Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Birth Rite ❯ 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Title: Birth Rite - Chapter 5 of ??

Author: Tsutsuji

Date written: December 2005

Fandom: Slayers!

Rating: R - M - for mature teens and older

Disclaimers and other warnings in Chapter 1

Spell checked, self-beta'd. Please inform me of typos or other errors. Thanks!

 

Summary: After a bit of brooding, Zelgadis visits an expert on the legends of Skye and gets some discouraging information. Then Xelloss finds that fulfilling his duty is a little more complicated than he realized.

 

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Birth Rite, Chapter 5

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Zelgadis woke up when a gust of wind rattled the cottage window. He peered out from under the blanket, expecting to find Xelloss staring down at him as he often did when he first woke up. He could sense Xelloss nearby but there were no violet eyes watching him.

 

Golden light slanted in through the east-facing window across the room, but what caught his eye was the view from the window near the bed, the one the sea wind had shaken. Raising his head a little, he could see the high point of land glowing in sunlight, a bright contrast to the solid, purple-black clouds that had filled the western sky.

 

Xelloss stood at the edge of the cliff, looking out to sea with his back to the dawn. His dark hair rose and fell and his trousers rippled on gusts of wind. The bare skin of his back and arms gleamed like rose-gold. Even standing there at rest in human form, his body seemed to hold hidden power waiting to be released. With a slight shift of his awareness, Zelgadis saw a glimpse of the dark energy also at rest within him, like the storm hidden in the clouds out on the horizon.

 

Zelgadis closed his eyes and sighed. He wondered if he would ever stop being so captivated by the mere sight of Xelloss' physical form. It still stopped his breath, no matter how much he reminded himself that it was only a shell Xelloss wore by choice. It was beautiful by human standards; in fact (in Zelgadis' opinion) it was almost too perfect to be allowed, so at least his attraction to it made some sense. He couldn't explain why he craved the touch of the Mazoku's terrifying spirit as well.

 

When he looked out the window again, Xelloss hadn't moved. A gust of wind blew his hair up into a dark halo around his head and then dropped it like a silk curtain. The leading edge of the storm cloud caught up with the sunrise; the golden light disappeared as if someone had blown out a lamp. All the color faded from ground and sky, but Xelloss remained as a pale silhouette against the slate-grey clouds.

 

Zelgadis tore his gaze away and lay back against the pillow with his hands behind his head. He couldn't lie here and stare at Xelloss all day, he scolded himself. Well, he could, but that wasn't why he'd come the Mystport. It was time to think about breakfast, and then about his next move in his quest.

 

The truth was, he was a little reluctant to get on with it, now that he was actually here. For one thing, the most likely source of information in Mystport was also likely to be both discouraging and embarrassing. For another thing, he had an uncomfortable feeling that the true start of his quest would signal the end of something else. The past two weeks traveling with Xelloss and learning from him had been exhilarating, sometimes idyllic, and as terrifying and fulfilling as any world-saving adventure he'd ever had in Lina's company. It couldn't be that way all the time.

 

The brush with fate in the form of Shimer's Relics yesterday had been an unpleasant reminder of the true shape of his life, as well as a reminder of the Mazoku's true nature. Zelgadis knew that was the real reason he'd dropped everything else and hurried up to this cabin. If it was a honeymoon of sorts it might has well have the proper setting, but honeymoon trips weren't meant to last forever.

 

Xelloss appeared beside the bed and scattered Zelgadis' brooding thoughts in an instant. He tried to grab them and put them back in order, until Xelloss sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned toward him. He sat with one foot crossed under him and his knee bent toward Zelgadis, so it was natural that Zel's hand fell upon that knee. Drops of sea spray glistened on his chest, and he smelled of fresh ocean wind.

 

Zelgadis caught another sigh before it got loose, but he gave up on making plans for the moment.

 

"Well," Xelloss said casually, "it appears that the dockworkers I spoke to were correct. The first storm of the season is already on its way."

 

Zelgadis hadn't gotten around to worrying about what trouble Xelloss might have stirred up in town the night before. Now he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

 

"You were harassing dockworkers last night? If that's the worst you found to do, I suppose I should be glad."

