Once Upon a Time
written by Hotaru
Disclaimer: Not mine. Enjoy.
Chapter 9
They had finally arrived at Senarry. It was a beautiful city. It was atop a high hill so all the land around it was at a lower elevation than the actual city. It had a heavily constructed wall surrounding it on which grew tons and tons of ivy, the green leaves and vines hanging on to whatever it could. It had violet-purple flowers here and there and they were blooming. There were four entrances into the city, one at each Cardinal Point, which were North, South, East and West. There were a few Dragon guards on the walls keeping watch on the comings and goings of the humans.
"See, what did I tell you?" asked Xellos as they approached the city wall. "They have mounted surveillance already."
"Who cares." said Merlina. "I can easily deal with them. And if worse comes to worse... I have my faithful and talented friend to fend them off." Xellos looked around him with a lost expression on his face.
"Who, me?" he asked with a smile.
"Duh, who else?" she asked back. "After all, that's why I pay you."
"Actually, you don't." said Xellos with a sweatdrop.
"That's cause you never asked." said Merlina with a grin. They walked in and waited for the Dragon guard to check them in and give them a permit to be in the city. Merlina had changed her appearance, as had Xellos. If the news that a girl called Merlina had escaped from the fortress of the Dragons, leaving in its wake the death of many dragons, then any redhead would be under careful scrutiny. So she had cut her hair. Xellos personally thought it looked better long. Merlina smiled at him and gave him her hair.
"Well, then... you can hang on to it, if you wish." she had said. They dyed their hair black and in a small town they had passed a few days ago they had bought new clothes so that they looked like merchants instead of a roving wanderer and a priest.
Merlina had on a reddish brown shirt and brown pants with brown boots. She also wore a forest green cloak instead of her normal black one. Her clothes were of fine material so she looked more 'merchantly'. She carried her haversack, now filled with jewels that she had collected from her various encounters with the dark side of society. In her hand, she held a normal staff, her own being hidden somewhere on her person. But she still kept her sword buckled at her side.
Xellos wore a dark blue ensemble with black boots and black gloves and a black cloak. He held the staff that Merlina had given him in his right hand. He also had a bag that was filled with bottles of fluids and various spices, ready to be sold. The looked like siblings and decided to pass themselves off as twin brother and sister. Even Merlina's hair had been trimmed to look similar to Xellos's.
"Who goes there?" asked the guard at the gate.
"We are but humble merchants selling our wares." said Xellos as he and Merlina bowed. "She is my sister, Lina. I am called Xellos."
"How long will you be staying here?" asked the guard. His golden brown eyes stared at the two of them in a hostile manner.
"We will be staying here at the most, one week, sir." said Lina. She wore a pair of glasses with rose tinted lenses so that it looked like her eyes were red due to the coloration of the lense. Nobody paid too much attention to them since merchants always had something new and interesting, which in this case were a pair of tinted sunglasses.
"Are any of you practitioners of black magic?" asked the guard.
"My sister is incapable of casting magic, sir. I myself know white magic only. My repertoire of black spells is severely lacking." Well, it was basically true that Merlina couldn't cast magic, due to a small delicate and female problem. It would be a non-existent condition in two days, according to Merlina. Plenty of time to find a place to stay, hatch a plan and then put it in order.
The guard wrote them a permit and allowed them in. The permit allowed them to sell, buy or barter for the length of their stay, but as soon as one week was over, they were to leave the city immediately. He glanced at them once more as the siblings entered the city, their footsteps moving in sync with each other.
"Rather suspicious, they are." said Xellos.
"Understandable." said Merlina. "Considering that the actual area to cast magic is in the city itself, in the Dragon Temple. We must find a way in."
"OK." said Xellos. They fist stopped at a jewelers were they sold quite a few of Merlina's magical amulets and talismans. They pretended to have gotten them from someone else who was a renown sorcerer. That way, it looked as if they actually did some business. Besides, Merlina enjoyed having extra money floating about in case of an emergency. Then the headed over to an apothecary to sell a few of Xellos's potions and herbs. After making some money, they rented a room. As usual, it was one room with two bedrooms. It was, after all, more practical and economical. And since they were acting like family, it would be normal and not as out of place as just two friends staying together. Right? Right.
The next day, Merlina woke up feeling much better than the night before. For one....
"Fireball," she whispered softly. A small ball of incandescent fire appeared above her opened hand, floating a centimeter above her palm. She quickly extinguished it and punched the air. "Yes!" she cried.
"What? Huh?" asked Xellos as hurriedly woke up on hearing Merlina's exclamation. "What happened?" Merlina looked sheepishly at him.
"Uh... jeje...hi... morning!" she said with an innocent voice.
"Morning." said Xellos as he raised his eyebrow. "So, could you tell me what just happened?"
"Um... I was seeing if I could cast magic." said Merlina with an awkward smile.
"Oh... I see..." said Xellos. He had on a look that a parent sometimes gives a child when they catch said child recounting a fib.
"And... I was really exited when I found out I could." explained Merlina. "And, I sort of got carried away."
"OK." said Xellos. He grabbed his pillow. "Keep quiet next time." He grinned at her and then threw it at her. Merlina got hit in the face.
"Hey!" she cried. "Oh yeah? This is war!" She grabbed hers and his and threw them at him. He retaliated by throwing the pillows and then grabbed his covers and threw it on her. Their peals of laughter were uninterrupted for a few minutes until they realized how childish they were acting and tried to compose themselves.
Merlina had almost gotten there when she looked at Xellos trying to compose himself. One look at his messed up hair due to sleep, and pillows and feathers sent her laughing once more.
"What?" asked Xellos as he fingered his unruly hair.
*****
"OK," said Merlina as they had breakfast. They had organized their room and it looked nicer now. "We'll go to the temple today and figure out how to get in and how it's guarded."
"And then?" asked Xellos. It was more exact to say that Xellos had breakfast while Merlina watched. She had, after all, finished a few minutes ago.
"And then..." said Merlina. "I cast a summoning spell."
"You make it sound so much easier than it actually is, you know." said Xellos.
"Yeah." said Merlina with a grin. "That's cause I'm still trying to figure out how to distract the Dragons. Out of curiosity, how good are you at casting a shield?"
"Me?" asked Xellos.
"No, the pink bunny holding a staff, riding a frog behind you." said Merlina with a straight face.
"Well, I honestly think that he isn't too good at it." said Xellos with a face that was just as serious as Merlina's.
