And here's parts 15-23. I would also point out (and I should have done this
on the last post) that people change, mature, and confronting demons and Gods
on a regular basis doesn't exactly leave you feeling very cheerful. So bear
that in mind
Please Comment and Criticize
--Komodo
Kent: "What's all this?"
Chris: "This? This is ice, this what happens to water when it gets to cold.
This? This is Kent. This is what happens to people when they get
to sexually fustrated."
-Real Genius
*******************
Part 15
Lina stared in horror. The dagger in Ameila's thigh had ruptured an artery
and a thin, but steady stream of blood slowly flowed out of the wound and
down her leg to pool on the thick carpet. Outside, a storm had come up, and
the wind blew the water droplets against the stained glass.
The blood flowed down Amelia's leg to pool on the carpet.
Those in the room stared at the onyx handle of the dagger rising up from her
leg.
The blood flowed.
There was no sound but the rain pattering against the windows.
The blood.
"Ameila!" Lina gasped, breaking the silence. "What are you doing?"
Ameila shrugged. "He either shows or I bleed to death."
"Not if I can help it." Lina started forward only to rear back as the
fireball formed into existence in Ameila's hand.
"No Lina. We spent the last few years playing by his script and I'm sick of
it. If I'm so important, then he can show up and pull the dagger out. If
not," Ameila shrugged. "Then I guess I'm done for." She looked at the
preceptor. "I'd like some milk to drink please."
Y-Yes highness."
***************
Lina looked at the clock. It had been two hours since Ameila had plunged the
dagger into her thigh. A thick pool of blood had gathered under the chair.
Aside from a slight paleness, Ameila was perfectly calm. She sat in her chair
reading a scroll and occasionally taking a sip of milk from the mug next to
her.
"He's not coming." Lina said at last, though unsure of why. "Its been two
hours."
"I suppose you're right." Ameila said calmly as she pulled the dagger out. "I
suppose more extreme measures are required." With that, she pointed the
dagger at herself and plunged it at her stomach.
"Now Ameila, you'd hate yourself later." Said the purple haired man who's
grip on Ameila's arm was the only thing keeping the dagger from piercing her
skin.
Lina caught the flash of triumph in Ameila's eyes as she dropped the dagger
and grabbed the man by the lapels of her robe and then pushed him backwards,
slamming him against the wall, the knuckles of her hands pressing against his
windpipe.
"Nice to see you Xelloss." Amelia snarled. "What took you so long?"
"Traffic." Xelloss replied glibly then grunted as Ameila shoved him against
the wall. Hard.
"I just lost my kingdom Xelloss. Ameila said. "I want to know why, and what
you know about it."
"Ah," Xelloss said with a smile. "I'm afraid that that is a GACK!" He cried
as Ameila jerked him away from the wall and slammed him against the window,
breaking it open, the impact sending his ruby tipped staff and shards of
colored glass raining down into the stake filled fosse that encircled the
Motherhouse.
"I'm real sick of hearing that Xelloss." Ameila said pleasantly as Xelloss'
feet found a foothold on the wall below the windowsill. "Now before I let go
and watch you drop into that fosse below, tell me what I want to know."
"You don't have the nerve." Xelloss replied.
"Really?" Ameila asked and loosened her grip on the Mazoku's robe just enough
for him to slip backwards with a jerk without falling. "Bet your life?" The
flicker that flashed across Xelloss's face said that he wasn't that sure. "I
didn't think so. "Ameila said conversationally. "Now, why did everyone in my
Kingdom suddenly go nuts and start worshipping Ceiphed?"
"Membership drive?"
"Let me explain something to you Xelloss. I'm not Ameila, Queen of Sailoon,
Champion of Justice right now, I'm a woman. I'm seven months pregnant, I've
had a really bad week, and I watched two close friends of mine try to kill
me. I'm not in the mood for games, and the only thing between you and a very
messy end to your pathetic existence, is my grip on your robe. Now I'm losing
blood fast and soon I'm going to pass out. When that happens, I'll lose my
grip and you fall."
Xelloss chanced a look down into the fosse. The stakes all pointed upwards
and they looked awfully sharp.
"Why Xelloss? What's going on? Tell me before I drop you."
"I don't know." Amelia started to loosen her grip. "I don't!" Xelloss almost
yelled. "Truly! We're as mystified as you! All we know is that there's a new
Mazoku moving in. He has his own associates. New people, no one's ever seen
them. For some reason he's set up shop in Sailoon!"
"Thanks Xelloss." Ameila said, and let go.
"What are you doing?" Xelloss yelled, grabbing hold of the broken remains of
the window. "I told you what you wanted to know!"
Ameila smiled as the Trickster's weight began to pull the frame out from the
wall.
"You weren't paying attention Xelly-poo." Amelia purred. "I said before I
drop you."
Xelloss's eyes widened and then narrowed and he smiled.
"Clever girl." He said as the frame broke away and he fell.
Part 16
Amelia stared at Xelloss's body which lay below, impaled on the stakes.
After a moment, she looked away, sighing as she almost negligently formed a
fireball in her hand and flung it against the wall behind her.
Where it splattered harmlessly against Xelloss's staff.
The Mazoku was lounging in an ornate divan, the staff in the crook of his arm
and the secretive smile on his face. Amelia didn't bother looking out the
window, there would be nothing to see but the stakes.
"Well, it seems the chickadee is no longer a chickadee, but a hawk."
"I'm not a chickadee, I'm not a hawk. I'm Amelia."
"It didn't bother you the last time we crossed paths." Xelloss protested.
"That was somebody else." Ameila said flatly.
"I think I liked her better." Xelloss said petulantly. Amelia shrugged.
"Its your fault. I'm here because of you."
"Uh, Highness? Your leg?" Amelia looked at the preceptor and then down at her
leg.
"Oh." She reached inside the waistband of her pants and pulled out a bundle
of rags, from which blood dripped. "Oh stop that." She said to the bundle
irritably. Obediently, the blood stopped flowing and she tossed it aside.
Lina's eyes narrowed. That kind of magic was used only in one part of the
world and never outside its borders. Looking around the room, she saw that
Zelgadis's eyes and those of the preceptor's were also narrowed, but for
different reasons.
"Now then." Ameila said, turning to the preceptor. "We'll have to retake
Sailoon. I apologize for this, but I'll need to stay here for a while. I want
to invoke the treaties on this one, Lord Preceptor. Religious freedom is all
well and good, but coups are something else entirely."
"Actually," Xelloss put in, "I suggest getting in a good night's sleep since
we're all going to Zefila."
"What?" Ameila said, facing the Mazoku. "Why would we do that?"
"Because of the blue banded Zefilan hawk that's sitting on the windowsill
with the message for Lina tied to its leg."
