Chapter Ten: Relations
Veronica screamed in terror. Her sons rushed in from outside to see what the matter was. Zel sat straight up from
his dozing.
After ten minutes, she stopped screaming and was finally calm. When she had sufficiently had enough time to
examine her vision, she told her family and guests about it.
"That sounds like something a junkie would see on a bad trip," Jeremy commented when his mother had finished.
"But what does it mean?" Gourry moaned. It didn't matter how many times it was explained to him, magic was
magic. Black, white, purple, didn't matter to him. It was all the same.
"Well, the song, I have no idea. The murder, I have no idea," Veronica answered, only to be cut off with Lina
protesting, "What kind of fortuneteller are you? You can't
even understand your own visions?!"
"Look, you stupid girl, sometimes the images are unclear and personal to the subject in question. Personally,
these two elements make no sense in relation to Zelgadis. He has never witnessed a murder, to my knowledge, and I have
never heard a song such as the one I heard. Anyway, the last bit makes sense. The temple I saw was obviously a Death
Angel temple."
"Please, Gourry, in the name of all that's good and..." Lina started.
"What's a Death Angel?" Gourry interrupted. Lina's head hit the table with a loud BANG. She moaned and looked at him
in disgust, "Gourry, when you were born, were your parents insane and thought it would be really funny if they locked
you in a closet for 17 years and then let you out and told you, 'Go on, now! Find your fortune!' Huh? Come on, Gourry!
Do you know anything?!"
"I want to know is what a Death Angel is, is that so wrong?" Gourry pleaded.
"Fine, tell him. Maybe he'll listen to you, Veronica," Lina waved her hand at Veronica.
Veronica sighed, "Fine. I will." Mysterious flute music started to play. "When we die, our bodies rot away but our
souls go to the AfterLife that we deserve. Death Angels are our guides and, some say, our judges. Death Angels rarely
interfere with day-to-day activities. So, they're not exactly going to be the ringleaders in any Dark Lord's
rebirth. A Death Angel temple is a holy ground. They were built long ago near cemeteries. It is said that they are the
'summer homes' of the Death Angels and building one made the journey to the AfterLife much easier. But, no one builds
them anymore since everyone figures that the Death Angels can get to the souls just fine without the temples. There
are few left." She paused, and then continued, "I believe that the other parts of Zelgadis are being kept in one of
these temples."
"Well, which one?" Lina asked.
"I don't know. It's near a forest and there is a river," she shuddered, "a river of decaying bodies, zombies
perhaps. I do not recall the town and although there was mist, I saw no large bodies of water. Malcolm, this isn't
the time for your flute practice."
"Okay," Malcolm put away his flute.
"Personally," Amelia speaking up after a long period of silence, "I find the murder the most disturbing part. I was
thinking... oh, never mind, it is a silly idea..."
"No," Veronica prompted, "what were you thinking?"
"Well, Victoria was adopted, right? So, maybe, the woman you saw killed was her birth mother."
"Impossible. The woman fell face first. The baby's skull would have been crushed."
"Even though this whole thing is really creepy," Gourry leaned his chair back on the back two legs, "I thought that
song was pretty neat!" Lina hit him on the head, making him fall backwards.
"You idiot! We're talking about life and death here and you're thinking about the stupid song?!"
"The song could be important though," Elise interrupted, unknowingly saving her mother-in-law's house, "you even told
me once that every element was important, no matter how silly and off-topic it may seem. Maybe the song was a clue to the
location."
"There's only one way to find out," Veronica said, "we must visit the one man whom has traveled extensively. The
only man whom could solve this mystery!"
"You mean...?" Elise asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes..." Veronica answered.
"WE'RE GOING TO GRANDPA'S!!!" Jeremy and Malcolm cried, in unison, doing a little victory dance.
"Oh, yippee," Lina said, dryly, "we could be morons and consult a map, a history book, or even a bandit gang, but,
no, we're going to some grizzled old man's house."
*** ***
They walked through the street, admiring the dusk sky along with the overexcited Zel, whom had never been out in
the streets this late before. All of a sudden, he stopped going on about the colors and just stared at Lina and
Gourry.
"Why is he staring at me like that?" Lina asked herself. Zel stared from Gourry, to Lina, back to Gourry and
again to Lina.
