Xellos prepared himself for the explosion of Filia's anger. She was so predictable sometimes, he mused.
"What are you doing here, you filthy Mazoku?" the dragon woman shrieked. "I want you to stay as far away from my home as you can get, forever!"
"Now, now, Filia-san," the priest replied smoothly. "Such racial slurs are not very becoming of a lady such as yourself." He picked up the vase he had been regarding. "Is this pre-Crozoean? Very nice."
Filia rubbed her temple with one hand and sighed heavily. "What do you want, Xellos?" she asked testily. "Or did you only come here to discuss my fine selection of ceramics?"
He replaced the vase on the marble stand and met Filia's gaze. "It's a matter of some importance, actually." he said. "Concerning your son, I believe." Xellos could see in her eyes that he had her now; hook, line, and sinker.
"Lay one hand on Val and I swear -- "
Xellos waved his hand in the air, dismissing what Filia had been about to say. "That's all water under the bridge, my dear. I give you my solemn word that I will not actively bring any sort of pain to the boy. I am only here to make certain that he fufills his destiny."
Filia shook her head almost violently. "What good is the 'solemn word' of a Mazoku like yourself?" she spat.
"Again with the name-calling," Xellos replied, losing a little of his patience. "My word on this is actually as good as the gold you gave to Lina's sister, that I can assure you. As you feared, the Mazoku race has a definite intrest in Val, and they will try anything to seperate the boy from your protective care."
Filia looked at him doubtfully. "Why do you see fit to tell me this?" she asked him stubbornly. "And what exactly are you wearing?"
Xellos held his arms out and did a little half-turn. "Do you like it?" he asked cheerfully. "I myself think it makes me look quite distinguished." He stopped posing and fixed the dragon woman with an even stare. "But my wardrobe hardly matters, and we have more important matters to discuss. I should think that you wouldn't let yourself be so easily distracted when your son's health and well-being are concerned." There, he thought. That should hush her up for now. He went on before Filia could interupt him again, just in case. "I trust the others are here finally?" Filia nodded curtly. "Very well then," Xellos continued. "I suggest that I bring everyone up to speed at once. Time is not our friend, but I'm sure you have already realized that, Filia-san."
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" she asked.
Xellos gave her his most innocent look. "Surely you must have noticed that the boy will be a man before much longer?" he asked lightly. He went on without pausing for breath, for if you extended your hand to Filia, she was as likely to tear your entire arm off as to shake it. "Might we move this discussion to the kitchen? I'm pretty sure that's where you have the others hidden away. I don't want to have to say everything twice, and I could use a glass of water. Have you noticed how hot it's been lately?"
Filia was grinding her teeth so hard that Xellos could clearly hear them scrape against one another. "Why don't you just take your lies and stories somewhere else, Mazoku?" she asked with venom in her voice.
"No need to show me, Filia-san." Xellos continued politely. "I'm sure I can find the kitchen on my own. I mean, it's one of the main areas of your house right? And if I know the others, they will all be gathered 'round the table fighting over the food." He began to walk sedately toward the back of the house, where he knew the kitchen would be located. If he had seen one house in Ceipheed's Blessing, he had seen them all.
"We already ate." Filia replied curtly.
Xellos smiled sweetly. "I'm not hungry." he retorted.
They entered the kitchen, and to his surprize Xellos found it empty. The door to the backyard banged open and let in a trail of people led by Lina Inverse. "Hey Filia, Sirius says he's sorry but he can't stay. He had to leave a few minutes ago......." The sorceress stopped dead in her tracks. Amelia, who was right on Lina's heels, ran into the older woman, earning her a sharp look from the red-head. "Xellos!" Lina said, much to sweetly. "Long time no see. What brings you to this corner of the world? Nice ensemble, by the way." she said, nodding at Xellos's new clothing.
"Thank you, I'm quite fond of them myself. The cloak alone is an extraordinary garment." He gave a slight bow to Lina. "And it has been awhile, hasn't it? Amelia, Zelgadis, and Gourry, always a pleasure." Xellos paused when his gaze fell on the Val, and he tried not to let his amazment show on his face. "And who do we have here? Might it be the birthday boy I've heard so much about?"
