"The two of you are, without a shadow of a doubt, the biggest disgraces to ever wear the uniform of the Sairaag City Guard!  If I wasn't shorthanded already, I'd can both of your useless hides!"  Captain Gaav, clad in his garish orange trench coat, had been reprimanding Zangulus and Gourry for the last fifteen minutes.  "Zangladus!" he bellowed.

Zangulus quickly saluted.  "Sir, it's um Zangulus, sir!"  He was sweating profusely.

Gaav's eyes narrowed dangerously.

Zangulus nodded quickly.  "Zangladus will do nicely sir."

"What in the hell were you thinking last night?!"  Gaav slammed his fist down on the desk.  "Congratulations!  You have single handedly made this department the laughingstock of the city!"

"Yes sir!"  Zangulus had been found earlier that morning, dangling by his feet from the top of a flagpole wearing nothing but his hat and a mortified expression.  He glared at Gourry angrily.  "My partner was missing last night and I got in a little over my head, sir."

Gaav raised a bushy red eyebrow, and his deadly gaze turned to the other man standing in his office.  "Oh?  You were 'missing', Gabriev?"

Gourry smiled and shook his head.  "No sir.  I knew where I was at all times last night."  He scratched his head briefly.  "At least I think I knew."  He watched Gaav's expression with wide eyes.  "Did you know that your face is almost as red as your hair, sir?"

Zangulus stared at Gourry, a look of utter horror etched into his face.  He squeaked, "Oh my god…"

Gaav's eye twitched.  A moment later his deep laughter rang through the office.  "That's very good, Gabriev!  You're a comedian.  I like that."  He slowly stood up.  At seven feet tall, he easily loomed over the two guards.  "I've got the perfect assignment for a couple of comedians."  He clapped Zangulus on the back causing him to stagger.

Zangulus cleared his throat.  "Just for the record sir, I think your face looks fine."

Gaav glared at him for a moment.

Zangulus nodded briefly.  "I'll shut up now."

"Glad to hear it, Zangladus.  Now, take a look at this."  Gaav walked over to a map of the city pinned on one of his office walls.  He pointed to a spot near the waterfront.  "See this area?  Get to know it.  It's your new patrol route."  He sat back down and grinned evilly.  "Boys, you are dismissed."

Zangulus examined the map for a moment.  His eyes widened when he recognized the location.  "Sir, you can't be serious.  They kill guards for sport down there.  Isn't there any alternative?"

Gaav leaned back in his chair and put his feet on the desk.  He put his hands behind his head and thought for a moment.   "Well, I briefly considered killing the two of you myself.  That's an alternative I suppose."  He sighed.  "But I just can't see doing twenty to life just for the small pleasure of strangling you wastes of space.  Can you?"

Zangulus nodded.  "I agree completely, sir."  He hissed at Gourry, "Let's go before he changes his mind!"

After the two guards had made a hasty retreat from Gaav's office, he pulled a bottle of aspirin from a drawer.  He dry swallowed two of the tablets and massaged his temples, "God damn comedians."

************************************************************************

Lina frowned as she poked absentmindedly at her stew.  It was really quite good, but she wasn't really hungry.  Her mind wandered to the events of the past couple days.  It was just supposed to be a quick hunt in Sairaag.  Come into town, kill Lupin, and be off again.  She sighed.  Things had gotten complicated so quickly.  First there was the idiotic mistake with Lupin.  Then there was that werewolf that was following her, and Zelgadis.  She knew that he had some sort of agenda, and then of course there was that guard.  She whispered, "Gourry…"

Xellos watched Lina out of the corner of his eye as she struggled to sort out her problems.  It really wasn't fair.  A girl her age should have been out enjoying life instead of worrying about the demons of the night.   "A silver for your thoughts, young lady?" he said as he took a seat on the opposite side of the table.  "You look troubled."

Lina shook her head and smiled insincerely.  "Nothing's wrong.  I was just thinking."  She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, as Xellos seemed to stare right through her.

"As you say," Xellos said after a long moment of scrutiny.  He winked at her and began to rummage around in his pocket.  "But, assuming that there was something wrong, I thought that this might help."

