They were only a few days away from Sairaag when bandits attacked the caravan again. By that time Zelgadis had improved to the point that he could defeat even Seymor and Geoff, the best of the caravan's swordsmen, seven times out of eight. It was a good thing he had improved so much since these bandits were much more numerous and well organized than the ones they had encountered in the mountains.
"H-how can you still be fighting?" Yosh screamed.
Zelgadis looked over. The bandit advancing toward Yosh had a cluster of arrows stuck in his chest right where his heart should be.
Zelgadis knocked the zombie bandit away from the young archer with a two-handed swing of his sword. "Amelia," he called, "someone is using black magic to keep these bandits fighting after they've been killed."
Amelia cast a spell for dealing with the undead. Several of the bandits gasped and collapsed. The guards made short work of the rest.
"Take care of things here," Zelgadis commanded the other guards, "If any more bandits come, cut off their limbs. Amelia, let's go deal with these bandits at the source."
Amelia nodded, "Right!" The two of them cast Raywing and floated away. They located the bandit camp after a short search from above the treetops. It was surrounded by a high wall made of whole logs.
After throwing a fireball into the camp to announce their presence, they landed on the gateposts, capes billowing in the wind. Bandits ran out of the wooden buildings to gawk at them.
"You attacked our caravan," Zelgadis smirked. "You shouldn't have done that."
"Evil doers, prepare to be smashed by the Hammer of Justice!" Amelia agreed.
"Mega Brand," Zelgadis concluded casually.
The ground exploded. Bandits screamed. The more cool-headed ones with bows shot at the invaders. Zelgadis easily dodged the arrows as he floated down to ground level. He drew his sword. Amelia raised a shield spell long enough to deflect all the arrows and then jumped into the fray. A minute later there were no bandits left standing.
A tall, broad man strode through the smoke and twitching bodies. His air of authority suggested that he was the bandit leader. "Who are you and what do you want?" he asked coolly.
"I am Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun and this is Zelgadis Greywords," Amelia announced, "We want you to give up your evil ways."
"You have a black sorcerer working for you reanimating the dead," Zelgadis stated.
"In other words, turning people into zombies," Amelia translated.
Many of the bandits lying on the ground gasped in horror and shot panicked looks at the other bandits lying near them.
"A black sorcerer, you say?" the bandit leader laughed, "No, I have someone much more powerful than that! Leitos, come forth."
A shape condensed out of the dust rising from the camp, an implausible and hideous shape.
Amelia gasped. "A mazoku. You made a contract with a mazoku!"
"Very good," the bandit leader applauded mockingly.
"That's evil!"
"Not to mention stupid," Zelgadis added.
The mazoku snickered, "I will enjoy feeding upon your suffering as you realize how foolish you were to challenge my master."
Amelia threw an Emekia Lance at it. Zelgadis quickly followed suit. Leitos dodged the first and let the second wash over him harmlessly.
Zelgadis and Amelia exchanged a glance. Amelia kept the demon dodging with more Emekia Lances and other astral attacks while Zelgadis prepared the most powerful astral attack of all, "Source of all souls which dwell in the eternal and infinite, everlasting flame of blue...Amelia, LOOK OUT!"
Zelgadis threw himself between the girl and the lance of flame the mazoku had shot at her. The flames passed through his body. He collapsed, clutching his chest.
"Zelgadis-san!" Amelia was on her knees beside him so fast that she caught him as he fell. "Did you forget that you're not made of stone anymore?" she murmured, cradling his head in her lap. She glared up at the monster with rage blazing in her eyes. "Evil monster who prevents the dead from resting in peace, if you've killed him I will never forgive you."
"Does that mean that you will forgive me if he's not dead yet?"
"I will never forgive your crimes, you..."
"Amelia..." Zelgadis' hand reached up toward his protector's face but fell back weakly before it could touch her.
"What is it, Zelgadis-sama?" Amelia bent close to hear his faint words. After several seconds she nodded. "Zelgadis-sama," whispered, tears shining in her eyes. She placed her hands over Zelgadis' on top of the wound and began muttering the words of a spell. Bluish light shone faintly around their layered fingers.
