AN: Thank you all for being so patient! A mix between writer's block, lack of ambition and computer troubles have complicated things! Such is life, ne?
Iniko – thanks so much for the review! I'm flattered you consider the description and emotions well done burbles happily Zellas is fun to write I hope you continue to enjoy and find the fic interesting.
Deep Sea Dolphin – thanks for your review and for beta-ing for me too! I really appreciate the different feedback. I'll keep in mind what you said about my descriptions for the future I think this chapter and the future ones will continue to amuse and interest you…(I hope so anyways ) Till next time, DSD.
Kaeru Shisho – thanks again for your wonderful beta job! Sorry it's taken me so long to get this up after you reviewed it for me… Thanks for your review for chapter 8 as well I'm glad you seem to like the way I'm doing things. As for when Gourry's going to find out about Lina's baby… I'm not sure, likely the next chapter: chapter 10. but we'll have to see how it works out.
Myth – Gee, I'm pleased that you looked in on me! I'm thrilled to have another reader! With any luck I don't end up boring you away! Hehe, enjoy!
Remember all, comments and crit are always welcome! Now, enough of my blather, here's chapter 9:
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Sylphiel lay motionless, her eyes still closed as she tried to discern what had woken her. A shudder tingled down her spine and her pale flesh crawled with the feeling of hundreds of spiders climbing over her. A gasp escaped her lips as she opened her eyes wide, immediately raising a delicate hand, but saw no reason for alarm. Troubled, she turned her hand this way and that, but she neither felt nor discerned anything out of the ordinary. The young woman quietly sat up and shook herself to rid her body of the eerie feeling. After a moment, though the sensation had eased, it still remained, and she decided to do a check around to ensure nothing was amiss. She padded on bare feet to the center of the room so that any light she would lit wouldn't wake the softly snoring Gourry. On the way, she felt a cool breeze swirl the slip of a nightdress she wore and glanced out the open window. It was late. Just past midnight she determined from the position of the bright, gibbous moon gradually descending from its zenith. The room was still warm despite the cooler temperatures outside, so she decided to leave the window open and continued on her way.
Sylphiel gathered a tiny squall of magic between her hands, condensed it into a glowing orb of pale white light, and raised it high over her head, leaving it at the end of her reach near the ceiling as she continued on to the door. Peering out into the dark hall beyond revealed nothing either and the dark-haired shrine maiden frowned. I know I heard something, she mused, closing the door silently. What else would have woken me? Sylphiel turned from the door back to the bedroom and stopped, eyes wide with fear. A dark miasma drifted and eddied like a black fog, flowing in from the window, seeming to swallow the gentle light of Sylphiel's spell. Unexpectedly, she felt a deep chilling cold encompass her slender body and she knew it was not the wind that raised the gooseflesh on her bare arms.
"Gourry! Gourry, wake up!" she called, frightened, glancing toward the bed. The blonde man was not there. There was nothing. The shadowy mist had swallowed up most of the room, only the wall behind her and the tiny ball of light suspended in the center of the room were still visible. Then, the magic sphere, too, was consumed, and the room plunged into complete darkness. With a strangled cry tearing from her throat, Sylphiel, repulsed with horror, spun around and fled the room. She raced down the hall to back entrance. She had to get away!
The terrified woman flung open the door to the out-of-doors, hoping to escape or find her husband but was forced to a halt again. That churning smog of shadows was coming toward her at an incredible rate. Slamming the door with the faint hope that it would slow the encroaching gloom, she ran to the right, heading for the other way out, but before she could reach the exit, the wispy tendrils of the dark fog appeared before that door, too! There was no escape left to her now, the swirling blackness was all encompassing…omnipresent... hiding her familiar surroundings within its pall.
"Why do you flee, dear child?" the velvety voice of a woman asked.
Sylphiel twisted around, but saw no one, only the eddying miasma. The unseen woman queried again, this time a sense of curiosity laced the words, and Sylphiel realised the words where in her mind, though she could swear she heard the rich, low-pitched voice. "Where are you?" she asked meekly, turning around again to see nothing more than she had already.
