Chapter 9: In which a warning is given, and ignored...
The morning dawned cold, but clear. Wilam wasn't sure how early the group wanted to get underway, and was just thinking about waking people when Amelia and Sylphiel emerged from their tent. The night had been draining, and even Amelia looked a little worn out. Greetings were exchanged, wash water was heated and Sylphiel began making breakfast while Amelia packed up their tent and stored it in her pocket space for travel.
Sylphiel was putting the finishing touches on her first batch of pancakes when Gourry emerged from the tent he shared with Wilam. Amelia waved to him, mouth full of her first plate of breakfast, while Wilam made tea. Without Lina awake to fight with, Gourry's eating was much more sedate. He and Amelia plowed their way companionably through five batches of pancakes before Zelgadiss emerged from his tent.
"How are you feeling this morning, Mr. Zelgadiss?" Sylphiel asked, handing him a plate and mug.
"A lot better, thanks to you and Lina, Sylphiel." Zelgadiss replied, taking the mug. "I'm not really that hungry..."
"You need to eat, Mr. Zelgadiss. You might not think you are hungry, but your body knows better..." Sylphiel pressed the plate into his hands and pushed him towards the fire. "Is Lina still asleep?"
Zelgadiss looked down at his plate, blushing furiously. "Um... yeah... she seemed really tired." He muttered. "Good thing, too..."
Sylphiel smiled, and resumed cooking pancakes. "I'm not surprised. The spell we cast last night is taking a lot out of her. Don't be surprised if she's more tired today, and if she can't cast much magic."
Gourry nodded sagely, swallowing the last pancake off his plate. "That time of the month, huh?"
Amelia gaped at the swordsman, then turned to Sylphiel. "But..."
Sylphiel smiled gently at Gourry. "Not exactly... let's just say that the spell needs to be maintained, and Lina is maintaining it. She's going to need to sleep a lot and her magic is going to be a little... erratic. At least until we get to the temple."
Lina emerged from Zel's tent, covering a yawn and stretching. Sylphiel had warned Wilam, who handed her a cup of strong tea before she had a chance to say anything. In a rare show of compassion, Gourry only stole two of her sausages before handing her plate over. Lina ate quickly, but very quietly. By the time she and Zel had finished, Amelia and Sylphiel were washing dishes while Gourry dried them, and Wilam had taken down the two remaining tents. Lina stuck her tent and the larger shared tent in her pocket space, while Zelgadiss stored his own.
"Hello everyone, ready to go?" Xellos had grabbed a cup and some tea and was lounging on a tree branch next to the path the group was planning to take further into the mountains.
Grumbles from the somewhat tired, and rather cold, slayers gang were his only reply. Smirking at Lina, Xellos jumped down from his branch, flipping to land in front of her. Lina looked up at him with only part of her usual humor.
"What do you want, Xellos?" Lina sighed.
"Why Miss Lina... why would I want anything." Xellos leaned closer to her, then drew back, his eyes opening in shock. "What have you DONE?"
At Xellos's yell, the group erupted into a flurry of motion. Sylphiel winced as Amelia leapt forward, dishcloth upraised as she struck a standard justice pose. Wilam moved around the fire, supplies forgotten in a pile, and Gourry drew his sword hilt, but Zelgadiss moved so fast he blurred.
Xellos hung from the angry chimera's grasp, his feet dangling as Zel help him up at arm's length.
"I don't see how that's any of your business, Mazoku!" Zel hissed, his eyes narrowing in anger. A flaming battle aura sprung up around him, then died as Lina laid her hand softly on his shoulder.
"It's nothing. Put Xellos down, Zel, you haven't been feeling well." Lina's voice was soft, almost a whisper.
Her companions stared, shock freezing them mid motion. No one remembered the aspects of Zel's chimerical nature until he used them, but what really shocked them was his anger... the way it had flared up was much more Lina's usual style than his. As a group, their eyes turned to the tiny sorceress. She was pale, her skin almost translucent against the burning color of her hair. Her hand shook slightly as it lay on Zel's shoulder, but her words were firm, if soft.
"Just leave her alone!" With a final shake, Zel dropped the startled Mazoku, shook off Lina's hand and stalked away.