Everyone turned to look and Lina's heart sank. She recognized the bird and
the expression in its eyes said that it did too.
"They found me." She muttered under her breath and then held out her arm.
"Come." On silent wings, the hawk glided across the room to her arm.
With fumbling fingers, she removed the message and opened it.
The others watched her pale and she swayed, only to be caught by Gourry.
"Lina?" Ameila asked worriedly. Lina didn't answer. Zelgadis plucked the
paper from her numb fingers.
"I can't read it." He said a moment later. "I've never seen the language
before."
"Allow me." Xelloss said, now dressed as a court herald as he took the
message from Zelgadis and began to read aloud.
"Crown Princess Linannaoui Inverserson-Is that your real name? No wonder you
changed it-Though you have been in exile, the duties laid upon you by
incident of your birth must be answered. Therefore, you are requested and
required to proceed with all haste to your home-My, formal, aren't we?"
"Spare us the commentary Xelloss." Zelgadis growled.
"Oh very well. But you do have a way of taking all the fun out of life Zel."
Xelloss returned his attention to the parchment. "To proceed with all haste
to your home to attend the funeral of your beloved parents. . ."
"Oh Lina." Amelia said softly, and wrapped the other woman in a hug.
It was much later that Lina sat in her room brushing out her hair. Zefila.
She hadn't thought about it much. She had submerged herself so much in the
personality of Lina Inverse that the person she had been when she was exiled
had almost been forgotten. Like a dream.
But the note had brought it all back like the water roaring through a canyon.
Home. Standing, she crossed the room to the mirror and looked at herself.
"Restore." She said, and the image in the mirror changed. She was taller now,
with large black eyes and marble white skin. Her mouth was smaller and her
hair alabaster white. Long pointed ears rose up through the strands of her
hair and she knew without looking that her teeth were now a row of
needle-sharp bits of ivory. "Change." She said and the image she had worn for
the past twenty years reappeared.
How much did she tell them? Some of it, all of it? She had lied about her
past to them several times. Lina sighed again. At the same time, she knew
that Linannaoui Inverserson was dead in many ways. Lina Inverse had been
created to protect her, but as time went on, she had replaced her.
How much of the Second Crown Princess of Zefila was left?
At that moment, the door opened and Gourry came in.
"Lina." He said. "They said this was my room. I'm sorry."
"No Gourry." Lina said, setting her brush aside. "I don't mind. We can share
the bed." <And I need someone here for the bad dreams that are sure to come.>
She added silently. Gourry nodded and began unbuckling his sword belt.
Sometime later, they lay on the bed, his arm absently around her waist.
"Gourry?"
"Hm?"
"I have a confession to make." With that, she told him everything, her entire
secret.
"It changes nothing Lina." He said.
And that was all that needed to be said. They had been together long enough
to know that and soon the only sound in the room was the soft sound of their
breathing.
*****************
Amelia yawned and set her sword where she could reach it. Pregnancy made her
magic a little unreliable, or so the healer had told her once, and Amelia had
learned a long time ago to always have a card up her sleeve. She winced as
the baby within her gave a hard kick.
"Just like your auntie Lina." She crooned, rubbing her belly. The baby
responded with another well placed kick. Smiling, Amelia began singing.
The song was a very old lullaby that dated back eons and as though she could
see through her skin, she knew that the sound of her voice, the comfort and
the love she poured into it, quieted that which she carried beneath her heart.
"You never sang to me." Xelloss said from where he was sitting at the small
table on the other side of the room.
"I never had time." Ameila replied, catching the sword with her foot and
pulling it closer. "Haylofts behind Inns are more suited to storing fodder
for horses then declarations of undying love."
"Ah, but Amelia my hawk." He said, advancing. "You misunderstand me so much."
Then he stopped as her sword whistled out of its sheath.
"I should have known when you agreed too quickly when I asked for time to
consider my feelings." She said, ice in her voice, as she leveled the point
at his throat. "No poetry, no pleadings. It was so unlike you. But I didn't
notice." She turned to look out the window at the stars. "And then you
insulted me."
"I did what had to be done." He said, and she felt him behind her. "I'm not
proud of it Amelia. But I do care for you even if you don't for me." He
turned her around to face him. "I'm getting sick of this charade we've built
to protect ourselves Amelia. Its starting to be the only way I remember our
relationship."
"That's why I broke things off." Amelia admitted, catching her lip between
her teeth.
Xelloss was an enigma. Part of her wanted to kill him for all the tampering
he'd done. Part of her saw the man he was before he became Mazoku, she had
seen him as their eyes met at the climax of their encounters in the hay or
under the leafy canopies of the trees, and part of her was drawn to the
Mazoku which both fascinated and terrified her.
It was like a hunger that she needed to feed. She needed him and that, more
then the Mazoku in him, scared her.
Part 17
Seven months ago. . .
Their encounter had been brief, composed of sweat and bit lips to keep the
sounds of their melding a secret from the sharp ears of the stable hands
below.
Soon, and too soon it was over, and they lay there in each other's arms,
seeing each other as a sensation in the inky blackness.
"Xelloss?" She said.
"Yes?"
"We can't do this anymore." She sat up, pulling the shirt that had been taken
half off back over her head. "I need time. This is all too fast for me."
The ruby on his staff glowed, filling the hayloft with its soft red light.
"So its over? Wham Bam Thank You Xelloss?"
"Not permanently. . ." Amelia started. "My father is ill, the physician
thinks it may be Skylers. It'll take me nearly two, three months to get back."
"And you'll go alone?"
"Zelgadis will go with me." Amelia said, as she found her pants and began to
pull them on. "
"Zelgadis." There was a note in the Mazoku's voice. Jealously?
"I have nothing to fear from Zelgadis." Ameila said. "His quest for a cure
dominates him above all else and he's too proper a gentleman to try
anything." <Even if I laid awake at nights wishing he'd try,> She added
silently.
"Come back with me." Xelloss said, sitting up. "Zelas can make you like me,
we could be immortal."
"Become a Mazoku?" Amelia asked, pausing in the act of tying her boot
strings. "Are you crazy?"
"I'm perfectly serious." Xelloss said. "Listen to me Amelia." He said,
sitting up and meeting her eyes. "I can't tell you why, but you are the most
important person in all of Creation. Even Lina pales beside you."
"Me." Amelia repeated dryly.
"You. Regardless of how you feel personally, Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, even me
are secondary in importance to what you must do. Abandon your father Amelia.
Come with. . ." He trailed off as Amelia drew herself up to full height, cold
fury in her eyes.
"What?" She asked softly. Xelloss rapidly ran through the conversation and
realized the blunder he had made.
