Old News
The cloaked figure walked into the Tomb of Heros quietly and confidently.
The night seemed to follow the figure like a second cloak. And as it passed
people felt a desire to look away, to not notice the stalking darkness. It
walked quickly and silently, well aware that even it was in peril here. It
wasn't so much any one individual, though the Regent-Prince was powerful, he
wasn't as powerful as her. The problem was the sheer number of priests and
white mages.
The figure brushed fingers along the marble walls and laughed at the
scorch marks that trailed behind. Come morning the marks would be found and
repaired with magic and sweat, but that was of no concern. By the time they
knew anything had happened she would be away with the last fragment of power
she needed. The only fragment that was more than just power. The key.
She stopped before a tomb that was different from all the rest. Instead
of the mottled white marble that predominated, this tomb plate was a solid
black. It almost appeared to be a piece of the shadows. Carved into stone
and lined in darkly shimmering steel, was the name Xellos Metallium.
"A mazoku in a tomb shielded by white mages," the figure mused in a
feminine voice. "How very....silly." She reached forward to grip the edges
of the stone. She cried in pain as there was a flash of black light that
threw her backwards. She blinked and looked at tomb, its sinister appearance
now more than a curiousity.
The sound of approaching footsteps, determined and purposeful footsteps,
convinced her to fade back into the shadows of the tombs. The Regent-Prince
appeared flanked by a number of lesser spellcasters.
"What was it milord?" The Regent-Prince turned an annoyed glare on the
priest, he didn't like his title. Then Zelgadis turned his eyes back to the
scorch marks along the other blessed tombs.
"Mazoku," he guessed. "Tampering with Xellos's tomb."
"Could it be..." a priestess gulped. "Xellos himself?" The Regent
turned a look on her that wordlessly conveyed the phrase, "did you work to
become that stupid, or are you a natural?"
"There's a power here, fading now," Zelgadis noted brushing the stone.
"There must be a shielding on the tomb, triggered by true mazoku. So who
cast it and what did the mazoku want?" He scanned about, suspecting that the
mazoku was still around. Further than that, he suspected who the mazoku
might be. He walked away from the tomb, tapping his chin.
Martina grumbled as the chimera approached her, seemingly deep in
thought. She teleported away as he began to turn and face her. Zelgadis
caught a glimmer of green before the cloaked figure vanished from all sight.
"Place wards about the tomb," Zelgadis commanded. "Next time it will be
thieves of a more mundane nature."
Lina was catching up to them, curiousity and suscpicion swirled in the
back of her mind. There was a chimera in her forest, a chimera that smelled
like a palace. Amelia and Zelgadis's child to be sure.
"Xellos was our father," Xalan admitted cautiously. "And you know about
him, how?"
"How do I...." Amethyst facefaulted. "He was one of the SLAYERS, like
your mom and my parents."
"The slayers, oh you mean like mom's old friends," Xina said then.
"Wait, did you say your name was Greywyrds?"
"Yes, Princess Amethyst Lina Greywyrds-Sailoon," she repeated. Amethyst
looked down at the shorter kage-kitsune curiously. "Why." Xina looked her
over quickly and hmphed turning around to leave.
"Xina, what are you doing?"
"I'm leaving," she said. "She's a GREYWYRDS!" she said the name with
obvious distaste. Xalan blinked, and turned to face the confused looking
girl.
"Your father is Zelgadis Greywyrds?" he asked.
"Why, what's the matter?" she asked, confused. Her guards closed ranks
behind her, a pair starting to move into a position ahead of her on either
side.
"I think we should leave after all," he said coolly.
"But I was hoping to see Inverse-sama," she protested.
"She might not want to see you," Xalan said, moving to join his sister,
who turned her nose up again as the twins started to fade into the underbrush.
"But why not," Amethyst pleaded trying to follow. "What's wrong with my
father?"
"Xina, Xalan," the guards and Amethyst whirled to see a red-furred fox
woman with a streak of silver fur standing behind them. She had finally aged
some without her magic, though her aging was still slowed down by her
regenerative abilities. She couldn't be called underdeveloped now. Even if
she hadn't really gotten bigger, her chest had filled out, losing its former
childish appearance. Xina often hoped that the same would be true of her
someday. "Come back here."
"Mom?" Xalan asked, as he stalked back out of the forest. "What are you
doing here?"
"She's a Greywyrds, mom!" Xina declared loudly. Lina walked forward with
her arms crossed, eyeing Amethyst, a little taller than her, minutely. The
were-fox cocked her head in the manner of a fox seeing something unusual.
"You'll have to excuse my children," Lina said. "Zelgadis and I
have....." she thought about for a moment. "...differences."
"He's reponsible for our father's death," Xalan explained, his mother
tuned a disapproving glare on him. Amethyst's eyes widened in shock.
"There was nothing in mother's letters about that," Amethyst protested.
"What happened?"
"He didn't mean for my Xellos to die, if that's what you're worried
about," Lina told her. "But that's between us and Him, not between us and
Amelia's daughter." She gestured for her twins to come forward. Xalan
nudged Xina who hmphed and stalked irritably over towards the ibory skinned
girl.
"I'm sorry," she declared, with a irritated glance at her mother. Xalan
followed and stood behind his sister protectivly.
"Sorry, I made an assumption that I should not have," his apology seemed
geniunely sincere, but Amethyst looked suddenly nervous and doubtful. Xina
hmphed again, trying to whuff like her mother could.
"You ARE Lina Inverse," it was all she could think of to say.
"I would have thought that was obvious," Lina said. "Now perhaps you and
your....escorts," she seemed to find the guards humorous for some reason.
"Would like something more secure than these tents to spend the night, then
perhaps you can bring me news. I haven't heard from you mother since I guess
a month before you were born. How is she?" Amethyst narrowed her eyes,
trying to decide if that had been a joke or not.
"My mother has been dead for a long time," shs informed them grimmly,
looking more like Zelgadis than Lina found comfortable.
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