Chapter 4
Rihana, the Dark Mage!
The Exiled Priest of
Shabranigdo!
The New Enemy Arrives!
Lina stood, following Kira out to
the foyer, where a white-clad man leaned on the doorjamb, gasping heavily for
breath. A Holy Warrior of Cepheid… I
haven't seen any of them since I left Zefielia! Stepping up behind Kira,
she looked to the guest, whose eyes promptly rounded in amazement.
"Two… Lady Inverse…?" He asked
unsteadily.
Kira dismissed it with a wave.
Reaching out with a hand that was glowing softly, she touched the warrior and
healing magic began its work. "So. Rihana of the Flames has returned. This is
most irritating indeed."
"Rihana Hisaki… She fancied herself
the most powerful until you came along, wasn't that how it went, Kira?" Xellos
asked as he entered the room with the others.
Kira's answer came in the form of a
counter-question. "Whose side are you on, Xellos? Answer quickly, and
carefully. I have neither the time, nor the patience to put up with you if
you're here to cause trouble." She noticed the hiss from the Warrior of
Cepheid, but said nothing.
Xellos scratched his head. "Trouble
is Lina's job. I'm only here to report on various actions."
Lina spun, glaring daggers at
Xellos. "Trouble? It seems to me that the only time things get blown out of
proportion is when you're around, Xellos!" Her temper sparked a dangerous glow
in her eyes, and Xellos thought it prudent to back down for the moment. After
all, he wasn't really there for any reason at all… except perhaps to annoy
Lina. It was, after all, such fun.
"Like it is right now?" Zelgadis
asked quietly, tacitly ignoring the elbow that was undoubtedly going to be
bruised from trying to shush him.
Amelia shot Zelgadis a look as she
rubbed her elbow. It was entirely too easy to forget that he had very solid
stone skin. No doubt she'd have a lovely bruise, but she'd heal it when it
showed up. As for right now, they needed to focus on the return of
Shabranigdo's long-exiled Priest.
The group stepped outside, the
sunlight brilliant and forcing them to shade their eyes as they struggled to
see the arrival.
She was an almost reversed-image
glowing dark-skinned figure in a red cloak, long black hair flowing in the
breeze. For a moment, Lina wondered what unlucky soul had to brush that out
after this, but quickly put that thought aside. Now wasn't the time to be
thinking about fashion and beauty! But... this woman... A breeze caught the
woman's cloak, and the fabric billowed out, revealing the slender figure
within. With a sudden jolt, Lina realized that the woman was dressed very much
like Rezo had been.
A blouse of white was tucked into
skin-tight black pants, a red belt laced at her waist. In her hand was a
half-staff, a brilliant red talisman set into one end. There was a flash of
light from the brilliant blue gem that was caught at her throat, and suddenly,
Lina's breath caught as her new abilities suddenly flared and she sensed
something familiar within that stone's watery depths. Auntie Aqua… the Water Dragon… that's all that's left…? Oh no… Is this
who was responsible for the fall of the Water Dragon King so long ago? If this
Rihana is that powerful… we could all be in a whole lot of trouble…
"So," The woman's dulcet voice fell on Lina's ears like velvet, and once again Lina found herself trying not to have a complex about the unfairness of it all. She's so… so… adult! Why can't I have a figure like that!? "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lina Inverse."
Lina looked up from her thoughts to the woman, about to reply, when she realized that this all-frightening woman was looking at Kira rather expectantly.
Various sweatdrops appeared, and
Lina sighed. This was the all-powerful, hideously dangerous Exiled Priest of
Shabranigdo? Lina took a breath, and before Kira could answer, stepped forwards
and held out her hand. "Actually, I'm Lina Inverse. That's Kira Inverse,
my-"
"Your sister! I should have
known! You two look so alike! I'm so sorry..." Rihana interrupted.
Somewhere in the back of Lina's
mind, she identified the sounds of the falling people. Zelgadis and Amelia had
hit the floor almost at the same time, Gourry only moments behind them. Naturally, it took Gourry a few seconds more
to understand it, she thought. Forcing a smile to Rihana, who was busy
peering at the people who had fallen over, Lina shook her head. "No, she's
my great-great... great grandmother."
Kira shot Lina a glare. "I'm
not that old, you. Just two greats. Not three."
Eyes as deep as onyx turned to Lina.
"Why are they on the floor? Are they okay?" Rihana peered into the
room curiously.
Violet eyes suddenly blinked back at
her, and the Priest of Shabranigdo gave a startled yelp, hopping back as Xellos
grinned. "Why, hello, Rihana. It's been a long time!" He stood with a
satisfied smile, eyes closed once more.