"Humans. Why must you always base everything on something substantial, physical?" the tone mused with a chuckle, though how Sylphiel could comprehend the voice flowing gently through her mind, left the young woman apprehensive. "If you must have a face for the voice, so be it. Perhaps it will calm your fears."
Sylphiel swallowed hard and clenched her hands into fists at her sides to fight the trembling overcoming her slender body. Before her, an outline could be seen, a form coming into clearer focus as the speaker appeared wraithlike from the ebony mist. The figure was tall and lean, with a full female body, and a pale complexion – fairer yet than the shrine maiden's own porcelain flesh. A filmy, nearly translucent, material that reminded the young woman of the iridescence of dragonfly wings clung to the ample curves of the lithe woman, immodestly cut to hide only the necessities, but oddly suitable. Hair which was golden yellow, like the colour of ripe hay, fell in sensuous waves around bared, smooth shoulders to rest in gentle curls against the back of perfectly moulded thighs. Slender shoulders gave way to a long, graceful neck above which the most beautiful face Sylphiel had ever seen stared back at her. Sylphiel's gaze darted up and down, seeing snippets of this feature, then the next. Rosy, full and pouty lips curved up into a gentle smile as the shrine maiden's green eyes rose past the slightly flared nostrils of the woman's straight-bridged nose to where deep shadows from the blonde bangs hid the figure's eyes from view.
The shrine maiden shivered. Though she could not see the eyes of the speaker, she had the distinct impression that the apparition was looking at her – no… through her, into her very soul. Sylphiel could no longer control her trembling before this being and her hands began to shake violently, fisted though they were.
"Calm yourself, dear girl," the voice said, still in the form of thoughts within the young woman's mind. The figure's mouth never moved although she cocked her head slightly to the side as if in curious appraisal. "You asked where I was. Now I stand before you. I ask again, why do you flee?"
"I… I do not know who, or what you are," Sylphiel answered quietly, unable to keep the fearful quaver from her soft voice. "More importantly, I do not know what your intentions are. And what happened to my Gourry-sa –?"
"Your Gourry?" the woman's thoughts chortled, the figure smiling widely with amusement. "I rather like to think that he's mine. Just as you are. All the races have that trait in common it seems. Rather possessive sort, though, more-so than the others, my humans."
"L-sama," Sylphiel breathed, her troubled eyes widening with understanding and awe. She stood, rooted to the spot, unsure of how she should react. Something deep within her screamed at her to bow, kneel, something, to pay homage to the Creator of All, but all she could do was gape at the beautiful, human-looking goddess standing but a few paces before her. She jumped when the woman suddenly applauded, the clapping sounding loud in the silence of the mist-shrouded room.
"Very good!" the words seemed to take on an almost childish feel, exuding amused glee, confusing the young woman further.
"How can I hear thoughts?! Much less what they seem like? It's almost as if I can hear what She would be saying, and how She'd say them if spoken aloud…" Sylphiel murmured softly.
"You finally figured it out!"
"Why are you here, L-sama," Sylphiel asked shakily. She was still confused, awed, and terrified, but the apparition had done nothing threatening and her curiosity began to win out though she was afraid that the Lord of Nightmares, in all Her chaotic ways, would suddenly turn on her. "And where's m—Gourry?"
The deity's smile faded as she strode forward, coming to a stop a step in front of the shorter human. Tilting Her head down, as if to look at the shrine maiden, L-sama's human-like figure raised a slender hand to gently brush the bangs from Sylphiel's forehead. "My dear girl, your husband is fine. He sleeps still, oblivious as usual. He has a good heart, but a troubled mind. You know this, do you not?"
Sylphiel nodded slowly. She knew to what the goddess was referring. "He's still in love with Lina-san."
The fair-haired creator bobbed Her head once. "He was supposed to be committed to her. She is my Chosen and he, her Guardian."
"Do… do I have to let him go?"
