"Attack!" in response to the yell everyone but Amethyst and the traitor turned to face the oncoming bandits. The guards left two of their number to guard Amethyst and the traitor while Xalan turned about with a "yep, knew they were coming attitude." Jolrael grumbled irritably something about "perfect time to go into shock," as he drew his sword and turned to face his former employers.
The first wave of bandits flowed toward them across the road towards the small clearing that the camp was situated in. There was a bandit for each of the four guardsmen on the line and two each for Xalan and Jolrael. The two of them had it under control before the guardsmen and their bandits could do much more than exchange parries.
"I'm forgetting something," Jol muttered to himself as he cut through the last bandit's sword, and Xalan took the man's feet out from under him.
"FLARE ARROW!" the two guardsmen and to shove the unaware Amethyst out of the spell's way.
"Oh yeah, that's right," Jolrael said. Xalan favored him with a "how could you forget something like that?" look and charged into the woods. He fell back as more bandits came from the tree line. Xalan turned and saw Jolrael falling back to protect Amethyst, and whuffed in annoyance. He couldn't just let these idiots pass if the newcomer was going to ignore the present danger.
Suddenly as they approached the shadows of the new night deepened and grew over the strip of road ahead of them. The bandits plowed right into the unnatural shadow.
Jolrael had been planning on trying to snap the chimera out of her stupor with one of his little hypnosis tricks. Reaching out to her mind he came against a wall that was partially the mental discipline of a skilled mage, and partially the shock of the information she had just received. He worked to chip away at her defenses, unconcerned with causing harm. The paralyzing shock may have made an impressive defense, but it was not normal. Nor was it better for it to remain there.
"FIREBALL!" Jolrael turned to watch the oncoming spell bleakly.
"Should have known this was a bad idea," he muttered expecting to meet fiery breath in a moment. He had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, but nothing that would slow down a big ball of fire. He didn't quite have time to leap out of the way either.
"WINDY SHIELD!" he heard Amethyst shout from right behind him. The fireball faltered and vanished as it collided with the wall of whirling air. "LIGHTNING!" Jol ducked as the crackling bolts of energy passed over him and into the trees across the road.
"Apparently she can gather energy faster than that fat merchant-noble," he muttered. Watching the energy course through the woods towards the fireball's point of origin, for a brief moment the lightning silhoutted a moderately irritated Xalan. "What?" he looked to the kage-kitsune's field of darkness and back to where he could have sworn he saw him.
"FLARE ARROW!! FLARE ARROW!!! FLARE ARROW!!!" this time Amethyst saw the stalking form as well. She looked at the field of darkness and listened to the battle inside for a moment.
"I got him! I got him!" "No he's over here!" Jol and Amethyst sweatdropped.
"Where'd you come from!!" this was followed by the sound of a brief struggle and so there after Xalan dragging a stunned and somewhat charred sorcerer out of the woods. Everybody looked to the field of darkness where apparently the battle was still going on.
"Excuse me sir," one of the guardsmen asked. "If you're out here, who's in there?"
"This jerk's men," he said simply, then he dropped the sorcerer at the foot of a guardsman. "Excuse me." He walked into the shadows and for about five seconds the sound of battle intensified. Then it went silent and the darkness just dissipated revealing a pile of hacked and smashed bandits.
At this point the sorcerer started to come to, looked around and saw that he was trapped. Then he smiled grimmly.
"Don't be so convinced that you've won," he laughed. "I have plenty more fighters to bring into battle."
"Yes, I believe we're missing ten of the 'pilgrims'" Jol noted after clearing his throat.
"And they're his best men," the traitor declared loudly. "They..."
"Were very tasty," the two remaining assassins looked on in shock as a blood spattered Lina dropped into the clearing.
"I thought I smelled you," Xalan said, obviously proud of the accomplishment. The noble scanned the fresh blood coating Lina's fox-feet, clawed hands and half her face. Then he fainted, half of Amethyst's guards looked ready to do the same.
"Uh, Lina-sama," Amethyst started. "You didn't seriously.."
