Thunder rumbled overhead as Zelgadis and Moonlight crouched in the darkness
of midnight under the cover of heavy rain. He cursed her softly under his
breath, water rushing down his hood and cape.
"There are traps all along the wall inside, bombs that explode when you step on them," Moonlight murmured.
"Well that's reassuring," once again, his sarcasm was about as heavy as the rain, and the rain was coming down by the Olympic sized swimming pool. To say it was anything less would be a major understatement. The castle wall loomed against the midnight black sky, highlighted now and then by lightning strikes that reached the ground some distance off. Zelgadis dived forward through the rain, running at a speed Moonlight could keep up with. Once under the wall he wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Getting fresh with me this soon?" she asked coyly and didn't see his glare.
"Levitation," he murmured, lifting them upwards then over the wall and beyond the place just under the wall where the traps supposedly were. Once landed, he let go of Moonlight and hurried onward. Quickly, Zelgadis dashed up to the first guard he saw and cast a sleeping spell as he grabbed the guard, dragging him out of the way.
"Did you kill him?" Moonlight asked, peering at the man.
"Would you shut up?" Zelgadis asked her with a cold glare.
Moonlight pouted, "I'm here to help you, remember?"
"You'd help me a lot more by NOT being here." Zelgadis continued onward, slipping under the overhang of the front door.
"You intend to just walk in through the front door?" she asked incredulously when she joined him. Zelgadis didn't answer her, instead pulled out his maps and shuffled to the one of the second floor, casting a light spell and keeping it close, he looked over once again. Finally, he rolled up the maps again and shoved them into his cape, banishing the light and dashing out into the rain to launch himself up onto the roof of the overhang, leaving Moonlight on the ground. She could do what she wanted for all he cared.
It was almost impossible to see in the pitch black of the storm but the window he ran across the roof of the palace to get to was lit from inside by candles. He peered at the window, finding light curtains were in the way but then saw a woman cross between the light, taking off her garments. A blush touched his cheeks but he pondered a moment, peeking inside again.
The woman came closer to the window and unlatched it, opening one leaf, as if expecting someone at any time. He reached up, climbing inside with a slight smirk, she probably was expecting something completely different then what she'd get.
The woman was a stunning blonde with liquid brown eyes framed by long lashes. Her body was shapely, shadowed through the silk robe she'd donned. She turned around, hearing the window close and smiled, "I knew you'd come," she murmured, "I'm ready for you."
She breezed forward, her robe falling open as she walked. Zelgadis felt his face burning but took her wrists, pulling her toward the bed. He quickly removed her robe, ripping the edge into three long strips. "You want to play dirty tonight, huh?" she moaned, "I love it when you play dirty!" she panted, touching herself in places that were very arousing, but Zelgadis was not about to give in. He tied her hands to the headboard of the bed then her ankles to the foot of the bed. Finally, he took one last strip of cloth and tied it around her mouth.
"As charming as it is, 'darling', I'd certainly get in a lot of trouble if I accepted your offer," he said softly and patted her head, climbing off the bed and going to the door. She suddenly realized he wasn't who she'd thought and blushed deeply wiggling, trying to get herself free.
Closing the door silently behind him, Zelgadis made his way through the woman's dark and silent antechamber and into the hallway after peeking. The candles lighting the halls were spaced apart, making the passage dim. He passed along the hall, headed toward the quarters of the supposed Prince Phillionel. Opening the door carefully, he slipped in making his way to the bedchamber. There was no one in there. With a mental curse, Zelgadis turned around, about to leave the bedroom. A flash of lightening illuminated something on the bed. Slowly, Zelgadis crept forward, casting a light spell to look upon the mutilated corpse tangled in the bed sheets, it looked fresh, very fresh.
It was obviously a servant, for her clothes were tossed upon the floor. There was a thump from the antechamber and Zelgadis banished the light spell, finding somewhere to hide quickly, taking the exit route of the window, leaving it open slightly so he could hear and see.
He saw a servant enter with a lit candle, "Oh dear... another one! Damn, that's the third this month!"