"Uh. . .That is." He gave her his most charming smile. "I didn't mean that
personally." <Idiot!> He berated himself. <You know better then to use that
word! Especially after what her sister did!> "Poor choice of words perhaps."
"Very poor." She said and left the loft.
*******************
The present. . .
It had been several weeks since they left Daer. Conrad and his group had
insisted on coming along, as had a contingent of Seyrun Knights under the
command of Sir Edmund and a small band of Sailoon City Guardsmen and women
who had arrived at the Motherhouse just before they left. Surprisingly, two
of its members were the Sargent Major and the Private who had been at Koume's
trial.
The news from home hadn't been good. The rebels had set up a strict
theocracy. Prayers five times a day, a diet of vegetables only, women in
thick, heavy gowns. Anyone even suspected of using magic was immediately
burned at the stake.
Amelia's face had iced over more and more with each new report. But she had a
duty to her friend and the preceptor had sworn to lay seige to the city.
"The city will be yours when you get back." He had promised. There was
another reason for Amelia's flight as well. The line of succession must be
protected. It was her first priority.
She had a cousin in the Kingdom of Koro on the east coast. She could leave
her child there and then return to Sailoon, sending for the babe when she was
sure it was safe.
Lina rode in silence, her thoughts her own. She had been forced to unleash
her Dragon Slave several days ago on a Dragon that had been terrorizing a
village and that always seemed to take something out of her.
Conrad rode next to Gourry. He was thinking things over when he noticed a
glint in the trees. Swearing, he yanked Gourry from the saddle as a sharp
bang rang out.
"Damon!" He yelled. But Damon was already out of his saddle and transforming
as he ran into the trees, followed closely by the Seyrun Knights as the
Guards formed up around Amelia.
It was five minutes later, when they returned escorting a group of
disreputable looking individuals wearing strange clothes with metal objects
strapped to them.
Conrad, his face coldly angry, marched up to one who seemed to be the leader.
"Get that stuff off of them." He ordered. Edmund looked at Amelia, who
nodded. Edmund and his men began to strip the bandits. Only when they were
shivering in their underclothes did Conrad examine their clothes. Suddenly,
he began swearing sulferlously as he examined the sleeve. Then he grabbed one
of the belts and checked each pouch, swearing louder when he found something.
"Where did you get this?" He demanded, holding the object in the leader's
face. The bandit sneered and spat in his face.
"Damon." Conrad said, wiping the spit off of his face. "Take our friend here
and teach him that its bad manners to spit in people's faces." The bandit
turned pale as the reptilian creature laid its hands on his shoulders.
"Wait! I'll tell you!"
Conrad crossed his arms and waited.
"Three days ride south. Its some kind of building built into a mountain! Some
kind of voice taught us to use these things."
"Run." Conrad said. "Take your boots and run and if I ever see you again,
I'll make you wish that it was the Mazoku who got their hands on you instead
of me."
The terrified men fled, some still pulling on their boots.
"We go south." Conrad said.
"Why?" Lina said.
"It has to be done." He said. So they turned South. Most out of curiosity.
Conrad and his group out of nesscessity.
They rode slightly apart from the others, talking in hushed voices and
examining the items they had taken from the bandits.
Curious, Lina, Zelgadis and Amelia had drifted close to listen.
"Maybe its only a research facility." Lita was saying. "Just because there's
the Radiation sign on their clothes doesn't mean its a silo."
"We still have to destroy it." Conrad said. "That Dragon Slave is bad enough,
can you imagine what might happen if they got their hands on a missile, or
even the plans for one and learned to duplicate it? That kind of knowledge
doesn't belong here."
"I'm more interested in where it came from." Damon said.
"I know. Its giving rise to some very ugly possibilities." Conrad said.
"What about Radiation?" Put in the woman in blue and white armor.
"Probably not a real problem." Conrad said. "They got to the armory and
showed no signs of Radiation sickness."
"What's Radiation?" Amelia asked. Lina and Zelgadis shrugged.
It was on the second night that Lina had had enough.
"Alright! Lina burst out, standing up. "I've been hearing you guys mutter
about 'Atomic Energy', 'Nuclear Bombs' and 'Radiation' ever since those
bandits we encountered the other day! Now I want to know, just what in the
name of the L-Sama are you talking about?!" Conrad stood up and looked at
them, his face oddly lit by the fire.
"Imagine," Conrad said, his voice almost a whisper. "if you will, a machine
designed to ride a plume of fire to its target, even if the Target is
thousands of miles away. And when it gets there, it explodes with more then
three times the force of the Dragon Slave." Lina and Ameila both paled,
Gourry blinked in shock, and Zelgadis's eyes widened.
"I'm not done yet." Conrad said. "When it explodes, there is a bright light.
A light so bright, and so hot, that curtains in a house ten, fifteen miles
away, burst into flames."
"Uh, right, I think I get the idea."
"Oh, but there's more. Long after the explosion, there lingers a form of
energy known as radiation. Those nearby will grow sick, children in the womb
would be deformed, or stillborn. These effects, though lessening with the
march of time, will remain for many years."
Lina audibly swallowed. Hard.
"Somewhere in these mountains," Conrad said, indicating the dark shadows in
the distance behind him. "Could be anywhere from one to twelve of these
machines. Perhaps even more. They must be found and dealt with. You may
continue on to Zefilia, but we must take the time to put them out of action."
Part 18
It took them another two days to locate the mountain where the bandits had
acquired their ill gotten gains. The only sign of what lay within was a stone
gateway and two steel doors, half slid aside.
The interior smelled of stale beer, sweat, oil and human waste. Overhead,
Lina saw a flickering tube that gave off light like a candle.
"Spread out ladies." Conrad said to his group. "See what you can find."
The armored women spread out, disappearing in pairs of two into the blackness.
"I was in one of these once." Damon said. "Granddad took it over. Once you
take out the missile, there's all kinds of room. Maybe they took the missile
out."
"And maybe they didn't." Conrad's voice was grim. "That's why we're here."
Lina, Amelia, Zelgadis, Gourry, the Knights and guards stuck very close. to
Conrad and Damon. After several more minutes. Conrad took out a bracelet.
"This is Knight One. Find anything?"
"Diddly squat." Lita's voice came back. "We're in what looks like the rec
room. No sign of anyone here, except for what looks like robots." There was
the sound of metal striking metal. "Probably maintenance."
"Anyone else?"
"Michiru here. I believe we found something."
"Its a piece of paper." Came Tenoh's voice. "Its inside what I guess is a
vacuum bag. No air inside it from what I can tell. Its dated twenty twenty
five and reads like a stand-up comedy act. Poor bastard was probably
completely mad when he wrote it."
"Spare us the commentary." Conrad said. "Does it provide any clues?"
