Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers. I don't own Superman either. He's not in the story but I'm covering myself just in case.

Zelgadis gritted his teeth. Things hadn't gone quite as well as he had hoped. Now he had lost his fragment of the Soul Render, made an enemy of Seyruun royalty, and was wounded fairly seriously. He stumbled.

Phil grunted. Zelgadis was pretty heavy. "Careful, Mr. Greywords. We're almost to my mother's chamber."

Zelgadis shook his head. "No! I don't want to get her involved."

"Sir, you need healing and I can't do much with a wound this severe."

"Don't worry about that. Do you know where your father is keeping the fragments?"

Phil shook his head. "No. He does have a safe in his private chambers though. Maybe we should start by looking there."

Zelgadis nodded. "That sounds like as good a place as any to start." He looked over at Phil who was struggling to support his weight. "Why are you helping me? You're only asking for trouble you know."

"I know. I heard everything you and father talked about though. I can't sit idly by while he plots to take over the world." He grinned at Zelgadis. "It wouldn't be just."

Zelgadis chuckled for a moment and grimaced. "Just like Amelia. So why were you eavesdropping anyway?"

"Well, I'm embarrassed to admit it sir, but I wanted to hear your insight into some of the pieces in father's collection. Whoops! Guards." Phil quickly shoved Zelgadis into a shadowy alcove. He nodded as the guards saluted him and passed by.

Zelgadis struggled to his feet. "Give me a little warning next time. I'm not in the best shape right now you know."

Phil quickly glanced down the hall before helping Zelgadis up. "Sorry sir. We're almost there." He tried to help Zelgadis down the hall as quickly as possible. "I still don't understand why you won't let mother help you."

"If she doesn't know anything about this then there is no reason for Edward to harm her. I expect he'll be quite upset when he discovers the fragments missing."

"Who was that other man with father?"

"A demon named Xellos."

Phil's eyes widened. "A demon?" He shook his head. "I never would have suspected that my father would have dealings with the demon race."

"And why not? I dealt with Xellos for decades."

"You sir? But mother said you were a hero." Phil looked at a door. "Here it is." He leaned Zelgadis against the wall and opened the door.

"I was never a hero Phil." Zelgadis remembered Lina holding Gourry's body and staring at him with a look of shock on her face. "Heroes don't betray their friends."

Edward frowned. He shouldn't have to clean up his own mess like this, but it wouldn't do for the guards to see a body in his private gallery. He opened the door expecting to find Zelgadis's body lying where he had left it. Instead, he saw a small puddle of blood and nothing more. "Damn."

Zelgadis looked up at the portrait of Edward on the wall. In the painting, he was standing in front of a large fireplace looking very smug. The portrait took up most of the wall.

Zelgadis grinned and turned to Phil. "He's modest isn't he?" He walked up to the portrait and ran his hand along the frame. Finding a latch he pulled the painting aside to reveal a safe in the wall behind it. He muttered, "And oh so original too."

Phil stood by the door on the lookout for any guards. "Sir, if you don't mind my asking, could you please hurry?"

Zelgadis turned from where he was laying out his tools and gave Phil a sour look. "Do you want to do this?"

Phil shook his head.

Zelgadis went back to work. "I could have this thing open in a few seconds, but that would involve putting a rather large hole in the wall. And since I'm hardly in any condition to fight my way out of the kingdom we're going to do this quietly."

"Right. Sorry." Phil looked out the door again. His eyes widened. "Sir?"

Zelgadis sighed in exasperation. "I'll never get this done if you don't leave me alone!"

"I'm sorry, but there are guards coming this way and they look somewhat agitated."

"You're the prince! Can't you get rid of them?"

"Well, I guess." Phil nodded. "Yes, I could do that." He turned and left the room.

Zelgadis sighed and went back to cracking the safe. This particular latch was tricky. He inserted a pick into the first of the dozen locks. Who had ever heard of a safe that had a combination locks and required keys to open?

Phil strode out into the hallway trying his best not to look nervous. He wasn't doing very well.

The captain of the guards saluted Phil as he approached. "Sire, your father said that there is an assassin loose in the castle. Have you seen anyone suspicious?"

Phil shook his head. "No, everything's been quiet up here."

The captain regarded him for a moment. "I believe that we'll check all the rooms on this floor just to be safe."

"No!"

"No? Is there something wrong Prince Phillionel?"

"No! Everything's great!"

An irate voice was heard from the room behind Phil. "Damn it! Why can't anything be easy?"

The guards drew their swords. "What was that?"

Phil swallowed. "Well, that was. . .uh. . ."

Zelgadis shook his head. This lock was pretty frustrating. There must be something valuable in here.

