In October, Halloween
As the fall season progresses, the friends re-unite for an especially FRIGHTFUL occasion. This is a standalone story in the "In..." series, which is designed to follow "In September, Changes."
"What have we done that's so wrong, anyway? She wants grandchildren, now she's got them." Lina refused to become as thoroughly paranoid as her husband and believe that Zelas was 'out to get them.'
Lina and Xelloss had been traveling for a week looking for signs of the Lord Beastmaster Zelas. Xelloss wasn't satisfied with waiting for her to come to them and possibly destroy their home or murder them and their children in their beds– if that was her intention. So far, she had eluded them completely. Xelloss had no idea if they were hunting her, or she them. Lina wondered if she wasn't simply hiding out someplace, embarrassed by her favorite servant's departure from the norm.
Xelloss, the General and Priest of Demon Lord Zelas, was Lina's husband of many years. If that wasn't a break from the rule, Xelloss was also the father of their four adopted children, and had also conceived a child with Lina, who was five months pregnant. It was allhighly remarkable and unusual for a demon.More recently, hissituation had been mademore tenuouswhen Lina had magically cut his bonds to his master. He was left 'disconnected' from his former lord. When he had taken his family to meet his fate on Wolfpack Island, he learned that his lord and master was no longer in residence. That was also very unusual for that particular demon lord. It madeXelloss understandablyuneasy.
Xelloss answered Lina's flippant tone with a serious demeanor, communicating more than his few words. "I am no longer under her direct supervision or command. Your spell cut that off, if you'll hearken back a few months. I am certain that she is disturbed by the loss."
"She misses you that much?" Lina said, trying to inject a little humor.
"She misses the power. Dark Lords create their servants from their own astral material. That ensures our reliability, but it also removes a considerable amount of power from their personal grid. My station is a result of my strength, which is measurable by my energy level– and so is that of my mistress."
That was new information for her to stockpile away in a box labeled "Dark Lords." She was still undergoing a "carefree" mood swing, however, and so dismissed everything Xelloss had said with what she considered to be witty flair. "Ex-mistress," Lina corrected him. "Let's just get that straight. I'm the wife, and I don't tolerate my man to have mistresses."
He glared darkly at her a moment, then let out a long-suffering sigh and shook his head. This was a serious situation and Lina wouldn't accept it. One minute she was happy and the next tearful or at his throat. He had never known her to be so erratic, not that he minded the variation, but he was perplexed as to how to carry on a logical conversation with her. And although he preferred this light-hearted version of Lina's personality over the whiny, demanding one, his patience was wearing thin.
His attempts to impress her with their need to take action, however, were not totally lost on Lina. Her mental state underwent another fluctuation. Lina shrugged, defeated by her surging hormones and the growing child in her womb. "I get it, Xelloss. Our family's not safe until we settle with Zelas– that I understand. I'm not stupid... just fat... and slow... and..."
Xelloss held her in his arms, letting her sob into his shirt, hoping she would someday return to normal while at the same time absorbing her growing despair and fear with gusto.
In the end, they had sent their children away in the safekeeping of the Prince and Princess of Seyruun, who were also their closest friends, Zelgadiss and Amelia. Xelloss knew where other demons might congregate, and so those became the locales Lina and her husband would first search.
In one place, a long abandoned shrine housed a company of inferior demon outcasts. They greeted the newcomers with a blast of dark magic energy. "Hey!" shouted Lina as she threw up a shield. "That's not very friendly of you."
The demons' reply was hollow, evil-toned laugher.
"Do you think they figured that blowing up the path in front of us was going to keep us out?" she asked Xelloss, who had been standing to the side appearing to be a fragile, peace-loving human priest.
"I think so. Will it?"
"Not a chance. For some reason our reputations didn't precede us," she said with a grin, then chanted off three "Fireball!" incantations in a row, demolishing the door.
A multiple-armed, squid-like creature on stumpy legs immediately appeared in the ruined doorway. "Sorceress, we have no business with you. Go– while you can."
"Ah, well, you see, I got business here, and you and your freaky friends are in my way."
"Lina, move!" Xelloss called out to her as he avoided a spell aimed at his head.
She lurched to one side, easily evading another surge of dark energy. "Listen, this is getting tiresome. Cut out the fireworks, let us come in and take a look around, and then, maybe, we'll go and leave you to do whatever you do here, okay?"
"No human may enter our lair."
"Then you won't have any problem allowing me entry," Xelloss said. He drew in a dark miasma of power from the astral plane, wove it into a tight sphere, and sent it blasting past the opening and into the chamber beyond. The squid demon wailed in fear and winked out. Amid the cries of woe and smoke, Xelloss stepped inside first. "I assume you now realize who I am."
"X-xelloss," intoned a shimmery blue mass of indistinct matter.
"That's right. Who do you serve?"
"Lord Gaav," answered the earlier squid demon. "Haven't heard from him in a long time, though."
"Yes, well, he's been destroyed and out of circulation for some time. You now report to me."
Lina marched into the ruined shrine, listening to the conversation while examining the area closely for signs of Zelas. She felt the demons' excitement and relief to have found a new master. How awful to just exist purposeless, to be dependent on fate to give them direction. She pitied the lowly creatures of the demon race, and she hated them, too.
Xelloss held their attention rapt. "Are there others of your affiliation that you know of?"
"No, just us five, Master."
"You guys run into any demon lords lately?" Lina asked.
"The human sorceressss..." a tiny green frog-like creature hissed from a rock ledge above the others.
"Answer her truthfully," Xelloss told them.
"No lords, Master, only you, Lord Xelloss."
