"No!  Absolutely not!"  Lina, clad only in soapsuds from the bath she had just been in, backed away from Sylphiel.  She stared daggers at the older girl, her face a bright shade of red.  "There's no way!  I refuse to do this!"

Sylphiel chuckled nervously and advanced on Lina.  "Now Miss Lina…"  She ducked a soapy sponge that Lina tossed at her head.  "Please don't make a scene.  You don't want anyone to hear, do you?"  She smiled reassuringly.  "I'm sure you'll love it if you give it a chance."

Lina quickly darted to Sylphiel's left, trying to make it out the door but was even more quickly cut off.  She shook her head angrily as Sylphiel continued to back her into a corner.  "I told you, I'm not into that!  I have absolutely zero interest in…"  She stared at something that Sylphiel was holding with a disgusted expression on her face.  "…that thing!  Besides, there's no way that it's going to fit!  It's way too big!" 

Sylphiel shook her head, starting to become impatient.  "Miss Lina, it fits me just fine."

"I don't wanna!" Lina protested.  Taking another step back, she slipped on a bar of soap and landed roughly on her back.

Sylphiel took the opportunity to pounce upon the fallen Slayer.  She pleaded, "Miss Lina, please hold still.  You might hurt yourself if you struggle."  After a brief tussle she managed to subdue her slippery target. 

Lina winced in pain.  "Ow!  It's too tight!"

"Just relax.  It stretches.  See?"  Sylphiel leaned back and admired her handiwork.  "Oh Miss Lina, that is absolutely adorable on you!"

Lina sat up and glared down at the shirt that Sylphiel had just forced over her head.  It was a pink nightmare, covered with pictures of sickeningly cute kittens.  On top of that, it had short sleeves.  She hated short sleeves.  She crossed her arms and whined, "But it sucks!  Don't you have anything that's not so girly?"

Sylphiel giggled.  "But Miss Lina, it matches your eyes perfectly.  Here, let me fix your hair."  She moved around behind Lina and sat on the floor.

Lina sighed in resignation as Sylphiel began to run a brush through her hair.  "Fine.  I still don't see what's wrong with my clothes."

Sylphiel smiled indulgently as she brushed Lina's hair.  She spoke slowly as if explaining a complicated concept to a small child.  "Miss Lina, your clothes are covered in blood and grime and torn on top of that.  You can have them back when I finish washing and mending them.  Until then you can borrow some of my old stuff.  Really, I don't mind."

Lina winced in pain as Sylphiel hit a particularly large tangle in her hair.  "Ow.  But Sylphiel," she whined, "How am I supposed to strike fear into the heart of evil in a shirt with kittens plastered all over it?"

"With the matching skirt too!" Sylphiel pointed out cheerfully.

"A skirt?"  Lina looked down at the scar tissue that marred her long legs and shook her head.  "Uh-uh.  I am not going out in public in a skirt!" she said with a huff.

"Oh?  Why not?"  Sylphiel finished combing Lina's hair and set the brush aside.  She grabbed a pair of scissors and began to trim the redhead's unruly tresses.

Lina slumped as she heard the snipping of the scissors.  She pouted.  "Because I'm ugly."  She muttered under her breath, "And you're not helping by scalping me either."

"Ugly?"  Sylphiel chuckled.  "Where did you get the idea that you were ugly?  You're beautiful."  She felt a twinge of jealously but quickly shoved it aside.  It wasn't right for her to feel jealous.  Miss Lina had had a far worse life than Sylphiel ever could have imagined.

"Am not", Lina said crossly.  "See?"  She held up her arms for Sylphiel's inspection.  "And these."  She raised one of her legs and wiggled her toes.  She muttered, "And that's not even the worst of it."

Sylphiel looked at Lina's arms and legs.  Lina had very pale skin and the marks that she was fussing over were barely visible.  She smiled reassuringly.  "You can hardly see those.  It's not that big a deal."

"Yeah, maybe not to you", Lina muttered darkly as she looked herself over.  She cleared her throat nervously.  "So, you don't mind that I'm going to borrow Gourry today?"  She squeaked in surprise when Sylphiel's scissors grazed her ear. 

