As usual, I don't own anything. I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy.

26- Divide and Conquer

With only one arm to hang on, Gourry was clinging to Lina as tightly as he possibly could. He was grateful for her supportive grip- she was trying her best to make him feel safe, and he knew that she wouldn't dare let him fall- but he still hated being in the air.

"Say, Lina? I was thinking," he began, trying to distract himself from their position, "if Meg could use this same spell now, why did she have to rely on Abaddon to help her find us last night?"

"Huh?"

"I mean… couldn't she have found her way back to where she came from by herself? I know she wanted to find Inspector Morrigan and everything, but… am I missing something?"

"Well, this spell manipulates wind, so it's difficult to use in bad weather. But you're right- making a pact with Mazoku seems like a dangerous thing to do, especially the Mazoku who killed your lover. If Meg had the power to rescue herself, I don't see why she would've given in to Abaddon's pressure. Of course, it's entirely possible that they threatened her life if she didn't do what they said."

"She did steal the Sword of Light from them. Why didn't they kill her on the spot instead of making her do their dirty work?"

"That's a good question." Lina murmured. "You don't think that Meg has a prior connection with Abaddon, do you?"

"I don't know. She's always been so skittish, I never took her to be the sort of person who would work with Mazoku. But I wonder if it's her past experience with Mazoku that makes her so skittish." Gourry replied. He noticed that, in his distraction, he was letting his grip on Lina's shoulder loosen, and it momentarily terrified him. "B-but after what happened with Kent, I can't blame her for being scared of Abaddon. Can you?"

"No. But right now, we probably shouldn't worry about this sort of thing. Whatever her reasoning behind it, what's done is done. There's no changing it, so we just have to worry about helping our friends- ah!"

Lina changed direction abruptly, causing Gourry to yelp. He noticed, however, that they were descending and watched in relief as the ground drew steadily closer.

"Zel! Amelia!" Lina called out as she and Gourry landed. Their two friends were a short distance away, Zelgadis busy tending to a wound on Amelia's leg. There were no Mazoku in sight, but from the looks of thing, there had been at least one. Amelia waved, calling out to them.

"Miss Lina! Mister Gourry! What are you doing here?"

"We heard that you guys were being ambushed and came as fast as we could." Lina replied, running over to Amelia to see what she could do to help. Zelgadis moved over a little to let Lina take a look at the situation, but when she did, she saw that he had taken care of everything. "Where are Adelaide and Pokota?"

"Miss Adelaide ran off to distract the Mazoku from us. I think she went on to the chateau. Mister Pokota followed her, and I tried to, but I had gotten caught up in the initial attack and couldn't."

"We wouldn't be any use to Adelaide and Pokota like this." Zelgadis added. "I decided to stay while I patched up Amelia's wounds and then the two of us could continue on to help."

"How did you two find out about this?" Amelia asked, sitting up straighter. "Where are Miss Meg and Inspector Morrigan?"

"Meg was the one who told the Mazoku our plans, wasn't she?" Zelgadis spoke before Lina or Gourry could answer.

"What?! That's-" Amelia was cut off by Lina and Gourry both nodding their heads in unison. "-that's… horrible."

"It was out of her own free will so far as we can tell, but she didn't seem happy about it. She was in a tough situation and had to make a difficult decision." Lina explained, taking Amelia's hand and helping the girl to her feet. "I really don't think she had any malicious intent. She was just doing what she had to in order to survive."

"Still, where does that leave us?" Zelgadis asked. "You can be as sympathetic as you want, but that won't stop me from being angry with her for it. Adelaide and Pokota could be getting hurt right now- we've got to do something!"

"Which way is the chateau?" Gourry asked, holding out his sword offensively. Lina had retrieved it from her astral pocket and handed it back to him, helping to steady his grip. It was unfortunate that he hadn't gotten any practice with it, but there wasn't time to worry about that now. "There's no reason that we need to stand around talking when we could be helping out."

"It should be just over that hill-" Amelia pointed out, already halfway to it. Zelgadis had clearly done a good job with her injury, the way that she was moving. "Miss Adelaide probably went to retrieve her father's sword."

"And the magic vessel, right?" Lina ran after Amelia. "Or did she decide against that?"

"We think she may have, but she never outright stated it." Zelgadis answered. "She seemed ambivalent toward the idea of retrieving it, going so far as to insist that she didn't know how to identify it."

"Which you're sure is not true?"

"Fairly sure, yes. She seemed so confident before, I can't imagine why she'd suddenly change her story. She may not want us to think her a capricious person, but when it's a big decision like this, there's no way that I could consider her as such."

"Perhaps not wanting to admit that you care for your friends is a trait that runs in Rezo's family." Lina shot a smirk in Zelgadis' direction.