Lina and Xelloss left soon after giving the wayward demons standing orders to report to Xelloss should they detect any other demon activity and to continue to maintain the shrine headquarters. "Lord Xelloss?" Lina said arching an eyebrow.
"Far be it from me to deny them the honor." He smiled and shook his head. "My wolf underlings reported another outpost further north, back toward Seyruun. Shall we investigate that first and visit our children?"
"As much as I want to see them, we oughta finish what we set out to do first down this way. That should bring us into Seyruun around the end of October. That's All Hallows Eve, ya know."
"Really?" Xelloss' eyes lit with a mixture of mischievousness and humor. "Am I going to like that?"
"Yes, in Seyruun the children dress up in funny or scary costumes then go house to house begging for candy and threatening to trash the place if they don't get any treats. It sounds pretty fun, I gotta say, from what Amelia's told me."
"Scary costumes? Threats? It does sound fun. Why haven't we participated before?"
"We've never been in town at the right time before. It only happens that one night, you know, for the humans to take back the dark from the forces of evil."
"Like me."
"Yes, from your kind of people. Which way do we go? Left into the forest or right toward the next village?"
"Left. An old hermit necromancer once hid out there. We should find a structure and a few demons."
When they found the rustic stone house, it was partially covered with vines. "Looks neglected," Lina said. She tried the door, but it was barred.
Once again, it took a threat from Lina and a show of strength from Xelloss to convince the cluster of restive underlings inside to admit them. But when Lina laid eyes on the inhabitants, she was disappointed. "What are these disgusting things?"
Xelloss questioned them and discovered that the feeble demons owed allegiance to the Hellmaster Phibrizzo, and had atrophied to mere globs waiting for their master's command. Again, Lina felt a mixture of pity and disgust at the lack of initiative shown by demon minions.
Xelloss raised his staff, mustering up bits of smoky astral material. He uttered a single word of magic "Enhance!" and directed the dark plasma straight at the weak, formless creatures. The blobs sucked in the energy surge and grew in size, even forming eyes, heads, and appendages much like salamanders with their newly bolstered power signatures. The creatures were grateful and now indebted to their benefactor. The loss to Xelloss was minimal, but he hoped it was a worthwhile loss. "You serve me now that the Hellmaster has been destroyed," Xelloss told them.
"Master, we thank you. Tell us, what is your command?"
"I want you to provide surveillance for this area. Report back to me should you detect any other demon lord."
"Yes, Lord Xelloss. Your will is ours."
"Gods..." Lina left and waited outside the hut. She found the behavior of the 'lost' minions to be too depressing for her. Xelloss conducted his business with his usual expediency, and then he joined Lina at the stone wall on the outer edge of the property.
"Now, aren't you glad to be an independent thinker?" she asked Xelloss.
"I am glad for many things, all of which involve you. Well, nearly."
"Nearly?"
"My power exceeds all others of my race, save my Lord Zelas, Lord Deep Sea Dolphin, and Lord Grauscherra, and for that I am most grateful to my creator. For everything else, I bow to you, my dear wife."
Lina allowed him to kiss her and she loved his smile, but it bothered her that he still spoke of his past master with reverence and that he still felt he owed Zelas some allegiance. She tried, but Lina could not break his spirit entirely, it appeared.
"Traveling this time of year reminds me of the trip we took right after we got married," Lina said dreamily. She closed her eyes and drank in the fragrant spicy scent of fall leaves and rich, damp moss.
He went silent, evidently living it all over again, and then said in a gentle voice. "I was thinking along those lines, too." Xelloss caught her up in his arms and searched her now-open eyes for consent. "Let's take a break, okay?" he whispered.
"Only if I eat first. Listen, I'm eating for two now– don't forget that."
"It's not likely that I can forget..."
Lina was used to his abrupt demands; he wasn't promiscuous, just desirous for her. When they first started their relationship, his courtship was very restrained. It was after she applied a little magic and stripped away that demon distaste for extreme pleasure that his passions rose; he became amorous towards her anytime or place without a modicum of modesty. So she made him read up on romance. There was more to winning a girl's heart and keeping it than he had ever guessed. Valentine's Day was turned into an event to showcase he newest tricks. Otherwise, he learned some boundaries of decorum and Lina's tolerance, and in particular he met her dietary demands.
"We're coming upon a small village. I'll buy you lunch."
"What a sweet talker," she said, and graced him with a smile.
Over the next few weeks, the pair encountered more 'lost' demons, interrogated them in vain, and added them to Xelloss' growing collection of servants. By the time they reached the outskirts of Seyruun, he had mustered a large contingent, a few of which he retained as servants to carry provisions and provide guard duty. When they stopped to admire the view into the rich valley, Xelloss learned he had a minor problem.
"The magic is painful, Master. We cannot enter the nasty city."
The kingdom of Seyruun was a mid-sized city-state with the palace centrally located in the White Magic Capital of the World of the same name. The palace sat in the magical center, providing a barrier against minor demons. Where Lina and Xelloss had established their home lay directly on a diagonal with where they were currently, and approximately 200 miles away. He didn't want to send them there. He still needed their service.
"It won't harm you in short doses. Still, we plan to stay there for a day or two. Return to the astral plane for the time being. I will call you when I need you and you will follow orders, understood?"
"Yes, merciful Master."
The troop blinked out, leaving a pile of baggage behind. Xelloss shouldered the load– it wasn't really a burden to him– and they set off down a meandering path to the main entrance.
"We're a little early for the holiday," Lina noted.
"That gives us time to prepare for it, doesn't it?" he asked with a growing smile.
