Problems at Work
"It would have been a mistake for me to leave at
the moment you called," Xellos explained. Xelas, in
her human form, stood up languidly and approached her
general. She exhaled a cloud of smoke into his face
and arched an eyebrow.
"You have been behaving erratically over the past
year and a half," Xelas noted. "Disappearing at odd
times, interferring with matters that have nothing to
do with me or you. And now, now I call and you don't
only refuse to answer, you actually close the link."
"I was not aware..." Xellos started.
"You did not even know you closed the connection,"
she snapped, circling him.
"I have not failed you, Master," Xellos offered.
"What do you mean by that?"
"You assigned me to watch over the gold dragon and
her adopted child," Xellos said. "I have not failed in
my assignment."
"I've been having you watched," Xelas said
abruptly, walking to her throne and sitting down.
"What?" he asked levely, insulted.
"Be careful how you speak," she warned him.
"How can you think that I.."
"I warned you to take more care with your speech."
For a moment the Beastmaster's human form melted away
leaving a giant wolf roaring in anger. Xellos went to
his knees and examined the floor as she calmed down
and returned to human form. "I do not need to have a
reason to watch you. I can do whatever I wish with
you, and there was a time that you knew that."
"I still know that," Xellos answered.
"Do you?" she asked. "Perhaps you are having
thoughts."
"I don't know what you mean by that."
"Do not insult my intelligence." She exhaled
another cloud of smoke that floated to the top of her
chamber and joined the growing cloud above. "Perhaps
you can explain why you've been spending so much time
hiding and protecting Lina. The sorcer...oh I'm sorry,
she can't cast magic any more...can she?" Xellos
frowned at the floor.
"Regin is back," Xelas blinked and lost her
momentarily amused expression. Xellos restrained his
amusment at her disturbed expression, it would not
help matters if she picked up on that. "I believe you
said that he should be stopped as soon as he showed
his face again."
"I know my own decrees," she snapped. "If that is
so, then why is the rogue not put down already?"
"He is....greater than before," Xellos admitted
from his kneeling position.
"I see, and you think Lina is another of the five
from that ridiculous prophecy of his."
"He believes so, it was him that arranged her
current condition." Xelas arched an eyebrow and Xellos
hoped that his general anger at the moment had hidden
the rage towards Regin.
"And that is the only reason that you are leading
her along?" she sounded doubtful.
"Well, there are some other perks," he smiled
lustily.
"So I understand," Xelas returned the smile. Then
her face turned hard again. "We'll have to do
something about her after Regin is dealt with."
"Why waste the effort?" Xellos asked, looking up.
"Without her magic she'll grow old quickly, even as a
were-fox."
"And of course the children will prove useful,"
Xelas mused, ignoring Xellos. The priest's face
remained impassive, but there was another spark of
rage.
"It would be simpler just to let them be," Xellos
suggested, a little louder. Xelas extended a hand
outward and Xellos was thrown back against a wall.
Xellos climbed to his feet with the aid of his staff,
then he was struck into the wall again. This time he
didn't try to stand.
"You will remember not to question my decisions,"
Xelas growled.
"I only meant to save you some trouble, Master,"
Xellos gasped. The small crater in the wall grew again
as he was struck again.
"It really is too bad that you weren't born
mazoku," Xelas' voice had a mock mourning quality. "I
wouldn't have to periodically remind you how things
work around here." Xellos laughed.
"If I hadn't been born human," he coughed. "I
wouldn't understand them, and I wouldn't be as capable
as I am."
"Understanding the walking meals is fine," Xelas
agreed. "Just don't act like them. The very idea is
disgusting." Xellos did not speak as he rose to a
kneeling position. "We'll discuss the fox later, if
she really is all that good, perhaps I'll find a place
for her here." She leaned back and grabbed a gobblet
of wine sipping it as she pondered that idea. Xellos
regarded her calmly, he was already healing and his
normal cheerful expression had returned to his face.
"We shall discuss Lina again," he promised, the
Beastmaster, having already mentally dismissed her
general, failed to notice the threatening intonation
behind the statement. Xellos vanished away from the
island.
"You can find out nothing about Lady R'Lyeh's
temple," Philoniel asked.
"Yes, your highness," the captain responded.
"And this lack of information is why you don't
trust them?"
"Your highness, I could find nothing on them beyond
what they themselves claim," he said. "There is no
information on them, no leads, no rumors, nothing."
"That is suscpicious," Philoniel agreed. "Perhaps
my daughter discovered something about them and she
and her friends endeavoured to save R'Lyeh from their
vile clutches."
"As you say sir," the captain said
enthusiastically.
The mazoku stumbled towards Filia's house and sat
down outside. He had mostly healed Xelas's beating,
but he didn't want to walk in there even as he was. He
leaned back against the wall and rested. Ten minutes
later he vanished again and stood by the bed as Lina
snored on.
"I promised you that I wouldn't let anyone hurt you
again," he whispered, brushing one ear which twitched
at the slight touch. "That includes her."
He kissed Lina's forehead and laid down on the
empty side of the bed. Lina rolled over and reached
her arms around him, Xellos worried for a moment that
she was awake and had heard him. Then the were-fox
snored again and clutched closer to him, and he
relaxed.
"Well, it isn't what I expected," Zelgadis
admitted.
"What did you hear?" Amelia asked.
"From the sounds of things Xelas is threatening
Lina," Zelgadis said. "And Xellos seems set on getting
in her way."
"He does love her then," Amelia whispered
wonderingly.
"Let's hope the beastmaster waits until after we
deal with the current problem," Zelgadis said, not
commenting on Amelia's comment.
"Don't worry about it Zelgadis," she wasn't calling
him Zelgadis-san anymore, but that was as informal she
got at the moment. "We had no reason to trust him."
"I've misjudged situations too much for my liking
recently, what if I'm wrong about?"
"I hope you're not doubting me," Amelia gasped.
"No I don't doubt you," he said, confidently.
Amelia smiled then.
"Well, good night," she gave him a quick kiss and
walked off towards the girls' room.
=====
"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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