 

"It wasn't harassment! I overheard them talking about the weather, so I stopped to inquire about ships arriving, just in case your Mr. Osprey might be on one of them. I was trying to help," he pouted.

 

"Oh?" Zelgadis was surprised but still suspicious. "What did you find out?"

 

"Nothing," Xelloss said. "Nothing useful to you, that is."

 

Zelgadis listened with a frown as Xelloss described the dockworker Mac and his friend, and told him of the suspense surrounding the Princess books' arrival amid threats of piracy and book burners.

 

"That book!" he scoffed. "There must be a spell to induce insanity placed on every copy!"

 

"Actually, I'm very intrigued with this supposedly dangerous children's story," Xelloss said. "While you're visiting with Mr. Osprey, I might just slip next door and pick up a copy, just to see what all the fuss is about."

 

Zelgadis gritted his teeth - and then realized this was exactly what Xelloss expected him to do. He forced a smile instead.

 

"Hmph. You would do that, wouldn't you, just to irritate me. My, my, Xelloss, have you really sunk so low?"

 

Xelloss drew back and stared at him in dismay. "Never mind how low I've sunk - have I really become so obvious?"

 

"Oh yes," Zelgadis chuckled. "Or maybe it's worse than that, and I've just gotten to know you far too well! Then again..."

 

He slid his hand from Xelloss' knee halfway up his thigh and gave a slight squeeze.

 

"Then again," he continued, "Sometimes you are very obvious. Last night, for example."

 

"I shall become rather obvious again soon, if you keep on in the direction you're going with that hand," Xelloss said cheerfully. "You still manage to surprise me from time to time, Zel-san. Your enthusiasm last night, for example."

 

"Oh, yes," Zelgadis said, "I find it quite easy to be enthusiastic when I can make you moan like that."

 

He sensed a shiver under his hand, and Xelloss' eyes fell half-closed. At the same time he seemed to shrink away a little, although he didn't move away physically. It was another one of those odd moments when Xelloss seemed almost wary of him.

 

Zelgadis split his thought and reached out on the astral level. It was a clumsy grope at first, going by feel as he always did. He still didn't have fine control of his astral body when he was trying to operate in both planes at once or when he was distracted by sensations on the physical plane. That was their excuse for using sexual encounters as his lessons. If you can focus your mind enough to control your power while I'm doing this to you, you'll have no problem focusing during a battle, Xelloss had said once. Zelgadis wasn't sure that was true, but he didn't argue about it.

 

Now, he focused just enough to brush the edge of Xelloss' spirit with his. Xelloss almost darted away, he thought, but then caught him and let him draw closer. At the same time, Zelgadis closed his fingers around the hardening shape under Xelloss' trousers.

 

Xelloss didn't make any audible sound, but he leaned closer, and Zelgadis felt a wordless thought like a moan in his mind. He'd closed his eyes so he could concentrate on sensation and astral senses, but he opened them again when he felt Xelloss' fingertip touch his lips and cheek.

 

"I take it," Xelloss murmured into his ear - Zelgadis didn't know when he'd gotten so close - "I take it you're not in any hurry to continue the quest for Skye this morning?"

 

The wind rattled the window, as if trying to remind Zelgadis of the world outside the cottage. Xelloss waited with that odd hesitancy in his touch and in his spirit.

 

Zelgadis fell back so that he could pull Xelloss down on top of him, and so that he could put more energy into his spirit while his body relaxed. His decision made his astral touch more firm. He felt Xelloss' energy surge toward him in response.

 

"No," he said, "I'm not in any hurry at all."

 

"Well, then," Xelloss sighed, "I guess I'm not either...."

 

---

 

It was midway through morning when they finally left the cottage. Zelgadis smiled as he closed the door to the cottage, already looking forward to their return later. In the meanwhile, he might as well get the troublesome encounter in town over with. Depending on how well or how badly that went, he could decide whether to put more energy into the quest for Skye or whether to simply retreat back to this cottage and stay there indefinitely.

 

Xelloss stood at the crest of the hill where the lane started down from the point toward town. He'd been gazing across the bay where a few small boats fought the choppy, grey waves rolling in from the sea, but he turned to Zelgadis with an arched brow.

 

"What's next?" he asked.

 

"Back to Mystport," Zelgadis said. That was all he was willing to say for the moment, even though Xelloss followed him with a curious frown.