Finally, his mind made up, he pointed at Gourry, "#Robin Hood.#" and pointed at Lina, "#Maid Marian.#"
Amelia translated and Lina asked, "What's that all about?"
"#You must hold hands.#" Zel ordered. Upon hearing the translation, Lina barked, "No!"
"#Yes.#"
"No!"
"I don't see anything wrong with holding hands, Lina," Gourry shrugged, trying to avoid a fight.
"No means no, Gourry," Lina glared, "no matter what Zel says." Zel scrunched his face up and balled his fists.
Jeremy looked on in horror, "Oh no! He's preparing for a major temper tantrum! Hold hands, quick!" Zel started making
those "adorable" whining noises that signal a temper tantrum. Lina roared in anger and grabbed Gourry's right
hand, "There. Happy?" Zel's face returned to normal and he continued skipping, swinging Amelia's left arm.
"Why did he insist on us holding hands anyway?" Lina grumbled.
"Because he figured you were a couple. Love is simple and clear-cut to a child," Veronica said, trying not to
smile too wide. She shook her head. Gourry was trying desperately to not look like he was the happiest guy under
the sun's dying rays and she knew Lina would enjoy the moment more if she tried not to be a tough girl all the
time. The real kicker was that neither knew why they felt the way they did. Ah, young love!
Veronica looked at her young nephew. He looked up at her and smiled. Perhaps he had come to a similar conclusion.
"Never could leave well enough alone," she thought. She smiled back.
"Where is this guy's house anyway?" Lina moaned, trying to ignore how sweaty Gourry's hand was and how much it had
engulfed her own. "I never realized how big his hands were," she thought.
"Just a block away. Not far," Veronica answered, cutting off her previous musings. As they turned the corner,
they saw the house. It was a two-story house made of unpainted wood. It was clearly an upper class house. "This
is my father's house."
"Wait a sec. How exactly are you related to Zel, again?" Lina asked.
"I was his father's cousin."
"Whose side was Rezo on?"
"He was Zelgadis' paternal grandfather and great-grandfather but we won't go into that right now."
"So, that means... your father is Rezo's brother?!"
"Yes, that is correct."
Lina gasped, "He is still ALIVE?!"
"Of course!" Veronica knocked on the huge, brass door knocker. They waited for only an instant but then the door
swung open.
The man who opened the door was...
"It's that guy! The creepy one with the chiming staff! It's... it's Mezzo!" Gourry screamed.
"Rezo?" Lina corrected.
"Which ever! He's dead. We killed him, twice!"
Amelia dropped Zel's hand and jumped in front of the party and on to the mailbox and pointed a finger at the
man, "How dare you impersonate a dead guy! Especially one sided with evil! Why do you desire to portray a man who wished to
resurrect Ruby Eye to serve his selfish needs?!"
"Um... dearie?" The man interrupted with a voice unlike Rezo the Red Priest's, "One, why are you standing on my
mailbox? Two, who are you? Three, what are you talking about?"
"To answer your questions, one, when a Champion of Justice speaks to an Evil-Doer, they must go to the highest
place available to convince them to change their evil ways. Two, I am Amelia Wil Tesla de Sayruun, the Crown Princess of
Saillune, champion of Justice. Three, I am talking about you impersonating Rezo, the Red Priest!"
"One, how does going to high ground help you? Two, why are you here and not in Saillune? Three, I am not
impersonating my little brother, may he rest in peace."
"One..."
"Stop that! Geez, we just thought you were Rezo for a second, sorry. Who are you, anyway?" Lina asked.
"My name is Anthony, I am Rezo's older brother. Now, what are you doing here?"
"We've come to ask you a question about something," Veronica explained.
"Well, come in, at least. I have some tea. Anyone?" Anthony led them inside to a large, richly furnished sitting
room with bird cages all around. Zel made a beeline to one of the cages to stare at a pair of songbirds in a wicker
cage. Anthony swept out of the room while the group found seats and commented on the birds. Anthony came back with the
tea and sat in the large, overstuffed chair.
"So, ask away. What do you want to know?"
"How old are you?" Gourry asked. Lina bonked him on the head. "Well, that's something I want to know."
"Old enough. Anything else?" Lina and Amelia told the story of Zel's attempted suicide and when they had finished,
Veronica told him of her vision.