Sylphiel chuckled.  "Sorry about that Miss Lina.  My hand must have slipped.  Of course I don't mind if you take dear Gourry with you.  I wouldn't want you to go to the circus by yourself and I have to work today."  She leaned back and admired her handiwork.  "Perfect!  Miss Lina, take a look at this."  She handed Lina a mirror.

Lina whimpered when she saw what Sylphiel had done to her hair.  She had shortened it by several inches, much to Lina's dismay.  She pouted and thought evil thoughts about Sylphiel.  It was time to put her foot down.  She was not going to be wearing short sleeves when she met Gourry today.  And she most certainly was not wearing a skirt, she decided.

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Lina tried her best to disappear behind Gourry as they wandered through the fairgrounds.  In addition to wearing the kitten-patterned shirt and skirt combination, Sylphiel had also forced a pair of white sandals, some earrings, and even a little perfume on her.  She smelled faintly of strawberries. 

Gourry looked down at Lina and smiled, causing her to try to hide every bit of exposed flesh on her body.  "You look really nice today.  Hey, are you alright?"

Lina was huddled behind Gourry's large frame, staring nervously at all the other circus goers.  Why was it so damn crowded?  She looked up at her companion and whined, "Gourry, this was a big mistake.  I want to go home, okay?" 

Because the fairgrounds were in such close proximity to the high church of Sairaag, the plan had been to spend the day at the circus, mingling in the crowd to avoid raising suspicion, and then break into the church library after dark.  Lina was certain that the answers that she needed would be in there.

Gourry looked at Lina and smiled.  "What's wrong?  Do you feel bad?"  He put a hand on Lina's forehead to check her temperature, much to her annoyance.

Lina faked a cough and rasped, "Yeah, that's right Gourry.  I'm not feeling well.  So maybe we should go, alright?"

Gourry frowned.  "That's too bad, Lina."  He reached over and scooped her up in his arms.  "Well, let's get you home and in bed."  He began to make his way through the crowd towards the entrance.  He called out rather loudly, "Excuse me.  Pardon me.  She's not feeling well."

Lina looked at all the people pointing at her and Gourry, a look of absolute horror etched on her face.  She whispered, "Put me down Gourry."

Gourry continued to politely push his way through the crowd.  "Excuse me ma'am.  Thank you.  Sorry about that."  He looked down at Lina's reddening face.  "Lina, did you say something?"

Lina shrieked, "You are not carrying me home!  Put me down you jellyfish!"  She began to kick wildly, struggling to free herself from Gourry's arms.  "I've never been so embarrassed in my life!"

Gourry observed Lina for a moment.  "Lina are you alright?  You're getting all red in the face."

Lina snarled at Gourry through gritted teeth.  "I… feel a lot better Gourry.  Now put me down."

Gourry set Lina down with a grin on his face.  "That's good.  Now we can see the show."

Lina nodded, trying to figure out the best way to punish Gourry.  Violence was definitely out of the question, as there were far too many witnesses.  She put on a sweet smile.  "Okay Gourry.  The show's not starting for a while, so why don't we check out some of the souvenir stalls?"  If she couldn't hurt him physically, she'd hurt him financially.

Gourry nodded looking around.  "Okay.  Let's see.  Souvenirs, souvenirs.  Hey, that looks pretty interesting!"  He grabbed Lina's hand and dragged her through the throng towards a booth.

A short blond haired man stood atop the booth and was calling out to the crowd.  "Step right up folks!  Feast your eyes on the Mountain of Manliness, the Tower of Power, the Duke of Destruction.  Good people, I bring to you the 'Demon Beast' Zanafar!"  He pointed at a huge man standing in a makeshift wrestling ring set up in front of the booth.

Zanafar easily stood seven feet tall and was almost obscenely muscular.  Light blue tattoos depicting dragons snaked around his massive arms.  He glared around at the masses of spectators huddled around and flexed his muscles menacingly.

"Now folks, the rules are quite simple.  For the low price of five silvers you get to wrestle against Zanafar in this very ring for five minutes."

Lina and Gourry pushed through to the front of the crowd. 

Lina muttered sarcastically, "Look Gourry.  It's a suicide booth."