 

While Xelloss kept an eye on the storm that was certainly approaching from the open sea, Zelgadis reconsidered the town. A lot of its charm was lost under the grey sky; it merely looked old and sea worn now. The colors of summer seemed to have been drained from the Eyrie valley, except for a splash of gold and white, a stand of birches that grew along a curve of the river inland from the town.

 

They walked in silence for awhile, a comfortable silence even though Zelgadis sensed Xelloss growing restless as they approached the town. Xelloss threw several curious glances his way, but he didn't ask where they were going and Zelgadis didn't offer any information. He sighed, hoping this wouldn't be quite as uncomfortable as he expected it to be.

 

Xelloss peered at him even more curiously when he heard the sigh. They crossed a footbridge that joined the point to the mainland of the town, but at the far end Zelgadis turned to the right instead of following the lane toward the shops.

 

"No," he said in response to Xelloss' frown. "I'm not going near that bookstore again! That's where we're going next." He fixed his gaze on a square building of grey stone directly ahead. "Where I probably should have gone in the first place, I suppose."

 

"Ah, I see," Xelloss said when he noticed the emblem over the door. "The Sorcerers' Guild! I should have guessed."

 

"Yes, well, it's really not much as Guild buildings go. It was originally an inn that was taken over by sorcerers who came here to search for Skye. Now it houses a small library for study and a Director's office. The current director happens to be an expert in a particular area of research related to Skye. It makes sense to speak to her before I go any further."

 

"Then why do you sound so unexcited at the prospect?" Xelloss asked.

 

"For one thing, Professor Herringull claims to have all but proved that the stories about Skye are nothing but myths. She doesn't believe it existed any more than you do."

 

"Really? How interesting!"

 

They climbed the wide flagstone steps and Zelgadis pushed the door open. Just before they entered the foyer, Zelgadis raised Xelloss' eyebrows again by throwing back his hood and dropping his scarf off his chin.

 

"I hope this proves informative," he muttered as an apprentice hurried out to greet them. "I have a feeling you're going to enjoy it a great deal more than I am."

 

Zelgadis tried to ignore the boy's round-eyed stare as he stated his name. When he asked to see the Director, the nodding apprentice chirped, "Right this way please!" before he had finished speaking.

 

The boy led them almost at a run to the open door and ushered Zelgadis through it ahead of Xelloss. The room was lined with books, and the grey light outside filtered through half-closed curtains over the tall windows. In the dim light, Zelgadis didn't notice the woman sitting at the worktable in the center of the room until she raised her head to look at him. He paused. From the way her eyes widened suddenly and the smile of wonder that grew on her face, he knew she must be Professor Herringull.

 

Xelloss stood just behind his shoulder, peering at her curiously. She barely spared him a glance. Her smile grew even wider when the apprentice announced Zelgadis by name.

 

"Zelgadis Greywords," she said musingly, still peering up at him. He gave her a small bow. "Sorcerer, Swordmaster... said to be the Grandson of Rezzo the Red Priest," she said, studying him as if checking fact against memory.

 

"I'm honored that you know of me, Professor Herringull," he said with a forced smile and a nod of his head.

 

She stood up and came around the table toward him, the curious gleam in her eyes seemed to contrast with the stately swirl of her white and grey Guildmaster robes. The top of her reddish-blonde head barely reached Zelgadis' shoulder, so even standing she was still looking up at him. Her eyes lit up with interest as she came closer, and her smile grew broader. She gestured to chairs in front of the worktable. With a glance at Xelloss, Zelgadis took one, and the priest settled stiffly into the other opposite him. Professor Herringull perched on the edge of the table between them, but she only looked at Zelgadis.

 

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Mr. Greywords," she said. "Your name is well known within the Sorcerers' Guild, and to me especially. After all, you're the most notable chimera since Zanaffar!"

 

Zelgadis somehow managed to do no more than blink in surprise, but Xelloss couldn't stifle his reaction. Professor Herringull turned and seemed to notice him for the first time.

 

"My traveling companion, Xelloss," Zelgadis said. He thought of adding "the trickster priest" as Xelloss' title, but he guessed even that would not be enough to deflect her interest away from him for more than a few seconds. Xelloss beamed his usual smile at her, but she barely acknowledged him before turning back to Zelgadis, just as he expected.