Lina giggled when she saw what he was holding.  "Cherry, right?" she asked as she took the lollypop.  "Hey, what is this?" she asked trying to determine what kind of animal it was shaped as.

Xellos poured himself some tea, "Jellyfish."

Her mirth faded as she looked at it.  "Candy doesn't help me forget my problems anymore."  She thought back to the events of the past few days.  She recalled having her throat licked by Lupin with a shudder.

Xellos looked at Lina sadly, as if he could sense her thoughts.  "I know.  But there are other methods of dealing with your problems, Lina."  He put his elbows on the table and cupped his face in his hands.

Lina rolled her eyes.  "Assuming I had a problem, which I don't…"

Xellos nodded and took a sip of his tea, "Of course not."

Lina sighed, "What would you suggest?"

Xellos smiled impishly.  "I believe that's something you'll have to find out for yourself.  I will tell you that it's closer than you think."

Lina groaned.  "Xellos, you are the biggest pain in the ass I've ever met.  Can't you ever give me an easy answer?"

The mischievous glint in Xellos's eyes was answer enough.

Lina snorted and pushed her chair away from the table.  She looked out the window at the setting sun and muttered, "I've got to go.  I'll see you later."  She glanced at Xellos expecting some sort of response.

Xellos gazed out the window, a thoughtful expression on his face.  He gave no indication that he had heard Lina.

Lina rolled her eyes and turned to leave.  "Bye."  She had opened the door and was about to leave when the priest spoke.

"When was the last time you saw the midday sun?" Xellos asked suddenly.  His gaze never left the window.

Lina furrowed her brow in thought.  "I don't know.  It has to have been a couple of years at least.  Why?"

"Why do you suppose that is, Lina?"

Lina put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot impatiently.  "Come on Xellos.  I don't have time to play right now." 

"I don't play games Lina.  I leave that to the young and the young at heart."  Xellos grinned. 

"Then why the annoying questions?"

"I'm inquisitive.  Humor an old man."

Lina muttered, "Damn fruitcake."  She shook her head irritably.  "Xellos, you're starting to piss me off.  Lay off the interrogation, alright?"  She waited a moment for the priest to say something, but he seemed content to watch the setting sun with that wistful expression on his face.  "Oh, for the love of… Fine!  We'll do things your way."  She stormed back across the room and sat down in the chair.  She crossed her arms angrily.  "My targets move by night.  I have to, too.  Can I go now?"

Xellos chuckled.  "I don't recall telling you that you had to stay, Lina."  He finally looked away from the window, fixing his amethyst eyes on her ruby ones.  "Listen to me.  The creatures you hunt thrive on darkness.  It provides their sustenance and shelter."

"I know that.  What's your point?"

"Humans need light.  When they spend too much time in the dark, they risk embracing the darkness themselves.  Do you get my meaning?"

Lina felt a pang of guilt.  She suddenly had the strange idea that Xellos knew what she had done to Dilgear.  He knew about the torture that she had inflicted on the werewolf.  She suddenly found herself unable to meet Xellos's steady gaze.  She muttered, "Sorry."

Xellos shook his head and chuckled contentedly.  "No need for apologies, Lina.  The fact that you understood my meaning speaks volumes about your character."  He stood and walked over to her.

Lina wrapped her arms around Xellos's waist.  "I do understand."

Xellos helped her out of her chair and kissed her forehead.  "May Ceiphied's light always shine upon you."

Lina nodded wordlessly and turned to leave.  As usual, Xellos had given her a lot to think about.

"Lina?  You might want to consider seeing what the morning has to offer.  Things often look far different when viewed by the light of the sun."  Xellos winked at her.  "Now, I'm off to the church.  I've a sermon to finish for tomorrow.  You will be there, won't you?"

Lina nodded again before walking out into the night…

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A long line of brightly painted wagons made their way through the forest.  The sun was setting behind the mountains, dragging the world into twilight.  As dusk swept over the land, the sounds of the forest faded as well.  The creatures of the night were reluctant to sing their songs just yet, preferring to wait for absolute darkness to announce their presence.