The boy regarded him silently for several seconds, his orange eyes weighing and measuring Xellos. A smile slowly bloomed on the child's scarred face. "Uncle Xellos!" Val exclaimed happily. The boy threw himself at Xellos and gave him a tight hug. Xellos didn't miss the look that was passed between the other adults in the room, though his expression gave nothing away. He ruffled the boy's green hair fondly. Val really was growing up to be quite a charmer.
"Hey, Xellos, check it out. I got my sword back!" Gourry said with cheer. "You just missed that guy from the Underworld."
Lina cuffed the blonde man half-heartedly. "That's Overworld, you dork," she sighed. "And why don't you just advertise to the entire Mazoku race that Gorun Nova is back in this world? That's just begging for it to get stolen by some ambitious dark lord. It's a wonder you've managed to keep a hold of it this long, if you ask me."
The swordsman gave her a blank look. "But I didn't ask. At least, I don't think I did." Confused, he turned to the chimera on his right. "Did I ask Lina anything, Zel?" he inquired.
"Not recently," Zelgadis replied. "But since when has Lina ever had to have been asked before she shares her opinion." Xellos chuckled slightly at the chimera's remark.
"What was that, Zel?" Lina growled.
"Nothing." he replied quickly.
Amelia chuckled nervously. "So, Xellos-san, what brings you to Ceipheed's Blessing?" she asked casually.
Lina planted her fists on her hips. "Yes, Xellos," she said with honeyed tones. "I think we should all be very intrested to hear your reasons for being here."
Xellos knelt down so he could look Val in the eye. "Don't you think you should go to your room and find your other drawings?" he asked the boy. "I would very much like to see the fruits of your talent."
"Okay." the child replied. He turned to Filia. "May I be excused, Mama?"
Filia nodded, and they all watched in silence as the child skipped out of the kitchen on his way upstairs. When he was out of earshot, the dragon woman rounded on Xellos. "How do you know about Val's intrest in art?" she asked suspisiously.
For an answer, Xellos waved his hand over the cloud-colored orb that capped his new staff. The colors within it swirled like a restless sky, then dissolved to show an image of Val climbing the stairs within it. "I won't tell you that I haven't been watching you for the past several days," he told her. "I needed to know when the rest of you arrived. Now that I think about it, " he said. "Maybe we should all have a seat." Without waiting for the others to respond, Xellos took a chair at the head of the table and sat. "Oh, Filia, could you be so kind as to bring that pitcher of water to the table? And a glass? Talking is thirsty work in weather such as this."
Grumbling, Filia did as she was asked, she even poured Xellos a glass of water herself, though Xellos was quite sure she spilled some in his lap on purpose. "So sorry." she said with false sincerity.
"No matter," Xellos replied smoothly. He mopped the water up as best he could. when he was finished, Xellos looked up to see that the others had each taken their own seats.
"Well," Lina said, fixing Xellos with her unnerving red gaze. "Talk."
Xellos leaned back casually in his chair. "Filia-san," he began. "Do you still have that thing I gave you?"
"What? Oh, you mean this thing?" She reached into the pocket of her dress and retrieved the silver cuff bracelet. Filia set the bracelet on the table in front of her, and Lina made a grab at it.
"Pretty!" the sorceress exclaimed. She probed along the outer surface of the cuff until she found the catch, which sprang open when she pressed it. Lina removed the demon's blood talisman from her left wrist and donned the silver bracelet in its place. "That's funny," she said. "The catch must be broken." She tried to close it around her wrist again, only to have the bracelet pop back open.
"Not broken," Xellos replied, gently taking the bracelet from Lina. He held it up for the others to see, then snapped it closed with a metalic click. "It just wasn't meant to be worn by you, Lina-san."
"It looks very familiar...." Amelia said. "Who does it belong to?"
"It was until late the property of the Greater Beast. Before that, it resided in the tresure vault of the tenth emperor of Elmekia. And before that, who can say? I would have asked Zelas about it myself, but when I left her services I'm afraid I took this without asking."
"Is that why you gave it to me? So the Beast King would find it in my possesion and think I stole it?" Filia demanded.
"Wait a minute," Zelgadis said before Xellos could answer the dragon. "Did you say you left the Beast King's employ?"
"Lina," Gourry whispered loudly. "Who's the Beast King?"
"Not now, Gourry." Lina replied. "I'm intrested in knowing the answer as well, Xellos. Care to enlighten us?"
The priest nodded. "Certainly." he said. "It is true that I no longer take orders from the Beast King. We parted company some six months ago, actually. I now have a different master to take orders from."
