Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Flam Gush ❯ Chapter 11

Flam Gush 11

When Lina got up, Gourry roused himself into a fuzzy state of awareness. Somehow, instead of getting sleep, he had kept staring at the ceiling for most of the night. The last thing he remembered before finally nodding off was the sound of birds chirping in the pre-dawn gloom. Even in his current muzzy-headed state, his first thought was to see if Lina was okay. She seemed to be fine—cheerful, even, which struck him as odd. `Cheerful,' `Lina,' and `morning' were usually contradictory terms. He had learned very soon after `rescuing' her that the day went a whole lot smoother if Lina woke on her own schedule. She puttered around a bit, and he lapsed back into a doze. As much as he wanted to get an early start, his eyes refused to open fully, and he gave into the impulse to sleep, just a few moments longer. He was vaguely aware when she healed his burns, and he did notice her letting herself out of the shack, but since she went out in her shift, he figured she was just answering a morning call to nature, and he drifted off, certain that he would hear her when she came back.

Some time later, Gourry woke with a start. The tread of heavy footsteps approached the shack—much too heavy, in fact, to belong to Lina. A quick glance assured him that she still was gone . . . and he was sure that more than enough time had passed for her to finish her business and get back. Which left him with two minor mysteries: where the heck was Lina, and who was outside?

Old mercenary instincts died hard. Gourry quickly, but silently made his way to the door, prepared to ambush anyone who decided to enter. It might just be the woodsman, but when in hostile territory, it was best to be prepared.

His precautions proved unnecessary, as whomever it was walked right past the shack without stopping. He opened the door just a crack, in time to see the flare of a beige cloak disappear into the brush.

Whoever it was, they seemed to be in quite a hurry. Not that it was any of his business that some unknown stranger was out for a morning stroll in a largely abandoned section of the forest. Well, now that they were gone, Gourry had more important things to do. The morning was already half-gone. The sooner he found Lina, the sooner they could head out. He quickly gathered up the few things they had scattered about the room. Mostly it was just clothes left out to dry, but as he rolled up their blankets, he realized that his father's ring was still on the ground where he had placed it the night before. He had forgotten all about it, after Lina had burst into flames. As he reached out his hand, he found himself strangely reluctant to pick it up. Lina should be the one to do that. But Lina was gods knew where—certainly not here. And leaving the ring on the ground was not really an option, either. With a sigh, Gourry picked up the heavy signet and put it back on a thong he tied around his neck. Then he buckled on his armor and set out to find Lina.

Once again, he was surprised by her behavior. He snorted as he tossed her boots over his shoulder. He had never figured her for the barefoot type. Or for the `frolic through nature' type, either. It was a simple matter to follow the imprints of her bare feet in the mud as they meandered from here to there with no obvious pattern. His musings were interrupted by the sound of an explosion. With his blood racing, Gourry quickened his pace. If Lina was using her spells, it probably meant trouble. Not that he thought Lina would have trouble taking care of herself—she had rather painfully disabused him of that notion—but he was her protector, and if she was in trouble, he belonged by her side.

It was probably only a few moments later, although it felt a lot longer, that Lina's footprints led him to a small clearing. A quick glance was all he needed to assess the situation. Lina was not, after all, in trouble—she was taking a bath. So much for getting an early start . . . although . . . there were other things they could do with their time. Her back was to the clearing, and he was just about to call out to her when he realized by the set of her shoulders that she was tightly coiled, like a cat just about to pounce. Although, her body language was subtle, he had the strongest feeling that she was setting a trap.

Another quick scan of the clearing provided no obvious answer, and once again, Gourry almost called out to her to let her know that it was just him. After all, he had no desire to spring Lina's trap. Just before he did, however, he caught a glimpse of something from the corner of his eye. There, in the brush, someone had just moved a sword, or some other shiny object—rather carelessly, in fact, for it was the sun glinting off the metal that had caught his attention.

Quickly, but also as quietly as he could, Gourry advanced on the figure hiding in the brush, cursing silently at the slight rustling sound his passage caused. Obviously, Lina was expecting a foe, and that was certainly good enough for him. Within moments, he had snuck up behind the figure, and he realized with a start that Lina's stalker was an aristocratic woman—if her clothes were any indication.

Before he could even wonder what a highborn lady was doing crouched in the brush wearing such a fancy dress, she inserted a small dart into a metal tube and raised it to her lips. Gourry lunged to close the distance between them, sacrificing stealth for speed. Before she had time to do more than take a breath, his sword was at her throat. “I wouldn't, if I were you,” he growled in a threatening undertone.

She jerked, obviously startled, and inadvertently launched her dart. A flick of his wrist deflected the dart and sliced the blowgun into two pieces that tumbled uselessly from her fingers. Before she could so much as turn her head, his sword was back at her throat. He heard the loud splashing of Lina pulling herself from the pool, but most of his attention was on the girl.

