Aristos glanced at his motley crew, and grinned like a maniac. Slowly, ever so slowly, he was gaining forces again. Soon he'd be able to fight Zelgadis and Lina, and this time he might be able to win! The thought cheered him on, and he pointed dramatically down the dusty, dirty path from atop his perch on Schnookums. A tumbleweed made it's way through on a spare wind as utter silence greeted his long pose.
He cleared his throat noisily, and stated in a proud, slightly comical way, "There! Down this road we shall find my arch-nemesis, Zelgadis the Annoyingly Calm Chimera, and his companion, Lina the Incredibly Flat Sorceress! They shall taste the Wrath of Vengeance as they never have before! I shall smite them down before my feet and make them beg for forgiveness!"
Schnookums drooped his head and gurgled in disbelief. Aristos's constant speeches reminded him of the Princess of Seyruun, Amelia. Except these were worse, by far. "Zelgadis the Annoyingly Calm Chimera?!" and "Lina the Incredibly Flat Sorceress?!" Those are the worst titles I've ever heard... the slug thought.
One of the ex-guards whispered loudly to a second ex-guard, "He's doing it again..."
"I can hear that!" the second muttered while clutching his ears.
"Can we make him stop?"
The second guard looked at Aristos...then at the slug he was riding. "Only if you can get through Schnookums."
"...Dang..." the first guard sighed, his shoulders drooping.
And onward they trudged. They didn't notice a barrier in the distance...
Zelgadis gazed drowsily at Lina, who was curled up on his bed next to him, and smiled secretly into the darkness. He'd worked with Lina for the past six hours or so, trying to teach her how to use the linking jewels, and eventually she'd fallen asleep in his bed, exhausted. Light had come and gone, and stars now filled the sky, bathing them both in silver. Lina mumbled incoherently, and rolled over so her face was directly in front of his.
He blushed, and carefully got out of the bed so Lina didn't wake up. Zelgadis studied her for a few seconds, strange thoughts whirling through his head, and gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
Gently, he leaned over and snaked his arms behind her back and underneath her thighs. His blush intensified, but he ignored it and concentrated on softly lifting her up so she was in his arms, her head resting against his chest. In her sleep, Lina's hands curled around the front of his shirt, and she nuzzled sleepily closer to him. His eyes widened, and he had to physically keep himself from jumping in surprise.
As evenly as he could, he walked out of his room and headed into her bedroom next to his. Thankfully, since she hadn't been in there, the door was still open, so he didn't have to somehow manage to turn the doorknob. He glanced at the carefully made sheets, and set Lina down on top of them. Then, he pulled back the corners, and tenderly slipped the covers over her. She snuggled deeper into the bed with a small, contented sound. He watched her again, and bent over her after a moment or two to clear away a lock of fiery hair from across her face.
Finally, he straightened and headed out, closing the door behind him. It wasn't until then that he noticed a small form standing nearby.
"Lysandros?" Zelgadis whispered, confused.
His old friend sighed, and shook his head pityingly. "It's so obvious. Even your parents will notice how protective you are of her."
Zelgadis frowned, "What's obvious?" What was he talking about now?
Lysandros blinked, and looked at Zelgadis's face even harder. "You..." he began, sounding amazed and slightly amused. "...You don't realize it, do you?"
"What?" Zelgadis wondered crossly.
"You...and Lina..." Lysandros began to say, but shut his mouth midway. "No. You wouldn't believe me yet." He tilted his head to one side, summoned up a cheery smile, and said, "I'll see you tomorrow, Zel. Good-night."
"W-wait!" Zelgadis demanded angrily as the little man disappeared around a corner. Softer, he asked the silence, "What was he talking about?"
Lina munched thoughtfully on her breakfast as her brain spun with the new things Zelgadis had shown her yesterday. The jewels could do a lot more than she had originally been shown, and she privately wondered if Zelgadis had told her everything yet.
In short, the jewels linked two people together, and because of that, they could send thoughts, images, memories, and perhaps more. The only way the union could be broken was the death of one or both of the linked people, in this case Lina and Zelgadis. But the death had to be permanent; if a connected person was brought back by a spell, like Resurrection, the link would come back as well.
Lina grimaced as she remembered how casual Zelgadis was the day he linked with her. She wished he had warned her about the consequences beforehand. What if she hadn't wanted to have a permanent connection with him? The hairs on the back of her neck rose, and she firmly repressed the notion before she got goosebumps as well.
Lina grabbed another plate and pulled it close, dismissing her thoughts for the present. They could wait till she had more information. Instead, she asked through her food, "We're going to have to go to the royal library in the castle, right?"
He eyed her warily. "And how did you know that?"
She waved a drumstick at him, and chided him teasingly, "I'm guessing the royal library has the best books, and the largest collection. Plus, they might have some of Rezo's things, since he's related to you."
He smirked approvingly, and nodded. "But we still have a problem. I don't know how we'll be able to get into the library."
"We'll think of something," she replied confidently as she patted her belly contentedly. "At the very worst, we'll just have to blast our way inside."
"That's not reassuring," he muttered underneath his breath. Louder, he said, "There's another problem about getting inside..."
"Like what?" she snorted disbelievingly.
"Like, have you gotten all your powers back yet?"
A pause. "Er...ah..." Lina blushed. "...No." She raised her head and said heatedly, "But they're almost all back; they'll be completely restored by tonight! Besides, I'm not waiting around here another day! I want to see what's in that library." Drool trickled out of her mouth as she considered all of the valuable, expensive books she could find...and possibly "borrow."
Zelgadis cursed under his breath. Normally, he'd choose and pick whether he followed Lina into battle, but this was *his* territory; he knew the dangers and the pitfalls better than her. Besides, she could meet his family, and he wasn't sure who would win if they fought.
He sighed in defeat, and cradled his head in his hands. "Okay, okay. Finish eating, and we'll head to the castle."
She grinned, and winked at him. "Zel, you worry too much. It'll work out."
"I hope you're right," he murmured morosely.