Something about, uh, they were each trying to, oh yeah, they each wanted the other one to end up with him... and neither one wanted him... but everytime Lina spoke up and offered to take him she was ignored. And she felt very small, and afraid. Even Gourry didn't seem to notice her, he just kept taking the top of his head off and offering everyone a taste of the yoghurt...
"Man! I need some better terms of endearment for him..." sighed Lina. Then her bladder reminded her of why she woke up and she silently got up and went out to do her business.
The night was brilliantly clear, in contrast to the rainy day, with a pitch black sky, the moon being new. The stars shone more brilliantly than any gemstones Lina had ever seen and she felt a great longing to know what they were, and where. And why and all that too, of course. But, she was done, and it was very cold, so she didn't stay around to find the answers. "Maybe someday I can find the magic to travel to them..." she thought, taking one last look before she headed into the hall again. She did notice a brightening in the east and what looked like a faint cone of light rising from the horizon. "Is it the begining of dawn already?" she thought to herself.
She went in and shivered. "I'm cold." she realised. She looked around and saw that Luna and Ayn had managed to take the blankets, no wonder she was chilled. And fat chance of getting the covers back from those two, either.
On the guys side she saw Milgasa resting on the floor with hardly any cover but his own clothing. Jilas was in a ball, his nose tucked into his tail, and Gavos was lying next to Milgasa, lying on his side, and snoring. Then there was Gourry. He was on the outside, wrapped up in the blanketing, looking like a little ball.
Ah, but a warm one...
Lina smiled. She knew what she was going to do. She peeled back the covers and crawled in behind Gourry. "Warm me up, Yoghurt Brain!" she said happily as she got revenge on Gourry for ignoring her in her dream by putting her cold hands on his neck. There that ought to get a reaction...
It did, but it took a few seconds. Gourry just rolled over and looked at her.
"What did you call me? asked Zel.
"Yoghurt brai..." Lina started to say, then paused, puzzled.
The light came on, late, as usual...
"GYAHHH!!" screamed Lina backing up really fast. And waking the room up, of course...
"Lighting!" she yelled, and a ball of light shone forth brilliantly from her hand. In the light she could see, clearly, that she had just been cuddling up to...
"Zelgadiss Greywords? W-What are you doing here, and where is Gourry??" Lina asked, shocked.
Zel said, in his trade mark casual voice, "That light's rather bright Lina, mind turning it down? Or better yet, off? We can throw a stick or two on the fire if you want light..."
"Yeah, some of us were asleep, you know..." mumbled Luna, just loud enough to carry.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, I was taken majorly by surprise there, just cut me a bit of slack will ya?" Lina sputtered. She let the lighting spell fade as she spoke. Ayn threw a stick on the fire and it soon flared up, casting a pale ruddy glow around the room. "Who's the new guy?" she asked, sleepily.
"Eyeing up your prospects?" asked Luna with a very sleepy, but still sarcastic tone.
"It's too early." said Ayn as she lay back down and drifted off without even waiting for the answer to her question.
"Spoilsport..." sighed Luna, who quickly joined her again in slumberland.
"Well, now that that is over, h-hi, I think..." said a slighty calmer Lina.
"Likewise." replied Zel. He then said "I was here all along Lina, sheltering from the storm. I arrived before you did with some of the local crowd, but you know me and crowds, so I stayed in the corner and even drifted off for a bit. It wasn't until I awoke to hear you three girls talking about romancing Milgasa, or whatever it was, that I realise the storm was over and people had left. It was cold so I came closer to the fire and Gourry, who was still awake made room for me. We chatted, quietly, for a bit, then went off to sleep, while you three were still whispering up a storm. We could hear every word, by the way..."
The apparently sleeping Milgasa let out a breath that somehow sounded like an irritated sigh...
"Hey. That was Luna and Ayn." responded Lina, hoping the dim light would hide her red face. She could feel the blush, and it burned.
"Sorry about what just happened," she went on, "but I, uh, thought it was Gourry, you were all wrapped up in the blankets there. Speaking of whom, where is Jelly... uh, Gourry?" Lina said, looking flustered still.
"Went for a walk, said he was awake." replied Zel. He spoke in his usual deadpan voice, but the cocked eyebrow he gave Lina spoke volumes about what he thought of her cuddling up to strange men. Gourry for example...
"Didn't you see him out there?" he asked.
"N-no, I didn't know to look for him." Lina said, trying to act casual, but blushing even deeper than before at Zel's look.