"What have you got in mind?" Lina wondered.
"Oh, I thought a little something for my good friend Zelgadiss. He's always appreciated a good joke."
Lina didn't think that was true, but she knew that nothing she could say would deter Xelloss from his plan. As long as the children were involved, she knew it couldn't be too dangerous or lewd. She hadn't counted on horrifying.
"Why the fangs?" she asked him. They were standing at a counter in a costumier specializing in outfitting the wealthy for costume balls, stage, and "Halloween", as they called the holiday.
"To make me look evil, like a monster."
"You are a monster. Don't I get a pair?"
"No, you are the damsel in distress."
"Like anyone will believe that..." Lina muttered as she looked over a trick sword. "So, what makes this so special, except for its being a stupid-looking weapon?"
Xelloss whipped it out of her hand. "I'll take that." He added it to the growing pile of merchandise on the counter. Before she could object, he explained, "The blade disappears into the handle. Clever toy! Now, over this way for your dress."
"Dress? Awwww, cripes Xelloss. Why a dress when there's so much..." She was silenced when her line-of-sight fell upon the remarkable choice her husband held out for her approval. "Stripes!"
"Silk from the Orient," the salesperson, "and of the finest quality. It is a copy, a very accurate copy of the gown worn by the Duchess of Mark to the Ordination ball for King Fardel."
But Lina wasn't listening to the man's speech. She wasn't impressed by the dress' supposed lineage and provenance; she thought it was breathtakingly beautiful all on its own. "Will it fit, though?" she cast a doubtful look up at Xelloss. Her waistline had widened significantly.
"We can cinch you up to..."
"No, we can't," Lina broke in. "I'm pregnant, not fat."
"We will need it altered," Xelloss added hurriedly.
"Not possible. It is only a rental!"
"Then I shall buy it."
"It's priceless!"
Lina leaned in close and slammed her moneybag onto the glass counter top. "Everything has its price."
The man was convinced by a combined show of determination and gold, and he threw in the fitting for nothing. Lina was obstinately unwilling to wear a corset, but after some cajoling on the part of the seamstress, she agreed to just try one.
"See? Not too tight, yes? I adjust the laces just so. It supports your back, good for pregnant ladies. You stand tall and elegant. Plus," and here the woman lowered her voice and looked askance at Xelloss. "Your husband will appreciate your more prominent bosom."
"Oh, I don't know about that," Lina said airily. "He doesn't seem interested in that sort of thing."
"He's a man; how can he not notice?"
Lina thought to explain that her kind-hearted husband was a high ranking demon who was more impressed with her swordplay than her breast size, but she was simply too tired. She reluctantly agreed that the undergarment felt comfortable and that it did relieve her lower back pain. The slip and underskirts came next, but by then Lina was too exhausted to fight the additional garments. "Just let me see how that dress looks now," she grumbled.
"Shoes first. With that dress I would suggest heels like these," the saleslady pointed to a dainty pair, "But a lady in your condition would be more comfortable in these lower slippers."
"Damned straight; that is, if they still look okay, you know."
"You will look beautiful," the woman assured her.
"Of course I will. Oh!" Lina turned in the mirror in gasped at her reflection. Her body was all shapely curves and femininity. "Gods... My sister should get a load of this. Ha! Hey, Xelloss? Whaddoya think?"
He wasn't in the dressing room, and the seamstress wasn't about to admit him until her job was complete. "Oh, no, no, no madam. You must wear this with the hat. The undergarments are the foundation, the dress the cake, the hat, it is the ornament on top."
"Like a cherry?" Lina wondered, but gasped for the second time when the lady swept a remarkable hat off the shelf. The black velvet hat had a wide brim and a luxuriant froth of black feathers billowing over the top. "How many birds did they have to kill to make that?"
"Oh, no, none at all. They just collect the molting feathers, but these are dyed after, to get these so dark. The birds are white. Now, if I may?" She was asking Lina's permission to 'fix' the hat. Lina nodded, and was surprised when the woman first pinned up her hair. She curled a few strands around her nimble fingers, moistened with a bit of spit, and formed delicate curls to frame Lina's face. "Now...the hat."
"Perfect," said the saleslady. "Now let's hope the gentleman will complete the outfit with a necklace."
Lina agreed, silently, that the great expanse of exposed flesh could use some form of cover-up. What would Xelloss think? Lina had just decided that he would think she was foolish to get all worked up over what was simply to be her Halloween costume. But she was wrong.
"So?" she asked striding out onto the shop floor.
Xelloss turned his attention away from a box of fake blood, severed arms, and other grisly trick props. Then his mouth fell open. He stood gaping at the vision of loveliness twirling for him to admire. And admire he did. "Stunning."
The saleslady looked on, smug.
"What do you think of the hat?" Lina asked.
Xelloss raised his eyes, noticed the hat, then focused on her face for the first time since she had entered the room. "The... oh, very nice."
"It gives her stature, balance," suggested the merchant, who had been helping Xelloss choose his own outfit.
Xelloss' eyes dipped again to Lina's chest, then quickly back to meet her eyes. "Balance, yes."
"Oh, brother," Lina murmured.
"Men," the seamstress at her elbow confided, "they are all alike. What we hide, is what they seek most of all."
"May I suggest one of these for your lady?"
Xelloss tore his attention away form Lina to view a selection of necklaces the merchant was holding up for his approval. One was spectacular. "The blood-red one."
"Of course, but then I didn't show you this. I am so forgetful sometimes."
"I'll bet," Lina thought to herself. She recognized a clever salesman when she confronted one.