"Would you do better?" she asked with a smirk.
"I'd think so." said Xellos.
"For, say... five minutes?" asked Merlina.
"I might." said Xellos, seeing where this was going.
"Don't worry, though," said Merlina. "I won't have you at the temple. After all, how are you to escape when the summoning is over? Don't worry, I'll think of something." She grinned. He smiled, but not as strongly. The time was coming closer, and Xellos found himself getting more and more nervous.
*****
The next day, the two had joined a small tour through the Dragon Temple that was offered to tourists. It was a way for the city to make money, and the guides, guards, attendants and janitors were all Dragons in their human guise.
"Wow... so many dragons everywhere." said Merlina to Xellos as a guide showed them around the area.
"Yeah... " said Xellos. It would be hard to break in.
"... and this area is unfortunately cut off to visitors. So if you would follow me over here..." said the guide until Merlina interrupted.
"Excuse me... why is it cut off?" she asked as she pointed toward the dark brown door. It lead to the center of the Temple and was guarded by two men in armor. The door had many locks and a heavy horizontal beam reinforced with metal that kept the door shut.
"Inside is an area of utmost secrecy. Only the one in charge of the Dragon Temple here can enter and he can only go in for five minutes. Not even the janitors are allowed in." said the guide.
"How come?" asked Merlina with a look of utter innocence.
"It is not allowed for me to say, miss." said the guide as he lead them down another passage way.
Xellos and Merlina whispered among themselves.
"It's probably in there." she whispered, her eyes lighting up. She was so close...
"Yeah... but did you see how heavily guarded it is?" asked Xellos. "How are you planning on getting in?"
"Never fear. I'll think of something." she said with a smirk. Then she paid attention to the guide, listening and remembering everything he said and did. She remembered the directions to the door. And she remembered every little detail that would help her figure out how to get in.
*****
The tour was over and done with. Merlina and Xellos were in a small cafe and having a snack. She had a glass of juice while he had a cup of tea. It was a small outdoor cafe. The tables were arranged in a circle around a small fountain. There was lots of talking, and there was even a young man singing and playing the lute in the center. At the end of each song, the people would clap politely whether they were listening to the music or not.
"So, how are you going to figure this out?" asked Xellos. "We have five more days before we have to leave."
"The portal is weakened the most on the fifth day." said Merlina as she stirred her drink and added some sugar. "That day, the room will have even more guards. I'll do it before then."
"But..." started Xellos. "... that means that it'll be harder to perform the summoning."
"Yeah, I know." said Merlina. "But I can handle it." She smirked. "That's one of the plusses of being a half-mazoku. Performing a normal summoning in the middle of nowhere would kill me. But at a site, where the fabric of reality is weak, I can do it. It doesn't matter whether it is at the appointed day or not. Obviously, it'll be easier on the fifth day... but I'm not running the risk. I bet it'll be closed on that day and no one will be allowed in."
"So, what are you going to do?" asked Xellos. He had been wondering about that ever since they came into the city. So many guards, so much security, and a lone girl breaking in. Well, he'd be breaking in also, but Merlina had told him to stay out. Well, he would... but he would still follow her around.
"Don't worry." said Merlina. "The less you know, the more innocent you'll be." She smiled. A plan was forming in her head already.
The next day, Merlina went to explore the town. She went everywhere. She had breakfast at the inn she was staying at, Lunch at the north end, walked to the south to visit shops, had a snack at the east sided and then had dinner at the west side. Xellos traveled with her. They bought a few travel supplies. She had some dried food bought. Then she sold a few more jewels so that their bags were lighter.
"Can we go back now?" complained Xellos as he walked beside her. They had spent the whole day walking everywhere."
"Tired already?" asked Merlina with an incredulous look on her face. "But look at all the shops! And I be there's a library somewhere over there!"
"But it's ten at night already!" said Xellos. "You know... I bet it closed at 8. So can we go now? I feel like I'm going to fall asleep any minute now."
"Don't worry!" said Merlina. She pointed to a small restaurant that was still amazingly open. "I'll buy you a cup of coffee there and you won't feel like sleeping anymore!" She dragged him over.
"Lina, I don't want a cup of coffee." he said as he was lead into the restaurant. The waiters were amazed at seeing two clients enter. They held in their rude remarks and annoyance as they went to work once more. They had been about to close....
"I'll have a plate of rice, chicken and potatoes." said Merlina happily as she sat down. Xellos sat across from her. The waiter nodded and sent the message to the cook. Xellos looked at her with surprise on his tired face.
"Just that?" he asked.
"Yeah... it's just a snack." said Merlina. "Don't worry. We'll hire a carriage to take us back to the inn."
"You'd better." said Xellos. The food was out in three minutes and she was finished in five. She gave them a generous tip and then was out of the restaurant. The workers gave a ragged cheer and hurriedly closed up before someone else decided to come in and eat.
*****
The next day...(I know... again....)
Xellos watched Merlina's going ons. She went to the park and had an ice-cream and played on the swings. She went to the library and read a mystery/romance novel. She went to the restaurant and had a huge lunch. She went to the park again to spar with him. He had, but since his mind was so preoccupied on other things, he did quite poorly. It ended with him sitting out and Merlina helping a little boy learn the proper stance to hold a staff. She even made on for him.
"Where are we going now?" asked Xellos as Merlina came back and wiped her forehead with her sleeve.
"I don't know." she said. "I visited all the areas I wanted to. How about you? Do you want to go elsewhere?" Xellos sighed. It had been like that all morning. She'd go somewhere.... and just have fun! There were no worries on her face, and she smiled the whole time. He, on the other hand... was nervous. Nervous, high strung and irritable.
"No, I've visited the whole, stupid city with you yesterday and today." he said in a grumbling fashion. Merlina looked at him.
"Are you OK?" she asked, sounding more serious than she had in the morning.
"No, I'm not." he said testily. He crossed his arms.
"How come?" she asked him. Xellos snorted.
"I'd think that was obvious." he said. Merlina's smile left her face and she turned sad. She sat beside him in silence, not knowing what to do.
"You want to talk about it?" she asked after a bit. Xellos sighed. He thought a bit. He knew he shouldn't get so mad at her. But he was. Actually, now that he thought about it....
"You really want to know?" he asked. She nodded. "OK. Does the fact that tomorrow will be the day we're kicked out of this town remind you of anything?"
"Yes." said Merlina. "It means that tomorrow is the ideal time to cast the summoning."
