Normal time passes, scene changes, ect are broken by one line.
Major time changes, like from childhood to teenager are marked with two lines.
navy = flashback within the big flashback
When the old codes came across the seeming ancient lines of communication and hidden byways, the ones who remembered almost didn't believe it. Couldn't believe it. Was it possible? Could it be possible?
Sure, they had heard the former summons, but these were stronger, newer, singing with incredible, burning life. And they were summons each one who still remembered had been waiting years to hear. These summons were not to be ignored ... not that they wanted to ignore them.
Mudwalker groaned in protest as Stupid Crazy Suicide came bounding into his tent and then proceeded to beat him upside the head with something. "WHAT THE HELL IS IT?!?!" he snapped, thoroughly considering her demise.
Stupid just grinned and waved the branch in his face. A branch made into an arrow with rough markings cut into the surface. He blinked and snatched it from her hands, ignoring her squawk of protest. First glyph is the People, he read, mentally deciphering each half-forgotten glyph, Second is me, third is "urgent", fourth is ... his brain trailed off into silence, stunned and disbelieving the evidence right in front of his eyes. The last glyph caught his eye, the writer was ... Silverblade ...
The best tracker of the People of the Four Lands felt his heart beating uncomfortably hard in his chest as his inner eye conjured up an image of the thief. Swallowing, he stared at the fourth glyph again, I can't believe it ... but then again, Silverblade wouldn't lie about this ...
Standing quickly, he dashed out of his tent, nearly knocking Stupid over in his haste, "I've got to talk to the Leader!" Now if only Surefall will give me permission to go ...
Staring up the treacherous mountain path, Silverblade nervously straightened his long, blue trench coat yet again, desperately hoping that his message had made it over and into their lands. Of course, he wasn't stupid enough to actually walk in there. On one hand, he was an Outlander and therefor unwelcome and on the other he'd be lucky to come out alive. The gods of the Lands had ways of making one regret entering their domain.
"Boo," a voice murmured next to his ear, almost making him jump out of his skin. Only two things kept him from killing the owner, he had been expecting it and he knew the voice. Silverblade whirled instead, coming nearly nose to nose with the grinning Mudwalker. As silent as leaf fall he had approached, blending perfectly into the surrounding foliage, only his bright, blue-green eyes giving him away.
They looked at each other, neither moving, both appraising the other for similarities and differences. Mudwalker was the same. Same blending green and brown clothing, same dye dappled, brown hair in a page boy cut, same brilliant eyes and sleek features of the People. Silverblade had grown the barest of inches, just barely topping Mudwalker, and his silvery, white-blonde hair was longer, falling to his waist now, wintry bangs hanging just over his silvered eyebrows. The same rose colored eyes peered out from silvered lashes and the long, blue trench was the same, as well as the cream tunic and tight, sky blue pants. So were the numerous blades stashed about his person.
One moment they merely gazed at each other, the next they were in a passionate embrace, lips locked together, hungrily devouring one another. Several heated moments later they broke, though still teasing each other with a brief meeting of lips or a warm, demanding caress. Mudwalker finally asked the question that had plagued him from the beginning of his trip over to this side of the mountain, voice breathless as he spoke, "Is it really true?"
Silverblade briefly slid his hands out from under his partner's shirt and lifted the white feather that hung from his neck, laid bare by Mudwalker's questing hands. Tiny glyphs burned in blue fire on the surface of the feather, the tiny, most important message sent by one far, far away. Sraf.
Well ... Sraf hasn't changed much. Mudwalker glanced over at the one who had been waiting for them in Jopai. Sraf was half elf and that lineage was obvious in his height, the long, pointed ears, canted, emerald eyes, and sheer white hair. The hair was drawn back into a braid, light wisps and feathers fluttering around his face. Sraf was the only one he knew who could pull off wearing white into the middle of a day long, bloody battle and come out as pristine as he went in. It boggled the mind.
"Took you long enough," Sraf said, coolly dispassionate, his voice like a low, thrumming song, liquid music.
"Silverblade insisted on sleeping."
"Just because I live like a normal human ... "
"You're human?"
"Are you two through flirting?" Sraf asked, still disinterested as he broke into their discussion. Cold bastard ... must be the elf ...
"Not yet," Silverblade smirked, tugging the nearly invisible Mudwalker close and kissing him full on the lips. Mudwalker punched him.
"You're attracting a crowd."
"No, my dear elf, you're attracting the crowd." Which was true enough, quite a few pedestrians paused to look at the white clad Sraf, whispering amongst themselves. The healer shrugged and in a shimmering of gold the three of them vanished from the sight of the townsfolk.
"That was ... "
"Brilliant?" the healer asked, turning and leading them through the bustling town.
"Hardly the word I'd use," Silverblade said, following him while keeping a tight grasp on his partner's wrist. He didn't want to loose track of him in this crowd, gods only knew how they'd find him again. Hell, the guy's practically invisible when he's out in the field, let alone with people around!
"You're just jealous," his partner grumbled, "'cause you can't use this to rob houses with."
"Some of us weren't named He-Who-Passes-Through-Mud-Without-Sound you know, it's not like I was raised to be some sort of tracker or something."
"Yeah, you were raised to be a cheat."
"Please, children," Sraf cut in coolly, "Must you argue amongst yourselves?"
His answer was unanimous, "Yes."
"So it's really true."
Sraf nodded at Mudwalker's statement, "I received the call from our Second herself."
"Lina?"
Sraf nodded again.
"Who's got the message so far? Where are we meeting at in Sairaage? Who all's coming?"
"Everyone I sent it to. The palace. Everyone except Valtiera," the healer said, answering each question.
Mudwalker looked at the ground, feeling depressed, "Let's not talk about that anymore, okay?"
"As you wish."
"Cold, heartless bastard."
The half elf shrugged, not bothering to reply to that statement. Without appearing to look, he scanned the practically nonexistent forest path Mudwalker was leading them through. "Where are we headed today?"
"Well ... wherever Muddy decides to lead us," Silverblade said snidely, feeling a bit put out that his partner was leading them through underbrush and god knows what, getting his hair tangled and his clothes in a wreck. Oddly, Sraf and Mudwalker were untouched ... which was annoying the hell out of Silverblade.
"Keep calling me that and I'll drag you through the mud," Mudwalker snapped.
"Please?"
"Pervert."
Sraf sighed, "Once again: Where are we headed today?"
"Sairaage."
The summons reached far, through every finger and inch of the world, seeping into every cranny and nook, and into one person who no one believed still existed. In one who had forgotten the meaning of the summons, one to whom the past had long been forgotten. But the summons touched this one like a spark in a dream, like a half believed glimmer in nothingness as the one began to feel the pull of things long forgotten and began to awake from the dream.
Zel tossed and turned, pieces of memory floating up through his sleeping mind, plaguing his dreams with the splashing colors of what had been.
"We don't want him." That was his Mommy talking to the tall man in red.
"I paid you to care for him," the red man said. Zelgadis didn't understand what they were talking about as he stood next to and behind Mommy, hugging her leg as he peered at the man.
"I told you we don't want him!"
"Why? I thought you wanted a child."
"Not your bastard child! Not one with those half breed elf ears and the cursed eyes! We wanted a normal child."
The man watched Mommy, unruffled. Mommy blushed and glared down at Zel instead of the man. "If that is the way you feel about it, I'll come for him tomorrow. Till then." The man turned and walked away.
"Mommy?"
"Not now, Zel."
"Mommy?" He asked again, tugging on her dress.
She slammed the pan down and glared at him, "What is it?!?!"
"Where am I going?"
"With Rezo."
"Why?"
"Because he's going to take care of you now."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not going to."
"How come you won't take care of me, Mommy?"
"Because I don't want you or love you!!!! Do you understand!?!?!" she yelled, reaching down to shake him.
Zel stared at his Mommy with wide eyes, too shocked for tears, his voice a whisper, "Why ... don't you ... love me?"
Mommy hit him, sending him sprawling, voice cold, "You are not mine and you never were or will be. And I'm not your Mommy. So stand up and stop sniveling, brat. You're going with Rezo, who's taking you off my hands forever."
He didn't cry of whine when the man came again, didn't even talk or look up, his cheek throbbing where Mommy had hit him, a bruise forming. Mommy didn't hold his hand, just pushed him out of the house and at the man in red. "Here's your brat."
Rezo was impassive as he picked the silent child up. If he noticed the bruise or the empty expression on the child's face, he didn't comment. Merely turned and started to walk away. Zelgadis raised his head from the man's shoulder, looking back at the house. Something spurred him to try one last time, to call for her, "MOMMY!"
The woman who was his mother ignored him and slammed the door. Only then did Zel start to cry.
Rezo's Tower was big and scary to Zel with it's dim lighting, size, and the odd objects that littered the place. Rezo first took him to some place, a lab with strange machinery and glowing, glass tubing covering almost every inch of available space.
The child was set on a table as Rezo murmured a spell, healing the ugly, puffy bruise that disrupted the pale, flawless cheek. He looked up at the man as he suddenly slammed a long pointed finger into the spot between his eyes. Zel cried out in fright as he fell back onto the table, trembling in fear as a hand held him down and the other passed slowly over his eyes. Pain pricked the edges of his tearing orbs as every color screwed out of focus and the angles and perspectives warped and bent. Then the pain was gone, but the wrongness remained.
Rezo looked at the child that cowered away from him, at the round blue eyes that shimmered with tears ... and he nodded, his own curved gray eyes refusing to reflect the flickering light, the glow playing along the ivory curves of long, pointed ears.
Zel squirmed forward on his belly, peering over the steep incline at the red haired sorceress that had taken the thing Rezo-"sama" wanted. He had been tracking her for at least a month now, carefully following her rather explosive and rampant trail as she blew up one bandit gang after another, leaving a path of destruction in her wake. Oh to make scumbags tremble at one's feet ... must be a thrill.
Frankly, he was no longer even vaguely amused with this assignment. Follow the girl, take the thing, and go home. Joy. Go home to Rezo-"sama", go home to scrubbing floors and cleaning tapestries, go home to endless rounds of torturous magic lessons that not only never made sense no matter how hard he tried, but earned him beatings when he didn't get it right. Which was often.
Okay, he was jealous of the girl he was following. Very jealous. How did she get so lucky in life? How did she manage to be free, powerful, and rich? Why can't I be like her?
He sighed and squirmed a little farther, keeping the girl in his sights. He would have to get up soon to change positions, but he would wait till she passed the bend in the road, so she wouldn't see him. Get off your pity kick, Zelgadis. Just get the job done and go home.
A tiny voice whispered in the back of his head, Some home ...
He shrugged to himself and tugged the collar of his ivory turtleneck up. Bad enough he had to wear the blasted slave collar, fat chance he'd let anyone know it was there. Onward and upward and all that rot.
Zel pushed himself up as soon as the girl rounded the bend and slid down the embankment, slipping into the trees to follow. Voices floated to him as soon as he got into the thick of the underbrush. Pricking his ears forward, he slipped closer, peering through the leaves.
A group of bandits had encircled the girl, who stood confidently in the face of their superior numbers. Sneering, the leader stepped forward, "Alright, girly, give us back our treasure and we'll let you live."
The girl smiled, "How cliched. Can't you bandits think of anything better to say?"
The bandit leader sputtered and gestured his men forward, "GET HER!"
She ducked away from the first strike, but was leveled by the next. Tumbling to the ground, she groaned and tried to push herself back up, glaring at the men. Why doesn't she fry them?
Watching them strike again and her block with her sword, he suddenly realized something. Zelgadis blushed crimson. Oh, it's that time of the month ...
He had to do something if he was to get the thing from the thief who had stolen it before the bandits. Pursing his lips, he concentrated, summoning his weak power to his aid, crafting a flawless illusion. Illusion was just light, after all, and if there was one thing he was good at, it was light.
The bandits looked up as light flashed behind. A pack of demons swarmed toward them, snarling and drooling in anticipation, dark fur and shining claws casting fear into the bandit's hearts. Not being complete fools, they ran screaming into the woods. The girl gritted her teeth and prepared to sell her life dearly. The demons vanished.
She blinked, "Huh?"
He stepped from the foliage behind her. She whirled, watching him suspiciously. From up close, he had to admit she was lovely. Long, fiery, red hair, wide, ruby eyes, a petite body, and a cute, sweet face. "Who are you?"
"Sorry." He summoned lightning to his hand and gently touched her cheek. She screamed and her body arched as the crackling electricity arced down her flesh. Then she fell forward into his arms, smoke rising from her unconscious form.
Zel cursed himself for a fool as he stared at the unconscious girl on the bed. Unable to leave her in the woods without feeling bad, he'd carried her to this inn, ordered a room, and laid her on the bed. He'd already rifled through her belongings as well as her clothes, and had found nothing. Where's the damn stone?!
Could he have been wrong in thinking her the thief? Was she just some bandit killer? Some innocent bystander? Zel sighed, he'd ask her when she woke up.
The girl shifted and groaned. Zelgadis was by the bed in a flash, waiting. Sitting up, she rubbed her head. Sensing she wasn't alone, she looked up. And then tried to kill him. Prying her hands from around his neck, he shoved her back down on the bed, pinning her easily with his superior weight and strength. "Stop it!"
"Why should I?" she snapped back, still struggling.
"Because I don't want to hurt you!"
"Oh? What do you think you just did?!"
"Incapacitate you."
"And now?"
"Holding you down so you won't try to kill me."
She watched him carefully for a minute, silent, "Okay, you can let me up, I'll behave."
Zel moved off her reluctantly, unsure if it was a good idea. It wasn't. The minute she was up, she grabbed her knife and lunged at him. He managed to pull back just in time as the knife slashed down. Instead of cutting him from neck to groin, it just ripped open his shirt. The collar caught the light as he moved, flashing. The girl paused as she caught sight of it, watching him warily.
"You're a slave?"
Drawing his dagger slowly, he scowled and nodded, "Duh."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"Why?"
"You don't have a choice. You're just following orders."
"Brilliant."
