"May I ask," said the old healer in acid tones, "what is going on here, young miss?"
Too much was whirling through Lina's mind; she couldn't make herself answer him. After levitating the grey-bearded, flannel-robed man up the inn's stairs and down the hall, she wordlessly dumped him onto the floor in Zelgadis's room. He landed next to where Amelia was desperately trying to save her stone-skinned friend's life. With a tiny gesture, the redheaded sorceress then cast a light spell to illuminate the room and everyone in it.
The healer rose shakily, mouth open, intending to snap indignantly at Lina; but the moment he laid eyes on Zelgadis, he shut his mouth, knelt next to the stricken chimaera, and immediately began adding his healing magic to Amelia's.
The young girl was in shock and crying softly. "He's getting worse and worse, and there's nothing I can do to stop it," she moaned.
"Shh," said the old man, his voice soothing as he tried to calm her. "You've done a good job so far. Now let me direct the flow of magic... here... there we go..."
Lina watched, feeling helpless. I'd better leave stuff like this to the pros, she thought. Black magic is my thing, not white. But still, I have to do something! Just standing around and watching is killing me....
Gourry was sitting off to the side, looking as worried as Lina felt. "I feel useless," he muttered. "When someone's sick, you can't kill the disease with a sword." He glanced down at the sword buckled around his waist. "Not even the Sword of Light."
Gourry's even sounding halfway intelligent for once, Lina noted absently. She would have been much more astonished, under different circumstances. As it was, her worry for Zelgadis was too great to allow just about anything else to occupy her thoughts.
How did this happen? Where did this sickness come from? Lina wondered for what seemed to be the millionth time. He was fine just a few hours ago....
Suddenly, Amelia gasped, and the healer's eyes grew wide. As Lina watched, horrified, the slow, shallow rise and fall of Zel's chest stopped.
"What... what just happened?" asked Lina, in shock.
Amelia, staring at the chimaera's motionless face, murmured, "No. No. No...."
Lina shrieked, "What happened?" She took a step towards Amelia, trembling, unable to come to terms with the most likely answer.
A large, mustached man, the inn's owner, slowly stuck his head through the open door to Zelgadis's room; he had no doubt been woken by all the noise, or by complaints from other patrons. He carried a lamp, and looked very concerned as he noticed the damage Amelia had done to the door. "Er... tell me someone's going to pay for this melted lock...?"
Before anyone else could react, Gourry sprang up, murder in his eyes. "Get. Out." He slammed the door in the innkeeper's face, and leaned against it, holding it shut. Anger was visible in every line of his face.
Tears streamed from Amelia's eyes. In a shuddering, whispery voice, she said, "His heart. It just stopped."
Lina stared at the young princess in blank disbelief.
"Wait," said Gourry, his face suddenly pale. "That can't be right. He can't have just..."
Amelia shrank away from everyone, curling up into a little trembling ball.
Second after second of terrible silence passed. The healer, silent and once again calm, continued to maintain the flows of white magic surrounding Zelgadis, as if he wasn't willing to give up so soon. No one moved or said a word.
Lina stared in horror at her unmoving chimaera friend. No... he can't be dead.... She simply couldn't imagine what life would be like with the absolute certainty that she would never see Zelgadis again, never speak to him, never again be able to rely on him in a fight.... I never imagined something like this could happen, that one of us could just up and die.... Almost ready to cry herself, she desperately thought, There has to be something we can do, some way to find him a... a cure.... A sob almost, almost escaped her lips.
Then, the healer spoke, his kind voice filling the deathly silent room. "Wait," he said. "Do not be so concerned. Your friend is still alive."
"What? But... his heart...." said a troubled Lina, staring at the old, bearded man in confusion.
"HOW?" yelled Amelia, still curled up in a little ball. She slowly lifted her head, showing eyes red-rimmed from crying, and trembling lips. "It's impossible!"
The old man settled back on his heels, allowing his magic to dissipate. "Your friend's heart still beats, and he still breathes; just extremely slowly. Too slowly to see by conventional methods. I wasn't even sure myself, for a while. But the thread of life which binds him to this world has not yet been broken."