"Land a blow on the Demon Beast and win a stuffed Zanafar doll!"  The man running the booth held up a surprisingly cute stuffed version of Zanafar.  "Last the whole five minutes and win a stuffed Zanafar and a one day unlimited pass to any of the Seyruun Family Circus's other fine attractions!"  He chuckled.  "Beat Zanafar and win a purse of 100, yes I said 100, gold pieces!  Come on folks!  Any takers?"

Gourry whistled.  "Wow.  He's pretty big, huh Lina?"  He pulled five silver coins out of his pocket and made his way over to where the booth owner was sitting.

Lina nodded slowly, unable to take her eyes off of Zanafar.  "I'm almost certain that I've seen smaller bears.  Hmm, Gourry?"  She looked around, noticing for the first time that her companion was missing.  She saw him step into a ring across from Zanafar.  She yelled, "Gourry, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Gourry saw Lina waving and gave her the thumbs up.  He turned to his opponent and removed his shirt to reveal a finely muscled body.  He took a moment to stretch before nodding to Zanafar.  A bell rang and the two opponents charged one another.

Five minutes later, Lina was waiting impatiently while Gourry negotiated heatedly with the booth owner.

The owner grumbled and handed Gourry a Zanafar doll and a circus pass.  "I still say that I shouldn't have to pay because you didn't know enough to tap out.  I thought everyone knew that."

Gourry gave the man a pained grin.  "Yeah, well I guess you should have thought of that before you made the challenge, huh?"  He turned to Lina and limped over to her triumphantly.  "Here you go, Lina," he said as he handed her the Zanafar doll.

Lina cuddled it briefly and said, "Thanks Gourry."  She fell into step beside Gourry and they walked through the crowd in silence for a moment.  She opened and shut her mouth several times, trying to decide if she should talk to Gourry or not.  Finally, she cleared her throat and said, "You know Gourry, I was trying to tell you to tap-"

Gourry cut her off, "I know Lina."

Lina chuckled nervously and looked Gourry over.  "I mean, that guy had your heel touching the back of your head.  I just thought-"

Gourry was starting to sound a bit hysterical.  "I know Lina!  Can we talk about something else?!"

"Oh alright, you big grouch."  Lina covered her mouth, struggling to suppress her giggles.  She looked around at all the game booths and food stalls.  She had to admit, this was kind of fun.  She grabbed Gourry's arm and pointed at something.  "Oooh, Gourry what's that stuff?"

Gourry looked at where she was pointing and grinned.  "Cotton candy, Lina.  Don't tell me that you've never had cotton candy before."

Lina hopped from foot to foot excitedly.  "Well I will after you buy me some, won't I? Come on!"  She dragged Gourry forcefully through the crowd towards the cotton candy vendor.

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

Standing in the shade of a colorful tent, Zelgadis Greywords sought temporary refuge from the scalding sun overhead.

Zelgadis looked up at the midday sun and scowled.  He adjusted his mask and pulled his hood a bit farther over his face.  Only the most pressing of circumstances would force him out in the afternoon like this, but after what had happened last night, he wasn't taking any more chances.  Between Xellos, almost getting caught by those Slayers, the strange lunar event, and having someone spy upon him through magical means; his plate was pretty full right now.  He wondered briefly if his father had anything to do with it, but quickly dismissed the idea. 

If Rezo had suspected anything, Zelgadis would have already been dead.

At least one thing had gone right, Zelgadis mused.  Zolf had discovered that the person who had spied upon him was somewhere in this circus.  Now there was just the small matter of tracking the person down.

Zelgadis was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of a familiar voice.  He looked up just in time to see an enthusiastic Lina dragging a protesting Gourry through the crowd.  He took a quick step back to avoid getting bowled over by the couple.

Zelgadis cocked an eyebrow as he watched Lina vanish into the crowd.  He was surprised to see that she had survived her encounter with his father's Slayers.  He was even more surprised to note what she had been wearing.  "Kittens?" he muttered, the beginnings of a grin pulling at the corners of his lips.  He repeated his question.  "Kittens?!"  He threw back his head and laughed.  Something about the idea of a violent girl like Lina wearing a kitten print outfit struck him as incredibly funny.