"Is that where the new outfit came from?" Lina asked him. Xellos nodded, and the sorceress continued. "So you must have gotten a promotion."
"In a manner of speaking, I guess." Xellos answered.
Zelgadis directed a frown his way. "So who do you work for now? I know you once took orders from Hellmaster Phibrizzo, but from what I understood that was a temporary -- "
"But Hellmaster is dead!" Gourry exclaimed triumphantly. "I remembered that Lina." he said smugly.
Lina rolled her eyes skyward. "So you did. Zelgadis raised an intresting question, Xellos. Who do you take your orders from now? Dolphin? Dynast Grusherra?"
Xellos held up both hands in a warding-off gesture. "Heavens no," he laughed. "The Deep Sea would have cheerfully killed me even when I was working for Zelas, there is no love lost between those two. As for Grusherra, I would be surprised if he showed an intrest in me. He always thought so highly of himself, pitting the other dark lords against each other to see who can bring about Ruby-Eye's resurection first. But I digress. I can tell you honestly that I have had no contact with any of the higher-level Mazoku in the past six months."
"You've gone renegade?" Amelia asked, disbelief in her voice. "Like Gaav?"
Xellos shook his head quickly. "I wouldn't go as far as to say that, Amelia-san. Gaav was indeed foolish to oppose the Mazoku so openly. We have all seen where that got him. Frankly I don't feel entirely safe divulging my plans to the lot of you. Not that any one of you would believe me."
"We most certainly will not!" Filia cried, a self-righteous note in her voice. "A leopard can't change it's spots, Xellos. How do we know you aren't spinning some elaborate story to get us to trust you enough to follow you? For all we know you could lead us right into some Mazoku trap!"
Xellos made a soothing gesture. "Peace, Filia-san. I will not lie to you and say that the Mazoku are not intrested in my actions. However, I speak the truth when I say I want no part of their objectives."
"And what exactly are the Mazokus' intentions?" Amelia inquired from her seat at the far end of the table. "Do you know what they are after?"
Xellos nodded. "They are after the boy." he said bluntly. "Val posseses great power and ability, but he has no direction. The Mazoku intend to seperate the child from your guardianship and turn him to their side."
"And why do you go against this?" Lina asked. "Wheren't you the one they sent to accomplish that objective before?"
"Yes, but that was before." he replied smoothly. "What the Mazoku don't realize is that they would never be able to control Val's power. He would be far more dangerous to them than Gaav ever was"
Amelia sat up straighter. "So that's why you're working apart from the Mazoku," she said. "You're trying to save them from Val, aren't you?"
Filia sniffed. "Why else?" she asked scornfully. "The only thing that concerns you is keeping up your own wretched existance."
The priest rolled his eyes skyward. This conversation was becoming very irritating. "That's not it at all. If Val was a threat to the Mazoku as a whole, couldn't you imagine the threat he would be to humanity? Where Gaav failed, Val would most definately suceed. After all, Val is still the heir to Gaav's power."
"What do you mean by that?" Zelgadis asked.
Xellos spread his hands out before him and shrugged slightly. "It's unclear, Zelgadis-san." he replied. "In the past few weeks I have been digging up any information I could find on Val and his relationship with the Demon Dragon King. So far what I've been able to find doesn't really add up to much, and most of it we already knew. Apparently, before Filia's people destroyed them, Val was a prince among the Ancient Dragons. He managed to escape the slaughter of his people and travelled alone for many decades, seeking revenge. Val was near death when Gaav heard of him, and the Demon Dragon wasted no time in approaching him with his offer. When Gaav began to seriously implement his crusade, he passed on a great deal of power to his most loyal servant, Valgaav. It was enough power to guarantee that Gaav's fight would be carried on should he himself fail."
Lina leaned back and crossed her arms behind her head. "But the use he put that power to was vengence," she said. "He wasn't really carrying on his master's fight, was he?"
"By trying to kill the person he thought responsible for his master's death?" Xellos asked. "I'd say that's carrying on Gaav's fight. And Valgaav's ultimate objective was ridding the world of Shinzoku and Mazoku, something his former master had desired as well. He very nearly suceeded too."
Zelgadis frowned thoughtfully at Xellos. "Are you implying that Val may continue that mission now that he's been reborn?" he asked.