The girl sat back on the bed and folded her legs, still watching him warily, but she put the knife down, "No need to be sarcastic." She paused, considering, then spoke again, "I'm Lina. And you are?"
"Zelgadis, "he lowered the dagger, but kept out of her range.
"Let me see."
He stared at her incredulously, "See what?!"
"The collar."
"Why?"
"I want to try to remove it."
Zel's eyes narrowed. It has to be a trap, a way for her to get me within range. Maybe, but doubt gnawed him. Maybe she could help. He stepped close enough for her touch the collar, but otherwise ...
Lina bit her lip thoughtfully as she touched the band of metal. It was expensive, set with the sapphire like that. Touching it mentally, she probed the magic ambience that held her captor captive. Zel hissed in pain and jerked back. "That hurt?"
"What do you think?"
He knew it was hopeless, any probe stung him like whip lashes along his back. Lina grabbed the collar and yanked him close, probing the collar quickly. Zel cried out in pain as phantom strikes descended on his back and legs. She let go quickly, "It's warded!"
Breathing heavily, he pulled back, "Just tell me where the stone is, okay."
"Stone?"
"Yeah, the one you stole from Rezo!" he snapped, "That's why I'm after you, you know."
"I didn't steal anything from Rezo! I don't even know ... who ... " her eyes widened, "You're Akahoushi Rezo's slave?!?!?!"
"Brilliant, Lina."
She smacked him, "Excuse me, geez, no need to be so sarcastic."
"Whatever. Do you have the stone or not?"
Lina shook her head, "I don't have anything except gems. And even if I did have it, why should I give it to you?"
Before she could blink he slammed her back into the wall, his dagger pressing into her neck, "Because, otherwise, I'll have to kill you, " he said flatly, eyes cold.
She stared into his eyes, defiant, before she sneered and kicked him as hard as she could. Zel pulled back just enough for her to grab her own knife and slash at him. He grabbed her wrist as she lunged and snapped it back, kicking her in the stomach. Lina gasped as she dropped the knife, coughing as she tried to drag air back into her lungs.
He stared at her impassively, "Just give me back the stone."
"I ... don't ... have ... it!"
Once again doubt hit him. He ignored it. "The stone, Lina. I don't want to have to kill you, thief or not."
"I'm not a thief!" she shouted.
"What do you call someone who takes something that isn't theirs from someone else?"
Lina glared, "I didn't take anything! I never steal except from bandits!!"
Zel paused. Was it possible she had gotten the stone from the bandits instead of stealing it? Was it possible the stone could've fallen into the bandits hands? Sadly, almost too possible. "If you didn't steal it, " he said slowly, thinking the new theory out, "Then why not just give it back to it's owners?"
"BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!"
"The Philosopher's Stone."
Lina choked, eyes widening in shock, "What - ?"
It was a reaction that would have been nearly impossible to feign. Maybe she really didn't have the stone ... but then ... why had his collar led him to her? He paused, thinking a moment before he spoke again, "Then what do you have?"
"Let me go and I'll show you."
"No, tell me."
"Let me go!"
"No!"
"Why not?" she snapped irritably.
"Because the last two times you've tried to kill me," he answered reasonably.
"Fine, fine ... I have some gems, gold, this antique knife, a gold cup, a few magical talismans, and an Orihalcon Statue."
Zel perked up at the last. Orihalcon would mask the stone, though not throw off his collar. "Orihalcon Statue? Where is it?"
Lina blinked, "In my back pocket."
Much to Lina's embarrassment, he slid a hand around to her back and then down to her rear, where he found the back pocket. Slipping his hand inside - which caused Lina to slap him and which he ignored - he withdrew the statue.
Totally ignoring Lina now, he smiled and pulled back from her, holding the statue in his hand. Shaped like a shrouded woman, the statue thrummed to his touch. For a moment he allowed himself a smile of triumph as he clutched the metal, bringing it close to his face, feeling the power radiate from inside. Like a warm sun to bask in. A clench of power from the collar and the statue vanished away, leaving the rough, black stone.
Looking no more than a ordinary rock, the Philosopher's Stone was the most powerful magic enhancer in the world. So why does Rezo have it? The thought snaked through his mind, but was overshadowed by the mental shout of triumph, I CAN CAST MAGIC NOW!
Zelgadis could feel the elusive power that danced out of reach. Only now, now, he could touch it! Grinning like an idiot, he reached through the stone and touched the power, basking in the heat for a split second ... before agony ripped through him.
Too much, it was just too much. His mind screamed, he was screaming as the energy surged into his body, crackling across every nerve, exploding in every cell. It overwhelmed him in seconds, destroying his ability to release the power. All he could feel was pain ... and then another as something sheathed itself in his stomach. Zelgadis fell into the darkness.
Something slapped him. Then it decided he hadn't suffered enough and slapped him again. He whimpered and tried to open his eyes. Darkness and more darkness. A voice hissed at him. Zel remembered it now, it was Lina's voice, "Get up, we have to get out of here!"
He tried to find his voice and only barely succeeded as it came out as a whispery croak, "W-what?"
"We have to get out now! There was a damn trap on your collar. When you grabbed the magic it sent a homing beacon that a blind man can read!"
Funny you should mention blind.
She grabbed him and tried to tug him up, only to degenerate into curses.
"What?"
"I forgot about your wound."
"Wound?" Was that the feeling at the end?
"Yeah," she sounded guilty, "I kinda stabbed you when you were being fried."
Fun, little woman, aren't you?
"So ... why ... are you helping me now?" he managed to get out in a stronger voice.
She was silent and he heard her move around the room for a moment, before returning, "I don't really like the thought of someone like Akahoushi Rezo putting this kind of trap on a slave collar. I also don't like the thought of a something like the Philosopher's Stone getting back into his hands."
"............oh."
"Yeah, so open your eyes and get up."
"Lina," he whispered, as he did so and found only blackness, "I can't see anything."
How long had they been running? A long time, though it was hard for him to tell when he was in an eternal, everlasting night. When Lina had found out she had suddenly become silent, before venturing a theory, "The magic probably temporarily blinded you. You know, mental overdose. When the backlash heals you should regain your sight."
But even he could hear the doubt in her voice ... the doubt and the guilt. Why she felt guilty he didn't know. And he might never know.
A branch slapped him in the face. And onward we go ...
"See anything yet?" Lina asked, waving a hand in front of his face.
"Yeah, a pale blur in front of a red one," he grumbled.
She sighed in relief, "Good. It's getting better."
"I just want to know why you're so worried." Zelgadis was in a perpetual bad mood lately.
"Well ... it's kinda my fault ... "
"And?"
"And I want the gemstone on your collar."
"So much for love at first sight," he succeeded in keeping the wistful edge out of his tone. So what if she hates me? She's the only one who's even bothered to show any concern for me in ... in ... in a long time.
She punched him lightly, "Jerk."
It had come down to this. Cliched and overused by prose and song, but it had happened. They faced off in a barren field, Rezo's long red robes swirling in the rain leaden breeze, Zel and Lina wary and swords drawn.
His voice was still the same cold wind Zel remembered, maybe even colder, "Zelgadis, what do you think you are accomplishing?"
"Freedom, father," the last word almost choked him, though he knew it was true. His own father didn't love him. Lina whipped her head around to stare at Zel.
"He's your father?" her voice was incredulous.
"Unfortunate, but true, girl," Rezo answered, "Give me the Philosopher's Stone."
"No."
"Don't defy me, Zelgadis, you have no idea what you are hindering with it."
"Frankly, I don't care."
Rezo's mouth hardened. Zel screamed as the collar flashed, forcing him to his knees in agony. Vaguely, he sensed Lina crying out his name, but he had his own problems. Then there was only pain.
Suddenly, the spinning hell of agony ended, leaving him gasping for air. He looked up, blinking sweat and tears from his eyes. Rezo was fighting a magic battle with Lina, far too focused on his opponent to continue his punishment of Zelgadis. As far as he could see, the fight was relatively even. Sometimes Lina would get in a hit, sometimes Rezo.
Red and red auras flared, one like rubies, the other like roses. A crack of white laced crimson hit Lina's shield and shattered it like glass, driving her to her knees with a cry. Why isn't she using the stone? Rezo smiled and his power surged, beating against Lina's swiftly diminishing defenses.
Looking around quickly, Zel almost choked as he spied the Philosopher's Stone on the ground at his feet. Snatching it up, he prepared to summon some power to Lina's aid. As he reached for the rushing magic, he paused, remembering the last time. I won't be useful to Lina unconscious ... but what can I do?
Lina cried out again as another shield shattered, sweat dotting her brow. Barely even realizing his actions, he slipped out his slingshot and slid the stone inside. Swinging the shot around his head like a whirlwind, he snapped his arm out, the stone hurtling for Rezo.
The sorcerers were guarded against magical attacks, not physical, so when the stone flew true, it met no interference. The rock thudded into Rezo's neck with a cracking sound. Fire flickered with white intensity around the sorcerer as the stone channeled raw energy as was it's design, even as Rezo's shields broke without his conscience to hold them. Lina's power surged forward like a flashflood, merging with the stone and evaporating Rezo where he stood.
As the light died the Philosopher's Stone clattered to the ground, smoking.
Lina turned to look at him, startled, "You want to travel with me?!" she asked in disbelief.
"Sure, why not?"
"Well, I, that is, um ... " she sputtered, coming to a halt. Lina measured him up for a few moments, quiet, before smiling, "Sure, I could use a sword by my side."
So that's all I'm useful for? Figures. He smiled wryly and joined her as they headed down the road, far and away from Rezo.
"I can't believe you're doing this," Zel grumbled, kicking an unlucky stone out of his way.
"Can't believe what? That I took the job for us or the job itself? "Lina asked curiously, happily slinging the little bag of advance pay, all of it solid gold.
"Both. What were you thinking?" he snapped, furiously kicking another rock, "We aren't thieves for hire!"
"Well, maybe not, but the pay is good. In fact, it's very good."
"And stealing gemstones, hell, stealing anything from the Diarethenie is suicide!"
"We can handle it."
"Oh we can, can we?"
"Of course, we're Lina Inverse and Zelgadis Greywers, sorceress supreme and super swordsman!"
Zel sweatdropped, "Confident aren't we?"
"What else could I be?"
"Cautious maybe, fearing for your life ... I dunno, maybe less impulsive!" Over the six months he had been traveling with Lina, he had discovered several important facts. She was after three things: power, money, and food. Not that he couldn't understand the first two urges, but Lina had a tendency to go after these things with little regard for morals or personal safety.
Lina waved such objections aside, mind obviously set. He sighed, Great, just great.
"I not so sure this is a good idea, Lina."
"Oh, stop whining, Zel."
"I'd love to. Once we're on the ground."
Lina rolled her eyes and changed her handhold, reaching up to grip a protrusion of the Palace of Swirling Lights, deep in Diarethenie territory. Deep nothing, the very heart of their empire. Formed of coral and gemstones, rising straight into the sky in needle formations like the much fabled Tower of Kavenusho. It was hell to climb. Especially without magic to aid one.
Which was one reason most thieves steered clear of the Diarethenie and their gemstone hordes and manifold pretties. Magic set off death traps all over Diarethen, killing the caster and all those touched with his or her magic instantly.
Such warnings and difficulties did not persuade Lina from risking both of their necks over this assignment. Maybe it was the ninety-five percent cut they were entitled to, or maybe the challenge, or maybe she was just insane.
Zelgadis, hanging twenty stories above the ground, anchored only by his fingers, toes, and the occasional caught shirt, had decided on the latter.
"How much farther?" he panted, reaching up to grip a slick ruby sticking out from one of the swirling designs that decorated the Palace.
"My, Zel, you sound tired ... " she replied absently, tongue sticking out in concentration as she grabbed a rim of a swirly design and pulled herself farther up. Then she looked up ... and up ... and up some more, "Only a couple more stories."
Zel looked up ... and up ... and up some more, sweatdropped, almost fell off the wall from craning back to see the top, and decided that he would kill Lina himself if this escapade didn't.
He sighed as he kept climbing, Just a little farther ... little my ass!
The gem sparkled in the darkness like a star. It was the largest diamond both he and Lina had ever seen, at least the size of a horse's head, maybe bigger. This was the item their employer wanted. Anything else they chose to take was theirs. From the look in Lina's eye, she was obviously estimating it's worth and deciding to screw their employer.
"Don't even think it."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
"Lies."
"Me, innocent little me? I would never back down in a deal."
"More lies."
"He paying us good to just get the thing, why double cross him?"
"Shameless lies."
"Your proof?"
"How about how you just got gold pieces for eyes."
"Damn."
Nimbly sliding down the rope they had lowered into the windowless room, Zel dropped easily into a crouch at the base of the diamond's pedestal. Sadly, he was beginning to think of the same gold pieces as Lina just by looking at it up close. The goal, Zelgadis, think of the goal.
While he dug around in the bag he had lugged up the wall, Lina slid down the rope to join him. "So, how are we going to get this thing down? It has to weigh a ton!"
"Throw it out the window we came in."
He sweatdropped, "You've lost your mind, haven't you?"
"Nope!"
He sweatdropped again, "I have a better idea," he started, crooking a finger to gesture for her to come closer. She did so. "HOW ABOUT YOU CARRY IT!" Lina fell over, an 'eep' look frozen on her face.
With Lina temporarily out of commission, Zel scoped out the physical and magical guards around the glittering stone. To the best of his ability to sense ... there were none. He sweatdropped again. Lina, ever the one to take the free gift, got over her shock and got close to the stone, also feeling the area out. Reaching the same conclusion as Zel, she reached out and plucked the stone from it's rest.
That's when the floor fell out from under them.
One moment, they were in the diamond's chamber, the minute they were hanging off the ledge Zel had caught. Or more accurately, the ledge that had caught Zel. He was stuck in it by his wrist, Lina was clinging to his legs, and the diamond was in Lina's cape. The string of curses that were emanating from Zel's vicinity were not suitable for an audience.
Lina smiled wryly and clung tighter, not liking the drop into no where if Zel came loose. Her companion choked and blushed as her grip changed. Lina grinned, at least it shut him up.