He may have startled her, but he had to admit, she was a tough one. She looked as though she would be more comfortable in a lord's great hall, but she clearly had no qualms about getting dirty. Although she held most of her body still, her left hand was slowly inching towards her purse, probably in search of a weapon. Gourry grunted and his blade pressed into her throat, ever so slightly, causing a thin trickle of blood to well up. “Uh-uh,” he said firmly. “I wouldn't do that, either.”

Her mouth hardened into a thin line, and she slowly turned her head towards him. She looked vaguely familiar, sort of like someone's sister or maybe a cousin. Although he had to admit, it could just be the slightly petulant look she wore: a spoiled pout that so many rich people affected when they condescended to speak to mercenaries like him and Lina. Before he could place her, though, a clear flash of recognition spread across her face.

“You!” she gasped.

“Me.” Gourry agreed, wondering who she was and why she thought she knew him.

Her eyes widened. “It is you, isn't it?” she breathed. Gourry watched two different emotions war on her face: awe and indignation. “You are Gourry, aren't you? Gourry ap Magsen Gabriev, right?”

Gourry firmly quashed the urge to flinch back from her. “How . . .”

Before he could finish the sentence, or even form a coherent thought, he heard Lina push her way eagerly through the brush. “Good going, Gourry!” she crowed gleefully. “You got Lucilla!”

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

Finally, she was going to get some answers. Lina took a long look at the girl they had supposedly killed. She seemed awfully healthy for a dead girl, that was certain. Although given the way she was struggling against Gourry, she might not stay healthy for long. She seemed oblivious to the fact that he held his sword at her throat. Her expression murderous, Lucilla flicked her hand to her belt. Gourry started moving to disarm her before she could get her hand on a weapon, but Lina was faster. “Shadow Snap,” she called out, hurling her dagger at the ground.

Instantly, Lucilla froze in a rather awkward half-leaning, half-twisting position.

“What did you do to me?!” Lucilla demanded imperiously.

Lina ignored her, directing her next comment at Gourry as she studied Lucilla. “You can let her go, now. She won't be moving for a while . . .” Lina flashed a predatory grin at her, feeling very much like the smug cat who had finally cornered the canary . . . although this canary was anything but helpless. “. . . at least, not until I get some answers.” Although, Lina conceded to herself, answers might be harder to get than she had thought. There was iron in this girl. And she was not just indiscriminately attacking random passersby in the forest either. Lina was definitely her target. Although the girl was clearly less than thrilled at being captured by Gourry, it was the sight of Lina that had made her throw all caution to the wind.

Gourry released his hold on Lucilla, and then relieved her of her obvious weapons—a dagger at her belt and a purse with a handful of darts—before searching for less obvious weapons. Lucilla protested vehemently, but he followed Lina's lead and ignored her.

Lina clicked her tongue when he found two more daggers. She only took a brief glance at them before Gourry slipped them into his belt, but they looked to be more ceremonial than functional. “She sure is well-armed for a dead girl, isn't she? Awfully healthy, too,” she remarked casually as she reached out to pinch Lucilla's cheek, the way an overly affectionate aunt might greet a young child. “But not too terribly smart, I'm afraid, to think she could sneak up on me!”

Lucilla bared her teeth at Lina.

“Are you sure she's Lucilla?” Gourry asked, studying her face. “She doesn't look too much like that girl we saw that day.”

“I'm pretty sure,” Lina responded as she squinted up at the sun and then glanced down, trying to gauge how much time she had before Lucilla's shadow shifted beyond the reach of the dagger. Her towel chose that moment to start slipping, but she absently grabbed two corners, bunching them into a fist. She had more important things to deal with than a stupid towel. Right now, she had to figure out the best way to deal with this girl. “We were kinda distracted that day, you know.”

“Would the two of you stop talking as if I weren't here?” Lucilla demanded acidly. “I insist that you release me this instant!” She struggled futilely against the force that held her immobile.

Lina just gave her that same saccharine smile and patted her cheek. In response, Lucilla spat in Lina's face. It took a great deal of self-control, but Lina ignored the thick ropy string of hot spittle dripping down her cheek and sharply backhanded Lucilla, leaving an angry red welt on her cheek. “Care to try that again?” Lina asked maintaining a sickly sweet tone.

Tears had sprung up in Lucilla's eyes, but she looked more furious than hurt and she tried to spit at Lina again. This time Lina was ready for her, and she smoothly shifted to the side, backhanding Lucilla's other cheek, hitting her with a mono volt at the same time. As Lucilla shrieked in agony, Lina realized that she was using the exact same combination of spells that Zel had once used on her. She inwardly groaned. Given the girl's reactions, she was willing to bet they would be just as effective with Lucilla as they had been with her. If only it had been Zel! Even that time he had worked for Martina and her father, going so far as to kidnap Amelia, Zelgadis had been brutally honest about his intentions. She knew she could get answers out of him. Lucilla, on the other hand . . .

