Chapter III

A/N: Hoe! Sorry for how long this took! I really am! It'll be good, though!

Lina had been right. Traveling to Zelphiria didn't take long at. Within a few hours Seilloon was far behind them. Zel knew Lina had a good idea of where she was going, but he didn't like the feeling of walking into unfamiliar territory with no idea of what was ahead. He knew a few facts about Zelphiria, namely that it was top Wine producer in history, and that a few years earlier it had seemingly disappeared from every map.

Lina hadn't spoken since they had left. She was obviously wrapped up in her thoughts, so much so that several times she lost concentration and nearly fell out of the sky. Zelgadis knew Lina had a huge fear of her sister, but could she really be that bad?

He once again studied Lina's face, gauging her emotions. She didn't look afraid, or even slightly scared. She seemed… focused. She's probably trying to figure out the message on the amulet… he thought with a small frown. There was something else on her mind, but he couldn't figure it out.

After a several more hours, Lina finally seemed to snap back to reality. Stopping in her flight, she took a look around. The sun was just beginning to fade. Which meant that they were close to the Entrance…

Scanning the ground, she narrowed her eyes and squinted in the fading light. Green grass covered most of the ground, with a few trees and bushes here and there. Looking towards the north, she spotted a ring of mountains, and at the base of one, was the entrance to a cave.

"Hey, Zel," she called, turning to look at the chimera.

"Hmm?" he responded, trying to find what she had spotted that had caught her attention.

"We have to land now." Without waiting for a response, she began to move towards the ground. Landing gracefully on her feet, she wiggled her arms a bit. They felt like pin and needles had overtaken them.

Zelgadis landed next to her, giving her a curious look. "Why did we land?"

Lina nodded towards the cave she had spotted. "That's the Entrance to Zelphiria."

He gave her an odd look, but by the time he had sent it off, she had already begun to walk towards it. Lina's composure, Zelgadis noted, was oddly calm. It wasn't the usual sunny, happy-go-lucky aura he was used to. It was so what like his own. It disturbed him, mildly.

As they drew closer to the caves, Lina began to slow down ever so slightly. Whether it was out of fear, or general exhaustion, neither of the pair could tell.

The caves themselves were dark, and almost immediately after entering both had cast Lightning.

Lina smirked, and her own light dissipated. "The Entrance it just a little deeper into the cave."

Zelgadis shrugged, and the two began to walk. As they got deeper inside, the Stalagmites and Stalactites grew larger and large, until they seemed to become a single structure, almost like a column, holding up the structure. There were pictures and an odd dialect Zelgadis couldn't understand scribbled on them.

"Why, exactly, is the entrance to Zelphiria inside a cave?"

Lina turned to look over her shoulder at him, and as she did so, his Light cast dark shadows onto her face. It was then that he saw Lina's eyes. She looked exhausted. Of course, she showed no sign of fatigue, but he could see it in her ruby orbs.

"Lina…"

She cut him off, "It was built here, to keep things like bandits out. Only someone who's from Zelphiria knows how to get to it. Every summer, a group of merchants leave the town to go sell and trade with other towns. They stay out for two weeks, and then come back."

Lina continued walking, guided by the light. They should be reaching the entrance any time now…

"GAHHHHH!!!!" Lina jumped in surprise and turned around. Whet she saw caused her to burst into laughter.

Zelgadis was hanging upside-down, one of his legs caught in a rope. It was one of the oldest traps that had been set up, and he had still fallen for it! He only glared at her as she toppled over, hugging her stomach. As he detached himself from the annoyance, and then forgot one of the most important laws in the universe:

Chimera Gravity Upside down Painfully sore head, and a nice little crack in the cave's floor.

As he stood up, still clutching his head, Lina finally over came her laughter and spoke, "I forgot to mention; this place is filled with traps!"

"Thanks for the heads up…" he murmured, brushing off the dust from his clothes.

Lina shrugged, and they continued to walk.

It took another hour or so to get far enough into the caves that Zelgadis was beginning to think Lina may have just been a few sparks short of a fire. He was close to telling her they should go back, when she stopped abruptly. Zelgadis peered over his shoulder and saw they had a reached a dead end.

"Alright, Lina, let's head-"

"Help me move this stone!" Once again, she cut him off. Zelgadis shrugged, and began to push it. Both pushed, and finally, it rolled off to the side, revealing another cave. This one, however, had light at the end of it!

A/N: Yes, yes, short, I know. I promise, longer chapters will come! However, this was as far as I wanted to take this chapter, to keep the suspense! Please Review.

Sammy- Gahh! My only reviewer! I love you! (Huggles)