“c72″> 

“c72″>"Promises, promises. The trouble is, you never
stand for your word, don’t you!" Xena easily sidestepped
his next hit. "And pity? Bite me. Your own men turned against
you when you tried to kill me off. They stripped you of your armour
and your dignity and you fled your camp under the cover of the
night." She blocked his fist aimed at her nose with her left
arm, seemingly unimpressed by his mounting fury.

“c72″> 

“c72″>"You left the encampment in the middle of the
night, soldier boy." She continued taunting him, with every
punch that found its target drawing him further away from the
hostages and nearer to her discarded cloak. "You ran with your
tail between your legs, and still justice dug you out of your
hiding hole."

“c72″> 

“c72″>Darphus now was well beyond rational thought, blows
were raining on her torso and arms, and she knew she would get some
ugly bruises out of this but she continued to smile at him. The
smile didn’t reach her eyes but it still gave the impression
of a mother indulgently observing the harmless antics of her
toddler.

“c72″> 

“c72″>"Stop playing, Darphus, and get this over with. We
have a battle to fight and a village to destroy. The Amazons are
far greater a threat than this over-confident slave." Najara
shouted from behind.

“c72″> 

"I
don’t care for your damned Amazons, slut. I spent a lot of
time planning her death, and I intend to class=”c77″>savour every
moment. She’s mine, and she will cry out my name be it in
pain or in lust before she dies."

“c72″> 

“c72″>"Lust? The loss of your balls must have damaged
your brain, Darphus. You never were man enough, not even in my
worst nightmares, neither for me nor any other woman with
self-esteem. So, your choice of partner really shouldn’t be a
great surprise. Two of a kind, a perfect match: a petty excuse for
a warlord without guts and brains and an ex-Amazon, a bloody rapist
and too much of a coward to take responsibility for her actions. I
guess it’s true: two birds of a feather flock
toge…"

“c72″> 

“c72″>Unsurprisingly Najara lost her temper. She let go of
Xena’s brother and attacked the former Conqueror who blocked
the momentum of her sword arm with her hands, dodged a roundhouse
punch from Darphus and suddenly felt the sharp but all too familiar
pain of a knife sticking deep in her thigh. This time she allowed
her body to react to the threat, sending the ex-Amazon into
oblivion with a fisted blow to her chin. The sound of a dislocated
jaw gave her at least some sort of satisfaction but it was by far
not enough to quench her rising anger. So, she quickly refocused on
the enemy leader.