“My, my,” Lina commented mildly as she released Lucilla. She had toned down the intensity of the spell quite a bit, but it was better to be safe than have the girl pass out. “Not very well bred, are you.” She sighed in mock solicitude as Lucilla gasped for breath. “Not that I'd expect better manners from a girl who whores with her uncle.”

“What would you know about it, you . . . you . . . flat-chested . . . hag!”

Lina's response was immediate and automatic. “Flare bit!” As she watched the small spheres burn holes in Lucilla's dress, she struggled to pull herself back together. It had been hard enough to ignore the disgusting feel of spit dripping down her cheek, but that was nothing compared to the self-control she needed right now. The blood roared in her head and all she wanted was to flash-fry Lucilla with a fireball. No one ever got away with insulting Lina's breast-size without suffering the consequences. But in this situation, she had to retain the upper hand, and if Lucilla knew how close she was to losing control, she would never be able to recover. “Oh, but I want to know all about it.” She forced herself to maintain an even tone. “There's so much I want you to explain to me. You can start by explaining why you keep targeting me.”

Lucilla clamped her mouth shut into a thin line.

“No?” Lina asked. “Suit yourself. It really makes no difference to me. See that?” Lina pointed down at Lucilla's shadow. “As long as that dagger is within your shadow, you won't be able to move. I figure you've got, oh . . .” Lina rather exaggeratedly squinted up at the sun again. “. . . maybe three hours? Four? Until your shadow shifts enough to free you. I'm not really in a rush here, but I imagine you'll get pretty uncomfortable standing like that before too long . . . not to mention hungry and thirsty, too.”

Even three hours was stretching the truth. She figured that at most, Lucilla would be stuck for about an hour, maybe half again as long as that. What really counted, though, was what Lucilla believed, and judging from the way she blanched, Lina had her convinced. That position was probably already causing the girl some discomfort.

The silence stretched out. Lina stood casually, one hand leaning on a cocked hip, the other clutching the ends of the towel, while Lucilla glared at her and struggled to make her body move. Lina had the clear advantage now, and Lucilla knew it, but instead of breaking the girl, it seemed to make her even angrier.

Finally, Lina broke the silence. “Talk or don't, it's up to you. I've got better things to do than stand around and wait for you to decide, though.” With a shrug, she turned and headed back towards the clearing. She paused just beyond Lucilla's line of sight, gave Gourry a very pointed look, and as a final taunt she called out, “Just shout if you change your mind!” Hopefully, Gourry would catch her meaning. She might not be able to get anything out of Lucilla, but given her mixed reactions to Gourry, maybe he could. In the mean time, she might as well make herself comfortable. With a sigh of pleasure, Lina lowered herself—rather noisily, as she wanted to be sure Lucilla thought she was out of the picture—into the spring. The water was still nice and warm. She leaned back, tried to relax, and listened.

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

“I hate that bitch!” Lucilla spat at the ground, her tone venomous.

Gourry had been leaning against a tree, wondering what the heck Lina was doing. It was certainly different from her standard practice of throwing fireballs first, and then rapidly firing questions at her targets while shaking them silly. Maybe that was just the way she dealt with bandits, though. Had they ever tried to get answers out of a noble before? Usually Lina took care of asking all the questions. Honestly, he had no idea what she was trying to accomplish by leaving him alone with Lucilla.

The pure unadulterated hatred in the girl's tone quickly pulled him out of the indolent half-aware pose he had adopted. He could practically feel the waves of malevolence rolling off of her, all directed at Lina. Gourry studied her, his expression stony. One thing was clear: her hatred was for Lina, but not for him.

Lucilla's eyes narrowed as she considered Gourry. “So.” Her tone was crisp. “You too, huh?” Her expression hardened.

Him too? What was she talking about? And why did Lina think he could handle this on his own? He had no idea what to say, so he held his silence, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the tree once again.

“What is it about her?” Lucilla demanded in disgust. “She's as flat as a washboard, she acts like some wild boy . . .” She trailed off, then fixed Gourry with a piercing gaze. “And you'd die for her, wouldn't you,” she said bitterly.

“Why are you trying to kill Lina?” That much Gourry understood, with perfect clarity.

“Why?” Lucilla demanded incredulously. “Do you need a reason to kill the Dra-Mata? She's the enemy of all who live! She's the girl who leaves destruction in her wake. Not even the White City of Seyruun survived her wrath! I figure I'm doing the world a favor! How many more innocent people have to suffer her so-called `help'?!”

