She woke the next morning to see Filia's smiling face as she scooped some breakfast onto a plate for Lina. "The men are outside collecting snow to melt into water." she explained.

Lina sat up and yawned and stretched, it was chilly in the tent, but she realised it was nothing to what it had to be like outside. She took the plate with thanks and started eating, and thinking. She realised that they were now totally at the mercy of Argentus, if he wanted to prove false, now would be the time. All he had to do was walk off and nature would do the rest. He, on the other hand would likely be able to survive and get back to wherever they had started from. And yet, she didn't get the feeling he was gong to do that. And she began to have real hope, perhaps for the first time in their journey that they might find this mysterious "Silver Lord". At least, they would have the best chance they ever could, to succeed.

Now, this Silver Lord was a puzzle too. A power perhaps to equal the Golden Lord of Nightmares herself. Yet it hadn't been heard of before? Not since Ceiphied's day? Lina shook her head, puzzled. And Luna had called the power only the Silver Lord, but when Zel had said "him" Argentus had carried on. Was he taking his cue from Zel? Or is this Silver Lord a masculine power? If that's so, and, as Argentus had called her, the Golden Lord was more accurately the "Golden Lady", uh, where did that leave them? Lina's head spun a bit at the thoughts.

At this time the men returned with the ice and began melting it for the water. "Ah, Lina! Awake and eating! Good. We can go when this water is melted, and Filia is ready. Isn't flying fun?" said Argentus.Lina nodded, her mouth full.

"No heroics today, okay Filia?" asked Zel. Filia nodded her agreement, also in the middle of eating.

The men joined in and breakfast disappeared faster than Lina would have liked. And then the packing up. Finally all was ready and the group awaited Filia, who didn't disappoint, and in a short time they were airborn, bearing due south. As before, the landscape was beautiful, in a sort of cold, hostile way. Lina was chilled after awhile and found herself shivering too much to enjoy the beauty. Zel seemed fascinated, and Argentus had his permanent good natured smile on his face. Lina found her thoughts more and more drawn to him, who was this man, what was his mystery? A traveller, and a guide? She remembered she had thought she had seen something flash in his eyes when she had been crying her fears out to him at the supper table, was that just her tears? Or was there something else? Oh well, time for such mysteries later. Now she was cold.

The flight went on and on and Lina was freezing and about to say so through her chattering teeth, when Argentus leaned over and told Filia it was enought for today. Now they were over a glacier field, and they had to look carefully for a landing. Again the skill of Argentus came in very handy. He directed Filia towards several spots that seemed promising but ended up rejecting them. He explained how to read the colour of the ice and the group could see that the friendly lookng ice had hidden cracks and crevices in it that made it dangerous. Finally, they found a secure corner of a glacier, and landed as they had the previous time, only with more grace as Filia wan't as tired. But the dragon girl still shivered. A lot.

Warning the group not to stray because of treacherous ice Argentus quickly directed the setting up of the camp as before. Finally they were huddled in the warmth of the tent again. Again a sip of the healing, bitter drink, this time it seemed less objectionable, the healing was most certainly appreciated. The girls bundled up warmly and the men got hot food and hot drinks ready as quickly as they could.

Zel handed Lina cup of hot soup. "Drink Lina, it will warm you up." He let his hands linger on hers for a minute as he handed her the cup. He asked her "Will you be alright Lina?"

Lina didn't remove her hands, instead she looked up and smiled as she said "I'm okay Zel. I just can't stand the cold is all."

Zel responded by giving her a rare warm smile as he gently stroked her cheek. Lina smiled even more and took his hand. Then, looking him in the eyes, she put a kiss into the palm of his hand and closed his fingers around it. "You know Zel, I realise it's too late now, but the truth is, if Gourry hadn't already been in my life when I met you, I don't know if Amilia would have been so lucky..."

Zel looked at his closed hand for a minute, then placed the kiss next to his heart. "Neither do I, Lina." he answered with a chuckle.

