Pilgrimage –
Reunion
Part Six
Zelgadis was chuckling as he looked up. Yes, he could have treated Lina better. But he was busy being the cold-hearted mysterious swordsman at the time. And he'd more than made up for it, hadn't he? He shook his head in amusement and as he did so, his attention was caught by Amelia outside.
She was standing with her hands before her, obviously focusing in on herself. As he watched, she produced a fireball that even Sylphiel could out-do and looked at it in disgust before it went pop! in a most unspectacular fashion.
It didn't occur to him that he might smile. Instead, he let his breath out and sighed. Amelia had once been able to toss the Ra-Tilt right alongside him, and now to see her magically crippled like that…
It occurred to him that he wasn't alone. Turning, he saw Lina's brilliant green eyes looking at him quietly. Something in those eyes… something was odd about the girl. Yeah, right. Reality check time, Zelgadis Graywords. What do you know about children? Other than the fact that they tend to annoy you. Which is probably what's so strange about this one… she doesn't annoy me. "Hello, Lina."
"You were watching Mother," the girl said without preamble.
He blinked at her. "I have never seen your mother with a sword."
The girl nodded. "You like her, don't you?"
Again he blinked. Check that, she might just be annoying. "Your mother and I… share an old friendship. As one friend likes another, yes. But your mother is not for me."
The child smiled vaguely and left the room without another word.
The chimera began to ponder precisely why he'd come to the Palace. Had he come because of Amelia? There had been some irresistible pull to come and talk to Amelia, even though it had only been a few months since he had seen her last.
He looked back out of the window, and for a moment, his senses flared in a fashion that they hadn't done in a very long time. He could almost swear that Lina Inverse was in the room with him. Almost hear her breathing. He turned to look.
There was no one there, of course.
Inside a darkened room, something blue flickered.
At the same time, far off in the distance, the droplet of water fell.
Zelgadis shook his head, looking at the book. Enough reading for now. He'd been burying himself in the past so much that he was imagining things. Time instead, to talk to Amelia and ask the questions that needed answering.
A scream from Amelia outside broke his train of thought, and without considering it, he shot through the window.