"Good... you remembered." said Xellos. Merlina shot him a look.
"I'm not that stupid." she grumbled. Xellos pretended to not have heard her.
"Anyway... remember we talked about you doing the summoning the day before we left? In other words.... today?"
"Yes." said Merlina.
"Then what in the world are you doing?" he asked. It took him a lot of energy to not grab her and shake the reason out of her.
"I'm enjoying myself before tonight comes." she said coolly. "Does that surprise you?"
"Frankly, yes." said Xellos. He looked at her. Her short black hair covered his view of his face, though.
"OK, here's my reason." she said. "I have my plan all set. I spent all of yesterday and this morning getting it set up." Xellos looked surprised at that. A picture of her eating an ice-cream while window shopping entered his head.
"No, really?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes, really." she said. She turned to look at him. "And you know what? I'm ready to cast the summoning tonight. All my materials are with me, ready to be used. I'm going to face my dad tonight, OK? He's not just any mazoku, you know? And you know how strong they are? No, I don't think so. They are awfully strong. The dragons we faced last time, are no match. They were underlings.... mine is not. How do I know? Mom told me. And you know something else? I don't know how he looks. I don't know how he acts. And I don't know whether he'll kill me when he sees me or not. Now, can I be happy for the few hours left to me before meeting him?" Her face had turned hard and serious by the time she had finished her speech. She stood up and grabbed her bag that rested at her feet.
"I'm going to the inn." she said. Her face had changed once more and looked happy and innocent. "After all, I need my beauty sleep. I can't face him down looking the way I do!" She turned around and walked back.
Xellos looked at the park before him. He honestly hadn't realized that Merlina had been putting her plan into action. Well,... that is what he deserved for underestimating Merlina. He imagined how it would be if he had to meet his own father. His died long time ago, when he was one or two. He'd be nervous. But Merlina had even more to worry about. For example, the fact that he was a Mazoku. The fact that he was powerful. He wondered why she wanted to meet her father anyway. Well.... that was a dumb question. He'd want to meet his dad also. At least, to see how he was. She probably was worried to death and hid it by playing around and goofing about. And now, she'd be all worried again, because he ha underestimated Merlina. He sighed. He should go and apologize to her.
He made his way back to the inn and went into their room. He looked around the room noting a few things. Basically, Merlina wasn't in. And her bag wasn't either. Her clothes were still there, though... He knocked on the bathroom door.
"Merlina, you in there?" he asked. There was no answer. Hesitantly, he twisted the door knob and peeked in. Nope, nobody was in there. Which was good. Had Merlina been in there.... he'd have had a Fireball shoved up his nose. "So, wonder where she is?" he asked himself aloud.
He spent the rest of the afternoon looking for her. She couldn't have left the town. He had their little pass and the Dragons wouldn't have let her go out. Besides, most of her belongings were still here. He had noticed that both her original staff and sword were gone. Which meant she had probably taken them with her. She had all the materials ready for her summoning since her bag was with her last time he saw her at the park. Little by little, panic began to grow in him. It was nearing dusk, and he couldn't find her. He had gone by the Dragon's Temple a few times but he wasn't allowed in. He tried the library, but she wasn't there either. After trying a few restaurants and asking a few people, he was really beginning to get worried. He never had known how unobservant some people were. Had he asked for a redhead, they probably would have been able to help him, but no one remembered seeing a girl with shoulder length black hair. The sun set and the stores began to close for the night. The minutes ticked by, and soon the only lights were those of the lamp posts. And he suddenly knew. It was time for Merlina to act.
He ran to the Dragon's Temple. The doors were still closed but there were still guards walking about. Suddenly, there was a huge explosion. He looked up in surprise just in time to see a raging fire in one of the restaurants. The Dragons looked up in surprise. A few dragons went off in that direction to figure what had happened and to help put out the fire. Just as that group went off, another bomb blew up over in the opposite direction that the first group of dragons had flown off too. Xellos hid behind a bench to watch the proceedings of the Dragons. One of the Dragons gave out sharp orders.
"Get the rest of the squad here!" he shouted. Another man nodded and ran off to call the other dragons. He then gave more orders and another group of dragons went off to see after the explosion. Xellos looked up and saw a man flying to where the group was. The man and the leader talked hurriedly and then more dragons went off to follow. But there was no respite for the leader. Another loud explosion forced him to send another group of dragons to investigate. And as group number 3 went out, a representative from group 2 came asking for more help. As more help joined him, another explosion filled the night with reds and oranges. Xellos had no doubt that all the explosions were Merlina's work. But how she managed to get so many different parts of the city to blow up like this was beyond him. Soon, all the dragons had left, leaving the leader guarding the area. But the explosions weren't over yet. Three more shook the city, and they were all in different sectors of the city. The dragon cursed and he transformed into a dragon and flew off into the night to calm the raging fires. As he left, another two exploded somewhere else. Xellos looked up around him. In this section, there were no fires or explosions, but around the block he could see a dash of orange and red. And if he flew up high enough, he would be able to see all the fires that dotted the area. Some people were awake and had run out of their homes to see what was happening. He saw a dragon coming by, trying to calm the hysterical people. He saw a group of two dragons flying east to try to control the fire that had been set in that area. He had to admit, Merlina had done a wonderful job setting in confusion and panic into the city. The dragons had to leave their posts as guards to help the city. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and turned around. He came face to face with Merlina.
"Merlina!" he cried. She shushed him. She had washed the dye out of her hair and had ditched her glasses.
"You shouldn't be here, hiding." she said with a smirk. "There's a bomb right beside you. I was about to set this one off but saw part of your cape. Good thing I did, or else you'd be toast."
"Huh? Where?" he asked. She calmly reached across him and grabbed a small rock.
"This," she said. "...is a small detonator. It explodes when I order it to." She grinned.
"You mean..." started Xellos. All of a sudden, all her walks all over town made sense to him. She had been planting bombs all over the place. Then his eyes widened. "You could have killed someone!" Merlina shrugged.
"Nope." she said. "I planted them in areas where there were no people. Now, if someone dies fighting the fire... well, that's their fault." Xellos was aghast at her cold, calculating manner. "Anyway... I'm going in. See ya around." She turned and walked towards the temple. Right before she got to the door, she turned around and tossed the rock to Xellos. "If they see you... or if you need to escape, toss the stone. Impact can trigger the spell also. Or a magic command will do. I transferred the spell so that it responds to you." Xellos nearly dropped it and Merlina laughed. She threw a Fireball at the door and went in. There was no one else there to see her entrance into the temple. Xellos watched her and then realized he forgot to apologize. He began to run after her.