Well, he had to admit that Lina's methods did tend to be rather destructive . . . Still, had anyone ever gone out of their way trying to kill her? Well . . . there was that one time . . . He peered closely at Lucilla. She looked human enough, but those advisors of Phil's had, too. “Aren't you a little late?” he asked. “That Gaav-guy has been gone for a long time, you know.”

“What?” Lucilla looked at him in confusion.

“The king-dragon-demon guy.” Gourry said shortly. “Hellmaster took him out, so you don't need to target Lina anymore.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” Lucilla looked more confused than he usually felt when he tried to follow one of Lina's magic lessons. It was possible that she was shamming, but he had no desire to find out. His memories of Hellmaster were uncomfortably vivid.

“Then what's the real reason? You sure don't look like the . . .” What did Amelia call it? She had made him repeat it over and over . . . “Like the `Hammer of Justice' type.”

Lucilla shook her head. “You're nothing like I thought, Gourry ap Magsen Gabriev. Oh, you look the part, sure enough.” She adopted a sultry tone as her eyes raked over him in a suggestive manner, leaving him feeling dirty. “But who would've thought we'd meet like this?” The wicked glint in her eyes made Gourry want to shudder.

“Who'd have thought we'd meet at all,” Gourry growled. Something was wrong. The half-remembered snatch of conversation overheard in the bath niggled at the back of his mind, adding to his sense of unease.

“Oh, I always knew we'd meet someday.” Lucilla flicked her tongue across her lips. “After all, we are supposed to—”

“That's enough of that!” Lina announced sharply. She was dripping a trail of water behind her as she marched up sharply to Lucilla, pushing Gourry out of her way. “You've just about outlived your usefulness, you realize,” Lina said coldly, and then she touched Lucilla on the forehead.

Immediately, the girl slumped over. With a sigh, Lina bent over and pulled the dagger out of her shadow, and Lucilla toppled to the ground in an indecorous heap.

“What'd you do to her?” Gourry demanded. He felt vaguely cheated, but also greatly relieved at the same time. “You didn't kill her, did you?”

Lina shot him a withering glance and nudged Lucilla with her muddy foot, flipper her onto her back. Lucilla was fast asleep, and snoring quite lustily.

“Oh,” Gourry said, feeling a bit sheepish.

“Oh.” Lina repeated emphatically. She turned to look at him, peering intently at his eyes. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Gourry answered, a bit confused as to why she would ask, but also concerned about the puzzled expression she wore. “Sorry I couldn't get much out of her.” It was stupid, but he felt like he had failed Lina somehow.

“What?” She looked startled, and then she smiled. “You did great, Gourry. You sure got more out of her than I could.” She closed the gap between them and reached up to caress his cheek. Then she stretched. “Now. I can finally relax and finish my bath in peace!” she exclaimed as she headed back to the clearing.

“Don't you think we should tie her up or something?” Gourry called out, as he glanced at Lucilla with distaste.

“Nah,” Lina called out as she slid into the pool with a sigh. “She'll be out of it for quite a while.”

“You sure?” Gourry nudged Lucilla with his foot, and got no reaction, not even a break in her snoring.

“Gourry, trust me.” Lina said in a slightly disgusted tone. “She wouldn't wake up if a herd of elephants stampeded through.”

He did trust Lina, but still, he just could not force himself to turn his back on an obvious foe, at least not without taking some precautions. He ripped a few strips of cloth from her overskirt and bound her hands and feet, before slinging her over his shoulder and carrying her into the clearing.

Lina was vigorously scrubbing her hair. She glanced over at him and scowled slightly at his burden. Gourry unceremoniously dumped Lucilla on the ground and shrugged apologetically at Lina. Every instinct screamed at him: you just do not leave a potential foe lying around. He knew Lina's magic had immobilized her, but he felt a whole lot better seeing the strong knots around Lucilla's wrists. Lina sniffed, indicating that she was only marginally mollified, and turned her attention back to her hair, dismissing the subject.

The non-verbal exchange was so natural that Gourry barely realized it had occurred. He idly watched as Lina scrubbed vigorously at her hair, and then he shrugged and took out his razor and a bar of soap. He had shaved about half of his face when she finally seemed to be satisfied with her efforts, and dove under the surface. When she emerged, she shook her head, flinging water everywhere.

“Hey!” Gourry exclaimed, brushing water out of his eyes and shaking soap off his razor with a practiced flick of his wrist.

Lina grinned mischievously, and then eyed him thoughtfully as she leaned against the opposite edge of the pool. Gourry shrugged again, and ran one hand lightly over his face and neck, following with sure strokes of the razor. From the corner of his eye, he could see Lina watching him, almost as if she were mesmerized. He was nearly finished when she finally broke the silence.

“Doesn't it make you nervous, having a sharp blade near your throat like that?” Her question sounded rather off-hand.