 

"Professor Herringull, as you probably guessed, I've come to Mystport to search for evidence of the Lost City..."

 

"There isn't any," she said absently. She tipped her head and seemed to be studying the shape of his ear as she continued. "Extensive research has shown that Skye could not have existed, there is no evidence of lost magical knowledge nor of a sunken city... " She trailed off.

 

"I'm aware that your research points to this conclusion," he said politely, trying not to squirm under her gaze. "Nevertheless, I'm sure you can understand that I'm interested in the evidence that you've gathered, and if possible I'd like to refer to your original sources...."

 

She didn't seem to be listening. Her lips were parted in a little smile of fascination as she leaned toward him. Her eyes sparkled with delight as they wandered from his wire hair to the tips of his long, pointed ears, to the stone chips in his blue skin - the delight of a scientist making an wonderful discovery.

 

Her eyes met his, smiling at him with unabashed curiosity.

 

"Marvelous," she said, almost breathlessly. Her eyes started to roam over his face again. "A seamless blend of such a unique and powerful combination," she added as if speaking to herself, "yet clearly the magical parts have not overcome the human aspect..."

 

"So very true!" Xelloss spoke up from behind her. Herringull blocked Zel's view of Xelloss, but Zelgadis could imagine the beaming grin on his face. "Just as I've said on numerous occasions, Zelgadis-san! Professor Herringull, I take it you have a particular interest in chimeras?"

 

"Magical hybridization is my main area of study," she replied absently.

 

Leaning closer, she reached a hand out toward Zelgadis' head. He drew back instinctively, and she paused with her fingers a hand's width from his hair.

 

"I'm sorry... May I?"

 

She didn't seem to expect him to say no. He didn't want to offend her, at least not until he'd found the information he came here for.

 

"Certainly," he managed to say without flinching. He forced another smile and tried not to let his jaw clench too visibly.

 

He could barely feel the touch of her fingers on his chin and cheek, following the stiff curve of his hair, tracing the shape of his ear to the very tip. But then, he'd hardly ever been aware of a person's touch except for Xelloss'. He'd hardly felt Rezzo's touch when he first examined his handiwork.

 

"Very impressive, Mr. Greywords," Herringull said. "It's a shame Rezzo is no longer among us to continue this line of research."

 

"I suppose it is," he said carefully. Zelgadis didn't bother to mention that Rezzo's research in this area had been related to his desire to resurrect a Dark Lord, or that it was mainly the twisted genius of his assistant Eris that had created his chimera body.

 

"The golem body is very strong, I expect, and yet the form is distinctly human, with all the grace of movement of a human," she observed. She dropped her hand onto his where it rested on the arm of the chair. "I assume the brow demon aspect increases your magical capacity in equal measure to the golem's strength?"

 

She bent down to look at his hand more closely. Zelgadis suddenly had a startling view of Xelloss. The Mazoku priest leaned forward in his chair, glaring at the back of her head through narrowed eyes. Zelgadis was amazed that she couldn't feel the heat of his gaze on her neck.

 

The glimpse of Xelloss' face startled him into silence. Herringull raised her head, waiting for his answer, and blocked his view again.

 

"Word within the Guild says that you're a powerful sorcerer as well as a swordsman; isn't that correct?" she prompted.

 

She tipped her head a little, and once again Zelgadis could see Xelloss. The typical bland mask had returned to his face. Amused, Zelgadis caught the Mazoku's eye before he answered her.

 

"Yes, my magical capacity is much greater than it was," he said. "In fact, I've only recently begun to realize its full potential."

 

Xelloss smiled. "I can vouch for that," he said.

 

Professor Herringull turned to him with the first genuine interest she'd shown in him.

 

"Xelloss is well-versed in Shamanic magic, particularly astral magic," Zelgadis said, bending the truth just a little. "He's been helping me to develop my powers through his tutoring."

 

"I see," Herringull said. She sounded as if she had suddenly realized there was a reason for Xelloss to exist after all.

 

"Zelgadis-san, perhaps I misunderstood your purpose in coming here," Xelloss said. "Is there a connection between Professor Herringull's expertise in chimeras and your search for Skye, or is this just a happy coincidence?"