"Not nearly long enough, Xellos
Metallium. What are you doing here?" She snarled, a cold chill settling
over her, startling Lina.
"Me?" Xellos feigned
innocence. "I'm here on my honeymoon. Tirshen is such a lovely little
town..."
Rihana snorted. "Stop lying,
Xellos. It may have fooled me once and long ago, but not anymore."
An arm slithered over Xellos'
shoulder, hand snaking down his chest and two very golden eyes opened to look
across to Rihana. "Oh, he's not lying. I'm Elena Ul Kuroryu Metallium.
It's a pleasure to meet you..."
Lina suddenly didn't envy the figure
in red. There seemed to be no love lost between Rihana and Xellos, much as
Filia and Xellos had preferred to... disagree... they had at least made peace
with each other. These two looked like they were old enemies, back from before
the wars. Or... she thought, old lovers. Oh dear. That means... well,
Xellos is a monster after all...
Rihana looked to Lina, shaking her head. "Interesting companions
you keep, Chaos Knight. Or... are they your... servants, the Priest and General
of Beastmaster?"
"Excuse me," Xellos began
as he sweatdropped, but Lina's uplifted hand cut him short.
"Look, I may be the Knight of
Chaos, and I may answer to the Lord of Nightmares, but that doesn't mean that
I'm on a power trip, okay? Xellos and Elena are here on honeymoon. What they do
is entirely up to them," Lina said calmly, mentally noting where everyone
was. It was almost distracting that she could sense the entire group, knew
where and how they were standing. Helpful, but distracting.
"I see. What a shame. You have
no idea what your powers will grant you, Lina Inverse," Rihana smiled
softly.
Oh,
for crying out loud! This is the
Exiled Priest? I mean… her attention span is shorter than my temper!!! And
she's got a figure! Why do things like this always have to happen to me??? Lina whined to herself as she tried
not to glare at Rihana. She'd force herself to be polite. If the woman was half
as powerful as Lina feared…
She is not as powerful as you may
think, Lina Inverse.
Lina
blinked as the Lord of Nightmares' mindvoice interrupted the tirade. She's not? But that stone at her neck…
Is indeed what you think it is. You could command its return. Ask for it, if you wish. As you are one of Mine, the lesser must comply.
Lesser…?
As My Knight, you hold seniority over them, Lina Inverse. All of them.
…All of them…? Lina wondered curiously.
All.
Even…?
Even.
Oh. My.
There was a mental chuckle as the
Lord of Nightmares coalesced beside Lina. Immediately Xellos, Elena, and Rihana kneeled. Lina
looked over, startled, seeing Kira reach out to the Golden One, embracing her
as if they were old friends.
"My Lady…" Kira laughed as the Lord
of Nightmares chuckled and returned the embrace.
Lina heard Amelia, Zelgadis, and Gourry fall over again. As for herself, she wasn't entirely certain that she hadn't left reality for some strange dream. She pinched her arm, wincing when it hurt, and shook her head slowly. "This is getting to me, guys. Will someone please explain to me what is going on?"
The Lord of Nightmares turned to
look to Lina with a smile. "There has to be the occasional light moment, you
know. I can't be a serious character all the time…"
This time, Lina fell over.
It was a few hours later, and the
majority of the people in Kira Inverses' house were happily chatting away.
Those that weren't were the usual suspects, Gourry and Zelgadis.
Gourry, for his part, was sound
asleep in what had turned out to be a very comfortable chair. He hadn't meant
to fall asleep… but when he sat down and tried to follow the various
conversations, well… the vast majority of them were over his head. Sleep came
naturally.
Zelgadis was watching Amelia. Really
honestly watching her. Her expressions, her movements… how animated she was
while discussing things with Kira. There was a lot to the girl that he hadn't
really taken the time to see before.
He was so intent on Amelia that he
didn't notice as Lina walked up behind the stool that he sat on and nearly fell
off when she nudged him slightly. "Hey! No ogling the Princess of Sailune,
Zelgadis!"
Amelia overheard the comment, and
glanced over, blushing.
Lina laughed softly to herself,
seeing the matching blushes. It had been almost too easy to get those two
looking at each other. Now, she
thought quietly, if only I could get
through to Gourry…
Zelgadis saw the thought cross behind her eyes, saw her gaze flicker to the sleeping swordsman, and looked across to Amelia. The princess had seen it too. But what to do about it? Gourry was dumber than almost everything Zelgadis had ever encountered, but he had a good heart.
