"Trust in God and do something." - Mary Lyon
Amelia exited the room in which Gourry was sleeping and quietly shut the door. Zelgadis and Jarix looked up as she crossed the room to join them at the table.
"He's still sleeping," she reported glumly.
"Still?" Zelgadis asked incredulously. "It's been over twelve hours."
"I know." Amelia nodded and sighed. They both looked at Jarix.
"Growing accustomed to Graeswandyr takes a great toll, both physically and mentally, on the person who tries to wield it."
Zelgadis huffed. "This damned sword...Will it even do what we're hoping it will do?"
"And what's that?"
"For one thing, can it protect Gourry from any magical attacks Xellos may throw at him?"
The Priest nodded. "It's got limited protection capabilities, yes. He won't be invulnerable, but combined with his natural speed and abilities, compounded with what Graeswandyr will give him, Xellos will be hard pressed to touch him."
"You're certain?" Amelia asked. "Xellos is the most powerful Mazoku save the Dark Lords themselves."
"What do you want me to say, Princess?" Jarix said. "That it won't work? I'm telling you what I believe from what I've seen. Of course, this is all provided he can learn to control the sword, which I have no doubt he'll manage."
"What about the other properties?" Zelgadis asked. "It's supposed to negate dimensional portals. That will be the most important aspect of the sword. We need to keep Xellos from being able to pop in and out of dimensions."
The other man nodded. "It will do that; you needn't worry about that."
"Of course I'm worried; this man is our friend. How does it do it? Will you be able to teach Gourry in time?"
Jarix held up his hand and nodded his head; Amelia noticed his hair was looking darker than it had the night before. "Calm down, calm down. There's nothing to learn: Whenever Graeswandyr is unsheathed, all portals in the area will close."
"That's a relief." Shaking his head, he ran a hand through his wiry hair. "Still - I'm beginning to think this damn sword isn't worth all the effort," Zelgadis muttered as he turned back to his books. "Not if the price is Gourry's sanity." Not to mention the fact that Lina would kill them all if he was permanently changed by the ordeal."
"Regretting what's happened is futile - and it won't help Gourry. Right now, we should work towards helping him accomplish his goal."
Zel bristled at the Priest. "What do you think all this is?" he snapped. He waved his hand over the table, indicating the books and notes on the spell he was trying to modify to find Lina.
"Zelgadis-san," Amelia said quietly, trying to calm him.
Holding up his hands, Jarix gestured placatingly at Zelgadis. "I didn't mean it like that. Ceiphied, but you lot are touchy," he muttered. "This spell of yours; what have you managed to do with it? Do you know where Lina is?"
The other man nodded. "That much we do know. I only need to find a way to boost the spell's power to break through the barriers between the dimensions and we'll be able to get to her."
The silver-haired priest rubbed his chin as he examined the circle chalked on the floor. "Hmmm...Summoning spells aren't my forte, but what if you changed this and this - " he pointed to two of the sigils inside the outer circle " - to this." He grabbed up a leaf of paper and a quill and scrawled a symbol on it.
Zelgadis too the leaf and examined the new symbol. He shook his head. "No. It won't work. I've already changed those symbols from Earth-based ones to bring them more in line with the Astral qualities of the spell."
"I see." Jarix carefully replaced the quill in its box and sealed the ink well. "Can you perform the spell without Gourry's presence?"
"I don't see why not," Zel replied with a touch of surprise. "We've got Lina's hair; that might provide enough of a link for the spell to work. Amelia?"
She nodded. "We came very close last time; it may work." She opened the book in which Zelgadis had carefully placed Gourry's treasure and carried it to the chalk circle. She placed it gently in the center of the circle then joined Zelgadis outside it.
Jarix positioned himself to one side so he could watch both of the spell-casters and the circle itself. In unison, both Shamans recited the words to the spell, each performing the required motions in perfect synchronization. He listened to the words, watched the power flow from them into the circle, gather at the proper points and infuse the lines and sigils, causing them to glow with an eerie light. When the light had become so bright he nearly couldn't look at it, the light shot upwards to form a glowing pillar in the darkness.