 

"There's a connection," Zelgadis said. "I thought you realized that."

 

"Oh?" Xelloss looked blank. Zelgadis had to wonder just how good an actor he could be, if he'd set Zelgadis on this search on purpose - or if he truly didn't have a clue.

 

"You really don't remember, do you? The story you told me that got me started on this quest in the first place? Surely you remember the story of Arin, the Hero King of the Hawk Folk, one of the seven Beast Tribes of Skye?"

 

Xelloss' brow wrinkled, while Herringull's gaze now shifted from Xelloss back to him curiously.

 

"It was Xelloss' rather unique version of that folktale that made me think of searching for Skye," he said to her. "I'm sure you know the story. It was only the passing mention of the Beast Tribes that supposedly originated in the Lost City that caught my interest," he said.

 

"Ah," Xelloss said, understanding the connection at last. "I don't remember telling you the tale, to be honest, but I remember the stories. The seven tribes of Beast People are said to have originated in Skye, created by lost methods of sorcery there. I should have realized your interest in Skye was personal, Zelgadis. You hope that those sorcerers who may have created the first chimeras might also have known of a way to reverse the process."

 

He shook his head and sighed. "You are still searching earnestly for a cure after all? I must say I'm surprised."

 

Zelgadis stared at him, looking for hidden meanings in his words, but all he could hear was disappointment in the Mazoku's voice.

 

"So am I," Herringull broke in, looking at him with an odd smile. She seemed amused, but also, he thought, more sympathetic than she'd appeared before. "It seems to me that Rezzo gave you a great gift when he created this body for you."

 

Zelgadis gritted his teeth and tried not to reveal his revulsion for what Rezzo had done to him, in spite of all the strength and power it gave him.

 

"It was a gift that was unasked for, and although it answered a request that I made, giving me this form served Rezzo's own purposes, not mine. I would never have chosen to be this way."

 

She regarded him silently, with a small nod of her head. He doubted she could really understand, but he wasn't inclined to explain any further.

 

"I'm afraid your quest for a cure here is going to lead to disappointment," Herringull said. "It was my study of the Beast People and other magical hybrids that led to my interest in Skye as well. For ten years my partner and I searched for any evidence of a connection between the Seven Tribes, particularly the Hawk People of the Eyrie River, and the Lost City. There is absolutely no evidence of a lost city to begin with, and there is no evidence of a connection between Skye and the Beast People."

 

"Yes, I'm familiar with your research and your findings, Professor Herringull,"

Zelgadis said. "You discovered that most of the so-called Seven Tribes didn't exist back in those ancient times, traced evidence of their migration from other areas and in some cases even discovered the truth of their beginnings. Only the Hawk Tribe have been living in this area since ancient times, but their own legends claim they were made by particular gods of their own, not by human sorcerers."

 

"There's simply no explanation for their origin," Herringull said with a frown, as if something with no explanation shouldn't be allowed. "At least not that I've been able to discover yet."

 

"Absence of evidence that something existed doesn't prove that it didn't exist," Zelgadis said.

 

"Ah, now you sound like my partner," Herringull said with a wry grin. "Professor Plover has said the same thing many times. But even he admits that in most cases, claims that connect a tribe or a human family to the Lost City can be proven untrue. The local families that supposedly descended from sorcerers who escaped the destruction of Skye can also be traced back to their ancestors in other parts of the world. Almost none of them come from this area to begin with! Every story that leads toward Skye leads to a dead end, I'm afraid."

 

Zelgadis sighed. "I'm aware that your research has led to this conclusion. However, as you might have guessed by now, I'd like to ask you for your sources of information. I'd like to conduct my own research through the same sources."

 

She raised an eyebrow. "To confirm what I've found, or to challenge my conclusions?" she asked.

 

He bowed his head to acknowledge the impertinence of his request. "Only to determine if the same information is of any use to me personally," he said.

 

"I see," she said. She gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment. Zelgadis noticed that Xelloss sat quietly, his expression now carefully neutral.