"You're not funny, Lina."

"Who said I was being funny?"

"Now is not the time to argue or throw insults!" Amelia called to the pair. She and Gourry were already ahead of them and could see the house from their position on the hilltop. "Get moving, you two!"

"Yes, Amelia." Both Lina and Zelgadis answered in unison. Amelia was right and they both knew it. It was so easy to get sidetracked, but they both knew it wouldn't do them or their friends any good.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? RUNNING OFF LIKE THAT IN THE MIDDLE OF A CASE IS NOT ONLY A VIOLATION OF YOUR OATH AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENT, BUT IT'S ALSO EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED."

"…I know…" Morrigan hung his head in shame as he bore the brunt of Wizer's anger. It was well-deserved, he knew, and so he was facing it with no arguments. However, as much as he knew that what he did wasn't the proper course of action, he felt sure that he'd do it again if presented with the same situation. "…yes, sir. I understand. I apologize."

Wizer cleared his throat and turned to Meg. "Thank you for going to find him. I'm sorry it came to that."

"It's not a problem. As long as he's safe, I don't have any concerns." Meg shook her head. "I'm sorry that I couldn't stop him in the first place."

"Now, you know that he's not your responsibility-"

"Yes, I'm aware. But as his friend, I couldn't let him endanger himself like that."

"Listen! There's something even worse going on!" Morrigan waved his hands. "We need to-"

"We won't be doing anything." Wizer interrupted. "For your sake, Inspector Morrigan, I feel it's best if you suspend your work on this case."

"W-wait… you're kicking me off the case…?" Morrigan wilted. "B-but Inspector Freion-"

"No 'buts.' This is for your own good." Wizer turned his back on the two of them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things I need to attend to. Meg, since you are so adamant about taking responsibility for Inspector Morrigan's well-being, I'll order you to stay here at the lodge and watch over him. Make sure that he doesn't leave this building."

"Yes sir." Meg bowed respectfully and reached out to grab Morrigan's arm and prevent him from running after Wizer. There was no point- they'd been given direct orders and those orders weren't going to budge.

"Meg, what are you doing?!" Morrigan tugged at Meg's grip on his arm. "You're the one who claims to know what Abaddon is capable of! Why are we just standing here letting Miss Lina and the others put themselves in danger?"

"Because they're not in danger. Not really."

"What are you talking about?"

"Unless, of course… they get in the way…" Meg's face clouded as she spoke. "…this is terrible. I wanted revenge, but not like this…"

"Terrible? What's terrible? What revenge? I don't understand!"

Meg turned and grabbed both of Morrigan's hands. "Listen to me. My agreement with Abaddon wasn't just to save my life from them. It was also to save me from Xellos- it's what Xellos wanted me to do."

"Xellos?" Morrigan pulled away, walking backwards as though he could distance himself from the situation that way. He wasn't looking where he was going, however, and toppled over into a chair. "Y-you mean that Xellos? The one who works for Lowell Enterprises and is a personal friend of Inspector Freion's? I thought he wanted to capture Lady Adelaide. What good would it be for him to turn her over to Abaddon?"

"Don't you get it? That's why Abaddon wants Adelaide dead! Xellos and his Mazoku colleagues are using Adelaide to hunt down and capture Abaddon. By giving Abaddon the information about Lady Adelaide's whereabouts, I allowed Abaddon a reason to gather, and gave Xellos his opportunity to hunt down as many members as possible at one time."

"Mazoku colleagues?" Morrigan pulled himself to an upright position, moving around so that he could sit in the chair comfortably. "Mister Xellos is working for Mazoku?"

"Xellos is a Mazoku!"

There was a tense silence before Morrigan was able to reply.

"…ah… that explains a lot, actually."

"I wasn't supposed to tell you- that is, Xellos threatened me into making sure you remained in the dark. He knows how upstanding you are and how much you strive to do what's right. He didn't want you interfering with his goal. But now that he's finally achieved it… there's no point in keeping secrets anymore."

Morrigan sighed and leaned against the back of the chair, staring at the ceiling. "So now what? Are we just supposed to sit here and order room service while a group of fellow humans get caught in the crossfire of a Mazoku conflict?"

"You would do well to stay here where it's safe. Miss Lina and the others can handle themselves." Meg replied, turning towards the door. "But I have a personal score to settle. I'm going to the chateau."

"HEY!"

Morrigan was on his feet in an instant and just barely managed to reach the door before her. "What are you thinking?! What kind of business would be so important that you'd risk your life for it?"

Meg didn't flinch. "Several years ago, Abaddon took something precious from me. Ever since I've been trying to avenge what I lost. I'm not going to allow Abaddon to be captured or destroyed without being there to witness it."