Wiping away a mirthful tear, Zelgadis's normal scowl settled back into place.  Lina was here.  That meant that she had some sort of agenda.  He pondered for a moment, before nodding.  Of course.  The church.  Lina was going to break into the church library.  It's what he would have done, had he been in her situation.  She really was quite intelligent, he reluctantly admitted as he slipped into the crowd and followed her.

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

Amelia made her way through a crowd of people outside the main tent.  She needed a quick break before the show started and decided that the best place to take said break was in Martina's tent.  Somehow, she always managed to find the coolest spots to set up shop. 

Spying Martina's black tent in the distance, Amelia grinned and broke into a swift trot.  She threaded her way through the crowd effortlessly.  She'd been doing so all her life.  Suddenly, a tall figure loomed in front of her and she was unable to stop before colliding with him.  It was like running into a brick wall.  She fell on her butt gracelessly and looked up at him.

The hooded figure growled, "Why don't you watch where you're going?"

Amelia smiled.  "Sorry about that mister."

Zelgadis stared down at her for a moment before offering her his hand.  He muttered, "I'm sorry about that.  Are you hurt?"

Amelia took his hand and was immediately pulled to her feet.  No, I'm fine.  It really was my fault.  I should have been watching where I was going."  She dusted herself off and nodded at him.  "Enjoy the show."

Zelgadis nodded and watched her dart off into the crowd with the same reckless abandon as before.  Why had he been so polite to her?  She was obviously an airhead.  He sighed.  Maybe he would stay for the show.  After all, Inverse was likely to as well.

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

Phibrizzo grinned and muttered, "Bang". 

As if on cue, a little boy's balloon popped.  He looked crestfallen for a second and began to cry.

Phibrizzo rolled around on the ground giggling madly before getting himself under control.  He wiped away a tear and said, "Oh, I haven't had this much fun in a millennia.  I love a good circus."

A sudden gust of wind whipped across the fairgrounds.  As suddenly as it had started, it stopped.

Phibrizzo nodded at another child's balloon.  "Bang."  He grinned and spoke to the figure that had just appeared beside him.  "I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to show up.  How long has it been Xellos?"

Xellos leaned against the wall next to Phibrizzo and muttered, "Not nearly long enough."  He watched Phibrizzo's sport for a moment and sighed, "I'm sure you find this to be terribly amusing don't you?"

Phibrizzo looked over at another child and grinned.  "Bang.  Oh, I got two with that one!"  He scanned the crowd briefly before turning to the priest.  "Nah, not really.  I'm just killing time until some idiot leaves a toddler unattended."

Xellos glared at Phibrizzo darkly.  "Charming as always, Hellmaster."

Phibrizzo shrugged as he continued to watch for stray children.  "Well, you know.  I try to be.  By the way, do you like the new body?"  He raised his arms and twirled around once.  "I don't know why I never thought to possess a child before.  Nobody would ever suspect a cute widdle boy like me."

Xellos frowned.  "I think you've hit a new low with this one.  Was he some poor orphan boy you found?"

Phibrizzo grinned at Xellos wickedly.  "He was as soon as I found a knife.  His parents were disappointing, really.  I got the father first.  Then his mother wouldn't even run or put up a fight.  Stupid woman."

Xellos muttered, "I can't imagine why."  He imagined the pain and sadness that the woman must have gone through as her child betrayed her.  He shook his head.  "It probably pleases you to know that it hurts my soul to even be around you."

Hellmaster nodded.  "It does.  Ah, here we go!" he muttered excitedly as he spied a sniffling young girl who had become separated from her mother.  He rubbed his hands together eagerly and said, "You want to watch Xellos?  You might learn something."  He looked over his shoulder at where the priest had been a moment before.  He frowned when he saw that Xellos was gone.  "Spoilsport," he mumbled as he turned his attention back to his prey.  His eyes widened and he snarled, "Oh, you son of a bitch!"

Xellos was carrying the girl in the crook of his arm.  He smiled at her and asked, "What's your name precious?"

The little girl smiled shyly as her tears stopped.  She whispered, "Kira."

"Kira?  That's a pretty name."  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of candy.  "Do you like grape Kira?"

Kira nodded happily.  "It's my favorite."