The sound of loud laughter emanated from one brightly lit wagon, shattering the silence of the twilight. 

Amelia wil Tesla Seyruun was a normally a very cheerful girl.  Right now though, she was frowning in concentration.  Her future was unfolding in front of her.  Well, if you believed Martina, anyway.  She stared into the crystal orb seeing nothing but shadows.  "Hey Martina, are you sure that you see all that stuff in there?"

Martina laughed.  "Of course!  See?"  She pointed to a seemingly random spot on the crystal ball.  "It says right there, that you have a great destiny ahead of you."

"A great destiny?" Amelia whispered.  "I wonder what it could be?"  She played absentmindedly with an elaborate gold ring hanging from a simple chain around her neck.  It had been a gift from her father before he passed away when she was a child.

Amelia was a dark haired beauty with piercing blue eyes.  She had a slim body that was finely toned from constant exercise.  Despite the fact that she was only sixteen years old, she was already by far the best acrobat in the circus.

"Ooh, now it's saying that soon you will meet your one true love.  How very romantic!"  Martina's eyes sparkled with barely contained joy.  "Oh, I'm so jealous of you, Amelia!"

Amelia blushed and giggled.  "Really?  My one true love?"  She looked into the crystal ball with renewed interest.  "Where does it say that?  How soon?"

"Amelia, don't tell me that you honestly believe in that stuff."  Amelia's cousin Alfred leaned against the wall of the wagon.  He grinned.  "That's just a load of poppycock to fool the rubes."

Martina shot Alfred a dirty look.  "Poppycock?  Listen, just because I don't see any romance in your future, doesn't mean that my powers of divination are false."  She looked him over with contempt.  "Actually, I'd say that my inability to see love in your future proves that my powers are real."

Alfred grinned.  "That hurts."

Martina snorted derisively and turned back to her crystal ball.   "Pay no attention to him, Amelia."

Amelia shook her head.  "I'm just having some fun Alfred."

"Whatever."  Alfred rolled his eyes and walked away.  He called over his shoulder, "You really should be practicing your routine for the show though."

"I know, I know.  I will in a second."  Making sure that Alfred's attention was somewhere else, Amelia looked into the crystal ball again.  She whispered to Martina, "What do you see now?"

Martina got a faraway look in her eyes as she gazed into the depths of her crystal.  "He's tall, fair skinned, with dark hair."  She looked at Amelia.  "This is amazing.  Usually the images are vague, but I'm really getting an excellent picture!  He's dressed in white and dashingly handsome."  She groaned in frustration.  "Oh, you get all the luck!  I can't divine anything about myself today."

Amelia looked out the window of the wagon dreamily.  She whispered, "A handsome man dressed in white.  He must be a gallant knight or a kindly priest."  She shook her head and giggled.  "I'm being stupid."  She knew that it wasn't true of course.  Nobody could really tell the future, after all.  "It sure would be nice though."

Alfred called out to her.  "Amelia, let's practice, shall we?  We'll be in Sairaag tomorrow and I want to make sure we're at our best."  He picked up some sticks and began to juggle them effortlessly. 

Amelia sighed and grabbed a handful of knives from a box of props in the corner.  She began to juggle these with an ease that came from years of practice.  She threw one at Alfred's head, which he deftly caught and began to juggle.

"So, you're going to find your Prince Charming, Amelia?"  Alfred grinned wryly as he threw one of the sticks to Amelia.  During the show tomorrow, they would be on fire. "Are you really going to give up the exciting life of a performer and settle down?" he asked teasingly.

"Of course not!"  Amelia threw one of the knives too hard and it went sailing over Alfred's head.  "Whoops!"

Martina screamed and ducked in the nick of time. The knife imbedded itself in the wall behind her.  "Hey, be careful you guys!"

Alfred chuckled.  "What's the matter, Martina?  Didn't your mystical powers warn you that was going to happen?"  He nodded at Amelia.  "Let's do two at a time now."  They began to throw objects back and forth simultaneously.

Martina bristled.  "My powers of divination do not concern themselves with such trivial matters."  She pulled the knife from the wall and tossed it to Alfred.

