Storms on the Horizon
"So what do we do now?" Amethyst asked. She looked around the small camp, and then glanced at the fire. "Excuse me, Xalan-san, could you get hand me some wood for the fire?"
"We can't take Sherra," Xalan said as he stood up, he didn't real feel like arguing with Amethyst again. She was convinced that having the fire would help keep Sherra comfortable until the night came and her healing accelerated. He stood up and walked to the wood pile.
"Yeah, she'll be unconscious for days after this," Xina agreed, watching Amethyst narrowly as the chimera's eyes followed her brother's form to the wood pile. ~Well, Amethyst is okay at least.~ Xalan started to pick up the whole wood pile.
"No, I don't need that much!" Amethyst said suddenly. "And we should keep the wood pile over there to uh...cut the chance of it accidentally catching fire."
"Okay," Xalan said after a moment. Amethyst didn't notice nearly everybody eyeing her strangely.
"Umm....what were we saying?" Amethyst asked.
"We were saying that you were going to leave Sherra out here, while we hunt that bastard down," Duofolger accused icily. About an hour ago Sherra's nerves had flared to back to life, and she ceased having coherent thoughts and emotions about fifteen minutes after that. He hoped that she was still sane after she finished healing, and half-hoped that she'd forget what he had said.
"Of course not!" Amethyst said shocked at the thought. "You'd have to stay with her, and Tinu-chan and Kyrie-chan as well! We can't take them with us to...whereever it is." Duofolger's eyes turned toward the elven girl who had almost tried to examine Sherra's injuries and how they were healing. Until, of course, Xina got a look at her hair and started laughing. That had managed to distract her.
"Then I'd stay to," Jolrael said. Nobody noticed Xina nod her head, as if she had expected that.
"Watch your backs," Xina said. Jol narrowed his eyes at her, he had a sudden idea that she knew more than she was saying. Reaching out cautiously to the labyrinth of her mind, he found one, clear thought. ~That....is a secret.~ Xina turned to smile and shrug at Jol, a little sadly.
"Oh, I need a little more wood than this," Amethyst said as Xalan came back. "Could you get me some more...please, Xalan-san?"
"Oh...kay," Xalan said. "So that's leaves us four then?" he asked, walking back to the wood pile. He glanced back and noticed Amethyst staring at him, he paused a moment and swung his tail from side to side. He tried not to blush as Amethyst's eyes followed the motion.
"Us four what?" Amethyst asked suddenly as Xalan turned around. Val and Xina sweatdropped.
"It leaves, you, me, Xalan, and Val," Xina snapped. "You know to go and kill a couple of mazoku?"
"Oh yeah," Amethyst laughed nervously. "I knew that." She suddenly took an exaggerated concern in sharpening her sword.
"I'm the transport again," Val sighed. "Aren't I?" Xina smiled up at him indulgently, ignoring her brother's growl. "Where are we going?"
"North," Xina said. "Dad's home."
"Oh, we should eat something then," Amethyst stared at the fire. "I think I'll need a bigger fire than this, Xalan-san, could you get me some more wood please?"
"You do know, that I know what that means, right?" Xalan asked as he stood up, smirking at Amethyst attempting to sputter out denials. She looked anywhere but at him as he walked to the wood pile. This enabled her to notice the various other disbelieving looks she was getting. Amethyst laughed nervously.
"So, you two are going to babysit the injured and non-combatants," Xina said pointing to Jol and Duofolger. "While we're going to kill a couple of mazoku, right?" Xalan looked uncomfortable including Xina in on the hunt, but he couldn't think of a way to convince her to stay.
"Look at that storm," Val pointed toward the horizon where a sheet of darkness was skittering over the ocean's surface. "Wait a minute, its moving against the wind."
"Where?" Xina asked glancing out. "Oh, I see it. Where's it going?"
"SAILOON!!" Amethyst gasped. "Its heading for Sailoon!! We have to get to my father and warn them!"