*****
Once inside, Merlina let her feet take over to lead her to the door. There were no dragons inside. They were all outside fighting her magical fires and other pieces of destruction. She looked at her staff. She bit her lip in frustration as she saw a small, almost unseen swirl of red in the otherwise clear stone. She pushed that thought out of her mind. She had more important things to do. Soon, she was in front of the door. It was still barricaded. Merlina didn't mind. She paused and then closed her eyes to concentrate. She mouthed words silently, her lips moving as her hands performed their motions. She took another step back. The size of the energy was still the same size, but it began to glow even brighter than before. Little globes of orange and yellow light gathered around it, twinkling mysteriously. She looked at the solid door before her. It would take something very big to break it. A simple fireball wouldn't do.
"DRAGON SLAVE!" she shouted and unleashed the energy. Then she cast a shield on herself to stop any debris from coming her way. She smiled. She had a few minutes before the dragons were able to come and bother her. She stepped into the room and smiled.
It was a simple room. There were no ornaments or pictures on the walls. There was no rug, and no chairs or furniture. It was plain, stark and bear. The dragons wouldn't pay homage to a Mazoku anyway. She took out her flask, drew her stars and circles and began to chant softly. Her eyes closed in concentration as her hands floated before her, casting the simple parts of the otherwise complex spell.
"Light that guided my path, begone and leave." she started. A small wind began to flow about her.
Xellos ran through the passage ways trying to remember where the door had been. But once more, he was lost. Not for long though. A huge explosion racked the temple. He cast a shield on himself to protect himself. When everything had settled down, Xellos ran in the direction of the blast, his black hair flying in the wind. He put the bomb in his pocket and ran faster. She'd begin the incantation now.
"Darkness, rise and gleam. See the blood that has been spilled for thee." continued Merlina. She sprinkled the black dust around her, letting the wind carry them into a type of an inverted hurricane about her. Her short red hair whipped about in the wind and her cloak thrashed violently as if not being able to decide where it should be.
Xellos burst into the room and saw Merlina chanting. He caught his breath. He'd apologize after the incantation. That way, he wouldn't interrupt her spell.
"Bow to my command. Rip asunder the fabric of worlds and allow me my wish." She held her staff before her firmly, as if drawing strength and power from it.
"I summon thee, Merlin! The price has been paid and the blood has been spilt. Come before me, now!" The last part was shouted out. As she finished, another explosion racked the room. She opened her eyes and stared straight ahead at the place where Merlin was supposed to appear. Slowly, a black shadow formed there. It grew to amazing proportions before it shrunk down to the size of a human being. It was taller than Merlina, by about a head and a half. A pair of violent, ruby red eyes gleamed from within the shadow. It began to fill out slowly.
Xellos looked on in amazement and with fear and trepidation in his eyes. She had succeeded in summoning a Mazoku. He suddenly looked up. The roof of the room had been blown away in the explosion and allowed him a clear view of the midnight sky. He floated up and saw that the fires had been put out and that the Dragons were coming. His eyes widened and his pulse quickened drastically. He grabbed the bomb in his hand and then threw it with all his might at another area. It hit the ground and exploded. Some of the dragons veered of in that direction to fight the fire, but that was only some of them.
'Shoot.... she needs more time..." thought Xellos. The shadow was filling out, starting with its feet. Black boots appeared, shining dully in the light of the stars and moon. He had no idea what to do...
"Get... out of... here." whispered Merlina while keeping most of her concentration on the Mazoku before her.
"I can't leave you here!" he said.
"I'll be fine..." she whispered again, a bit more weakly than before.
"Merlina..." he started. The figure all of a sudden burst into black light, and when that was gone a human figure stood there. Merlina collapsed on the floor, her energy spent.
"You finally made it here..." she said softly, her breath coming to her in a ragged fashion."
"Just testing your strength." said the Mazoku. He had black hair and wore a black robe over black clothes. His black bangs covered his eyes.
"You're..." started Xellos, looking shocked, but he was interrupted by a few dragons teleporting into the room.
"Halt!" cried one of them. Another one grabbed Xellos and stopped him from casting any spells. Another one ran towards Merlina to knock her out, but a blast from the finger tip of the Mazoku finished him off. Some of the Dragons powered up and tried to attack him and Merlina, but the Mazoku grinned and snapped his fingers. An iridescent shield formed around them, protecting them from the blasts. With another blast, he killed the dragon that was holding Xellos.
"Now, if you'll be polite and let us finish." said the Mazoku with a grin. The dragons stood rooted to their places as he cast a freezing spell over them. "Yes? What do you want?"
Merlina had gotten up rather shakily. She used her staff for support.
"You're Merlin?" she asked, her red eyes gleaming.
"Yes. That's who you summoned. Now, what do you want before this gets boring?" he asked.
"Nihl...?" asked Xellos softly as he got up and walked over.
"Nihl?" asked Merlina, looking perplexed.
"Yes." said the man. He smiled and waved at Xellos. "How do you do, Xellos? You saved that girl of yours?"
"I'm... I'm Merlina Quertwen." said Merlina. "And you will answer my questions, Merlin!"
"Merlina?" asked the mazoku as he looked her over. He stepped out of the circle he had been summoned into and walked over to her. He looked into her clear red eyes. He fingered her hair. Merlina shook her head and glared at him. "It is you. It's about time." He would have said more but looked at all the dragons before him. He touched her forehead and cast a sleep spell over her. He picked her up. Xellos looked at him, amazed and surprised.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Taking her back, what else?" asked Merlin. "Thanks for all you've done."
"Hey! You can't just take her away!" cried Xellos. He ran to where Merlin was.
"Of course I can." said Merlin. "See you around, kid. And if I were you, I'd ditch this city before they wake up." And with a puff of smoke, he and Merlina were gone. Xellos stood there, surprised. Now, he definitely didn't know what to think. He looked at the faces of the Dragons and then decided that Merlin was right. He flew out, grabbed their things at the inn and then flew away. The next day, the dragons spread the word. A girl of about 18 and her twin brother had summoned up a Mazoku. Wanted, dead or alive.
End of Chapter
Here's the next chapter! Aren't you all glad!?!? Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks to all the kind and compassionate and wonderful souls who were so nice to review! What do you think of this so far? Hope you enjoyed it!