Just then the door opened and the man of the moment walked in. "Oh! Hey Lina! You're back inside? I see you met Zel." Gourry said with his trademark happy go lucky smile, as he walked over and sat beside her.
"Did you see the false dawn?" he went on. "You know, that cone of light coming up from the east there? Isn't it great? You don't get to see that too often. You must have had a good view from those bushes you were in..."
Lina gave a shudder, then snarled "Oh! Way to announce it to the world, wonder klutz!". She almost bopped him but remembered where she was, and who she was with, just in time. Gourry was safe.
For now.
But Luna wouldn't be around forever...
"I think the other name for them is "zodiacal lights" (1), but don't quote me on that..."said Zel. "But yes, they are pretty..."
"So much we don't know yet..." sighed Lina. She scooped a blanket from somewhere and wrapped it around both Gourry and herself.
"Warm me up or I will bop you..." she muttered.
Gourry chuckled, Lina had the strangest ways of asking for a hug...
Because it was early still everyone managed to drift back to sleep for a couple more hours of sleep. For all her pretense of shyness Lina did manage to drift off in her fiance's arms.
In the morning proper they got up and decided to annoy their stingy host by sitting around the remains of the fire, munching on a meager cold breakfast. Lina thought this was rather unfair of the universe, but decided not to go into it around Luna. Knowing her, she'd enjoy Lina's suffering so much that she'd forget her own hunger. They were nearly done when they were aware of some aggitation outside. The Lord of the keep went out to talk to some messengers who were travelling by. Curiosity being what it was, all ears tuned in. Most didn't hear what was said, but the sharp ears of Jilas, Milgasa, Ayn, and Zel, obviously caught something that put a look of worry and wonder on their faces.
"What?" asked Luna softly. Zel replied "Something called the "Destroying Angel" has struck again, whatever that means..."
"It means more dead dragons." replied Milgasa softly, but clearly aggitated. He stood up. "I have to get to Seirune as fast as possible." he said in a matter of fact voice. "I need to consult the oracles, they have power even the dragons respect. So, I have to fly."
"Good idea." said Luna."So will we, if you can carry some of us." Milgasa nodded. "I will take Gavos, Zelgadiss, and Gourry." he said.
"Show off..." muttered Ayn.
Luna rolled her eyes.
"So, what do we do?" asked Lina.
Luna looked puzzled. "We fly of course." she answered.
"Uh, yeah, I mean, I can Levitate us, but I can't fly as fast as a dragon. We'll be hours late." Lina replied.
Luna and Ayn looked totally dumbfounded at that.
"What are you talking about, sis?" asked Luna. "We'll use my dragon, of course..."
Lina seemed a bit relieved, but asked "Uh, will it get here fast enough?"
Luna went slack jawed.
It was Ayn who clued in first. "Hey, she doesn't know! Oh, that explains a lot!" She then began to laugh, good naturedly, but clearly at Lina's expense.
Luna sighed. "Honestly Lina, I didn't think I'd have to spell everything out for you..." She began to chuckle too. "Watch and learn, sis." was all she would say.
Lina wasn't the most pleased with that, but knew way better than to try to get any more answers out of Luna. She sighed and went to pack up. In short order everyone was outside to the relief of the Keep's owner who seemed like he couldn't close the door fast enough on them. Milgasa said nothing but went around behind a barn. It seemed even male dragons were modest. There was a glow, a horse whinnied in fright, and suddenly a large, impressive looking Golden Dragon rose into the air, did a graceful loop, and landed gently near the travellers. "Okay, men, on me." he said, in a surprisingly quiet voice. The guys scrambled on.
"So, where's yours?" asked Lina, a puzzled Jilas beside her wondering the same thing, but too cautious to say anything.
"Be patient, she'll get here, in her own dawdling good time, as usual..." said Luna with a smirk.
"Bloody cheek! I heard that!" said Ayn huffily, as she wandered towards the barn herself. Just before she went behind it she yelled at them "I catch anyone peeking I'm going to eat them. You especially, blondy..." That last seemed directed at Milgasa who only shook his head in mild annoyance.
It was Lina's turn to be stunned, as she finally got a clue. The clue was confirmed a few seconds later as there was another glow, complete with a now screaming horse. Seconds later a smaller, but graceful and clearly feminine, Black Dragon rose into the air, did a loop, and a barrel roll, then landed with a solid "So There" kind of thump right beside Luna.
