Mirror, rorriM
Chapter 7
The silence that followed the demand was stifling. The man holding the sorceress looked to his companion and raised an eyebrow. A moment passed, and Zelgadis shifted his weight, revealing his sword-hilt.
"We can't just let her go. You came up the road? Surely you saw the remains of the city that she destroyed," the man holding Lina replied.
"She killed my daughter and everyone else in the Palace. Even the young Lord was caught in the blast of her spell."
Zelgadis folded his arms. Certainly, the sorceress was known for destruction, but he knew that she'd never knowingly take a life. Yes, she was of Nightmare magics, yet he couldn't place a time when she'd actually killed someone.
"You intend to take her, then?" Zelgadis replied. It wasn't truly a question, more a matter of fact statement phrased with a question at the end.
"She will stand trial for what she has done. Until that time, she will be safe."
Zelgadis knew that he stood at yet another cross-point in his life. Turn around and walk away, and while Lina might not know he had been there, he'd know. What if they kept her drugged and gave her the trial without her even being aware of what was happening?
And how in the name of the Dark Lord had they drugged her? That wasn't a question that was asked lightly, and he could only surmise that her ankle had something to do with her inability to defend herself. Unless she wasn't even trying… Now he had a puzzle to solve.
"Then you will have no objections to my presence. She is likely to be highly irrational when she wakes, and if you wish to have any hope of living through her anger, I'd best be there."
The guilty looks that flashed between the men gave foundation to his suspicions. Remaining fully cloaked, he moved forward and looked the dark-haired man in the eyes. "My name is Zelgadis. I will carry her as I am somewhat used to her weight. You have my word as a shaman that I will not run off with her."
A light turned on in the dark eyes. "A shaman? You are a healer as well?" He offered the unconscious sorceress. "We have wounded… would you possibly…?"
The chimera took the limp woman and nodded. "I will do what I can. Lina also has some skill with the restorative magics. When she wakes, I will ask her to assist."
The blonde turned to stalk off. "I don't trust that witch."
Chimera and human watched him depart. A moment of awkward silence fell, and then the dark-haired man turned to Zelgadis. "I am Brynn, once the lead sorcerer for our late Lord. My vociferous companion is Davin, formerly the head of the infantry. Come, this way."
As they walked through the forest, Brynn explained what had happened. He claimed that Lina had come and demanded some sort of magical item that was rumored to be in a temple in the city. When they tried to explain that the item didn't exist, she had become irate and threatened to destroy the city if they didn't present her with the object.
The rest was fairly predictable, Zelgadis thought; with the exception of the fact that the only spell that Lina supposedly used was a Fireball. Having lived through some of her worst fireballs, he knew that they could not have done the type of damage he had seen at the ruins. Something or someone else was at fault for that. He looked to Lina for a moment, hoping that she was near wakefulness, but she was still and unresponsive.
They approached the makeshift camp, and a hush fell as eyes traveled over his cloaked figure, hostility chilling the air as they saw Lina limp in his arms.
He really wished she were awake.
Brynn led them towards a poorly made tent, but Zelgadis shook his head. "I will not deprive you of your shelter. Both Lina and I are well accustomed to sleeping on the road. We will be fine nearby. If someone will watch her until it seems that she will wake, I will tend to the injured."
"I will watch her," Brynn said. He took the still-limp sorceress from the chimera and looked across to a woman near a campfire. "Saki, please take Zelgadis to see the injured. He is a shaman, and can help."
The woman nodded and bundled up her hair as she bustled over to lead Zelgadis off. Before the chimera stepped away, however, he fixed Brynn with a look. "Send for me before she is awake."
"No harm will come to her while she is in my care, Zelgadis. You have my word. Please, help the injured as best you can." Brynn replied, aware of the silent warning given by the strangely cloaked shaman.
Zelgadis nodded once, and turned to follow the woman named Saki, all the while wondering if this was such a good idea after all.