What he held out for Xelloss to rank against the previous ones, was a lacework of fine chain and diamonds. The gems sparkled, catching the light from the windows, and Lina's eye. It was the perfect choice.
"Like the frosting on the cake, no?" the seamstress asked slyly.
Now, Xelloss preferred the red ones. He thought the diamonds were too showy, even gaudy for Lina, but one look at the expression of wonderment on his wife's face convinced him to choose the diamonds anyway. "I shall put them on her."
When Lina felt his fingers tremble at the nape of her neck, she knew the entire experience had agitated him thoroughly. He stood at her back, where he could get a clear look at her cleavage. His warm breath caressed her skin and tickled her ear as he uttered huskily, "You are the most beautiful creature She has ever created."
And Lina knew that was a compliment of the deepest order. Xelloss never referred to the Lord of Nightmares, the creator of them all, without the greatest of reverence. But even more telling to Lina, was that he placed his wife above his esteemed mistress at long last. "And all it took was a fancy dress and a corset," Lina chuckled to herself. Aloud she asked, "What are you wearing?"
Xelloss thought all black would suit him, but Lina disagreed. "Too obvious and common. Everyone will be in black."
"I could do the bottle green again."
"No. Too springy."
"Pumpkin is seasonally correct," the merchant put in. "I have just the suit!"
"Orange?" Xelloss was appalled. He looked to Lina for support, but got none. Her face was luminous as the suit was carried close in for her to study and reflected its saturated color onto her skin. "But I'm supposed to appear deadly, not like some sort of confection!"
"That's what you said about the pastel peach ensemble, but you carried that off well. Besides, you'll kill'em in this."
Xelloss had to admit the peach outfit hadn't done him too badly, since it had resulted in an impossibly pregnant wife. "I guess it is more like the pie and less like the vegetable. All right, I'll give it a try."
"With this... and these!" Lina tossed a few clothing items in his general direction, including a chocolate-colored vest, a paisley shirt in muted browns, mustard and eggplant tones, and a mushroom-brown, beaver-fur derby hat.
The merchant picked up the scattered clothes, added a creamy silk cravat, and followed Xelloss to the door of the dressing room. As he attempted to enter, Xelloss blocked his path, saying, "I can take care of dressing myself, thank you."
Moments later, Xelloss emerged completely attired, including the extendable canine teeth. "Well? Not your common demon, eh?"
Lina thought he looked terribly sexy, and she told him so. Pleased, he counted out a large sum of money to cover the purchases and the service, thanked the help, and took Lina by the elbow and led her away. "Shall we go play 'trick or treat' now?"
"Yeah, sure." She took the matching cape, which was black and white striped silk with a sleek, black fur lining, and held it closed loosely with her one free hand.
He draped his golden fox-fur cape carelessly across his shoulders, stepped forward, and hailed a carriage. The merchant helped load their numerous traveling bags, the packaged worn clothes, and purchased tricks onto the seat beside the driver. Xelloss assisted Lina up the shaky steps and then pushed all her skirts completely inside the carriage compartment. He took the backward-facing seat across from her. "To the palace, please," Xelloss directed the man, and off they went. "I don't see any costumed children running the streets."
"Nope. Too early yet. They are all in their houses eating dinner or dressing for parties."
"I see. The dark is important to the event."
"Yeah, adds mystery."
Xelloss scooted forward, reaching out to hold one of her hands. He carried her hand to his face and smoothed it along his jaw line before lovingly placing a kiss on each knuckle. "I could ravish you right where you're sitting," he whispered.
The glimmer of danger in his eyes as he looked up sent shivers up her back. "With all this gear I've got on? You wouldn't have a chance!" she laughed.
"Don't tempt me." He smiled and leaned back.
It was a peasant notion to consider, but, as Lina had pointed out, complicated. His other plans would be undone if he ruined her dress, and those plans were potentially very fun and would end with Lina in his bed anyway. If he could keep her in this jolly mood.
Until they could retire in private, Xelloss hoped his little game at the palace would help. Humans were easy, thankfully, to manipulate, but they could also be difficult to understand at times. With his tolerance of life-affirming emotions, he was learning how to read people better. Did Lina suspect how valuable a gift she had bestowed on him when her enchantment made him a free demon who was able to endure and participate in the full spectrum of human emotions? What an opportunity he had before him to change the course of events at large! A flood of warmth circulated from his chest throughout his body and up to his head. He felt nearly giddy.
"Xelloss? What are you thinking about? Your aura is flaring."
"I just had a thought, dearest. I was wondering if my mistress, er... Lord Zelas, was aware of my entire situation? With this extended emotional palate you opened up for me, compounded with my immense power, why couldn't I achieve anything she might wish?"
"How about what you and I wish for?" Lina pointed out, even though Xelloss didn't seem to be listening to her.
"I had standing orders to carry out, which are in process." He smiled and stared at her rounding form. "And Lord Zelas did want something of yours incorporated into the demon race. What could that have been, do you think? Your magical power or your human 'never give up' spirit?"
"How about my good looks and good taste, things the demon race is notoriously short of?"
"Oh my..." Xelloss murmured intent on his own revelations and, again, failing to notice what Lina had said. "An outlandish thought just came to mind. Could Lord Zelas have even foreseen the breaking of my bond to her as a means to carrying out my orders successfully? Could it be that she is simply waiting for the birth of this child and then re-establish our link?"