"Something precious…" Morrigan began, noticing Meg fidgeting with her hands. It was a gesture he was used to, as he watched her do it often, but this time he felt like the ring she wore stood out more than it had before. "…that's it, then… Abaddon killed someone precious to you… and you want revenge for that person…"

"I say that I'm seeking vengeance for Arthur's sake, but that's not true." Meg shook her head. "Even when he was dying, he was kind-hearted. In his final moments, he forgave his killer. Someone who died at peace with a smile on his face doesn't need avenging. But… I haven't forgiven myself. This isn't to avenge him, it's to avenge my freedom; my happiness- the happiness that Abaddon stole from me when I pledged obedience to them."

Morrigan tried to take a step back, but was reminded that he was standing with his back against the door. "…you know, I've been told that, when you hang onto the anger that comes from grief, you're only hurting yourself. Isn't there some way that you can forgive? If your lover forgave you for what you did to him, can't you-"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Meg yelled, and stopped herself. "No. You do. ButI have to see this through. I've carried this around for too long. I need closure."

"What you need is to talk this through with someone." Morrigan corrected. "You don't have to do this alone, Meg. You said it yourself- we're friends. I'm here for you."

"We are friends." Meg gave a nod. "That's why I can't allow you to be dragged down with me. Please, move. I don't want to hurt you."

"You don't want to-" Morrigan balked. "Y-you're serious."

"Please."

A long moment passed in which neither of them moved. They hardly dared to breathe, both waiting to see what the other was going to do- what the other would be willing to do. Finally, Morrigan sighed and stepped out of the way of the door.

"I'll stay here so that you don't get in trouble with Inspector Freion. But you have to promise to come back safely. Alright?"

Meg was silent.

"Alright?"

"I… can't promise any such thing."

"You have to! You have to promise! I won't let you go otherwise. I don't know what I'd do without you-"

"That's a lie. You do." Meg interrupted him and he stopped talking. He wasn't used to her cutting him off like this. She was usually so reserved, she had never talked over anyone, much less interrupted them and argued against them. But something about the situation had changed her demeanor. "You're young and naïve, but you're not stupid. You fight for what's right, even when the situation is tough. A powerful Mazoku was afraid of giving you information, for fear you'd do something to ruin his plans. Doesn't that say something about you? Max, you have to believe me. You can't throw away your future."

Morrigan felt his muscles tense up as the meaning of her words became clear. This wasn't just encouragement for the future. It was a farewell.

"You're going to die, aren't you? That's your goal."

Meg didn't respond.

"WINDY SHIELD!"

"You'd think they'd hold back a little. This seems like overkill." Adelaide commented between firing attacks outside of the shield that Pokota had put up. It was impossible for him to fire offensive spells while maintaining the defensive barrier, but with the two of them together, one could worry about offense while the other worried about defense.

"They really want us dead." Pokota shot back, careful not to break concentration. "It makes sense."

"DUG HAUT!" Adelaide cursed under her breath as her blurred vision and the Mazoku's quick retreat onto the astral plane caused her attack to miss its target. "I can't see to aim in this thing."

"Would you rather be vulnerable to attacks, then?"

"Stop talking and focus on keeping up that shield-"

"-WATCH OUT!"

As powerful as the wind shield was, it was only of use against attacks that came from outside of it. But for Mazoku, who were not restricted to the physical plane, there was a way around that- firing an attack from inside the shield. The wind immediately dissipated as both Pokota and Adelaide scrambled to protect themselves against the threat that had suddenly become too close for comfort.

"Pokota-" Adelaide yelped, reaching out for her friend. Unfortunately, they weren't close enough, and her vision was suddenly obscured by a cloud of dust and debris from the walls that were beginning to collapse around them. Adelaide and Pokota had made it to the chateau and entered, knowing that there would likely be Mazoku waiting for them inside, but not knowing the extent of the situation. The sheer volume of Mazoku that had been waiting for them had caught them off-guard, and while Adelaide's White Magic attacks had been sufficient to take out or chase off most of them, that took a lot of energy, and she and Pokota were left vulnerable to the stronger Mazoku who were waiting for their prey to exhaust themselves. A shadowy figure loomed over Adelaide, and she readied an attack in her hand, but there wasn't time to fire it.

"RA TILT!"

There was no mistaking that combination. Adelaide fell backwards, but managed to land in such a way that she didn't hurt herself. "Amelia! Zelgadis!"

"Are you alright, Miss Adelaide?" As soon as Adelaide became aware of what was going on, Amelia was by her side.

"I-I'm fine, thanks. What about Pokota? Where is he?"

