####################################
THE SLAVERS
Chapter Five -
It is better to have loved and lost,
Than never to have loved at all…
####################################
"Good idea!" Xelloss said happily. "And I claim that tent over there." He offered Holly a hand up and the attractive couple slowly walked arm in arm to the furthermost tent.
"I'll take the first watch," Zel offered.
"Me next," Val grunted.
"I'll cover the rest of the night," Gourry said in a low voice. "Let the ladies sleep, if they can."
Zelgadiss tossed and turned, unable to sleep when at last Val relieved him. He liked being human again. This was as close to achieving his goal as he might ever get! Who could be certain, who could really trust that the magical vial that Xelloss had given him would actually provide the cure promised? If Holly left their world, then he would be once again be transmuted into the chimera monster. Again! How could he take that again?! No. She must not leave. Look at Xelloss! He was a new man. Vulnerable and transformed, partially against his will, but he certainly wasn't suffering over his Mazouku losses. If he ordered her to remain, as he would a slave…she would have to, right?
Even Zelgadiss shook his head at his own suggestions. Could he be so selfish as to dismiss the young woman's freedom over his own? Trade her future hopes and dreams to return to her family and world for his own self-indulgent needs? Well, yes, he decided. He could. What did he know of her life before arriving here? Perhaps as Xelloss' mate, she would be just as happy and fulfilled. Yes. That would work out well for everyone.
Satisfied with his logical conclusion, Zelgadiss drifted off to sleep, a sleep marred by guilt-infested dreams.
"Stay with me," Xelloss said, hardly able to keep the sound of anxiousness from his supplication.
"Is that an order?" Holly returned breathlessly.
Xelloss set back on his heels, leaving her lying on her back staring at him. Waiting. He mulled over the words. He recalled his drive to follow orders resolutely but blindly without question. He had had no will of his own, when it came to orders from a higher level Mazouku. Even as a Mazouku lord, he owed fealty to the other lords and to Shabrinigdo. He was bound to a higher goal of furthering his race's cause and that had to be first and foremost in his mind at all times. But that was all changed now that he was out of communication…out of touch with that realm. How did he feel now? How did freedom feel? He chose to bed this girl—his own free will. That felt good! He certainly was entertaining the hopes of doing so many more times as well. So…he couldn't just let her leave him, could he? He could order her as a master would a slave, but they were past that. He wanted more than a lover or a slave. He wanted a life companion…and a lover. Yes. That was it.
"Would you marry me?" he asked suddenly.
"Mr. Xelloss?!" she gasped as she sat up. Resting back on her elbows her eyes met his and stared into them for a long time.
He rocked forward and down, brushing her lips with his own briefly before settling in for a gentle kiss. Her soft moan stirred him to deepen it more. There they remained for several minutes. Enjoying the feeling of their mutual affection, they continued to blissfully block out any reminders that they weren't the only people in the entire universe—at least for a little while longer.
~*~
Lina couldn't wait any longer. Giving Val and Amelia strict instructions to remain in camp and then join them immediately when Holly was ready to go. Filia closed her eyes and opened her arms. After a moment or two she transformed into her dragon form and darted up into the air. Lina and Zelgadiss air-lifted Gourry while leading Filia roughly to the region where the dimensional rift occurred. It was still there. A great pulsating tear in the sky, within which swirled a smoky void.
Filia rose higher and moved closer to inspect the rift. Lina left her to her own study, while she paced impatiently on the dry, dusty path below.
When at last Filia came to rest near the trio, Lina charged up impatiently and asked, "Well? You recognize the handiwork as some dragon spell or not?"
Filia shook her head, then nodded. "It must have been the work of the Black Dragons, because…it wasn't one of my people's spells that had gone wrong. I must assume that it was an intentional act, but the 'why' of it…I don't understand."