Xellos returned the chimera's stare. "I honestly don't know. What I do know is this: one," He held up a hand and began ticking points off with his fingers. "Val is more powerful than any of us truly realize Two, nothing has succeeded in killing him, so that leads me to believe there is a higher power behind the scenes in his life. Three, even in this incarnation, he retains the powers of Gaav, as well as some other unknown power. By the way, Filia-san, have you begun teaching the boy magic yet?"
The dragon woman looked startled. "No, actually. I was waiting to hear Lina-san's advice on the matter."
Lina stopped relaxing and looked to Filia. "Me?" she asked. "Why were you waiting on my opinion?"
"Well, I must admit that I have some misgivings about letting Val learn magic. What if he can't control it?" Filia replied.
Zelgadis rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Or what if he later uses that magic against you?"
Xellos thought the chimera had a good point. He spared a glance for Filia, who had the grace to look embarrassed. "Well..." she replied.
"Well, nothing." Lina said firmly. "I'm sure we have all entertained those kind of thoughts, Filia. An ounce of caution, right?"
Filia nodded, a slight smile begining to form upon her lips. Xellos raised his hand slightly. "I think," he said in a low tone. "That we should continue this conversation momentarily." He was met with puzzled stares from those seated with him. "I hear the boy coming downstairs." Xellos explained.
There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence, broken soon enough by Val as he dashed into the kitchen. "I got my drawings, Uncle Xellos!" the boy cried, coming to a halt next to the priest's chair. "Here you go." Val passed him a rolled-up parchment. "This one is for you to keep." Xellos unrolled the paper and found it to be a likeness of Filia, skillfully rendered.
"This is quite good, Val-chan." he enthused. Xellos carefully re-rolled the paper and made it disappear into his cloak. "Let's see what else you've got."
"Okay." Val held out a packet of papers bound with string for Xellos's inspection. The priest took the proferred bundle and untied the string to have a look at his pictures. They were all very well done, as if they had been done by a well-trained artist instead of a small boy.
"Nice," Xellos murmured, flipping through each picture. There was even what appeared to be a self-portrait of the boy. Toward the end of the pile, Xellos found a series of drawings and sketches of people he did not recognize. In one, an Ancient Dragon man in fine robes was holding the hand of another Dragon, a woman of great beauty. There were several drawings of a young Ancient Dragon girl, and near the back, Xellos found a likeness that made the hair on the back of his neck stand upright. Trying not to let his alarm show, he held up that picture for the others to see. "Val does quite well, especially for one so young. I think he captured the image of this man best of all."
Lina grabbed the picture out of Xellos's hand, staring hard at the drawing of the red-haired man in a yellow coat. Xellos heard Filia's sharp intake of breath and guessed her son had not revealed this particular work of art to her prior to today.
"You like it, Uncle Xellos?" Val asked eagerly. "I just finished that one today. I got the idea from a dream I had." Xellos exchanged a meaningful look with Filia. The boy's reply had sounded innocent enough, but Xellos found himself wondering for the hundredth time what effect Val's rebirth would have on the balance of the world.
"I think it's very nice." Xellos replied, keeping his voice even and pleasant. He took the picture of the Demon Dragon King and replaced it in the sheaf of papers, speaking to the child as he retied the string holding the bundle together. "I believe it is past your bedtime, Val-chan. Why don't you and I go upstairs and get you tucked into bed. I'll even tell you a story." Xellos noticed Filia looking at him with shocked disbelief, and he felt he should soothe the woman's fears for her son. "Maybe you could convince your mother to come upstairs with us and help you get ready for bed." he added. The boy nodded obediently and made his way back to the staircase. Xellos rose from his chair and offered Filia his arm when she herself stood up. With a derisive snort, Filia turned her head the other way and walked briskly after Val. Shaking his head slightly, Xellos follwed.
"So what do you make of Xellos's story, Lina?" Zelgadis asked her.
She had been sitting with her arms crossed, deep in thought. Lina looked up and leaned toward the table, resting her arms on the smooth wooden surface and making a conscious effort to keep her hands still. "I think," she began slowly. "That I still trust Xellos about the same as always."
"That's exactly what I think." Amelia interjected. "He hasn't really told us anything, and all he does is leave us with more questions."
"But," Lina said firmly. "He seemed genuinely concerned when he spoke of Val being a threat to humanity as well. And it looked to me that Val had charmed his way into 'Uncle Xellos's' heart just as easily as he had done with the rest of us."