 

"I can't really pinpoint my sources for you," Herringull said. "However, I can point you in the same direction my search took me. If you wish to learn all about the Hawk Tribe or the other Beast People in the area, I recommend you begin in Wyndcliff. It's a village to the south along the coast, quite isolated and very old. There are some ancient ruins, and a temple there that might interest you as well. Beast People who claim ancient lineage live in the mountains around Wyndcliff. You'll also find the one remaining human family who might be able to trace its ancestry back to the days when Skye is supposed to have existed."

 

"The only one?" Xelloss asked.

 

"I'm afraid so, in spite of all that Professor Plover tried to prove otherwise." She sounded amused.

 

Zelgadis opened his mouth to ask the one remaining question he had, but she gave him the answer before he could speak.

 

"You might also want to talk to my partner - that is, my former partner, I should say. Professor Plover. I'm sure he'd enjoy meeting you and sharing his - information with you."

 

Zelgadis nodded, trying not to reveal his eagerness. Access to Plover was the only reason he'd been willing to come here and endure her study of him.

 

"I understood he's something of a recluse," he said cautiously.

 

"He keeps to himself, but he's not inaccessible, especially if someone is willing to listen to his theories. He lives in a cottage a few miles outside of Mystport, right on the coast. He still spends a lot of his time wandering the coast, looking for signs of the Lost City. If you're lucky, you'll find him at home, but he's just as likely to be out wandering on the cliffs somewhere, hoping that the storm will wash up some piece of wreckage that's been buried under the sea for centuries."

 

Herringull shook her head with a wry smile touched with concern. "One of these winters he'll probably be swept away by a storm and not even notice," she continued quietly. "The fool."

 

She returned her attention to him and smiled, the sparkle returning to her eyes. "If you do happen to speak to him, tell him I sent you. He'll probably laugh."

 

She stood, and they stood also. She gave them directions to Plover's cottage while she led them to the door.

 

"Thank you for your information, Professor," Zelgadis said with a bow.

 

She smiled at them, looking more human and less scientist than she had since they'd arrived. "Plover may talk your ears off, but he probably won't be as rude as I've been. I appreciate your patience with my curiosity earlier," she said.

 

Zelgadis noticed that she smiled at Xelloss as she said this, a little apologetic smile. Perhaps she had felt that glare on the back of her neck, after all.

 

---

 

Xelloss had given him a reproachful look as they left Mystport.

 

"I really didn't think you were still so intent on searching for a cure," he said. "I'm sorry to sound so peevish, but doesn't all that I've taught you mean anything?"

 

Zelgadis stifled a laugh. "Don't take it so personally, Xelloss. Searching for a cure is an old habit of mine. I'm not sure what I'll do if I ever actually find one, to tell the truth."

 

"Well, I can take comfort in the Professor's belief that you won't find anything at all here," Xelloss said. "I really did think you only came all this way to get as far as possible from Shimeria, and to avoid telling your friends that we're sleeping together!"

 

Zelgadis winced. Xelloss was actually right on both counts, but hearing it said like that made him feel extremely foolish.

 

"Just remember, it's your own fault for telling me that story in the first place," he said.

 

"But I really don't remember telling you that at all! I was rather preoccupied at the time, you know. I suppose I dredged up anything in my mind that I thought would keep your interest so that you'd stay put for the night. Unfortunately, back then I didn't know there were other, much better ways to distract you."

 

Zelgadis didn't have any reply to that except for a slight blush. Xelloss grinned.

 

He decided he might as well believe Xelloss, this time. Unlikely as it seemed, the Trickster Priest was just along for the ride on this adventure. That was a comforting thought, in a way, but unfortunately, knowing this took some of the wind out of his sails as well. If Xelloss didn't have some secret reason for wanting him to search for Skye, he had one less reason to hope the legends might actually be true. Professor Herringull's research was actually quite convincing, after all.

 

"Well, I already knew what Herringull thinks of the whole matter," he said, thinking out loud. "All I really wanted from her was directions to Professor Plover. I hope his information will be more encouraging."

 

"If we can find him," Xelloss added helpfully.

 

The trail that led to Plover's cottage gave them a spectacular view of the steep coast, where high waves crashed dramatically against jagged rocks that had fallen from the cliffs long ago. Cedars and wild roses stubbornly resisted the wind that tried to tug them out of the rocky sand.