The group stood frozen for a moment, then collectively blinked, and silently returned to their tasks. Lina sat down, and picked up her teacup. She looked at it blankly for a moment, then smiled.
"Well, enough of that! What's the plan for today, Wilam?" Lina reached into the side pocket of her pack and brought out a package of tea. She carefully measured a small amount, and poured the last of the hot water into her mug. Grimacing, she tossed the contents of the cup back, swallowing the leaves along with the water. Shaking her head at the bitterness, she flashed a Victory sign, and tapped the last of the wetness out of her mug before stashing it for travel.
Wilam watched her, slightly concerned at her apparent indifference to one of her companions leaving without a word.
"Uh... well, we're going to have a tough day of climbing ahead of us... this snowfall was rather unexpected, it's still early in the season for it..." Wilam stuttered, pulling the journal out and opening it to a map. "If we keep a similar pace today, we should be able to reach a way-station tonight... as long as you don't mind another full day of walking."
He pointed to a little notation on his map, showing the group the other stopping options.
"Well, let's get going!" Lina announced, pulling her cloak around her a little more tightly. "Where did Xellos go? Did anyone see him leave?"
The rest of the group looked around, but there was no sign of either Xellos or Zelgadis.
"We can't leave without Mr. Zelgadiss." Amelia announced, sitting next to Lina.
"Oh, don't worry. He won't have gone far." Sylphiel reassured Amelia, a gentle smile accompanying the knowing look that Sylphiel shot in Lina's direction. "I'm sure he's just waiting for the rest of us a little way up the path."
As the party started off down the path, Lina wondered about Sylphiel's statement. 'There is probably a range on the spell. He can't go comfortably outside the spell range... I think.'
Wilam was worried about the party getting to the temple before the winter snows started... it was very rare for there to be any snowfall this early, he hoped that it wasn't a precursor to the rest of the trip. Amelia seemed to have gotten her traveling feet yesterday; she didn't need nearly as much help over rocks and past icy spots as he had feared.
Zelgadiss rejoined the group quietly, appearing soon after they left. Wilam left periodically to check the trail ahead for unexpected results from the snowstorm. The few small complications were easily avoided, Amelia scrambled over rocks and fallen trees like a pro, only landing badly once. She bounced right back up, causing the group to attempt to hide smiles, at least until her ringing laughter floated back to them. Sylphiel needed some help from Gourry to get over an especially large tree, and immediately after Lina and Zelgadiss passed the tree, Lina climbing, and Zel jumping, the group stopped for lunch.
Everyone pulled travel rations out, with Sylphiel contributing the last of the pastries to liven up the meal. Amelia and Gourry fought over the last pastry, while Lina slowly finished her tea. In the neat, fast manner that his companions were slowing getting used to, Zelgadis actually had seconds.
"I think this walking is good for you, Mr. Zelgadiss." Amelia chirped, letting go of the pastry in her distraction. Gourry immediately devoured the pastry, and began looking for more.
"I think it has more to do with Sylphiel's spell." Zelgadiss replied, looking down at his empty plate. "Although, I'm not so sure about it... Lina's acting awful strangely."
"She's not the only one" Xellos muttered, sipping from his cup and settling on a rock near the startled chimera.
"I hate it when he does that." Zelgadiss muttered, turning away from the new arrival dismissively. He finished his tea, and wiped out his mug with some snow before placing it into his pack.
"Are you planning to travel with us now, Mr. Xellos?" Amelia asked, turning to face him.
Lina sighed, and stood up. "What do you want, Xellos? I'm not in any mood to play your little games right now."
"Oh, Lina... why do you think that I would be playing any games?" Xellos looked injured, but his lips twisted into a mocking smile. "I can't even come to warn you without you expecting me to have a hidden motive?"
"Warn us about what?" Lina snapped, the brief rest and good food returning some of her usual energy.
"Lina." Xellos laughed, holding his hands up in defeat. "You know that I wouldn't let anything happen to my favorite people."
"Now I know you're up to something." Lina pounced on the Mazoku, putting him in a headlock, "Spill it, or I'll get mad!"
Xellos laughed in delight, "There's my Lina..."
