~* SLAYERS: FALLEN STARS *~
I'm sure this is not necessary, but I do apologize for going almost two months without an update. During the month of May, I was finishing up a Filia costume for a convention and spent this past month basically recovering from it and working overtime! I took a good beating from it. I've also been sick and had some old injuries from a car accident cause me some real pain the past couple of days. However, I was thankful for this delay, since it did help me figure out a few more things between everything else I was doing while also writing snippets for this and upcoming chapters.
Without further ado (and hopefully no more long delays after this), enjoy!
Chapter 51: Safe Haven
Pokota face-planted into the carriage door as it shut on him without warning. He sat on the floor for a moment and rubbed his head with his ear until the shock he received wore off, then opened the door to follow.
"That idiot!" he mumbled under his breath as he ignored the odd looks from the house staff, "I bet he did that on purpose!"
He caught up with Amelia and Hunter at the other end of the courtyard just in time to be greeted by Hunter's family. There was a table set in the middle of a stone patio surrounded by a wall of green and flowers, and a woman in white with long wavy brown hair kept up in clips on either side behind her ears who looked up from fixing a place setting when they appeared.
The first impression both Amelia and Pokota had was this woman could only be a caretaker of the house as she gave off a completely different aura than Hunter, but that was disproved when Hunter spoke.
"Mother, where's Kris and Mari?" He walked over and placed a hand over the utensils she was handling. "And why are you still straightening the table? You should let one of the maids do it if doesn't look right."
Pokota suddenly felt the vibe from Hunter change, and it was as if he were a different person.
Amelia felt it as well, but was too hesitant to say anything, so she only gave the prince a surprised glance.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Hunter, I just couldn't help myself!" The woman's excitement overrode any sincerity in her apology.
Her eyes drifted back over to where Amelia was standing and finally realized that her guest of honor was here.
"You must be Amelia Wil Tesla of Seyruun!" She rushed over, throwing away any manner of decorum and gathered up the princess' hands in hers. "You're much prettier than what my son has told me!"
"T-Thank you!" Amelia smiled and tried to keep down a nervous laughter, having never met a woman who's enthusiasm outshined hers. Or maybe I've just been too down in the dumps for too long. "Its an honor to meet you, Miss…" She was not sure if she should just call her by her last name, which seemed too formal for such a person.
"Just call me Christine. No need to be formal. I want you to feel right at home with us!" Christine looked behind her where another arch lay past the patio. "Krista!" she called out. "Bring your sister to the table! Our guest is here!"
Amelia and Pokota heard two echoing pairs of running feet grow louder until two girls holding hands appeared out of the archway.
"Krista!" Hunter nearly barked, and the elder girl immediately stopped and tugged younger one back. "Where are your manners! You're setting a bad example for Marian!"
"Sorry Big Brother," Krista half-heartedly apologized, being full of excitement as well. "I didn't know she would be standing right there!" She pointed to where Amelia was standing.
Hunter sighed and came over to direct her by the shoulders towards the princess while pushing her arm down. "Its not polite to point, Kris. Now, introduce yourself and your sister properly."
Amelia noted that Krista was taller than she first appeared as the girl came closer. She had a very round childlike face for someone who was thirteen and well on their way to becoming a teenager. Despite Amelia's height, both her and her older sister had more definition to their faces at that age, as did most girls they had known.
Krista straightened herself up and held up her purple skirts as she dipped in a well-practiced curtsy. "I am Krista Darrem, your majesty." Then she gently guided her little blonde headed sister in front of her. "And this is my sister, Marian Darrem."
Marian's big blue eyes just stared. Krista had to whisper to her to curtsy before she bothered moving, then the five year old pulled herself away from her sister and ran to Hunter. "Big brother!"
Hunter scooped her up and whispered something only she could hear as carried her over to the table. Amelia found herself smiling at him. Admittedly, she never had a bond quite like that with her sister.
Christine was ready to usher everyone over to sit, but then Krista exclaimed and pointed, "Oh, did you bring that cute stuffed animal with you, your highness?"
Pokota jumped, his arms flailing to the side like he had been caught doing something he was not supposed to. "W-what? No way! I'm an honest to goodness prince! I'm just…I-I'm just…it's a long story…"
"This is Posel Korba of Taforashia," Amelia added as formally as she could without giggling at the girl's innocent comment. "I'm sure you remember your brother helping Seyruun revive his country last year. Mr. Pokota is heir to the throne."
