A/N: Sorry for the wait. I've been busy. I also only have two more "chapters" written after this one, and I don't know when I'll have time to write some more. I'm going to have company for over a month, so I won't really have time to write until mid-summer. So, I apologize in advance. Also, I know some of you have been waiting for this chapter, expecting it to be a big climax. Well, it's actually rather anti-climactic, but don't worry, I did that on purpose. Thanks for reading, and of course reviewing is welcome.
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It took Lecia only a second to realize that the blackness was actually smoke. She hadn't fainted at all, but she couldn't see anything, either. Quickly casting a wind spell, the smoke billowed out into the hallway and felt her heart freeze as the air cleared. Standing directly in front of her, fiery hair whipping around her like a banner, was her mother. Amethyst eyes met ruby and Lina's fine eyebrows plunged violently, glaring at her daugher. Lecia swallowed hard and clenched her fists to keep her hands from shaking.
"What in the HELL do you think you're DOING?" Lina screamed. "Did you even THINK before you flew off with Val? Do you UNDERSTAND what kind of DANGER you put both of you in? I'd expect you to be rash with yourself, but what would you do if he got hurt? You MORON!"
"Mom, I'm sorry," she began, and realized that she was the only one left standing. "Gorran!" she cried, and dropped to her knees, throwing rubble this way and that.
"You brought your BROTHER?" Lina gasped, then fell to her knees as well. "If we live, I'm just going to kill you again, Lecia."
"I don't know what happened!" Lecia choked, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She couldn't fathom life without her little brother. What if she never saw his sweet smile again, or his little round cheeks ruddy from activity? "He just traced some symbols and the door exploded!"
"What's going on?" Lina demanded, sweeping aside a pile of pulverized rocks. A dusty hand stuck up from the debris, fingers twitching. Lina stood and pulled on the hand, Alfred's still form slid out of the rocks. "Alfred?" Lina exclaimed, then narrowed her eyes at Lecia. "Explain. Now."
Tears rolled down Lecia's face, making trails in the soot and dust. "I asked Freddy to cast a scrying spell. He found you, and then we found Daddy, and then we saw a huge yellow eye and everything went to black. A Monster jumped out of the vision and attacked us, but I killed it. I thought the eye might belong to Grandma, and it made sense for Daddy to be here, so I wrote Val. Gorran and Kerra wanted to come, too, and Alfred insisted upon it, so we came here."
"Recovery," Lina intoned, and soon Alfred began to cough, rubbing a bloody spot on his head. "How are you, Alfred?"
The boy blinked up at Lina, gaze blank. "Miss Lina?" he murmured, rubbing his eyes. "What the..." His head whipped around, his hair matted with dust. "Lecia?" he cried.
"I'm fine," she replied. "We can't find the other three."
"We're fine," a voice said, and Lecia turned to see Val standing up from the ruined stone, the pieces of door and ceiling rolling off of the huge black wings extending from his back. In his arms he held Kerra, who was alert but obivously shaken, and an unconscious Gorran.
"Oh, Val!" Lecia gasped, throwing herself at him and snatching her brother away. "Thank you so much!" She immediately knelt and cleared the short curls out of her brother's eyes, smoothing a hand across his cheek to wipe away some of the dirt.
"Let me see him," Lina commanded, suddenly next to her daugher, and Lecia broke out into sobs as she handed over her brother. Val shot her a pained look before he handed over Kerra to Alfred, who thanked Val heartily for saving his sister. Val smiled at the other boy, then was at Lecia's side. He put a large, thin hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
"It'll be okay," he whispered, golden eyes tender. "I don't think he was injured in the blast."
"I'm not worried about the outside," Lina grumbled, running her hands over each of her son's limbs. "Dammit, this is the first time I get to see you guys, and you're all nearly half dead."
Lecia was crying in earnest. "I missed you so much, " she sobbed. "I just wanted us to be a family again. I didn't want anyone to get hurt."
Lina's face softened a bit. "I know, sweetie," she murmured, a soft glow beneath her hands. After a few moments she sighed. "He seems fine. I think he's just unconscious. Val, take him outside and wait for your mom."
Val stood and took Gorran, his face pale. "My mom's here?" he whispered.
"Yup, and she's pissed," Lina replied, standing and brushing herself off. "Let's finish this, shall we?"
"You're going to let me come with you?" Lecia breathed, wiping at her tears.
Lina sighed, dropping her chin towards her chest and putting her hands on her hips. "I never wanted you to come here, Lecia," she said, voice low. "This place is especially dangerous for you. Even though Xellas is technically related to you, she's not family. She's a Monster Lord. I'm surprised you're not dead or worse."