"Do you really think your puny spells can save him, little girl?" the mazoku mocked. "Even if you heal him, I can easily strike him down again. And then I'll kill you even more easily. Yes, get angry. The taste of your rage is so sweet, your rage and grief and fear. Poor little..."
"Ra-tilt!" Amelia and Zelgadis shouted together. Leitos had just time enough to see that Zelgadis was sitting up unaided before he was immolated by twin balls of pure astral energy.
Zelgadis collapsed back into Amelia's lap with a sigh of relief. This time the spell she cast on his shoulder really was a healing spell.
The bandit leader looked around in confusion. "Leitos, where are you? Leitos, come forth!"
"Your mazoku is dead," Zelgadis told him, "You should never have made a contract with him. Everyone who makes a deal with a mazoku regrets it sooner or later. You should be glad we arrived before that Leitos betrayed you."
The bandit leader pulled his wits together. He wouldn't have lasted long as a bandit if he wasn't good at adapting. "Attack them!" he yelled.
The bandits who were still healthy enough and brave enough to fight obeyed. With one arm hanging limp at his side, Zelgadis stumbled to his feet. Amelia steadied him with an arm wrapped around his shoulders.
"Now's the time to find out whether we really can beat bandits with one hand tied behind our backs," Zelgadis quipped grimly.
Amelia nodded and cast a flare arrow with her free hand. Fortunately, once they proved that they were still capable of causing destruction many of the bandits panicked and ran. It took them awhile longer to finish off the bravest (or stupidest) ones, but in the end they were victorious.
The two shamanists limped over to a nearby building, which turned out to be a storeroom. Amelia eased Zelgadis down onto a crate and finally finished healing his shoulder.
"You said you weren't badly wounded," she reproached.
What he had actually whispered to her during the fight was, "Don't worry about the wound. It isn't as bad as it looks. Just help me get rid of that mazoku before it really kills us."
"I'm not. It missed my lung."
Amelia's pursed lips showed what she thought of his definition of a bad wound. Zelgadis closed his eyes and let her work.
"Okay, you're all fixed," Amelia said several minutes later.
Zelgadis looked down. Even the hole in his armor was gone. His shoulder felt as good as new.
He walked over to one of the shelves and pulled down a box. "I think this may be our reward," he said, handing it to Amelia. "I spent the time you were busy with that healing spell scanning the room for magic artifacts."
She curiously opened the box. The six huge sapphires inside shone even in the faint light of the storeroom. Each one had a six-pointed star floating at its heart and a silver band fastened to its back. They seemed to be a headband, a belt, and four bracelets. It was the most powerful set of white magic amplifiers Amelia had ever seen.
"But these must be worth millions! We should return them to their owner."
Zelgadis' smile twisted into a bitter scowl. "Don't bother. I can guess where they came from. This is just the sort of thing Rezo would have had lying around. When his copy destroyed his lab, he didn't destroy all of it. There are hallways open all the way down the side of the pit that any raider could have entered."
"Oh. Are you sure?"
"This is Sairaag. Even if the last owner wasn't Rezo, the chances aren't very good that he or she is still alive."
Amelia closed the box sadly, thinking of all the people who had died that night. She tucked the box under her arm and started to walk back to the caravan. Zelgadis picked up a second, smaller box and followed her out. They left any other treasure for the people of Sairaag to recover later. It would help buy the supplies necessary for rebuilding the city.
"Wow, you've been gone all of half an hour. What took you so long?" Seymor joked when the two sorcerers rejoined the caravan.
"They had a mazoku," Zelgadis replied absently. He was busy examining the bracelets he had picked up for himself in the bandit camp. Each one consisted of a large, semi-spherical ruby fastened to a thick copper band. They amplified his magic to almost the level he had enjoyed as a chimera. They also seemed to work well with the stones set into his cloak clasp and sword hilt.
"A mazoku? Really?" Seymor looked like he wasn't sure whether or not they were teasing him.
"Yes," Amelia confirmed. "Don't worry; we killed it."
Yosh gulped. "Was it...very powerful?" He immediately felt stupid for asking that. All mazoku were powerful.
Zelgadis and Amelia exchanged thoughtful looks.
"No, it was fairly low level," Zelgadis said.