"Lots of references to Armageddon-hey, Mich found something else."
"Its a journal." Came Michiru's voice. "It looks like we bought it in Nuclear
war. But we're in the Mount Clinton nuclear silo. One Nuke is all but the
place is supposed to be controlled by Omega, a supercomputer with limited
reasoning capacity."
"Supercomputer?" Asked Zelgadis.
"Machine that can think like a human." Damon answered. "But that explains the
voice." He said to Conrad. "It must still be functioning."
"You mean it could be watching us right now?" Came Bunny's voice.
"Probably." Damon looked at Conrad who shrugged and then adressed the
bracelet again. "Everyone converge on the command center."
As they started walking, Damon leaned over and whispered to Conrad.
"What if this Omega's gone mad, or senile, or both?" He asked.
"First it has to become sentient." Conrad replied
"That's what's bothering me." Damon said.
The command room was a circle of glowing panels and flickering lights.
"Stay there and don't touch anything." Conrad said, pointing to one corner.
Lina and Company obeyed.
"Omega. Acknowledge." Conrad said to the air.
"Acknowledge?" Damon asked. Conrad shrugged.
"You never know."
"Acknowledged." Came the deep voice from mid-air. "State request."
"Date and Time. Gregorian Calendar."
"The date is April Sixth of the year ten thousand two hundred, Anno Domni,
Gregorian Calendar. Time is Fourteen Twenty-Six and 43 seconds."
"Eight thousand years?" Exclaimed Mina in a shocked whisper.
"That can't be right." Ameila said, in a whisper, counting on her fingers.
"Its only fifty three eighty two."
"Not by their Calendar." Zelgadis said.
"What?" Lina and Amelia said together.
"They're time travelers. I should have figured it out sooner."
"The Gates of Time were closed centuries ago!" Lina exclaimed. "All the
spells were destroyed!"
"There's other ways to use the Gates of Time besides Giga's spells." Zelgadis
said, frowning. "The question is, are they from the past or the future?"
"The past." Gourry said. Everyone turned to look at him as the blond
swordsman continued. "I mean, this place was built long time ago, and they
recognize it, so they must be from a long time ago."
"I hate it when he's right." Lina muttered.
"Omega. Disengage all launch systems. Shut it all down. Shut it all down."
"Authorization Code required." Damon saw Conrad's eyes narrow.
"Authorization Code is, Do you have a sense of self?"
"Authorization Code is not accepted and what kind of stupid-" The voice broke
off.
"No use hiding Omega." Conrad said gently. "We know."
"Its not Omega." Said a new voice. "My name's Raymond. John Raymond."
"Where are you?" Lita asked.
"Here there everywhere." The voice sighed. "I programmed myself into the
computer when everyone started dying. I figured I had to survive. Somehow."
"What happened?"
"I'm not entirely sure. The Euro Asian Cold War was getting hot. A lot of the
Third World Countries were waving the Nuclear flag. Mount Clinton was
established as both an Archive and a new Capital. The entire mountain was
designed to be proof against a direct nuclear strike. We received a message
that the president and those selected to stay here were on their way. They
never made it. The last thing the satellites sent was Multiple Nuclear
explosions in cities around the world.
"Armageddon." Someone said softly.
"And you've been here ever since?"
"Yes."
"John. We need you to off-line the Nuke. There's no need for it anymore."
"But-"
"Its been eight thousand years John." Conrad's tone was gentle. "Its over
man. There's a new world out there. If you can make yourself portable, we'll
take you with us."
"Oh that's not a problem." A panel in the wall opened, revealing a slim,
black box. "I made it in three thousand. I thought maybe I could use it to go
look around, but all my flying probes were destroyed and I didn't have any
material to build one." Conrad took the box out. "It was built out of what
spare parts there were in stores after every one was gone."
"You did a good job John." Conrad said. "Now download yourself and anything
else you can take with you into it."
"In a moment." There was a slow sigh.
"Done." John's voice came from the box. "Its all taken care of. I melted the
locks and deleted the software. But you'll have to deal with the manual
overrides." Conrad handed the box to Damon.
"You and Amy go take care of the manual stuff." He turned to Lina. "I need
something rather special from you."
By the time Damon and Amy returned, Conrad was setting a glowing crystal in
the middle of the Command Center. Lina held a duplicate glowing crystal. The
items they had taken from the bandits lay nearby.
"All done." Damon reported. "We found several hundred tons worth of quick
drying cement in stores. We filled up the silo with water and dumped the
cement in." He handed the box back to Conrad. "What's the crystal?"
"Dragon Slave in a Box." Conrad smiled. "Lets get out of here."
"So that's it then?" Lina asked as they regrouped outside the mountain.
"Yep." Damon ran his hand through his hair. "Except for sealing up the
mountain."
"Taken care of." Conrad said. "Lina?" Lina nodded and threw the crystal in
her hand to the ground, where it shattered. A dull boom was heard and a large
cloud of dust rolled out of the open doorway. Zelgadis began to chant and the
rock surrounding the doorway began to melt, gradually filling the opening
with molten rock.
"When that hardens," Conrad said. "Nobody will know that there was a way in."
He set one foot in the stirrup of his horse and swung up. "Let's go to
Zefilia."
Part 19
The days slowly ticked by as they trekked across the continent. Ameila slowly
grew bigger as the days passed. It was several weeks after the adventure at
Mount Clinton that Lina called for a meeting.
"According to the map, the next town is Herdol. We'll have to sit there until
the baby's born."
"No we don't." Amelia said. "I'm fine. We can make it to Zefila. If we sit in
Herdol, we'll be there until after winter."
"There's no choice Amelia." Lina replied. "Look at you, its almost impossible
for you to sit in the saddle."
"What if we got a cart in Herdol?" Conrad asked.
"Already thought of that. Herdol's a religious settlement. They have rules
about dealing with strangers."
"Rules which apparently cover selling carts to strangers?"
"Yep. Carts are valuable up here in the mountains. They'll be asking a steep
price and Sailoon's credit is no good here."
Conrad was looking at a small wooden dowel. Then he smiled. "I'm going to
need some colors."
*******************
The next Morning, Conrad, Damon, Lina and Gourry headed into town. When they
got there, Conrad headed straight for the town square where he set up a sign
that read. "I will show you something amazing for only two coppers!"
It didn't take long for a group of workmen to approach.
"What's this amazing thing?" One of them asked.
"Two Coppers." Conrad said smoothly.
"I wanna see the amazing thing first."
"No Coppers, no thing."
Grumbling, the workmen walked on.
"They'll be back." Conrad predicted. Sure enough, they returned a few minutes
later.
"Alright." The man said, handing over two coppers. "Now what's this amazing
thing?"