Krista bent down to Pokota's level and smiled. "You mean, if a princess gave you a kiss, You'll turn back into a prince?"
Pokota's face went scarlet as he stole a look at Amelia's surprised but amused face. She was biting on her lower lip to keep herself from laughing.
He did not think it was all that funny, he really wanted her to kiss him.
Then for some strange reason, Hunter burst into a laughing fit and told Krista, "He's not an enchanted frog, Kris! But he certainly does look the part!"
Pokota could sense that he was holding back the urge to add, 'in his own pathetic way.'
"Now, Krista, is that any way to treat royalty?" Christine added a rare warning tone her voice, but it still did not sound as stern as she was probably hoping to go for. "It doesn't matter what a prince looks like. For all we know, he could be a great sorcerer!"
Pokota went red again at the woman's comment and grinned widely while scratching the back of his head. Someone finally recognized him for what he was. "Now that you mention it, I am a pretty good sorcerer."
The way he said it made him sound like a silly little boy receiving a compliment from his favorite teacher, but Pokota did not care.
To top it off, Amelia added. "Mr. Pokota's isn't just good, he can almost match Miss Lina in a fight!"
Now, he wanted to just explode with happiness. If only she had left out the 'Mr.' part!
"But it doesn't help that The Red Priest himself made him into a stuffed animal," Hunter dared to comment with barely concealed mockery.
The high-flying feeling from just a moment ago, quickly deflated in Pokota's stuffing-filled chest.
Krista's interest was only heightened. "Oh! Did you have a fight with him? He's the most powerful sorcerer ever!"
"N-not exactly…" Pokota stuttered, no longer in the mood to talk.
Thankfully, Christine beckoned her elder daughter to go sit at the table. "That's enough for now, Krista. Lets not badger our guests and let them eat."
Amelia noticed Pokota's tiny shoulders slump a bit as they made their way to the table.
He deserved more respect than that. The girl Krista's curiosity was understandable, but her brother's behavior, however covert he tries to be with his meaning, was not acceptable. She honestly wished there was something she could say to put Hunter in his place for good.
She inwardly sighed and sat down, trying to take all the beauty their little haven provided as she did. It was surely a delight to the eyes and no place to start a silly argument. Mrs. Darrem and the girls were also a delight all their own, and Amelia did not want to ruin what was supposed to be a very exciting visit from someone they so wanted to meet.
But when everything was done and over-with, I need give Mr. Hunter a good talking too. I did not matter how close he had become with her father, Amelia still had the right to ultimately choose who to court and who to marry, as long as they were willing.
The scene was familiar: A bustling, untouched city, going on about its daily business without any concern for the outside world. It always amazed Lina how some people could stay so willfully ignorant of what was going on around them. But then, this particular region was relatively untouched as she found by talking to several vendors and shop owners. This place was also unusually friendly, a very sharp contrast to what Lina and her group normally experienced on their recent travels in the north.
It was both a great relief and a great concern. This was supposed to be Dark Star's hiding place. It may not be the exact location, but something did tell her they were very close. If that were the case, Lina was sure he would not hesitate to at least send some monster lackey after them before too long, rather than revealing himself.
Torrin's brothers once again decided to hang back and relayed their new findings to Lord Milgazia and the other clans. At least they were on alert in case something happened. They did not want to announce to any local groups of marauding monsters that they were squarely on Dark Star's trail, though that might not be such a secret, if Dark Star truly was as clever as claimed. However, feigning ignorance on the dragons' part just might buy some time. Lina was putting a lot of trust in them.
She had also kept her eye on Zelgadis the last couple of days as the chimera seemed even more agitated than usual. The rift between him and Alyssa appeared to have lessened, but it was replaced with another far more worrisome issue.
According to Oldhin, Amelia was supposed to be in the States, far away from the safety of Seyruun's protective barrier of white magic. Only something very important concerning Seyruun would have the princess come this far from the capitol, even Lina was worried knowing how stressed out she was and secretly hoped they ran into her soon before all hell broke loose.
They eventually found themselves inside a restaurant trying to escape the summer heat feeling exhausted. Most of their trip may have been on Torrin's back going at a leisurely pace, but even that could get tiresome after a while. Having a fussing hatchling on board did not make it any easier.