"Do you know that's three Greywords in a row that have tried or successfully committed suicide? What's wrong with
this family? I think it's got something to do with Rezo. I'm okay, my children are okay and so on. But back to the
issue," Anthony sipped his tea, "the song. Yes, I have heard it. It is a song about the Spring Goddess, Brighid. She was
mainly worshipped in the Lazarus Islands. But only one had a Death Angel temple, that island was Mead."
"But the woman's murder, what was that all about?" Amelia asked, concerned.
"I have no idea. Maybe we don't know all of Zelgadis' secrets, maybe he has seen such an event and never bothered
to mention it."
"But he has never been to the Lazarus Islands," Gourry added. When everyone gave him a funny look, he stammered, "I
bet him once that I had traveled more square miles than he had. So we looked at an atlas and added up all the areas of
the countries or regions we had visited. He didn't include the Lazarus Islands. I won, by the way," Gourry smiled. Zel
laughed at one of the birds.
Anthony placed his cup down, "Well, is that all?"
"No," Lina piped up, "how do we get there? And what town is the temple in?"
"I know of a boat that is going near the islands in two days but as for the town, I have no idea. I'm sure a local
would know where it is," Anthony shrugged, "Since there are no more questions, I'm tired and want to go to bed. So, if
you don't mind..."
"Oh, of course, Father. Come on," Veronica made her way towards the door and the others said their farewells.
When Amelia turned to go, Anthony grabbed her shoulder and said, "Just a minute. I need to tell you something
alone."
Veronica turned around but Anthony just waved her off. Veronica gathered up Zel, who was still enraptured by
the birds, and told the others that Amelia would catch up.
When the others were gone, Anthony beckoned her to reseat herself and he settled himself back into his chair.
"There was something you wanted to say?"
"Yes," Anthony answered, "something I didn't want the others to know. It concerns Zelgadis."
"Is he in danger?"
"Of course, but that's not what I'm talking about. You're 18, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, when you were born, Zelgadis was six, the age he appears now. Anyway, when you mother went into labor with
you, the news spread all over Saillune. Everyone, so I heard, had their fingers crossed. That day was also a market
day. Zelgadis' village was in your city at the time. Now, at the time, the people noticed that all the birds were
grouping together, even birds that never flocked were grouped together. Predators were eye to eye with prey but
they did not hunt. The birds had formed a huge disk above the square, all of them squawking. The people were very
unnerved by this formation.
As the story goes, Zelgadis and his mother were going through the stalls when Zelgadis suddenly sprinted off. His
mother, of course, panicked and ran after him. He headed to the square where the disk of birds was. He went right under
it when they swooped down, hiding him from view. At first, the people were terrified. They thought he was being eaten
alive but the birds soon spread out and formed an hourglass formation around Zelgadis. His mother asked him if he
understood what was happening. He replied that he did. The birds had come to deliver a message to him."
"What was the message?" Amelia asked.
"That is what his mother asked and he told her that 'the princess that will save my soul has come'. That exact
moment, I hear, news reached the crowd announcing that the second princess of Saillune had been born. And, as suddenly
as they came, all the birds flew away."
"What did Zelgadis mean by that?"
"I used to wonder that myself," Anthony sighed, "I thought it made no sense. How was she going to save his
soul? And did his soul need to be saved? But as soon as I saw you and how Zelgadis interacted with you, I think I
understand." He leaned forward, "I think you are the only one who can save him. You are the key element in fixing this
problem. Perhaps, you _are_ his innocence. But, I am only musing here. The musings of an old man, despite my looks."
He rubbed his hands together, "Well, you should be off. Do you need directions?"
Amelia stood up and shook her head, "No. I can find my way."
Anthony showed her out and she began to walk back to Veronica's house. She look at the early stars and thought
over what Anthony had told her, " 'The princess that will save my soul has come'? But how do I do that? Why is
everything so confusing all of a sudden?"
To be continued...
Author's Notes: Geez, I don't have any. No, wait! I do! I hear that the reason that Gourry is "stupid" is because the
audience would be totally lost if Lina didn't have to stop and explain the "simplest of things" to him. Now, I know how
useful the flaw is! While I was writing, I realized that no one knows what a Death Angel is except me! Bless you,
Gourry! C&C are needed and welcome at destinyplot@lycos.com!