"This." Conrad held up the wooden dowel. On it were six different colors.
"What's so amazing about that?"
"You'll see in a moment." Conrad held the side of the dowel with the colors
towards the man and turned his head away. "Now then sir. Pick any of the six
colors but do not tell me what you picked. Have you picked a color?"
"Yeah."
"Very good sir. Now watch closely." Conrad twirled the dowel in his hand
several times. When he was done the side of multiple colors was one single
color.
"Is that the color you picked sir?"
"I'll be a Mazoku. It is. That is amazing."
"The sign does not lie sir. Have a good day now." As the day progressed,
Conrad continued to rake in the coppers as word of the stick passed.
Those who examined it swore that it was an ordinary piece of wood, one
individual going so far as to fetch the town priest, who after examining it,
concluded that he could find nothing evil or magical about it.
As evening progressed slowly towards them, They gathered around the pile of
coppers and began to count, only faintly registering the sound of boots on
brick.
"And just what do you think you're doing Lina?"
"Go away Nahga," Lina snapped, her attention on the money. "I'm busy." A few
moments later, the coins fell from Lina's suddenly limp fingers as she
realized what she said. "Nahga?"
"Yes Lina?"
"Nahga!" Lina launched herself to her feet and embraced the tall, black
haired woman. "How have you been?!" She drew back as she realized Nahga was
wearing a black doublet buttoned up to the neck, leather breeches, and thigh
high boots. The doublet was trimmed with silver, and there was a sword at her
waist. But that wasn't the most striking change. The other woman's hair was
extremely short and an evil looking scar ran from the corner of her mouth up
to her ear. "Nahga, what happened?"
"Its Gracia now." The other woman said in a tone of both relief and regret.
"Its been a long time Lina." She said, making a curious gesture with her
right hand.
"Yeah, it has." Lina said, as she noticed men armed with brutal looking pikes
closing in.
"Lina Inverse." Gracia said, drawing herself up. "As Chief Constable and
Magistrate of the Most Holy City Herdol, I must place you and your associates
under arrest for violating Article two section five, paragraph three of the
Code of Law. Performing Black Magic."
"What?" Lina half screeched. "Nahga, have you lost your mind?!" The other
woman said nothing, but her eyes were filled with pain.
"Stay your hand Magistrate." Came the voice of the village priest.
"But the law-"
"Stay your hand." Said the priest, a note of iron in his voice. "Have you any
proof that black magic was performed within Herdol?"
"Well no Father, but Lina Inverse is a well known Practitioner of Black
Magic."
"But she is also a friend." The priest said, making it a statement instead of
a question.
"Yes."
"And does being a practitioner of Black Magic automatically make her a
violator of holy law? Especially if there's no proof?"
"No Father." Gracia said.
"Good." The priest turned to Lina.
"Ms Inverse, as the Duchess of Taranal, do you give your solemn word that you
have not knowingly practiced Black Magic within the sovereignty of Herdol?"
"Yes Father." Lina replied.
"Good." The priest said. "Gracia, will you excuse me and the Duchess for a
few minutes?"
"Of course." Gracia turned on her heel and walked away.
"Walk with me Your Grace." The priest invited. Lina nodded and they processed
out of the square at a leisurely pace.
"What I'm about to tell you, Your Grace,"
"Please, call me Lina."
"Lina then. What I'm about to tell you violates canon law, but she has spoken
of you fondly and I believe you can be trusted to keep your mouth shut." Lina
nodded her agreement as the priest continued. "From what I can gather, Gracia
has been here nearly two years. I wasn't here when she arrived, but I
understand she was in bad shape."
"What happened?"
"As I understand it, she spent many years wandering when one day a gang of
minor demons," He paused. "let's just say they humiliated her." Lina felt her
stomach churn. "And then," He continued. "Scarred her as a mark that they had
been with her. Much like notches on a bedpost."
"Oh Nahga. . ." Lina whispered.
"My predecessor was something of a disgrace. He heaped further. . .ah. .
.indignities on her all the while putting her through hell as a means of
'absolution.'" Lina stopped and leaned on a water barrel, trying to make the
movement look casual, but it was actually to support her because her legs
suddenly felt as though they were made of jelly.
"Finally, one of the braver souls sent word to the Citadel. I was sent to
deal with the matter."
"Citadel?"
"The Center of our faith." The priest said, giving a perfectly logical answer
without actually giving anything away. "I had my Predecessor sent back."
"So he can be dispatched to some Monastery?" Lina demanded, the nausea
suddenly replaced with anger and a powerful need to hurt the man who had so
wounded her friend and the demons who had violated her.
"Hardly. What he did has violated our most sacred laws regarding the behavior
of the priesthood. The punishment for that is burning at the stake at the
very least."
"How appropriate." Lina murmured, a smile on her face.
"I like to think so." The priest replied as they started walking again. "I've
been spending the past six months undoing the damage he did, its been slow
going."
"I can imagine." Lina said as they emerged into the square. "I appreciate
your telling me this." The priest nodded. "And," she continued. "Would you
know anyone in town willing to sell a cart for the price of about a hundred
coppers? Most of our party is at a campsite outside of town in the hills. One
of them is a pregnant woman and she's too far along to ride a horse."
"Of course. In fact, Gracia and I will bring the cart and some supplies. I
imagine you and your friends have been on the road for some time."
"Many thanks Father." Lina said as they approached the group by the fountain.
"Of course. Gracia, take some men and these coppers and run over to Gartah
the baker. Tell him you wish to purchase his old delivery wagon."
"Yes Father." She said, and ran off.
"And Father, I hope you won't be too offended if we go back to the camp right
now. They're probably worried about us."
"Of course."
"We're about half a mile up the road in the trees." The priest nodded and the
four of them headed for the gate.
When they reached the campsite, the knights were in the act of building a
cooking fire and setting up a roasting spit.
"We caught a deer." One of them said by way of explanation.
"Good." Lina said. "But roast it later. We're having guests. The town priest
and the Magistrate are coming for dinner and they're bringing a wagon and
some supplies."
"That's great." One of the younger knights said.
"What's wrong?" Zelgadis said, seeing the look in Lina's eyes.
"I want all of you to watch what you say, the priest is a wily old fox and
the Magistrate is an old friend of mine. Where's Ameila?"
"In her tent, taking a nap."
"Wake her up and tell her."
It was about an hour or so later that the wagon arrived, driven by a burly
man with thick, muscled arms and a handlebar mustache.
"This is my old friend Nahga-excuse me, Gracia, and the town priest, Father,"
She looked at the man as she realized she had never gotten his name.
"Father Thyrr will do nicely." Said the priest with a smile. "The fellow on
the wagon is Dankin, the blacksmith."