"I don't think so." Lina flipped her hand in the air as if to toss his silly logic out the carriage window. "Zelas would have assumed it was possible for you to seduce me without love, right? I mean, most demons might even have enjoyed my terror and horror. I don't think she would have expected you to go as far as marrying me, although I could be wrong about that, but I'm sure she didn't expect you to trust me enough to let me dabble in dangerous spells on your psyche. It doesn't seem like the average requisite self-sacrificial act called upon for her general and priest in the course of an assignment. No, I am pretty sure Zelas had not counted on losing her right-hand-man."
Still, he couldn't get past the idea that he was part of some complex plan for the demon race to bring about the world's end, and that he needed to be a kind of "super demon" for the role. He sighed as the weight of responsibility pressed upon his mind, and he stared out the tiny window into the darkness. "There were so few of my kind remaining to carry out any kind of mission like this one."
"You are in an odd mood tonight. Is it that orange suit I made you buy? Oh, and could you please stop referring to me as your mission?"
Continuing to watch the passing night scenery, he chattered on as if she hadn't spoken. "I was the only one left with the power to sustain a flesh and blood form at all times, so naturally I had to be a central figure."
"Naturally. Listen, I think you're letting this Lord Xelloss thing go to your head, that's what I'm thinking." Lina leaded forward and put her hands on his knees, thinking that a good view down her bosom would certainly snap him out of his funk. "Where are you going with all this anyway?"
"There really is just me now." He closed his eyes and sighed dramatically.
Lina smiled. And there it was. Xelloss' problem surfacing at last: he was feeling lonely for his demon colleagues and having an identity crisis. Well, she could say a few things about them, draw him out, and play along. She sat back more comfortably. "Well, yeah, I guess that's true. Gaav, his priest, his general, and Valgaav are long gone."
"And Lord Phibrizzo lost both his priest and his general in the demon-dragon wars, and of course the demon lord himself was destroyed by you." He gazed at her through slitted eyes.
"Through me. The Lord of Nightmares did most the work in the end," Lina added most graciously. "How about those other dark lords? I've never seen them."
"Zelas would gather them together occasionally." His voice still held that melancholy tone.
"For tea and cookies?" Lina grinned.
"Possibly," he said flatly.
"How about the other middle management guys like you? Ever run into them?" She wondered just how much information on the subject of demons she might glean from her usually close-lipped husband tonight.
"Lord Deep Sea Dolphin never bothered having minions. She remained content to guard her sea post alone and is mostly forgotten. Only Lord Grauscherra still roams the astral plain occasionally. His general, Sherra, was destroyed by Milgasia's clan, as I think of it. How long ago has it been since I brushed spiritual bodies with Lord Grauscherra, I wonder?"
"What a sad lot the demon race has become!" Lina summarized.
Xelloss felt a tightening in his astral form. Did he regret severing his tie with his mistress? No, he decided, he was experiencing a feeling better described as deprivation. "I wonder, if without that connection with Lord Zelas, will I become like those other demon underlings we have been encountering? Will I just slip into slow decline, diminish, and eventually disappear due to lack of contact?"
He hadn't let panic cloud his thoughts, but Lina could see he needed reassurance immediately. Time to stop this destructive train of thought, she decided, and she quickly thought up a strong argument. "Not possible. You're different. Unique. You'll find a way to survive. You will. You have to survive, dammit Xelloss! You are no longer just following orders in some misguided chain of command. You have responsibilities. You have to make decisions, weigh the pros and cons, and live with the results. You have a family to protect, and don't you forget that!"
Xelloss smiled again and chucked. "What demon ever had that problem? Or any of my wide assortment of problems?"
Lina grasped her husband's arm. "None. Welcome to the complex but wonderful world of the human race."
He leaned forward into her hold and reached out for her, cupping her chin in his palm. He surprised her by saying, "You humans don't know how lucky you are."
Remembering how the demon underlings clung to their existence in a dismal sort of limbo, Lina was quick to respond. "Well, I can't speak for everyone, but I sure know it! Oooh!" Her hand patted her abdomen. "The baby moved. Kind of a fluttering. Weird."
"Really?" Xelloss was totally mystified by the internal processes going on inside his wife. "Can I– ?"
"Feel it? Not through all this clothing." She slapped his hands away, and then smiled. It was time to get her husband involved in their little miracle, but this wasn't the time to start anything that he could turn into a sexual encounter. "Later, maybe."
"Oh? All right, then. I do so love loving you, you know." He wasn't sure why she didn't want to be touched right then. No one was looking.
"Yeah, it's great too. Hey, we must be here. Look!"
The carriage slowed to a stop, and the driver announced, "The Palace of Seyruun."
Xelloss disappeared at the palace door the minute the prince and princess were sent for. "Later, love."
"Yeah, sure, let me barge right in all by myself," Lina grumbled to the empty air where her husband had once stood. She was led to a cozy waiting room where moments later Zelgadiss rushed in.
"Lina! What are you doing here? What's wrong? OH!" He froze in place, eyes trained on Lina, examining her carefully, but lingering on her chest area a moment too long to hide it. "Er, ah... you look amazing!" He crossed the space between them, took up her hand, and kissed it lightly. "I hope you're well?"
Lina blushed sweetly and smiled. "Why, thank you, Zel. You have acquired the manners of a gentleman." She pulled her hand away and pressed the folds of her skirt smooth. "Nothing is wrong. We were in the area and wanted to see the kids, and you guys as well."
"Good... But you look like... Are you attending a ball tonight?" He was still having trouble controlling his eyes.
"No, just fun dress-up for the holiday. Aren't you going out?"
"Well, with the children, but I wasn't thinking of putting on a costume. I guess I could." Zelgadiss took a couple of deep breaths and composed himself.
"And Amelia? Where's she tonight?"