"Eat them?" Lina finished. "Of course not." The traitor guard snapped out of his shock.
"Don't think we're the last Princess," the guard spat. "There are plenty willing to...." He crumpled under neath Xalan's staff. Amethyst slumped and turned away from the traitor, even winced as he was struck.
"Amethyst," Xalan asked uncomfortably. "Are you okay?" Lina looked over the chimera and recognized the expression on her face.
"No, I'm not okay!" she shouted. "Why should I be okay?" She wiped the early tears from her eyes and sniffed.
"Somebody told you, didn't they," Lina sighed.
"You mean that you knew?" she said shocked. Lina sighed and sat down.
"I guessed," Lina told her, she looked to the unconcious traitor. "It was him, wasn't it." She flexed her fingers obviously restraining herself from attacking the unconcious man. She waved Amethyst down, and the chimera almost collapsed into a cross-legged position.
"Why didn't anybody tell me?" she asked angrily.
"Not my business to," Lina said, then she snarled at the traitor again. "And not his either. It might not be true you know." She glared at the other guardsmen, warning them not to say anything. Xalan and Jolrael stood off to the side looking uncomfortable.
"You don't really believe that," Amethyst snapped, still holding back tears. "And I don't either. L-Sama, I killed my mother!"
"Okay, first, deaths happen all the time in child birth, this wasn't your fault," Lina said.
"But...."
"NOT your fault," Lina repeated. "The second thing is that its okay to cry."
"But my Dad doesn't ever cry," Amethyst protested.
"Hmph, that's his problem."
"I'm NOT going to cry," Amethyst declared firmly. "A true warrior of justice does not cry." Lina heroically stamped the sudden urge to laugh after several memories of Amelia popped up.
"Have it your way," Lina shrugged. "Now on to the other problem."
"Xina got to Val didn't she," Xalan said. "I'm sorry mom, I really thought I caught everything she was saying."
"Question," Jol put in. Everybody looked to him. "Amethyst Sailoon?" Amethyst nodded stiffly. Then he pointed at Lina and Xalan in turn, finally bringing his finger to his chin. "Lina, Xalan, and Xina. Inverse or Metallium?"
"Yes," Lina admitted looking him over and taking in the scents. He was wearing elven silks, apparently woven with some mithril threads. He himself smelled of parchment and the civilized forests of the high elves. There was something familiar about him but she just couldn't place it, until she looked at the blade sheathed on his back.
"I'm Jolrael..."
"Gabriev?" Jol blinked in surprise.
"Yes, how'd you know?"
"You're GOURRY's kid?"
"Yes."
"But you're not...."
"Rock dense?"
"Right."
"Hard to believe I'm their son isn't it."
"This must be a sign!" Amethyst declared suddenly, sniffing away the remainder of her unshed tears. Lina winced, but was glad she had something to distract her, even if it was uncomfortably close to Zelgadis's belief in some furred-bird's prophecy.
"Just coincidence that's all," Lina said. "By any chance, you weren't heading to Sailoon were you?" she asked the dark-haired swordsman.
"Actually, yes."
"Damn," Lina muttered, this was convienent. As convienent as the ways most of her adventures had begun.
Zangulus twirled the black blade in his hand, revelling in the power contained within its form. He felt as if he had recovered his lost youth, and more besides. All he had to do was recover the mazoku's body now, and Martina would be his forever. She would give him power that would make these minorly enchanted sword look like a rusty dagger. Then Gourry Gabriev wouldn't be able to defeat him. Not an aged Gabriev softened by the years, a wife and two children available as hostages....
Zangulus shook his head clear, surprised at the thought. Why did he need hostages, he'd just kill Gabriev. He didn't need any dishonorable tricks to do it. If he had been thinking clearer he might have looked for the reason such an unusual thought had occured to him, but he had more important matters on his mind.
Martina needed Xellos's body. He was almost tooo Sailoon now, two or three days travel and he'd be there. Then it was only a matter of getting into the Tomb. Soon, very soon, he would have everything he ever dreamed of.