"That kid is really cute," Gourry added. "And smart, too."
"You would think a dirt worm was smart." Lina retorted. "Now back to what I was saying. "Even though I don't trust him on a whole, I truly believe he would not let any harm come to Val. I don't know why though, maybe it was something in his face when he was speaking."
"But this is Xellos we're talking about!" Amelia cried. "Just nine months ago he was willing to kill you if it would serve his purpose."
"I think that I agree with Lina," Zelgadis remarked. "I did get the impression that he would never even consider hurting the boy. However," he mused. "While he may protect Val with his very life, who's to say that he wouldn't allow or even encourage harm to the rest of us?"
Lina sighed. "That's why I don't trust Xellos." she said. "But at the same time, what he had said could very well happen." Amelia gave her a hard look, and Lina continued. "Don't get me wrong, I love the little guy as much as the rest of you, but I know that each of us has thought at least once that he could be a major threat to us and the rest of the world. Even Filia, Val's own mother." Lina paused and raised a questioning eyebrow at Amelia. "Well. Am I wrong?"
"I haven't really given it that much thought," Gourry answered. Lina resisted the strong urge to cuff him, and the swordsman finished, "But yeah, I think I have thought that once or twice."
Lina sighed heavily. "Thanks for the affirmation, Jellyfish. Boy, when Gourry starts thinking these things, it must be really obvious, huh?"
Amelia stood up, planting her fists on her hips in that self-righteous way she some times had. Lina prayed to any god that would listen that Amelia wouldn't go off on one of her justice tirades. Lina's prayer must have been heard, because all the princess said was, "But he's just a little boy..."
"He won't stay that way for long," Xellos said, re-entering the kitchen with Filia just behind him. "Or have you not noticed?" Lina watched the priest warily as he approached the table and pulled out a chair, guesturing for Filia to sit. The dragon woman ignored him, and Xellos took that chair himself. "Well," Xellos said with a smile. "What did we miss?"
Zelgadis poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher. "Not much." he answered.
"Yeah," Gourry added. "Just a whole lot about not trusting you, Xellos. Nothing really exciting." Lina did cuff him this time, making the blonde man yelp from the blow. "Ow. Man, Lina, I was just answering Xellos's question."
Xellos shrugged. "I thought as much." he said with a sigh. "I wouldn't expect you to. We all know I'm not the most trust-worthy of people."
"You got that right." Filia sneered.
The purple-haired man ignored her. "But I ask that you at least believe me when I say that we must take the boy to safety right now. We have wasted too much time already." Lina was surprised to see Xellos begin to look a little frustrated. She had never seen the Mazoku betray his emotions to that extent before.
"If you were so concerned about wasting time, why haven't you told us anything of real value yet?" Filia asked.
Xellos stood up quickly, and Lina saw Zelgadis instinctively reach for his sword. She herself was a heartbeat away from casting a Ragna Blade, just in case Xellos seemed threatening. The priest gave each of them a hard stare. "I tell you this, we have to get Val out of here now." he said. "Every second we spend arguing about how untrustworthy I am is a second that we desparately need to make our escape."
"Escape from what?" Filia asked disdainfully.
The purple-haired man heaved a huge, disgusted sigh. "What is the matter with you, Filia?" he exclaimed. "Every time I try to say anything, you always have to contradict and belittle me! Just listen, please."
"I'll listen when you say something worth hearing, you filthy Mazoku!" Filia retorted.
"Again with the 'filthy Mazoku'!" Xellos exclaimed. "If you are going to speak to me like that you should at least learn some new insults."
Filia snarled. "Maybe you're not worth the time it takes to think of new insults! Have you ever thought of that, namagomi?"
Both the dragon and the Mazoku were shouting now, and it was making Lina's head hurt. She tried to ignore thier shrill arguments and began rubbing her temples. For a moment, Lina was convinced she heard. some sort of banging. It's probably just stress making me hear things, she thought to herself. I would be surprised if I could actually hear anything with those two carrying on.
"And you think that your people were pure and sweet and good." Xellos said tauntingly. "Would you like me to tell you some more facts about Golden Dragon history, Filia-san? Do you want to know what they did to the children? And that's just the Ancient Dragons I'm talking about. Have you heard what they used to do with humans?"
