"A good swordsman is always aware of everything and everyone in his vicinity." Gourry explained to a group of students as they stood in a circle on the sparring field. "He is not only aware of who he is fighting, but where his allies are and where his other enemies are. The focus is on who you are fighting, but the awareness needs to encompass everyone."
Eerily as if on cue, Gourry sensed a strange presence coming towards them. He took a deep breath, "Take a moment now and let me know how many people are here now."
Several of the kids closed their eyes, while others appeared more effortless as they focused. Eventually Bruce said, "Twenty-four."
"Yes, twenty-four." Pippi said.
"Twenty-five." Susan said.
"What are you talking about?" Pippi asked.
"I sense him, too." Ripley said. "He's coming this way."
The students appeared divided between those who couldn't detect the extra person and those who could. Gourry said quietly, "Yes, he is. Is he a friendly or unfriendly presence?"
"I can't tell." Ripley said.
"What does your gut say?" Gourry asked.
"I don't trust him." Susan said quickly.
"Look!" Peter said as he pointed at a man dressed in the robes of a shamanist magic user who was approaching them.
Gourry had to note that the man was trying too hard to radiate trustworthy vibes, which immediately raised his suspicions. And Susan had thus far proved to have remarkable instincts. "Can I help you?" Gourry asked as the man came up to them.
"Yes, are you Gourry Gabriev?"
"Yes." Gourry replied as the sense rose that the man he was talking to was not really a man. A Mazoku? Gourry's hand moved to his sword, the plain metal one that he'd carried since the Eternal Queen had left with the Blast Sword. He had very little to defend the students and himself with should he attack.
"I am Stover, and I'd heard about your school and was wondering if I could lend my services. I know some very obscure shamanist magic and I do believe that your wife would be interested."
"We're at full staff, though if you let me know where you're staying I'll pass the information on to Lina."
"I'm staying at the inn in the village until I can get a more permanent situation."
"Right. Now, if you could leave, I have to get back to my lessons."
Stover chuckled, and the hair on the back of Gourry's neck stood up. From the west, Han broke away from the group of students he was teaching and came over to them, "Everything okay?" he asked.
"He was just passing through." Gourry said regarding Stover.
Stover tipped his hat, "Good day to you." Then he turned and headed back on the road.
Gourry exhaled as he disappeared and Han asked, "What was that about?"
"We need to talk to Lina."
Before Gourry had a chance to talk to Lina at lunch they had found a new thing to puzzle over. A missive from the queen that she was sending a carriage to them to take them to see her for an audience after Lina finished her class. Between Stover and the audience, they had plenty to speculate about, speculations that, by the time they actually reached the palace, were wearing thin.
"But why would the Eternal Queen summon us?" Gourry asked for the umpteenth time as they were escorted through the palace. For his part, he was convinced there was a connection, some escalation on the part of the Kingdom of Dils or trouble with the Elmekian Empire.
"I guess we'll see in a few minutes." Lina said, trying to keep the irritation from her voice. With a strange person sniffing around the school, she wasn't happy about being called away, but when your monarch beckons you don't refuse.
Eventually they got to the throne room and bowed before the queen. "You asked to see us, your Majesty." Lina said.
"Yes." The Eternal Queen said. "This weekend Maeve stopped by for lunch. She told me about your assignment with Hellmaster's device. She asked me to tell her everything I know about it."
Lina's mouth dropped as she wondered why she hadn't thought of the possibility of one of the queen's descendants using her as a referral source, "Well, that explains why her report was so thorough."
Gourry looked at Lina, "What's this about?"
"We've been studying source material. I had the students demonstrate what they'd learned by researching Hellmaster's device."
"Including information on where it is currently held?" The Eternal Queen asked.
"When you're searching for treasure, it's important to know how to shake down rumors and follow leads." Lina defended. "If I didn't know how to do that then I wouldn't have found the Claire Bible, or the Blast Sword."
"I hope I do not need to repeat that you are forbidden from stepping foot into the Elmekian Empire." The Eternal Queen said sternly, and Lina felt the sweat form on her brow.
"No, your majesty." Lina said.
"Or Ray Wing."