"I don't understand," said Lina faintly, sinking to her knees as she couldn't trust her shaking legs any longer. "Amelia said he.... But how...."
"His body has retreated into... a state of hibernation. Yes, that's the right word for it," the old healer said. "His body has slowed down, but if you look closely enough, you can see he still lives and breathes."
Amelia gazed at the healer, hope beginning once again to shine in her eyes. "Really?" she gasped.
He nodded solemnly. "Yes. And as far as I can tell, this situation will not change of itself anytime soon. He is not going to die."
Amelia's face lit up with a brilliant smile. Slowly, she made her way back to Zelgadis's side, and tenderly embraced his still form. "Zelgadis," she whispered. "You're alive...."
Gourry's face bore an expression of incredible relief. He sank to a sitting position, still remaining in front of the door.
"That's... that's great!" said Lina, her usual cheerfulness returning. "All we've gotta do now is find a way to wake up Zel from this hibernation thing, and...."
"Wait," said the healer, looking suddenly older, more tired. "There is more. Something... disturbing. In addition to the enforced hibernation, I cannot find his spirit. It has somehow been severed from his body. Until it returns or is returned, he cannot wake."
Lina turned over this shocking news in her mind, as Amelia looked up at the old healer in horror. "But what could possibly...," began the princess.
A spell," the healer said, "a curse of some kind. Or possibly, some kind of poison. Or a combination of the two. It's hard to say."
"You mean... someone cast a spell on Zelgadis that did this to him?" asked Amelia, distraught.
"That seems a very likely possibility."
"How dare they?" said the dark-haired princess vehemently. "In the name of justice, I cannot let... this..." She began to sob, still holding Zelgadis; her tears began to soak his shirt. "This crime... go..." Unable to speak any longer, she simply lay there, crying. Wordlessly, Lina put a comforting hand on the younger girl's shoulder as she held on to Zelgadis and cried.
"Without knowing more about the nature of this unfortunate affliction," said the healer quietly, "I cannot cure it. I've never seen anything like this in all my days as a priest. And with the added complication of his chimaeric nature, it's especially difficult to...."
"Wait," said Gourry, unbelieving. "You're a priest? You don't look like one," he said, staring at the old healer's worn, grey flannel robes.
The healer sat up straight and fixed Gourry with a piercing glare. "I can assure you, I am indeed a priest and, as such, proficient in white magic; as Guildmaster of the Healers in this city I...."
"Don't priests usually have a staff? And special robes, and all?"
"I would," replied the Guildmaster, irritated, "except your temperamental redheaded friend dragged me straight from my warm bed. I was airborne by the time I woke up! Didn't even have a chance to grab my coat...," he muttered.
"It's not like I had a choice!" snapped Lina in defense. "All I knew was Zel needed help, and needed it fast! You were the first person I saw in the healers' temple; who else should I...."
"Yes, yes, I understand your position," he grumbled, cutting her off. "Now stop interrupting me." Lina wanted to snap again at him in indignation, but realized it would only cause trouble; they needed to stay on this healer's good side, for Zelgadis's sake.
The Healer's Guildmaster cleared his throat, and settled into a more comfortable position on the wooden floor. "In order to have even the smallest chance of healing your friend and returning his spirit, we must find the source of his affliction; the person or object that cursed him, or the kind of poison, even the location where it happened. I have already cast a 'Detect magic' spell here; nothing in this room is magical enough to be the source, so it must lie elsewhere."
He has? thought Lina, amazed. I didn't even feel him cast it at all. That kind of thing takes a lot of control.... She felt a new measure of respect for the Guildmaster's magical skills. "We've been all over town for the past few days," she said, trying to remember everything that had happened; "met with a lot of people, went to all kinds of shops and...."
"We just came from a restaurant," contributed Gourry.
"Since this happened so suddenly," said the healer, looking pensive, "I would assume the cause was quite recent. Since his condition wasn't caused by this room, it would therefore be wise to check that restaurant as soon as possible."
"Let's go, then!" cried Lina, springing to her feet.
"Hold it! First, let's get your poor friend back onto his bed..."