Lina stared at her new bedroom, amazed at the luxury and also slightly ill at the sight of so much pink and white. The bed had silk, pink sheets with white ribbon trimming the edges, white pillows which were also made of silk and edged in pink ribbon. All the walls were a light shade of pink, while soft, plush carpet beneath her feet was an off-white shade. A small, cute table with equally cute chairs had darker pink cushions on the seats and a white tablecloth, pink flowers embroidered around the edges. The dresser, too, had a white cloth covering the top. By her bed was a wardrobe painted, again, white and pink. It was about now that Lina started getting a tooth ache from all the sugary sweetness.
She grimaced, and headed out of the room, locking it securely behind her. No, not because she was worried about burglars; she still was carrying everything she owned. It was because she didn't want people knowing what kind of room she had. How insulting! Lina Inverse, sorceress supreme, had been put in a room only someone as strange as Amelia might like...and even that was doubtful.
She drew in a shuddering breath, and headed one door down. Upon her request, Zelgadis had been put in the room next to hers. I hope it isn't as bad as mine...
"Zel, you in there?" she called through the door. Without waiting for an answer, she walked in. Well, it isn't as bad as mine...It's worse! Lina thought with pained grimace.
Zelgadis was slumped on the bed, staring off into space with a vacant, horrified expression. It was easy to see why. From wall to wall, the room was covered with mirrors. The furniture didn't help; the table was a mirror, the wardrobe had mirrors on the inside and outside, and even the sheets and pillows were made of a strange cloth that was faintly reflecting. This is the worst kind of room he could get...
"Zel...? Maybe we should track down Wyna and get our rooms changed," Lina said reasonably, sitting next to him on the bed.
"...No. The room will just make me hunt for a cure faster, so we can leave this damned place," he cursed.
"Are you sure?" she asked, frowning in concern.
"I'm sure," he sighed.
"Okay, but feel free to visit my room whenever you like. That way, you won't have to be in here unless absolutely necessary," she offered.
"...Thank you. I appreciate it," he said, shuddering as he looked at the room again. "Let's get out of here."
Quickly, they headed into the hallway. Zelgadis locked his bedroom door, and walked down the hallway, with Lina at his side.
"We might as well head to the library," Lina said with a shrug. "It's why we're here."
"That's just what I was thinking," he smirked, his confidence and calm restoring as he got further from the mirror room.
It was obvious Zelgadis still remembered his way around. He headed unerringly down the hallways, never asking for directions or stopping to debate which way to go. Lina trailed after him, taking in the richness of the place. Statues, paintings, tapestries, and other artistic works graced the marble walls, and Lina was sure just one of them could earn her a small fortune. All of them seemed to shimmer with magic. She'd swear at least one statue turned its nose up at her, and a few of the men's statues winked at her. In the paintings, the swords clanged together in the heat of battle, and lovers could be seen kissing passionately. Lina blushed more than once.
Finally, they reached two large double doors that were made of stark, plain, battered wood. It didn't fit with the rest of the castle, as Lina knew by now. They should have been gilded, or made of a more expensive, prettier substance like marble. Zelgadis smiled slightly, and placed his hand on the outside of the door.
They immediately swung open, though Lina could tell he hadn't pushed at all. How'd he do that? The thought was pushed to the back of her mind as she got her first good look at the much-toted library.
She'd expected to see an imperious room, with an atmosphere that just screamed don't-touch-anything-upon-pain-of-death. Instead, she saw a wood-paneled room which was easily the most cozy, comfortable place she'd ever seen. Four large, plush chairs and two couches surrounded a cheerfully burning fireplace. They looked much-used and very inviting. Three sturdy, nicked, plain tables stood a little distance away, and each had four chairs around them. Those chairs didn't look quite as cushy as the others, but Lina decided it was a good thing; this way, she'd concentrate on what she was reading. There were a few bookshelves on this floor, but she saw stairs leading up and down, and assumed most of them were on the other levels.
When she got a good look at the walls, she realized they all had painted murals of fairy tales. Sleeping Beauty was about to be awakened by the prince; Rapunzel had let down her hair for the wicked witch; the Three Little Pigs were all snickering at the Big Bad Wolf, who looked quite winded; The Miller's Daughter was making a deal with Rumpelstiltskin; and Jack was climbing the Beanstalk.
Zelgadis relaxed the moment he entered the library, and he gazed with a familiar, happy eye upon the murals. He whispered to Lina, "I loved this room... It was the place I always retreated to. No one could find me in here, if I didn't want them to."
"It's wonderful..." she whispered back, awed.
He shook his head, clearing it of his memories, and motioned for Lina to follow him. "Come on; I'll show you the rest of the library."
Nodding, she followed after him. As they walked up the stairs, he said over his shoulder in an authoritative voice, "There are four levels above the main level, and two below it. The two lower levels have books on Black magic and anything else that can't necessarily be put in any one category. The upper levels have books on White magic, Shamanism, and part of Rezo's collection, as well as a section of fiction."
Zelgadis didn't stop at the fiction section. He went up the next flight of stairs, and the next, and the next...till they reached the top floor, where Rezo's collection was being stores. Both Lina and him knew the most logical place his cure would be is with Rezo's things.
Lina grinned, and rubbed her hands together. "Where to start...?" she said, money symbols floating in the back of her mind.
Zelgadis shook his head in amusement, and pointed to one of the bookshelves. "I'll be over here."