Lina nodded. "Of course I had to get over that little "hang me up by my wrists and let Zolf insult me while Noonsa kissed me" bit at the begining, but I really began to see something profoundly good in you when you stood up to Rezo after you freed me. Of course, it might just be the impact with that tree has clouded my thinking."

Zel blushed, then laughed. "Yes, I've always wanted to ask what did you mean by "Koala" as I peeled you off that thing?"

Lina smiled back "I don't remember now, but I remember I said it. Oh well..."

"Yeah, we went through a lot together didn't we, Lina?" asked Zel as Lina started sipping her hot soup.

Lina nodded. "I know, and they all run together, yet I can pick out the incidents like yesterday if I try. He, he, I remember that pep talk you and Gourry were giving each other about going to death or glory fighting Shabradnigdo that time. Nothing six chicken dinner couldn't fix eh?"

Zel laughed at the memory. "And your little "there's always hope..." speech afterwards didn't hurt either. We may have been too manly at the time to admit it, but I know Gourry and I were very glad you were coming with us. And it turned out to be a good thing to. Without your Giga Slave..."

Lina smiled at Zel and nodded. "Glad to have been of service." she said.

"Miss Lina, what was it like? Holding the ultimate spell in your hands I mean?" asked Filia, who had been listening as the two friends recounted adventures from before her time with them. Even Argentus cocked a curious eye at that one.

"Eh?" asked Lina. "Oh, there is a great rush of energy that keeps building, and, just before you cast it, there is a single instant when you hold the completed spell in your hands and you feel like you hold all the power in the universe. You feel like you are god, Filia, you feel like you are the Golden Lord herself, and frankly, it scares the shit out of you. Pardon my language, but there is no milder phrase that even begins to describe the sensation. You get a brief glimpse, as if through a dark piece of glass, of a mere reflection of what infinity must be like, and it blows your mind. You feel scared Filia, you feel terrified."

Filia gulped. She had never handled power like that in her day, and as a golden dragon she had handled a lot of powerful magic, some of which the humans had never even guessed existed. And she wasn't going to start talking now. Still, a spell that gave you the feeling of infinity, yes, she could see why that would be scary. Just the thought of it frightened her. "I never imagined such power could exist in a spell." she said simply.

"What did it feel like, the second time?" asked Zelgadiss, gently.

"You mean with Phibrizzo?" Lina asked. Zel nodded and she went on "I don't know, it got to the same point, then I remember waking up on that broken archway, or what ever it was, with Gourry hugging me, and my lips feeling like they had just been kissed passionately. Naturally, I assumed the worst, and decked poor Gourry full power in the face." She looked down at her now empty soup cup for a minute then went on. "In hindsight, I now know I held a power that was equal to the giga slave in my hands, and I blew it." She shook her head sadly. "I held love in my hands, and I sent it away over a stupid argument about a silly hole. He asked me to marry him, and I argued about digging a hole. Well, I'm glad he found Luna, they seem so good for each other. Ah well, I deserved what I got. A life of loneliness, as empty as that hole, and in the end, worth nothing, because it all turned into a mockery when the truth was found."

"But you found the truth, Lina." said Argentus in a gentle voice. "Your life has been stood upon it's head as a result, it's true, but it isn't over yet, and this is a new begining, a chance to try again."

Lina looked up at him and gave a laugh. "Yep! I'm not ready to close the book yet! Oh don't mind me, I get introspective at times but I'm not really gloomy. I'm only fourty four, after this adventure is over who knows? I may find love yet! Certainly I know there are other things in life than magic and I can do them and have fun too." She smiled broadly, then, her smile fading a bit, she added "Well, most of them. I would have liked to have been a mother... Oh well, enough about me. I'm tired and we have another flight tommorrow don't we?"

Argentus nodded and said "It should be our last I think. Alright Lina, you are right, time to rest. I know the sun is up, but, be that as it may, goodnight every one!"

With that, the party settled down and slept.