"Somewhat more powerful than that first mazoku we killed, the one that looked like a chicken, but definitely less powerful than either of the ones we fought in Seyruun," Amelia agreed.
The expressions of the other caravan members ranged from awed to disbelieving. Hal congratulated himself yet again on getting such powerful fighters for only twelve gold a day. Mazoku or no mazoku, they had just taken out an entire bandit camp by themselves. He had heard the explosions and screams even from this distance.
"Um, would you mind healing my arm now?" Tuck asked hesitantly.
Only a year after its second destruction, Sairaag was already busy enough to have a line up at the front gate. The caravan members were sitting on the wagons, chatting to pass the time.
"Do you think it's safe for us to go in there?" Amelia asked Zelgadis. "The last two times we visited Sairaag, it was destroyed."
Zelgadis thought about that. "I think it's safe as long as we are not summoned here by an evil power seeking our destruction, and as long as Lina isn't with us. I've been here several times without the city coming to any harm."
Amelia looked reassured.
Hal walked over to them. "I'm planning to stay in Sairaag three or four days. I'll need you to help with unloading and reloading on the first and last days, and you'll each have to spend one day on guard duty watching the goods. That's one day from noon to noon. Other than that, you're free to go wherever you want and do whatever you want as long as you stay out of trouble. Does that suit you?"
Both his mages nodded.
"Excellent. Akio and Seymor have already claimed the last day and Geoff and Tuck have volunteered for the second. Do you want to stand guard the first day?"
Zelgadis nodded. "That's fine."
"Me too," Amelia volunteered.
"Excellent. I'll get Yosh to take the first day with you. We'll go easy on you young people this time." Hal winked and then wandered off to inform Yosh of his guard duty.
Sairaag was a strange mixture of old and new. All the buildings were so new that the paint wasn't even peeling, yet an aura of ancient sorrow hung like a haze over the city. All the wood was so fresh that it wasn't even weathered but the stones had come from the ruins of the former city. They showed the scars of fire, water and time. Wherever the caravanners looked, they saw only the cheerful activity of a rapidly growing town, but ghosts seemed to flit just beyond the edges of their peripheral vision.
This was not just a town with the same name and almost the same location as the former city. This was Sairaag, ancient center of white magic and dark secrets. Even though Flagoon was gone, even though all the original buildings were gone, this was still Sairaag. Phoenix-like it was rising from its own ashes, new, ancient and mystical.
"They call Sairaag the City of the Dead," Zelgadis said aloud, "The name used to refer to its destruction by the Demon-beast Zanaffar a thousand years ago, but now the name has a more immediate truth. This living part of the city seems tiny in comparison to all the ruins."
"It's so sad," Amelia sniffed. Being in the city was bringing back unpleasant memories. The last time she had been here, she had died.
"Yeah. I had some good friends who died in the destruction of the city. The first one." Hal agreed.
"Me too," Seymor murmured.
"Me too," Tuck sighed.
Yosh wore a tragic expression which might mean that he had lost loved ones too, or might just mean that he sympathized with his companions' losses. The others looked pensive.
"Well, that's all in the past," Akio said with an attempt at lightening the mood. "We're here now to make money and have fun! I know where I'm going as soon as we get these carts unloaded. There's a certain cozy little house down a certain side street - I forget the name of the street but I know I can find it - where I know I'll always be welcome. And there's this restaurant I can show you which serves the best food you've ever tasted."
"Is it really that good?" Amelia asked brightly.
"Oh, yes! You have to order a day in advance so they can spend the whole day preparing your meal. Sometimes you have to order more than a day in advance to get a table even though they don't let anyone eat there more often than once a week. It's that popular."
"It sounds delicious!"
"Yes it does," Seymor agreed, shaking off his gloom. "That's where we're eating tomorrow, right, Akio?"
"Right!"
"There's the warehouse," the caravan master pointed. "Now remember, the faster you unload, the sooner you'll be free."
Yosh swallowed hard. The moment had come. Since Hal only required two people to stay with the wagons at any time, the three young people on the first shift could take turns on guard. Right now Zelgadis was taking advantage of that fact to make dinner reservations at the restaurant Akio had recommended. Yosh might never get another such perfect opportunity to tell Amelia how he felt about her. He had been waiting for such a moment for weeks, so why was it so hard to speak?