Have a happy new year! (sorry it's late...jeje)
Hotaru
written by Hotaru
Disclaimer: Not mine. Enjoy.
Chapter 9
They had finally arrived at Senarry. It was a beautiful city. It was atop a high hill so all the land around it was at a lower elevation than the actual city. It had a heavily constructed wall surrounding it on which grew tons and tons of ivy, the green leaves and vines hanging on to whatever it could. It had violet-purple flowers here and there and they were blooming. There were four entrances into the city, one at each Cardinal Point, which were North, South, East and West. There were a few Dragon guards on the walls keeping watch on the comings and goings of the humans.
"See, what did I tell you?" asked Xellos as they approached the city wall. "They have mounted surveillance already."
"Who cares." said Merlina. "I can easily deal with them. And if worse comes to worse... I have my faithful and talented friend to fend them off." Xellos looked around him with a lost expression on his face.
"Who, me?" he asked with a smile.
"Duh, who else?" she asked back. "After all, that's why I pay you."
"Actually, you don't." said Xellos with a sweatdrop.
"That's cause you never asked." said Merlina with a grin. They walked in and waited for the Dragon guard to check them in and give them a permit to be in the city. Merlina had changed her appearance, as had Xellos. If the news that a girl called Merlina had escaped from the fortress of the Dragons, leaving in its wake the death of many dragons, then any redhead would be under careful scrutiny. So she had cut her hair. Xellos personally thought it looked better long. Merlina smiled at him and gave him her hair.
"Well, then... you can hang on to it, if you wish." she had said. They dyed their hair black and in a small town they had passed a few days ago they had bought new clothes so that they looked like merchants instead of a roving wanderer and a priest.
Merlina had on a reddish brown shirt and brown pants with brown boots. She also wore a forest green cloak instead of her normal black one. Her clothes were of fine material so she looked more 'merchantly'. She carried her haversack, now filled with jewels that she had collected from her various encounters with the dark side of society. In her hand, she held a normal staff, her own being hidden somewhere on her person. But she still kept her sword buckled at her side.
Xellos wore a dark blue ensemble with black boots and black gloves and a black cloak. He held the staff that Merlina had given him in his right hand. He also had a bag that was filled with bottles of fluids and various spices, ready to be sold. The looked like siblings and decided to pass themselves off as twin brother and sister. Even Merlina's hair had been trimmed to look similar to Xellos's.
"Who goes there?" asked the guard at the gate.
"We are but humble merchants selling our wares." said Xellos as he and Merlina bowed. "She is my sister, Lina. I am called Xellos."
"How long will you be staying here?" asked the guard. His golden brown eyes stared at the two of them in a hostile manner.
"We will be staying here at the most, one week, sir." said Lina. She wore a pair of glasses with rose tinted lenses so that it looked like her eyes were red due to the coloration of the lense. Nobody paid too much attention to them since merchants always had something new and interesting, which in this case were a pair of tinted sunglasses.
"Are any of you practitioners of black magic?" asked the guard.
"My sister is incapable of casting magic, sir. I myself know white magic only. My repertoire of black spells is severely lacking." Well, it was basically true that Merlina couldn't cast magic, due to a small delicate and female problem. It would be a non-existent condition in two days, according to Merlina. Plenty of time to find a place to stay, hatch a plan and then put it in order.
The guard wrote them a permit and allowed them in. The permit allowed them to sell, buy or barter for the length of their stay, but as soon as one week was over, they were to leave the city immediately. He glanced at them once more as the siblings entered the city, their footsteps moving in sync with each other.
"Rather suspicious, they are." said Xellos.
"Understandable." said Merlina. "Considering that the actual area to cast magic is in the city itself, in the Dragon Temple. We must find a way in."
"OK." said Xellos. They fist stopped at a jewelers were they sold quite a few of Merlina's magical amulets and talismans. They pretended to have gotten them from someone else who was a renown sorcerer. That way, it looked as if they actually did some business. Besides, Merlina enjoyed having extra money floating about in case of an emergency. Then the headed over to an apothecary to sell a few of Xellos's potions and herbs. After making some money, they rented a room. As usual, it was one room with two bedrooms. It was, after all, more practical and economical. And since they were acting like family, it would be normal and not as out of place as just two friends staying together. Right? Right.
The next day, Merlina woke up feeling much better than the night before. For one....
"Fireball," she whispered softly. A small ball of incandescent fire appeared above her opened hand, floating a centimeter above her palm. She quickly extinguished it and punched the air. "Yes!" she cried.
"What? Huh?" asked Xellos as hurriedly woke up on hearing Merlina's exclamation. "What happened?" Merlina looked sheepishly at him.
"Uh... jeje...hi... morning!" she said with an innocent voice.
"Morning." said Xellos as he raised his eyebrow. "So, could you tell me what just happened?"
"Um... I was seeing if I could cast magic." said Merlina with an awkward smile.
"Oh... I see..." said Xellos. He had on a look that a parent sometimes gives a child when they catch said child recounting a fib.
"And... I was really exited when I found out I could." explained Merlina. "And, I sort of got carried away."
"OK." said Xellos. He grabbed his pillow. "Keep quiet next time." He grinned at her and then threw it at her. Merlina got hit in the face.
"Hey!" she cried. "Oh yeah? This is war!" She grabbed hers and his and threw them at him. He retaliated by throwing the pillows and then grabbed his covers and threw it on her. Their peals of laughter were uninterrupted for a few minutes until they realized how childish they were acting and tried to compose themselves.
Merlina had almost gotten there when she looked at Xellos trying to compose himself. One look at his messed up hair due to sleep, and pillows and feathers sent her laughing once more.
"What?" asked Xellos as he fingered his unruly hair.
*****
"OK," said Merlina as they had breakfast. They had organized their room and it looked nicer now. "We'll go to the temple today and figure out how to get in and how it's guarded."
"And then?" asked Xellos. It was more exact to say that Xellos had breakfast while Merlina watched. She had, after all, finished a few minutes ago.
"And then..." said Merlina. "I cast a summoning spell."
"You make it sound so much easier than it actually is, you know." said Xellos.
"Yeah." said Merlina with a grin. "That's cause I'm still trying to figure out how to distract the Dragons. Out of curiosity, how good are you at casting a shield?"
"Me?" asked Xellos.
"No, the pink bunny holding a staff, riding a frog behind you." said Merlina with a straight face.
"Well, I honestly think that he isn't too good at it." said Xellos with a face that was just as serious as Merlina's.
"Would you do better?" she asked with a smirk.
