At least they had a wagon. Zelgadis perched on the edge, his hood pulled low. The sheriff sat on the opposite side, as far from Zelgadis as he could get. Yui trotted behind the wagon, out of the horse's sight and smell. The whole group consisted of the man driving, the sheriff, Zelgadis, and Yui.
"Does that thing have to come?" asked the sheriff, who's name was Jones.
Zelgadis ignored him, his arms folded on his chest, one knee near his chest, the other foot tucked in the gap between his leg and rump. The Chimera was pissed to say the least. Occasionally, he muttered curses under his breath, scaring the sheriff into thinking he was being jinxed. He'd even asked once. Zelgadis's reply was, "If I could jinx you, your entrails would be scattered from here to Seyruun." Jones believed that Seyruun was some fairy kingdom where Zelgadis came from.
"So....tell me about your fairy kingdom?" Jones asked when the silence had extended for long enough to become nerve wracking.
"Seyruun is not a fairyland, baka. Just head north for three months straight, across the desert." Absently, Zelgadis mused that Amelia probably wished it WERE a fairyland. Then her little dreams of Justice could be fulfilled. He imagined Amelia with little fairy wings sprouting from her back and a magic wand then started laughing, causing him to get a strange look.
Jones finally spoke up as his still nameless, to him anyway, companion continued laughing softly, "What's so funny?"
"Simply thinking about a little princess I know. She would be thrilled if her kingdom were a fairyland. Then she could wave a wand and get everything she wanted..." Zelgadis fell silent again, thinking about what he would wish for. Jones scratched the back of his head, disturbing his wide brimmed hat. The man looked vaguely like Ashford, but an older version, without the obvious chief influence in his clothing. The man's hair was completely white and pulled back in a short tail at the back of his head, the ends perfectly even. Zelgadis supposed the man had a wife who kept close tabs on her husband. His mustache was wide, almost like a broom, sweeping his bottom lip, stubble on his chin and cheeks.
Zelgadis would kill to be able to grow facial hair. When he was human, he was going to grow a beard, or maybe just a goatee. "Hey," the sheriff said for the fourth time, startling Zelgadis out of his thoughts. "Don't stare at me like that, gives me the creeps!"
Zelgadis blinked and turned his face away, looking back down the dirt road at the tracks left behind in the mud. He noted more clouds forming, seemingly out of nowhere. "Yui," he called, leaning down, "jump in here before you tire yourself out completely."
The wolf sniffed, Fine, she said, still mad about being forced to come. She gathered herself, leaping into the wagon, leaving muddy foot prints on the boards. The sheriff pushed himself back as far away as he could.
"She's not going to bite you," Zelgadis told the man, "She knows that if she acts up, I'll break something important to her health." Yui's ears folded back and she barred her teeth at Zelgadis who simply smirked back at her. The cart hit a rock in the road and Yui collapsed to her stomach to keep from loosing her balance. The Chimera man turned his attention to the sky again. "Looks like rain." He sighed, "Why do things like this happen to me?"
Jones peered, "What's that you said?"
"None of your business."
"Kinda secretive, aren't you? What've you got to hide?" Jones asked and received a long silent look from the Chimera.
Finally, Zelgadis looked away, reflecting on what he had to hide. The number one thing he had to hide was that he truly had no confidence in himself. He knew he strove for the good opinions of others, he thrived on compliments, becoming depressed and withdrawn when without it, almost like coffee. Zelgadis hated himself more then he hated anything else and that hatred led to obsessions, his first being strength, now his search for a cure. He wanted perfection in himself, but could never come to terms with the fact that he would never have it. The nagging thought was always in his mind; if I'd just worked harder, if I'd just been fast enough, if I'd just been more careful. He was a cesspool of negative emotions and he knew it. The only time he'd felt 'Good Enough' was when he'd been with Zolf and Rodimus, but then Lina had shown up, and shown him up. She cast Dragon Slave at the drop of a hat, didn't ever break a sweat doing it.
He bowed his head with a soft sigh, shifting somewhat to allow blood flow into his right foot. Kicking both his feet out, he stretched his legs a moment before crossing one leg over the other. Zelgadis was tempted to ask how much further to the capital, but that would risk seeming like a child.
"So how old are you?" Zelgadis stifled his sigh, of course the man had to ask that question.
"None of your business."
Jones shook his head, "You... you're a strange one. You casually talk about killing people and even do it... You've gotta be at least thirty."