Xellos chuckled.  "I thought that it might be."  He glanced over his shoulder and threw Phibrizzo a mocking wave.

Phibrizzo responded with words and gestures that no normal ten year old would know.

Xellos grinned at Kira.  "What do you say we go find your mother, Kira?"

Just then, a woman pushed her way through the crowd.  "Kira!  Oh, thank Ceiphied!"  She pulled the girl out of Xellos's arms and hugged her tightly.  She looked at the priest gratefully.  "Thank you very much."

Xellos shook his head and frowned at the woman.  "Watch her carefully," he said while glaring at Phibrizzo.  "Someone far less kind than I might find her next time."

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

"Hey!  Coming through!  Make way!"  Lina fought her way down to some empty seats halfway up the stands.  She looked around for a minute before seeing Gourry.  She jumped up and down and waved.  "Gourry!  Down here, Gourry!"

Gourry looked out from behind a particularly large pile of snacks and prizes.  He waved at Lina, almost dropping his nachos.  He sighed.  Of course she would pick a spot in the middle of the row.  He carefully made his way down to where she was seated.

Up in the highest part of the tent, Xellos was comfortably seated on a thin support wire.  He glanced around the big top until his eagle eyes came to rest on Lina.  She was pointing at something excitedly while talking to her blond haired companion.  He chuckled.  "Found your 'candy' did you?  Good for you Lina."  He had hoped that she would use the tickets he had slipped into her pocket last night.

"That's so sweet."  Phibrizzo appeared next to Xellos, a wicked grin on his face.  "Is that one your new pet, Xellos?"  He shaded his eyes with his hand as he examined Lina.

Xellos scowled and quickly looked away from Lina.

"She's a cute one, huh?  I'll enjoy killing her.  Tell you what; since you're apparently attached to this one, I'll save you a few pieces.  Call it a souvenir, if you will.  Let's see, what would be appropriate?  A lock of hair, maybe?  Or maybe her nose, since she seems to stick it into other people's business?"  Phibrizzo smacked his fist into his palm and grinned.  "I know!  Her eyes.  She has very pretty eyes.  Don't you think so Xellos?"  He chuckled and vanished into the shadows.

Xellos shook his head sadly.  His foolish coddling of Lina had almost certainly sentenced her to a slow painful death.  He had no doubts that Phibrizzo would kill her as soon as possible now that he knew her identity.

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

Lina was talking excitedly to Gourry as they left the tent after the show.  "…And that thing that the one girl did, the flipping in midair thing, I've done that before!  It didn't work out quite as well, but I did end up getting the vampire in the end."

Gourry nodded contentedly, happy to see Lina happy.  "That's great Lina.  So what was your favorite part of the show?"

"Oh, that's a toughie."  Lina scratched her head before bursting into a fit of giggles.  "I know!  The clowns!  The ones juggling the knives and torches.  I thought it was really funny when they almost set fire to the tent.  They were so convincing!"

Gourry grinned nervously, not quite as sure that the jugglers had meant to hit the side of the tent with a torch.  "Well, I'm really glad you had a good time, Lina.  So what were we supposed to do next?"  He vaguely remembered Lina saying something about some books earlier in the day.

Lina cocked an eyebrow at Gourry.  "You're not saying that you're ready to go, are you?"  She pouted, "But we haven't done everything yet!"

Gourry chuckled.  "Uh, Lina?  Aren't we supposed to go read some books or something?"

"Later Gourry!  See?"  Lina pointed at the setting sun.  "It's not even dark yet.  We can't break into the church when it's still daytime."  She glanced around the fairground eagerly.  "Let's see…"  Her roving eyes caught sight of a fortuneteller's tent.  "Ah, that looks like fun!  Come on Gourry!"  She dragged Gourry over to the tent.

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

The interior of the infamous fortuneteller Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova's tent was unique to say the least.  In the center of the floor, a small wooden table was set up with a black cloth covering a round object that was sitting on it.  Along one side of the tent, several small animal skulls hung over a small shelf containing vials of spices and incense.  Scattered about the tent were several heavily scented candles.  The smell of several different types of incense hung heavily in the air.  All in all, it was a very creepy atmosphere.