Filia clapped her hands over her ears. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" she cried. "I don't want to listen to your lies!"
Amelia, ever the peacemaker, spoke up then. "Filia-san, please calm down. You know he only does this to provoke you."
"Don't want to hear the truth is what you mean!" he shouted. Xellos paused then, holding up one hand for silence. Lina heaved a sigh of relief. She was starting to get a headache from the shouting. "Listen," Xellos said quietly. "Do you hear that?"
Lina closed her eyes and concentrated, but all she could hear was the pounding in her own head. "Nothing." she told Xellos. She did hear something then and jerked her head up. "Wait," she amended. "It's like shouting, and...... Drums? I think I hear drums."
"Gongs." Zelgadis said suddenly. "They're executioner gongs."
Amelia looked startled. "They still put people to death in this village?" she asked Filia.
"Only people that serve the Mazoku race and cannot be reformed." Filia replied. She gave Xellos a hard look. "Do you have any human servants in this village? Is that how you are able to spy on us?"
"Nightwatchers?" Xellos asked. "As far as I know, there are two Nightwatchers that live on a farm about five miles from the village proper. But I myself never employed any, for I always found them to be rather annoying."
Lina felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to face Gourry. "Yes?" she asked. "What is it?"
"Lina, what are Nightstalkers?"
Her temper had already been stretched to its limit tonight, making her explode at the blonde man. "Nightwatchers, you moron. I can't believe you've never heard of them! Every child in all the land is told the stories about the Nightwatchers and thier pacts with the Mazoku!" Lina paused to take a breath and saw the hurt look on Gourry's face. It made her feel bad, so she softened her tone and explained. "The Nightwatchers are people that serve the Mazoku, but are not Mazoku themselves. Nightwatchers can be from any race, but mostly they are human. They swear blood oaths to -- "
"They can't be from any race, Lina-san." Filia interrupted. "Dragons are too close to the gods to ever be a part of something so...so evil."
"Truly?" Xellos said, far too innocently in Lina's opinion. "I believe at one point the Greater Beast had almost three thousand Nightwatchers sworn solely to her, and at least a thousand were dragons. And at least half of the Dragons were Golden. When a dragon falls from grace, they fall far." He paused and looked at the ceiling, as if he could see through it to were Val lay sleeping above them. Lina felt a chill run through her. Xellos continued, "But I think we already knew that."
Taking a breath, Lina continued what she had been saying quickly, before Filia could turn the topic of the conversation into an argument with Xellos. It was best not to let them get sidetracked, or they would be up all night. "Anyway. Nightwatchers swore blood oaths that bound them into service of a particualr Mazoku. Some were bound only to one master, and others were bound to many. They work in secrecy and shadow, and are feared all across the land for the atrocious crimes they commit in the names of thier masters. In short, not very pleasent people."
Gourry rubbed his chin thoughtfuly. "I see." he said slowly. Lina rolled her eyes.
"Um, does it sound like those gongs are getting closer?" Amelia asked. The room fell quiet, and each of them strained to listen. Lina could hear the gongs quite clearly now, it sounded almost like --
"They're at the front door!" Zelgadi exclaimed, leaping out of his chair and drawing his sword with that fluid grace that Lina sometimes envied. The chimera bolted out of the kitchen, and Amelia followed after him. Lina, Filia, Xellos and Gourry caught up a moment later. Zelgadis looked relieved. "Good, it's locked," he said after he tried the door. As if on cue, part of an axe-blade appeared in the wooden door, just above Zel's head. Zelgadis jerked back from the door.
Filia glanced out the small window facing the front yard. "The axe was thrown," she assured them. "There are a bunch of people near the edge of the yard, they look like villagers." She turned away from the window and scowled at the axe partially sticking out from her front door. "They are probably after you, Xellos." She paused, and Lina could see the dragon woman turn pale. "Oh gods," Filia whispered, turning away from the window quickly. Lina took her place at the window, gazing out into the night.