Zelgadis burst into laughter. It wasn't his usual quietly amused chuckle. This was loud and more a bark that startled Yui. "Thirty? You flatter me."
"So you're older?"
Zelgadis thought back some, silent for a moment, "Depends on the day. If it's the day I think it is, then I'm eighteen." Jones gaped.
The sheriff shook his head slowly, overcoming the shock, "Boy, you sure don't act like it." He was silent again, "You know I'm gonna have to turn you in for murder once we get there."
"And risk your life as well? I think not," Zelgadis said coolly, flicking his gaze toward the much older man. Once again, the cart hit a bump and Jones was silent. After a moment, Zelgadis reached into his cape, pulling a book out of his hammerspace, opening it to the piece of ribbon that marked his page. Jones was forced to leave him in silence. Zelgadis wasn't reading the words on the page, he simply had too much on his mind. Instead, he left the ribbon where it was and flipped pages whenever he felt like it, pretending to be completely engrossed in his book.
Feeling restless, Zelgadis closed his book and shoved it back into his cape, looking up at the sky. "I'll be back," he said and jumped out of the wagon, "Yui, stay," he told the wolf firmly.
"Hey-" Jones protested but was too late for Zelgadis had already jogged into the forest that bordered the road on one side.
* * *
Jones yawned, then cast a wary glance at the wolf near him. She was lying where Zelgadis had told her to stay, head on her paws, eyes staring at him. Suddenly, she lifted her head to look off in the direction Zelgadis had left in. Her ears lifted. In the distance, under the gathering clouds, was smoke. Slowly, Yui folded her ears back again and laid her head down.
* * *
Yui lifted her head again only an hour later, looking up at the sky, as if trying to see something, but couldn't. She waited almost impatiently. Jones peered up at the sky and saw a speck coming closer. His eyes widened considerably as Zelgadis landed deftly in the back of the wagon and sat down, chewing on some jerky. He pulled off a piece and tossed it to Yui who caught it from the air. His hood had blown off during his flight.
"Want some?" the youth offered.
Jones stared, "What ARE you? Some kinda demon?"
Zelgadis smirked, "You might say that. However, flying is not one of my abilities. That was just a spell." The sheriff wasn't convinced and stayed silent, once again frightened of his supposed prisoner.
You enjoy intimidating others, Yui muttered.
"Shut up, dog, I don't need your running commentary," he spat at her, pulling his hood up. She folded her ears back and sighed, her tail wrapped against her feet. He pulled his cloak around himself as the first few spatters of rain dropped upon the open wagon.
"Damn," Jones muttered.
Lightning flashed above and that was the signal for the skies to open and drench the earth. These storms are not natural, Yui murmured, they are the product of the Heart Stone being removed.
"Drought one time, flood the next," Zelgadis muttered, "How interesting," his sarcasm was as heavy as the rain. Jones had unfolded the oiled tarp that he'd been sitting on, pushing it over toward Zelgadis.
"Tie this down on that end, would you?" the older man gestured as he removed his hat, hiding under the tarp. The Chimera did as asked then sank down so that his head wasn't touching the tarp, as did Jones. "Damn weather's been acting up."
"Yui said its because the Heart Stone was removed," the Chimera opened his palms, letting the lighting spell float up from them. "That's what I have to get to the capital for. To get that damn rock back to where it's supposed to be. I really don't know why I'm doing it, not like I'm getting paid. At least that bandit out-camp had plenty to go around."
"B-bandit- is THAT what you ran off to do?" Jones asked, shocked once again.
"Stress reliever I picked up from someone else. Ever heard of the Dramatta? Bandit Killer? Enemy to All Living Things- a.k.a. Lina Inverse?"
"Holy shit!" Jones stared.
Zelgadis smirked, pulling another piece of jerky out of his cape and chewing on it. "So you've heard of her all the way out here. Not surprised..."
"Are you saying you knew her?"
"Know her? Hell, I blasted monsters with her about five times already.. A piece of Shabranigdo, Demon-beast Zanafar, two underling Mazoku, Hellmaster Phibbrizo, Demon Dragon King Gaav- of course, we didn't actually kill him, Phibbrizo killed him, then Lina killed Phibbrizo." Zelgadis sighed, he'd said enough to dash any hopes the man had of turning Zelgadis into the authorities at the capitol and surviving long afterward. Jones was silent the rest of the trip.