out what on earth possessed them to launch this attack in the first place."
"And if they decide to attack us again?" Xena asked.
"Then," Gander said, "they get another dose of what I just gave them. But I doubt very much it will be necessary. As a rule once is more than enough for most people. Afterwards they usually tend to mind their manners."
"What a way to learn about etiquette," Gabrielle said with a sad little shake of her head.
"Anyway," Gander said, "I see no reason why we shouldn't return to our seats by the fire and finish our meal. I don't know about the two of you but all this action gives me an appetite."
"But shouldn't someone sort of keep an eye on these people?" Gabrielle asked. "They might get away or something."
"Not to worry," Gander replied in an off hand manner. "I'm pretty sure we'll have an opportunity to speak with at least a few of them come morning. Now come on. Aren't you hungry? Me ... I'm famished."
With that Gander headed back toward the fire ring. Xena and Gabrielle gave each other a questioning look, then shrugged their shoulders, sort of, and followed the Wizard back to their camp.
Once they'd finished their meal and had a cup or so of wine Gander offered to take the first watch. Once Xena and Gabrielle had gone off to their beds and were asleep Gander stared into the glowing coals trying to fathom some reason for or meaning or portent of the unprovoked attack. The violence of the assault was, to him, most unusual.
These people were not warriors. They were farmers, shepherds, men who drew their sustenance from the earth. They were the sort of folks who sought only to exist in peace. For them peace was prosperity. Anything less than peace constituted potential disaster. What could have driven so many of these people off their land, away from their flocks? And why did they attack us? .... Why? ..... Why?
Although Gander pondered this problem deeply the skittering sounds of those who recovered sufficiently to do so, limping or dragging themselves away through the weeds and grass, was not lost on him. He did feel a little sorry for what he'd done. After all hurting people played no part in his day to day agenda. But these people had left him no choice. None at all.
Then another thought came to him. It may have been pure instinct on his part but he had been successful in keeping Gabrielle and Xena completely out of the fight. He knew Gabrielle had been in more than one brawl; usually watching Xena's back. This was all part of the lore he had so carefully gathered about these two young women. But Gabrielle, up to now, had never actually taken another human life.
Had she been engaged in combat with some of these people she probably would have been left with only two choices: Kill or be killed. In her case the one would probably have been nearly as bad as the other. If it please the gods, he thought to himself, may she never become one who brings death to another. Such a burden could destroy her; in her spirit if not her flesh.
As for Xena: The thought of the carnage she would have wrought, had she entered the fray, was enough to make him shudder. She was, indeed, a warrior but she'd long since become thoroughly sick of war. The taking of the lives of these poor wretches, had it been shown unnecessary later on, would have been just one more horrific burden for her to bear. At least he had been able to spare her that; the gods be praised.
Gander was aware that once Xena had, gladly, sent unknowable numbers of people to Hades. But something had happened to her. Something had finally, completely, filled her gorge with the blood, gore, pain, terror and, above all, death which are the inevitable by- products of war.
Xena was a warrior still. But no longer so ready and willing a warrior as she had once been. And that was good. Very good. After all, how many memories of battles and blood, horror and corpses, could anyone bear.
The Wizard knew certain things beyond any shadow of doubt. Xena was possessed of considerable goodness; her dark and bloody past not withstanding. She had erred a great deal in the past and she would carry the memories of her often terrible mistakes with her for the rest of her days. But her courage was great and her sense of honor was beyond questioning.
Something else occurred to him. As he thought about it the more he came to realize Gabrielle had more to do with tempering Xena's warrior spirit than he'd realized. Certainly the company of this young Master of verbal history and story teller had done wonders for his own moral and disposition.
He was still pondering these things when he heard Xena coming up behind him. He knew it to be her by the sound of her tread and the slight squeak of her leather armor.
"Hello Xena," he said without turning. "Is it that time all ready? Have you had enough sleep?"
"I'm fine Gander."
As she said this something within her caused her to place her hand gently on the Wizards shoulder. "But you ought to get some rest now," she said, "unless of course you have foreseen what the dawn will bring."
Putting his own hand, momentarily, over hers Gander shook his head.
"No Xena. I've come up with no magical clues as to what our immediate future may bring. Besides, in most cases, giving serious thought to the immediate past, and what is or is not happening in the present, usually gives one a better notion of what to expect in the future than any so-called visions."
"What about them?" she asked with a wide sweep of her hand in the direction of the still unconscious forms to be seen from where they were.
"Oh they're coming around, a few at a time," Gander said unconcernedly. "Those who have regained enough strength and coordination to do so have been limping or crawling away; back into the forest. So far none of them have made to approach us here and I really shouldn't expect any further trouble from them. I can feel it. These poor people are thoroughly whipped."
"I still can't figure it out. Why they attacked us." she said. "What could have caused them to do something so crazy. We've done them no harm; nor would we."
"I know, Xena," Gander said tiredly. "The only thing I can think of is something quite terrible has happened to them. Something has driven them to desperation, terror, and rage. I hate the thought ... but it could be there's something about us they somehow connect with the cause of their grief."
"What possible connection could there be Gander?' she asked. 'We "only just arrived here."
"I think," said the Wizard, "we may have the answer to that and a number of other questions come morning. But it wouldn't surprise me," he said with a tired little grin, "if the answers we get create a great many more questions."
Coming slowly and stiffly to his feet Gander said, "I think I will turn in for a little while. Since Gabrielle has third watch please ask her to awaken me at the first hint of dawn. There are a few simple but important preparations to be made before our guests arrive this morning."
"Guests? What guests?" she asked.
"It's nothing you need to be worried about Xena," he said with a chuckle. "Good night."
So saying he went over and laid down on the bedding under his lean-to. Within minutes Xena heard him snoring softly; sleeping like a baby. All she could do was smile slightly and shake her head in wonder. This Gander. This Wizard. She'd never before met the likes of him and doubted she ever would again.