Zelgadiss growled, curling his hands into fists, and preparing to assist Lina.
"I'm not yours, Fruitcake!" Lina yelled, punching the grinning Mazoku in the head a few times. "Spill it, now!"
"Okay, okay. You are such fun when you're angry, Miss Lina." Xellos chuckled, freeing himself from Lina's grasp with astonishing ease. "I just wanted to warn you that there is a large amount of snow up ahead, be very careful."
"Why didn't you just say that in the first place," Zel muttered.
With a jaunty grin, Xellos stole another cup of tea from the pot, and settled back down to finish it. The rest of the party shot glances at him, but he avoided their pointed looks, engaging Lina is small talk about some magic book he had 'found' nearby.
When the party had finished the last of their food, cleaned up and repacked their belongings, Sylphiel walked over to Lina. The ordinarily quiet priestess shooed Xellos away, who immediately went to torment Zelgadiss.
"Are you alright, Lina?" Sylphiel asked, trying to lay a hand across Lina's forehead.
"I'm fine, Sylphiel" Lina ducked out of the way of Sylphiel's hand. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."
"Did you sleep well? It's as important that you get plenty of sleep until we reach the temple... this is going to be like casting a huge spell everyday. If you start having any problems, you have to tell me, Lina." Sylphiel felt the same shiver that had accompanied her nightmare return. Lina tried to wave her off, but Sylphiel grabbed Lina's hands, forcing Lina to look directly at her.
"I'm serious about this, Lina. Power isn't the only factor, and neither is stubbornness." Sylphiel tried to convey how serious this was to her without raising her voice.
Lina seemed to realize that she was serious, and closed her eyes. She breathed deeply, holding her breath for a moment before letting it out with a sigh and opening her eyes. Looking into Sylphiel's serious face and her caring eyes, Lina felt fear loose the battle against pride. She new that Sylphiel wouldn't allow Zel to die for lack of support from his friends, but she also knew that Sylphiel had to be there to explain what she knew about Zel's condition. Using every ounce of stubbornness and pride that she possessed, Lina looked into her friend's face and lied.
"Of course I'll tell you if it becomes a problem, Sylphiel."
The morning dawned cold, but clear. Wilam wasn't sure how early the group wanted to get underway, and was just thinking about waking people when Amelia and Sylphiel emerged from their tent. The night had been draining, and even Amelia looked a little worn out. Greetings were exchanged, wash water was heated and Sylphiel began making breakfast while Amelia packed up their tent and stored it in her pocket space for travel.
Sylphiel was putting the finishing touches on her first batch of pancakes when Gourry emerged from the tent he shared with Wilam. Amelia waved to him, mouth full of her first plate of breakfast, while Wilam made tea. Without Lina awake to fight with, Gourry's eating was much more sedate. He and Amelia plowed their way companionably through five batches of pancakes before Zelgadiss emerged from his tent.
"How are you feeling this morning, Mr. Zelgadiss?" Sylphiel asked, handing him a plate and mug.
"A lot better, thanks to you and Lina, Sylphiel." Zelgadiss replied, taking the mug. "I'm not really that hungry..."
"You need to eat, Mr. Zelgadiss. You might not think you are hungry, but your body knows better..." Sylphiel pressed the plate into his hands and pushed him towards the fire. "Is Lina still asleep?"
Zelgadiss looked down at his plate, blushing furiously. "Um... yeah... she seemed really tired." He muttered. "Good thing, too..."
Sylphiel smiled, and resumed cooking pancakes. "I'm not surprised. The spell we cast last night is taking a lot out of her. Don't be surprised if she's more tired today, and if she can't cast much magic."
Gourry nodded sagely, swallowing the last pancake off his plate. "That time of the month, huh?"
Amelia gaped at the swordsman, then turned to Sylphiel. "But..."
Sylphiel smiled gently at Gourry. "Not exactly... let's just say that the spell needs to be maintained, and Lina is maintaining it. She's going to need to sleep a lot and her magic is going to be a little... erratic. At least until we get to the temple."