Gourry looked at her quizzically as he wiped the razor against his trousers and then folded it. He leaned over the edge of the pool and splashed water on his face, rinsing away the last of the suds. “I'd never really thought about it,” he confessed. “You either shave or grow a beard, and the only thing that cuts the hair off your face well is a nice sharp razor.” He wiped his face on a towel and turned to look at her.

Her face was relaxed, but he could see the wheels spinning behind her eyes. And then he saw something else that took him by surprise. He crooked his finger and motioned her closer.

“What?”

“C'm'ere.” Gourry laid the towel he had just used to dry his face on the bank, smoothing it flat.

“Why?” Lina asked curiously.

“Because I'm gonna wash your back. And it's kinda hard to do that if you're neck deep on the other side of the pool.”

A slight blush blossomed across her cheeks. “Took you long enough,” she announced casually, but her smile belied her tone.

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

Lina sighed in pleasure as Gourry's strong hands ran over her back. It was much less like having her back washed and more like a massage, as his fingers worked corded muscles, forcing them to release their tension. Her entire awareness focused on him. In addition to the pleasant sensation of his hands on her back, she could also feel the warmth of his body behind her. She could hear his breathing, the slow and steady exhalations. And she could feel herself responding. When was the last time they had been close like this? Physically close? It had been the last time they were alone. The same day they had fled from a blood-thirsty mob in Deremar's village. All because someone had accused them of the murder of the girl who was inelegantly snoring just a few feet away. Lina shot a glare in the general direction of Lucilla's unconscious form.

“What's wrong?” Gourry asked as he moved his hands to the base of her neck, tracing the cords that ran up behind her ears. Lina shivered in reflex.

“I was just thinking.” Although it had shocked her at first to find out that Lucilla was specifically targeting her—not that it made any difference, but Lina wondered who the `suffering innocent' was that Lucilla wanted to avenge—at least now they knew who was after them. Strangely enough, it was rather comforting to know that all she had to worry about was a rather inept—if determined—spoiled brat of a noble. Lina furrowed her brow in distaste. It figured that a girl who was cozying up to Zel and spent rather un-innocent nights in her uncle's bed would try the seduction route. Not that it would get her far. The idea of Gourry succumbing to Lucilla's ploy was so outrageous, it was almost laughable. On the other hand, when Lucilla had dropped into that husky tone, Lina had felt the sudden overpowering urge to go and rip Lucilla's eyes out. The girl would have a hard time playing the vamp with two gaping holes in her face.

The ferocity of her thoughts had taken Lina by surprise, and she had only just barely realized that Lucilla had gained the upper hand. Something about Gourry's tone had been dreadfully wrong, and she had suddenly known—although she had no idea how—that she had to shut the girl up, or things were going to get very ugly, very quickly. Or maybe it was just jealousy. She really doubted that was it, but then again, she had never sat by and listened to another woman try to seduce her love. Regardless of the reasons, she had been furious. Of that, there could be no mistake.

“`Bout what?” Gourry slowly worked his hands down her spine, pressing in small circles with his thumbs.

Lina glanced over at Lucilla again, wishing that the girl had not decided to investigate. She really had been hoping for Zel . . . but if she had known that Gourry would show up, well . . . she probably would have waited quite a bit longer before heating her bath water.

“`Bout what?” Gourry repeated, as he gently took hold of her chin and turned her head to look at him.

A half-dozen thoughts flitted through her mind as his eyes searched her face. She briefly wondered what he was looking for, what he hoped to see. Mostly, she sought her own answers in his face. His eyes were tired, and she could see the singed portions of his hair frizzed about his face. She twisted so that she was facing him and tried unsuccessfully to smooth his hair down. Gourry caught her hand and brought her fingers to his lips, gently kissing them. Lina felt her heart thump loudly in her chest and tears started to well up in her eyes.

“Lina?” He spoke huskily against her fingers as she gently ran them over his lips.

She was just about to answer when Lucilla let out a particularly lusty snore. Lina sighed bitterly. “We just can't seem to catch a break, can we?”

A smile tugged at the corners of Gourry's lips. “You did say that she'd sleep through a herd of elephants . . .”

It was true, too. Nothing would wake Lucilla for the next several hours. Still . . . was Gourry really suggesting what she thought? She found herself glaring at the sleeping girl, once again.

“Don't worry,” Gourry said, sounding rather amused. “Here.” He handed her the sack with her clothes.

As Lina rooted through the sack, trying to figure out what to wear, she could feel Gourry watching her. Irrationally, it made her self-conscious, and she quickly pulled on a clean shift. “Why don't you go find some firewood, or something?” Lina asked over her shoulder.

“Why?” Gourry raised an eyebrow.

Why indeed? It felt stupid to tell him that she felt uncomfortable with him watching her like that. It felt stupid that she even felt self-conscious. Never mind the fact that she had been prancing around in little more than a towel for most of the morning. Never mind the fact that she had felt perfectly fine being intimate with him. She felt her face flush at the memory, and she swallowed hard. Gourry just looked at her, waiting patiently for an answer. Lina took a deep breath. “I know it's stupid,” she confessed, “but it makes me feel weird when you watch me get dressed.”