"Oh, she's here, with the kids. She's getting them all dressed up, I guess. There is huge closet of clothes, as you can imagine. Some are antiques."
"So, she's bringing them straight here so I can see them, too?"
"Yes, certainly, as soon as she can. She wants to surprise you."
"Like I surprised you?" Lina's smile twisted into a little evil smirk.
"Well, no, I mean... that was different. I just can't get over how really nice you look, Lina."
"Ah, thanks, Zel. Xelloss picked it out. I don't look too fat, do I? I feel pretty good, but I look like I've been overeating."
Zelgadiss wanted to tell her that she always overate, but he didn't. Instead, he grew somber and lowered his voice. "You look more attractive than when we first met. You know, I didn't ever tell you, but I was, ah, quite taken by you back then. Of course, I wouldn't have said anything." With his simple revelation, Zel had expressed more fondness than he had intended.
"That's okay, Zel. You don't have to say anything more," Lina broke in. Please don't!
But he felt he should explain himself more completely. "Oh, it was so long ago. I thought you and Gourry were... close, so I didn't want to interfere, then Amelia grew up and I started noticing her. Still, when Gourry told us one time, when we were all together at some inn, that you and Xelloss were developing some mutual feelings for one another– I couldn't believe it. Lina, I never imagined that you would, could have feelings for a demon. Had I thought that, well, I might have..." He lurched toward her, grabbing her shoulders.
"Zelgadiss, stop!" Lina teetered under his greater weight, then clapped her hands over his and tried to pry them off. "I definitely do not want you to finish that thought. I don't know what's got into you tonight, or Xelloss either, but– "
The rest that Lina had to say was cut off by the arrival of a long missing acquaintance. "Oh, ho,ho,ho,hooo! Who have we here? My little sidekick? Oooh, and in a secret tryst with the prince, how naughty! But then, who am I to judge? Ohh, ho! No, I leave that to my baby sister, who– by the way, kids– is on her way with a passel of kiddies."
"Nahga? What in the seven hells are you doing here at the palace in Seyruun?" Lina snapped while tearing herself away from Zel and putting a chair and table between them.
"N-nahga? No, Lina. This is Gracie, Amelia's sister," Zel corrected as he opened his collar to cool his flushed face. "She visits us twice a year. You think you know each other?"
"Yes, dammit, Zel, I know her. I let her tag along with me when I was just getting started, you know, making it on my own and making a name for myself. Oh, and you stay right where you are, buster."
"Lina!"
"Mommy!"
"Hey, kids! Amelia, hi there!"
"And you already met my big sis, Gracie?"
"Well, actually she and I go way back," she began, but Lina was unable to complete her explanation yet again.
A burst of smoke and crackle of energy silenced everyone and filled the crowded room with a veil of black mist. Nahga coughed and tried to fan a clearing to see through. There began an undercurrent of tiny voices as the children began their own running commentary.
"Who is it? I can't see anything."
"Me neither, but it must be Daddy," Ernest assured them all.
"Or a magic pumpkin. Look!"
Xelloss solidified out of the ether, fangs prominent, eyes blazing in anger. "You! My faithful friend and my wife, bearing my child! I trusted you, both of you! And now, you, you... How long have you been sneaking around?"
He may have been asking both Lina and Zelgadiss, but Lina was justifiably mad at both men and refused to be drawn into such a ridiculous situation. Zelgadiss knew that they were innocent, but had a terribly guilty conscious for having revealed to Lina his past infatuation with her, so he spoke up. "Xelloss, you're nuts. There's nothing between Lina and me but a lifetime of friendship, and you know that."
"I know what I saw, and that was her– in your arms. Had this vision of loveliness not intervened when she did, who knows where this passion of yours would have taken you." Xelloss gestured widely his arm to encompass Nahga into his scene.
Amelia stared at Xelloss, while Zelgadiss watched his wife carry on calmly in spite of the demon's terrible insinuations. "Vision of...? Do you mean my sister, Pricess Gracie, Mr. Xelloss? Are you feeling all right?"
Nahga preened and sauntered up closer to Xelloss then cooed, "We haven't been formally introduced, mister...er... I didn't catch yer name there."
Lina looked imperious and frightfully beautiful at the same time. She had had enough of Xelloss' madness. "Is this some kind of a mid-life crisis for you Xelloss? Because if it is, I'll let you off easy for all this and forget it. Now shut down the fireworks and say hello to your children, whom you haven't seen in a month."
"Mother looks pretty," Maddie whispered.
"Your Dad seems mad about something."
"Naw, he's just messing around. He's always doing weird stuff. I'm really glad he's not hanging around here all the time."
"Yeah, he can be so embarrassing."
"Maybe, but he's got cool teeth."
"They're fake. His real ones are longer."
"He's funny."
"He's a demon."
"What's that?"
"Something weirder than dragons."
"Well, I hope he gets done soon so we can go out," Zel's boy told the other kids.
In the meantime, Xelloss began mustering dark forces, preparing to blast the hell out of something in his jealous rage. He pulled a sword out of thin air and pointed it at Zelgadiss. "I should kill you on the spot, but that would create orphans. Besides," he said as he swung the point toward Lina, "I would still have you to remind me of this day. No, I must make you both suffer."
"Now, Mr. Xelloss, I demand that you take this outside right now!" Amelia shouted, stamping her foot angrily. "It sounds like nonsense to me, and I think you need to go cool off."
He tilted his head toward the princess, absorbing her anger, building his power for a violent strike. "Sorry, no." Lightening quick, he pulled up behind Lina, wrapped her with his free arm and held the sword above her cleavage. His hands didn't tremble, such was his great strength. "Don't move, honey," he whispered into her ear.