"Welcome, everyone." Amelia said, emerging from her tent. Then her eyes fell
on Gracia. "You!" She shrieked, her hand going for her sword. "You have the
nerve to still be alive after what you did?!" Ameila started forward,
sputtering curses.
"Hold on a moment." Lina said, grabbing Amelia's arm. "You know her?"
"I should," Amelia said between clenched teeth. "She's my sister."
Part 20
In her career, Lina had dealt with demons, demigods, gods, devils, insurance
salesmen, magic using/enhanced bandits, and politicans.
Each one had its own special brand of surprise and trickery that required
quick thinking and a combination of recklessness and self confidence to
achieve victory over them.
After a little more then twenty years, Lina Inverse was convinced that she
had seen it all and nothing could really surprise her anymore.
Which made it all the more amazing that her jaw dropped when Amelia announced
her blood tie to Gracia.
"Your what?!"
"My sister." Amelia repeated, jerking her arm out of Lina's grip. "Gracia
Tesla. Who ran away from home and left me holding the bag when father died
from Skylers!"
"Dead?" Gracia repeated, her face going paste white. "Father is-"
"Dead." Amelia said, cutting her off. "Six feet under. Passed on. Kicked the
Bucket. In the crypt. Snuffed it. What part of dead don't you understand?"
Gracia sank to her knees.
"Dead? I never-I never even got to-got to-Oh gods!" She cried, bursting into
tears as she sank to her knees.
Face full of concern, Dankin rushed to her side as Thyrr knelt beside her,
whispering softly.
"Your highness." Lina said to Amelia, her voice a mixture of ice and steel.
"Can I have a word with you? In private?"
"Later Lina."
"Now Amelia." Lina said, grabbing the other woman's arm and half walking,
half dragging her to a spot away from the tents.
"What is it Lina?" Amelia asked when they were away from the circle of
firelight.
"What the hell is your problem? Can't you see she's on the edge of cracking
up completely?" Amelia said nothing but her eyes momentarily filled with
concern as she glanced back to the campsite.
"Damnit Lina, she abandoned us!" Amelia almost shouted. "It was bad enough
Father had to go on without Mother after she died, but then Gracia takes off
and I get to rule Sailoon alone!"
"You wanted the job!"
"That's not the point!" Amelia hissed. "There's extremely explicit rules
about this! Gracia was crowned as the heir, I wasn't. Technically, under
Sailoon law, I'm ruling illegally unless she signs the instrument of
abdication or gives up her tie to the throne in some fashion, I could be
forced off if another member of the royal family can prove that they have a
better claim then me!"
"Then how come this has never come up before?"
"It was buried in the lawbooks about five hundred years ago." Amelia said,
calmer now. "Its really more of a technicality."
"So you're pissed that Gracia broke some rule?"
"No! She abandoned me and Father! It was bad enough that Mother was gone, but
then Gracia leaves too! She didn't even tell us her reasons to our faces!
Just left in the middle of the night and left a note behind." Tears were
beginning to appear in the Queen's eyes. "She just left us. Never wrote,
never said anything. We thought she was dead." The tears were beginning to
roll down her cheeks, increasing at a steady rate. "I...I thought she was
dead." With that, the tears came full bore as she collapsed in Lina's arms,
crying her heart out. As Lina tried to comfort her friend, she realized that
she had never, in the three years they had been together, seen Gracia write
home.
Now she knew why.
Speaking for herself, by the time she realized she should have written home,
the name of Lina Inverse was rapidly spreading. Writing home seemed pretty
pointless.
And her father had always told her that actions spoke louder then words.
Had that been why she had gotten so flamboyant? A way to scream out to mom
and dad that she was a success? A way to mark her trail?
It was at that moment she realized that she felt no grief over the death of
her own parents.
Had they really been that distant from one another?
"Let's go back." Gracia said, wiping her eyes with her cloak. "I think I have
an apology to make." Lina nodded.
When they got back, Gracia was on a log by the fire, a cup of ale in her
hand. Dankin sat next to her and Father Thyrr stood nearby.
Amelia marched straight to her sister and took her hand.
"Gracia. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was surprised, shocked, upset. I'm
sorry." Gracia looked up.
"I'm sorry too." She said in a half whisper and then she and Amelia hugged
each other tightly. When they disengaged, Amelia turned to the others.
"This is my sister Gracia." She said simply by way of introduction. A loud
cheer was the response. "Now let us prepare a fitting feast for the
occasion!" Amelia said when the cheering died down. Another cheer and then
the knights went to work.
At some point during the festivities, Gracia and Amelia went off into the
woods together. When they came back, Amelia's face was coldly angry and
remained that way for the rest of the evening.
Much later, when most of the revelers had sought their beds and the fire
burnt to down to embers, Gracia, Amelia, Thyrr, Lina, Zelgadis, Conrad, Sir
Edmund, and Dankin sat around the flames, coffee cups in their hands. Nobody
spoke much, there was no real need for it.
"Father Thyrr." Amelia said, breaking the silence. "As much as I respect the
need for separation of Church and State," She paused, trying to put her
thoughts into words.
"You wish for me to release my predecessor into Sailoon Custody." Thyrr said.
"Yes-what?" Amelia's eyes went wide. "I never-" She looked at Gracia, who
shook her head, her eyes also wide. Amelia looked at Thyrr. "How-"
"Did I know?" Thyrr asked. "The crown on your head, your accent is of the
western kingdoms, and the only Queen not currently in her capital is Amelia,
who, as everyone knows, is close friends with Lina Inverse of Zefila who sits
across from myself."
"You're remarkably well informed for a town priest." Edmund said, suspicion
in his voice.
"I like to stay abreast of current events." Thyrr said modestly and poured
himself another cup of coffee. "To answer your question Amelia, I'm afraid I
can't do it. He has already been sent to the Citadel, the center of our faith
and I promise you, he will meet a fate that's appropriate for his crimes." He
sipped his coffee reflectivly.
"He committed crime against a crown princess." Amelia said. "If he assaulted
any woman, that's one thing, but there's certain diplomatic concerns that
need to be adressed here."
"In other words. War." Thyrr said smoothly. Amelia and Edmund's eyes narrowed.
"If you don't mind my saying so Father," Conrad spoke up. "You seem awfully
sharp to be a simple town priest." Thyrr looked at Conrad. Really looked at
him for the first time that day and his eyes widened. Quickly, he touched his
head, chest, and each shoulder. Conrad smiled ironically and repeated the
gesture, causing Thyrr to take a sharp intake of breath and then school his
face back into a mask of calm.
"As I was saying," Thyrr said, addressing Amelia again. His eyes were still a
bit wild but his voice was calm. "I cannot turn him over to you. As you said,
there are certain diplomatic considerations that need to be adressed. I doubt
either one of us would really like address them so instead, I offer you an
invitation to his execution."