"He's fighting some of those Mazoku in the next room with Lina and Gourry." Zelgadis replied. "We can take over from here. You should go upstairs and find that sword you're looking for. Once you have that, we can retreat… if we haven't gotten rid of these Mazoku already."

"Okay! Right!" Adelaide nodded her head quickly. "Thank you! Are you two really alright-?"

Zelgadis grabbed her shoulders and turned her in the direction of the others. "Just go. Don't worry about us."

"Miss Lina! Mister Gourry! You two go with Miss Adelaide and keep her safe!" Amelia called out. "Mister Pokota too- Zelgadis and I can handle these Mazoku down here."

"Are you sure?" Pokota wavered only momentarily before taking off after Lina and Gourry. There was no time to question anyone's orders with the way that things were. The four made their way to the staircase, Lina holding up the rear with a defensive spell to keep them covered.

From outside an exterior window, Xellos watched the chaos in delight, keeping count of how many members of Abaddon had fallen. He smiled brightly.

"Isn't it nice to have others to do your dirty work?"

Adelaide led the group down a hallway once they reached the top of the stairs, stopping to close the door behind them once they'd all gathered. "Th-there don't seem to be any Mazoku here, so we can stop for the moment."

"Where is your mother's sword collection?" Pokota asked.

"It's down the hallway, but I wanted to get us out of harm's way so that we can figure out a plan."

"Well, we seem to be doing well with you leading the way and Pokota and me acting as defense." Lina continued. "We should maybe keep doing what we're doing, and-"

"HEY!"

It was Gourry's voice that snapped everyone's attention away from the conversation. He had his sword drawn and was focused on the windowsill seat, behind the drawn curtains.

"Don't sit there and watch. If you've got business with us, say so outright!"

A vaguely feminine form materialized on the seat. Her appearance was humanoid as much as a high-level Mazoku's might be, but she didn't quite appear solid, as though she were made of a mist that would dissipate immediately if disturbed. "Ugh. It's you again." She twirled a tendril of hair around one finger. "After what happened last time, you're still willing to pick a fight?"

Lina stiffened as she recognized the voice. It was the Mazoku that Gourry had provoked before- the one who Lina was sure could've done much more damage than a mutilated arm if she had so desired.

"Are you planning to fight us? I don't care much for enemies who sit around and mock me." Gourry shoved his sword in the Mazoku's direction. "Plus I have a score to settle with you."

"Oh, that's right. Humans can't grow back their limbs like Mazoku can. Sorry about that."

"SHUT UP! YOU KNEW THAT!"

Lina grabbed a handful of fabric from the back of Gourry's shirt. "Be careful what you say to her." she hissed. "Remember last time."

"OF COURSE I REMEMBER LAST TIME! LIKE HELL I COULD FORGET LAST TIME-"

"Shut up. No amount of negative emotions could make up for having to deal with such an annoying voice." The Mazoku massaged her temples in frustration. "I don't get paid enough to fight you guys. I oversee experiments. I'll let them do the hard part."

"Them?" Lina didn't have time to ask before her train of thought was completely cut off by a scream and a series of growls and barks. The group was suddenly surrounded by four or five- Lina couldn't tell, they moved so fast- doglike creatures that were snarling and leaping at each member of the group, claws and teeth bared. Adelaide was doing all she could to create defensive barriers to keep them off of her; she couldn't even think about attacking.

"Like them? They're lesser-demon chimeras with a dash of puppy in them. Watch out- they're still in the teething stage, so they'll sink their teeth into anything that moves. Have fun playing with them."

"H-HEY!" The Mazoku disappeared before anyone could get in a word to her, and they were left to fend for themselves against the creatures. One bit down on the blade of Gourry's sword and stayed there, leaving him to shaking the weapon back and forth in a desperate attempt to get it away. Lina could see now that there were definitely five of them. One was attached to Gourry's sword, one was following Lina around, and the other three were all throwing themselves at Adelaide. The one chasing Lina grabbed a mouthful of her cape and tugged hard until the fabric began to rip.

"No! Stop it!" Lina yelled, grabbing hold of the fabric and trying to wrench it from the chimera's powerful jaws. She was trying to see if it would respond to the normal commands a domesticated puppy might, but there was no such luck. Her words didn't distract it in the slightest- but suddenly something flew across its field of vision that did.

The chimera harassing Lina suddenly took off across the room in pursuit of the tiny, light-colored blur that had caught its attention. The ones attacking Adelaide took notice as well, and scrambled over to get a piece of the action. The one by Gourry's side seemed slow on the uptake, but soon it as well started chasing after the tiny animal that had so utterly enchanted them.

"They're… chasing Pokota?"