"Fireball!"

An explosion rocked the room and Zelgadis snapped the pick in the lock.

Phil came darting back into the room and quickly slammed the door.

"What the hell was that Phil?" Zelgadis stared at him exasperated.

"Well." Phil leaned a chair against the door. "You said to get rid of them."

"I meant talk to them! You're the prince! You can't tell the guards to go somewhere else?!"

Phil grunted as he pushed a dresser in front of the door. "I did my best! I'm not used to lying and they asked if I had seen you!"

Zelgadis's jaw was on the floor. "And?"

"Well, I panicked!" Phil glanced at Zelgadis and threw his arms up in exasperation. "Don't blame me! I told you, I've never done this kind of thing before!" He ran across the room and leaned against the bed, trying hopelessly to move it to the door.

Zelgadis turned back to the lock muttering under his breath. He selected another pick and resumed his work.

"Sir, what are you doing?! I think the time for subtlety has passed don't you?"

Zelgadis sighed and carefully placed the pick in his bag. "Well, I guess you do have a point." He stood grunting in pain. He was surprised to note that he wasn't in nearly as much pain as he had been. He looked down at his wound and was surprised to see that it had almost completely closed. That was interesting.

Phil was leaning against the door trying to brace it against the guards on the other side. "Could you please do something?!"

Zelgadis held up a warning finger. "Quiet! I need to think about this. This could be tricky." He nodded. "This should probably work." He quickly cast a spell. "Dam Brass!"

A ball of crimson light shot out of Zelgadis's hand and hit the safe. One small explosion later, the safe was open with the contents apparently undamaged.

Zelgadis smiled as he perused the contents of the safe. Gold, documents, more gold, and three Soul Render fragments. "Xellos must have recovered the fragment in Cruso and brought it here. Oh well, less work for me." He quickly put the fragments in his bag and after a moment's hesitation a lot of the gold as well.

There was a crash and the door started to buckle under the pressure of the assault.

Phil looked at Zelgadis exasperated. "Are you done yet?! Because we're out of time!"

Zelgadis nodded. "Time to make our exit." He ran over to the window sighed when he noted that there were several locks on it. "Phil, how paranoid is your father?!"

Edward stormed up the hall to his chambers. He was surprised to note that there were several slightly charred guards trying to force their way into the room. "What is the meaning of this?"

The captain turned to Edward. "We think we have the assassin trapped lord. While we were searching, we came upon Prince Phillionel."

"My son?" Edward's expression darkened.

"Yes sir. He was acting very strangely. I can only assume that the assassin was coercing him into assisting him."

Edward snarled. "Get this door open now! Kill the chimera. I'll deal with my son."

A little ways down the hall, Amelia listened anxiously from behind a pillar. She whispered, "Mr. Zelgadis?"

There was another crash and the door gave way.

Zelgadis groaned. "No choice. I'll have to fight them." He drew his sword and turned to face the charging guards. "Phil! Get that window open while I hold them off!"

"Dark Mist!"

Suddenly the room was enveloped in darkness.

Zelgadis's voice called out in the darkness. "Phil, did you do that?"

"No! I've been working on the window!"

"Working on the window'? Phil, just blow the thing off its hinges!"

"I don't think father would appreciate that. . ."

"Phil! He's plotting to take over the world and kill a lot of people while doing it! I don't really care what he would appreciate!"

A new voice spoke. "Is that true Mr. Zelgadis?"

Zelgadis sighed. "Amelia. I didn't want to get you involved in this."

The darkness in the room was beginning to dissipate. A dozen guards could be seen carefully moving towards Zelgadis.

"Got it!" Phil flung the window open. "Let's go! Ray wing!"

Seconds later, Edward reached the window. He watched in anger as his enemies flew over the castle wall to freedom. He turned to the guards. "Follow them! Don't let them escape!"

Minutes later, Zelgadis, Phil, and Amelia were running through the crowded streets of the capital.

"Well, that went pretty well didn't it sir?"

Zelgadis stared at Phil incredulously. "Are you kidding? That couldn't have gone any worse if we had tried to screw up! Now I've got the entire Seyruun army after me for stealing from the castle and kidnapping two members of the royal family."

"At least you have the fragments. And your health. You look like you've fully recovered from that attack."

Zelgadis grumbled, "Yeah, well I guess there is that." He felt his side and was surprised to note that he apparently was fully healed. Without so much as a recovery spell.

Amelia was panting. "Can we slow down a little? It's hard to run in this outfit." She was wearing a fairly elaborate gown and was struggling to avoid tripping on it.