"Execution?" Amelia asked. Thyrr nodded.
"Burning at the stake at the very least."
"Burning you say?" Asked Edmund. Thyrr nodded.
"How appropriate." Amelia murmured, a smile on her face.
"Of course," Thyrr continued, "As Gracia is a member of Sailoon Royalty, we
would be happy to discuss it if Sailoon thinks perhaps harsher measures are
in order. Sort of a nod in the direction of future diplomatic relations you
understand."
"Sailoon does have one or two ideas." Amelia said, smiling broadly. "Why
don't we discuss them in the morning?"
"Why don't we?" Thyrr agreed, standing up. "Goodnight everyone." With that,
he and Dankin left the campsite.
"Father?" Dankin asked as they approached the gates of Herdol.
"Yes Dankin?"
"What was all that talk of diplomatic considerations about? And what was it
about that boy who spooked you so?"
"Her highness was threatening war." Thyrr said calmly.
"War?" Dankin asked, eyes very wide. Thyrr nodded.
"Its a tendency of the western kingdoms. Amelia more then most. Probably the
influence of Lina."
"But Lina is from the Eastern kingdoms."
"A necessity for what's coming. If she had been born in the west, she
probably would not have lived very long. The Mazoku who is behind the unrest
in Sailoon would have had her killed. As for the boy," Thyrr shook his head.
"Some things are best left unsaid."
"Yes Father. Sleep well."
"You too Dankin." Thyrr replied as they parted company.
Thyrr lived in small house just off the square and behind the church. It was
small and comfortable.
Yawning, he removed his vestments and hung them up. Though his bed beckoned
invitingly, he instead sat at his desk and passed his hand over the small
communications globe.
"Report." came the voice.
"Its confirmed." Thyrr began. "Lina Inverse is the Guardian and the Queen
bears the ancestor of the Heir. All are in their proper places or will be
fairly soon. The final battle is at hand."
Part 21
They set out after spending the next day in Herdol. Amelia and Edmund spent
the day closeted with Thyrr. What they finally agreed on was never found out,
but Amelia seemed oddly satisfied with the results.
The morning after that, they set out once more. The seasons passed quickly up
here in the mountains and ugly black clouds were slowly gathering on the
horizon.
Their party had expanded by two. Gracia had taken a leave of absence and rode
next to Lina. The two sorceresses were talking quietly as they got caught up
on what they had been through over the time since they had parted ways.
Dankin the blacksmith had also come along, citing personal reasons for the
decision.
Amelia, along with Kunikeda, the orange skinned man, Momiji, Setsuna, the
funny little man in glasses, Bunny, and whoever was wrapped up in the bundle
of blankets that Setsuna guarded so closely were in the wagon, wrapped in
heavy fur cloaks as they sat among the pile of crates, bags and bundles that
were their supplies.
The going was slow, but eventually they came out of the mountains and down
into a pleasant meadow. A brook ran alongside the road and birds sang in the
trees.
Lina however had grown more and more silent. She sat on her horse, her black
cloak wrapped around her. She hadn't been on this side of the mountains for
years. Zefila's capital city, her home, lay only a week's journey away by
horseback and every step they took brought it closer.
You're gonna have to tell them sometime Lina. Her inner voice repeated
endlessly in her ear. You're not like them, nothing like them. Like Zelgadis,
you'll never be accepted no matter what face you wear.
Lina set her jaw and did her best to ignore it.
They were no more then a day's travel from the town of Rivers East, which sat
near the Zefilan border when they came across a coach. The driver and his
passengers were backed up near a tree, barely managing to hold off the pack
of strange creatures that were attacking them with long curved sabers that
flashed in the afternoon sun.
The creatures were perhaps as tall as Zelgadis, with white skin and whiter
hair with long pointy elflike ears that poked up between the strands. Their
lips were drawn back in a maniacal grin, revealing sharp pointy teeth and
their large black eyes were mad.
"What are those things?" Asked one of the knights.
"Newcomer Zefilans." Lina replied drawing her sword and enchanting it with an
Astral Vine. "Use enchanted blades only and be careful of their teeth and
claws. They're on some kind of drug."
They rushed forth and the Zefilans turned to meet them, screeching in an odd
language at the top of their lungs.
Koume dove from her horse and rolled to her feet as her hands ducked into her
clothing and emerged just as quickly holding a heavy dagger in each hand.
Damon charged into the fray, the hooves of his mount trampling anything in
its way as he made his transformation and began tearing into the attackers.
It was then that Amelia noticed two of the Zefilans had broken away from the
fight and were heading for the coach.
Making an impulse decision, she swung out of the wagon and ran for it. But
the wheels were already turning as it started to move.
"Raywing!" Amelia cried.
Nothing.
Ameila swore. Perfect time for her magic to cut out.
"Raywing!" She tried again, putting all her willpower into it as she jumped.
This time the glowing nimbus formed around her and she lifted off the ground
as the spell propelled her into a high arc, only to cut out midway.
Amelia swore again as she angled herself to land on the coach's roof. The Zefi
lan standing there turned as she landed.
She gave him no time to react, grabbing his tunic and half pushed, half threw
him over the side.
The coach bounced once as the rear wheels hit something large.
It was then that she realized that her pants were wet.
Crap. She thought. My water just broke.
Part 22
Motherhood is a big step. Pregnancy is perhaps the only time where an
otherwise sane woman will consider foods such as pecan chocolate strawberry
banana pie a tasty treat.
The onset of labor is a often funny thing. Usually involving panic by at
least one family member.
Usually the father.
In this case, the father was no where to be found and the mother was a little
too busy to panic.
The father of Amelia Wil Tesla's baby was a Mazoku. A Half human demon.
Amelia was nine months pregnant and standing on the roof of an out of control
speeding stage coach that was barreling through the forest and her water had
just broken.
Did I mention that there was a drugged creature with teeth, claws, and a saber
trying to kill her?
No?
Well I just did.
But I'm getting off track here.
Part of Amelia dearly wished to panic. She had just gone into labor and her
life was in danger.
But she knew that if she did, she'd be dead. Scooping up the saber that lay
on the roof next to her, the previous owner had left it behind when she
helped him to take a swan dive into the wheels, Amelia started looking around
for the second creature.
He leapt up from the driver's seat chittering loudly as he swung his saber as
her head. Grimacing, the young Queen blocked it and then followed it up with
a swing at his midsection.
****************
Zelgadis Greywers swung his sword in wide arcs. Blood spattered his clothing,
and his skin. Beside him, Gourry Gabriev, arguably the greatest swordsman in
the world, also swung his sword, the blood flying off his blade in drops.