Veronica screamed in terror. Her sons rushed in from outside to see what the matter was. Zel sat straight up from
his dozing.
After ten minutes, she stopped screaming and was finally calm. When she had sufficiently had enough time to
examine her vision, she told her family and guests about it.
"That sounds like something a junkie would see on a bad trip," Jeremy commented when his mother had finished.
"But what does it mean?" Gourry moaned. It didn't matter how many times it was explained to him, magic was
magic. Black, white, purple, didn't matter to him. It was all the same.
"Well, the song, I have no idea. The murder, I have no idea," Veronica answered, only to be cut off with Lina
protesting, "What kind of fortuneteller are you? You can't
even understand your own visions?!"
"Look, you stupid girl, sometimes the images are unclear and personal to the subject in question. Personally,
these two elements make no sense in relation to Zelgadis. He has never witnessed a murder, to my knowledge, and I have
never heard a song such as the one I heard. Anyway, the last bit makes sense. The temple I saw was obviously a Death
Angel temple."
"Please, Gourry, in the name of all that's good and..." Lina started.
"What's a Death Angel?" Gourry interrupted. Lina's head hit the table with a loud BANG. She moaned and looked at him
in disgust, "Gourry, when you were born, were your parents insane and thought it would be really funny if they locked
you in a closet for 17 years and then let you out and told you, 'Go on, now! Find your fortune!' Huh? Come on, Gourry!
Do you know anything?!"
"I want to know is what a Death Angel is, is that so wrong?" Gourry pleaded.
"Fine, tell him. Maybe he'll listen to you, Veronica," Lina waved her hand at Veronica.
Veronica sighed, "Fine. I will." Mysterious flute music started to play. "When we die, our bodies rot away but our
souls go to the AfterLife that we deserve. Death Angels are our guides and, some say, our judges. Death Angels rarely
interfere with day-to-day activities. So, they're not exactly going to be the ringleaders in any Dark Lord's
rebirth. A Death Angel temple is a holy ground. They were built long ago near cemeteries. It is said that they are the
'summer homes' of the Death Angels and building one made the journey to the AfterLife much easier. But, no one builds
them anymore since everyone figures that the Death Angels can get to the souls just fine without the temples. There
are few left." She paused, and then continued, "I believe that the other parts of Zelgadis are being kept in one of
these temples."
"Well, which one?" Lina asked.
"I don't know. It's near a forest and there is a river," she shuddered, "a river of decaying bodies, zombies
perhaps. I do not recall the town and although there was mist, I saw no large bodies of water. Malcolm, this isn't
the time for your flute practice."
"Okay," Malcolm put away his flute.
"Personally," Amelia speaking up after a long period of silence, "I find the murder the most disturbing part. I was
thinking... oh, never mind, it is a silly idea..."
"No," Veronica prompted, "what were you thinking?"
"Well, Victoria was adopted, right? So, maybe, the woman you saw killed was her birth mother."
"Impossible. The woman fell face first. The baby's skull would have been crushed."
"Even though this whole thing is really creepy," Gourry leaned his chair back on the back two legs, "I thought that
song was pretty neat!" Lina hit him on the head, making him fall backwards.
"You idiot! We're talking about life and death here and you're thinking about the stupid song?!"
"The song could be important though," Elise interrupted, unknowingly saving her mother-in-law's house, "you even told
me once that every element was important, no matter how silly and off-topic it may seem. Maybe the song was a clue to the
location."
"There's only one way to find out," Veronica said, "we must visit the one man whom has traveled extensively. The
only man whom could solve this mystery!"
"You mean...?" Elise asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes..." Veronica answered.
"WE'RE GOING TO GRANDPA'S!!!" Jeremy and Malcolm cried, in unison, doing a little victory dance.
"Oh, yippee," Lina said, dryly, "we could be morons and consult a map, a history book, or even a bandit gang, but,
no, we're going to some grizzled old man's house."
*** ***
They walked through the street, admiring the dusk sky along with the overexcited Zel, whom had never been out in
the streets this late before. All of a sudden, he stopped going on about the colors and just stared at Lina and
Gourry.
"Why is he staring at me like that?" Lina asked herself. Zel stared from Gourry, to Lina, back to Gourry and
again to Lina.