Struggling to keep his blushing under control, as well as ignore the throbbing pain in his wrist, he tilted a little to look down at Lina, who had climbed up to cling around his waist instead. Nothing stretched out and beyond below them. What did they do?! Set one room at the top of a tower and nothing beneath?! It was not a comforting thought. "Hey, Lina."
She looked up from the drop, a question plastered on her face.
"Can you climb up me to the ledge?"
After studying his position for a moment, she nodded and started scrambling up. Zel studiously ignored both the flares of pain in his wrist and the inappropriate positions they were in at moments in Lina's climb. Muttering and swearing, Lina finally gained a precarious perch on the ledge and reached down to give him a hand up. Long moments of painful tugging and maneuvering, including one moment when he was hanging precariously by the tips of his fingers, and Lina managed to pull him with her. Both took a moment to catch their breaths and huddled on the small outcropping before looking up.
Several stories up hung the rope they had come in on, too far away to do any good now.
"Please tell me you have a plan," he said wryly, glancing at Lina.
"Nothing that doesn't use magic."
"Figures. Okay, just leave it to the marvelous, magic-less Zel!"
"Just shut up and tell me the stupid plan," she muttered, not amused.
"Simple," he dug into his pack with his good hand and pulled out a crossbow, "First we load the crossbow." He handed it to Lina to load and dug out a bolt, which just so happened to be attached to a rope. "Next, you load this bolt and fire it at the ceiling near our entrance."
She snapped to his plan immediately, loaded the bow, pulled the crank back, and aimed at the narrow hole they had come in through. With an audible twang the bolt soared up into the sky, out the hole and caught with a thunk. Lina stuck the crossbow back in his pack and grinned widely, "Mr. Prepared."
"Something like that." He looked ruefully at the rope and then at his wrist. "You'll have to take me up though."
"No problem," she said confidently, grinning and flashing the V sign.
"No problem you said, easy as pie you said. What are you saying now?"
"Oh shut up."
"That's not very polite."
"Neither is this."
"Young ladies shouldn't know such gestures."
"Young men should learn to keep their mouths shut."
"Touché."
"This was your brilliant idea," he panted as they raced out of Diarethen, something like an army at their heels.
"Don't remind me," Lina huffed, the huge diamond and horde of other jewels in the bag on her back.
"We are so dead."
"Stop with the pessimism already and RUN!"
He glanced back, "Don't look now, but I think they have arrows."
Lina whipped her head around and groaned.
"I told you not to look back." His companion closed her eyes and started muttering under her breath. "Lina, what are you planning?" Ruby power began to gather. "Oh no ... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!" She raised her arms and spun, bringing her hands together as the brilliant red light arced into her palms and then out. "NOT THE - "
"DRAGON SLAVE!"
Zel dropped onto his bed with a laugh, tossing the hated dress to the floor and stretching. Yet another one of Lina's crazy scams that involved him cross-dressing. Oh well, this time they had been paid in full, without the usual doublecrosses and Dragon Slaves. Though playing the only daughter of a noble was not his idea of fun.
Lina dropped beside him, poking him in the arm, eyes twinkling, "Shouldn't you be considering putting something on besides ladies lingerie?"
He squawked, pulled the cover over himself, and blushed the color of his lipstick, "Since when did you get here?!"
"Since now."
"Well ... out!"
She grinned, "I don't see why, I've seen you change before ... besides, you have a nice body."
"WHAT?!"
Lina chuckled as he turned a brilliant red and decided to cut to the chase. Catching his face in her hands, she kissed him with all the passion pent up inside her. He started, gasping, before instinct kicked in and he kissed her back, sliding his arms around her and pulling her close.
Finally managing to escape the heated kiss, Zel stared into Lina's eyes, trying to gauge their depths, "What are you - I mean - why - ... ?" Is that pounding my heart? Do you, I mean ... I ... the thought trailed off into silence, before whispering to him, Does she love me?
Almost as an answer to his silent question, she kissed him again, less fierce this time. Zel took another look at her ruby eyes and hugged the slender body that had found it's way into his lap, before giving himself up for lost.
Lina looked up from her mending of her armor, "So, how was it?"
He dropped down beside her, tiredly unclipping the metal clasps and sliding out of his own armor, "Exhausting."
"I bet. Perimeter sweep?"
He nodded, "I did magic surveillance while the rookie rode the route."
"Find anything?"
"Yeah, a headache."
Lina smiled and jerked the needle through the tough leather of her chest piece, "Well, get some sleep."
"I'd like nothing better," he moaned as he dropped back on their shared bedroll, rubbing his smarting forehead. Staring dully at the tent ceiling, the flickering light of their hanging lamps glowing softly against the tan cloth, he recalled how they'd gotten into this.
A merc captain they had been happily robbing out of all his treasures on another mission had caught them in the act. Five seconds later he was pinned to the wall with three knives and a fireball in front of his nose. The man wasn't stupid, having seen something he could use, he hired them on the spot. Even paid for their former mission, which was cancelled by the hiring, and outfitted them.
So far, Zel had no complaints. There was food at regular intervals, action, and some peace now and again. Being a merc wasn't so bad ... why hadn't they thought of this sooner!?!
With those thoughts, Zel drifted off to sleep.
Battle, all around were the sounds of it. Zel snarled and jerked the little gray stallion into a gallop. Horse can't walk his way out of a barn!
Lina called down fire, only to have it cancelled by the enemy's mages. Their commander, Jace, looked over the field, safe behind a shield created by one of the lesser sorcerers.
Something smelled fishy about all this, or, at least, it did in Zel's opinion. They were trapped in a canyon, the enemy was in the rocks. Not good fighting under any circumstances, but even less so in the thrice be-damned magestorm! What is our commander thinking?! Unless he was under enemy pay ... or just plain stupid ... or too full of pride that he didn't realize the suicide position they we're in ... or all three ... An arrow whizzed by his head, killing the man behind him instantly. All three, definitely all three.
Sparing a glance for Lina, he wheeled the little gray around and made it rear, dropping onto an enemy and crushing his scull. Far away, Lina closed her eyes to summon fire into her hands, the distinctive gathering of red fire swirling around her hands. Behind her, outlined in the light, their commander raised his sword and prepared to plunge it into her back. No!
Desperation gave his magic a boost as he fired off a flare arrow at the bastard, wheeling
the gray about to charge through the morass of battle to his lover's side. Sword clashed on sword as the two met without magic, Lina realizing the arcane powers
were useless against his shield. Or at least, the weak magics she used in battle were.
Time for plan B. There was nothing he could do to help and he couldn't get to her in
this mess either. Fall back and regroup. Good thing the storm has let off a bit.
Zelgadis summoned illusion to his aid, weaving the realistic images into flawless
mimics. From were they had come a column of soldiers ringed the canyon, pennants of their
company snapping. The Dragons, just as Lina and himself. The enemy glanced up at the
columns, fear tracing the faces of those who had time to see. A tremble raced through them.
He ignored it as he drew a hand sized trumpet to his lips, an instrument he had stowed away
for no particular reason. A small ring of magic around it's mouth carried the harsh blast
across the canyon and echoed it back from the walls.
For a moment the enemy drew back, no more than a second as they disengaged, but it was
enough. Again he drew illusion to him and made himself a walking target as it outlined his
form in brilliance. "Draw back!"
The Dragons took the hint and moved back, not a lot, but enough. Lina glanced over from
her fight and realized his plan. Breaking off with Jace with a screech of fury, she ran.
Right into the thick of the now paused battle. To even his small arcane senses, her aura
flared with brilliance as she called upon her greatest spell. The enemy's mages noticed the
same thing and one recognized the spell, "KILL THE GIRL!"
Damn. Arrows raised and were pulled back in bows, swords were lifted and held
at ready for the red headed death that raced through the field. One way to thwart
this ... Once more he summoned illusion, a thousand Linas appeared among the enemy's
ranks, adding confusion and hopefully buying time. Yes, just a little more. Flow
breaks struck against his spell and shattered it, but he was prepared, reforming the illusion
as soon as it was broken, hoping to keep the mages busy long enough for Lina to finish the
spell.
Then she was at his side, scrambling into the saddle. Zel caught her waist and pulled
her up, urging the little gray into a gallop. A moving target is always harder to hit than a
still one. They raced into the thick of the Dragons, arrows fast on their heels. The divide
between the armies began to close.
Lina turned at brought her hands together, red power arcing into her palm and lancing
outward, "DRAGON SLAVE!"
The resulting explosion and subsequent carnage was spectacular to say the least.
Lina sighed in frustration over the maps, "Why did I take this job?" she complained.
Zelgadis glanced up from cleaning his sword, "Power, prestige, and the glitter of gold."
She threw a wooden marker at him, which he dodged. She sighed expansively and returned
to attempting to figure out the maps. He shook his head fondly and bent his head to his
work. The battle that had become to be known as 'Jace's Folly' had been a turning point. For
them and the rest of Dragons.
Only after the battle did they find that Jace had been carefully and silently removing
his subcommanders and powerful mages, setting the Dragons up for a massacre in the canyon.
Why? He was under enemy pay, that had also been discovered when they searched his tent and
found a horde of gold, all stamped with Relian symbols. Lina was simply the one in which Jace
had run into bad luck in the form of ever-watchful Zel.
Lina's table turning dragon slave had stuck her as commander of the Dragons by majority
vote. A position Zel could see she was growing to hate, gold or no gold.
"Hey, Zel, you're good at this, come tell me what this means."
Again he fondly shook his head and joined her at the table.
"I abdicate."
Murmurs ran through the gathered Dragons - a much smaller group than before Lina's
ascension to commander - at Lina's decree.
"I'm not equipped to handle this job, so I'm handing it to someone else."
Now their curiosity was pricked. So was Zel's for that matter. He had expected her to
make a public announcement of her wish to step down, but not that she was choosing a new
leader on her own.
"I want Zelgadis to take my place."
What? his brain squeaked, stunned. And why am I hearing cheers?
Zel slowly rode Heart of Darkness through the smoking, gutted town. Silence. Only the
dull thud of 'Heart's hooves sounded against the eerie stillness. The houses were charred and
broken, charred bodies splashed in blood and black feathered scales littered the streets.
Carrion birds swooped overhead and some feasted among the wreckage, singular caws breaking the
stillness as they fought over morsels.
So the informants were correct ... King Serenay's messenger had come to them
with an urgent message, a band of southern demons and renegade soldiers was going from village
to village on the King's southern border and destroying them in fire. Serenay had hired the
Slayers to eradicate the vermin ... and to make sure that the uneasy truce between him and the
dragon clans wasn't broken by the renegades, who were dangerously close to a dragon town
within his borders. They had arrived too late to save the town.
A muffled sound suddenly reached his ears as he neared the town's square. Unconsciously
pricking his ears forward, he nudged 'Heart into a fast walk. Someone's alive?
He rounded the curve in the road and stopped. A young man he judged to be near his own
age was huddled next to a charred figure, sobbing. His bright green hair was dulled with soot
and the golden eyes with tears. Black wings were wrapped around him as he rocked, grieving.
Dragon ...
The youth jerked his head up at the sound of the horse's hooves and glared at him, lovely
face twisting into hatred. Zel dismounted slowly and pushed back his cape to make the Slayers
emblem more visible. He held his hands palm up in a peaceful gesture, his voice low, "I'm not
here to harm you."
"Bastard!" The young man jumped to his feet, seething, and almost fell again in his
weakened state, "How can you say that after what you did!"
"I did?"
"Yes you, you coward. Your damn army killed my clan!" he screamed, launching
himself at Zel. He side stepped and slammed his closed fists down into the small of the man's
back as he passed, rage blinding him. The dragon slammed into the ground with a snarl,
twisting to slash widely with suddenly clawed hands.
The merc danced back, swinging his shield around as a guard, "'Heart, strike and
disable!"
'Heart spun and slammed into the man, knocking him down, before rearing up and dropping
onto a wing, effectively pinning the man.
He spat and snarled, writhing violently, "Coward! Can't even fight your own battles!"
Zel swung his shield back onto his back, bent down, and slapped him. He jerked him up by
the shoulders, eyes blazing, "Don't talk to me about courage, kid, when you probably ran from
this!" The youth darkened and opened his mouth to retort when Zel cut him off, "And I
didn't do this to your clan, dammit, I was hired to prevent it!"
The merc threw the youth back, whistled, and 'Heart backed off the dragon and half knelt
as Zel mounted up, reining him around. He looked down at the youngling with narrowed eyes,
"Pick your battles a little better, kid."
With that he prepared to nudge 'Heart into a gallop when he paused, looking back at the
beaten man, voice soft and sad, "I'm sorry we didn't get here in time to stop it."
He could feel the dragon's disbelieving eyes on his back as he rode away.
"Zelgadis-san, there's ... well ... someone to see you." Zel looked up at the sentry who
stood at the tent flap. He glanced over at Lina, who shrugged and took a sip of her wine,
placing a marker on one of their maps.
He nodded at the woman, "Send this someone in, Ladis."
"Yes, sir," she saluted crisply, obviously pleased he knew her name and disappeared into
the night.
"I wonder who it is ... " he mused quietly, tugging at the laces on his loose shirt,
which was still tucked into his obscenely tight - in his opinion - riding pants.
Lina shrugged, "Who knows, maybe another messenger from the king."
"You think he'd just let us do our job and stop trying to interfere, "he grumbled,
finally undoing the laces and sighing in relief.
"You know kings ... " she said, grinning.
"Unfortunately."
Ladis tapped on a tent pole, alerting them to her presence, "Zelgadis-san, sir, he's
here."
Zel nodded to himself and pulled another chair into he and Lina's circle of lamplight,
"Alright, let him in."
The man who hesitantly pulled the tent flap back and stepped in was a surprise. Zel
stared in a kind of dull shock, "You."
The dragon he had defeated in the gutted town shifted uncomfortably, "Yeah, me."
Zel's manners kicked in, "Come, sit down. Care for a drink?"