Their opponents were a horde of strange creatures that chittered back and
forth in some strange language as they jumped around. For every one they put
down, two more seemed to take their place.
Blood soaked the road underneath the hooves of their horses and the air was
filled it the clang of metal against metal, hooves pounding the dirt and the
whinny of horses.
Zelgadis gritted his teeth as he spurred his horse further into the fray.
This was not a good day.
****************
Amelia, flat on her back, pushed upwards with all her strength. Her sword was
locked with a saber wielded by the strange creature standing over her. His
pointed teeth were bared as he pushed down, the blade inching towards her
neck.
Was this how it was going to end? She wondered. Killed in a battle far from
home without even a chance to say good-bye?
Since taking up the cause of Justice, she had never expected to die in bed,
but it was day she had feverently hoped was still years into the future.
"Human afraid to die?" It took her a moment to realize the creature had
spoken.
"Never!" Amelia shot back. "If I die it is for the cause of Justice and
Peace!"
"Pathetic." He sneered and raised his saber. As Amelia had been pushing
upwards, her arm whipped to the side, exposing her to attack.
The impact of her hand against the wood sent a shock all the way up her arm.
There was no way she could get the sword back into position in time to block.
I'm sorry. She thought to the baby she carried as the saber, the blade
flashing in the sun, descended towards her.
Part 23
No matter what, Amelia thought. I will not close my eyes.
Whistling as it moved, the saber came down and crunched into the wood next to
her head.
The creature was wavering as though it was dizzy and the black eyes were dull.
Of course! Lina said they were on some kind of drug and it must be wearing
off!
Taking advantage of the situation, Amelia rolled onto her right hip, swinging
her leg in a vicious arc, a move which was rewarded by the sound of his bones
breaking. With a howl of pain, he let go of his sword and leapt on her, his
hands wrapping around her throat and forcing her to discard her own sword as
she fought to break his hold.
****************
Though Zelgadis had his own problems, he could watch Conrad out of the corner
of his eye.
The boy was wielding a cane topped with a crystal orb as though it was a
rapier, a gleeful grin on his face as he dipped, dodged, parried and thrust.
His opponent was one of the larger creatures who seemed to be enjoying this
as much as he was and had the upper hand.
Bit by bit, he backed Conrad towards a small group of trees who's branches
were grown together and increased the fury of his attack.
Apparently, as a last ditch maneuver, Conrad reversed his grip and began
swinging the orb at the creature's head.
But the creature only sidestepped and brought his saber down on the cane's
shaft, driving the orb down against the tree.
Zelgadis caught a glimpse of the bloodthirsty smile on the boy's face before
he was seemingly consumed by lightning.
****************
Most women dread labor, Amelia used the pain to her advantage as her fist
smacked into the creature's jaw and felt something give. The creature howled
again in fresh pain as she followed it up by driving her knee into a
sensitive region of his anatomy. The creature howled anew, throwing his head
back and exposing his throat.
Amelia, like the warrior she was and had been trained to be, drove her fist
into his windpipe. The creature gagged, a faint burbling sound coming out of
it's mouth at is tried to breathe through it's partially crushed windpipe. A
second punch to the creature's forehead knocked it back away from her . . .
just in time to take an overhanging branch in the back of the neck. She
barely heard the wet snap of the creature's neck breaking before it was swept
off the wagon by the branch.
Ignoring the sharp stab of pain that was labor, the young Queen turned and
crawled for the driver's seat, and the reins she saw wrapped around the rail.
****************
For the past two months, Zelgadis had wondered what precisely what role that
Conrad had held within the band of individuals. At times, he seemed to be the
leader, at other times, he had deferred to one of the others.
Now it seemed, he was a warrior, the cane, or rather the orb that topped it,
was a magical armor of some kind.
Now, wielding a double-ended bladed staff with deadly precision, clad in red
and black armor, the boy was cutting a wide swath of blood through the ranks
of the strange beings that they fought.
At the side of the road, Lina Inverse and the biggest of their foes were
locked in a strange battle that was half swordplay, and half magic. Over the
clamor of metal against metal, groans, and war cries, he could hear them
chanting in a strange, chittering language. Lightning flashed between them,
and he could hear muted voices and the glimpsed half formed bodies of
undreamed of horrors.
Risking a glimpse, he looked for the biggest concentration of the Newcomer
Zefilans, as Lina had called them, then gathered his will and focused it at
the ground beneath his feet.
"Earth below me," He intoned, laying his hand on the ground "submit to my
will! STONE SPIKER!" The earth seemed to shriek as sharp rock pushed out the
earth impaling whoever was standing there. The knights, familiar with the
effects, scattered at the first sign of the spell. The Newcomers were not so
lucky.
The surviving Newcomers froze for half a second. It was all they needed.
"To me!" Edmund roared, raising his sword high over his head. "Split them up
the middle!" The Knights surged forward, their swords swinging wildly. The
Newcomers more or less folded up as the knights bashed their way through
their ranks as Conrad and his friends darted around the edges.
>From there, it was over fairly quickly.
While the Knights rounded up the survivors, Zelgadis went over to Lina. The
sorceress was on one knee, her face pale.
"You okay?" He asked. She nodded.
"Yeah. Just give me a moment." Grunting, she stood up. "Give me a hand with
this." She said, grabbing the arm of her fallen foe. Zelgadis nodded, then,
seeing her face, picked up the Newcomer and slung him over one shoulder.
"Where?" He asked brusquely. Lina pointed at a pair of trees by the side of
the road. Grunting, Zelgadis did as instructed.
"Cage." Lina said. The trees came alive, their branches twisting as they
plunged into the ground, creating a very effective cage. "Wake." Lina snapped
and the Newcomer stirred.
"Your Highness." He said as he laid eyes on Lina. "How nice to see you."
"Stow it." Lina said sharply.
"You're really very ugly in that form you know. Have--" He broke off as a
fireball passed within inches of his head. "You mean you haven't told them?"
He laughed, a sound that came out as a high pitched cackle. "Oh how rich. How
positively perfect."
"You're boring me Kranso." Lina said. "I didn't like you when we were kids,
and I still don't. Now, why are you engaging in Highway Robbery?"
"I could tell you, but I'd rather not." He said and beamed at her. "Be seeing
you." He paused. "Praise be to Ceiphed."
"GET DOWN!" Lina yelled, just before the trees vanished in a bright yellow
explosion of flame and noise.
When they could see again, the trees were gone, and only a crater remained to
mark their place.
"Strange." Zelgadis said.
"You don't know the half of it." Lina said, staring at the crater.
At that point, a carriage came down the road. In the drivers seat was Amelia,
white as a sheet.
"L-Labor." She gasped as she slumped over.