Lina Found
"It seems clear to me, your highness,"
Reginald began. "Your daughter and her friends
disappeared at the same time Lady R'Lyeh and another
member of the temple were abducted."
"You're not implying that my daughter had anything to
do with this act of injustice," Philoniel demanded
angrily.
"Perhaps not your daughter, but Gourry Gabriev and
Zelgadis Greywyrds do not have the best of
reputations, and there was another man I saw. A
priest, he seemed, with purple hair."
"Xellos!!" Philoniel shouted in realization.
"Do you know of this man?"
"He isn't a man, he's a mazoku."
"Mazoku? Then perhaps this is all his doing, such an
evil being as a mazoku would not appreciate our
temple, but I would not yet discount the part your
daughter's companions have in this."
"Look for them then, but I would speak to them before
you decide anything," Philoniel agreed.
"Yes, your highness," Reginald bowed and walked out
of the small study. Philoniel watched him go and
called over his captain of the guard near the door.
"Take measures to investigate this seperately,"
Philoniel commanded. He then turned to face the
window and contemplate recent happenings.
"Yes, your highness."
They were relaxing their guard, Martina could see
that. Reaching the Sailloon border had taken a lot
longer considering they were dragging her around and
avoiding prying eyes. Martina had recently been
causing very little trouble, just enough so that they
wouldn't suspect her of planning something. Pretty
soon they would give her the opportunity she needed.
"Can we move more openly now that we're outside of
Sailoon," Sylphiel asked.
"I hate this sneaking about my own land," Amelia
whined.
"They haven't declared us outlaws," Gourry noted.
"Why are we hiding?"
"Because Reginald's people wouldn't let us get
anywhere if they could help it," Zelgadis reminded
him. "Fortunately for us, Phil is almost rock headed
in his beliefs about people. It will take a lot for
him to believe that we're outlaws."
"Like what, pray tell," Sylphiel asked nervously.
"I'd say it would take either Martina's or Amelia's
ravaged corpse," Zelgadis answered without turning to
face the priestess. "Which is one of the reasons that
Martina is still alive "
"What's the other reason, stone boy?"
"Miss Martina, such behavior is not very lady-like."
"And why should I bother to listen to you, pray
tell?" Sylphiel hmphed and let her horse catch up to
Gourry's at the head of the group. "Now what were
those other reasons."
"Well, Lina deserves a chance to talk to you,"
Zelgadis started.
"My father seems intent on marrying you for another,"
Amelia grumbled. "Though I hope that doesn't last
long. And you don't seem to understand what your
involved in."
"I'm involved in conquering the world in the name of
the monster Zomalgustar!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!"
"Sounds to me like she knows exactly what she's
involved with," Gourry commented.
"That is a disturbing thought," Zelgadis said to
himself from behind their captive where he and Amelia
had some how ended up taking the rear. He didn't
think Martina would be interested in being a
sacrifice. Amelia pulled up short for a moment and
looked quickly from behind them to somewhere ahead,
she trotted her horse forward and stopped at the front
of the halted party.
"What is it?" Zelgadis asked as he moved forward to
join her.
"The armor just moved, a lot."
"That behir hide? Where is it?"
"How can armor move?" Gourry asked.
"Just what are you talking about?"
"That way," she pointed towards the horizon. It was
a slight deviation from their current path, at least
here it was. "Not very far from us, half a day
maybe."
"Not to agree with the psychopath, no offense."
Sylphiel turned her head toward Martina for a moment.
The princess didn't answer. "But what are you talking
about?"
"There was this suit of armor being made, we think it
was for Lina."
"So I put a trace spell on it," Amelia finished.
"Its not that far from where we were going, but how
did it..."
"Xellos," Amelia and Zelgadis said at once. The
chimera turned to face the rest of the party and
immediately noticed an absence.
"Where's Martina?" he snapped, indicating the
riderless horse. "Damn it!"