"We don't have time," Xalan said stalling her. "We have to get the staff back, again."
"Hey...sword boy!" Jol and Duofolger turned to look at Xina. "You can still teleport right?" Jol looked back towards the "storm" there was something about it aside from the fact it was moving against the natural movement of wind in this part of the world.
"Yeah," Duofolger said, narrowing his eyes. "Not as much as I used to be able to...otherwise this would have been a much shorter trip."
"You can teleport the five of you though," Amethyst asked quietly. "Tinu and Kyrie don't seem to take up much mass."
"I think I can do that, yeah," Duofolger said. "Why should I?"
"For one thing, I'm sure Gourry-sama and Sylphiel-sama would like to know that Kyrie is safe," Amethyst said.
"Not to mention that if Sailoon falls, then it won't be that safe for anybody," Jolrael added. "And there is that storm."
"WHAT?!?" Xina whirled to face the other horizen and blanched at the darkness coming from that direction. "Damn! We need to all get moving now!"
"That will be here come tomorrow morning," Val agreed. "But I don't think we can outrun it."
"I guess, this is where we split ways for at least a little while," Amethyst sighed. She stood and turned to the five who were returning to Sailoon, taking a serious face. "Jolrael-san, Duofolger-san, take care. If you happen to see my father, tell him what is happening." She glanced around, holding her sword, and looking for something. Val, meanwhile, walked wearily towards a rock for some privacy to change into his dragon form.
"Missing something, Amethyst?" Xina asked.
"I can't seem to find my..." she glanced towards where Xalan was sitting, and spotted her scabbard. "Ah...there it is. Xalan-san could you hand me..."
"Some...wood?" Xalan asked, interrupting. Amethyst lost the ability to think coherently.
"Yes...no...um...the thing...wood...put sword in...NO didn't mean THAT....the uh... the uh....ARRRGGG...scabbard!" she jabbed a finger at the scabbard next to him and flushed brightly as he handed her the asked for item. Amethyst snapped her blade into the scabbard and turned her back in an embarrassed huff.
"I thought the guy was supposed to have the sword," Duofolger said idly. Amethyst fumed, being joined suddenly by Xalan, while Xina's laughs redoubled.
"We don't have time for this foolishness," Amethyst said. "We need to go! Val-san, are you finished?" The ancient dragon's natural form grew up from behind the rock he was behind and his turned to view the camp sight.
"Yeah, we can..." the dragon-head blinked. "Amethyst, why are you all red like that?" Amethyst laughed nervously again.
"BIG LIZARD!!!" Kyrie said suddenly.
"Noooo, I'm a dragon," Val said.
"LIZARD!"
"Dragon!"
"LIZZ....ARD!!!"
"Oh Val-kun! Please be careful! Or I'll never see you again!" Tinu's words catalyzed several people. Xina stopped laughing, standing up and moving very business like.
"Erk," was the dragon's intelligent response.
"Well come on, we can't hang around here and just wait for that second storm," Xina snapped. "Let's go, good luck to you Jol." She glanced at Tinuviel. "On all fronts."
"Thanks, you too," Jolrael said, looking her over suspiciously. "Anything I should know?"
"Nothing that would help," Xina said as she moved to join her thoroughly embarrassed brother, and even more embarrassed chimera princess.
"Bye bye, big lizard!!" Kyrie called out as Val took off with the other three.
"I AM A DRAGON!!!!!!" Val's parting shout called out.
"Do we have time to wait for nightfall, do you think," Duofolger asked, noting the pain-racked body in his arms.
"We should," Jol admitted. He glanced to the ocean and noted that the first storm had indeed disappeared, and wondered about it. He had thought that Xina had wanted them going back to Sailoon, but he hadn't been able to get more out of her mind than "That...is a secret." He supposed, however, that she could have faked a storm if she had controled the darkness well enough. Maybe after this was all finished, she would tell him then.
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