The dragon shook his head, "No ... I ... I want a job here."
Lina blinked, startled, "Why?"
The youth's gaze flipped over her contemptuously and resettled of Zel, eyes intense, "I
want vengeance against the ones who killed my clan. You can give me that vengeance, Slayer."
He and Lina shared a glance, their long association making it possible to almost read the
other's mind. Lina inclined her head a fraction of a inch. Zel returned his gaze to the
intense young dragon, "Very well, ... " he trailed off, waiting for the youth to fill in his
name.
"Valtiera Maryuu-oh."
"Then welcome to the Slayers, Valtiera Maryuu-oh," Zel said with a slight smile, holding
out a hand to seal the bargain.
Val caught it hesitantly and paused, fingers almost unconsciously rubbing Zel's palm,
"I'm sorry ... for my actions when we met before, Slayer," the dragon suddenly brought Zel's
hand to his lips and kissed it like a courtier, golden eyes burning into blue, "I owe you."
Renegades ... Zelgadis absently reined Heart of Midnight a bit to the side, so
he could look out into the field below them, a crisp breeze snapping his cape about. Almost
as if by magic, Valtiera appeared at his side, tensed and obviously restless.
"That them?" he asked, voice low and strained.
Zel nodded almost without thought as he reached down to rest a hand on the youth's
shoulders, as if to settle him with a touch, squeezing a little. Val stiffened, suddenly
still, then relaxed with a sigh, "Well, are we going ta get them or what?!"
He gave the restless dragon a look, before returning his attention to the field. The
renegades moved listlessly though the faint path worn by farmers and carts en route to Jesden
village. They showed the ravages of bad food, tainted water, and too little shelter.
Easy battle ... if not for the demons. Zelgadis looked over at the dragon again, who
was still as glass now, golden eyes intense as he watched him, obviously waiting for the call
to battle. So eager ...
The Slayer returned to his scrutiny of the field of battle before removing his hand from
the Valtiera's shoulder. "Get back to ranks."
"But - "
"Now."
The golden eyes flashed with anger before he reined himself in and stalked back to the
rest of the group, cursing under his breath. Zel smiled a little, glancing over at the ridge
Lina had chosen to use for her casting. A tiny flash of light reflecting off her dagger told
him she was ready.
Zelgadis raised his hand and summoned light - their signal - and threw it into the
rag-tag band of renegades. It exploded in a blinding flash even as the Slayers raced from
their ambush points and swept into the dazzled enemy.
"Success!" he whooped, picking Lina up and twirling her around. Renegades are dead,
mission accomplished, money's in the bag, new recruit ... and the lovely lady ... She
squeaked in shock, then giggled as he dropped her down lightly and kissed her.
"I take it you're in the mood to celebrate," she murmured suggestively in his ear.
Zel grinned and pulled her closer, "My, you know me so well!"
Lina tugged down his head and kissed him teasingly, "I should ... "
Further "discussion" was put on hold, however, when someone tapped on the tent pole.
Lina disengaged her lips long enough to talk, "Yes?"
Ladis's voice floated through the tent cloth, "Jus' came to tell ya we rounded up the
last band of renegades."
"Thank you."
The sentry's shadow paused as it turned, "Sir? Ma'am?"
Zel lifted his head from Lina's neck and unconsciously glanced at the shadow, "Yeah?"
"Um ... if you could talk to, " the next word was laced with contempt, "'Valtiera' about
his attitude, we would much appreciate it."
"Alright."
"Thank you." The shadow slipped off.
Lina pulled his attention back to her, though her curiosity was pricked, "What was that
about."
Nipping lightly along her neck and eliciting a pleased sigh, he smiled wryly at the
thought of their new addition, "Our new recruit is having trouble making friends." With that,
they had nothing more to discuss ... well, at least, not verbally.
Valtiera was practicing near his tent, moving slowly through the sword forms, a look of
concentration plastered on his face, when Zelgadis found him. Leaning back on his heels, he
stayed silent as the dragon finished going through the forms. He ended with the classic
sheathing move, wiped sweat from his eyes, and looked up in startlement.
Zel smiled faintly and nabbed a practice sword, "Care to spar?"
He grinned, showing pointed canines, "Sure, always in for fresh meat."
"Confident, neh?"
"Shouldn't I have reason to be?"
"Maybe ... " Zel smiled and lashed out, "or maybe not."
A moment later and the wooden blades clashed and clashed again as Zel let the newbie push
him back to his own tent, where he caught the blades together in a struggle of strength. Val
smiled, Uh oh ..., and pushed forward easily, breaking the lock and slashing. Zel
ducked and dived out of the way, watching the wooden blade shatter the tent pole out of the
corner of his eye.
A stream of inventive curses followed him as Valtiera realized he'd just ruined his own
tent. Rolling easily to the balls of his feet, still crouched, Zel realized he couldn't beat
Valtiera in a match of muscles - especially since Val had the inhuman strength of a dragon.
"Not so confident anymore, eh?" Val said with a smirk as he darted forward.
He didn't deign to answer that remark. Instead he decided to keep to a strategy of speed
and dodge and bend Val's attacks instead of parrying head on. That could prove to be bad
considering the look of delight in his opponent's eye as he successfully drove Zelgadis back
across the yard. And I came here to talk, not fight!
Another blow forced him back against their stockade as he ducked and prepared to dive out
of the way. Val had learned that trick the first time, however, and swung the sword down and
to the side as soon as he ducked and began to shift. So Zel dove out the other way, making
sure to leave a parting gift of dust in the face.
His escape was followed by the trademark colorful and inventive obscenities, some of
which he filed away for a later date. Summoning a light spell and weaving a subtle but
effective illusion, Zel waited for Valtiera to clear the dust from his eyes and strike again.
Just as he thought, the moment he could see, the dragon spun and sighted upon his
illusion double immediately, utilizing his inhuman speed to startle it and make it dance back,
just as Zel himself would. Zelgadis smiled and darted forward, lashing out with a punishing
kick to Val's back as his illusion was pierced by the dragon's blade. Startled, Val was
thrown.
Not allowing his opponent a moment to recover, he struck again and again with a series of
kicks and swipes. Val toppled under the assault, then vanished.
"Huh?" Zel blinked and spun just in time to see Valtiera fly from the sky for a kick. He
sidestepped and caught the foot when his attacker passed, going with the kick instead of
against it, and swung, throwing the youth into the remains of his tent. Strolling to the
pile, he looked down Val - who glared up at him - and spoke, voice droll, "Are you ready to
talk now?"
"What?!" It was too much for Zel. He burst out laughing.
"I still fail to see what you find so amusing," Val grumbled as Zel slid a flagon of ale
across the table to him. That sent Zel into uncharacteristic giggles (caused by his attempt
not to laugh and subsequent failure). Val raised an eyebrow and blushed brightly as Zel
finally got a hold of himself and settled down to simply smiling like a fool.
"What did you want me to talk to me about?" the dragon wondered out loud, leaning back as
far as humanly possible on the bench in the mess tent. With Val's own tent in shambles, they
had decided to get a drink here instead.
That sobered Zelgadis in a split second. Taking a swig of his own ale, he considered how
he would approach the subject. He decided to approach it obliquely, since he was here by a
single person's request and not a solid objection, "I'm a little concerned about you ... "
Valtiera blinked, "Me? What about?"
Taking another swig, he asked a question that had been buzzing in the back of his mind
for a while, "Well, why did you approach us? Besides revenge, that is?"
He blushed and stared into his drink, not meeting Zel's eyes, "I figured your army must
be good since you beat me so easily ... I was a little surprised to find you at the head of
it. I thought you were a scout." Val looked up, fire blazing in his slitted gold eyes, "You
were my best chance to make them pay."
He nodded, understanding that burning need for revenge, "Is it enough?"
"What?"
"Is your revenge enough?"
Val blinked, absently taking another drink, "I - " He closed his eyes and lowered his
head, his voice a whisper, "I don't know, Slayer."
Zelgadis pushed away from the table and went around to the dragon, sitting beside him and
sliding an arm around Val's waist, pulling him close, "Call me Zel."
He started and tried to pull away again, but Zel held him fast in a hug, gently brushing
the long aqua hair from the slitted eyes. Those eyes met his seekingly, an ocean of pain
hidden in the golden curves, before shutting themselves tightly as he whimpered. Zel held him
close and ran his fingers through the long strands of his hair as the dragon pressed his face
into his shirt and sobbed from grief.
Slowly, the sobs eased into shudders and finally the dragon was still except for a slow
muffled breathing. Absently stroking the silky green locks, Zel continued to murmur comfort
and soothing nonsense. Disturbingly, he enjoyed the weight of the slender youth in his arms,
the slow breathing, the rapid heartbeat that beat next to his. Okay, Zel, get a grip.
You're getting weird.
Valtiera pushed away, though a little reluctantly, "Why did you really want to talk to me
about?" He almost smiled at the dragon's one track mind.
"I got a complaint."
"A complaint?"
"About your attitude." Val blinked, caught off guard. "Do you have one, Valtiera?"
The dragon squirmed a little, not meeting his eyes. His guard against others was still
down from his tears and there wasn't much he could hide. "Maybe, sometimes."
Zel quirked an eyebrow, "Sometimes?"
"I don't want to talk about it," he muttered sullenly.
Finding that the gentle persuasion seemed to work best, he gently tipped Val's head so
their eyes met, "Well, quit it and we won't have to talk about it."
The golden eyes became rebellious, "Why should I have to stop?"
"Because this is my company and I'm asking you to," the
rebellious look didn't fade, "What makes you think you should have an attitude anyway?"
"Why shouldn't I? I'm special, aren't I?"
He raised his eyebrows curiously as Val continued, "You need me!"
"Oh, I need you, do I?"
Valtiera nodded, "Yeah. I'm a good fighter, I'm your rank - " he trailed off
uncertainly at the sudden grin that appeared on Zel's face, "What?"
"If you're such a good fighter, then how was I, a mere human, able to beat you? And your
rank?! I'm just a commoner, what are you?"
He opened and shut his mouth a bit before blushing brightly, "Oh." He's cute when
he blushes ... WHERE DID I GET THAT?!?!
"Anything else I'm messing up at?" he challenged, pride obviously pricked.
"Nothing at all," he said soothingly, trying to smooth the dragon's ruffled feathers,
"Besides the attitude, which I think is just a little more than justifiable pride ... "
Valtiera seemed willing to be soothed at that, "You're fine."
"Just fine?" Did I hurt his feelings? He looks a little wilted.
Zelgadis shrugged, "I don't know you well enough to judge otherwise, Valtiera."
With that, Zel reached across the table for his ale, drank it down, pushed himself from
the bench, and headed out of the mess tent. Val's eyes on his back blazed with a promise the
dragon had just made to himself and to his commander's retreating back.
"But, Li~na!" he whined, plodding after the dolled up sorceress, head down so he wouldn't
have to see his mercs cracking up at the sight of them.
"Stop whining, Zel. You look good as a, " snicker, "girl."
"Oh, you're a real help." This was going too far, even for Lina. Did he
have to dress up like a female every time they did a scouting and
information gathering mission? Couldn't they possibly pass him off as a harmless farm boy or
something? But noooooooooo.
Lina grinned wickedly and daintily tugged her ruby colored skirts from the dirt, "Walk
properly, Zel-chan, one mustn't slouch like an ill-mannered man."
He gritted his teeth, grinned, sweatdropped, and did a dainty little skip, skirts held
high in one hand while he batted his eyelashes and a pale blue fan in a manner that was
supposed to be seductive and enticing. "I'll get you for this, Lina Inverse," he ground out
behind his smiling and painted lips.
His cohort smiled, batted her eyelashes innocently, and sauntered off, swaying her hips.
Silently cursing - since it wasn't ladylike to curse aloud - he stuck out his fake chest, held
his head high and followed Lina. And who, but dear Lina, was waiting at the gate out of the
compound, smiling even more wickedly than before.
Then he saw why she was smiling that way. Valtiera was gate sentry today.
Joy. The dragon stared at him, eyes bugging out, as he sashayed on over and kicked
Lina deftly under their skirts. She winced and did a little shifting to relieve the pain as
he gritted his teeth, kept in character, and flirted with Val.
"Hiya, handsome," eyelash bat and smile fetchingly.
His target choked, "Zelgadis?!?!?!?!"
"Zel-chan, sweetie," rest a hand on his hip and lightly bat the evil creation
known at the fan. In the background, Lina looked like she was going to die from laughter.
"Zel-chan?!?!?!" regaining some of his composure, he continued more calmly, "What are you
doing?!?!"
Zel smiled fetchingly and leaned forward to give the dragon a view of his false cleavage,
enhanced with a minor illusion spell. "What's it look like, sugar?", he breathed, lightly
resting a gloved hand on Val's arm and slowly dragging a finger up to his shoulder. Val was
in shock or something, since he was frozen in place, eyes blank and mouth in a "o" of
surprise. The rest of those in sight had joined Lina in death by laughter.
Time to make Lina pay dearly. Zel fluttered his eyelashes playfully and slid his hand
behind Val's head, tangling his fingers in the silken aqua strands and stepped close, kissing
that sweet little "o" of a mouth. Their audience stopped in mid-cackle, frozen in shock.
Lina choked.
Valtiera animated, making a muffled sound of surprise, before suddenly cupping Zel's face
and holding him in place for a deepening of the kiss. The spectators twitched.
Breaking briefly for air, the two winked at each other, quite aware of their captivated
audience, including one very disgruntled and disturbed red head. The next kiss was devouring
and hungry, sparking something inside Zel that he shoved aside with the breaking of the kiss,
blushing prettily and skipping back demurely. "Please sir, I'm a lady."
Valtiera cast a quick glance at the twitching crowd and blushed lightly, "Commander, you
are no lady," he murmured under his breath.
"Sir!" Zel exclaimed, pretending shock as he tapped the tip of his fan to his painted
lips, swished it towards Val, and blew delicately, winking suggestively. With that, he turned
in a flair of perfumed silks, grasped Lina's arm and led her away, "Darling, you look touched
by the heat! Come, let us hasten to our destination!"