There was a large group of villagers about twenty paces from the door, some with torches, and some with pitchforks and crude homemade weapons. Scanning the crowd, Lina saw what had upset Filia so. Two men at the head of the crowd wear carrying pikes like banners before them. Mounted on each pike was a head, but neither of them were human. The torchlight glared harshly on a glass eye set into the eye socket of the larger head. "Gravos and Jillas," Lina said to no one in particular. "Xellos's idea about getting out of here is starting to sound like a pretty good one." Just as the words left her mouth, the crowd outside surged forward, advancing toward Filia's front door. "Filia!" Lina cried. "Go wake Val, and gather has many supplies as you can. We needed to be gone from here ten minutes ago. Gourry, Zel, find something to block the door." Filia nodded and dashed upstairs. The two men Lina had singled out began pushing display tables in front of the door. "Be sure to stay away from the windows," Lina advised, stepping away from the window herself. "Amelia, Xellos, come with me to the kitchen. We should take as much food as we can carry." She turned to address the men engaged in securing the door. "When you think it will hold, help us in the kitchen. As soon as Filia comes back downstairs, we leave."
Outside, the crowd of villagers began to roar.
He walked aimlessly through corridors that had once been familiar to him. The Golden Dragons had changed all of that; now there were gaping holes were walls should have been, and he could see the smoke-filled sky through several rents in the ceiling. Picking his way carefully over a pile of debris, he tried to keep his fear under control. He had to find Mother and Sallah.
Another volley of dragonfire hit the palace, rocking the structure all the way down to the foundation. He tensed, expecting a portion of the roof to come down right on top of him. The attackers passed by overhead, and he could see their pale golden underbellies through a hole in the ceiling. He was young, but the sight of the Goldens filled him with rage none the less. Abandoning his search for a mother and sister who were most likely dead anyway, he decided that if he must die, he would take as many of the Goldens with him as he could. He wanted them to hurt as much as they had hurt him and his people.
Quicker than thought, he shifted his body into his dragon form and launched himself into the air. He shot out of the largest hole in the ceiling, intent on a Golden gliding just above him. His small wings beat at the air, and he forced himself higher and higher. The Golden saw him approach and prepared to open fire on him, but he was too fast and too clever. Dodging dragonfire, he pulled himself still higher, colliding with the Golden in a fury of teeth and claws. He ripped into the Golden's soft stomach with his taloned feet and bit deep into his enemy's throat. The Golden gave a terrified shriek and tried to shake him off. He clung tenaciously to his advasary, the Golden's hot blood running into his mouth and down his own throat. At last, the larger Dragon convulsed and began to plummet from the sky. He clung to the corpse of the Golden as they fell together in a tangle of wings. Moments before the dragons hit the flaming ruins of the palace, he let go and rose into the air once more to find another murderer to repay.
He was shaking; no, someone was shaking him. He bagan to hear a voice, one that did not fit with this time of place. "Val! Val, honey, wake up! Something terrible has happened and we need to leave now."
"Sallah?" he asked, confused. He seemed to be flying alone in the smoky sky now, the Goldens had gone. "Mother?"
"Yes, honey, it's Mama." the voice replied. It did not sound like Mother. "Come on, open your eyes."
Only then did he realize he was dreaming. Val's eyes poopped open in startlement, and he saw his mama standing over him. "What's going on?" he asked sleepily. He rubbed his head, it was starting to ache.
"It's okay, my sweet boy," Mama said, lifting him gently from his bed. Val allowed his mother to help him dress, even though he was big enough to have managed on his own now. He thought that she really needed something to keep herself busy, for there was a look of ill-disguised fear in her eyes. "There are just some people outside who are upset with us and want us to leave the village." Mama continued. "Nothing to be worried about." She fussed with his pants, trying to tug the hems down to reach his ankles. "Come on dear, get whatever you can carry, we may not be back for a while."
"But this is our home," Val protested. "Why do we have to leave because some stupid villagers are mad at us?"
Mama shook her head sadly. "I don't know, Val. But we do need to hurry."
He nodded sullenly and took his pencil case from the dresser, along with a stack of parchment and the completed drawings. Val put his most treasured belongings in his leather pack and scanned the room. After a moment's hesitation, he grabbed the small stuffed kitten from his bed. He was really getting to old for stuffed animals, but the kitten was his favorite. Uncle Gravos had bought it for him when he was a baby.
"Do you have everything?" Mama asked. Val nodded and took her hand. They left the room together, and Val spared it one last glance before they turned the corner and descended the stairs. Val could hear shouting coming from just outside the front door, and the door itself looked like it had been hacked at with a woodsman's axe. He saw the tables stacked in front of the door and becan to feel fear worm its way into his stomach. Val and his mother arrived in the kitchen, where his "aunts" and "uncles" were gathered.