"A-Amelia-san?"
"Hmm?"
Yosh glanced over at the dark haired girl. Her beauty took his breath away. For a moment, all he could do was stare at her. Then he took a deep breath and forced himself to continue. "I, um...There's something I want to tell you."
"What is it?" Amelia's huge blue eyes fastened onto him curiously.
Yosh looked down at his feet before the look in her eyes could melt all his thoughts or scatter them to the breezes. If he looked at her, the intensity of his feelings would choke out his ability to describe them.
"I know that I'm just an ordinary archer and you're a powerful sorceress who can even kill mazoku. I know that I have no right to say these things to you, but I couldn't live with myself if I didn't tell you."
"What is it?" Amelia repeated, now very intrigued and rather concerned.
"I just want to tell you...that you are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. And kind, and brave, and fun, and...and just a wonderful person in every way. I...I love you. I have ever since I met you. No, please don't say anything. I know you don't love me. You love Zelgadis."
The last statement surprised Amelia out of speechless amazement. "How did you know that?"
Yosh's face fell at that confirmation. "I overheard you talking to him the night we slept under a wagon because it was raining."
Amelia's mouth rounded in a silent 'Oh.' She had completely forgotten about that night.
Yosh sighed dejectedly. "I can guess why you like him. He's much more powerful than I am, and better looking. If I was you, I would probably prefer him too."
"It isn't like that!" Amelia protested. "I don't care about his power or looks. I love him because he is a good person and...well...just because he is who he is. I don't really know why. We've been traveling together for a long time and I just...fell in love with him, I guess."
She saw how much her words were hurting Yosh. "I like you too," she added hastily. "You're fun to be with, and you are a truly just person. I can tell that you really care about other people. And you shouldn't insult yourself! You're a very good archer. I can only think of two who are better, and they're both members of the royal bodyguard. You're very brave too. I would be glad to have you at my side in any battle. And there's nothing wrong with your looks either! I think you're cute."
"Really?" Yosh looked up hopefully. "You really like me?"
Amelia nodded her head emphatically. "I like you a lot!...but I don't love you."
Yosh scowled. "Why do you have to love Zelgadis? All he cares about it swords and magic. He completely ignores your feelings for him! What a jerk!"
"I know," Amelia said softly. "But now that I've given my heart, I can't take it back." She rubbed a thumb over the ring hidden by her white gloves. "Even if I didn't love Zelgadis-sama, I couldn't fall in love with you. I'm not free to give my heart away to anyone I want."
"So Zelgadis qualifies but I don't."
Amelia bit her lip. "Yes." She wanted to tell him the full truth but Zelgadis had sworn her to secrecy about their possible marriage.
"I understand, I guess." Yosh was thinking that maybe sorceresses had to marry sorcerers in the same way that aristocrats had to marry other aristocrats.
"I hope we can still be friends," Amelia said nervously. She didn't know that it was something that people were supposed to say when turning away a declaration of love. It was what she sincerely felt.
"I guess so," Yosh replied despondently.
Yosh made his escape from the tantalizingly untouchable sorceress as soon as Zelgadis returned.
"What's wrong with him?" Zelgadis asked. "He was glaring at me as if he was contemplating murder."
Amelia didn't answer.
"We have reservations for tomorrow night. I ordered us a five course dinner. The restaurant looks superb."
"Good." Amelia continued to frown distractedly at the ground.
"Amelia, is something wrong?"
"No, not really."
Something was very wrong here, Zelgadis realized. Amelia was morose while he was cheerful. The natural order of things had been turned on its head.
"Zelgadis-san, do you think that I'm beautiful?" Amelia asked suddenly.
"Wh-what?" Zelgadis turned an interesting shade of dull pink.
"Yosh-san said that I'm beautiful. No one has ever told me that before, except for family and courtiers, who have to say things like that."
"Yosh said that?" Zelgadis asked with a wariness bordering on hostility.
"Yes. He said that I'm kind, brave and fun too." Before Zelgadis could ask any of the urgent questions bumping against each other in his mind, Amelia continued. "He said...he said that he loves me. No one has ever fallen in love with me before!"
