'Dancer scrubbed her hair with vengeance, the river mud quickly turning the wash water murky. Sitting in the wooden tub next to her, the young boy played quietly in the water. 'Dancer made a face, dumping another bucket of lukewarm rinse water on her head. Fledge giggled, and she stuck her tongue out at the child. He screeched with laughter and 'Dancer twisted her now clean hair into an impromptu bun, glancing again at her bracers in wonder. She quickly dressed in a borrowed pair of trousers and woolen sweater.
"Okay, chico, out you go." She told the small boy, picking him up out of the tub. Expertly she toweled him off and pulled an overlarge cardigan over his head. Emptying the tub of the used water, she then picked up her comb and lead Fledge back into the front room/study. Li and Zelgadis sat in front of a roaring fire, bundled up in thick blankets. Their outer garments lay next to hers on a drying rack.
"Next." She announced, sitting down near the fire and commencing to comb Fledge's unruly hair. Ramius, the "hermit" smiled pleasantly at her as Li hurried to the bath.
"The resemblance is extraordinary."
"Huh?" 'Dancer asked, looking up. Ramius stood and walked over to her, carrying two steaming mugs of soup. 'Dancer took one and sipped it as Ramius studied the boy.
"Your ward here. He looks remarkably like you." 'Dancer frowned and examined the boy as Fledge carefully drank from his cup. He did have the same skin tone as her, she noted, but his hair was bronze in color, and she didn't think that his facial structure matched that of hers. Fledge noticed her scrutiny and smiled shyly at her. 'Dancer smiled reassuringly back at him.
"He doesn't look that much like her." Zelgadis differed, moving over to her. "Can I see your wrist again?" He asked quietly. 'Dancer, in a much restored mood, nodded, and pulled up the sleeve on her arm, revealing a bracer. Both Zelgadis and Ramius inspected it. The bracer was made of antiqued bronze, glyphs cut into the metal and inlaid with a curious brown stone.
"Tell me exactly what happened from the time we split up to when I cast deim wind." Zelgadis said blandly, his face revealing nothing. 'Dancer took another sip of her soup, then recounted what happened, word for word. Fledge crawled up into her lap and listened with great shining eyes.
"...And then you deim winded me." Zelgadis grimaced and Ramius shook his head. "Okay, talk. What did I do wrong this time?" 'Dancer braced herself for the worst.
"Well, to start with, your promise is magically binding." 'Dancer's eyebrows disappeared into her damp bangs. "And these bracers are the contract, of sorts." Ramius made himself comfortable on the other side of her. "These glyphs here," He tapped the triad of glyphs closest to her hand "forge a link between your astral self and your contract. These glyphs," He pointed to those directly under the first set. "Links you to young Fledge. These," His finger trailed lightly to the middle set of glyphs. "Make the spell permanent, but fluid." 'Dancer frowned.
"I don't follow."
"He means that the spell can be transferred from one person to another." Zelgadis explained. 'Dancer nodded. Zelgadis pointed to the set of glyphs below the middle group. "I recognized these glyphs. They make your link with Fledge one-way."
"Meaning if Fledge gets hurt, I'm going to too, but if I get hurt, he's not going to get hurt." Zelgadis nodded as Ramius shook his head. Zelgadis gave the magic user a questioning look. Ramius smiled understandingly. "Normally, you'd be right, Master Chimera. But this glyph," He pointed to a triangular glyph. "tempers the bond. Say the boy was to break an arm, you would perhaps feel a dull ache, but your own limb wouldn't be broken." He paused. "However, if Fledge was to die, your own death wouldn't be too far behind."
"Guess there's still no cure for death." 'Dancer replied wryly. "Do any of these glyphs tell you how to remove the spell?"
Ramius sighed. "Possibly in these last line, but they belong to a much older form of magic, one which is no longer in use. I'm afraid I can't read them." 'Dancer looked over at Zelgadis, who shrugged helplessly. "He's the expert." 'Dancer sighed and absently stroked Fledge's head.
"What can I do then?" Again Zelgadis was of no help. But Ramius had a thoughtful look on is face.
"Fledge is a Br'zaxl."
"A what?" Ramius smiled kind of sheepishly, and scratched the back of his head.
"The Br'zax are a small coastal tribe on the far northern shore of the Island. They're an odd bunch, don't mix well with strangers and such. Rumor has it they they're a pretty powerful, magically speaking. These," He tapped her bracers again. "might be a form of retrieval."
"As in someone cast this spell so that Fledge would be returned?" 'Dancer asked. Ramius nodded. "But the craftsmanship in the physical manifestation is rather beautiful." 'Dancer's flat look clearly indicated that she didn't see anything beautiful about the bracers. A small snore precluded any further discussion, and 'Dancer gently put the sleeping tyke to bed in an adjoining room. Closing the door softly, she leaned against it, lost in thought.
" 'Dancer." 'Dancer looked up to see Zelgadis, half hidden by shadows. His stance betrayed the uneasiness his expression hid. "¿Sí?"
"Are you okay with this?" 'Dancer gave him a half smile.
"I'm not ecstatic, but whoever cast this spell is pretty powerful." She met his gaze. "They might know a cure for you." Zelgadis blinked, clearly not having thought along those lines. 'Dancer grinned. "I hear that Northern dishes are scrumptious." Zelgadis rolled his eyes.
"You think too much with your stomach." He grumbled.