Zelgadis opened the window and was carefully holding the effeminate man's mouth closed, "What do you mean third this month?" the Chimera whispered softly. "I'll let you go if you promise not to scream." He felt the servant's head jerk in ascent and let the man go.
"Didn't you kill her?" asked the servant shakily.
Zelgadis shook his head, "I have better things to do then put corpses on display like that. What's been going on around here?"
The man swallowed, shuffling his feet some, he would have fiddled his fingers if he weren't holding the candle. "Well, Prince Phillionel showed up two months ago and asked to marry the princess but then the king said no. A week later he died. Now the prince has promised to get a great power that will show us he's worthy of being king. That was when the priest who claimed to be the prince's advisor showed up. Strange things have been going on here. There's someone in the palace that wants to scare the prince away but can't get to him themselves I think."
Zelgadis nodded, "Have you noticed the prince with a strange rock of any sort?"
The servant nodded, "He's presenting it to the board of advisors for the previous king right now."
"Take me there."
"Are you going to kill the prince?" asked the man, eyes wide. "If so.... stab him a few times for me?" the man leaned forward and whispered. Zelgadis glanced away and sighed.
"Fine, just take me there." The servant nodded and turned, leading the way out of the prince's bedchamber and down several halls.
The man stopped at a door, opening it silently, showing Zelgadis a large white marble room that was lit by many candles. There was a table in the shape of a horseshoe with the seat in the middle empty. Ten old men sat split evenly on either side of the empty chair, facing a slender man dressed in fancy clothes. His hair was blonde and wavy, probably the prince Lina and Sylphiel had been expecting when they met the REAL Prince Phillionel. His forehead was adorned with a circlet of gold, his eyes were dark purple. Off to the side was Xelloss. The servant silently opened the door more and let Zelgadis in.
The prince was standing with his back to the door, completely oblivious of the masked stranger who had just walked in. The elders noticed and never said a word.
"And NOW I unveil the power I have gotten!" he pulled a kerchief off a large egg shaped crystal that glowed with a blue light from the inside. "The Heart Stone!" the prince announced.
"Will be going back to its rightful place before this entire country is flooded," Zelgadis appended, walking up to the prince and swiping the stone from his soft hands that had never done a day's hard work.
"Wh- what?! Guards! Guards!" No one moved.
"We were wondering when the guardians would send someone," said one of the old men with a heart felt sigh.
Zelgadis gave the old men a long look then focused on Xelloss, tucking the Heart Stone into the subspace pocket of his cape. The prince turned and pounded his fists weakly on Zelgadis's shoulders. Annoyed, the Chimera reached out and grabbed the pretty boy's neck, holding him at a distance.
"Let me go! Get your hands off me you peasant!" the prince cried.
Zelgadis's eyes narrowed, "Fight me, Mazoku, drop the act and fight me."
Xelloss smirked from the sidelines. "Perhaps you misunderstand, Zelgadis?"
"Hardly," the Chimera replied, tossing the prince aside. He landed on his rear and lifted a hand to his neck.
"How DARE you call me such a thing!" whined the prince. "I'll get you for that!" He lifted his hand, "Fireball!" The elders got to their feet, filing out of the room. Zelgadis easily dodged, the man seemed to have power that didn't even come close to Lina's let alone a Mazoku. "Xelloss!! You're supposed to be my advisor! Help me!" cried the weakling prince as he ran around the room, easily dogged by Zelgadis. "Why aren't you helping me?!"
Xelloss smirked, "That- is a secret!" the Mazoku replied and disappeared.
"You've got to be an idiot to rely on a Mazoku to gain power. Especially Mazoku named Xelloss. You shouldn't trust a man who replies to every direct question by saying it's a secret," Zelgadis told the prince as he sliced the man's cape into ribbons, finding the chase rather pleasing. Xelloss was probably enjoying the complete fear the man was emitting. Possibly the Mazoku was sitting off somewhere enjoying a cup of tea.
* * *
Outside the room screams could be heard, terrified sometimes and tormented the next. Suddenly there was a hard thump against one leaf of the door and the blade of a sword slammed though the wood, the tip dripping blood. The blade was yanked out and there were no more screams, a pool of blood seeped under the door on the marble floor.