The moment they turned the corner, he heard the entire company burst into gales of
laughter.
Like two delicate and flighty butterflies, he and Lina wandered around the town, speaking
in fluting and feminine voices to all and sundry, looking for all the world like bubble-headed
ladies of means searching for their family. Needless to say, their quarry sighted upon the
"easy" victims and honed in upon them like sharks onto blooded prey.
Zelgadis looked up from his conversation with a stall keeper when a hand touched his
shoulder. He smiled prettily at the roughened man who stood there and gave them an oily
smile, doing his best to look "manly", "Excuse me miss, but I couldn't help but notice that
you and your friend are looking for - "
"Our mother, good sir," he simpered, trying not to gag at the way the man deepened his
voice and panned his eyes over his and Lina's body, "I don't suppose you could tell my dear
sister and I where she might be?"
That caught the man off guard and his voice lost it's attempted deepness, cracking a bit,
"Sisters? But you two look nothing alike!"
Lina piped up, fluttering her eyelashes and her fan, "It's because we have - "
"Sister! That is not to be spoken of in polite company!" he stated sharply, blushing
delicately at what was supposedly a delicate and unsavory subject for well bred ladies.
The man nodded in complete understanding, obviously calculating if any of their supposed
mother's infidelity had rubbed off on her offspring, "Excuse my indelicate question, sweet
mistresses." Okay, Zel felt sick to his stomach, and from the way Lina was covering her
expression of distaste with her fan, she was doing no better. "Perhaps I and my associates
could be of assistance?"
In this case, Zel was reminded of the old saying: "Even scoundrels can act like angels."
Lina's eyes sparkled as she took a breathless step forward, "Oh would you!?"
"It would be an honor," he replied, bowing awkwardly and offering his arm. Lina hid her
reluctance and placed a hand delicately on his grimy arm. Zelgadis caught the other, and
together they let the scumball lead 'em into his ambush.
After several minutes of the scumbag leading them through grimy streets and farther into
the more unpleasant parts of the town, Zel was aching to get a handle on the sword that was
strapped to his thigh under his skirt. From the uneasy glances Lina was shooting his way
whenever the scum was distracted, she felt the same. To cover his own unease, he started up a
babble of inane chatter, "Oh, you are so much more helpful than those curs at the camp!" He
spit out the last word as if it were a bug.
"Eh?" he blinked stupidly at Zel, not getting his reference for a few minutes.
"Yes, those horrid soldiers, only after looking up our skirts and other such distasteful
things!"
"Oh," he said knowingly, pretending that he wasn't after the same, "The bastards can be
that way. All high and mighty, you know."
"Sir! Your language!" Lina gasped, scandalized.
"Pardon, mistresses, I was impassioned."
Zelgadis and Lina shared a look of "ew", before smiling prettily and fawning just so.
The man smiled and strutted a little more. After a moment, a thought flitted through his
head, evidenced by the conniving look that moved across his face.
"If you will pardon my curiosity, but what are your names?"
They held back sweatdrops. Play by ear time.
Lina fluttered her fan and her eyelashes, "Elena Iwers."
Clever! Zel leaned into the man, making his voice breathy, "Zel-chan Iwers."
"Zel-chan?"
He giggled a little, feeling more like gagging, and grinned, "Short for Zelinora-iowasen."
The man sweatdropped, faltering, "What a ... lovely ... name."
"Our dear mother thought so too!" Lina gushed.
"And your name, sir?" Zel cut in quickly as he noticed the man lead them into a obvious
dead end.
"My name? Oh, it's not important," he stated gallantly, showing the first sign of brain
cells.
"Please, sir, we must know to whom we may accredit the payment to!" Lina simpered,
cuddling closer to the scumbag.
"Payment?" that threw his reason to the wind, "If you must know, it's Jasen Owey."
Bingo! Zel grinned and fluttered his hated fan, "Such a strong name."
"Why, thank you," just then, Jasen's cohorts cut off the end of the alley, leaning
against the walls and leering. Jasen gave them another oily smile and shoved the two of them
into the back of the alley, "And you, my dears, won't need to worry about payment. We'll deal
with the transactions ourselves."
Zelgadis and Lina spared a moment to act suitably frightening and clung to one another,
turning wide eyes upon their attackers. The hand that Lina had wrapped around him in her
cling let go to summon fire. Zel's hand slid to his thigh and his sword. They never had to
use them, however.
"Now wait just a minute." A voice rang from the end of the alley. They all turned and
did a cliched "huh?" look. Framed in the light was a tall, blue-clad, blonde man, hand
resting on his sword, "You'll do no such thing, scum." He drew his sword, his posture showing
he knew how to use it, too, "So why don't you turn tail and run while you still can? Do that
and I might let you live."
Lina and Zel sweatdropped, muttering to each other, "Is this cliched or what?"
"You said it, Lina."
"What?! Who are you?!" demanded Jasen, drawing a knife from somewhere and making
threatening motions at the man.
"I wouldn't want to tell my name to the likes of you."
Jasen snarled and gestured, "Get him!"
Even the two dubious "maidens" had to admit the man was good. Faster than any swordsman
Zel had seen, he twisted and struck, like a dancer in his moves. Their ambushers were cut
down like weeds before his superior skill. Jasen watched his men fall and snarled, charging
their "rescuer" himself. A few sword slashes later and he was buck naked, revealing more than
either Zel or Lina wanted to see. Shrieking like a girl, Jasen covered himself and dashed out
in search of clothes.
The man stood and sheathed his sword, turning to look at them. His face fell when he saw
Lina, "Oh great, it's a little girl."
Lina twitched and choked, "Little girl?!?!"
His gaze slid to Zel, "But you ... wow!" Zel refrained from choking him and did a face
twitch instead.
One unlucky ambusher was still alive and kicking. Unlucky 'cause he didn't do the smart
thing and run, instead he chose to get up and grab Zelgadis. A fatal move for the poor fool.
Zelgadis, who's temper was not the best after a ruined counter-ambush, dressing like a girl,
and being flirted with by guys, calmly threw the man into the wall, lifted his skirt, whipped
out the sword and skewered the man, "Never touch a lady, bastard."
Their rescuer blinked and was by his side in an instant, lifting his dress to find the
origin of the sword, "Eh? Where did that come from - "
The man turned green when he noticed a few discrepancies between a female's anatomy and
Zel's. Even covered in several layers of petticoats and lacy lingerie, some important
differences were rather noticeable. Before the man could act upon such revelations, however,
Zel punched him, screeching, "PERVERT!"
Righteously pissed, Zel placed a foot on the downed man and raised his fist, which was
twitching. Lina sweatdropped, "Um, Zel ... "
"What?"
"Aren't you overreacting just a tad?"
The swordsman had the bad timing to speak up, "Yeah, just 'cause you're a cross-dressing
queer is no reason to hit a man."
Zel took out his frustrations by pummeling the poor stupid fool into a twisted wad of
flesh and blue cloth.
Several hours later, once their rescuer had regained conscienceness and once Sraf made
sure he hadn't lost anything important, the man sat down to a mug of ale with Lina, who was
duly impressed, if a bit ticked off.
She made her displeasure known by grabbing him by the collar and shaking him, "WHAT THE
HELL DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?!?!?!"
Either the man didn't notice how the air was being cut off from his brain or he was
simply too stupid to notice the lack, "Rescuing you."
"WE DIDN'T NEED RESCUING!"
"Oh yeah, you had that cross-dresser with you."
Lina fell over, twitching. The man continued, "So who are you anyway?"
"Eh?" was all Lina was capable of in her state.
"Yeah, I mean. Look at this tent, and that healer dude, and all this food!" he blinked
blankly at her, "Are you rich or something?"
"WE'RE MERCS, YOU DOOF!"
"You are? Then why were you all dressed up?"
Lina refrained from blasting him into the sky, "It's not important."
"Okay."
"Look, we're thankful to you and all, and we already gave you some money for your
damages, but we really can't have you around to screw up our mission. It's not that we don't
want you, per se, but gods, you're just so dense. I mean, Zel's straight, even
though he looks good as a girl. I'm not a little girl, and Sraf if not some dude. Also, just
for your information, whoever you are, I'm Lina Inverse and that is Zelgadis Greywers." Lina
did this whole rambling speech while keeping her head buried in her hands in frustration, only
lifting a hand to gesture at the still pissed Zel, who was cleaning his sword in the corner of
their tent and simmering under slow boil.
The man, however, was not even listening, having his full attention concentrated on an
inch worm that was crawling along the floor, "Eh, did you say something, miss?"
It was Lina's turn to pummel the brain dead jellyfish and she did pummel him but good.
Then she healed him so she could beat him some more.
"You're not a very nice little girl," he groaned from the floor.
"Little girl?!?!?!?!" Lina dill branded him, making a nice hole in the tent.
When their rescuer fell back to Earth, he asked yet another stupid question, "So who are
you again?"
Lina mastered her instant kill reflex and answered, "Lina Inverse."
He happily stuck out his hand, smiling brightly, "I'm Gourry Gabriev!" Lina took his
hand dubiously, "Who's the cross-dresser?"
Gourry was temporarily disabled as Zel re-introduced his face to his fist. Lina dragged
Zel off the poor guy and answered for him, "Zelgadis Greywers."
"Zelgadis Greywers?!?! The Zelgadis Greywers??!?!?!"
They nodded, kinda dumb struck by his reaction. They were even more dumbstruck when
Gourry attached himself to Zel's leg and started with a waterfall of tears, "And you, my hero,
are GAY?!?!?! OH, THE HUMANITY!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Zelgadis twitched and punted Gourry, making another hole in the tent.
Lina looked up from their contemplation of the road map to gaze in admiration at their
new companion. With no warning what-so-ever, she spoke, casual but with a hint of yearning,
"Cute, isn't he?"
"I guess," Zel answered absently, not even glancing up at Gourry.
She sighed, "Cute, sweet, a gentleman ... "
That hit the warning bells on Zelgadis's jealousy meter, "Eh?"
" ... but dumb as a box of rocks."
Whew ... he relaxed, then froze, But what about ... eek!
"I want that Sword of Light!!"
That clinched it, Gourry was Lina's new conquest, brains or no brains. Oh, hell.
Zelgadis paced around he and Lina's tent, jealousy spurring him to do
something, even if it was ineffectual. Gourry ... tall, handsome, blonde, Gourry. She
just had to fall for him, didn't she?!
After that "incident" in town, Gourry had gotten it into his rather small mind that Lina
needed a guardian since the "queer" wasn't enough protection. He had been following her ever
since. Zel was man enough to admit he wanted to wring the swordsman's neck.
A new recruit, a new rival, and a new reason to calmly and reasonably stake his claim on
Lina ... to hell with reasonable! Lina was his!
Zel sighed. If he tried that, he'd lose her completely. He knew Lina enough to know she
hated to be caged or claimed. By anyone. Better to just let her go if she wants to
go ... and if she comes back ...
Somehow, he doubted she would. Not after he'd seen how cozy the two had become.
"Zelgadis?" Lina's voice called hesitantly from the open tent flap as she peered in at
him, looking nervous. He looked up, dread making a cold pit in his stomach as he clenched the
tabletop with whitened knuckles, one hand fiddling tensely with a black marker. He knew what
she was going to say ... he'd seen it coming, knew it was coming ... but it didn't make it
easier.
"Yes, Lina?" it was nice to know his voice didn't shake like it wanted to.
Lina stepped inside, glancing about the tent in a nervous gesture, eyes lingering on
their shared bedroll, and then on anything except him. She looked down and then finally
strove to meet his eyes, which he knew were alight with something like desperation.
"Zel ... look ... I ... " she trailed off with a sigh and almost fell against the tent
post, resting her cheek against it in a bid for strength.
He looked down at his own hands as they gripped the table, almost as if they wanted to
splinter it. He heard the quiet snap of the marker being broken in his palm, the points
digging into his skin. Better just to get it over with ... less ... painful ... that
way ... Okay, so he was lying to himself, but what else was he to do? Zelgadis
swallowed hard and then shoved each painful word out one by one, hating the weakness in his
voice, "I know. You want to stay with Gourry."
She nodded, not meeting his eyes, "Yes, I do. Look, Zel, I'm sorry, but I love him
and - "
"I know, okay!" he snapped, hands clenching painfully around the broken
marker. Forcing himself to calm down, he risked a glance at Lina, noting the hurt and anger
in her face, directed at him. "You want to be with him rather than me!"
Lina stared at him in shock, "What are you talking about?!?!"
"You fell for the idiot! Why did you do that!? I thought you had some sense, but I
guess I was wrong."
"Wrong?! Gourry's sweet and a gentleman, unlike you, Zelgadis Greywers! And the only
bad sense I had was ever staying with a someone like you!"
"He's still a complete buffoon!" he grated, "Or did he romance you away with your own
greed?"
"What?!"
"You only want him for the sword!"
Lina sputtered and recovered admirably, "I do not! Besides, you only want Valtiera
because he's a dragon!"
He gaped in shock, "Valtiera?! What?!"
"Yeah, I know how you two look at each other. It's not like it's a secret that he wants
you ... and you're just following along. So just screw your partner over, why don't you!"
It was his turn to sputter, "I'd never do that!"
"Oh? Remember the 'Please sir, I'm a lady.'???" She simpered, batting her eyelashes in a
parody of him in drag, "Remember that?!?!"
"I did that to get back at you for putting me in drag!"
"You did it so you could kiss him! Gourry's right, you are gay!"
"I'M NOT GAY!"
"But you want to be," she snapped, flaring at him.
"I can't believe you'd believe someone who just waltzed in here over what you and I have
had for years!"
"Oh, please, Zel. You know that was just for sex. On both sides," she said, glaring,
"We both have just been using each other. And now I want to be with someone I can actually
love and you don't want to let me go. Just because you can't bear to let him have something
you don't!"
He rocked back, shocked, "I - " he got control of himself again, "That dense, air-headed
fool has nothing I want!"