Lina emerged from Zel's tent, covering a yawn and stretching. Sylphiel had warned Wilam, who handed her a cup of strong tea before she had a chance to say anything. In a rare show of compassion, Gourry only stole two of her sausages before handing her plate over. Lina ate quickly, but very quietly. By the time she and Zel had finished, Amelia and Sylphiel were washing dishes while Gourry dried them, and Wilam had taken down the two remaining tents. Lina stuck her tent and the larger shared tent in her pocket space, while Zelgadiss stored his own.
"Hello everyone, ready to go?" Xellos had grabbed a cup and some tea and was lounging on a tree branch next to the path the group was planning to take further into the mountains.
Grumbles from the somewhat tired, and rather cold, slayers gang were his only reply. Smirking at Lina, Xellos jumped down from his branch, flipping to land in front of her. Lina looked up at him with only part of her usual humor.
"What do you want, Xellos?" Lina sighed.
"Why Miss Lina... why would I want anything." Xellos leaned closer to her, then drew back, his eyes opening in shock. "What have you DONE?"
At Xellos's yell, the group erupted into a flurry of motion. Sylphiel winced as Amelia leapt forward, dishcloth upraised as she struck a standard justice pose. Wilam moved around the fire, supplies forgotten in a pile, and Gourry drew his sword hilt, but Zelgadiss moved so fast he blurred.
Xellos hung from the angry chimera's grasp, his feet dangling as Zel help him up at arm's length.
"I don't see how that's any of your business, Mazoku!" Zel hissed, his eyes narrowing in anger. A flaming battle aura sprung up around him, then died as Lina laid her hand softly on his shoulder.
"It's nothing. Put Xellos down, Zel, you haven't been feeling well." Lina's voice was soft, almost a whisper.
Her companions stared, shock freezing them mid motion. No one remembered the aspects of Zel's chimerical nature until he used them, but what really shocked them was his anger... the way it had flared up was much more Lina's usual style than his. As a group, their eyes turned to the tiny sorceress. She was pale, her skin almost translucent against the burning color of her hair. Her hand shook slightly as it lay on Zel's shoulder, but her words were firm, if soft.
"Just leave her alone!" With a final shake, Zel dropped the startled Mazoku, shook off Lina's hand and stalked away.
The group stood frozen for a moment, then collectively blinked, and silently returned to their tasks. Lina sat down, and picked up her teacup. She looked at it blankly for a moment, then smiled.
"Well, enough of that! What's the plan for today, Wilam?" Lina reached into the side pocket of her pack and brought out a package of tea. She carefully measured a small amount, and poured the last of the hot water into her mug. Grimacing, she tossed the contents of the cup back, swallowing the leaves along with the water. Shaking her head at the bitterness, she flashed a Victory sign, and tapped the last of the wetness out of her mug before stashing it for travel.
Wilam watched her, slightly concerned at her apparent indifference to one of her companions leaving without a word.
"Uh... well, we're going to have a tough day of climbing ahead of us... this snowfall was rather unexpected, it's still early in the season for it..." Wilam stuttered, pulling the journal out and opening it to a map. "If we keep a similar pace today, we should be able to reach a way-station tonight... as long as you don't mind another full day of walking."
He pointed to a little notation on his map, showing the group the other stopping options.
"Well, let's get going!" Lina announced, pulling her cloak around her a little more tightly. "Where did Xellos go? Did anyone see him leave?"
The rest of the group looked around, but there was no sign of either Xellos or Zelgadis.
"We can't leave without Mr. Zelgadiss." Amelia announced, sitting next to Lina.
"Oh, don't worry. He won't have gone far." Sylphiel reassured Amelia, a gentle smile accompanying the knowing look that Sylphiel shot in Lina's direction. "I'm sure he's just waiting for the rest of us a little way up the path."
As the party started off down the path, Lina wondered about Sylphiel's statement. 'There is probably a range on the spell. He can't go comfortably outside the spell range... I think.'
Wilam was worried about the party getting to the temple before the winter snows started... it was very rare for there to be any snowfall this early, he hoped that it wasn't a precursor to the rest of the trip. Amelia seemed to have gotten her traveling feet yesterday; she didn't need nearly as much help over rocks and past icy spots as he had feared.