Long after Zelgadis and 'Dancer had turned in for the evening Li sat down with Ramius in his study.
"Well, Master Sage, what do you think of them?" He asked jovially of his friend. Ramius shrugged, pouring a night cap for the both of them.
"I'm a little surprised to see you in the company of a wanted man, but I suspect that you have your reasons." Li smiled into his drink.
"I don't think he's guilty of being anything other than a chimera." Ramius gave the Blademaster an appraising look. "They don't know that you know then, do they?"
"No." Li grinned roguishly. Ramius shook his head slightly. He'd never figure out his friend, even after having grown up together. "And Dimitri? What does he say?" Li glanced over at his sword, hanging from a coat peg.
I'd rather stay out of your harebrained schemes.
"He says he trusts my judgement." Ramius stared at Li in poorly disguised disbelief. Li sipped nonchalantly from his mug.
"Why are you asking?" Ramius asked after a long moment. Li leaned back in his chair.
"When we were in town, 'Dancer got caught in a magic circle." Ramius raised an eyebrow. "A basic containment circle." Li answered Ramius's unspoken question.
"Was this before she became the boy's guardian?" Li nodded. Ramius frowned.
"What was the circle used against?"
"A lesser demon." Ramius gave Li an incredulous look. "And she couldn't leave the circle?"
"No, and the priestess felt that she should have been able to."
"So you spoke to the caster?" Li nodded again. "And you think she's a ...?" Li put his mug down with a trouble look. "At first, I thought maybe, but Dimitri didn't sense any Mazoku essence in her." Ramius recognized the signs of a dilemma. "But?"
"Dimitri didn't recognize her essence." Ramius sat quietly for a moment, thinking.
"Is she human, Dimitri?" He asked finally.
She is human, but she does not have human's essence. Li repeated the sword's reply, then demanded, "What does that mean?"
'Dancer is a human. But her astral essence isn't anything I recognize. I can't explain it better than that. Li passed on the sword's remark.
"A human that isn't traveling with a wanted chimera." Ramius mused. "Are you planning on staying with them?" Li nodded. "For a bit, anyway. With the boy, they're sure to come across more Mazoku."
Zelgadis dreamed he was back on the Merlady, surrounded by hundreds of seagulls, flapping and calling in the pre-dawn light. When an explosion rattled his room he realized his mistake.
" 'Dancer!" Li and Zelgadis emerged from their rooms at the same time. Ramius was already at the door, forcing it open.
'Dancer heard the simultaneous shouts, busy shielding Fledge from the burning debris which had been the roof. Timber beams crashed around her, one such beam clipping her left shoulder. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. Fledge stared up at her with wide frightened eyes.
"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacq!" Powerful wing beats cleared the smoke and dust, revealing a strange monster with the chest and head of a beautiful woman, and the body of a bird.
" 'Dancer, get out of there!" Ramius shouted for the doorway. Thick timbers obstructed the entry, making passage impossible. 'Dancer winced, and wondered if she could make it to the window five meters away. The harpy, sensing what the latina was about to do, let out a shrill banshee-scream.
Ramius stumbled back into the other two, hands over his aching ears. Over balance, the trio crashed to the floor. Zelgadis extracted himself first, and blasted the rubble blocking the doorway. Stepping into the roofless room he let loose a volley of marble sized fireballs at the harpy. The harpy shrieked, protecting her head with her wings, incredibly deflecting the spell. Li joined Zelgadis, his sword humming eagerly in the presence of a true Mazoku.
Ramius hurried over to the bed, where 'Dancer lay passed out over the equally unconscious Fledge. Her left shoulder and arm were bloodied, the skin scrapped off. Ramius gingerly shook her, calling her name, as Zelgadis and Li lit up the pre-dawn sky with magical attacks. Getting no response he picked her and the boy up. The harpy, seeing her prize escape, let out a fluting warble, stopping all three magic users dead in their tracks. With a satisfied croon she landed and walked over to Ramius. Clucking softly she touched an amulet from around her neck to Fledge, who promptly vanished. She then turned her attention to Ramius. Li swore mentally, and tried to call up the sword's power, even as Dimitri remained disturbingly silent. The harpy tilted her head from side to side, musing aloud in her twittering tongue. She then touched the amulet to Ramius. 'Dancer fell to the ground, no longer supported. Zelgadis watched with helpless rage as the harpy stooped to examine 'Dancer.
"Give them back." The harpy leapt back, startled into flight by 'Dancers growl. She twittered uncertainly, hovering over the wounded girl.
"Give me back my friends!" Screamed 'Dancer, sitting up, angry tears rolling down her face. The harpy pumped her wings harder, gaining altitude, as if to cast -
"Opoweroflightandearthandwindbreaknowthisevilspell Flow Break!" 'Dancer shouted throwing her arms up in front of her face. The harpy let out a sharp crow, calling down red lightning.
Li tackled 'Dancer, knocking her out of harm's way as Zelgadis countered with a wind spell of his own. 'Dancer let out a whimpered yelp, landing on her injured shoulder.
"AMBER!" Zelgadis shouted, the harpy swooped to dodge the glowing yellow globes hurling towards her. Seeing that she was outnumbered, she whistled a songbird's tune, fading from view.
"NOOOO!" 'Dancer shouted, stumbling to her feet only to fall to her knees. "Nooo!" She wailed breathlessly, helplessly beating her fists against the floor.