"I understand." Lina said as she felt a pit in her stomach now that that loophole was closed.
The Eternal Queen considered her for a moment, "Did you uncover anything about its location that could be of use to our agents?"
Lina felt her stomach clench, but she also knew that there was no way around it. "I can send the papers down tonight if you like. You can go over them yourself."
"I'd appreciate that. Meanwhile," The Eternal Queen said as she reached beside her and brought out the Blast Sword, "I've made quite the spectacle of carrying this around for the past few weeks, and both the ambassador to the Elemkian Empire and Guloisa are aware that it belongs to the Kingdom of Zeferia now. It is time to return it to our knight for safekeeping."
She handed it to Gourry, who exhaled as he accepted it. "Thank you, your majesty." He said as he attached it to his sword belt.
"The timing couldn't be better." Lina said.
"How do you mean?" The Eternal Queen asked.
Lina explained about the visit from Stover that morning. The Queen showed no noticeable reaction when she finished, she just seemed tired as she said, "Thank you for telling me. I will have Luna do some research. You must want to get back to your school with all that is going on. You may leave." The Eternal Queen said sharply, "And Lina. See that my trust in you is not misplaced."
"Those kids are going to have my neck when I tell them I won't have their papers returned and graded tomorrow!" Lina moaned as she got into the carriage with Gourry.
He scowled at her, "Were you planning to go to the Elmekian Empire?"
"What does it matter?" Lina asked.
"When were you going to tell me?"
"It doesn't matter, does it?"
He shook his head as he folded his arms across his chest sternly as the air in the carriage became heavy with words that were unsaid. Lina bristled defensively and waited for him to pounce and preach and lecture. Any moment he was going tear into her.
When he spoke, it was quietly but with conviction, "If you must go, tell me. I won't try to talk you out of it or lecture you."
"You agree with me?" she asked.
He sighed, "No. But the thought of what could happen to you there if you get caught if you don't have someone to watch your back, well, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened."
"I'm not going to do anything." She said as she took his hand.
"Look, I'd much rather lose Maninstit than lose you, if it came down to it."
"As it is I don't really feel comfortable leaving Maninstit, especially if strange people are coming by." Lina said as she looked out the window. "But then…"
"Huh?"
"It could be to frighten me into staying close to home and away from where the action is." Lina mused.
Gourry exhaled, and wondered if they had truly thought through the consequences of what they had gotten into.
"Big news!" Amelia exclaimed as she entered the library. Lina and Leia looked away from grading papers and at her as she sat down on the sofa. "Hellmaster's device has been secured! The agents are on their way back to Zeferia."
Lina breathed a sigh of relief as Leia scrutinized Amelia. "Well, that's one weight off our shoulders."
"And it's good timing, too." Leia said with an enigmatic smile. "Excuse me."
"Timing?" Lina repeated as Leia left the library. Lina shook her head, "Well, I'll sleep better tonight. Even more so when they are on Zeferian soil."
"I've been so wiped it actually hasn't been keeping me up." Amelia said as she leaned back on the couch.
"This traveling back and forth from the palace isn't too much on you, is it?"
Amelia shrugged, "I'm just off this week. I can push through!"
Leia returned and walked up to Amelia and handed her a small bag. She giggled, patted Amelia on the shoulder, and then turned around and walked away. Amelia blinked in confusion as she opened the bag. "Pickles? What's that about?"
Lina felt her jaw drop as she swiped at the air. "Pickles! Damn! I've been waiting for her to give me some."
"Huh?" Amelia asked.
"Oh! You just won our little bet. Go ahead and invite your daddy here so he can be there for the big day." Lina said as she folded her arms across herself and tried to be a good sport.
"Hold it! What do you mean I won?" Amelia said.
"Mom has a sixth sense. She just knows when someone is pregnant and she's never wrong." Lina explained, "When people would come to our store she'd give them a bag of complimentary pickles if she knew they were pregnant. Once word got round women would shop at our store just to see if they were in the family way. Brought in a lot of good business."
"Well, I am late." Amelia said, "I didn't want to get my hopes up. But if you say…"
"Go and check if you want." Lina said as she looked at the floor.