Amelia somehow managed to simultaneously glow with happiness at the complements, droop sorrowfully at the thought of Yosh's hurt feelings, and watch Zelgadis anxiously for a reaction.
"He said that?" Zelgadis repeated in a strangled voice. He was surprised to find that he felt jealous. Even if he didn't reciprocate her crush, Amelia's love for him had been flattering. But Yosh was a good man, if rather immature. His innocent and enthusiastic nature would be a good match for Amelia's. "Um, congratulations. I'm sure you'll be happy together."
Amelia stamped her foot and glared fiery daggers at Zelgadis. "I told him that I didn't and couldn't love him."
"You did? Why?"
"Because I don't love him." I love you, she meant to add but her courage failed. "Besides, if I'm married to you then I can't fall in love with anyone else. That would be adultery."
Zelgadis sighed in irritation. "Don't let that stand in your way if you find someone you do want."
"I will honor my obligations."
They glared at each other. After a few moments, they turned their backs on each other and pretended to be busy guarding the wagons from thieves.
Gradually the tension drained away.
"I don't know if I'd call you beautiful, but you are pretty," Zelgadis said at last, "or maybe 'cute' would be a better description."
Amelia stared at him in utter surprise. Then a happy smile crept onto her face.
"Thank you," she said, not sure whether to be irritated by the faint praise or overjoyed that he complimented her at all.
"Good news!" Hal shouted as soon as he reached the wagons.
The three on guard duty straightened up from their respective solitary activities. "What is it?" Yosh asked.
"A commission for the Sorcerer's Guild. Someone in the Atlas City branch wants some artifacts the Sairaag branch dug up from the ruins." He noticed Zelgadis and Amelia's blank expressions so he added, "The Sorcerer's Guild always pays well and their goods usually don't take up much space."
"Does that mean that we're going to Atlas City instead of Seyruun?" Zelgadis asked.
"We're still going to Seyruun. We're just going by way of Atlas City. Is that a problem?"
"It will add two or three weeks onto our journey, right?" Zelgadis calculated.
"That's right," Hal confirmed. "Oh, I forgot! You're headed for Seyruun, aren't you? Are you in a hurry? Do you mind going to Atlas City first?"
Zelgadis and Amelia exchanged a look that contained an entire battle of wills.
"Two or three weeks shouldn't make much difference," Zelgadis said at last.
"I like Atlas City. It has pretty architecture and good food," Amelia chirped with a sunny smile.
"Excellent. Yosh, do you have any problem with going to Atlas City?"
"I don't care. I'll go wherever the caravan goes."
"Ah, good." Hal finally noticed that the archer was in an unusually bad mood. He glanced from Yosh to his other less than cheerful employees. He decided that whatever the problem was, they could work it out on their own.
"Well," Hal said, "pass on the news to the others if you see them before I do."
They nodded.
Hal looked back and forth between them again rather nervously before walking off.
"Yosh-san, would you like to play a game of cards?" Amelia asked in an attempt to break the ice.
"Um, okay," the boy replied.
Zelgadis ignored them as he returned to leaning against one of the wagons. "Atlas City," he muttered to himself. "I could see them again. It's been so long."
Author's Note: Why is it that Slayers characters only show how much they care about each other on the verge of death? That really is not the best way to build a loving relationship unless what you're aiming for is a heart-rending tragic ending. Oh well, they're young and they've proven invincible so far. Maybe they'll sort themselves out eventually.
My original plan for the bandit fights was to have three of them, each easier than the last. The first would be the one in chapter three where everything goes wrong. I rewrote that scene a bazillion times to add more disasters. The first draft was downright lame but I like the final version. The second fight would show them being competent, and the third would show them defeating the enemy with style and ease because of their awesome teamwork. It was a neat idea but, as you can see, it didn't work out that way. The middle battle (in chapter four) ended up being pathetically easy, and it didn't make sense for them to be able to defeat a mazoku without difficulty. (Yes, Leitos was there from the beginning.) I like it much better this way. The battle is much more interesting when they are actually in danger, and there are touching romantic moments.
Poor Yosh. I feel bad about breaking the poor kid's heart like this but Amelia deserves to have someone tell her how wonderful she is. Don't you agree?