"I'd think so." said Xellos.
"For, say... five minutes?" asked Merlina.
"I might." said Xellos, seeing where this was going.
"Don't worry, though," said Merlina. "I won't have you at the temple. After all, how are you to escape when the summoning is over? Don't worry, I'll think of something." She grinned. He smiled, but not as strongly. The time was coming closer, and Xellos found himself getting more and more nervous.
*****
The next day, the two had joined a small tour through the Dragon Temple that was offered to tourists. It was a way for the city to make money, and the guides, guards, attendants and janitors were all Dragons in their human guise.
"Wow... so many dragons everywhere." said Merlina to Xellos as a guide showed them around the area.
"Yeah... " said Xellos. It would be hard to break in.
"... and this area is unfortunately cut off to visitors. So if you would follow me over here..." said the guide until Merlina interrupted.
"Excuse me... why is it cut off?" she asked as she pointed toward the dark brown door. It lead to the center of the Temple and was guarded by two men in armor. The door had many locks and a heavy horizontal beam reinforced with metal that kept the door shut.
"Inside is an area of utmost secrecy. Only the one in charge of the Dragon Temple here can enter and he can only go in for five minutes. Not even the janitors are allowed in." said the guide.
"How come?" asked Merlina with a look of utter innocence.
"It is not allowed for me to say, miss." said the guide as he lead them down another passage way.
Xellos and Merlina whispered among themselves.
"It's probably in there." she whispered, her eyes lighting up. She was so close...
"Yeah... but did you see how heavily guarded it is?" asked Xellos. "How are you planning on getting in?"
"Never fear. I'll think of something." she said with a smirk. Then she paid attention to the guide, listening and remembering everything he said and did. She remembered the directions to the door. And she remembered every little detail that would help her figure out how to get in.
*****
The tour was over and done with. Merlina and Xellos were in a small cafe and having a snack. She had a glass of juice while he had a cup of tea. It was a small outdoor cafe. The tables were arranged in a circle around a small fountain. There was lots of talking, and there was even a young man singing and playing the lute in the center. At the end of each song, the people would clap politely whether they were listening to the music or not.
"So, how are you going to figure this out?" asked Xellos. "We have five more days before we have to leave."
"The portal is weakened the most on the fifth day." said Merlina as she stirred her drink and added some sugar. "That day, the room will have even more guards. I'll do it before then."
"But..." started Xellos. "... that means that it'll be harder to perform the summoning."
"Yeah, I know." said Merlina. "But I can handle it." She smirked. "That's one of the plusses of being a half-mazoku. Performing a normal summoning in the middle of nowhere would kill me. But at a site, where the fabric of reality is weak, I can do it. It doesn't matter whether it is at the appointed day or not. Obviously, it'll be easier on the fifth day... but I'm not running the risk. I bet it'll be closed on that day and no one will be allowed in."
"So, what are you going to do?" asked Xellos. He had been wondering about that ever since they came into the city. So many guards, so much security, and a lone girl breaking in. Well, he'd be breaking in also, but Merlina had told him to stay out. Well, he would... but he would still follow her around.
"Don't worry." said Merlina. "The less you know, the more innocent you'll be." She smiled. A plan was forming in her head already.
The next day, Merlina went to explore the town. She went everywhere. She had breakfast at the inn she was staying at, Lunch at the north end, walked to the south to visit shops, had a snack at the east sided and then had dinner at the west side. Xellos traveled with her. They bought a few travel supplies. She had some dried food bought. Then she sold a few more jewels so that their bags were lighter.
"Can we go back now?" complained Xellos as he walked beside her. They had spent the whole day walking everywhere."
"Tired already?" asked Merlina with an incredulous look on her face. "But look at all the shops! And I be there's a library somewhere over there!"
"But it's ten at night already!" said Xellos. "You know... I bet it closed at 8. So can we go now? I feel like I'm going to fall asleep any minute now."
"Don't worry!" said Merlina. She pointed to a small restaurant that was still amazingly open. "I'll buy you a cup of coffee there and you won't feel like sleeping anymore!" She dragged him over.
"Lina, I don't want a cup of coffee." he said as he was lead into the restaurant. The waiters were amazed at seeing two clients enter. They held in their rude remarks and annoyance as they went to work once more. They had been about to close....
"I'll have a plate of rice, chicken and potatoes." said Merlina happily as she sat down. Xellos sat across from her. The waiter nodded and sent the message to the cook. Xellos looked at her with surprise on his tired face.
"Just that?" he asked.
"Yeah... it's just a snack." said Merlina. "Don't worry. We'll hire a carriage to take us back to the inn."
"You'd better." said Xellos. The food was out in three minutes and she was finished in five. She gave them a generous tip and then was out of the restaurant. The workers gave a ragged cheer and hurriedly closed up before someone else decided to come in and eat.
*****
The next day...(I know... again....)
Xellos watched Merlina's going ons. She went to the park and had an ice-cream and played on the swings. She went to the library and read a mystery/romance novel. She went to the restaurant and had a huge lunch. She went to the park again to spar with him. He had, but since his mind was so preoccupied on other things, he did quite poorly. It ended with him sitting out and Merlina helping a little boy learn the proper stance to hold a staff. She even made on for him.
"Where are we going now?" asked Xellos as Merlina came back and wiped her forehead with her sleeve.
"I don't know." she said. "I visited all the areas I wanted to. How about you? Do you want to go elsewhere?" Xellos sighed. It had been like that all morning. She'd go somewhere.... and just have fun! There were no worries on her face, and she smiled the whole time. He, on the other hand... was nervous. Nervous, high strung and irritable.
"No, I've visited the whole, stupid city with you yesterday and today." he said in a grumbling fashion. Merlina looked at him.
"Are you OK?" she asked, sounding more serious than she had in the morning.
"No, I'm not." he said testily. He crossed his arms.
"How come?" she asked him. Xellos snorted.
"I'd think that was obvious." he said. Merlina's smile left her face and she turned sad. She sat beside him in silence, not knowing what to do.
"You want to talk about it?" she asked after a bit. Xellos sighed. He thought a bit. He knew he shouldn't get so mad at her. But he was. Actually, now that he thought about it....
"You really want to know?" he asked. She nodded. "OK. Does the fact that tomorrow will be the day we're kicked out of this town remind you of anything?"
"Yes." said Merlina. "It means that tomorrow is the ideal time to cast the summoning."
"Good... you remembered." said Xellos. Merlina shot him a look.