The Knight of Ceiphied merely shook her head and said "A barrel roll? How pretentious was that?"
The dragon answered with a snicker, then said, clearly in Ayn's voice, "That's just a warning of what happens if I get any grief in flight. Anyway, is the mystery solved, Lina?" she asked, cocking an eye at the redhead.
Lina could only shake her head yes. All, this time, right beside her, and she hadn't realised it. Ayn was a black dragon, in her human avatar form. Luna's "squire" was a dragon woman, and from the sounds of it a high placed Priestess at that. She should have known. If only because she just knew that Luna was going to have a field day with this at the first opportunity. But, could it have been helped? Her closest look at a dragon had been with Filia, and she was just a kid, in dragon terms. Ayn was a lot older, and it showed in so many ways. The expert way she had kept her tail out of sight, for one thing. The sharper sarcasm for another...
"Up we go..." said Luna as she scrambled onto her familiar perch at the base of Ayn's neck.
"Remember," rumbled Ayn, "any more of the "YEE-HAW" stuff, and your walking, even if we are at altitude..."
Naturally, that's just what Luna did...
With a scream of frustration Ayn shot into the air, Lina and Jilas scrambling to hang on. Milgasa was right behind them, but without the jarring acceleration. Lina wished she had gone with Gourry, he was looking so relaxed. Not like when she carried him with a Levitation spell. He always managed to be afraid she would drop him or something. Sometimes it was tempting too, he did carry on so...
In no time they were up at least a thousand feet, and were heading south to Seirune. The sun shot up to meet them in the sky, and Lina was dazzled at the beauty of that mysterious orb of fire as it hung in the sky all golden like. Golden... Like the Lord of Nightmares... Lina remembered the conversation she had with Luna yesterday when she finally had told her what really happened with HellMaster. Did she really walk with god?
Anyway, for all her threats, Ayn really was giving them a smooth, beautiful ride, and Milgasa was gliding along beside her in what seemed to be some sort of formation flying. A little bit of Lina wished the flight would never end, it was, it was...
Words failed her as a tear came to her eye. "Somethin' wrong Miss?" asked a concerned Jilas beside her.
"No, it's just that it's so beautiful up here like this." explained Lina. "I don't have the words to express it, so a tear came to my eyes for joy." she explained softly.
A minute later, and a soft voice recited a poem that put Lina's feelings in to words.
"Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds, ≈ and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of ≈ wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager (self) through footless halls of air. . . .
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or ever eagle flew ≈ And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God." (2)
Lina could only stare in amazement.
The poet was Ayn...
Luna sniffed. "That's so beautiful, I always cry when I hear it. And I'm not ashamed to admit it either." she said giving Lina a bleary smile. It seemed that Ayn was also feeling the emotions as she was silent.
"It's like she's prayin'." whispered Jilas.
"She is." said Milgasa softly from beside them. They hadn't noticed him coming up behind them, yet he spoke so gently they weren't even startled. He explained "Flying is a kind of holy act for dragons, atleast when we can just fly to enjoy it. The air is really our element more than the earth, and when we fly, in our hearts we seem to enter into the presence of God, though whether it is the Golden Lady herself or a sky deity no one has yet determined."
"I feel it." said Lina softly. "It isn't like this when I Ray Wing." She seemed troubled by that somehow.
"Have you ever done it for fun?" aksed Migasa.
Lina had to admit she rarely did.
"Try it some time." he advised.
Lina nodded and smiled. "I will, and thanks for the advice. And I want to learn that poem!" she added.
"I'll teach it to you." offered Luna, a gentle smile on her face. Flying like this got to everyone.
But then she added "As long as you don't pile into any more fruit stands..."
Lina cringed. That had only happened once, when she was learning...
"Not like when we had to dash after DarkStar on Filia's back, eh Lina?" asked Zel. "I don't think anyone enjoyed that flight.."
"Nope, that's for sure." said Lina.
"Yeah, and it didn't help that Amelia would hang out that silly carrot on a stick as if she was a donkey or something." added Gourry.
"You remember that?" asked Lina, impressed.
"I was scared I'd have to try and pull her back if Filia decided enough was enough and pitched her overboard." he said.
Lina nodded. "It was a possibility, and maybe one she deserved, but, all's well that ends well. Or so we hope. After we find her that is. Poor girl, poor Val..." she said.