"I make no one's choices for them. That is the gift of free will. But know this, dear girl, obstacles are soon going to be blocking your path. Life's tests are not always easy and though you may not understand, nor want, the outcome, you will learn from them and the pain will be worth it."
"I don't understand."
"You will," L-sama assured her, the thoughts in Sylphiel's mind seeming to whisper with a compassionate tone. She again reached up to brush the dark bangs of the shrine maiden's hair from her eyes as She continued. "Remember, he is her Guardian, it is his destiny no matter what he chooses to with his life otherwise."
Sylphiel's brow furrowed in consternation as she gazed up into the shadows where the Lord of Nightmares' eyes were hidden. A sinking feeling formed in the pit of her stomach and she suppressed a shudder at the gentle touch. Her eyes widened with realisation. "Something's going to happen to Lina-san, isn't it? Gourry-dear is going to have to protect her again!"
L-sama nodded again.
"But… what about Xelloss-san? Can't he take care of her?" Sylphiel asked, feeling panic rise within her.
The rosy lips of the goddess stretched into a bemused grin as she shook her head slightly. "Not it the same way, my child. Xelloss has a different destiny to follow, a separate path to carve, as you all do. There will be difficult obstacles ahead, but remember that life has many tests and though you may not understand or like the outcome, you will be stronger for it; you'll realise that the challenges are worth it."
"L-sama," Sylphiel whispered, bowing her head and closing her eyes against threatening tears as she continued, "can't you leave us alone? Let us lead normal lives, lives without your touch? Amelia-san tried so hard to grant us that one wish; to give us new starts. She tried to give us the opportunity to start new futures."
"My dear Sylphiel, don't view my touch as a curse," L-sama told her gently. Lifting Her hands so as to get a better look at Sylphiel's face, Her thumbs brushed away the silent tears sliding over smooth cheeks. "Don't weep, child. Tears will not change the past or the future. The future is yours to shape but even so, there are some things that are beyond the power of one soul. Do not despair. You've known happiness, have you not?" Sylphiel nodded, still unable to check her tears. "I am not unaware of your feelings, little one. I am also aware of what your friend Amelia has done and why. But even knowing that, there are forces at work larger than yourself. Do you regret sharing the last two years with my Gourry?"
"Of course not!"
The Lord of Nightmares smiled, brushing away the young woman's tears again. "Then do not cry. Remember. Cherish those memories. No matter what is to come, no one can take that time away from you."
"Something's going to happen to Lina-san, isn't it?" Sylphiel struggled to swallow the lump in her throat as she gazed up into the beautiful face of her creator. "Something's going to affect us all again."
"Yes, you will all be affected, some more than others. It is bound to happen because you have befriended my Chosen."
"What's going to happen to her, L-sama?"
The Lord of Nightmares shook Her head, Her gentle smile fading as She leaned forward slowly and lay a gentle kiss upon Sylphiel's forehead. "No human should ever be privy to the knowledge of the future, dear girl. Remember this lesson, Sylphiel – cherish the time you have and always remember those closest to your heart. Should you forget them after they're gone, they cease to be. Humans live on in the memories and hearts of others. That is their immortality."
Sylphiel shook her head in confusion. "What is it that I need to know about our immortality for? Why are you here? Why are you visiting me? What's going to happen to us, to Lina-san?"
"Why not visit you?" the deity countered, ignoring the woman's other questions.
"B-because I d-don't understand!" Sylphiel stuttered, frightened and unsure. "Lina-san knows more about these kinds of things…or Zelgadiss-san even!"
"You will," She assured once more.
"But," Sylphiel began, feeling a twinge of alarm, but the deity had vanished. "L-sama? L-sama!" she cried out in a panic.
She closed her eyes for a moment, collecting her thoughts and trying to calm her trembling body, and when she opened them again, she saw the familiar ceiling of the bedroom she shared with Gourry. Turning slightly to the side, she saw her husband stretched out beside to her, his blonde hair a tousled golden halo around his muscular form. Tears threatened to escape her eyes once more, so she closed them tightly and rolled away from Gourry. There, she quietly sobbed until sleep over came her as the first rays of dawn crept through the open window.