Zelgadis looked over his shoulder. The castle still loomed dangerously close. Still, they couldn't really blend in with the people if Amelia was dressed like that.

One clothing store later, Amelia was dressed in an outfit similar to her ones from their old travels. She admired herself in the mirror for a moment. "Wow. The more things change the more they stay the same." She looked down at her wrists. One bracelet. She wondered of Zelgadis still had the other one. She shook her head. "Don't be stupid! That was a long time ago."

Hours later, on the outskirts of the city, they stopped at a tavern for some dinner. While they were eating, Zelgadis and Phil told Amelia the whole story of Edward's plotting and Xellos's involvement.

Amelia picked at her dinner. "Xellos has been here recently. I have reason to believe that he was the one who burned down the library a couple of weeks ago."

Phil thought for a moment. "He must have been covering his tracks. Something in that library must have had sensitive information about the Soul Render."

Zelgadis sipped his tea and nodded. "I agree. I find it hard to believe that Xellos would bother getting involved in a power struggle between kingdoms. Something in that library had information on his real purpose. Something that he didn't want Edward to know."

Phil sighed. "If I hadn't heard it myself, I never would have believed my father to be capable of such injustice."

Zelgadis put his cup down and looked at Phil. "Did Emily tell you where she and Lina were going Phil?"

Phil shook his head. "I asked her before she left, but she said that she wasn't supposed to tell anyone. Why?"

"Because they're both targets. On the outskirts of the city, an assassin attacked them. He was after a Soul Render fragment. During the fighting, he tried to kill Lina and seriously injured Emily."

Phil jumped to his feet. "Then they're in danger? We have to leave immediately."

Zelgadis shook his head. "Go where Phil? None of us has any idea of where they went."

Phil sat back down. "I suppose you're right, sir. I just feel so useless sitting here."

Amelia sighed. "Plotting world domination and now assassins? Edward how could you?" She shook her head angrily. "I'll never forgive this." She slammed her fist down on the table and stood up. "Do you hear me? I'll never forgive this horrible injustice!"

Phil was looking around nervously. Several patrons were looking at them strangely. "Mother please sit down. Everybody's staring."

Amelia ignored him and leapt atop the table. "This bitter evil strikes at the very center of my loving soul! Without mercy, I will hunt down Xellos and Edward and smash them with the hammer of justice!"

Phil looked mortified.

Zelgadis tried to hide a grin. Even under these circumstances, he was glad to see the old Amelia back. "That's all well and good Amelia, but we still have no idea of what to do next."

"Oh, right." Amelia quickly climbed off the table and took her seat. "So, does anyone have any ideas?"

Phil spoke up. "What about grandfather? He is the king after all."

Amelia shook her head. "We have no way of getting a message to him. I'm sure that Edward would be expecting us to try something like that."

Zelgadis sipped his tea. "I think we need to find the final fragment of the Soul Render before Edward does."

Amelia nodded. "I suppose. But, we have no idea of where to begin looking."

Phil shook his head. "That's not quite true mother. Do you remember what we were discussing the other night? Every fragment so far has had some sort of connection to Miss Lina's life."

"They all seem to have appeared in places with an emotional impact on Lina." Zelgadis listed them on his fingers. "The first one was in Cruso. I think it's safe to assume that Emily was born there. Right Amelia?"

Amelia nodded. "That's what she told me."

Zelgadis continued. "The second one was in Zoana. That was the first place that, well you know. . ."

Amelia and Phil nodded.

"Finally, there was a fragment where we faced Darkstar and death itself. So, we have fragments representing the birth of Lina's child, her love, and her potential death. Hmm."

Amelia and Zelgadis looked at each other and spoke at the same time. "Sairaag."

Phil looked back and forth between the two. "Sairaag?"

Amelia nodded. "That was where Lina summoned the Lord of Nightmares and almost sacrificed her life for all of us."

"That's where Lina's headed. I'm sure of it." Zelgadis stood. "Let's go."

Amelia stood up next to him. "Right!" She noticed that Phil looked troubled. "Are you alright Phil?"

Phil looked up at them. "I'm fine. I'm just wondering why an artifact with the power to obliterate an entire kingdom is so closely tied to Miss Lina's life."

Neither Amelia nor Zelgadis had an answer for him.

Next Chapter: It's mother/daughter day at the bandit lair and no one is safe!

Notes: Another chapter out the door. Hope you liked it. This one was tough. A couple rewrites and I'm still not totally satisfied with the results. But what can you do, right? Fix it? Maybe if I have some kind of brainstorm, but the odds of that are slim.

Matakishi, regarding your comments, *sweatdrops* I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask you to leave the reviewing area. You're scaring the other readers. ;)