Finally, his mind made up, he pointed at Gourry, "#Robin Hood.#" and pointed at Lina, "#Maid Marian.#"
Amelia translated and Lina asked, "What's that all about?"
"#You must hold hands.#" Zel ordered. Upon hearing the translation, Lina barked, "No!"
"#Yes.#"
"No!"
"I don't see anything wrong with holding hands, Lina," Gourry shrugged, trying to avoid a fight.
"No means no, Gourry," Lina glared, "no matter what Zel says." Zel scrunched his face up and balled his fists.
Jeremy looked on in horror, "Oh no! He's preparing for a major temper tantrum! Hold hands, quick!" Zel started making
those "adorable" whining noises that signal a temper tantrum. Lina roared in anger and grabbed Gourry's right
hand, "There. Happy?" Zel's face returned to normal and he continued skipping, swinging Amelia's left arm.
"Why did he insist on us holding hands anyway?" Lina grumbled.
"Because he figured you were a couple. Love is simple and clear-cut to a child," Veronica said, trying not to
smile too wide. She shook her head. Gourry was trying desperately to not look like he was the happiest guy under
the sun's dying rays and she knew Lina would enjoy the moment more if she tried not to be a tough girl all the
time. The real kicker was that neither knew why they felt the way they did. Ah, young love!
Veronica looked at her young nephew. He looked up at her and smiled. Perhaps he had come to a similar conclusion.
"Never could leave well enough alone," she thought. She smiled back.
"Where is this guy's house anyway?" Lina moaned, trying to ignore how sweaty Gourry's hand was and how much it had
engulfed her own. "I never realized how big his hands were," she thought.
"Just a block away. Not far," Veronica answered, cutting off her previous musings. As they turned the corner,
they saw the house. It was a two-story house made of unpainted wood. It was clearly an upper class house. "This
is my father's house."
"Wait a sec. How exactly are you related to Zel, again?" Lina asked.
"I was his father's cousin."
"Whose side was Rezo on?"
"He was Zelgadis' paternal grandfather and great-grandfather but we won't go into that right now."
"So, that means... your father is Rezo's brother?!"
"Yes, that is correct."
Lina gasped, "He is still ALIVE?!"
"Of course!" Veronica knocked on the huge, brass door knocker. They waited for only an instant but then the door
swung open.
The man who opened the door was...
"It's that guy! The creepy one with the chiming staff! It's... it's Mezzo!" Gourry screamed.
"Rezo?" Lina corrected.
"Which ever! He's dead. We killed him, twice!"
Amelia dropped Zel's hand and jumped in front of the party and on to the mailbox and pointed a finger at the
man, "How dare you impersonate a dead guy! Especially one sided with evil! Why do you desire to portray a man who wished to
resurrect Ruby Eye to serve his selfish needs?!"
"Um... dearie?" The man interrupted with a voice unlike Rezo the Red Priest's, "One, why are you standing on my
mailbox? Two, who are you? Three, what are you talking about?"
"To answer your questions, one, when a Champion of Justice speaks to an Evil-Doer, they must go to the highest
place available to convince them to change their evil ways. Two, I am Amelia Wil Tesla de Sayruun, the Crown Princess of
Saillune, champion of Justice. Three, I am talking about you impersonating Rezo, the Red Priest!"
"One, how does going to high ground help you? Two, why are you here and not in Saillune? Three, I am not
impersonating my little brother, may he rest in peace."
"One..."
"Stop that! Geez, we just thought you were Rezo for a second, sorry. Who are you, anyway?" Lina asked.
"My name is Anthony, I am Rezo's older brother. Now, what are you doing here?"
"We've come to ask you a question about something," Veronica explained.
"Well, come in, at least. I have some tea. Anyone?" Anthony led them inside to a large, richly furnished sitting
room with bird cages all around. Zel made a beeline to one of the cages to stare at a pair of songbirds in a wicker
cage. Anthony swept out of the room while the group found seats and commented on the birds. Anthony came back with the
tea and sat in the large, overstuffed chair.
"So, ask away. What do you want to know?"
"How old are you?" Gourry asked. Lina bonked him on the head. "Well, that's something I want to know."
"Old enough. Anything else?" Lina and Amelia told the story of Zel's attempted suicide and when they had finished,
Veronica told him of her vision.