"He has me!" she snarled, "And don't call him that! He's more the man than you can ever
be, you cold-hearted, conniving, fairy bastard!"
"And you can't face the fact that you just want him for your own greed!" he retorted,
voice cold, "I can't believe that any man would want a selfish, spoiled, conceited, little
bitch child like you!"
"Yeah, well, get used to it, Zel, cause this bitch is walking out on your sorry ass."
Without even realizing he had done it, he grabbed her arm and jerked her close for an
angry kiss. Lina paused for a split second in shock, then slapped him, "What do you think
you're doing?!"
"So you didn't feel anything at all?" he growled, tossing her back.
"No, I didn't," she snapped, voice cold as ice, "And I haven't for a long time."
With that she turned and walked out.
She was using me! Why did that hurt so much? She never loved me!
Why did that hurt even more? She's just like Rezo, she never cared! No, no,
that's not true. She wasn't like Rezo at all, she did care ... but he had said all those
cruel and hurtful things to her and now he couldn't take them back. He silently berated
himself for being an idiot and letting his temper get away from him. Now he was angry at
himself ... not Lina. It wasn't her fault. So why did she have to say those things?
Zelgadis started pacing. Not because he particularly found it therapeutic, but because
if he didn't he had a bad feeling he'd end up breaking something important. A pain drew his
attention to his hand. Looking down, he opened it and found the two splintered pieces of the
marker embedded in his now bleeding palm. Cursing, he jerked them out, reveling in the brief
moment of pain, like an outlet for the inner one.
He had just finished throwing the pieces to the side when a shadow fell across the tent
flap. Something in him snapped at this point and so did his temper, "GO AWAY!" he yelled,
slamming his already abused palm down on his abused table. He didn't want company, not now,
not right after their fight.
The shadow jumped, not expecting to hear that from their leader in a thousand years.
There was more in store for the shadow, however, once Zelgadis realized he had just impaled
his much abused hand on several splinters from the aforementioned abused table.
Letting loose a string of colorful, inventive, and all around unpleasant obscenities at
nearly the decibel level of his yell, he yanked his hand up, causing more pain, which caused
more cursing. The shadow grew a sweatdrop and almost fell over. Well, for Zel, the cursing
was a vent for the turmoil of emotions he had inside ... and so was breaking things he
noticed. Forget self-control! Whoever he is will just have to cope! So he went
at it with a will.
Several crashes and splintered objects later, with both knuckles and his palms bleeding
and getting blood all over his tent, Zel finally managed to settle down into a seething,
trembling anger instead of a violent one. Feeling eyes on him, he whirled, shouting, "I SAID,
GO AWAY!!!!!!"
Valtiera started, eyes widening. Zel blinked, also startled, totally unprepared on
seeing him. Licking his lips a little nervously, Val looked around, almost worried,
"What happened here?"
"What do you think?" he snapped back, "And I told you to go away!"
The dragon ignored him completely as he strode forward, grabbed his hand, and tilted it
up for a look at the bloody palm, "Damn ... viscous to yerself, aren't ya?"
Zelgadis jerked his hand away, "No more than I should be."
"Huh?"
"I deserved it, alright, now just get out."
"No."
"What?" he blinked, shocked.
"I'm not leaving."
"That wasn't a request, Valtiera," he snapped coolly, "It was an order."
"And I'm disobeying it," the dragon smirked, catching his hand again, "What are you going
to do, punish me?"
Zel caught his breath sharply at the odd connotation on 'punish me'. It was almost a
suggestion. Val bent his head to murmur over his hand, healing it in instant. He caught the
other and gave it the same treatment. Somehow, this irked Zel. Why could Val do this magic
so easily when he himself struggled to build shields? Why did he have to show up, anyway, and
prove Lina right?
"Don't you want comfort, Zelgadis?" Val murmured, searching his face, fingers caressing
the hands he healed. Did he have to stand so close?!
"Not from you!" he snapped, desperately trying to recapture the anger that was draining
out of him like water, leaving a healing tingle in his hands and a growing physical want for
Valtiera. Yes, he wanted comfort, wanted to curl up in Val's arms and let him take all the
pain away. But he couldn't.
The dragon sighed, "Why do you have to be so stubborn? Why won't you let me return a
favor?"
"I don't need it."
"Yes you do."
"No!"
A note of pleading entered Val's voice, "Don't reject me, Zelgadis." He reached up and
captured Zel's lips with his own, "You're not inhuman."
"Stop ... " he gasped out, pulling back. Trying to shove the feel and taste of Val from
his mind, he stepped away.
Valtiera smiled and closed in again, "Oh, so you are inhuman. In what ways?"
Is is just me or was that a blatant suggestion? "I don't want that kind of
comfort, Valtiera," he snapped, trying to go for some sort of rational ground in the face of
his rampant hormones ... and the endless expanse of those intense gold eyes.
"Such a stony exterior! What are you hiding underneath, Zelgadis?"
He jerked away again, "You just can't take the hint, can you?"
With a slow smile spreading across his face, the dragon stepped closer and tugged Zel's
down for a another kiss, whispering around their lips, "No, I can't."
This was turning dangerous fast. Zel squirmed and shoved Valtiera away from him, "What
makes you think I would even consider taking comfort from you?"
"Is there anyone else you'd take it from?" He murmured, drawn to Zel like a needle to a
lodestone, eyes deep with emotions Zel found he couldn't read.
"..."
"Thought so," he said with a grin, resting his hands on Zel's shoulders, too close for
Zel's comfort. Why is he doing this ... ? Part of him wanted the comfort he was
being offered, but he couldn't take advantage of Val like this ... could he? He looked at the
warm golden depths of Val's eyes and found he was caught in them for some reason. Sliding his
arms around the far too pretty dragon, Zel tugged him close, hands gliding down the Val's back
and then over the curve of his rear to his thighs. Dipping his head, he met Valtiera's in a
sweet and punishing kiss. What do you think you're doing!?!?! What about Lina?!?!?!
a voice in the back of his mind screamed, a voice he ignored.
"Mmmmm ... I've waited a long time for this ... for you ... " the low moan that escaped
Val's lips was all he needed to jerk him back to reality. A part of him was still thinking
rather muzzily that if Val could talk he obviously wasn't being kissed enough. That part was
gagged, tied up, and thrown into the corner of his mind as he pulled back from the dragon.
"Get out," he said, voice cold as he turned away.
"But - "
"I said get out," he turned to glare at the lovely creature, whose face was twisted with
a mix of hurt and anger; well, mainly anger. He turned back to calmly contemplate the wall of
his tent as Val turned abruptly and stalked out, seething.
Only when Zel was sure he had gone, did he drop to his knees, hugging himself tightly to
keep the emotions Valtiera had awakened from overpowering him. Silently and alone, he let
himself cry.
Zelgadis was on a mission. First he had to find Lina, then he had to apologize for how
he had treated her before, and finally he needed to get Val far and away from him ... before
he was tempted to do things he would regret. Like take up Val's offer. Am I so sure I
would regret that?
Yes, he was sure. Wasn't he? Prowling around the camp like a caged animal, he stumbled
upon three trysts in progress, a chess game, two games of poker, and a black cat that had
gotten over the walls. The last decided it didn't like him and clawed his leg to express this
dislike. Finally, he caught sight of Lina in the place he should have looked
first: the mess tent.
Leaning back on the bench, a stack of dishes the size of 'Heart beside her, she patted
her stomach happily and smiled brightly at Sraf and Gourry. She and Sraf were deeply
embroiled in what appeared to be another discussion over magic while Gourry was eating enough
food to rival Lina. Hating to disturb this relatively peaceful scene, but spurred on by his
mission, he strode over and bent to whisper in her ear, "We need to talk."
Sraf raised a pure white eyebrow, his sensitive ears pricking forward in interest. His
solid emerald eyes, like gemstones embedded in ivory, looked both curious and slightly angry
at the disturbance. The healer was silent, however, as always.
"There's nothing more to talk about, Zel," she hissed, eyes cold.
"Yes there is," he informed her just as coldly, "Now are you going to come peacefully or
do I have to drag you out?"
She glared daggers at him, but stood, turned to Sraf with a brilliant smile, apologized
for the disturbance, and flounced out, head held high. Sraf gave Zel a look. Zel just shook
his head and held his hands up in a peaceful gesture.
The musical voice finally spoke, "You'd better not hurt her, Commander."
"I have no intention to," he replied, Why did I never realize Sraf cared about
her?
The healer nodded and pushed himself from the table, slipping out into the night like a
ghost. Zel sighed and went after Lina, catching up with her as she reached the flag post.
She spun and snarled at him, "Come to gouge more wounds, bastard!?"
He blinked and stepped back, startled, "No - I - "
"Well?!?!"
"I came to say I'm sorry."
Her mouth snapped shut on the prepared retort. Lina blinked blankly at him. He looked
out into the night, for a moment thinking he saw Sraf's luminance form, but shoved it aside as
a bizarre form of paranoia, "I'm sorry I insulted you, I'm sorry I acted like a jerk, I'm
sorry I was jealous, that I kissed you ... I'm just sorry." He took a deep breath and took a
risk, holding out his hand, "Can we be friends again?"
Lina watched him warily, "Fine, but I and Gourry are together now. You'll have to deal
with it."
"I know ... "
"Maybe you know, but do you get it?! I'm not yours anymore!" she snapped.
"I KNOW, DAMMIT!"
They glared at each other, fists clenched at sides. They stayed that way for several
minutes, figurative auras battling for dominance and finally ending in a stalemate.
"Look," he ground out, "I'm not here to get you back in bed, I'm here to apologize and
repair our partnership."
"What about Valtiera?"
"What about him?!?"
"Do you or do you not want him?"
"What's that have to do with anything?!?"
"Just answer the question!" she shouted. Zelgadis blinked. What was so important about
if he wanted Val or not? Was she jealous or something? She couldn't be, she had
Gourry ...
"No!"
"No, you won't answer the question or no you don't want him?" she growled dangerously.
"No, I won't answer the question! I never asked you if you wanted Gourry!"
"That's different!"
"How?"
She blinked, "Because it is!"
They glared at each other, stalemated again. This time, Lina broke the silence, "I just
want to know, okay?"
"Why?!"
"Because I do!"
"What's it matter?"
"You do, don't you?"
"I said, what's it matter?" he snapped, dancing away from a subject he couldn't answer.
Couldn't because he didn't know ...
Lina bit her lip, considering, "I want you to be happy, Zel. You're my friend. And if
you're happy with him ... I won't feel guilty about dumping you."
"So this is all about your guilt, is it? It doesn't really matter what happens to me as
long as you don't feel guilty!"
"That's not true!"
"Isn't it?" he challenged, hurt.
"NO!" Lina sighed and looked down, "Look, I don't want to fight over this anymore. Will
you tell me or not?"
He sighed as well. If she was willing to patch things up, he might as well be compliant,
"I guess ... I don't know, Lina. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't feel a thing."
"I guess that's good enough." Lina held out her hand, "Friends then?"
Zelgadis smiled and clasped the proffered hand, "Yeah, why not?"
A month more of this and Zel would find slitting his wrists preferable. Throwing himself
into his bedroll without bothering to remove his armor, he groaned. A month of fighting, a
month of laying siege to this damn city, a month of dodging Valtiera ...
The whistling of the Slayers's missiles sounded through the eerily still air, before the
explosion of the liquid fire as it impacted in the town, then the bizarre hissing sound as
their mages cancelled it's effects. Sraf was in usual sarcastic form over the enemies magic
style and Lina had joined him in random rants over it. Mudwalker was out of commission over
stray shrapnel and Silverblade refused to leave his side. Gourry was up with flu, which made
Lina testy. And Valtiera was stalking him ... well, he thought he was stalking him. He was
always at his side at odd moments, the dragon's fire had rescued him from more than one
battle, and that slender frame was appearing all over ... but that could be heightened
awareness of the dragon on his part.
I should just give in ... let him have what he wants. His pride went livid over
this, We can't let him beat us! We are Greywers! Pull yourself together man!
He groaned and buried his face in the covers, "Great, now I'm talking to myself ... sort
of."
Do you or don't you, Zel? Do you want him? Do you ... love him?
"I'm not gay!"
Then why does his presence set you on fire?
"I don't know!"
Yes, you do.
"No, I don't! Now shut up!" Zel threw his breastplate at the tent wall. It only
rebounded and landed with a thud on the ground. Muttering darkly to himself, he sat up and
started unlatching his armor, jerking the stuff off and tossing it to the side. In moments,
he was down to just his boxers and buried under a pile of covers. I'll be stiff in the
morning, but oh well. Want bed now ... zzzzzz
Gods, stiff is not the word for this. Frozen, turned to stone maybe, but
not stiff! Thank the gods it was over, even if he felt like lead. A battle with every
muscle feeling frozen was not an experience he wanted to try again anytime soon. Zel had a
sneaking suspicion that Lina had noticed and sent Val to keep an eye on his during the
fighting, because there he had been, always hovering within blasting range of Zel.
Better get up and move around, make sure this doesn't happen again. Before he
could find the energy to do more than flip over and stare at the tent's ceiling, someone
pushed open the flap and entered.
Valtiera grinned in amusement as Zel glared at him, "What do you want?"
"Want? Well, I was just sent over to make sure you made it to your tent in a conscience
state," the dragon replied innocently.
Zel groaned, "Lina."
"Bingo."
Val shifted his burden to his hip and entered, finding a spot to sit next to where Zel
was happily sprawled on his bedroll. After a few moments of work, the dragon had set the
bundle down and removed his supplies, setting them up. Zel watched him, curious in spite of
himself, "What's the stuff for?"
He grinned wickedly, "Why, for a massage."
"WHAT?!?!" Zel sat up too quick for the rest of him and fell right back down with a
groan.
"Well, yes, that is exactly the reason."
"Let me guess, Lina just so happened to send you over," he grumbled wryly, wishing the
redhead would stay out of his business.
"Something like that. Now be a good commander and let me do my job," Zelgadis showed no
signs of cooperating, "Or I can do my job without your cooperation."
He glared. Valtiera smiled serenely.