Amelia suddenly squealed and threw her arms around her, "Oh this will be so fun! You'll be next! Don't you worry."
"Right." Lina said as she smiled, even as she did worry about how Gourry would take this.
"I'm going to tell Zel!"
"Tell me what?" Zelgadis asked as he walked into the library, a load of books in his arms.
Amelia walked up and spread her arms wide, "Do you notice anything different?"
Zelgadis looked as though he was a man who knew he was walking into dangerous territory. "Is that a new dress? It's very pretty!"
"No, silly!" Amelia replied, "Don't you see me glowing with the shine of the love and power of the newest Hero of Justice growing in my belly?"
Lina blanched and got up. If Amelia was going to carry on in that vein she was going to have to find a different room! Zelgadis' mouth, meanwhile, dropped. "Really?"
"Um-hum!"
"But why did you tell Lina first?"
"She just happened to be here when I got the news!" Amelia said, "And it won't leave this room! No one else but us will know! Well, I will need to tell my daddy. But other than that, no one else will know. I mean, your mom won't tell, will she?"
"No, she can keep a secret." Lina explained on her way out.
Zelgadis smiled and opened his arms, "Come here!"
As she rushed to embrace him, Lina shook her head as she closed the door behind her, "That's just me leaving now, since you two don't know how to get a room!"
A bright light woke him, causing Gourry to see orange through his closed eye lids. Confused, he opened his eyes, and saw that a golden glow was emanating from Lina. He sat up in the bed and blinked a few times, and then it vanished. He continued to stare at Lina for a moment, and when nothing happened he decided he had had one of those waking dreams.
His stomach rumbled, and he decided to sneak down to the kitchen for a late night snack. He took a moment to kiss Lina on the forehead and then got out of bed and grabbed his robe and his sword, quickly dressing before he left the room.
As he approached the dining room he was surprised to find that he was not the only one who was awake! When he got into the room he saw Zelgadis sitting at the table, nursing a drink. "Hey, Zel." Gourry said.
"Hey. Couldn't sleep?"
"I was hungry."
"No surprise there." Zel said as Gourry found the platter that Nelly left for them.
"What about you? You don't usually raid the kitchen at night."
"Well, we're not supposed to announce it yet, but Amelia has already written half of Saillune. Anyway, she's pregnant."
"Oh!" Gourry said as he put a hand on Zelgadis' shoulder. He was sure Lina would follow that path soon, and then their children could play together and grow up to be friends. "That's wonderful! Congrats!"
But Zel took a drink. Gourry raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Nerves! I was excited at first. But then I had a nightmare!"
"What, did you dream that something bad happened to Amelia? She's tough, she'll be fine."
"Well, now that you say that it sounds silly." Zelgadis said sheepishly.
Gourry raised his eyebrow, "What did you dream then?"
"Well…my father-in-law. Prince Philionel. Have you met him?"
"Yes." Gourry said.
"It's just…I had a dream that the baby looked just like him!"
"Well," Gourry said as he nearly choked on his sandwich, "I know Phil is a bit unattractive, but if that's the biggest thing you have to worry about, then you're a lucky man, right?
"Now that I say it out loud it does sound shallow." Zelgadis agreed sheepishly.
"Don't worry about it! You'll love that baby no matter who he looks like!" Gourry said, and then a pit of unease settled in his stomach. He set his sandwich down.
"What?" Zelgadis asked.
"Something feels wrong."
Zelgadis pushed his drink away from him, "I must have dulled my senses."
"Let's go upstairs. Do you have your sword?"
Zelgadis patted his hip. They nodded at each other and headed up the stairs.
The sense of unease grew as they reached the second floor, growing until it morphed into a full on sense of bloodlust that emanated from a suit of armor a few hundred feet from Lina's room. Gourry and Zelgadis exchanged a look, and then each drew their swords as Gourry called, "I know you're there!"
There was a low, menacing laughter, and then the suit fell over and jewels fell out of it. He felt someone rush towards him, and he moved to parry the blow. Zelgadis cried, "Don't touch the jewels!"
But it was too late. Gourry could not avoid them as they spilt across the floor like a sparkly blanket. And as soon as his bare feet touched them, they exploded.