"She only put us in Mister Xellos' old room," Alfred interjected.
Lina scowled at that. "Well, she's got all of us now. Let's see if we can get your dad out of here without getting killed, okay?"
"Yes!" Lecia and Alfred replied, and took off after her down the hallway.
Lina clenched her jaw against the anger and fear she felt building in her chest as she led the teenagers in a mad sprint down the mountain's passages. She hated it that they were here; she hated to think of her precious children in danger. Damn everything! It wasn't supposed to be like this. Glancing back, she saw Lecia behind her, running with a determined expression plastered across her pale face. Her children had grown since she had seen them last. The realization of that fact hurt her heart.It was even worse that she had to bring her daughter with her to face Xellas, especially when she had a pact, after a fashion, with the demon. Lina suspected that she knew what the Greater Beast wanted, and the though of it made her sick. Still, Lecia wouldn't have behaved with Filia. She would have probably come barging right in during the middle of the fight and gotten herself hurt. This way at least Lina would have a chance to fight without surprises and protect Lecia if need be. She felt bad about it, but she wasn't too upset to involve Alfred in their fight. He was most likely a skilled healer and could take care of Lecia. Maybe things wouldn't turn out so badly, after all.
She turned a corner and barreled into a room, scowling as she saw the room's decor. Chains were suspended from the slick, black rock of the walls, and racks of various torture implements were scattered about the room. A stone slab was set at hip-level in the center of the room, stained with some dark substance. Seated on the slab, legs crossed at the ankle, was the Greater Beast.
Xellas took another drag of her cigarette and fixed her cold, golden gaze on Lina, who stopped in her tracks. The children piled up behind her, nearly knocking her over. Xellas sighed and mashed the cigarette against the slab, tossing the slender holder aside. "I should have known it was you, making such a ruckus in my house," she said softly, sliding off the slab.
"I would have shown up sooner, but I thought I'd give you time to prepare," Lina snarled, flexing her fingers.
Xellas shook her head, her silvery-gold hair rioting about her tanned shoulders. "Is that why you sent your pups here ahead of you?" she asked, fingering a rusty length of chain.
"That was an unfortunate accident," Lina growled.
"I was wondering if you were ever going to show up."
"I was hoping he'd have better sense than to get caught by you again."
Xellas laughed, the sound rich and throaty. When she looked at Lina again her face was streched in a smile, revealing unnaturally sharp canines. "Oh, I didn't catch him. I'm just keeping him."
"Where?" Lecia shouted from behind Lina.
"Shut up," she hissed at her daugher, wishing Lecia hadn't been standing quite so close when she raised her voice. Lina's ears were ringing.
"Oh, you actually managed to get out," Xellas commented, face expressionless as she studied the group. "And now you're all here."
"All?" Lina muttered, and turned to see Val standing in the doorway, still holding Gorran with Kerra in tow. "Dammit, I told you to go outside to Filia!"
Xellas snorted. "Is that the name of the dragon that keep destroying my underlings?" she asked, then waved her hands. "I can see you're going to be no fun at all about any of this."
"Shut up," Lina snapped. "Where the hell is my husband?"
Xellas gestured to the empty air. "Somewhere," she said, obviously trying to look innocent. The result was disturbing.
"He's in the corner," Lecia whispered. "Look."
Lina's gaze shot to the corner, and sure enough, Xellos was slumped against the wall, head down as he sat motionless. Lina felt the breath catch in her chest at the sight of the silky dark hair, a thousand memories pouring back into her all at once, but she pushed down her emotions, just as she pushed away her feelings of fear for her children. There was too much at stake for her to mess up, she realized. She had to be careful.
"No!" she heard Lecia shout, and she realized Alfred was suddenly bolting across the room, narrowly avoiding knocking Xellas over. The boy's hand shot out to grab Xellos, and suddenly there was a flash of light. Moments later Alfred was sitting on the floor in front of Xellos, eyes wide with shock.
"Yes, that's about what happened to me," Xellas remarked. "Irritating, isn't it?"
Lina narrowed her eyes. "Are you trying to tell me that you can't get at him?"
Xellas sighed. "Well, not really. Not unless I wanted to kill him by pulling his soul out of him from the astral plane."
"But I thought you were trying to kill him," Val said.
"Oh, the dragon speaks again," Xellas replied with a grin. "You know, you're not half bad looking. You'd make a nice pet."
Val turned a strange shade of red and clamped his mouth shut.
"I agree with Val," Lina said slowly, carefully examining Xellas. "I thought your goal was his death."