Damn Lina three times over for putting him in this position. Like he wanted
Val's hands ... all ... over him. Okay, so maybe he did. Mentally berating himself for such
thoughts, he closed his eyes as Val worked his way down Zel's back. It does feel
good ... The dragon seemed to know exactly which spots to hit to make his muscles
loosen into pools of warmth.
"Are you going to talk or are you going to sulk?" his massager asked, sounding amused.
He grumbled just to show he'd do as he pleased before he answered.
"I'll talk ... why? Do you want talk or something?"
A long moment of silence where his fingers dug themselves into Zel's skin, rubbing, "Have
you been avoiding me?"
"Have you been stalking me?"
"I asked you first."
"I asked you second."
"Fine, fine, be that way. No, I haven't been stalking you."
Zel sighed, "Yes."
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, I've been avoiding you."
Val's hands paused, much to Zel's disappointment, "Why?"
He shifted uncomfortably, "Well ... "
The kneading suddenly changed to a caress, gliding across his back and down his arms. He
stiffened and rolled over, meeting Val's intense eyes, which were regarding him hungrily. He
bent and kissed Zel passionately, "Why don't you want me? Besides those stupid excuses you
used before, I mean."
He broke away long enough to answer, "I ... " he trailed off again, at a loss.
"Thought so," Val murmured smugly, pushing him back. An indeterminable time later by
Zel's standards, their lips finally unlocked. "Too bad you're still stiff," his
dragon said with a sigh.
"Not that stiff ... " he purred, pouncing Val, "and nothing a workout won't cure."
He has a pretty smile ... Which was Zelgadis's last coherent thought for a long while.
"But Zel!"
"Lina, go, there's nothing you can really do in this fight, you know that!"
Lina bit her lip, "I know ... "
"You and the rest of the mages, stay here at camp."
"But what about Sraf!"
"He's staying to, there's nothing he can do, either."
Lina lunged at Zel and latched onto him, "We're going!"
He looked up at the half-elf who stood behind her and nodded. Sraf gently took Lina by
the waist and pulled her away.
"Let me go, Sraf!"
"I'm sorry, Lina," he said smoothly, voice touched with a hint of, was it, sadness? He
pulled her gently back against him, away from Zel.
"You don't understand! He needs us!" she looked dangerously close to tears. Lina
close to tears?! He had to be dreaming. A quick nod at Sraf and he turned away,
mounting 'Heart and spurring the stallion into a gallop, racing to join the company at the
edge of the null zone.
'Heart raced down the treacherous path down to the crater of the zone, going obscenely
fast on the dangerous ground. The horse barely broke a sweat as it navigated the uneven and
steep earth as if it knew the road, speeding up to jump a gap in the path. 'Heart slowed to a
trot as it reached the narrow ledge that swung around the side of the crater face. Zelgadis
had learned long ago to let the stallion have his head. Smarter, faster, deadlier, and more
cunning than any other, Heart of Darkness was plains born and bred. This little route down to
the base of the crater was a cake walk for him.
Glancing out over the spectacular (if barren) view, Zel felt a shiver of something
go down his spine. The zone was empty of life, a flat crater that pitted the earth,
spanning a width as far as the eye could see and having a depth that was at least a mile.
Flat, blasted rock covered the entire base, almost as smooth as glass, save for the shock wave
markings radiating from the center of the zone. Something had landed here long
ago with enough force to not only create this scar in the land but suck the magic from the
area as well ... suck it away and continue to draw it out. Magic users avoided it like they
avoided Swamp Plague.
Which brought him to the reason they were here. A challenge had been issued by the
western country of Trellis. They would meet here, use this place as a field of battle. Why?
To determine the winner by mortal strength alone, not by sorcery. Zelgadis admitted this
challenge was honest enough, especially for the magic-poor country. He had some powerful
sorcerers working for him, they had none. For them, it leveled the field. For him, it did
nothing more than make them fall back on experience.
So what was bothering him? Premonition? The very aura of this land? He was
a mage, albeit a weak one. Or the overriding feeling that something watched him from
the crater's center? Something malevolent and cold, ageless and eternal ... Zel, you
have finally cracked. He shook his head and ripped his eyes away from the distance and
back onto the treacherous path.
'Heart snorted uneasily, shaking his head hard enough to throw his mane about, but it
went unnoticed by his rider.
He neared their post near midday, having been forced to backtrack because of a break in
the trail too large for even 'Heart to navigate. Ladis hailed him from the perimeter.
"Any change?"
"No, sir," she grinned and gestured with her spear point out into the distance where red
and black pennants snapped in the breeze, "They haven't changed positions at all."
"No negotiator?" She shook her head. "Alright. Thank you."
Zelgadis spurred 'Heart forward and Ladis fell back into her position, leaning easily on
her spear. Red and black ... Something else that was nagging him from some memory
buried under a mess of time and confusion.
Once inside the camp, Zel dismounted and led 'Heart to the horse troughs at the center of
camp. Ensconced within a vague picket of stones, the camp's horses were idling, slurping
water or munching on feed. All were saddled, ready to ride at a moment's notice. After
making sure 'Heart was happily munching on his own feed, Zel went around to the flat space
that Valtiera and Silverblade were using as their poker table. Just as he approached,
Silverblade growled and Val raked in the cash, no more than a handful of pennies, but it was a
victory none the less.
Val looked up at Zel and grinned, pocketing the change and standing, giving his poker
partner a hand up. A rock at the side shifted and opened brilliant blue-green eyes. Zel
blinked, the scout startled him every time. Of course, he should've guessed that wherever
Silverblade was about to lose money, there would be Mudwalker to watch him squirm in the grip
of fate.
He didn't have much more time to ponder this as he was then being kissed by a very
exuberant Valtiera. A very exuberant and ardent Valtiera who couldn't keep his hands to
himself.
"What's gotten into you?" Zel gasped out as soon as he had pinned Val's hands,
even though he still kept the slender dragon in his arms. Their audience of two grinned ear
to ear.
Val grinned wickedly and cuddled closer before resting his head on Zel's shoulder,
"Hopefully you will."
"Erk!" He blushed brightly and their audience started placing bets on how long Zel could
hold out against his lover. From the bets, the audience didn't have much faith in their
commander's chances.
The dragon chuckled and buried his face in Zel's neck, closing golden eyes, "Truthfully?
I don't know. I ... " he trailed off helplessly. Zel bent to press his nose into the
soap-scented, green hair, warily releasing one of Val's hands so he could bury his fingers in
the flowing locks.
"What's wrong?" he murmured, concerned. The dragon didn't answer.
Valtiera shuddered and hugged him tightly, "I want you. Now."
Concerned sapphires met urgent gold. Something in Val's eyes pricked the growing thread
of cold dread that had been resting in the pit of his stomach since he had entered the null
zone. Something fey. Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
He didn't deny his lover, though. Not for a moment, not now, not ever. He pressed his
lips to Val's in a gesture of acceptance before they headed off to the dragon's tent. Their
audience nodded to themselves and Silverblade happily made off with two more coppers from the
disgruntled Mudwalker.
Red and black ... He was missing something here, he just didn't know what it
was. Val shifted from foot to foot restlessly, never holding still for a moment. The nervous
energy he had displayed since Zel's arrival was still disturbingly evident. Zelgadis glanced
out over the throng of Trellians, They won't be too much trouble.
Once more that cold thread of dread gripped his stomach as the pennants snapped sharply.
Why? He lifted his hand. Silence descended on the field, even the horses pausing.
Zelgadis dropped the hand and the Slayers rushed forward. Valtiera leapt into the sky.
Familiar faces glanced at him, but they weren't the face he was looking for. They
weren't Valtiera. Where is he?! There was Silverblade cleaning off his knives ...
Ladis smirking as she stabbed one poor Trellian, giving him his merciful deathblow ...
He hadn't seen his dragon fall, hadn't seen his vanish ... just one moment he was there
and the next he was gone. Zelgadis was almost running now, afraid to look down at the dead
for fear it'd have green hair and glazed gold for eyes. He didn't want to think, didn't want
to begin to face the dread that was gnawing at him.
Zelgadis slowed, I haven't seen him, maybe, maybe he's okay. Why didn't he
believe that? Because he'd seen that look in Valtiera's eyes ... the whispered goodbye when
they'd last been alone. He slowed to a stop, trying to get his rapidly growing panic from
overpowering him, trying to stay calm. He almost jumped out of his skin when something tapped
him on the shoulder.
He whirled and met with blue-green eyes floating in nothingness. Mudwalker.
The eyes were upset over something as the scout seemed to come into focus as he moved.
Mudwalker shifted uneasily and Zel felt the dread leap up to claim him at the look on his
face. "Sir ... "
"What? What is it?!" he managed to get out, keeping the hysteria back only with an
effort of will.
Mudwalker's voice was a whisper when he spoke, "Valtiera ... "
Zelgadis's heart flew up to take residence in his throat as his stomach bottomed out,
"What happened?"
The scout shook his head and motioned for Zel to follow him. Follow him he did, right to
scene that would haunt his nightmares for an eternity. Val ...
The dragon was a dragon no longer, human body impaled on a spear almost as big as a small
tree, the wicked point nailing him to the ground. The spear had went straight through the
stomach, guaranteeing a slow death. Blood trickled slowly from the edges of the wound as well
as from his mouth. The eyes struggled to open as he approached. Zel didn't even know he had
dropped to his knees, only that he was there.
"Val ... " it came out a ragged sob as he gently reached out and brushed the sticky,
blood soaked strands of hair from his lover's face. Valtiera's eyes were glazed, but he
managed a grimaced smiled before choking on a rush of blood. A hand struggled to lift,
morphing into a black, scaled claw. His body spasmed on the spear, but the hand gripped it
anyway, slowly pulling it out. "Don't, Val."
He stood shakily and pulled out the spear himself, hoping desperately that his dragon
would stop trying to move. He threw the hated thing away and fell back to his knees, cradling
Val's head in his lap. Was he talking? Was that his voice begging for Valtiera to stay?
"C'mon Val, just hold on till we can get to Sraf."
Val spasmed, a new rush of blood trickling from his mouth. "Val, heart, please stay," he
couldn't look at the hole that gaped where the smooth expanse of stomach had been. Valtiera
smiled at 'heart', hand shaking as he raised it to touch Zel's cheek. "Val ... " he sobbed,
holding the hand to him even as he dipped to embrace him, burying his face in the blood soaked
hair, cheek to cheek with his dragon.
" ... love ... you ... " the words were faint and whispered, as if dragged out by force,
but they were there. Zel sucked all the power he could to him, desperately tugging the meager
strands of energy, trying with every ounce of strength to heal his love. " ... waited ...
lochokeng ... time ... "
Zel covered Val's lips with his own, silencing him in a gentle kiss, "I waited a long
time for you, too ... even though I didn't know it." He felt the magic fail, too little, not
strong enough, the spell to shoddy since he knew no healing spells. He clutched his beloved
to him, not bearing to watch the eyes close for the last time, hearing the heart beat it's
last, the last sobbing breath fade away into nothing. Was he the one that screamed into the
heavens? Was it his tears the dripped on the porcelain skin of his dead love? It had to
be ... had to be ... DON'T LEAVE ME!
"I ... love ... you," he choked out between the sobs that racked him, "Don't go ... "
Then hands pulled him away. He fought with every ounce of his failing strength, screamed
and thrashed, the tears streaming down his cheeks, but they pulled him away from his heart,
from his dragon, from his Valtiera.
Then everything was dark. Dark save for the image that was branded forever behind his
eyes.
It was dark. He liked it this way. He didn't have to feel, didn't have to think, didn't
have to remember. He did anyway, though. Remembered. He felt a hand touch his shoulder and
he shrugged it off.
"Zel ... " Lina's voice was pleading with him again. He deigned to glance at her in the
darkened tent, noting the outline of her form, the shimmer of flames from the outside fire in
her ruby eyes and the glint of it off her hair. Zelgadis was numb to it. Fire wasn't warming
the core of ice that encased his heart. Fire didn't melt the agony or take away the pain.
He stood, silent for a moment, watching the sorceress as she stepped forward to embrace
him. Zel moved away, voice like ice, "I want the body."
"But - "
"I want the body," the order was more than ice now, it was danger hidden in cold death.
"It's gone."
"What."
"All of them. Burned to ashes," he broke from the darkness for a heartbeat as the heat
of rage warmed him. How dare they steal it away. It was his. His. To bury, to
mourn over, to hold one last time. Lina stepped forward, grabbing his arm, "Zel, stop!"
Zelgadis shook her off, a purpose sparking inside the cold, still unfinished though it
blazed, "Gather the Slayers, Lina, we have something to do." Burn his and he would burn
theirs. Simple, really.
The flames that burned Trellis to the ground did nothing to warm him, nothing to ease the
agonizing pain that held him captive. Everyone was dead. It was a fitting payment for the
deaths of the Slayers, for Val's death. They had won ... what a horrible price for winning.
Victory held no comfort for any of them as they stared dully into the flames that licked
at the ruins of the city. Silence covered the field. Zelgadis ignored Lina as she appeared
at his side, ignored her silent, white shadow. Sraf's eyes were filled with something Zel
couldn't recognize and didn't try. Gourry followed both sorcerers, voice striving for cheer,
"Neh, Zel, feel better?"
He spared Gourry a contemptuous glare before he turned and mounted 'Heart, "Let's go.
There's other things to do."
Zel admitted to being driven, he admitted to anger and hatred, he admitted to a lust for
power that dwarfed all other times he lusted for it. He did not admit to obsession. I'm
not obsessed. This is my mission.
"Are you even listening to me?!" Lina demanded, slamming her palms on the table.
He didn't look up from the map or the book beside it, "Yes."
"You haven't heard a word I've said!"
"Yes, I have."
"No, you haven't!" she snarled and jerked him to her by the collar of his shirt, glaring
into his eyes.
"I have, I've considered them, and I've rejected them. Cope with it, Lina," he calmly
pried her fingers from his shirt, eyes cold. She slapped him. Zel blinked, pain burning
along the mark of her palm on his cheek.