Zelgadiss rejoined the group quietly, appearing soon after they left. Wilam left periodically to check the trail ahead for unexpected results from the snowstorm. The few small complications were easily avoided, Amelia scrambled over rocks and fallen trees like a pro, only landing badly once. She bounced right back up, causing the group to attempt to hide smiles, at least until her ringing laughter floated back to them. Sylphiel needed some help from Gourry to get over an especially large tree, and immediately after Lina and Zelgadiss passed the tree, Lina climbing, and Zel jumping, the group stopped for lunch.
Everyone pulled travel rations out, with Sylphiel contributing the last of the pastries to liven up the meal. Amelia and Gourry fought over the last pastry, while Lina slowly finished her tea. In the neat, fast manner that his companions were slowing getting used to, Zelgadis actually had seconds.
"I think this walking is good for you, Mr. Zelgadiss." Amelia chirped, letting go of the pastry in her distraction. Gourry immediately devoured the pastry, and began looking for more.
"I think it has more to do with Sylphiel's spell." Zelgadiss replied, looking down at his empty plate. "Although, I'm not so sure about it... Lina's acting awful strangely."
"She's not the only one" Xellos muttered, sipping from his cup and settling on a rock near the startled chimera.
"I hate it when he does that." Zelgadiss muttered, turning away from the new arrival dismissively. He finished his tea, and wiped out his mug with some snow before placing it into his pack.
"Are you planning to travel with us now, Mr. Xellos?" Amelia asked, turning to face him.
Lina sighed, and stood up. "What do you want, Xellos? I'm not in any mood to play your little games right now."
"Oh, Lina... why do you think that I would be playing any games?" Xellos looked injured, but his lips twisted into a mocking smile. "I can't even come to warn you without you expecting me to have a hidden motive?"
"Warn us about what?" Lina snapped, the brief rest and good food returning some of her usual energy.
"Lina." Xellos laughed, holding his hands up in defeat. "You know that I wouldn't let anything happen to my favorite people."
"Now I know you're up to something." Lina pounced on the Mazoku, putting him in a headlock, "Spill it, or I'll get mad!"
Xellos laughed in delight, "There's my Lina..."
Zelgadiss growled, curling his hands into fists, and preparing to assist Lina.
"I'm not yours, Fruitcake!" Lina yelled, punching the grinning Mazoku in the head a few times. "Spill it, now!"
"Okay, okay. You are such fun when you're angry, Miss Lina." Xellos chuckled, freeing himself from Lina's grasp with astonishing ease. "I just wanted to warn you that there is a large amount of snow up ahead, be very careful."
"Why didn't you just say that in the first place," Zel muttered.
With a jaunty grin, Xellos stole another cup of tea from the pot, and settled back down to finish it. The rest of the party shot glances at him, but he avoided their pointed looks, engaging Lina is small talk about some magic book he had 'found' nearby.
When the party had finished the last of their food, cleaned up and repacked their belongings, Sylphiel walked over to Lina. The ordinarily quiet priestess shooed Xellos away, who immediately went to torment Zelgadiss.
"Are you alright, Lina?" Sylphiel asked, trying to lay a hand across Lina's forehead.
"I'm fine, Sylphiel" Lina ducked out of the way of Sylphiel's hand. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."
"Did you sleep well? It's as important that you get plenty of sleep until we reach the temple... this is going to be like casting a huge spell everyday. If you start having any problems, you have to tell me, Lina." Sylphiel felt the same shiver that had accompanied her nightmare return. Lina tried to wave her off, but Sylphiel grabbed Lina's hands, forcing Lina to look directly at her.
"I'm serious about this, Lina. Power isn't the only factor, and neither is stubbornness." Sylphiel tried to convey how serious this was to her without raising her voice.
Lina seemed to realize that she was serious, and closed her eyes. She breathed deeply, holding her breath for a moment before letting it out with a sigh and opening her eyes. Looking into Sylphiel's serious face and her caring eyes, Lina felt fear loose the battle against pride. She new that Sylphiel wouldn't allow Zel to die for lack of support from his friends, but she also knew that Sylphiel had to be there to explain what she knew about Zel's condition. Using every ounce of stubbornness and pride that she possessed, Lina looked into her friend's face and lied.
"Of course I'll tell you if it becomes a problem, Sylphiel."