"I do!" Lina retorted. "Just look at what's happened to Xelloss! What if more of those fairy-people come and inhabit our lands? What will that do to the Mazouku over time? Wipe them out! Well, not kill them probably, but screw up their powers and definitely disable their communication and healing processes. And since it doesn't seem to have any affect over your folk or most humans, who's to stop them?"
"Not me," Zelgadiss muttered mostly to himself. "I can't think that our world wouldn't be improved by the decimation of the entire demon population."
Ignoring him, Lina continued, "So anyway, can you send her back and close it up?"
But Gourry had listened to what Zelgadiss had said and was mulling it over until…"Um…" Gourry looked over at Lina and Zel wondering why they hadn't mentioned the obvious. Oh, well, he might as well… "Just for the record, ah…Lina. What happens to all their astral stuff left behind on that plane thingy?"
Zelgadiss dropped the sword he had drawn as a precaution earlier while waiting for Filia to complete her analysis. Lina's mouth opened and closed soundlessly.
"OH…" was all Filia could manage to say. She blanched pale and her mouth closed to form a thin colorless line.
Gourry shaded his eyes with a hand as he scanned the sky above. "Val's carrying the others ta join us."
"'Bout time!" Lina snapped.
In an aside to Gourry she said, "Good point there…"
When the group joined them, Lina repeated what Gourry had pointed out and continued in a lowered voice as if she was afraid someone might overhear her speculations. "Ya know, that's a hell of a lotta powerful astral matter left out there-- what with no ties back to the solid forms here." Lina became thoughtful a moment. She turned to Filia, and hastened forward in her thinking, "What kind of spells can dragons use that control astral material?"
Zelgadiss retrieved his sword and looked over at Filia, awaiting her answer.
"Well?" Lina asked again. "I mean besides that dragon's breath thing that kinda does."
"I…uh…" Filia gathered herself up and started again. "It would require a working knowledge of the spiritual magic of the Mazouku…" She watched as Xelloss and Holly walked over, hand in hand and smiling. Looking up to meet Xelloss' purple gaze a moment, Filia's voice caught in her throat.
"Uh, huh. AND?" Lina prompted.
"It's said that the Black Dragons have been known to deal in the slave market…with the Mazouku." Xelloss said, revealing a secret for a change.
Filia murmured "yes" softly, wishing it wasn't true.
"Great. Just great!" Lina flung up her hands. "Just when ya think the bastards can be disposed of so easily…Presto! In come another set of bastards to take their place!"
"You don't think that the black dragons have learned spiritual magic from the Mazouku, do you?!" Zel exclaimed. "Attacks against us from the astral side…makes them an even more deadly threat."
"That's just what I think, buster! That and I think Filia's on track here. I think they're using forbidden dragon-spells intentionally as well. Like right here, where they tested a spell which resulted in this rift…" Lina replied. "I was right before. The Black Dragons are testing their skills, planning an attack. Then when they are ready, they'll open a bunch of these rifts, suck up hordes of Holly's people and drain the Mazouku of their astral wiring. Then, using their acquired knowledge of their magic, they can wield all the power of the forfeited astral forms… Maybe even reform them into new dark lords, only these will kow-tow to their new Back Dragon masters!"
"Talk about rising to the top of the Dragon pool," Xelloss quipped as he let out a low whistle.
"So… now its about more than just closing the portal," Zel concluded. "It's about stopping the Black Dragons from taking over the world? Oh, sorry, two worlds?" He shook his head. "Great…just…great."
"Maybe it was just that bunch of them, the slave traders?" Amelia offered hopefully. She sighed and hung her head, "Yeah, pretty lame, huh?"
"I was thinking along the same lines, actually," Filia said. "Dragons tend to live in tight-knit, self-governing colonies. Milgasia's people and mine never crossed paths, for instance. It's possible that this is only one small group of them."