Martina sighed as she absentmindedly worked on her fingernails.  This stop had been so boring so far.  Only four people had been in all day and they had all left in a huff when she predicted disaster in their futures.  She pouted, "It's not my fault that they all have dark destinies."

"Hello!"

Martina squealed in surprise and went tumbling off of her stool.  She muttered, "Ow," as she picked herself up off the floor rubbing her head.  She looked up to see a smiling redheaded girl and an extremely handsome blond hunk standing in the entrance.  She smiled.  Customers!

"Welcome to the mysterious and enigmatic lair of Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova!"  Martina bowed deeply.  "How can the Mistress of Mysteries serve you on this fine evening?"

Lina muttered to herself, "Mysterious and enigmatic?'  Don't they mean the same thing?"  She shrugged and grinned at Martina.  "If you can see the future, you must know why we're here, right?"

"Of course I do!"  Martina walked over to the table in the middle of the room and removed the dark cloth from atop her crystal ball with a flourish.  "You're here because you want the great riddles of the universe unraveled!  You want to peer through the mists of the future!"  She sat down at the table and lit a couple more candles.  "And how do I know this?" she asked dramatically.  She shrugged, "Because it says 'Fortuneteller' on the sign out front and you don't look like you're illiterate."

Lina grinned and shrugged.  "Can't argue with that logic.  You go first Gourry."  She grabbed Gourry's arm and shoved him forcefully into the chair opposite Martina.

Gourry looked at Lina anxiously.  "I'm not sure about this…"

"Oh, come on Gourry!  It'll be fun!  Don't you want to know what's going to happen to you tomorrow?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure that I'll sleep in and be late for work.  I don't need a fortuneteller to know that."  An angry glare from Lina silenced Gourry.  "Alright," he muttered.

Martina held out her hand and coughed politely.  "Two gold pieces, please."

"Oh right."  Gourry reached into his pocket and pulled out a card.  "Here you go."  He gave Martina the unlimited pass he had won earlier in the day.

Martina looked at it distastefully and groaned in frustration.  "You got this from Randy didn't you?  He gives these things out like candy."  She sniffed and gave the card back to Gourry.  "Very well, give me your hands, good sir."  She took Gourry's hands and gazed into her crystal ball.  "Strange.  Very strange," she muttered.

Gourry nodded seriously.  "I see…"

Lina bonked Gourry on the head.  "Jellyfish!  She hasn't told you anything yet!"

Gourry grinned sheepishly.  "Oh.  Right."

Martina ignored their bickering and continued to gaze into her crystal.  "There are many hard trials ahead of you.  You are a very brave soul, but courage will not be enough to see you through.  It will take something more."

Amelia poked her head into the tent.  "Hey Martina!  I just got done and… oh."  She stopped when she saw that Martina was working.  She quietly slipped into the tent and stood beside Lina.  "She's really quite good you know," she whispered to the redhead.  "Lots of people think she's a fake, but she's rarely wrong."

Lina nodded.  "I believe it.  I've seen far too much strangeness to be close minded about this kind of stuff."  She looked at Amelia and grinned.  "Hey, you're the girl from the show right?  I loved the bit where you pretended to set the tent on fire!"

Amelia chuckled nervously recalling the look Alfred had given her when she missed that catch.  "Yeah, that was a good one, huh?"

Zelgadis slipped quietly into the tent and stood behind Lina.  He threw back his hood and pulled down his mask in the comfortable gloom.  He watched Martina work with a quizzical expression on his face.  This was definitely the same power that he had sensed before.  But why had this woman spied on him?

Martina came back to herself and blinked confusedly.  Instead of the two people in the tent when she had left, now there were four.  She recognized Amelia, but the other one…  She pointed at Zelgadis and exclaimed, "The lover!"

Lina and Amelia turned to look at Zelgadis and spoke simultaneously.  "The lover?!"

Zelgadis snorted and nodded at Martina.  "The scryer."  He blinked.  "Wait a second.  Did you just call me 'the lover?"

Martina nodded eagerly.  "You're the lover I saw in Amelia's reading!  I'm sure of it!"

Amelia looked at Zelgadis skeptically.  Sure he was handsome, but he didn't seem terribly friendly.  She whispered, "My true love?"