- - - -
"Would like to hold her, Lina-san?" Akkari asked, a teal eyebrow arching in query as he gently tapped the tiny back of the infant he held against his shoulder.
"Sure! Pass her over," the young woman chirped with a grin.
Akkari smiled at Lina's playful tone and repositioned his hands to trade his daughter off to the sorceress. As Lina reached out to take her, he hesitated, cautioning, "Mind her head."
Lina stuck out her tongue at the king as she gingerly tugged Katarri from her father's grip. Despite the humour that danced in her eyes, she was careful with the newborn, making sure her hand supported Katarri's little head until the babe was nestled securely in the crook of her arm. "Well, hello there, Princess," she cooed, wiggling the finger Katarri had gripped in a pudgy fist.
"Serious little one, isn't she," Zelgadis commented from where he was seated a short distance to the left of the redhead. The plush leather couch sank deeply beneath his stone frame, but did not so much a creak, giving evidence to the fine craftsmanship that had gone into its making.
"Oh, you mean that she doesn't smile and coo and such?" Akkari asked, turning his gaze to the chimera to see him nod. "She's too young. Very few babies smile until they're a couple months old. Some do, and every child is different, but don't be surprised if it takes her a few more weeks before she starts smiling and such."
"How do you know so much about babies, Akkari?" Lina wondered, not taking her eyes off the infant.
"A cousin of mine has a few kids already and I used to spend a lot of time over at her house," the young king explained simply with an offhanded shrug. "I'm still getting used to this little one's habits though."
"I'd say it's different when it's your own," Xelloss commented as he stepped up next to Lina to peer down at the infant in her arms. He never had any idea Lina could be so good with young children, nor did the others. No one missed the gentle fondness that crept into her large ruby eyes as Lina murmured to the baby.
"It is. I didn't see my cousin much growing up so I wasn't near when she had her children, so I'm not sure about how much Amelia needs to sleep and such though."
"She'll be alright, if that's what you're worried about," Zelgadis commented. "She's a strong girl."
Akkari smiled at the soft-spoken youth. Amelia would be delighted to know that the chimera thought so well of her, he was sure. He turned his attention back to the other two when he heard a soft whimper come from his daughter. "Uh-oh, feeding time again, I guess."
Lina nodded and allowed Akkari to take the infant back once more. "They sure eat lots, huh?"
Her two companions nodded but didn't comment further, knowing the question was more rhetorical than not. "When are you due, Lina?" Zelgadis asked conversationally, trying to fill the silence.
"Any time really, but sometime within the next few weeks." Though she tried to hide it, Lina winced slightly against the sharp cramp that crawled over her stomach for a few seconds. Rubbing the area gently, the sorceress wished that the cramps would stop.
She'd been cramping occasionally for the last few weeks. At first she thought that they were the false contractions a woman gets throughout pregnancy, but this was different, more internal. It was a sharp, painful cramp that reminded her of her menses, but worse. The pain was worst than anything she'd ever experienced, save the shot she'd taken through the chest, the hit that had killed her in the fight with the Rezo-clone in Sairaag so long ago. She'd also started spotting blood the day before. It was only a slight amount, but it still made her leery. The midwife had warned her early on that many women spotted and that it was alright as long as it remained light and the baby still kicked. Her stomach still moved with the shifting of the infant within but the bleeding had been a bit heavier than the day before and her worry grew to match.
She knew that she would have complications and already she'd nearly lost the pregnancy once. If it wasn't for the magic that was also complicating the pregnancy, she would have lost the baby, or babies, a few months before. What worried Lina further was that complications this close to the end were not healthy for her, worse than earlier on. It was only another moment before the cramp subsided, but she stood where she was, thinking a bit longer.
Zelgadis nodded once more and took a sip of the tea he held in his hand. He watched as Xelloss settled onto the couch behind where Lina stood rubbing her distended belly, noticing not for the first time how the Mazoku priest was keeping his eyes open more and more. That's not like him, the youth mused, curious. But a lot has changed for us all.