"An isolated case maybe? Yeah…it's the only tear in the fabric of the dimension I know of. Which means," Lina brightened. "That if we can trace that slaver caravan back to its home colony we may be able to stop the spread of the Black Dragons who use spiritual magic! All right! Xelloss where do you think the caravan was heading to or coming from, either would do for a start."
Xelloss titled his head to the side and asked, "And, should we discover the dragon slaver origins, Miss Lina, what do you suggest we do?"
"Me? Blast them off the face of this dimension, of course!" Lina said with a carefree wave of her hand.
Xelloss' eyes widened. "And you, Miss Filia? You'll be all right with that plan of action?"
Filia looked down at her hands, then nodded. "What they are doing is beyond any evil I can imagine. They must be stopped."
"I always said Golden's suffer from an extreme lack of imagination," Xelloss whispered to Zelgadiss, standing at his side currently. "What we could use is a little infusion of creativity."
"IF it's true!" Amelia cried out.
Zelgadiss agreed, "We must first be sure of our facts before we wipe out an entire colony of life-forms! This has all been conjecture on our parts up to this point."
Pleased to have Zelgadiss defend her, she began to deliver a speech. "Yes! It would be so unjust and deadly wrong to not be absolutely certain first!"
Xelloss sighed. Zelgadiss was becoming a disappointment to him and the little princess was absolutely no fun either.
"She does have a point," Lina admitted. "When we close in, we'll send out spies and make sure of our assumptions first, 'kay?"
Xelloss sighed, "Et tu, Miss Lina?" To which he received a kick in the shins.
"Aah, so, are we gonna close that thing, or what?" Val asked. He'd been snickering at Xelloss' comments and watching the mesmerizing churning motions in the turbulent rift.
"I imagine I could try," Filia said weakly, pointing upwards at the dimensional rip.
"So, Holly, it's up to you," Lina turned to her and smiled. "I don't know what to tell ya. Filia might have a spell to close it up and send you back. You okay with that?"
Amelia looked from Zelgadiss, newly returned to his 'normal' human state, to the heart-crushing loving looks being exchanged between Holly and Xelloss. "Miss Lina, I think that there's a problem with that. I don't think that there's any going back for Holly now that she and Mr. Xelloss have found TRUE LOVE!"
Lina winced, and then shrugged her shoulders, "Leave that for cleanup later, then. Lets get a move on and settle the big mess first."
That was a relief. Put off that decision for another time.
Actually, they had a turn of luck in the first town they entered. Several of the freed slaves recognized them, excepting Val and Filia, and were more than happy to share everything they knew. Each person had been taken from a different town, a few of which had already moved on in search of theirs. With a map and a few beers, a trail was charted from one town to the next, leading to a road which ran up a cleft in the mountains. That pass had been closed for years. No one had crossed the mountains that way for fear of the rock falls, and other treacherous traps that had befallen other travelers.
"I bet that Black Dragon colony is at the bottom of that problem too," Lina murmured.
"Or the top, from a mountain perspective," Xelloss jested.
They spent the next day purchasing (or wrangling for, in Lina's case) and packing up food and warm clothing for the trip or adventure. She insisted that they pack lightly to travel fast, but it was so hard not to add just one more hunk of cheese or loaf of bread. Even Zelgadiss and Xelloss had to consume food in large quantities to replace the missing nutrition that had once come from their demonic pain-and-distress-absorption ability.
"I'm goin' up for some reconnaissance," Lina announced.
"I'll cover your back," Zel added.
"Me too!" Amelia cried out.
"Yeah, well…the rest of you stick to the trail. If we all amass we'll call unwanted attention to ourselves, especially with two of their own race whom they might consider the enemy." Lina chanted briefly, the rose above the tree tops and floated off, Zelgadiss and Amelia at her tail.
What they discovered was disturbing. Several hundred 'men' were encamped above the tree line, filling the caves with their stores of food and munitions. There would be no way for Lina and friends to sneak up on them or assail them from above unseen.