"I'm not that stupid." she grumbled. Xellos pretended to not have heard her.
"Anyway... remember we talked about you doing the summoning the day before we left? In other words.... today?"
"Yes." said Merlina.
"Then what in the world are you doing?" he asked. It took him a lot of energy to not grab her and shake the reason out of her.
"I'm enjoying myself before tonight comes." she said coolly. "Does that surprise you?"
"Frankly, yes." said Xellos. He looked at her. Her short black hair covered his view of his face, though.
"OK, here's my reason." she said. "I have my plan all set. I spent all of yesterday and this morning getting it set up." Xellos looked surprised at that. A picture of her eating an ice-cream while window shopping entered his head.
"No, really?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes, really." she said. She turned to look at him. "And you know what? I'm ready to cast the summoning tonight. All my materials are with me, ready to be used. I'm going to face my dad tonight, OK? He's not just any mazoku, you know? And you know how strong they are? No, I don't think so. They are awfully strong. The dragons we faced last time, are no match. They were underlings.... mine is not. How do I know? Mom told me. And you know something else? I don't know how he looks. I don't know how he acts. And I don't know whether he'll kill me when he sees me or not. Now, can I be happy for the few hours left to me before meeting him?" Her face had turned hard and serious by the time she had finished her speech. She stood up and grabbed her bag that rested at her feet.
"I'm going to the inn." she said. Her face had changed once more and looked happy and innocent. "After all, I need my beauty sleep. I can't face him down looking the way I do!" She turned around and walked back.
Xellos looked at the park before him. He honestly hadn't realized that Merlina had been putting her plan into action. Well,... that is what he deserved for underestimating Merlina. He imagined how it would be if he had to meet his own father. His died long time ago, when he was one or two. He'd be nervous. But Merlina had even more to worry about. For example, the fact that he was a Mazoku. The fact that he was powerful. He wondered why she wanted to meet her father anyway. Well.... that was a dumb question. He'd want to meet his dad also. At least, to see how he was. She probably was worried to death and hid it by playing around and goofing about. And now, she'd be all worried again, because he ha underestimated Merlina. He sighed. He should go and apologize to her.
He made his way back to the inn and went into their room. He looked around the room noting a few things. Basically, Merlina wasn't in. And her bag wasn't either. Her clothes were still there, though... He knocked on the bathroom door.
"Merlina, you in there?" he asked. There was no answer. Hesitantly, he twisted the door knob and peeked in. Nope, nobody was in there. Which was good. Had Merlina been in there.... he'd have had a Fireball shoved up his nose. "So, wonder where she is?" he asked himself aloud.
He spent the rest of the afternoon looking for her. She couldn't have left the town. He had their little pass and the Dragons wouldn't have let her go out. Besides, most of her belongings were still here. He had noticed that both her original staff and sword were gone. Which meant she had probably taken them with her. She had all the materials ready for her summoning since her bag was with her last time he saw her at the park. Little by little, panic began to grow in him. It was nearing dusk, and he couldn't find her. He had gone by the Dragon's Temple a few times but he wasn't allowed in. He tried the library, but she wasn't there either. After trying a few restaurants and asking a few people, he was really beginning to get worried. He never had known how unobservant some people were. Had he asked for a redhead, they probably would have been able to help him, but no one remembered seeing a girl with shoulder length black hair. The sun set and the stores began to close for the night. The minutes ticked by, and soon the only lights were those of the lamp posts. And he suddenly knew. It was time for Merlina to act.
He ran to the Dragon's Temple. The doors were still closed but there were still guards walking about. Suddenly, there was a huge explosion. He looked up in surprise just in time to see a raging fire in one of the restaurants. The Dragons looked up in surprise. A few dragons went off in that direction to figure what had happened and to help put out the fire. Just as that group went off, another bomb blew up over in the opposite direction that the first group of dragons had flown off too. Xellos hid behind a bench to watch the proceedings of the Dragons. One of the Dragons gave out sharp orders.
"Get the rest of the squad here!" he shouted. Another man nodded and ran off to call the other dragons. He then gave more orders and another group of dragons went off to see after the explosion. Xellos looked up and saw a man flying to where the group was. The man and the leader talked hurriedly and then more dragons went off to follow. But there was no respite for the leader. Another loud explosion forced him to send another group of dragons to investigate. And as group number 3 went out, a representative from group 2 came asking for more help. As more help joined him, another explosion filled the night with reds and oranges. Xellos had no doubt that all the explosions were Merlina's work. But how she managed to get so many different parts of the city to blow up like this was beyond him. Soon, all the dragons had left, leaving the leader guarding the area. But the explosions weren't over yet. Three more shook the city, and they were all in different sectors of the city. The dragon cursed and he transformed into a dragon and flew off into the night to calm the raging fires. As he left, another two exploded somewhere else. Xellos looked up around him. In this section, there were no fires or explosions, but around the block he could see a dash of orange and red. And if he flew up high enough, he would be able to see all the fires that dotted the area. Some people were awake and had run out of their homes to see what was happening. He saw a dragon coming by, trying to calm the hysterical people. He saw a group of two dragons flying east to try to control the fire that had been set in that area. He had to admit, Merlina had done a wonderful job setting in confusion and panic into the city. The dragons had to leave their posts as guards to help the city. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and turned around. He came face to face with Merlina.
"Merlina!" he cried. She shushed him. She had washed the dye out of her hair and had ditched her glasses.
"You shouldn't be here, hiding." she said with a smirk. "There's a bomb right beside you. I was about to set this one off but saw part of your cape. Good thing I did, or else you'd be toast."
"Huh? Where?" he asked. She calmly reached across him and grabbed a small rock.
"This," she said. "...is a small detonator. It explodes when I order it to." She grinned.
"You mean..." started Xellos. All of a sudden, all her walks all over town made sense to him. She had been planting bombs all over the place. Then his eyes widened. "You could have killed someone!" Merlina shrugged.
"Nope." she said. "I planted them in areas where there were no people. Now, if someone dies fighting the fire... well, that's their fault." Xellos was aghast at her cold, calculating manner. "Anyway... I'm going in. See ya around." She turned and walked towards the temple. Right before she got to the door, she turned around and tossed the rock to Xellos. "If they see you... or if you need to escape, toss the stone. Impact can trigger the spell also. Or a magic command will do. I transferred the spell so that it responds to you." Xellos nearly dropped it and Merlina laughed. She threw a Fireball at the door and went in. There was no one else there to see her entrance into the temple. Xellos watched her and then realized he forgot to apologize. He began to run after her.