Alfred caught the blade easily.  "Thanks.  Oh, so instead of protecting your health, your 'powers' only show you 'important' things like love?"  He grimaced as he missed a catch.  "Oops, duck Martina."

"What?"  Martina turned towards Alfred just in time to be struck between the eyes by one of their torches.  "Ow."

************************************************************************

Zelgadis's eyes flew open.  Something was amiss.  He glanced around his chamber suspiciously.  He had sensed something just now.  Some power had touched his mind as he slept.  He yelled, "Zolf!"

Zolf came running out of the darkness carrying Zelgadis's white cloak.  "Master?"

Zelgadis glared at Zolf and snatched his cape from his servant's hands.  "Divination.  Someone has been spying upon me Zolf."  He flung his cape over his shoulders and fastened it as he quickly moved up the stairs.

"Are you sure, my lord?"  Zolf almost had to run to keep up with Zelgadis's long strides. 

"I'm no fool Zolf."

"What would you have me do, lord?"

"Find out who is doing it and inform me immediately."  Zelgadis pushed the stone door at the top of the stairs open effortlessly.

Zolf bowed low.  "Yes master.  Where are you going?"

"Out", was Zelgadis's terse reply.  An image of the mysterious priest flashed across his mind.  "There's an annoying fly that needs swatting."  There was the sound of rustling fabric as the wind caught his cape and then he was gone.

************************************************************************

"Hey cutie pie.  A pretty girl like you shouldn't have to drink alone."  A tall sweaty man wearing rough looking clothes took a seat next to Lina at the bar.  "The name's Rath."

Lina scrunched up her nose in disgust.  The man smelled like a sickening combination of cheap booze and vomit.  She sighed and took another swallow from her glass.  She forced a smile.  "Pleased to meet you, Rat."

Rath laughed uproariously and pounded on the bar with his fist.  "Rat!  That's a good one sweetie!  So, what's your name?"

Lina drained her glass and slammed it down on the bar.  She turned to Rath and sighed.  "I'm sorry.  Let's cut to the chase here.  Are you buying?"

Rath's eyes moved over Lina's body greedily.  "All night long, sweetie.  And that's not all I can do all night-"

Lina cut him off with a raised hand.  "Okay, that's lovely.  The name's Lina."  She called out to the bartender.  "Hey!  Two more down here and keep them coming!" 

"Lina?  That's a pretty name for a pretty lady."

Lina rolled her eyes.  Fine.  She could make nice if it meant free booze.  Fresh drink in hand, she turned back to her new companion.  "Aw, aren't you sweet?  So Rat, what's a charming fellow like you doing in a dive like this?"

Rath grinned uneasily.  "Uh, it's Rath.  Not Rat.  Okay?"

Lina took a sip of her drink and raised an eyebrow.  "Well?"

Rath shrugged.  "I reckon I'm doing the same thing you are sweetie."

"Oh?"  Lina grinned as she finished off her drink.  "And what's that, handsome?"

Rath smiled revealing that he was missing a couple teeth.  "Looking for some loving, baby."  He reached out and roughly caressed Lina's upper thigh with a greasy hand.

Lina blinked in feigned surprise and calmly put her glass down.  "You know, that's funny."  She reached into her cloak and pulled out a wooden stake.  Before Rath could move, she had slammed it down point first, pinning his sleeve to the bar.  Her eyes glinting with dangerous mirth, she said, "I'm looking for some parasites to exterminate.  You look like you might just fit the bill."

Rath's face had gone as white as a sheet as he looked at her.

Lina looked down in disgust.  She glared at Rath and hissed, "Get your god damn hand off my leg or I will."

"Yes ma'am!"  Rath snatched his hand back as if he had been burned.

"That's good, Rat."  With a grunt, Lina pulled the stake out of bar and secreted it in her cloak.  She picked up her second drink and nodded towards the door.  "Now, run away."

Rath fell off his stool in his haste to escape Lina's presence.  He crawled across the floor for a few moments, much to Lina's amusement, before reaching his feet and darting out the door.