"We'd better make certain these are the right guys doing the wrong thing," Zel muttered from his hiding spot behind a rock fall. "Too bad I don't have that demon hearing any more," he grumbled to himself.
"No matter," Lina hissed pointing out a group of men huddling together. "They'll do something sooner or later. They look suspicious to me."
Lina was right on the money. One of the 'men' was surely a high priest with magical training. His mouth was working and his arms gesturing wildly, when he twisted and spun around, transforming into a large, bronzed dragon. A fiery blast from his fanged jaws sent magically waves of power-driven flames leaping high into the sky. Lucky for Lina and crew, the spell was launched in the opposite direction from where they were hiding or they might have been scorched. As the flames dissipated into smoke, a void gaped open in the atmosphere. The spot wavered for minutes on end, making Amelia feel nauseous, then with a gut-wrenching screech, the cavity in the sky ripped open further and appeared to be filled with molten metal. A dimensional rift.
It didn't last. Moments later it snapped shut with a thunderous roar. This time the spell had not held, perhaps it had been a training session, or for demonstration purposes only. No matter. Lina had seen enough. She didn't care why they were doing it, she knew that they must never succeed in creating more rifts now or in the future. With a nod to her friends, she crawled away out of sight of the camp, then took to the air to gather her own forces. The time for action had come.
In the meantime, Gourry and Filia were addressing another problem, that of Xelloss.
"I'm surprised at how well you're taking all this," Filia said, looking askance at Xelloss. He was sitting with an arm draped over Holly's shoulder as if they'd been lovers for months and both a part of the human race.
"Oh? How should I be reacting?" he smiled.
"I don't know, but… reeling in pain or tortured to distraction because you miss your astral body I think would be more appropriate," Filia sniffed.
"More appropriate than what?" he smiled, an impish grin spreading across his face. "More appropriate than…let's see…making love to a beautiful woman? Something like that? Do I note a hint of envy coming from you?"
"What?!" Filia shouted. "You think I envy…Holly? I wouldn't wish for your attentions in a thousand ages."
"Oh no…" Xelloss' eyes opened a slit and glittered. "I didn't mean to infer anything of the sort-- with me, that is…" ("Sure you didn't…" thought Val.) "Just in general… How long has it been since you've had a male suitor, Miss Filia?"
Val popped out with, "Mom doesn't fool around!!!"
Filia blushing with shame simply opened her mouth a few times, then closed it without uttering a word.
Xelloss laughed gleefully, "I didn't think so! They say once you put that virginity into a priestess, you can never really get it…"
His further astute comments were cut off by the sudden appearance of her giant mace, hidden somehow beneath her skirts.
"Argh!" she growled and took off after him.
Xelloss had to run for his life as he remembered that her could actually hurt him with that thing, if he wasn't careful. He was still a strong magician, but he couldn't teleport. They soon tired of their game, however, and returned to camp sitting much as they had before.
"So ya don't feel any different?" Gourry asked Xelloss.
"Oh, indeed I do! I'm on the edge of a rising hysteria with every passing moment, but…" Xelloss waggled his index finger and smiled. "I can detect the tiniest, merest particle of my astral form out there," he waved his arm about, "…and that gives me something to contemplate. Very relaxing knowing that a part of the real me still exists. You see, we Mazouku are spiritual creations and inhabiting this corporeal form is fun, but unnatural. If that tiny spark of me were to completely disappear, there would be no more Xelloss."
"Wouldn't that be rough…" Filia muttered.
Xelloss gave her a dark look, "For me, yes. Zelgadiss too, I believe. He is only one third human and without a proper undo spell, removing two thirds of his life-form totally would most certainly kill him."
"So, if we don't stop those guys from makin' more holes and changing you with Holly's people, all you demon guys will just vanish?" Gourry asked, finally 'getting it'.
Xelloss nodded, "So it seems." He smiled over at the silent girl in his arms and said, "You are both the life and the death of me, my dear."
