.Blue Fire//

by: Rian Dillard

Published: December 4th, 2006

Type: Baten Kaitos

Chapter Rating: PG-13

Author Notes: Thank you brandy mallory and Maverick Hunter Phoenix.

(Of Prophecys and Pendents)

The moon pierced the clouds and bathed the brass city in its radiance as Xelha ran through the city; small and insignificant. Her breath swarmed around her in an icy cloud as she hurried down the street clasping the swinging pendent to her breast, praying that nobody had missed her or the pendent yet.

When she made it back to her room, she knew she had to leave. She'd let her mission be jeopardized and the blue solider had been acting quite strange when he yelled at her to leave so differently from before when he... 'No don't think about it!' Her mind screamed and she just knew that she had to go so the Emperor wouldn't risk getting wind of her.

She ran abit more intill she herd a pair of shuffling footsteps come near her. She looked around and darted into the shadows, thinking it might be a Imperial solider looking for her. She held her breath as the steps came closer and slowly stopped.

"My child, it's okay you may come out now." An old voice creaked.

Xelha sat there rooted to the spot in fear as the person spoke. Where they using one of the older maids to lure out of hiding? Did they think she was that stupid?

"There is no danger child. Please come out."

Their was a sharp smell of almonds and Xelha suddenly felt magic tingle through her as her body was pulled out of the shadows like a marionette. When she was free of any shadow she saw an old lady standing in the middle of the street and leaning heavily on an old wooden staff.

"Who are you?" Xelha asked calmly. She knew she should be afraid, magic had just been strung around her, but she wasn't. There was something too familiar about the old crone, a lost feeling of home perhaps? or just a response of her own magic to the old one's?.

"You have a long and dangerous road in front of you child and you have just taken the first step with that pendent of yours." The old crone said as she pointed a long, bony finger at Xelha's chest where underneath all the fabric lay the pendent quite and dead.

Xelha clutched at the pendent as the beginnings of fear gripped at her soul. She was a spy! What magic had been played on her mind to make her think she wasn't a spy? Xhela tensed as she prepared to run when the woman spoke again.

"Please dear child you must believe me that I offer no offense. I have come to help please take this." The old women held out her hand a pendent which in it lay a pendent that was an exact replica of the one Xelha had. She walked forwared and took Xelha's hand, clasping the pendent tightly in it. Xelha had to hold back a flinch as the pendent touched her and its magic flared renewing the scent of almonds. There was a powerful magic tha lay hidden in the pendent responding to Xelha's own.

Xelha examined the pendent 'feeling' the magic within it. She was so absorbed that when she finally looked up she was startled to find that the witch had disappeared. Xelha looked around and tried to find her frantically. She was about to give up when she herd a cry call through out the city.

She hid praying it wasn't the Dark Service that had been sent after her and froze as the cry tore through the city again, but she soon realized that there was something familiar about the cry. She waited another minute for the cry to sound again, and was positive that it was her name being called and it was from a friend.

She ran towards the voice and she could hear it cry "Miss Xelha!" again. She turned the corner and saw to men arguing with each other.

"Do you think she's here? She said the docks." One of them hissed.

"Miss Xelha said the docks, but she was no there, so it is our job to find her and make sure that she is not hurt." There other one replied.

Xelha ran towards the two men and yelled "Gram! Leon!" as she got close enough to see them in detail.

"Miss Xelha! There you are! We were worried that you had been caught or the Dark Service had found you." The one who was yelling came forward and bowed low.

"Please, Gram. I told you to stop that." Xelha said blushing.

"We need to go. We have wasted enough time here chatting that the Dark Service could be here any minute from Gram's was yelling." Xelha nodded at Leon's statement. Trust him to always be straight and on task.

Gram gave Leon a small, bitter look. Gram was older than Leon and had the gentlemen attitude that was non-existent in Leon's newer generation that believed that you should get everything done as efficient and quick as possible. Let's just say that they quarreled often.

"Did you manage to get a ship?" Xelha asked, seriousness in play.

"We got a small one named the Leo'parde Lionne." Leon said as they hurried down to the docks which luckily was not far from where they found Xelha. They were almost to the docks when disaster struck as a crack sounded along with a bullet that came shooting from the shadows striking Leon in the arm.

He clasped his arm cursing as blood bled freely down it. "Keep going! You must make it to the ship!" Leon yelled as Xelha and Gram stopped to help him.

"We won't leave you!" Xelha yelled as a group of Dark Service men separated themselves from the shadow and advanced with guns cocked and loaded.

"GO! You idi-" Leon's command was cut short as Gram punched him in the stomach and knocked the air out of him.

"Don't call Miss Xelha an idiot." Gram said as he and Xelha carried the dazed Leon to the boat. The Dark Service men fired a few more shots at them, but they were warning shoots used just to intimidate. They were that confident that their prey was cornered.

"The blue one with a leopard carved into the side." Gram huffed as they got closer to the dock. They ran as fast as they could towards the ship and as they got near a shot barely missed decapitating Gram. The Dark Service Men had now realized that their prey was escaping and were running towards them firing the occasional shot, but they were too late.

Gram and Xelha dragged Leon who was learning how to breathe again and starting to make feeble protests at how they were both fools at not leaving him behind and endangering themselves.

Xelha activated the ships magic and they soon found themselves in a small, but pleasant room. Gram immediately ran over to the controls to activate the ship and they could here faint pings from outside as the Dark Service shot their haul to no avail.

Xelha felt the ship vibrate as the engine started and they took off into the sky. She turned her eyes to Leon and to his arm that was still spilling red droplets of blood.

She ran to a cupboard, grabbed some medical supplies, and slipped Leon out of his armor as he sat there and took the pain in silent agony. He only winced slightly when Xelha rubbed alcohol and antidote into the wound to help it heal.

"What's wrong, Xelha?" Leon said softly with Xelha jumped slightly at his voice. This was the first thing he had said since they got on the boat.

"Nothing's wro-"

"Please don't tell me that Xelha." Leon said cutting her off and Xelha sighed slightly. Leon was always good at reading people and he could tell if somebody was lying or what not.

"What happened? Please tell me." Leon said watching her expressions. Knowing that he had caught her and that she wouldn't refuse to answer.

Xelha shook her head slightly. Could she tell him? Would she tell him? She couldn't tell Gram. He would probably turn the ship around and head back to Alfard to demand the blue soldier's head. The only person she would be able to tell is Leon.

She took a deep breath as she continued to dress Leon's arm and started her story.

5 - 5

"What do you mean he acted differently." Leon asked a couple of silent minutes after Xelha had finished her tale.

"He was-"

"What are you two whispering about over here?" Gram asked walking over to them. He had found a nice cloud bank that would cover them for an hour or so so they could rest a recuperate with out having to worry about the Empire.

"We were talking about what to do once we reached Sadal Suud." Leon said never missing a beat.

"Yeah Sadal Suud." Xelha said softly going along with Leon not liking the fact she had to lie to Gram.

"Hmmm, well we should get some sleep while we can. Miss Xelha you may take the couch and Leon and I shall sleep on the floor. We got only an hour or two before dawn so let's make the best of it." Gram said cheerfully pulling some blankets out of a cupboard and passing them around.

"Yeah sleep." Xelha said realizing suddenly how mentally and physically exhausted she was. 'Maybe sleep wasn't a bad idea at all' she thought falling asleep almost the second her head touched the pillow.

Author's Notes: Leo'parde Lionne-Passive Lion.