"Oh, no!" Amelia cried out and delivered a white magic spell aimed at his face.
A brilliant white flash lit the room, dazzling everyone, but Xelloss hardly blinked. "You can't stop me from completing my orders. Lina will be forever parted from you, because she will be mine, all mine for eternity after I transform her into my demon slave."
"Are you mad? Xelloss! That's your wife! The best thing that's ever happened to you! And your child!" Zelgadiss yelled. Under his breath he was preparing an incantation, nodding to Amelia to back him up.
"Stop him for the sake of Justice!" Amelia shouted at her husband. Zelgadiss lunged himself at the feral looking demon.
"Golem Create!" Nahga screamed as she continued to wildly shoot off multiple spells.
"It's too late!" Xelloss plunged the sword into Lina's rarely-before-seen bosom. Blood gushed from the wound, a fine spray dotting his clothes, ruining her fine silk gown.
"Lina!" Amelia wailed.
"It's a fake sword. The blade jiggled into the handle, see?" scoffed Zel's boy in a whisper to his younger friends.
"Yeah, cool. The blood's not real either. You can tell from the smell." said one of Xelloss' younger boys, who was very impressed with the older princeling.
"Think your dad will let us play with it when he's done?"
"Sure, he won't care."
"Cool."
While Xelloss held the blade inside Lina, he was also chanting a dark magic resurrection spell. The diamonds on her necklace glittered in the sparkling energy of the powerful spells circulating in the air above them. Everyone in the room could feel its power as icy fingers running over their skin and prickling the nerves. "Open your eyes, wake up, Lina Metallium!"
Zelgadiss slammed into the pair, knocking the sword into the air, and hollering, "Nooooo!"
"Oof!" went the air out of Xelloss.
"Gaah!" yelped Zel.
The children scrambled for the sword under his feet. "Got it!"
Zelgadiss turned to cast his Rah Tilt into Xelloss' chest when Nahga's spell hit him full force and sent sparks shooting off his rocky protuberances. He collapsed in a glowing heap.
"Put that nasty thing down," Amelia yelled, ordering her son to drop the bloody sword. She was pushing all the children to safety. "Maddie, help me!"
"But, but... we don't want to miss the fun!"
Lina, unharmed and looking only slightly disheveled, regained her feet using Xelloss to brace herself. "Hey, what happened to Zelgadiss? What kinda spell did you hit him with, Nahga?"
"L-Lina? You... you're okay?" Amelia stammered in shock at the doorway.
"Oh, my gods! What have I done? What have I done!" Nahga screamed hysterically, jumping up and down and distracting Xelloss completely.
"What? Oh, my husband!" Amelia spun about, and then jumped over a wide-eyed Lina to cradle her husband's head. "Zelgadiss!"
Xelloss, instantly was on the prone chimera man, checking his vital signs. "He's breathing, I think."
"Go away! Haven't you done enough harm? Don't touch him!"
"Ah, Amelia," Lina joining the others as she sank to Zelgadiss' side. "I don't think Xelloss did anything, really. Whoa... what's happening to Zel?"
As everyone stared, Zelgadiss' glowing skin shimmered a moment, then smoothed. Amelia gasped. "He-he-"
"He's been transformed," Xelloss supplied the words for them all. "See, he's lost the rock golem part." The rocky surface of the exposed skin crumbled into dust, his wiry hair tinkled like tiny chimes as it fell to the hard slate flooring.
"His hair is dark and so soft," Amelia said as she tenderly swept the dust off his face and into her pocket. Lovingly she ran her fingers over new eyebrows. Without the rocks, his face appeared gentle and youthful.
"His skin's still blue, but not rocky," Nahga pointed out unnecessarily. "I don't get it. What happened? And why are you looking like Lina and not some crazed demon?"
"Because I am Lina. It was all put on, an act, not real. Xelloss– "
Xelloss pointed to one of Zelgadiss' pointed ears. "Somehow, the combination of the two spells, Miss Nahga's and mine, destroyed the component of the chimera charm holding the golem part together. He's still a low-level demon half-breed, but..."
Zelgadiss' long, dark eyelashes fluttered. "I heard that," Zelgadiss grumbled, blinked a few times, and then opened his familiar piercing-blue eyes. "You gods-be-damned, mother–"
"Darling, hush!" Amelia covered her husband's lips with a finger tip. "Xelloss was just playing a practical joke, so you don't need to call him bad names. See? Lina is just fine." She added in a whisper, "The children are coming over to see you. Look at your hands."
"My gods!" Zelgadiss screeched.
It took several more minutes for him to calm down and to have everything explained from the beginning. He tested his limbs making sure he was really unharmed and free of rock, and couldn't stop smiling. "If this could be done, then the rest can be undone as well!" he exclaimed hopefully.
"Of course, dear," Amelia patted his arm. "We'll find a way. Won't we children?"
"Hey, Dad, you look like an elf! Ha, ha!"
"I think he's really cute, for an older man." Maddie blushed then clammed up as Zelgadiss turned his attention on her.
Xelloss couldn't avoid being yelled at by Lina, but since everything ended well, his joke "in very bad taste, I might add" was forgiven.
"Next time, you should probably feed Mom, sir," Maddie explained to the prince.
"I should feed...what are you talking about?" Zelgadiss asked.
Her advice was rewarded with blank looks from all the adults. Maddie screwed up her face and rolled her eyes. "Aw, come on! You know, trick or treat? Halloween? Give her a treat or you'll get a trick?" Maddie sighed, resigned to the denseness of stupid adults. "Come on guys, let's go out and get some candy."