*****
Once inside, Merlina let her feet take over to lead her to the door. There were no dragons inside. They were all outside fighting her magical fires and other pieces of destruction. She looked at her staff. She bit her lip in frustration as she saw a small, almost unseen swirl of red in the otherwise clear stone. She pushed that thought out of her mind. She had more important things to do. Soon, she was in front of the door. It was still barricaded. Merlina didn't mind. She paused and then closed her eyes to concentrate. She mouthed words silently, her lips moving as her hands performed their motions. She took another step back. The size of the energy was still the same size, but it began to glow even brighter than before. Little globes of orange and yellow light gathered around it, twinkling mysteriously. She looked at the solid door before her. It would take something very big to break it. A simple fireball wouldn't do.
"DRAGON SLAVE!" she shouted and unleashed the energy. Then she cast a shield on herself to stop any debris from coming her way. She smiled. She had a few minutes before the dragons were able to come and bother her. She stepped into the room and smiled.
It was a simple room. There were no ornaments or pictures on the walls. There was no rug, and no chairs or furniture. It was plain, stark and bear. The dragons wouldn't pay homage to a Mazoku anyway. She took out her flask, drew her stars and circles and began to chant softly. Her eyes closed in concentration as her hands floated before her, casting the simple parts of the otherwise complex spell.
"Light that guided my path, begone and leave." she started. A small wind began to flow about her.
Xellos ran through the passage ways trying to remember where the door had been. But once more, he was lost. Not for long though. A huge explosion racked the temple. He cast a shield on himself to protect himself. When everything had settled down, Xellos ran in the direction of the blast, his black hair flying in the wind. He put the bomb in his pocket and ran faster. She'd begin the incantation now.
"Darkness, rise and gleam. See the blood that has been spilled for thee." continued Merlina. She sprinkled the black dust around her, letting the wind carry them into a type of an inverted hurricane about her. Her short red hair whipped about in the wind and her cloak thrashed violently as if not being able to decide where it should be.
Xellos burst into the room and saw Merlina chanting. He caught his breath. He'd apologize after the incantation. That way, he wouldn't interrupt her spell.
"Bow to my command. Rip asunder the fabric of worlds and allow me my wish." She held her staff before her firmly, as if drawing strength and power from it.
"I summon thee, Merlin! The price has been paid and the blood has been spilt. Come before me, now!" The last part was shouted out. As she finished, another explosion racked the room. She opened her eyes and stared straight ahead at the place where Merlin was supposed to appear. Slowly, a black shadow formed there. It grew to amazing proportions before it shrunk down to the size of a human being. It was taller than Merlina, by about a head and a half. A pair of violent, ruby red eyes gleamed from within the shadow. It began to fill out slowly.
Xellos looked on in amazement and with fear and trepidation in his eyes. She had succeeded in summoning a Mazoku. He suddenly looked up. The roof of the room had been blown away in the explosion and allowed him a clear view of the midnight sky. He floated up and saw that the fires had been put out and that the Dragons were coming. His eyes widened and his pulse quickened drastically. He grabbed the bomb in his hand and then threw it with all his might at another area. It hit the ground and exploded. Some of the dragons veered of in that direction to fight the fire, but that was only some of them.
'Shoot.... she needs more time..." thought Xellos. The shadow was filling out, starting with its feet. Black boots appeared, shining dully in the light of the stars and moon. He had no idea what to do...
"Get... out of... here." whispered Merlina while keeping most of her concentration on the Mazoku before her.
"I can't leave you here!" he said.
"I'll be fine..." she whispered again, a bit more weakly than before.
"Merlina..." he started. The figure all of a sudden burst into black light, and when that was gone a human figure stood there. Merlina collapsed on the floor, her energy spent.
"You finally made it here..." she said softly, her breath coming to her in a ragged fashion."
"Just testing your strength." said the Mazoku. He had black hair and wore a black robe over black clothes. His black bangs covered his eyes.
"You're..." started Xellos, looking shocked, but he was interrupted by a few dragons teleporting into the room.
"Halt!" cried one of them. Another one grabbed Xellos and stopped him from casting any spells. Another one ran towards Merlina to knock her out, but a blast from the finger tip of the Mazoku finished him off. Some of the Dragons powered up and tried to attack him and Merlina, but the Mazoku grinned and snapped his fingers. An iridescent shield formed around them, protecting them from the blasts. With another blast, he killed the dragon that was holding Xellos.
"Now, if you'll be polite and let us finish." said the Mazoku with a grin. The dragons stood rooted to their places as he cast a freezing spell over them. "Yes? What do you want?"
Merlina had gotten up rather shakily. She used her staff for support.
"You're Merlin?" she asked, her red eyes gleaming.
"Yes. That's who you summoned. Now, what do you want before this gets boring?" he asked.
"Nihl...?" asked Xellos softly as he got up and walked over.
"Nihl?" asked Merlina, looking perplexed.
"Yes." said the man. He smiled and waved at Xellos. "How do you do, Xellos? You saved that girl of yours?"
"I'm... I'm Merlina Quertwen." said Merlina. "And you will answer my questions, Merlin!"
"Merlina?" asked the mazoku as he looked her over. He stepped out of the circle he had been summoned into and walked over to her. He looked into her clear red eyes. He fingered her hair. Merlina shook her head and glared at him. "It is you. It's about time." He would have said more but looked at all the dragons before him. He touched her forehead and cast a sleep spell over her. He picked her up. Xellos looked at him, amazed and surprised.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Taking her back, what else?" asked Merlin. "Thanks for all you've done."
"Hey! You can't just take her away!" cried Xellos. He ran to where Merlin was.
"Of course I can." said Merlin. "See you around, kid. And if I were you, I'd ditch this city before they wake up." And with a puff of smoke, he and Merlina were gone. Xellos stood there, surprised. Now, he definitely didn't know what to think. He looked at the faces of the Dragons and then decided that Merlin was right. He flew out, grabbed their things at the inn and then flew away. The next day, the dragons spread the word. A girl of about 18 and her twin brother had summoned up a Mazoku. Wanted, dead or alive.
End of Chapter
Here's the next chapter! Aren't you all glad!?!? Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks to all the kind and compassionate and wonderful souls who were so nice to review! What do you think of this so far? Hope you enjoyed it!
Have a happy new year! (sorry it's late...jeje)
Hotaru