 

A mile or so out of town, halfway to Plover's cottage, they looked down through a screen of stunted bushes and sea grass to see a hidden cove. It was just a short stretch of sand between rocky arms with a short cliff at the back. Chunks of the same jagged grey rock rose out of the sand with tidal pools carved around their bases. Waves broke higher on the sand each time they caught a glimpse of this little beach, although they hadn't yet reached as high as the line of seaweed and driftwood left by the last high tide that morning. The incoming tide would probably reach higher. Zelgadis guessed that when the storm hit, the entire cove would become a frothing bowl of waves.

 

 

A fishing boat rocked in the rough sea beyond the cove. At first Zelgadis thought it was skirting along the coast on its way to harbor, but when he got a better look at it a moment later, he realized that its prow pointed toward shore. Riding the storm wind and the tide, it was coming in fast.

 

He paused and peered out between the ragged cedar trunks. "I think that boat is in trouble," he said.

 

Xelloss followed his gaze. His eyes narrowed, and a second later he smiled.

 

"Well, it may be in for a rough ride to shore, but I'm quite certain it's landing where it means to land," he said.

 

"What do you mean? Why would a fishing boat want to come ashore in a tiny little cove like this, miles from town, unless it was in trouble?"

 

"Because, if my guess is right, it's not carrying fish in its hold at all. It's carrying a much more precious cargo! How appropriate for the Princess to make such a secretive, dramatic arrival!"

 

Zelgadis stared at him a second more before it sunk in.

 

"That book!" he huffed in disgust. He took another look at the boat. From this distance he couldn't see the faces of the three figures on deck, but as far as he could tell, Xelloss was right. They were going about their business with an eye on the approaching shore, but they didn't seem alarmed.

 

"Well, good luck to them, then," he said dismissively. He turned away. "I won't worry about them making it ashore!"

 

"Did you think you might have to rescue them? How heroic, Zelgadis-san!" Xelloss said as they started along the path again. "That would have been worthy of a chapter in a storybook! You see, you really should write your memoirs."

 

Zelgadis glanced at him. "If I did, it would have to be sold under the counter in a plain brown wrapper," he said.

 

Xelloss' eyebrows shot upward, then he smirked. "So it would!"

 

Xelloss stopped suddenly. Zelgadis saw with surprise that his eyes were opened, staring ahead as if he sensed something that had startled him. Zelgadis felt it a second later: an aura of mingled cold hatred and anticipation, like a battle-lust, but with all the joy and none of the rage.

 

He opened his eyes quickly, gripping his sword hilt and looking around for the source of the feeling. Xelloss was staring out at sea again through a gap in the trees - no, he was looking down at the cove that was nearly beneath their feet now. Zelgadis caught his breath when he saw furtive movement in the shadows of the tall stones.

 

"What...?" he said softly.

 

His sharp ears couldn't catch the sound of them over the wind and the surf, but he saw another flicker of movement as one man signaled and called to another, who turned and signaled again toward the back of the cove. Both men wore dark grey cloaks and hoods to blend with the rocks, but something brighter flickered on their arms and at their throats.

 

Zelgadis realized that some of the blood lust he was sensing came from Xelloss.

 

A man stepped into view almost directly below them, out of some hidden place at the back of the cove. He was clad all in dark robes like the others, but he raised a great bow. The tip of his arrow burned like a torch. More torchlight flickered in the rock shadows; half a dozen archers had appeared from under the bluff he and Xelloss stood on, and all aimed their flaming arrows at the approaching boat.

 

"Book burners!" Zelgadis realized as the first archer let the flaming arrow fly. Another arrow appeared in the air beside the first, shot by an archer they couldn't see. A heartbeat later a third one followed. The flames raced toward the boat like shooting stars over the grey sea, while the archer in view quickly readied another.

 

The small crew of sailors would have their hands full guiding the boat between the rocks safely, even without trying to fight fire as well. Zelgadis didn't care if the boatload of books sank or burned, but the men didn't deserve to pay that price. He raised his hands and began to chant.

 

He guessed the bowmen were skilled enough to have taken the sea wind into account; in fact, without that wind, all the arrows would overshoot their mark easily. All he had to do was shift the wind for a second or two. He cast his spell, and flaming arrows shot over the heads of the startled sailors and fell harmlessly into the water.