"Okay... I'll look there, then," Lina said, eyes gleaming as she saw a row of gilt, expensive-looking books. She stared hard at the names, trying to decide which ones to pull out and look at first. "Different Demons & Devils." Interesting... Lina pulled it out, and experimentally paged through it. As the title suggested, it explained about different types of demons. Here's mazoku...youkai, akuma, kitsune... I didn't know there were so many... But it wasn't useful for their purpose; there wasn't anything on chimeras, or how to reverse the process. "Dungeons and Demons." It might detail someone or something that can reverse enchantments like Zelgadis's... Better look at this downstairs.
Just as she was taking it out of the bookshelf, the person she'd been thinking about grabbed her arm and jerked her away. "Wha...Zel, what the hell are you doing?!" she demanded loudly.
He put a finger to his lips, and shushed her into silence. "Two people are coming up the stairs!" he whispered into her ear.
In a whisper just as low, she demanded, "So? We have permission to be here."
He shook his head. "We shouldn't have been able to find our way here for at least another two or three hours; the palace is huge, and no one here would have told us where it is. I didn't think anyone would be here, so I felt safe coming here straight away; otherwise, I would have waited."
"...Can't we simply say it was dumb luck?" Lina asked, frowning.
"First the barrier...now this... They'd never believe we had THAT much luck," he stated grimly, pushing her towards a bookcase at the opposite end of the room, near the stairs. He scanned the book covers quickly, till his eyes fell upon one book cover in particular. Lina didn't have time to see the title before he pulled out the top-most edge. Silently, the bookcase next to them swung open, and Zelgadis pushed her roughly inside the dark, enclosed space.
The bookcase swung closed again, shutting off all light. But, from what Lina could feel, the space wasn't very big. She was crammed into a corner, Zelgadis's side pressing heavily into her. So this is what a sardine feels like...
Muted voices from beyond their hiding space reached Lina's ears. "...They won't be here for another two or three hours, at least," Tannec was saying smugly.
"Are you sure?" a girl asked worriedly. It sounded like Wyna.
"Of course! Only members of the royal family know exactly where this library is. They'll have to search the palace for hours before they stumble across it. Plus, our family are the only ones who know the trick to opening that heavy door without effort," Tannec explained. Lina could just imagine him smirking confidently.
"Zel looked pretty smart, though." Wyna added thoughtfully, "He reminds me of our brother, the Heir Prince..."
Tannec snorted in a very un-charming fashion, and asked dryly, "Did our brother know how to use magic?"
"...No..." Wyna admitted hesitantly.
"Then it can't be dear ol' Prince Zelgadis."
"...I don't know..."
Tannec let his exasperation show in his voice. "I didn't come here to discuss our brother, Wyna! We've got to remove Rezo's diary before Lady Lina and Zel discover it. If they read it, they'll learn of the royal family secrets, and we can't let that happen. What if they told everyone? It'd be a disaster!"
A defeated sigh. "Fine," Wyna muttered. Boots slid across the floor as the two went towards different shelves. "I wish we knew where it was."
Tannec threw back, "I wish we knew how Lina got through the barrier...or how she saw it in the first place."
"True... Only a few people in our family have ever learned the secret of getting past the barrier without help," she mussed, and added even softer, "Prince Zelgadis was one of them, if I recall. He always went outside the barrier."
"Stop talking about our brother! He's dead, remember?" Tannec ordered sharply.
"I know, I know, but..."
"So let's go back to finding that book!"
The two moved around the room for several more minutes, giving Lina time to think about what they'd said. Why do they think he's dead? Just because he disappeared doesn't mean he died.
I can't believe they're trying to hide Rezo's diary from me, Zelgadis said into her mind, his rage palpable.
Oops! I forgot we don't have to speak out loud. They think you're dead?
She imagined him nodding solemnly. I'm not surprised. Rezo's spell didn't just effect me, it also transformed the surrounding forest. Most of the plants couldn't handle the change and died, but the ones that did live... Let's just say, it's wouldn't have been hard to make the conclusion something bad happened to me. Plus, all my things were in one spot; it would have been easy enough to find them.
Ah... Lina felt him shift slightly next to her. His leg slipped between her legs, and her face pressed into his chest. Oomph! Hey, what're you doing?! she demanded, blushing hotly in the darkness. Unknown to her, Zelgadis was blushing even worse.
Rezo's diary is the most likely place I'll find my cure. I've got to stop them before they find it! Zelgadis explained, shifting some more.
Why does this require shifting?!
I have to reach the release trigger, he bit out, shifting some more, but this space was only designed for one person!
I couldn't tell, Lina commented dryly.
After a bit more shifting, Zelgadis pressed the release, and the door swung open silently. Both Wyna and Tannec were so deeply engrossed in searching the bookcases that they never noticed Lina and Zelgadis sneak out of the space. I can't believe it...
Zelgadis smirked evilly and sneaked up behind his younger brother, while Lina turned to the nearest shelf and marveled at her incredible luck. Wait! Zel, stop! she cried into his mind, and he stopped mid-step.
What?! he inquired, annoyed and angry.
I found it! Let's get out of here before they realize we're here, she said gleefully, hiding it in one of her cape's many hidden pockets.
But... Lina was amused to note he sounded just like a child who'd just gotten denied a present.
We can get revenge later. It'd be better if they never knew we were here.
Zelgadis's shoulders slumped, but he did as she requested, and they made their way silently back down the staircases. As soon as they were outside the doors, which again opened and closed at his touch, Lina told him, "Let's go to my room, and look at it there." He agreed, and they walked back to Lina's room...