It was Val's unsettling cries that caused them to finally ground themselves for more than a couple hours and rethink what they should do. Everyone was sick of roughing it anyway.
"Are we gonna get a hotel room this time?" Jean whined, laying his head on the table. "I don't wanna fly anymore."
"All this town hopping is getting to me too," Gourry chimed in. His arms laid over the back of his chair while he stared at the ceiling. "How we supposed to find anybody like that?"
Zelgadis had to put his piece in too. "I'd have to agree. And we never thought of what we'll do when we finally meet Dark Star face to face."
Lina stared him down across the table, her chin propped up by an arm. It was the most she had heard from him since the Miasma Forest.
"I know it wasn't the best strategy," She grudgingly admitted. "But we didn't have much to go by." The only sort of clue they had to go by concerning Dark Star was an emergency conference that was to take place not too far from where they were now. "If we can make it to that meeting the States are having, we might have better luck."
"But we need let ourselves rest first," Torrin warned.
"He's right. We can't face Dark Star as we are now," Filia added as she rocked a sleepy Val. He had finally wore himself out to the point where he did not care if he was in full human form now.
"We have to go in with clear heads on this," Samira added. "Who knows what they will pull next."
Lina found it a little odd that Samira would mention 'clear heads' since she appeared to be slightly on edge as well. The desert woman did not say much about what happened to her in the forest, except to Filia, and Lina had to filter out the story from the dragoness over the course of their trip to the States.
Jean did not seem to be very calm either. His recent ordeal was clearly terrifying, but he came out of it fine and even boasted a little about how he went up against half a dozen monsters on his own. However, after Filia told him that the Flarelord medallion he wore must have used his body to destroy them, he was far more cautious of it and took it off to tuck away in his small belt pouch, claiming it was just to keep it safe. Lina could have sworn he was afraid of the medallion.
It was probably a good thing. Samira had warned him more than once not to use an enhancer while he was still training.
As for Alyssa, Lina did not want to get into it. The girl reappeared after their fight very excited, acting 'much like her old bouncy self' as Zelgadis put it, but would not tell anyone exactly what happened, only that Flagoon helped them drive the monsters and the miasma away. How that was possible, was anybody's guess.
The sorceress set her tired eyes on Alyssa now, after hearing everybody else's complaints and suggestions, almost expecting her to say something.
"I-I guess…" she began stuttering, and with everyone else's eyes drifting over to her now, it got worse, "m-maybe, w-we…we should…get supplies?"
A completely unnecessary observation, but Lina was happy to take it. "All right," she sighed, "we better get some supplies."
She dug into her well-secured money pouch and carefully counted out the coins. Even with evenly splitting the expenses among everyone and not eating as much as she usually did, there was not as much as she was hoping.
Lina turned to Torrin who gave her a questioning look. "Hey, Egan, you can pay for the hotel rooms."
"W-what?" he exclaimed. "Why me?"
"Well, you're the one responsible for Filia and Val's safety, and out of all of us, they have the biggest need for one," she reasoned. Truthfully, they all needed a decent bed for once, but she did not have enough to cover it.
"I was the one who flew you all over the damn place!" Torrin contested.
Filia put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "Please, Torrin, don't do this now. I'll help."
"That's all right, Mr. Dragon." Gourry straightened himself out in his seat and began digging for his own money. "I'll help you out. I'm sure both the little guys over there could use a bed right now."
"Thank you, Gourry," Filia said with a grateful smile. Jean simply yawned out his gratitude.
"In that case, I'll pitch in for supplies," Samira offered.
"Okay, I guess that means you come with me, Zel, and Alyssa too, if she wants." Lina pointed at them, happy for once there was not much energy left among them to fight about it. They only nodded.
With nothing left to discuss, they left the comfort of the cool restaurant and fanned out amongst the produce stands and shops. Lina, Gourry, and Samira went down one end of the street to look at shoes and clothing, thinking maybe they could find some cheap disguises for the conference. Filia, Torrin, and Jean went down the other way to check out the list of possible inns they got from the restaurant owner to find some available rooms. That left Zelgadis and Alyssa amongst the grocery stalls in the middle.