“Weird?”

“Yeah. Weird.” Lina laughed ruefully. “I don't know . . . it's like I'm on display or something . . . it's stupid, isn't it?”

Gourry hunkered down in front of her, piercing her with his gaze. “Do I make you feel uncomfortable?”

“It's not that,” Lina responded quickly. “I just don't like it when you watch me get dressed. I guess I feel . . . exposed.” Vulnerable. Maybe that was it. But why she felt that way only when she was dressing, well it was beyond her.

“Okay.” Gourry smiled and cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand. Lina closed her eyes and leaned into the caress. “I'll go get some wood.”

“Gourry?” she called softly as he stood up to go.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

He hunkered down in front of her again and he tilted her chin up. Once again, Lina felt her heart thump in her chest, and she held her breath. Very slowly and deliberately, Gourry leaned in, and Lina felt her eyes drift shut. The kiss started very gently, but it steadily increased in intensity, making Lina feel warm and tense low in her belly. When Gourry finally broke the kiss, she found herself breathless.

“You know that I love you, right?” Gourry asked as he stroked her hair.

Lina nodded, still trying to recover her breath and find her center.

“I'll protect you from anything, Lina,” he said seriously. “Even from me.”

Unbidden, a thought floated up to the surface, and Lina wondered who would protect her from herself. She frowned slightly, wondering where that idea had come from. Why would she need to be protected from herself?

“Lina?”

She smiled up at him. “It's nothing. Thanks, Gourry.”

His eyes searched her face once again, but then he smiled and stood up to look for wood while she dressed. Lina watched him until he disappeared into the brush.

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

Someone needed to hit him upside the head with something solid. Maybe that would knock some sense into him. As soon as he had some distance from Lina, he crouched down, hanging his head between his knees, and took slow easy breaths. All the gods knew that watching her bathe—especially washing her back—had been exquisite torture. He found himself echoing Lina and wondering when they would ever catch a break. Unconscious `dead' girl was just at the edge of suitable distraction: enough to inhibit any serious activity, but not enough to inhibit the desire. Gourry sighed lustily and concentrated on his breathing.

It took longer than he liked to regain equilibrium, which was more than a bit disconcerting. Lina was driving him to distraction, and it was more than simple lust, although he had to concede that was probably the biggest part. But what did he expect after watching her bathe . . . after kissing her like that?

Gourry suppressed another sigh and started braiding up his hair. That was the other part of it. Lina seemed mostly normal. She was acting mostly normal. But every single time she looked at his hair, her eyes got really wild. The weirdest thing about it, though, was that it was only her eyes. The rest of her body language gave no indication that she was bothered by anything.

If he had to guess, it was the obviously singed nature of his hair that was causing her strange reaction, since that was the only thing about him that was different. He had considered asking her to even it out for him, but given how wild her eyes looked whenever they focused on his hair, now was probably not the best time. Hopefully, braiding it up would take care of the problem, at least for now. He hated having his hair tied up, mostly because it always seemed to give him such a wicked headache. Gourry shrugged. It was certainly worth a try, but if Lina still had that weird reaction, he could always unbraid it and try something different. He snorted to himself. If he thought it would help, he would even consider shaving it all off and going bald.

For now, he just concentrated on finding some wood, and maybe something decent to eat as well, while giving Lina enough time to get dressed. It was strange that it bothered her . . . but he was really glad that she had told him. Lina liked to pretend that nothing ever bothered her—that she could take on the world without batting an eye. The fact that she could admit her discomfort to him . . . he knew that she trusted him, but this confirmed it. He wondered why it was that she had so much trouble with feelings—other than anger and frustration, that is. Everything else, she tended to keep bottled up inside, as if it were a sign of weakness to admit that she had feelings like everyone else.

Gourry had no luck foraging anything worth eating, but he did manage to collect a decent armful of dry wood, which was a difficult task, given the nature of the deluge that had hit them yesterday. When he pushed his way back into the clearing, Lina was doing some laundry, throwing all her energy into the task. She looked up over her shoulder and smiled at him. “My new clothes are so itchy, they need a couple decent washings,” she said by way of explanation. Then she glanced sourly at Lucilla, but said nothing.

“What're we gonna do with her?” Gourry dumped the armful of wood on the ground, and it clattered and thunked as it fell. A mere few feet away, Lucilla slept on, blissfully unaware.

“I'm working on it,” Lina said in disgust. “Maybe if we give her back to Deremar, he'll take the price off our heads.”

“There's a price on our heads?” Gourry asked absently as he rooted through the woodpile, and started to lay out a fire.