One man, who was the prince's head servant turned and headed away from the door silently.
"There are traps all along the wall inside, bombs that explode when you step on them," Moonlight murmured.
"Well that's reassuring," once again, his sarcasm was about as heavy as the rain, and the rain was coming down by the Olympic sized swimming pool. To say it was anything less would be a major understatement. The castle wall loomed against the midnight black sky, highlighted now and then by lightning strikes that reached the ground some distance off. Zelgadis dived forward through the rain, running at a speed Moonlight could keep up with. Once under the wall he wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Getting fresh with me this soon?" she asked coyly and didn't see his glare.
"Levitation," he murmured, lifting them upwards then over the wall and beyond the place just under the wall where the traps supposedly were. Once landed, he let go of Moonlight and hurried onward. Quickly, Zelgadis dashed up to the first guard he saw and cast a sleeping spell as he grabbed the guard, dragging him out of the way.
"Did you kill him?" Moonlight asked, peering at the man.
"Would you shut up?" Zelgadis asked her with a cold glare.
Moonlight pouted, "I'm here to help you, remember?"
"You'd help me a lot more by NOT being here." Zelgadis continued onward, slipping under the overhang of the front door.
"You intend to just walk in through the front door?" she asked incredulously when she joined him. Zelgadis didn't answer her, instead pulled out his maps and shuffled to the one of the second floor, casting a light spell and keeping it close, he looked over once again. Finally, he rolled up the maps again and shoved them into his cape, banishing the light and dashing out into the rain to launch himself up onto the roof of the overhang, leaving Moonlight on the ground. She could do what she wanted for all he cared.
It was almost impossible to see in the pitch black of the storm but the window he ran across the roof of the palace to get to was lit from inside by candles. He peered at the window, finding light curtains were in the way but then saw a woman cross between the light, taking off her garments. A blush touched his cheeks but he pondered a moment, peeking inside again.
The woman came closer to the window and unlatched it, opening one leaf, as if expecting someone at any time. He reached up, climbing inside with a slight smirk, she probably was expecting something completely different then what she'd get.
The woman was a stunning blonde with liquid brown eyes framed by long lashes. Her body was shapely, shadowed through the silk robe she'd donned. She turned around, hearing the window close and smiled, "I knew you'd come," she murmured, "I'm ready for you."
She breezed forward, her robe falling open as she walked. Zelgadis felt his face burning but took her wrists, pulling her toward the bed. He quickly removed her robe, ripping the edge into three long strips. "You want to play dirty tonight, huh?" she moaned, "I love it when you play dirty!" she panted, touching herself in places that were very arousing, but Zelgadis was not about to give in. He tied her hands to the headboard of the bed then her ankles to the foot of the bed. Finally, he took one last strip of cloth and tied it around her mouth.
"As charming as it is, 'darling', I'd certainly get in a lot of trouble if I accepted your offer," he said softly and patted her head, climbing off the bed and going to the door. She suddenly realized he wasn't who she'd thought and blushed deeply wiggling, trying to get herself free.
Closing the door silently behind him, Zelgadis made his way through the woman's dark and silent antechamber and into the hallway after peeking. The candles lighting the halls were spaced apart, making the passage dim. He passed along the hall, headed toward the quarters of the supposed Prince Phillionel. Opening the door carefully, he slipped in making his way to the bedchamber. There was no one in there. With a mental curse, Zelgadis turned around, about to leave the bedroom. A flash of lightening illuminated something on the bed. Slowly, Zelgadis crept forward, casting a light spell to look upon the mutilated corpse tangled in the bed sheets, it looked fresh, very fresh.
It was obviously a servant, for her clothes were tossed upon the floor. There was a thump from the antechamber and Zelgadis banished the light spell, finding somewhere to hide quickly, taking the exit route of the window, leaving it open slightly so he could hear and see.
He saw a servant enter with a lit candle, "Oh dear... another one! Damn, that's the third this month!"
Zelgadis opened the window and was carefully holding the effeminate man's mouth closed, "What do you mean third this month?" the Chimera whispered softly. "I'll let you go if you promise not to scream." He felt the servant's head jerk in ascent and let the man go.