Uncle Gourry and Uncle Zel were busy holding the back door closed against a tide of villagers trying to enter the house. His aunts were helping Uncle Xellos push the heavy oak table across the kitchen in an effort to secure the back door. The voices outside were quite loud now, and Val could hear thier shouts clearly.
"Kill the witch!"
"Give us the devil-child!"
"Stop hiding and face us, witch!"
Angrily, Val realized they were talking about him and Mama. "My Mama's not a witch!" he shouted back. "And I'm not a devil-child!" He looked at his mother. "Why are they saying such things?"
"I don't know, dear boy, but you should keep your voice down." Mama replied.
"Why? They already know we're in here." Suddenly the window above the sink shattered, someone had thrown a rock through it. Val yelped in surprise.
"Stay away from the windows!" Aunt Lina shouted above the din.
Uncle Xellos stopped assisting the women and knelt before Val, his hands on the child's shoulders. "Val-chan, listen to me." he said. "We're in alot of trouble and we need you to help us out."
Mama grabbed Val away from the purple-haired man. "What are you talking about?" she asked.
Uncle Xellos spared her a look. "The boy can get us out of here safely, without us having to try to fight our way through a hundred or so villagers. Even if we could get past them, I don't think you want Val to see what they have decorating those sticks out there, am I right?" Mama nodded, and Uncle Xellos continued. "The Ancient Dragons were quite adept at teleportation, so long as they were teleporting to a place that they had been before. He can take us out of here in one shot."
"Why does it have to be Val?" Filia argued. "You could do it, or I could."
"No, you can't." he told her firmly. "You don't have the kind of power that it takes to teleport six other people, and neither do I. Val's the only choice."
"But you could take three others and I could take the remaining two."
"And take the chance that we would wind up on opposite sides of the country? Besides, I can't teleport at all. It's not official buisness." Uncle Xellos said.
Mama gave him a hard stare. "What are you playing at, Xellos?"
Val thought he smelled something then, thick and acrid. He looked around and saw smoke pouring through the shattered remains of the window. "Oh no." he moaned.
"Filia, Xellos!" Aunt Lina shouted above the roar of the invading crowd. "In case you didn't notice, we have a real problem here! Stop arguing for five minutes and help us get out of here alive!"
Val's fears were realized as he watched a lit torch sail through the hole were the window used to be and land on the wooden floor. "Mama! Fire!" he shouted. Filia rushed to pick up the torch and hurled it back outside into the night.
"Filia-san!" Aunt Amelia called, still helping Aunt Lina with the table. "I think the front room is burning!"
Uncle Zelgadis grunted. "They've stopped trying to get in. Don't worry about the table, Amelia." He turned to Mama. "I think they mean to smoke us out."
"There's no time for argument then." Uncle Xellos said with authority. "Val-chan, do you think you could do something to get us out of here if I helped you?"
Val hesitated, but the smell of the smoke decided him. "I think so."
"Good. Everyone, gather in a circle around Val." The others did as instructed, if reluctantly. "Okay, Val. I want you to close your eyes and think very hard about somewhere you have been before. Anywhere will do, so long as it's outside of Ceipheed's Blesing." Val did so, thinking of the trees, the beautiful trees. And the smoke. And the little girl with the flame-red hair. "Do you have a place in your mind?" Uncle Xellos asked. Val nodded. "Good. Now, very carefully, I want you to think about all of us. I want you to touch us, but touch us with your mind, not your hands. Good. This is is the hard part, but I want you to know that if you can't do it, don't worry. We can find another way out of the village. Here we go. Think about the place you've chosen, and think about us. Make the two images one in your mind, and shift reality a little. Make us be at that place."
Val saw himself among the trees, as well as Lina, Amelia, Gourry and the others gathered around him. Their image was wrong though, they seemed to.....flicker. Frowning hard, he reached deep inside himself to gather enough power to make it work. The image of them in the woods was stronger now, more clear. He began to feel a vague sensation of falling, but he did not stop trying to move them. He felt it then, a tiny hole in reality that they were passing through. Val could smell the trees and hear the sounds of the forest.
He landed in a layer of dead leaves, falling hard on his rump. Dazed, he looked around him and saw they had all made it into the forest, though everyone appeared to be sleeping. With a relieved sigh, Val fell onto his back amidst the leaves. In moments darkness claimed him.