Xellas chuckled. "Don't be silly. Why would I want him dead? No, those are the wishes of Dynast and Dolphin. They're the ones he has angered. He killed quite a few more of their minions before retreating like this."
"I don't understand," Lina replied.
"He fought with the Monsters there in Dolphin's palace," Xellas explained. "When he realized he couldn't get away, he did this."
"How long has he been like that?"
"Oh, for about a year and a half now."
"What?" Lina exclaimed. "Is he even still alive?"
Xellas snorted. "How should I know? I can't get at him. I think he is, however, since I can still feel him on the astral plane."
"Um, so what now?" Alfred asked, rubbing his behind and rejoining the group.
"Now I hold you all prisoner," Xellas replied. "You've really made a mess of things."
"Alrighty, kids, time to fight," Lina answered, sinking into a crouch to make ready for battle.
"No," a weak voice said, and Lina turned to see Gorran slide from Val's arms.
Xellas licked her lips. "It was you who blasted out of that room, wasn't it?" The room was utterly silent except for Gorran's coughing. Xellas' eyes fixed on Lina. "Very well, mortal, I'll make a deal with you. You can keep your husband and I'll let you go, but when the child comes of age, he's mine to train."
"No!" Lecia shouted, darting forward and throwing her arms around the boy as he staggered towards their father. "You won't take him!"
"She's right," Lina growled, flexing her fingers. "I'd die before I'd let you take him. I already owe you one favor; I'll not owe you another."
Xellas sighed, shaking her head. "If only I could take mortal souls without their consent," she mumbled. "But, I suppose the world would be a different place if that were so."
Lina kept her eyes on Xellas as Gorran staggered towards Xellos, Lecia holding on to him and trying to keep him steady. They neared the place where their father was slumped against the wall, and Lecia gingerly held out a hand. Her fingers streched towards the glossy dark hair in front of her, and just a few inches shy of touching it, sparks flew everywhere and she jumped back, yelping in pain. Lina bared her teeth and turned on Xellas, who merely held up her hands and shrugged. "What did you do?" Lina hissed, gathering magic.
"I didn't do anything," Xellas replied. "He did that himself. It's done a fine job of keeping everyone away from him. Just like it did with the boy before."
"How can he eat or drink in there? Has he moved at all since he did that?" Lina demanded, trying to swallow the panic that was working its way up her throat from the cold ball in her chest. She was so close to the man she loved, and yet her children were in danger and she had no idea what she could do to protect any of them.
"It didn't react to me the same way it did to Alfred," Lecia said.
"I can do it," Gorran murmured, and held out a hand.
"Careful, it'll shock you," Lecia warned, putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing.
Lina smiled at her children in spite of the situation. Even though running off like they had was incredibly stupid, it showed that they had hearts of fire and guts to spare. She suspected they would defend one another to the death as well, and although she still feared for them, she knew they would always take care of one another.
A movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention and she leveled a finger at Xellas. "Don't you dare move," she growled.
Glinting amber eyes looked at her coldly. "I just want a better look. Who are you to stop me?"
"You know who I am, and you know what power I can weild. Your own mother has chosen me to contain great power," she said softly, and cast her spell.
Xellas gasped as her limbs were suddenly drawn flat against her body, her entire form going rigid as the spell took effect. A soft gurgle escaped her full, dark lips, and she narrowed her eyes at the red-haired sorceress. To Lina's surprise, that's all Xellas did. The Monster didn't struggle in the least, simply looked about her. "Watch her," she whispered to Val, and the young dragon focused his amber gaze on the Greater Beast, the muscles around his eyes tight.
Lina's attention slid back to her children, where Lecia was still gripping Gorran's shoulders tightly. The boy was carefully drawing something in the air, his amethyst eyes focused inward and his mouth screwed up in concentration. "Can't make a mistake," she heard him whisper.
"You won't," Lecia replied softly, and soon there was a crackling noise. Lecia reached out and caught her brother as he slumped against her, simultaneously attempting to touch her father. Her hand passed through where the barrier had been before, and Lina glanced at Xellas. The Monster's eyes were slightly widened, her mouth pressed into a line.