 

Zelgadis gripped his sword hilt again and began another tentative chant at the same time, trying to think of a way to subdue all the archers at once. Several more had appeared from behind the rocks and had lit their arrows, while others stood between them holding swords.

 

Zelgadis saw that the first man had turned to scan the cliff. He suddenly realized they were exposed to view. Xelloss stood to his left in the gap between the stunted trees, glaring down at the bowman. Not only that, but he was grinning like an overgrown child. While the man below gave a shout, he wagged his fingers beside his head in the universal sign for "come and get me, suckers!" The men by the rocks got the message loud and clear, even before Xelloss actually stuck his tongue out at them. Zelgadis broke off his chant in the mid-word.

 

"Xelloss!" he roared. "What the hell are you doing?"

 

He glanced down. The first man signaled to the others and shouted loud enough for him to hear, but the words were garbled by the wind. Four archers remained in position to target the boat. The rest turned to aim their bows at him and Xelloss.

 

"Shield us while I protect the boat," he barked at Xelloss. He abandoned the chant he'd started for a simpler one aimed at the four archers.

 

"It would be much simpler to kill them all at once," Xelloss replied calmly.

 

"They're just ignorant book-burners, why bother?" Zelgadis snapped.

 

Glancing aside, he was shocked to see Xelloss smiling down at them with his inhuman eyes wide open.

 

"Look more carefully, Zelgadis," Xelloss said. "They are more than simple-minded burners of books."

 

"What?" Zelgadis turned toward the men below with a feeling of dread creeping up the back of his neck. The feeling had been there all along, he realized. He'd just managed to ignore it.

 

The two leaders now stood out in plain view. The wind whipped their long, dark grey robes around their legs, and their hoods were thrown back. He could almost see the maniacal light in their eyes, but it was their grinning mouths that made his heart clench. One of them raised a sword from under his robes, and as he did, the gem on his wrist sparkled as if it held a light of its own. He saw the grinning mouth form two words that he didn't need to hear. But then he realized that the old chant had changed.

 

"Die, Chimera!"

 

"Damn! They're Soldiers of Shimer!" Zelgadis said.

 

Several things happened nearly all at once. The archers released their flaming arrows aimed at the boat, and at the same instant Zelgadis released his spell. The wind obeyed his command; the arrows split apart and plunged into the waves on either side of the boat's prow. He barely had a glimpse of the startled men on deck, who ducked first and then leaned forward to try to see what was happening on shore.

 

At the same time, Xelloss had raised his hand and muttered a couple of sounds that didn't seem like words at all, then flung his hands open at the archers who had turned to aim at them. Most of them had notched flaming arrows into their bowstrings, and those flames exploded backwards to engulf the smiling archers. The cove lit up, as the men became pillars of fire that reached higher than the tall stones.

 

One man's arrow wasn't tipped with flame and wasn't affected by Xelloss' spell. By a trick of the wind Zelgadis heard the twang of the bow as clearly as if he was standing next to it. His own spell had hardly left his fingertips at that moment so he didn't notice the whistling sound the arrow made in the air; and then his eye had been caught by the men on the prow of the boat, so he hardly heard Xelloss shout near his left shoulder.

 

Something hit his arm, and at first he thought it was Xelloss trying to knock him aside. That would be foolish, his thought flashed; he was in no danger from an ordinary arrow. Then pain shattered his thoughts, and he looked down, confused to see the feathered shaft sticking out of his arm just below his shoulder.

 

A surge of anger, hatred, raw fury washed over him. Not his own. Xelloss shoved him backward and he stumbled to his knees, clutching his arm.

 

"Damn it," he muttered through clenched teeth. Xelloss stood in front of him, blocking his view. He closed his mind to the pain and started to climb to his feet.

 

By the time he managed to stand and step forward, the cove was empty of life. Sand and sea spray blew into his face, carrying the bitter tang of ashes. The fishing boat rocked on the waves and wind gusts shook the bushes, but stillness seemed to have fallen in the space where he stood next to Xelloss.

 

Blood trickled over his fingers clutching his arm, the pain increasing with every heartbeat. Seeing the gleam of satisfaction in Xelloss' eyes, Zelgadis thought the honeymoon just might be over.

 

---

To be continued...

Next: another change of plan, and a startling revelation....