Zelgadis's ears twitched and he blushed slightly.  He coughed nervously and quickly pulled his mask up to cover his face.  "Um, right." 

Lina looked at Amelia and then back at the visibly embarrassed Zelgadis.  She grinned and winked.  "Zelgadis, you sly dog you."

Amelia scrutinized Zelgadis, much to his discomfort.  Could someone like this really be her true love?

"So that's why you were spying on me?" he asked Martina, pointedly ignoring Lina's comment.  He stole a quick sidelong glance at Amelia.  She was still eying at him curiously.  He quickly turned his attention back to Martina.  "Well?"

Martina shrugged.  "I wasn't spying on anyone.  I was doing a reading for Amelia.  That's all.  Next please."

Lina looked at Martina.  "Excuse me?"

Martina nodded.  "I'm done with your boyfriend's reading.  Don't you want me to do yours now?"

Lina blushed and muttered, "Well, I wouldn't call him my boyfriend or anything," as she took the seat that Gourry had just vacated.  She gave Martina her hands and waited.

Martina seemed to stiffen slightly as she took Lina's hands in her own.  Her eyes slid closed, her head drooped, and her breathing slowed.

Lina whispered, "Hey, uh, are you asleep?"

"So what do you do?" Amelia whispered to Zelgadis.

Zelgadis looked at her nervously for a moment.  "Government work."  He coughed.  "Listen, uh, Amelia was it?"  He gestured towards Martina.  "You don't honestly believe in all this stuff do you?"

Amelia quickly shook her head and chuckled.  "No, of course not!  I just thought that it was interesting that Martina thought that she recognized you."

The room was plunged into darkness as all of the candles in the tent went out simultaneously.  They sprang back to life a moment later, shedding an eerie blue light on the interior of the tent.

Zelgadis's eyes narrowed as he scanned the room suspiciously.  The hairs on his arms were standing on end, as the air seemed to almost crackle with magical energy.

Martina's eyes shot open and seemed to look through Lina.  She spoke in a cold monotone.  "Lina Inverse.  Death claimed your family.  Your parents.  Your sister." 

Lina's eyes widened in shock.  "What did you say?!"  She struggled to snatch her hands away from Martina, but her grip was like iron.

Martina continued.  "Now it hangs about you like a shroud, caressing all that cross your path.  Your enemies, your companions, none are safe from you and the death you carry with you."

Lina shrieked, "Let me go!" as she struggled against Martina.

Zelgadis put a hand on Gourry's shoulder to keep him from interfering.  "Let her finish."  There was something more than Martina making this prediction.

"You willingly deal death to the creatures of the night.  Lina Inverse, soon the death that you so freely mete out will fall upon one of your own.  A beloved companion will die by your hand."  Her prediction complete, Martina released Lina and collapsed onto the table.

There was a moment of stunned silence in the tent as everyone looked at Lina.

Amelia whispered, "She's going to kill a loved one?"

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Next Chapter:  Demons and revelations

Notes:  How was that for a cliffhanger?

That was a long one.  I liked this chapter a bunch.  The Xellos/Hellmaster confrontation was a blast to write.  I also loved the Lina and Sylphiel scene and all the Gourry and Lina stuff.  My only problem was the circus itself.  I wanted to describe the show, but I felt that it would be useless filler in an already long chapter.  So it got the ax.

Reviewer Response:

CT, I loved the L/G part too.  You saw the A/Z part and look for M/Z in the next chapter.

Pogo, you're right about Phibby.  He's going to be the big villain for the first part of the story.  Yes, I said the first part.  If things go as planned, Phibby's part in the story is only going to be the first third of the overall story.  And now my poor beta reader has everything up to chapter 9.  Sorry about that, Boo-san!

Miss Gabriev, you are NEVER going to forgive me for Slayers: Revival are you?  More Phibby you say?  Shazam!  Your wish is granted.  The next couple chapters have heaping portions of the Hellmaster.

Zaber, did you just threaten me with Mazoku lovin'?  Brrr!  I'm really more into the girls you know?  So if you must unleash a Mazoku on me, could you make it Zelas or Dolphin?  Thanks!

Until next time peeps!