Keeping her gaze on Xellas at all times, Lina made her way to her husband and gripped his shoulder, checking on the boys and Kerra to make sure they were still watching the Monster. "Xellos," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. She shook him slighly and he slumped further. "Xellos?" Fear tightened the cold ball of emotion in her chest and her hand trembled slightly as she searched out the artery in his neck. There was no heartbeat. "Xellos?" she cried, shaking him violently, but there was no response. His head flopped back and forth and his grip released his staff, sending it clattering to the ground beside her. She paid it no notice as despair ripped through her veins, suddenly pulling him to her and burying her face in his hair. "Oh please, please," she hissed through clenched teeth, her eyes squeezed tiightly shut. He couldn't be dead, he just couldn't. After so much time had been spent searching for him she just couldn't accept the fact that he was dead. They were supposed to grow old together, supposed to die all dried up and ancient, their lives well spent loving one another. She didn't want to go on without him, even though she had to. Squeezing him to her chest, she threw her head back and let out a wail, the cry tearing at the tissues of her throat and leaving her voice raw. Tears rolled down her cheeks and splashed on his pale skin, her entire body shaking with sobs. Her arms wrapped around her husband even tighter as she cried, squeezing him to her as closely as she could.
"Please don't cry, Mommy," she heard a small voice whisper, and she blinked up at her young son through her tears. The boy's amethyst eyes were brimming with love and understanding, and his tender emotions only made her heart hurt more. "Please don't be sad."
She looked helplessly at her son as she felt arms encircle her shoulders, the scent of Lecia's hair filling her nostrils. Shuddering, she leaned into her daughter's embrace, still clutching Xellos, and tried to swallow her tears. Her children shouldn't have to witness her pain like this, since they would be feeling pain of their own. "I'm so sorry," she told them. "I'm so sorry I let you all down."
"No, feel," Gorran murmured, and removed her hand from Xellos, uncurling her fingers and placing something in her palm. It was a circle of cool metal, and she knew immediately what it was. Her hand clutched it reflexively and she closed her eyes, doing as Gorran instructed and feeling. Suddenly her head swam with pain, and she realized she was experiencing the feedback from her own feelings. With trembling hands she tore herself away from the experience and picked up Xellos' limp arm, sliding the ring over his finger much as she had on the day they were married. The metal seemed to warm as it came in contact with his skin, and she searched through the magic of the rings once more.
"He's not dead," Lina whispered, her eyes wide with shock. "He's not dead!"
She raised her face to see Lecia smiling, her own face streaked with tears. Gorran bobbed his head, swaying unsteadily on his feet. Lecia was up in a flash, supporting him. "I don't think we can do anything else here, Mom," Lecia said quiety. "We should get him back to Seyruun. We can figure out what to do next there."
Lina nodded her head, draping Xellos' arm over her shoulder and using all her strength to stand up under his weight. She studied Xellas quietly. The Monster Lord hadn't moved a muscle, merely watched them with a small smile turning up the corner of her mouth. Lina continued to watch her as her family made its way over to the other children, noticing that Val had been true to his word and not taken his eyes off of the powerful demon. It made her uncomfortable that Xellas hadn't done anything to stop them. "We're going now," she told Xellas. "We're taking him with us."
Xellas nodded. "I see. Oh dear, I seem to be unable to move."
Lina narrowed her eyes, her gaze meeting Xellas' cool golden stare. "Aren't you going to do anything to try and stop us? Won't you be in trouble with the others if you don't do something?"
Xellas' lips stretched into a grin, her teeth unnaturally sharp. "Oh my, I'm tied up on both planes. I think it will take me a while to work free of these enchantments, and by that time who knows where you will be. Ah, what tragedy. How shameful, to be bested by a mere mortal."
Lina's head hurt from trying to understand Xellas' motiviations. The only thing she did undertand was that the Greater Beast was giving them a chance to escape. Her voice had been flat and almost mocking. Whatever it was that she was planning, Lina wasn't privy to it. So much for her hopes that it would end here and now. The timing wasn't right. "Val, take him," she ordered. "I'm going to cover our retreat. You kids make for the entrance, and if you run into any Monsters, Lecia will take care of them. Go."
Val took Xellos from her shoulders effortlessly, slinging the limp man over his shoulder and taking off at a sprint. Alfred, holding Kerra's hand, was next, and Lecia took up the rear, doing her best to hold Gorran, who seemed to have slipped from consciousness. Lina took her position behind all of them, her ruby eyes never leaving Xellas as the children dashed into the passageway behind her. The room was completely silent as Lina backed away, her hands ready to call upon a spell at any moment. "I don't trust you, and I don't understand this," she said to the demon.
"Prudent, and I didn't intend that you should understand it," Xellas responded, a small smile gracing her lips as her golden eyes seemed to dance with glee.
"You're really not going to fight?"
"No. Now go, before it is out of my hands."
Lina gave Xellas a half-smile and a two-fingered wave. "Thanks," she murmured, and left the smirking Monster Lord behind her as she ran to catch up with the children.