Her own voice was cold as she conquered her anger and glared at him, "You're obsessed,
Zel. And you better snap out of it before you get us all killed."
He ignored the pain and returned to his research. When he spoke, it was unnaturally
calm, "I am not obsessed, Lina."
Lina opened her mouth to argue but he cut her off, "You may leave now."
She opened and shut her mouth for a few moments, trying to find something that would
phase him, anything that would phase him. She came up with nothing. Sighing,
knowing she had lost, Lina turned and left the tent.
This was it. Zel ran a hand across the black stone of the door. The door was the only
thing between him and the inside of the tower. The tower was believed to be as old as the
null zone, rising as a jagged rocky point into the sky, thrust up by the earth's forces long
ago. Inside was something the opposite of the zone, something that gave magic instead of
taking it away. Or so it was said. This was what he had searched for. The power was hidden
here, of that he was sure, and with that power he would know how to heal, how to use that
magic that danced forever out of reach. A power he hadn't had when he needed it, when
Valtiera was dying. Grief surged up and made his eyes sting as he fought back the far too
common tears. I wasn't strong enough then, but I will be now.
Sraf looked edgy, his emerald eyes darting this and that, like he was searching for
something awful he knew was there but hid whenever he looked. Zel's own dreams seemed like
that. For a moment he'd see his heart again, yet when he reached out to touch him he was
gone.
The half-elf was suddenly at his side, "There are spirits disturbed here, Commander."
He didn't care. He had come here for the power and he would get it. No matter what the
cost. I'm not obsessed.
Both the healer and Lina were tugging on him now, "Zel/Commander, please stop ... "
Zelgadis shrugged both of them off and pushed against the door. It didn't budge.
"Gourry, give me a hand."
The swordsman grinned and joined him at the door. Lina smacked him and started yelling,
"YOU BRAIN-DEAD JELLYFISH! I TOLD YOU NOT TO HELP HIM!"
"But Lina, he asked!" her lover whined, rubbing his head.
"HE DIDN'T ASK, HE ORDERED!"
"There's a difference?" he asked innocently. Lina bonked him upside the head again.
Right before she was bonked by Zel.
"Stay out of this Lina."
"ZEL!"
"We've discussed this already: either help me or get out," he grated, turning back to
the door. Lina bit her lip, trading worried glances with Sraf and Gourry before joining Zel
at the door.
Slowly, the hinges made stiff by the passing of time, they opened the doors, letting the
first rays of daylight in hundreds of years strike the inside of the tower.
The tower was empty, a grand hollow pillar of stone. Stairwells were etched into the
walls, spiraling up to the summit of the tower. Up there, it has to be up there.
"Lina, Sraf, would you be so kind as to get us up there?"
"Why don't you just use the stairs, Zel?" Lina asked snidely, crossing her arms.
He narrowed his eyes. Why did she have to continually thwart him at every turn? Didn't
she understand at all? "Fine."
Lina gaped as Zel headed for the nearest stairwell and started climbing. Grinding her
teeth in frustration, she summoned a Raywing and grabbed Gourry, "Get Zel, Sraf, there's no
way we're gonna dissuade him from this."
The healer nodded, "I fear you're right. Raywing!"
He swooped over, plucked Zel from the stairs, and headed upward, Lina and Gourry close on
his heels. Gourry clung to Lina's waist, eyes big with terror, "Ahhh, Lina I'm falling! I'm
falling! Help, help!"
With that he scrambled up her waist and grabbed for her neck, only to miss and grab her
chest instead. Her eyes bugged out and she slammed a fist into his head, "Hold still - stop
grabbing - not now - AHHHHHH - GOURRY!"
Sraf and Zel sweatdropped.
It stood in the center of the room, a dull gray blob of metal, as if some formation had
been melted by incredible heat. Smack dab in the center of a pentagram and magic circle, the
talisman waited. Oddly, nothing was covered with dust, as if invisible servants had tended
the room. The pinnacle room sported organically shaped skylights, like the rock was
pockmarked with the holes naturally. Twin beams of sunlight framed the talisman. The four
took it in, the silence undisturbed until Zelgadis slowly walked to the stone, drawn by
something he couldn't understand.
Is it calling me? The same feeling he had felt in the null zone, the feeling of
something old and malevolent touched him, something waiting. What was it waiting for? Him?
The passing of time? But nothing would persuade him now, not even the cold crawling of his
skin. He would have the power if he had to walk through heaven and hell. Nothing was going
to stop him. Nothing. I'm not obsessed.
Zelgadis reached out and pressed his palms to the talisman, feeling it thrum with power,
feeling the rush of energy that slammed into him, filling him to the brim with whirling life,
suffusing his being with more energy than he could possibly imagine. And the flood continued.
Vaguely, he could hear Lina screaming, the charging of Gourry's sword, but they were
faint ... like the echoing of a pebble dropped into a deep well. A thread of something else
oozed from the stone into his form, something cruel and hungry. Something that wore his
face. A memory fluttered up from the coldness inside him. "I know
you'll find it. No matter what it takes." A laugh. "Heh, yer too stubborn to stop until
you do!" Val ...
The oozing thing suffused every pore before he could pull away from it. Demon. It
laughed at him, using his weakness to take control for it's birth. His weakness for Valtiera,
his obsession, his lust for power ... Far and away he heard the words of a spell.
"Darkness beyond twilight ... "
His conscience spun wider, moving beyond the prison of the tower. The demon had been
waiting for someone like him, someone so blind for power that he would take any risk. Red
eyes blinked in the inferno, shoving Zel into the wings of himself.
Hello, little host.
"Crimson beyond blood that flows ... "
Ruby red orbs glimmered as he opened his eyes, turning to his friends. His
friends. Friends he had forgotten and punished in his heedless, ruthless quest. How many
had suffered for this? How many had burned from the rage that had driven him? How many
innocent were dead? Should I bring the world justice for your crimes,
host? Should I destroy the instrument of your reign of terror? Should I destroy the
Slayers?
"Buried in the flow of time ... "
Strange how he saw how stupid he had been only now. Strange how his wordless beg of no
was unheard. Strange how he only now knew, realized, what he had done and been doing, no
longer feeling the warmth of justification for his actions.
"In thy great name I pledge myself to darkness ... "
The demon laughed at the young woman that challenged him, forcing his host to watch as he
began to draw the power that would wipe her and the others from this room. Power he would use
to wipe away the Slayers who waited outside the tower. Power he would use to destroy and
remake the world. What have I done? What kind of Commander am I?
"Let those who stand before us be destroyed by the power you and I possess ... "
What you wanted, host. The demon smiled.
A commander who doesn't care about anyone else but himself. Just like the one you and the
girl replaced.
"DRAGON SLAVE!"
With the blast of ruby energy, like the eyes of the demon, a spell Lina hadn't used in
years, his world was ripped to shreds.
Life was a precious and fragile thing Zel learned as he hung in a sort of nothingness, a
thousand pains ripping him apart. The dragon slave was not this bad ... had Gourry used his
sword? It didn't matter. He deserved the pain, deserved every agony. It was just punishment
for the monster he had become. I was obsessed.
A wash of pure white swept over the darkness and the cold that had kept his heart frozen
in agony. A heart that was breaking even as it thawed. The white swept across the agony and
burned it away in cooling fire. He could feel himself again, if vaguely. Slowly, slowly the
will to move came, then the ability to. A struggle to blink. Then to wait for the blurry
images to revolve back into focus. Nausea hit, only to washed away by another sweep of
brilliant white.
"Commander, snap out of it's hold." Sraf. That's where the white had come
from.
"Zel? Zel, wake up." Gourry?
"Zelgadis Greywers! IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP THIS INSTANT I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"
Lina ... dear, sweet, short-tempered Lina. He couldn't help but smile even though his
face hurt. Frantic hands caught him and drew him close, the familiar fragrance of fire and
flowers catching his nose. He blinked as the images finally snapped into focus ... and found
himself being hugged in the sorceress's arms, his head tucked under Lina's chin.
"Lina?" he croaked from a throat that burned as he sucked in air to speak.
"Zel! You're awake!" Gourry cried, grinning cheerfully. Beside him, even Sraf smiled a
bit, something like relief in his eyes. Zel felt something wet his hand. Looking down, he
blinked as he realized it was a tear. He looked up, surprised to see Lina's face streaked
with tears.
"Tears, Lina? Over me, the cold-hearted bastard?" he did his best to make it a joke
through his ravaged throat.
She grinned through her tears, hugging him tighter and burying her face in his hair,
"Idiot. I should blow you sky high."
"I'd deserve it."
"Huh?" was Gourry's brilliant question.
"I've been obsessed, cold, vengeful, and bloodthirsty. I deserve everything I got. I'm
sorry," he whispered, "Can you forgive me?"
Lina's eloquent answer, one that spoke for all three, one filled with relief, "Of course,
stupid."
"Hey," they glanced at Gourry, "Who was that red eyed guy anyway?"
Zel squeezed his eyes shut. He knew the creature's name. It was burned there with the
knowledge of what he had become, "Shabrinigdo."
Zelgadis moved restlessly as he saddled Heart of Darkness. The stain of his guilt was to
great. He couldn't stay and lead the Slayers knowing he was capable of becoming the monster.
Couldn't and wouldn't.
"What are you doing?" he glanced over at Lina, who stood in the doorway of the stables.
He hated to lie to her, so he wouldn't, "Leaving. What's it look like?"
"But - you can't."
"I have to Lina," he concentrated on making sure every strap on 'Heart was fast and sure,
"I can't stay knowing I led the Slayers into rampant carnage like a madman. I almost got all
of you killed! I won't stay here and endanger you and any of them every again."
"This is stupid!"
"No it isn't."
"Fine, it's a pity trip on your part. Get over it, Zel, it wasn't your fault."
He looked straight in her eyes. His heart was already broken, the ice long melted and
gone, the strain too great, the guilt too deep, "It was."
Zel's next words were a near whisper, "Better if the world never have someone like me
lead the deadliest force on earth. Better if that force doesn't exist. But it does, and I
can't do it anymore. I just can't." His voice broke and he turned away.
Lina watched him silently as he slowly led 'Heart out into the night, "I'm leaving and
I'm never coming back. It's that simple."
He glanced back one last time as he mounted his horse, at the silent woman who stood in
the doorway framed by soft golden light. She didn't make another move to stop him even though
her face was etched with sadness, usual bright ruby eyes dim with unshed tears. "Goodbye,
Lina."
She watched as he vanished into the darkness at a gallop, "Goodbye, Zelgadis."
He glanced up, feeling the rain trickle down the crack in his cloak and find it's cold
way down his back. 'Heart snorted unhappily and drooped listlessly as the rain pounded down.
The downpour obscured everything more than a few steps away, swallowing up even light.
What a night to travel in.
It was nearly a year since he had left the only family he had ever known and the road had
been lonely and unforgiving ever since. The rain merely the latest grace on his seemingly
eternal bad luck. Zel sighed and trodded on, leading 'Heart through the mess rather than
riding, fearing a misstep would topple them both if he rode.
Lights glimmered up ahead, like will'o'wisps in the sheeting darkness. Zel figured it to
be a town. Sein, if his map was worth the paper it was printed on. Only one way to find
out ...
Seemingly an eternity of plodding through what seemed to be an ocean, he and the
miserable 'Heart finally entered the cozy, drenched little town. Inviting fires glimmered
behind cracks in the shutters that were barred shut against the elements. Daring his bad
luck, he led 'Heart to a small house, a white picket fence almost sending him tumbling.
Swearing mildly, he righted himself and strode to the door, knocking briskly. Another seeming
eternity and the door was opened a crack, a silvery voice barely carrying over the rain called
from the inside, "Who calls?"
"A traveler who desires shelter from the rain," he answered, trying to sound as pathetic
and unthreatening as humanly possible. The cracked open a little more and a green eye looked
out at him. Zel pushed the hood of his cloak back as far as he dared with the rain, hoping to
look harmless. The eye widened and the door was opened and he was ushered inside. He blinked
rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the light, thoroughly confused.
The green eye turned out to belong to a woman that was scrutinizing him carefully, as if
to pinpoint his identity. A woman with long, blonde hair who looked vaguely familiar.
Wait! Wasn't she - ? He decided to risk it, "Saya?"
"Slayer?" her eyes widened again, before she delved into a memory to dredge up his name,
"Zel?"
He nodded and bowed slightly, "Yes, Zelgadis Greywers."
"Saya, who are you talking to?" a male voice asked from across the room, a voice slightly
deeper than his own. He glanced over at a handsome young man about Saya's age, holding a
little, blonde-haired baby in his arms.
"Yours?" he asked, glancing at the child, whose brilliant green eyes dew his attention
as they blinked at him. She nodded proudly and went to join her husband, giving him a hug.
"Daren, meet Zelgadis. He's one of the men who saved us from the Carthians."
"Him? The one you told me about?" She nodded and Daren smiled broadly, "Pleased to meet
you, Zelgadis." He glanced toward the door, which the storm chose to rattle at that moment,
"Weather trouble?"
Zel nodded, "Aye. Do you know where an inn is around here? I need a place to stay."
"You can stay here."
"That's very generous," he answered with a smile, "But I have a horse, which I doubt
would fit comfortably in your living room."
Daren chuckled and handed the baby to his wife, "I have an old stall out back that might
suit your horse. Would you come with me?"
His wife cuddled the child lovingly, humming to it as she watched the two men brave the
rain once more to deal with the horse. Setting the child carefully in a padded basket Daren
had made for her, she set about setting a table for three. After all, she had a debt she felt
she must repay, and giving the man a place to stay for the night was a reasonable place to
start. "Right, Davin?" she said gaily to the child that giggled happily at her voice.
When Zel and Daren returned, soaked but pleased with the turn of affairs - the stall had
turned out to be perfect - they were met with hot cups of tea and a dinner that had been
quickly prepared. Joining Saya and her small but happy family, Zelgadis felt he had come
home. Or at least, to a home. Maybe his luck was changing.