Lina watched Rath depart with a mixture of humor and disgust on her face.  She looked around the room.  Apparently, everyone else in the tavern was pretty interested in what had just happened.  She shook her fist and yelled, "Anyone else want to try to cop a feel?!"

Everyone that had been staring at her suddenly found something else to occupy his or her attention.

Lina muttered, "Perverts", before turning back to the bar.  She knew that her actions just now had been incredibly stupid.  Slayers survived only because of the element of surprise.  Staking a guy to the counter just to prove a point was hardly subtle.  Still, he had deserved it.  If she hadn't had so much to think about, she would have followed him outside and kicked his ass too.  She looked up briefly, wondering if she could catch up to him.  She needed to blow off some steam.  Tonight had been nothing but one small frustration after another.

First of all, Xellos had given Lina that lecture.  Despite his good intentions, thinking about that kind of stuff while she was on the job could very well get her killed.  Couldn't he have waited until some other time when she wasn't working?  She chuckled, "Well, when would that be, stupid?"  Hunting was her life. 

Which brought Lina to her second problem.  She slammed her fist down on the counter in frustration.  There had been no clues tonight.  Her normal pattern of hunting involved picking up rumors in sleazy places like this about disappearances or strange occurrences, following up on them, and putting a bloody end to some beastie.  Tonight she had gotten absolutely nothing to work with.

Finally, there was the small matter that Gourry hadn't shown up.  She had told him where to meet her earlier in the evening, but he never came.  "Well, that's good", she muttered.  "He'd only get in your way you know."  She sighed sadly.  If that was true, then why did she feel so disappointed?  She muttered, "Gourry, you jellyfish."

Jellyfish had been a nickname for Gourry that Lina had come up with earlier in the day when Xellos gave her that lollipop.  It just clicked.  After all, Gourry's head was about as soft as a jellyfish's body.  It made sense.  She giggled at the thought and reached into her pocket.  Thinking of the candy had made her kind of hungry.  She frowned as she rummaged around.  "Did I lose it?  Ah, there it is!"  Something else fell out of her pocket as she pulled out the candy.  She looked at the lollipop for a moment.  "A jellyfish, huh?"  She popped it into her mouth with a grin.  She looked down and saw two small cards on the floor.  "What's this?"  She picked up the cards and read them aloud.  "Admit one to the Seyruun Family Circus.  Huh.  Where'd these come from?"

As Lina pondered this new mystery, two pairs of eyes observed her from a dark corner of the room.

************************************************************************

"Oh dear.  This won't do at all."  Xellos scribbled out a paragraph and started writing anew.  Inspiring Ceiphied's children had become harder and harder lately.  After all, he mused, they didn't really have much reason to be hopeful.  The government was rife with corruption and dark things stalked the streets after nightfall.  Hardly a positive environment for the average citizen of Sairaag. 

A slight breeze blew through the cathedral, causing the candles on Xellos's desk to flicker.  The room seemed to become a little darker and more ominous.  The priest heard the rustling of fabric at the back of the room. 

Xellos muttered, "Speaking of dark things…"  He grinned and called out over his shoulder, "My sermon isn't until tomorrow morning.  I'll thank you to leave me in peace."  He heard a sharp intake of breath and the quiet scraping of a shoe on the wooden floor.  He sighed.  Apparently, this one couldn't take a hint. 

Zelgadis took a cautious step towards the desk.  Despite all his efforts, somehow he had been detected.  Deciding that subtlety was out of the question, he strode up the aisle and called out to Xellos, "Learn your place, old man.  Do you know who I am?"  He flicked his cape over his shoulder and took a seat in the pew closest to Xellos.

Xellos continued to write, not even bothering to face Zelgadis.  "I'm sorry, Lord Greywords, perhaps I didn't make myself clear.  I'm quite busy at the moment and would appreciate it if you didn't bother me."  Finishing a paragraph, he finally turned to face his uninvited guest.  "Don't you even have enough manners to knock before barging into my church?"

Zelgadis laughed quietly.  "Your' church?  Xellos, surely you understand that the government controls all aspects of the church and I control the government."