"Do you know that's three Greywords in a row that have tried or successfully committed suicide? What's wrong with
this family? I think it's got something to do with Rezo. I'm okay, my children are okay and so on. But back to the
issue," Anthony sipped his tea, "the song. Yes, I have heard it. It is a song about the Spring Goddess, Brighid. She was
mainly worshipped in the Lazarus Islands. But only one had a Death Angel temple, that island was Mead."
"But the woman's murder, what was that all about?" Amelia asked, concerned.
"I have no idea. Maybe we don't know all of Zelgadis' secrets, maybe he has seen such an event and never bothered
to mention it."
"But he has never been to the Lazarus Islands," Gourry added. When everyone gave him a funny look, he stammered, "I
bet him once that I had traveled more square miles than he had. So we looked at an atlas and added up all the areas of
the countries or regions we had visited. He didn't include the Lazarus Islands. I won, by the way," Gourry smiled. Zel
laughed at one of the birds.
Anthony placed his cup down, "Well, is that all?"
"No," Lina piped up, "how do we get there? And what town is the temple in?"
"I know of a boat that is going near the islands in two days but as for the town, I have no idea. I'm sure a local
would know where it is," Anthony shrugged, "Since there are no more questions, I'm tired and want to go to bed. So, if
you don't mind..."
"Oh, of course, Father. Come on," Veronica made her way towards the door and the others said their farewells.
When Amelia turned to go, Anthony grabbed her shoulder and said, "Just a minute. I need to tell you something
alone."
Veronica turned around but Anthony just waved her off. Veronica gathered up Zel, who was still enraptured by
the birds, and told the others that Amelia would catch up.
When the others were gone, Anthony beckoned her to reseat herself and he settled himself back into his chair.
"There was something you wanted to say?"
"Yes," Anthony answered, "something I didn't want the others to know. It concerns Zelgadis."
"Is he in danger?"
"Of course, but that's not what I'm talking about. You're 18, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, when you were born, Zelgadis was six, the age he appears now. Anyway, when you mother went into labor with
you, the news spread all over Saillune. Everyone, so I heard, had their fingers crossed. That day was also a market
day. Zelgadis' village was in your city at the time. Now, at the time, the people noticed that all the birds were
grouping together, even birds that never flocked were grouped together. Predators were eye to eye with prey but
they did not hunt. The birds had formed a huge disk above the square, all of them squawking. The people were very
unnerved by this formation.
As the story goes, Zelgadis and his mother were going through the stalls when Zelgadis suddenly sprinted off. His
mother, of course, panicked and ran after him. He headed to the square where the disk of birds was. He went right under
it when they swooped down, hiding him from view. At first, the people were terrified. They thought he was being eaten
alive but the birds soon spread out and formed an hourglass formation around Zelgadis. His mother asked him if he
understood what was happening. He replied that he did. The birds had come to deliver a message to him."
"What was the message?" Amelia asked.
"That is what his mother asked and he told her that 'the princess that will save my soul has come'. That exact
moment, I hear, news reached the crowd announcing that the second princess of Saillune had been born. And, as suddenly
as they came, all the birds flew away."
"What did Zelgadis mean by that?"
"I used to wonder that myself," Anthony sighed, "I thought it made no sense. How was she going to save his
soul? And did his soul need to be saved? But as soon as I saw you and how Zelgadis interacted with you, I think I
understand." He leaned forward, "I think you are the only one who can save him. You are the key element in fixing this
problem. Perhaps, you _are_ his innocence. But, I am only musing here. The musings of an old man, despite my looks."
He rubbed his hands together, "Well, you should be off. Do you need directions?"
Amelia stood up and shook her head, "No. I can find my way."
Anthony showed her out and she began to walk back to Veronica's house. She look at the early stars and thought
over what Anthony had told her, " 'The princess that will save my soul has come'? But how do I do that? Why is
everything so confusing all of a sudden?"
To be continued...
Author's Notes: Geez, I don't have any. No, wait! I do! I hear that the reason that Gourry is "stupid" is because the
audience would be totally lost if Lina didn't have to stop and explain the "simplest of things" to him. Now, I know how
useful the flaw is! While I was writing, I realized that no one knows what a Death Angel is except me! Bless you,
Gourry! C&C are needed and welcome at destinyplot@lycos.com!