“I'm assuming so,” Lina replied with a shrug. “Why else send your self-proclaimed rival after us? You want me to start it for you?” She thrust her jaw in the direction of the fire.

“I'll just lay it out, and you can start it when you're ready, `kay?”

Lina shrugged again and turned back to her laundry. She shook out her tunic with a loud snap and then carefully smoothed it flat on the grass.

Gourry finished setting up the wood and started pulling out some food for their breakfast. Then he sat back on his heels and watched Lina. From this angle, he could just make out her profile as she smoothed out a crease in one of the sleeves. He noticed that she kept glancing over at Lucilla. Lina had said that he had gotten information out of her, but most of what she had said had seemed little more than pure nonsense. Which reminded him . . . “I never told you, but I heard some really weird rumors that day you fell asleep in the bath.” He found himself gritting his teeth, remembering how panicked he had been.

“I said I was sorry,” Lina said sullenly. With practiced ease, she lit the fire and started washing her leggings.

“Yeah, I know.” Gourry looked up from their provisions, and moved over to her, kneeling behind her. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he said gently, “I was really worried, that's all.” He shuddered involuntarily at the thought of someone as depraved as that kid Zeil having Lina in their grasp.

Lina smiled and patted his hand, and then she turned her attention back to her leggings. “You were saying?” she prompted.

“Oh yeah. These two guys were talking about Deremar and the rumors they'd heard about him. They didn't seem to think too much of him.”

“What did they say?” She anchored her leggings under a rock on the bank of the pool and turned to give him her full attention.

“Well,” Gourry closed his eyes, trying to remember the specifics of the conversation. “One of them said that Lucilla was engaged to some Elmekian noble.” It had been quite a shock hearing the name of his homeland in this part of the world.

“Elmekia? Are you sure?” Lina leaned forward slightly, the barest hint of a frown creasing her brow.

“Yeah,” Gourry said shortly. “I remember thinking it was weird because I thought she was dead. But then the other guy said he had heard that Deremar had sacrificed her in some demonic ritual.”

Lina stared at Lucilla's sleeping form, her face expressionless, but the tense set of her shoulders indicated she was bothered by something. “Well, she's obviously not sacrificed . . .” she muttered under her breath.

“What's wrong?”

Lina looked at him, her eyes full of concern. She opened her mouth, reconsidered, and closed it again, biting her lip. “Nah, I must be going delusional,” she said with a false laugh as she started to stand up.

“No, what?” Gourry asked, catching her arm at the elbow. Clearly there was something. It was small consolation that her eyes were steady, instead of doing that weird jumpy thing.

“It's stupid,” she said slowly, “and probably way off base . . . but . . .”

“But?”

“Oh, Gourry, what if you're the Elmekian noble?”

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

“What?” he asked incredulously. “That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.”

“Is it? How do you think she knew your name?” She tried to gauge his reaction, wondering if she dared to ask the other question. Had Lucilla really known his full name? “She seemed to recognize you, too.”

“I don't know,” he said slowly. “I didn't think I'd ever hear that name again, you know.”

He seemed calm enough, so she pressed on. “So it is your name?”

“Yeah,” he admitted, “but I'd rather be just Gourry Gabriev, you know?” He laughed, a bit self-deprecatingly as he rubbed his hand over his head. “I'm not really sure who Gourry ap Magsen Gabriev is anymore.”

Lina nodded. “Did you know that some legends say that the Swordsman of Light who slew the demon beast Zaniphar was called Magsen?” Actually, that was a bit of an oversimplification. According to her research, he had originally been called Magnus the Great, but somehow, over time, the name had shifted to Magsen. Most people just referred to him as the `Swordsman of Light' and there were some who claimed that his personal identity had been completely subsumed by the heroic deeds he had performed with the Sword of Light. Funny that she had not heard any rumors of his descendents in Elmekia . . . but Lina had to admit to herself that even she could not know everything.

Gourry shrugged. “I never really paid attention.”

“You never pay attention!”

He shrugged again, and Lina sighed. “Anyways, do you think there's some connection between that rumor you heard and the fact that she knows your name?”

“Huh? You mean the demon-worship thing?”

Lina stared at him with a flat expression.

He laughed and reached out to ruffle her hair.

Lina batted his hand away. “Didn't I tell you that's the most annoying thing I've ever encountered in my life?” she bit out from between clenched teeth.

“Maybe,” Gourry shrugged, but his eyes were twinkling with barely suppressed mirth. “But I wasn't paying attention.”

That did it! Lina launched herself at him, with the intention of locking him in a head-hold and pummeling him into submission, but Gourry caught her just before she slammed into him, picking her up and swinging her in a circle, laughing merrily the entire time. His laughter was infectious, and Lina found herself joining in.

When he finally set her down, Lina was breathless and dizzy, and she collapsed in a heap on the ground. Gourry hunkered down next to her and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. “Feel better?”