Zelgadiss turned toward Lina and Xelloss, a frown forming between his eyes. "This, this all didn't happen just because you had to wait a few minutes without food. Tell me it isn't true."
Xelloss shrugged. "Well, if you'd been a better host, and you know exactly what I'm referring to, then maybe not." He waggled a finger in Zel's face and smiled knowingly. "Ho, no, actually, I had it all planned out. I would have done it anyway, but it might have made Lina a lot happier."
Zelgadiss couldn't believe that Xelloss actually thought he had acted out of line. "But I didn't mean, I wasn't trying anything. You know that, Xelloss. You know I'd never...that Lina would never, ever even think about another. You know that!"
"Of course I do, but it was so fun seeing you squirm like that!" Xelloss chuckled and ducked Zel's harmless punch. He danced out of harm's way and began to look around for his trick sword.
"Oh, I don't know, Zel," Lina smiled impishly. "Now that you're so cute, I might take you up on that proposal of yours."
Xelloss and Zelgadiss squawked, "What?"
"Ha, ha, ha, he, he, heh..." Lina burst into laughter, cackling for all the world like the demon sorceress Xelloss might have created, had he tried.
Zelgadiss blanched and slipped far away from both of his crazy friends and to his sensible wife's side. Unfortunately, he collided with his sister-in-law as she glided over between Xelloss and Lina. "Eep! Excuse me!" He rubbed his shoulder. He was no longer shielded by a rock surface. The enormity of his body's change was still sinking in. He craved his privacy and wanted some now. He felt the need to complain a little to his wife, "Amelia, who invited all these people?"
"Oh, ho, hoooo! Lina do you remember that time in the hot springs when you goaded that guy into a drinking contest and–"
Amelia collected wraps for everyone, while Lina and Nahga started laughing about some event they recalled from "the good old days." "Miss Lina, are you going out like that, with all that gore?"
"Sure, it's Halloween. Part of the costume. Now, where was I? Oh, hello sweetie, did you like your daddy's little joke?"
"I wanna sword like that."
"You'll have to go beg off your dad, sorry. No swords on me. Now, Nahga, those golem spells of yours never were a sure thing, ya know."
"Oh, ho! But there was this one, did I ever tell you about it?"
The younger children vied for their parent's attention, jumping up and down and screaming. Amelia gathered a few and herded everyone out of the room, and out of the palace.
"I just can't get over it," Zelgadiss repeated as he wound his wife's arm around his. "I feel so lightweight."
"I wonder how it will feel when we cuddle," Amelia giggled.
His jaw dropped as if being naked in bed with his wife with soft skin had never occurred to him. It probably hadn't until that moment. "I think Lina and Xelloss can take care of the kids, don't you?"
"With Gracie along I think they'll all make it back." She smiled and called out to the others. "You go on. We have some...personal business to catch up on."
"Have fun!" Lina shouted back. "Hey, watch where you're putting those hands," she growled at her husband. He was fingering her necklace thoughtfully.
"I think you should take this off."
"What? No one's gonna steal it, if that's what you're all worried about."
"No, it not that at all. I think it's enchanted. I think it affects demons. I feel its energy, and it make me feel peculiar."
"Introspective as well, maybe? You know, Zel was acting a little loony, too. Hey, do you think it may have had something to do with his transformation?"
"Possibly, and that's what has me concerned. I don't understand how it works, or what it can do."
"What should I do with it? Certainly not give it to one of the kids."
His eyes rested on the tall attractive woman with the loud voice and swinging hips undulating provocatively in front of him. "Her. Give it to Nahga and tell her to keep it a secret and be careful with it. No, let me. I'll do it."
Before Lina could stop him, he had whisked away the diamonds and had pulled Nahga to the side. They walked nearly head to head; she was as tall as he and built like a fighter. Lina couldn't get close enough to listen in, but she tried. Whatever Xelloss said, it pleased Nahga. She was bobbing her head and pocketing the expensive jewelry before Lina could take it away. "Don't you worry! The Great White Serpent is particularly good with secrets. And should you ever decide to ditch the little pipsqueak–"
"No, no! That will be all, thank you. I'll let you know when I want them back." He smiled and stepped back, joining Lina and the children. "Lina?"
"What?"
"I think it's time to pay Milgasia and family a visit. Val's sibling should be hatching any day now and I need to speak to Mil."
"About the necklace? You think it's a dragon design?"
"I hope it is as simple as that."
"Okay. Do we have more demons to accumulate while we're at it?"
"I'll have to look into that. Now, let's enjoy the rest of the evening's festivities, okay?"
"Sure." Lina smiled up at her dashing husband, feeling good. She had already emptied one bag of candy into her mouth and was happy to stroll and take more free food. "How about some atmosphere?"
"As you wish," he purred. He staff was reduced to walking stick, which he now raised and swept the skyline. Thousands of bats fluttered erratically overhead at his whispered word. Another casting and hundreds of rats skittered out of the shadows. The children giggled and screamed, while other folks walking the night cried out in horror. He called upon his minions to appear from unexpected places– a window ledge, an upturned box, a stack of papers– and wail and moan. "How's that?"
"Better," Lina said with an affectionate squeeze to his arm.
"Did I tell how much I love this holiday?"
"No, do you?"
"Oh, yes. I'm feeling, well, touched. It's a little like being back on the island in my younger days."
"You miss it that much?"
"No, not really. This is enough. Just right. Home is with you now."
"Now and always, remember that."
"I shall."
Happy Haunting.