"She was just here a minute ago," Gourry noted. The
chimera dismounted and started looking back over the
way they had come. Unfortunately there wasn't much
horizon, but rather lots of woods and small hills,
they had come this way to more easily avoid being
seen. It was working in Martina's favor now.
"We should catch up with Lina before she moves
again," Amelia suggested. "If it is Lina."
"I can't see her anywhere," he scanned the ground,
looking for tracks in ground already hard packed with
their previous passage.
"She went that way," Gourry told the chimera,
pointing down a game trail.
"There aren't any tracks there, dear," Sylphiel said.
"Even I can see that."
"There should be a lot," the blonde explained. "She
must have dragged her cloak behind her."
"Gourry, Sylphiel, you two find Martina, we'll meet
up with you later," Zelgadis ndded in agreement as
Amelia dismounted and picked up a rock. After a few
moments of her mumbling to herself she handed it to
the priestess. "Keep that with you, it has a trace
spell on it."
"But why do you two go on ahead?"
"Because we owe Lina some apologies," Zelgadis said.
"And I might kill Martina if I found her right now."
"Good luck," Amelia offered as Gourry turned his
horse down the game trail.
"I hope you find some luck as well," Sylphiel
returned cheerfully.
"Oo its beautiful," Lina crooned as she looked over a
behir scale greave. "Its so beautiful, *sniff* and I
won't be able to wear it for more than a month yet.
WAA!!!" Her ears drooped as she cried, cradling the
greave like some kind of security blanket. The rest
of the armor lay draped about a chair across from her.
"But you won't be needing it either," Xellos
suggested quickly.
"That's not the point, I look like I've been eating
almost non-stop all this time," Lina sniffed. Filia
passing by arched an eyebrow as she heard "Rannaur",
said nothing, but mentally ran a list of food items
that just about proved Lina's statement.
"You look wonderful," Xellos assured her.
"*sniff* Really?" her ears perked up.
"Really."
"Are you just saying this to make me feel better?"
"Sore wa himitsu desu." She hit his smiling face
with a pillow and gave an exasperated sigh.
"Xellos, do you know what ice cream is?" she asked
suddenly.
"I don't know, first I've heard of it, why do you
ask."
"Just something that's been bugging me," Lina
explained. "I keep having this urge to ask you to get
me ice cream and pickles." She shrugged.
"Val, dear, its not polite to play with other
people's things," Filia appeared in the room and
collected Val Garv from where he was playing with the
other greave from Lina's armor. Then all three of the
adults froze as they registered the muffled sound of
hoof beats.
"In there?" someone asked faintly, though it was
clear to the hyper advanced senses of the house's
inhabitants.
"It's there," a girl's voice confirmed. "Whether she
is, I don't know."
"It can't be," she whispered and exchanged a worried
glance with Xellos. Then somebody knocked on the
door.
"Stay here," Filia said. "I'll handle this." She
walked into the next room, leaving a confused Val
behind, and opened the door smiling.
"Filia?" Amelia asked. "This must be the right
place."
"Oh I didn't know it was you," Filia gasped
surprised. "Its all right Xellos! Its just Zelgadis
and Amelia!"
"Then Xellos is here?" Zelgadis asked.
"Yes, he's here with his mate," she stepped to the
side and waved them in. "Don't just stand there come
in! Were you looking for Xellos?" Amelia entered
first with Zelgadis following.
"Actually we were looking for.."
"Miss Lina!" Amelia gasped as the were-fox sheepishly
entered the room, Xellos was standing protectively
behind her. Zelgadis narrowed his eyes dangerously as
he recognized Lina's condition.
"Lina?" Filia repeated then she looked at the
embarrassed were-fox as well. "It is you!"
"What did you do to her, bastard?" Zelgadis demanded
of Xellos dangerously.
=====
"Caffeinated Kender? What's that, a berserk spell?" -
Tribble, Kender Warrior of the Celestial Kingdom
Signed
He of Too Many Names (Thrythlind/Thryth/Luke/Hyperbole/Pika/Pooka)
http://members.aol.com/thrythlind/snake.html
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