Xellos stood and glared at Zelgadis darkly.  "I serve no government.  Especially one as dark as yours."

A sudden gust of wind blew out the candles that Xellos had been writing by.  The interior of the church was plunged into blackness.

Zelgadis leapt to his feet and drew his sword.  His sensitive eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, but the priest was nowhere to be seen.  He muttered, "How the hell?"

Xellos's mocking laughter seemed to come from all sides.  "Come now, Lord Greywords.  Surely you can do better than this."

Zelgadis tried to look everywhere at once.  The pews, the rafters, the alcoves.  There were so many places that the priest could be hiding.  He growled, "Are you a coward?  Come out and face me!"

Xellos's voice whispered into Zelgadis's ear.  "A coward?"  A quiet chuckle emanated from the darkness.  "I fear no creature that walks this world.  Not even one caught between light and darkness."

Zelgadis's eyes widened and he spun around.  The trickster was nowhere to be seen.  "How did you know that?  What's your game Xellos?"

"I don't play games Zelgadis."  Xellos melted out of the shadows behind Zelgadis, silent as a ghost.  With a quick sweep of his staff, Zelgadis was on his back.

Zelgadis quickly turned to grab his sword, which had fallen just out of reach, when he felt pressure on his throat.  He looked up to see Xellos, his eyes hidden by shadow, smiling at him.

Xellos put a foot on Zelgadis's chest and applied more pressure to the staff that was pressed painfully against Zelgadis's throat.  He glanced at Zelgadis's sword and smirked.  "How rude.  You're a guest in my home and you try to murder me?"

Zelgadis gasped for air.  "You're not human." 

Xellos chuckled.  "Oh my!  Isn't that a case of the pot calling the kettle black?"

Zelgadis grabbed the end of Xellos's staff and struggled in vain to relieve some of the pressure on his neck.  He spat, "What's your interest in Inverse?  Whom do you serve?"

Xellos laughed long and loud.  "Lord Greywords, do you think that this is some kind of interrogation?  I'd like to point out that you're the one on his back at my mercy."  He released Zelgadis and stepped back into the shadows.  "However, I'll alleviate your fears.  We have the same goals, you and I.  You could think of us as allies in a way."

"Yeah right!"  Zelgadis snatched up his sword and assumed a defensive stance.  "You expect me to trust you?"  He desperately tried to pinpoint the origin of Xellos's voice in the darkness.

"Whether you believe me or not is really up to you.  It makes absolutely no difference to me.  Now, I trust that you can show yourself out."

Zelgadis's sensitive ears twitched and he grinned.  Xellos's voice was coming from a place just to his left, a few feet away.  He turned and threw his sword like a javelin.  There was a satisfying thwack as it struck a humanoid shape in the shadows.  He muttered, "Got you Xellos."

Suddenly, the candles that had been snuffed out sprang back to life illuminating the room.

Zelgadis's eyes widened in shock.  Instead of the mysterious priest, his sword was buried up to the hilt in a life sized wood statue of Rezo the White.  He walked over to the wooden figure and pulled his sword free of its chest.  He whispered, "A small taste of things to come, father."

Crouched in the rafters of the cathedral, Xellos smiled.

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  Discoveries and new mysteries.  Lina meets the Slayers.

Notes:  Hmm, I liked this chapter.  Not too much action, but a lot of groundwork laid for the rest of the story.  I think that Martina and Amelia's part in the story should be interesting.  I hope so anyway.  Gah, I'm just rambling now.

Reviewer Response:

Pogo, I hope you enjoyed the Xellos part.  He's going to be in the background for the next couple chapters.

Miss Gabriev, I think I answered all your questions.  Well, no I didn't, but if I did, why would you keep reading?

CT, I think this chapter answered your question about Zel and Lina will be meeting Sylphiel under rather… unpleasant circumstances in the next chapter.  Hope you liked Amelia's part.

Masaki, Glad you liked the atmosphere.  I didn't know if I was doing a good job with it or not.  Regarding Sylphiel, at this point she doesn't have a huge part in the story, but since I've only done the rough outline of the story, her role might get bigger as I flesh it out.

Thanks for reading everyone.