For a few minutes they said nothing while the chimera mentally calculated how much to get. Alyssa wanted to tell him she already had figured it out but found it hard to bring herself to say it. She had never felt this awkward around him before.
After they gathered their staples consisting of beans, rice, and a mixture of hearty vegetables that did not spoil easily on the road, all the while barely getting more than one word responses from each other, the chimera stopped at the melon stand to simply look. It was then that Alyssa quietly tried slipping away from Zelgadis' side.
He did not seem to notice much as he stared intently at piles of fruit in front of him, until he spoke. "Don't wander off too far."
She stopped and turned. "I-I'm just going over to see what's on the next street," she answered a little sheepishly.
When she did not receive any further acknowledgement, Alyssa twirled back around and walked as quickly as she could until she was out of sight. This was not any form of punishment or rejection, she was not angry with him anymore, but it was clear that Zelgadis was in no mood to talk.
Deep in her heart, she knew Seyruun was not going to be spared the longer Dark Star remained hidden, and now the monsters in alliance with him were using Amelia herself as bait. It will not matter anymore if the princess had come with them or not, she was now a target and probably was one from the start.
Alyssa halted for a moment and forced down the small lump of guilt lodged in her chest. Zelgadis' fears were coming true, and there was nothing she could do about it.
He did not say anything to her when he returned from the Maisma Forest, did not ask what happened to her and Val during the fight, or gave anyone much attention for that matter after he relayed what Oldhin had said. It was bad enough that even Lina was throwing him worried glances every once in a while instead of trying to argue it out of him.
All in all, that seemed to be the theme for everyone right now. No one was very talkative and all were nervous for some reason or other, and Alyssa could tell there was at least one person in the group that was lying. The most surprising part was it happened to be the most protected member, and Alyssa could not figure out why in the world she felt any need to lie.
She stopped suddenly in front of a beautiful display of sparkling jewelry. They were mostly fake or made out of inexpensive stones, but they were intentionally made to shine and catch one's eye. There was a mirror set on table, and Alyssa took a good long look at herself in it.
Vorfeed?
Yes, Canal?
Alyssa smiled. It was her first attempt at contacting her since the forest and was comforted to know she was still there. Not that she ever left, but the dark energy inside them had made it impossible to know for sure until Flagoon intervened.
Alyssa actually felt somewhat normal now, if she had to use a word to describe it, and being able to talk to her was certainly a big plus.
Do you think he may be here somewhere? she asked.
There's no way to tell, Vorfeed admitted with a sigh, Much of our power is still restrained.
How long will Flagoon hold out?
I don't know. Alyssa felt her sigh again. I wish I could be of more help.
She understood that feeling very well. It could be over soon, you know?
Maybe… Vorfeed sounded very unsure. Are you still afraid?
A little… she admitted. Do you still feel guilty?
An redundant question. Everything that was happening now was the result of them giving up to Dark Star once already.
Alyssa sensed Vorfeed's hesitance to answer. They both knew the guilt will always be there.
Not as much as I used to, she finally said. It may not look it, but we've been given a real chance to put him down for good. But…its only a small chance…
Alyssa frowned at herself in the mirror. I really don't want this part of him inside of me. If we can't destroy it or use it, then what can we do?
Her head shook like she was answering her own question when Vorfeed replied. There's a way, but its too dangerous right now. There's a part of us we need to get back, a very important piece.
Alyssa's mouth opened to let out a frustrating gasp. Why didn't you tell me before?
I don't want him to know where it might be, and I have to figure out how to get it first. Please, be patient with me. I don't want to have to corrupt part of your memory again. Vorfeed sounded very apologetic in her last sentence.
Those memories were still missing and continued to bother Alyssa, but she could not be angry at Vorfeed for that. It had been done for a reason.
I understand, she replied. I won't push.
Alyssa sensed her relief, then a shot of panic. Canal? Where's Val?
With Miss Filia. Why? She asked.
She's with the Dimos right? And still has the pendent on?
There was so much urgency in those questions that Alyssa flinched. Y-yes. We saw them just a little while ago. What's wrong?
I'm…I'm not sure…I felt the dark energy stir for a moment…I thought maybe he was here somewhere…
Alyssa looked all around her for a few moments and did not see anyone that looked out of place. Well, if you're going to be that jumpy, we'll have to look at everyone as a suspect! Do you think, perhaps, we can use the energy to find him?