They flew on in silence. Several thoughts went through several heads. Worry about Filia of course, and wonder at this deadly threat the dragons had in the "Destroying Angel". Questions without answers.
But the sky was beautiful, if a bit cool, and the earth looked fresh washed after the rain. Down below an irregular patchwork of brown, yellow, and many different shades of green rolled under them. Occasionally they'd cross a flashing silver river tumbling along, or a placid blue green lake. Once it was a waterfall, and the dragons humoured the humans by taking a second pass at a lower altitude so they could get a good look from on high, as it were.
"If only ev'ryone could see the world like this..." mutter Jilas, of all people, er, foxpeople... "I bet they'd stop bein' so bent on rulin' it, and just enjoy it more..."
"I hear you." replied Lina. "Alas, people would still be people, and for every hundred or so that enjoyed flight, there'd be one or two wanting to use it as a weapon." She sighed.
The gang flew on and as the morning was passing towards noon, and the air starting to become hot for a change, in the distance, they spotted it!
Seirune City!
The jewel of white magic itself, a perfectly circular city, with its five major streets laid out in a pentagram, and the palace itsef centered in the pentagon formed in the center. White towers shone in the sun, and clean rivers flowed by the wall. All in all it was a glorious sight. From the air one would never be able to believe that blackness could find a place to exist within its walls.
But Lina remembered some of her adventures there, and knew otherwise. Could nothing be perfect?
The dragons began to circle down to a field just before the city. It was easier than landing in amongst the buildings, and trying to land two dragons at the palace itself would have raised more alarms than were worth dealing with. So, the flight came to an end in a pleasant park like area just outside the city wall. "Thank you Ayn." said Lina as she dismounted. "I won't be forgetting this flight anytime soon, that's for sure..."
"You mean you're going to forget at all? Well, that's bloody nerve!" harumphed Ayn.
"Er, well, n-no, no, that's not what I meant" sweatdropped Lina.
"Why not?" asked Luna. "If you give Ayn too much to go on, her head will just swell 'til it bursts."
"Sass!" shouted Ayn, sounding annoyed, but with perhaps a chuckle way in the depth of her voice, down at the part closest to her soul. Lina got something else, and kicked heself inwardly for being so slow on the uptake. The sarcastic infighting was something Ayn and Luna did for fun!
Now Lina knew her worse fears were confirmed. Her sister and Ayn WERE wierdos...
Ayn hmphed herself over to a clump of bushes that barely hid her, and changed back to her human form, muttering about blinding people who peek. Not that anyone did.
At least, not that they admitted to it...
Milgasa, not having so convenient a spot to change in, did what he could and faced away from the group, then went back to his human form too. Lina tried not to peek.
Luna whispered to her. "He's built a lot like Gourry, only with a tail, isn't he?" Lina shuddered, sweatdropped, and nodded her head yes. Luna had busted her, again...
A thought occured to her and she asked, as innocently as she could "Don't you think so too?" Now Luna sweatdropped as she nodded yes. Lina almost gave a little skip! Luna had peeked too! Ha, ha, she was a human after all...
Wait...
How did she know what Gourry looked like?
Lina got ahold of herself only with great effort, this was not the time, or the issue...
Ayn returned to them, fixing her hair up again into her ususal style. "Well, that was fun, but I am glad to have the weight off my shoulders and back. So, are we ready? Fun's fun, but we have a toadstool to catch.
"Toadstool?" asked Gourry.
"Yeah, Gourry, "Destroying Angel" is the name of a deadly poisonous mushroom." explained Lina.
"So, we are looking for a big mushroom, with a club?" asked Gourry, bewildered.
Zel facefaulted. The others looked at Gourry, stunned.
Well, except Lina, who was finally getting used to this. "I'll explain later, okay? We have to get into the city now."
The group walked to the gate, and identified themselves to the guards. They were ushered in at once, and the guards even snapped to attention as Luna went by.
"Gee, I don't get that, I'm kind of jealous." said Lina.
"Ah, it's only because I pack a bigger sword than any man does, and they know it." replied Luna.
Lina had the feeling there was more than one way to take that remark, but really, really didn't want to pursue it. Ayn muttered "Where did I leave that ten foot pole?" as she patted herself all over. Lina sweatdropped...
"You are wearing your sword in it's small state I see." added Gourry, helpfully. Lina flushed. Man, get a clue Gourry...
Luna lifted up a little sword shaped charm that she had been wearing around her neck on a chain. "Yup, too dangerous to carry it around big all the time, not to mention the attention it would attract." she smiled.