Holly's eyes filled with tears. She knew then what she would have to do soon. She just hoped that she had the strength to leave him, when the time came. "I'm sorry…"
Filia's throat tightened as a look of profound misery flit across the ex-demon's face.
"Don't be, my dear," he said huskily. "You have given me a priceless gift. Without you, I never would have felt…well…this absolutely wonderful feeling welling up inside of me when I look into your eyes. I am the only one of my kind to learn what it is that drives human men to do some of the most courageous and stupid things they do, and some of the best and most noble acts as well. To love, and to be loved, deeply and completely has to be the most meaningful part of man's existence. Mine, my life as a Mazouku, pales in comparison. It is as if I came into being as a living breathing creature only days ago. The previous thousand years forgotten."
Filia's eyes filled with tears. His words so honest and straight from his heart, moved her deeply. As vexatious and dangerous as he still was, his raw emotions revealed openly to his lover made her heart ache in response. Holly would have to leave him. Surely he knew that!
He kissed Holly tenderly, then drew back with a smile. "Dearest Holly, I love you utterly and unconditionally with all my being. I promise to provide and protect you, to be the best husband that I can be for all of the time which we have together on this planet."
The lovely girl smiled radiantly and kissed the gloved hand of his which she had been gripping fiercely. "And I take you as my husband. To love and honor from this day forward into a future unknown."
Xelloss beamed. Filia thought his face might split in two and smiled as well. She was touched by the tiny ceremony she had just witnessed.
Val snorted in the background, "They married now? Mush…too much mush…"
"Good enough for me!" Xelloss chortled, then added for Val's benefit, "Just wait a couple more years, dragon-boy…" Xelloss turned his full attention back to the girl in his arms, his wife now and fell into a passionate kiss.
Gourry cleared his throat, "Ah…congratulations guys…" and then moved a short distance away. "Um…Val…why doncha show me some of those attack moves Zel was teachin' ya?"
"Ah…yes…congratulations…" Filia said in a voice a couple octaves higher than usual. "Wait up, Gourry! I'd like to come along too!" She walked briskly after her son and Gourry, blushing with embarrassment. She had never considered the Mazouku to have any sexual expertise, but Xelloss was evidently a seasoned veteran.
"Just a minute," Gourry shouted. He shielded his eyes from the sun and stared up into the sky. "Yep, Lina's comin' back…Zel and Amelia are with her."
The trio swiftly grew from distant specks to recognizable people, then landed near where Gourry was standing.
"Hey Zel!" the teenager shouted excitedly in spite of his earlier pretense of disinterest. "Ya just missed it! Xelloss married Holly!"
"Oh how wonderful, Holly!" Amelia cried out. She ran up to the newlyweds and gave them each a big hug.
"Oh yeah?" Lina asked. She skimmed Xelloss' face, then Holly's for any indication that it could be true.
"Yes, Miss Lina," Holly answered. "Although it was not the kind of ceremony my people conduct, the meaning was just as true."
"More so," Filia interjected. "Without all the ponderous and traditional steps to drag it down. It was surprisingly refreshing, though probably completely unholy…"
"I'm just so sorry I missed it!" Amelia said with another quick hug.
Zelgadiss stood silent, arms folded over his chest.
"Well," Lina said dismissively, "Sorry to cut short the honeymoon part, but…"
"Ah…gee…" Xelloss moaned dramatically.
"But…" she repeated louder this time. "We have a situation…"
Speaking for the first time, Zelgadiss muttered, "We observed them in action. At least a couple hundred dragons, black ones I suppose. I'm no expert. One of them executed a spell which created a momentary rift, then collapsed."
"Well, if I can't satisfy my carnal cravings," Xelloss said with a smile, "then killing dragons will just have to do."
"Here's my plan then," Lina carried on, ignoring the deadly glares being passed back and forth from Filia to Xelloss.
THE SLAVERS -- end chapter 5.