"Didn't you kill her?" asked the servant shakily.
Zelgadis shook his head, "I have better things to do then put corpses on display like that. What's been going on around here?"
The man swallowed, shuffling his feet some, he would have fiddled his fingers if he weren't holding the candle. "Well, Prince Phillionel showed up two months ago and asked to marry the princess but then the king said no. A week later he died. Now the prince has promised to get a great power that will show us he's worthy of being king. That was when the priest who claimed to be the prince's advisor showed up. Strange things have been going on here. There's someone in the palace that wants to scare the prince away but can't get to him themselves I think."
Zelgadis nodded, "Have you noticed the prince with a strange rock of any sort?"
The servant nodded, "He's presenting it to the board of advisors for the previous king right now."
"Take me there."
"Are you going to kill the prince?" asked the man, eyes wide. "If so.... stab him a few times for me?" the man leaned forward and whispered. Zelgadis glanced away and sighed.
"Fine, just take me there." The servant nodded and turned, leading the way out of the prince's bedchamber and down several halls.
The man stopped at a door, opening it silently, showing Zelgadis a large white marble room that was lit by many candles. There was a table in the shape of a horseshoe with the seat in the middle empty. Ten old men sat split evenly on either side of the empty chair, facing a slender man dressed in fancy clothes. His hair was blonde and wavy, probably the prince Lina and Sylphiel had been expecting when they met the REAL Prince Phillionel. His forehead was adorned with a circlet of gold, his eyes were dark purple. Off to the side was Xelloss. The servant silently opened the door more and let Zelgadis in.
The prince was standing with his back to the door, completely oblivious of the masked stranger who had just walked in. The elders noticed and never said a word.
"And NOW I unveil the power I have gotten!" he pulled a kerchief off a large egg shaped crystal that glowed with a blue light from the inside. "The Heart Stone!" the prince announced.
"Will be going back to its rightful place before this entire country is flooded," Zelgadis appended, walking up to the prince and swiping the stone from his soft hands that had never done a day's hard work.
"Wh- what?! Guards! Guards!" No one moved.
"We were wondering when the guardians would send someone," said one of the old men with a heart felt sigh.
Zelgadis gave the old men a long look then focused on Xelloss, tucking the Heart Stone into the subspace pocket of his cape. The prince turned and pounded his fists weakly on Zelgadis's shoulders. Annoyed, the Chimera reached out and grabbed the pretty boy's neck, holding him at a distance.
"Let me go! Get your hands off me you peasant!" the prince cried.
Zelgadis's eyes narrowed, "Fight me, Mazoku, drop the act and fight me."
Xelloss smirked from the sidelines. "Perhaps you misunderstand, Zelgadis?"
"Hardly," the Chimera replied, tossing the prince aside. He landed on his rear and lifted a hand to his neck.
"How DARE you call me such a thing!" whined the prince. "I'll get you for that!" He lifted his hand, "Fireball!" The elders got to their feet, filing out of the room. Zelgadis easily dodged, the man seemed to have power that didn't even come close to Lina's let alone a Mazoku. "Xelloss!! You're supposed to be my advisor! Help me!" cried the weakling prince as he ran around the room, easily dogged by Zelgadis. "Why aren't you helping me?!"
Xelloss smirked, "That- is a secret!" the Mazoku replied and disappeared.
"You've got to be an idiot to rely on a Mazoku to gain power. Especially Mazoku named Xelloss. You shouldn't trust a man who replies to every direct question by saying it's a secret," Zelgadis told the prince as he sliced the man's cape into ribbons, finding the chase rather pleasing. Xelloss was probably enjoying the complete fear the man was emitting. Possibly the Mazoku was sitting off somewhere enjoying a cup of tea.
* * *
Outside the room screams could be heard, terrified sometimes and tormented the next. Suddenly there was a hard thump against one leaf of the door and the blade of a sword slammed though the wood, the tip dripping blood. The blade was yanked out and there were no more screams, a pool of blood seeped under the door on the marble floor.
One man, who was the prince's head servant turned and headed away from the door silently.