Sorry, Canal… Vorfeed let out a little nervous laugh. I don't think we can, though. It probably can't even tell who we are.
That's not very helpful… Alyssa made a disappointed face. Makes finding him that much harder!
Her eyes wandered to a string of small pink stones she recognized as rose quartz and took it down to hold it in front of herself. It did not match her travel outfit very well, but the pink did complement her odd-colored hair.
"That would look great on you."
Alyssa jumped and dropped the necklace to the jargon of the jewelry merchant. She spun around on the spot to see who it was and was met by a pair of strong arms clothed in black. They felt very familiar.
Her eyes floated up, and her heart stopped.
Aldrich was grinning down at her with pleasant surprise. "I didn't think I would see you again so soon."
Alyssa's throat constricted. How do humans ever get used to this? "M-me neither…" she blushingly squeaked out. She felt that strange burning desire coming from him again.
"Hey lady! Are you gonna buy that necklace or not?" the merchant growled out like an annoyed bear.
"Oh!" Alyssa bent down to pick the necklace up out of the dirt. "So sorry, I-"
Aldrich had beaten her to it.
"Don't worry, I'll pay for this." He handed it out for the merchant to see. "Got any earrings to go with this?"
"No, no, that's okay!" Alyssa waved her hands in front of her. "I was just looking!"
Aldrich ignored her protest and handed over his money to the merchant, who pointed out a matching set of earrings for him.
He placed the necklace around her neck and closed the clasp, then gently cradled the back of her head as he tilted her head up. "There you go."
Alyssa felt his thumbs and fingers move up to her ears and move her hair away from them.
"U-um, I don't…have pierced ears…"
Aldrich took a closer look then let out a little laugh. "I guess we don't need the earrings then!"
The merchant grunted some sort of obscenity about young people, but he did not pay any mind. His eyes were still trained on her.
"Are you still traveling with your friends?" he asked.
Alyssa nodded slightly. "Yes. We're getting supplies before we move on."
Aldrich let go of her head and swept her braided hair behind her. "So, where are you headed?"
"We're still deciding on it," she replied, remembering that they had not found out where the emergency conference was yet. "We might be stuck here for a while yet."
"Its quite the coincidence, isn't it?" he said, and she nodded again. "I happened to be staying with a new friend of mine. I think you know him."
"W-who?" Alyssa was confused. "As far as I know, none of us know anyone around here."
"Princess Amelia is well acquainted with him. In fact, she stopped over for a couple of days." Aldrich winked as if he meant to say he knew they would be looking for her.
She was amazed that he could be such a mind reader at times. "Really? Where?"
He took her hand and began leading her away from the street where the others were shopping. "She's out shopping today, but I can give you lift and help you look for her, if you like."
Zelgadis spent a good fifteen minutes staring at various types of grapefruits, cantaloupes, and honeydews, his mind completely elsewhere. All he could think of during the last two days is what he would say if he saw Amelia again. The last time they saw each other, she was not very happy with him, and admittedly, he may have been a little too condescending towards her.
Alyssa made a good point when she got onto him for treating her like he treated Amelia. It brought to Zelgadis' attention how overprotective he was being. It was so unlike him, yet, hearing Amelia was out of Seyruun scared him, and that would normally take a lot to do.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an odd colored fruit at the end of the stand. He reached over and grabbed it out of curiosity. It felt mushy and fuzzy, but that was not the reason why he jerked his hand away.
"Hey!" it squealed, "Watch it!"
Pokota's head and ears popped out and was munching on a melon. Seeds and melon mush were plastered all over his face.
Before Zelgadis could respond, he heard Amelia's voice come up on his right.
"Mr. Pokota! We better hurry back before Mr. Hunter-!" She stopped and stared with her arms full of fruit. "Z-Zelgadis?"
Hope it wasn't too boring! But don't worry, we're going to see some more action soon.
If you're interested in seeing pictures from the convention I attended, just go to DeviantART and put in "Filia A-Kon 23" in the search engine. I did that once, and it looks like only my photos show up when you do that, so it'll be fairly easy. They'll be under the same username I use here. Oh, and look for my Xellos and Filia finger puppets!
As always, don't be afraid to review or give me a critique! Or just say hi! ~NB~
