Mirror, rirroM
Chapter 5
Kai had Zelgadis bring Lina into a small room and rest her on a set of cushions on the floor. Once he'd done that, she'd immediately shooed him out of the room and closed the door in his surprised and confused face.
For the next hour, he paced in the hallway outside. Cleric after Cleric attempted to get him to rest, or offered him food. Each was refused quietly and intensely. The more offers that he had to turn away, the more intense he became, until all of the Clerics at hand were too unnerved by his presence and Kearne was eventually brought back into the matter.
"Here now, what's all the fuss? You're scaring everyone!" The wizened old man shuffled into the hallway, and stopped to look at Zelgadis with eyes concealed under heavy white eyebrows.
The youth turned to see the old man and scowled. "Lina has been in there for an hour, and I don't know if she is well!"
Kearne nodded in the fashion that old people tend to when they Know Something. "You care for the girl, then?"
Cheeks flamed scarlet, and blue eyes narrowed. "That's not important! The only thing that's important right now is making sure that Lina is okay."
Shimmering green eyes opened from under heavily lashed eyelids, and Kearne looked at Zelgadis calmly. "Young man, if you fall over from exhaustion, who will be there when the sorceress wakes? Do not jeopardize yourself when there is nothing that you can do. Rest now, and you will be there when she needs you."
Zelgadis couldn't argue with the man, even though he didn't like it. The logic was cold, clear… and well, now that he noticed, he was rather tired. Carrying Lina through the night had been tiring…
Kearne nodded to the Cleric who stood just outside of Zelgadis' line of sight, and watched her approach the youth and lead him to a room where he could rest.
Children rarely listened to their elders.
Hours passed, and Zelgadis was sleeping when Kai opened the door to the room where he was resting and whispered softly. "She will wake soon, Zelgadis." She knew that the whisper was all that was needed, and watched the young man rise and look over to her with unspoken questions in his eyes.
She offered no answers, simply turning and stepping out of the room to allow him to follow her to the room where Lina rested within. She opened the door, and waited for Zelgadis to step inside before closing it behind him.
The room was quiet, and there was a sense of stillness in the air as Zelgadis looked down at the sleeping form of Lina. She looked so small lying there on the cushions on the floor, and a moment of fierce protectiveness rose within him. But, no. That wasn't his duty. Forcibly, he put the emotion away, reminding himself that he had no formal ties to her.
Her eyes flickered, and he kneeled at her side as she awoke. As he watched her eyes open, he saw the sudden alarm flash within the crimson depths, and put his hand lightly on her shoulder to stay any action she might take. "Easy, Lina. We're in a Cleric guild."
The alarm faded, and she turned her head to look at him. Her eyes were unreadable as she looked at him. "Why did you bring me here? I thought you wanted nothing to do with me."
The words stung, but he knew that he'd deserved it. He'd said it to her himself. It was how it should be. Would be. He stood, pulling his hand away from her, and nodded. "You seem fine now. In that case, I will take my leave." The coldness crept back into his heart, and he knew that his eyes reflected such.
Anger flashed through her own eyes, followed by something he didn't care to identify at the moment, and he turned away, opening the door to exit the room and close the door behind him, leaving her alone.
Kearne saw Zelgadis step out of the room and looked to the youth. "Trouble looms on the horizon, young man. Take care that it does not find you unprepared."
Irritation flickered across the cerulean eyes. "What?" Zelgadis snapped as he paused to look at the old man.
"That which you see is not always the truth. Remember that, Zelgadis Greywords," Kearne replied cryptically before departing the room, leaving the youth standing before the doorway.
Lina sat in the room, looking at the door that Zelgadis had closed behind him. What a jerk. If he's going to be that way, I certainly don't need him around! A thought crossed her mind, and she leapt off of the cushions. Oh no! He's going to leave me here and I'll have to pay the Clerics! He's not going to get away with that!
She crossed the room and yanked open the door, running face-first into Zelgadis and falling backwards into the room with a startled squeak.