Surprisingly, she actually did. “Yeah. How about you?” He was smiling at her, but his eyes searched her face. She was surprised to see traces of worry in his, but then he yawned, and she wondered if it was just that he was tired. All in all, he looked rather beat. “Why don't you get some rest?” she suggested. “Lucilla's gonna be out for several hours, more than enough time for you to get a quick nap.”

Gourry yawned hugely. “Not a bad idea,” he conceded.

“Of course not! After all, all my ideas are great ones. Get some sleep.” She pushed him off and turned back to finish off her laundry. She really doubted that one washing would be sufficient to wear the clothes in properly, but at least it was a start. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed that Gourry had curled himself up by the fire.

It was quite odd that he was so exhausted. Slogging through mud and rain certainly was tiring, but not that much. Maybe they had left for Deremar's too soon, before he had a chance to fully recover? Siebert had strenuously objected to them leaving. He had wanted to monitor Gourry's condition for a few more days and make sure there was no permanent damage to his lungs. Strangely enough, he had stopped objecting when Gourry said he was going to look for his mother, although he had pulled her aside and given her a whole list of things to watch for. Lina had shrugged him off at the time. Gourry had certainly seemed healthy enough to her, but the old healer had saved both of their lives, so he obviously knew his stuff. It certainly would not hurt anything to listen to Gourry's breathing for a bit, right? Especially since she was done with her laundry and there was nothing better to do at the moment.

She knelt down behind Gourry and leaned her ear close. He murmured something in his sleep, and rolled onto his back, causing her to scramble out of the way. She glared at him, mostly out of reflex. Then she sighed and counted his breathing against her heartbeat. It was slow and steady, and she could detect none of the rattling or gasps Siebert had described in such distressing detail. She guessed it was just pure exhaustion, after all. It was unusual, but not really cause for undue concern.

Lina puttered about their impromptu camp a bit, but there was little to do, beyond boil some water and set up for their lunch—and of course, feed herself some breakfast. Although she had nothing to keep her active, there was more than enough to occupy her mind. Lina found a comfortable spot near Gourry, and pillowed his head on her lap while she kept an eye on Lucilla.

That girl was certainly an enigma. First she was sexually involved with her uncle, then she was dead. Then she was engaged, at least according to Gourry, or sacrificed. Today, the girl was cozying up to Zel, and apparently trying to kill her. Lina had seen the murderous expression blossom on Lucilla's face when she had come up behind Gourry. Up until that instant, she had looked like a young girl with a crush. Lina unconsciously clenched her fists at the memory. She certainly had guts, that was clear. Either that or a death-wish. How else could she explain the girl's obvious scramble for a weapon when Gourry had a sword at her throat? Lucilla seemed to be at the center of a whole constellation of strange coincidences that they had been running into lately. Gourry might dismiss it, but the rumor, combined with the way she had been looking at Gourry, and the whole seduction routine . . . what if she really was engaged to him?

Lina shook her head. Even if they were engaged, what difference did it make? Engagements could be broken, she knew that from first hand experience. It was hardly worth worrying about.

Obviously Lucilla had faked her death. Unless she had a secret twin or something. And just as clearly, it was an attempt to rile the population up against Lina. But not against Gourry. Her speech about doing the world a service by ridding it of the Dra-Mata—how she hated that name!—sounded good, but Lina thought that her true motivation was revenge. No, that was not completely accurate. Revenge was a part of it, and the most plausible. It was unfortunate, but sometimes her methods of dealing with . . . situations caused some collateral damage. No one was perfect, right? And if you took the long view, her methods made a lot of sense. Take that dragon she took out: it had already eaten several villagers and knocked down a couple of buildings before the town had hired her services. So her Dragon Slave had burnt half the village to a crisp. If she had done nothing, the dragon would have kept coming back. Who knows how many villagers it would have eaten—not to mention the havoc and destruction. At least her collateral damage was a one-time affair. Lina sniffed to herself.

At any rate, she still had to figure out what to do with Lucilla. They could just leave her here . . . but that just meant she could sneak up behind them again. The last thing Lina wanted was to take a poison dart in the back from some spoiled-brat of a girl. That would be worse that having some brainless swordsman—like that Voluun—claiming her kills! No, Lucilla had to come with them. She could probably keep her asleep for a few more days, if she had to. Lina grinned wickedly. Somehow, she doubted that Lucilla's mother was in on the little `fake death' charade—the woman had seemed genuinely upset that day—and she would probably be more than `overjoyed' to be reunited with her errant daughter. Not to mention the townspeople who had been injured trying to lynch her and Gourry. All things considered, Lina figured that Lucilla's homecoming was going to be anything but pleasant. Oh, yes. The idea had definite possibilities . . . Lina hummed happily to herself and waited for Gourry to wake up. They had things to do.