Lina shook her head and wandered
into the kitchen, startling Elena, who was sitting quietly at the table with a
mug of something that smelled absolutely wonderful. "What are you drinking?"
She approached Elena as if the woman wasn't the wife of Xellos and General of
the Beastmaster. Maybe it was a little irreverent, but she'd known her before
all that…
Elena looked up, tilting her head at
Lina. "Oh… this? It's something that Kira called 'cinnamon cocoa' and I have to
admit, it's pretty good…"
Lina considered. Anything that had
cinnamon and chocolate in it simply had to be good. "So… where can I get some?"
She looked around the kitchen, not seeing any viable source of the liquid.
Anya, the strange servant that Lina
had noticed earlier, produced a mug with the wonderful-smelling drink, and
offered it to her. With a shrug, Lina took the mug and sipped slowly.
Yes,
she decided, this is definitely
something worth drinking again. Oh, this is good... She settled into a
chair at the table and looked over at Elena. "So… how are things working out? I
mean, between your Dragon blood and the Mazoku affiliation."
Elena smiled softly, setting her own
mug down. "Well… I'm not sure I'm a true Mazoku. I don't have to feed like most
of them do… and though Xellos won't tell me all of it, I'm given the impression
that as agents of Zelas… we're somewhat exempt from certain things."
"Like the fact that Xellos loves?"
Lina asked. "I mean, it's a pretty well-known fact that Mazoku can't love. It
goes against the very nature of being a lesser minion of Shabranigdo."
Elena mused for a moment. "I think
that's because there's just enough of what we once were within us…"
'Oh… I see," Lina replied. "It gives
you another level on which to operate. Because there's a little of that aspect
of self left, you can understand the reasons used in reactions taken by the
mortals. That makes sense."
"It's the same with you, Lina,"
Kira's voice interrupted as she entered the kitchen. "You are every bit Lina
Inverse as you are Chaos Knight. And because the hierarchy is set up that way,
you can't become a Mazoku. You draw on powers that are higher than they are… no
offence, Elena."
Elena shrugged. "It doesn't really
affect me. I know that if Lina so chose, she could wipe me off of the face of
the Four Worlds with a few moments worth of thought. But I'm also pretty sure
that we wouldn't ever come to that… so I'm not going to spend any time worrying
over it."
Lina was thunderstruck. "I… could
do… that?"
Kira cuffed her great-great
granddaughter. "Remember your hierarchy lessons, child! The Lord of Nightmares
is the Mother of All Things, yes? And given that, L-Sama resides over
Shabranigdo, even as Shabranigdo resides over Zelas. Granted, that doesn't
really bother Zelas… but not many things do actually bother her."
"So… I'm on a higher level than
Zelas?" Lina asked, considering this carefully.
Kira sat beside Lina and shook her
head. "Not in the literal sense, no. You're in a class of your own… but you do
carry more weight in the grand scheme of things than say… Xellos."
Lina thought about that. "That's a
rather unnerving thought. I mean… why me? What is so special about me that I'd
be picked for this?"
Kira smiled softly. "That's
something that you are going to have to discover for yourself, Lina. No-one can
tell you why except yourself."
Lina made a face at Kira. "Why did I
expect that kind of an answer from you? At least it beats Xellos' favorite
phrase." She shook her head and finished the cocoa. "That stuff's good. It
makes the perfect before-bed drink… and that is precisely where I am going."
She stood up, turning to head for the kitchen door. "Goodnight."
Amelia missed Lina's farewell
because she was standing on the porch, looking off across the street. A
tan-gloved hand settled on the railing beside hers, and she looked up to see
Zelgadis looking off in the same direction she had been.
"You were out here alone," he said
without looking.
Amelia nodded slowly. "It was kind
of… crowded in there."
There was the slightest hint of a
chuckle from him. "It's becoming a habit to have the Lord of Nightmares Herself
around at dinnertime. At least she eats less than Lina."
Amelia giggled for a moment, then
turned serious. "What do you think of this, Mi… Zelgadis? With Miss Lina as the
Chaos Knight…" She turned to look at him, eyes threatened by tears. "Do you
think she'll still want us as her friends?"
He put his hand on her shoulder,
trying to be as comforting as he knew how. "Of course she will, Amelia. She's
still the same old Lina."
Above, frozen just in the process of
leaning out the open window to holler down a good night to the two on the
porch, Lina stood mute. Oh, Amelia…
she thought, moving back away from the window and turning to the bed, fighting
tears of her own. They're all so worried
about me… and frankly, so am I…
With that thought, she curled up in
the bed and fell asleep, trying to forget.