Actually, the joke was that Luna had a magic sword second to none (well, with the possible exception of the Blast Blade that Gourry carried, and that was only a maybe...), and one of its powers was that she could carry it as a charm on a chain around her neck, getting its full length, and even its existence, out of view. A quick magic chant, a flash of light and suddenly it was Luna with her full sized sword, ready to go. She had shown it to Gourry and Lina on a rare brief visit they had made over two years earlier, as they were running through Zephielia giving chase to a minor, but annoying mazoku. It had so bitten the dust when Lina caught up with it, but that's another story...
Milgasa said his goodbyes and headed off towards the temples of the white priests, looking for the oracles. Ayn had a whistful look, but whether it was to go with him, or go to the temple, none could tell. She just straight out avoided noticing Luna's smirk.
"Well, maybe we could go to the palace? Perhaps they will have heard something." suggested Lina.
"Yes, good idea." said Zel, but with such a sigh that it made it sound like he thought it was anything but.
"What's the matter?" asked Lina.
Zel hung his head and looked ashamed. "It's Amelia. She's always so happy to see me, and I know how she feels about me, but, over time, I have come to know for sure I'll never feel the same for her. I don't know how to tell her I just want to be friends. I just am not looking forward to this. But, you are right, it is the next place to look for clues."
"The fact that it hurts so much is a good sign of how much you like her." said Ayn softly. "But you are right, if your heart truely tells you not to go there, you should not, the pain you will cause each other will eventually outweigh any joy you might have. But be of good courage Mr. Zelgadiss, it will hurt to tell her, but she will recover, and you will have freed her to go find someone who will be able to return her feelings as they deserve."
"I know, it's just getting started, finding the right time and place, all that." Zel replied.
Ayn nodded. "You usually have to make that, rather than find it." she said.
Zel nodded.
Lina looked thoughtful as she remembered her earlier conversation with Gourry. Hmmm, her fears about the two of them not having enough time together had come true. Poor Amelia. For that matter, poor Zel...
They arrived in short order at the gate to the palace. Again admission was not a problem, not even for Gavos and Jilas. A message was sent to Amelia, and the gang retired to the library. As they waited for the Princess each member of the group found something to read to their own liking.
Except maybe Lina, who was hunkered over a book on Fungi, with Gourry, trying not to burst a blood vessel or two explaining about Destroying Angels...
Amelia made a not so untypical dramatic enterance. Zel was reading an absorbing treatise on chimerism through the ages, tipping back on his chair as he did so. The two non humans had wandered off to go look at the decorative vases that were set out here and there in the palace, and possibly to see if any of them would have been something "The Miss" would have liked. Ayn was giving a critical eye to a book on fancily decorated dragon eggs with a motive to tracking down whoever had done them and charging them with infantacide, and Luna had a romantic comic book she kept interupting Ayn with. Lina had finally gotten through to Gourry, kind of, and was wondering at Ayn's patience with Luna's antics. On the other hand, given Ayn's anger at the dragon eggs, maybe Luna was distracting her for more reasons than just to be annoying. Lina just didn't know what to make of it all, and was too timid to ask.
Suddenly there was a pink flash and a tremendous crash as Zel toppled over backwards onto the floor. He lay there sprawled over the chair, the heavy book on his face. It took a minute but one of the gang finally lifted the book.
A delicate hand covered each of his eyes.
Luna began to chuckle, and Ayn looked perturbed. Lina gave an exasperated sigh, and Gourry simply said "Hi Amelia" as he helped get Zel up and off the Princess.
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(1) /spacewatch/zodiacallight021101.html A good and easy explanation of the zodiacal lights, for those who want to know...
(2) Note: Ayn's poem is, of course, the justly famous "High Flight" written by Pilot Officer Gillespie Magee, No. 412 Squadron RCAF. It was written, it is true, to express the human joy of flight in an airplane (a Spitfire in Officer Magee's case), but I can't help but feel that a race as intelligent and refined as the Slayers high dragons could help but have similar feelings about flying, so with apologies and respect where due, I have borrowed it. One thing though, in order to make it fit a being capable of self flight I altered exactly one word in the poem. The bracketed word "self" in Ayn's version is actually "craft" (as in aircraft) in the original. I apologise to purists and fans of the poem everywhere, but, well, dragons don't fly Supermarine Spitfires, they fly themselves.