"Xelloss!"
The three friends started at the commanding tone of Zellas' voice as she appeared in the doorway. "Yes Mistress?"
"Come with me for a moment," she ordered though her voice softened slightly at the startled expressions of the trio.
"Of course," Xelloss said, rising immediately to follow.
"Wonder what that's all about," Lina mused, taking Xelloss' vacated spot as the priest left. Zelgadis shrugged.
"Yes, Mistress?" Xelloss asked as soon as he was out of the room.
"We have business to discuss. Come to the study."
The violet-tressed priest nodded once and vanished the same instant his creator did, reappearing in the small empty library down the hall from the guest rooms. Settling himself into one of the overstuffed armchairs, Xelloss looked at the blonde Dark Lord expectantly.
"Dynast and Dolphin are on the move," she told him in a low voice. Seeing his eyes narrow slightly, she continued. "You are likely thinking correctly, my dear. They've discovered that your sorceress is about to bear your child – a near impossibility as you know. You understand the implications of this child as well, so I will not bother explaining, but the opportunity, or threat of this birth – depending on the view taken – has them alarmed, and they are on the move."
"They are coming here."
Zellas nodded. "Yes. They are assembling what forces they have at the moment, but have only precious little time before they attack."
"They are after her child or her?" Xelloss asked. Though it makes no difference, he added mentally.
Zellas studied her General and Priest. To a human ear, his light but serious tone had not changed, but she caught the underlying tone. The amethyst shards of his irises were hidden once more behind closed lids, as was his habit, but she knew that had they been open, she would have seen a smouldering anger light their depths, mingled with deadly intent. She knew her creation well, knew his heart and how his cunning mind worked. No smile quirked at his lips and the set of his jaw announced his agitation just as plainly as the tensing of his shoulders. She knew him too well to miss the signs, but an untrained eye wouldn't have caught them.
"I do not wish you to kill them, Xelloss. The Mazoku race is too weak to lose them both at this time. Not yet."
"They will not harm her."
Zellas blinked in surprise. Xelloss' words were expected, but his tone was one she'd never heard from him before; it was like ice, cold and deathly serious. Loyalty… She suddenly lost all doubt that whoever dared cross him or his fiery redhead would certainly meet a most spectacular end. "Our race is weak as it is…" she reminded him, leaning back into the couch in which she'd settled herself.
Xelloss nodded. "I know. But we have tolerated them and their… shortcomings… for far too long under that excuse. Yes, as a race we are weak, but you are stronger than they and frankly, Mistress, I'm tired of mending their mistakes."
"It's not like you to question me, Xelloss," Zellas commented, a cautioning edge in her tone.
"Forgive me, Mistress," the youthful-looking Mazoku said with a bow of his head for a moment. "But I thought that I ought to alert you to my opinion. I do not mean to question you, but I stand by my words."
"I know that you've never had much use for the other Lords, Xelloss, but I meant what I said; I do not wish them dead. They may be error-prone, and none of them are as efficient as you, but they do have their uses."
"Yes, Mistress. As you wish then, I shall not kill them… all."
Zellas nodded approvingly as she stood. "Good. Now go, see if you can keep them at bay. If you need assistance or me to speak to them personally, know I'll be here." She paused for a moment, thinking. "If it would ease your mind a little, my dear, I will keep an eye on your human for you. No harm shall come to her by a Mazoku hand until you return."
"Thank you, Mistress," Xelloss said quietly, obviously pleased at the promise. Smiling once more as he stood, the dark-haired priest bowed low, and then vanished.
- - - -
Well, there's chapter 9 for you all! Let me know what you think, plz. I may not update for a few weeks again, coz my hubby's coming home for a visit and I likely won't be on the computer much. Just to let you know. Anywho, I'm off to work on chapter ten for a bit in the meantime. Hope you enjoyed chapter 9. Please just leave a review letting me know that you read it even, I'm curious to see how many people are actually reading this creation of mine
Until next time,
Ishy