Shading his eyes, he stared in amazement. He'd never seen anything like this before; it was incredible. Inside the area delineated by the circle, the air began to thicken and curdle. Space twisted and warped as the spell attempted to break down the walls that separated one dimension from another. Jarix caught brief images of an impossibly large castle, a castle that defied physical laws and stretched seemingly forever in every direction and yet occupied very little space.
The view shifted into darkness. He caught a glimpse of a girl with flame-red hair that was quickly replaced by the image of a purple-haired man holding a staff tipped by a large ruby. His closed eyes were nearly hidden by his hair, and as Jarix watched, they opened and looked right at him. A chill ran down his back and he reached backwards for his own staff leaning against the wall nearby. The purple-haired man in the portal raised his hand and snapped his fingers - and the portal collapsed.
The backlash caused by the sudden collapse knocked both Amelia and Zelgadis off their feet. Their twin cries of pain jolted Jarix and he hurried to the Princess' side and helped her up. "Are you okay?"
The girl sat up and put a hand to her head. "What happened?"
He shook his head. "I don't know. I thought you could tell me that. One minute the portal is there, the next a purple-haired man appears in it then it collapses."
Both of them froze at his words. "Xellos," Zelgadis whispered as they exchanged a worried look.
"He was bound to find us while we were searching for him sooner or later," Amelia said quietly.
"I was hoping to avoid him as long as possible," the chimera said. He looked at Jarix. "We've got to hurry. There's no telling what he will do now that he's aware we're actively trying to find Lina."
"Or what he'll do to Lina-san," Amelia added. "Can he find us here?"
Jarix shook his head. "Doubtful. This whole area is balanced between dimensions..." His voice trailed off and a light infused his face.
"What? What is it?" Zelgadis demanded.
"I've been a fool!" the silver-haired Priest exclaimed. "This whole place is dimensionally transcendental - the walls between our reality and other dimensions are paper-thin! It's thinnest in the Temple, around the doors..."
Zelgadis grinned. "Meaning that it will be easier to break through if we perform the spell there!" He was so excited that he actually reached out and caught Amelia's hands in his.
Amelia looked from one to the other, her whole face lit up with joy. "Do you think it will work, Jarix-san?"
"I'm positive. And if it doesn't work now, it's sure to work in..." He paused and thought a moment. "Five days."
Zelgadis turned back to him, still holding Amelia's hands. "Why then?"
"There are four times a month when the dimensions are closest: Full and new moons when they are close enough to allow the Temples to manifest. And on each halfway-point, on the waxing and waning half-moons."
"I hope we don't have to wait that long for this to work, however," Zelgadis said.
Jarix rubbed his chin. "Actually, it might be best to wait. Xellos might be waiting if you try it again too soon, plus Gourry needs time to work with Graeswandyr. A week isn't a lot of time, but hopefully with his skill, he'll be able to control it well enough to take out Xellos."
The Chimera nodded. "I just hope we can convince him of that. Lina's already been away for a month." Had it really only been that long? he wondered. Felt like longer...
"It's possible that time doesn't run at the same rate there as it does here. What may have been a month for us may only have been a few days for Lina."
"That could explain why she hasn't returned on her own," Amelia said. Her voice was full of hope.
Nodding, Zelgadis squeezed her hand again. "Let's hope so, Jarix, I think Amelia and I will get to work setting up the circle and preparing the spell in the Temple right away. With your permission?"
The Priest nodded. "I'll come open the doors for you." Picking up his staff, he watched while Amelia gathered the lock of Lina's hair off the floor and with great care placed it inside another book for safe-keeping. Zelgadis gathered up his notes and the chalk and together the three of them headed up to the Temple.
Gourry woke slowly and reluctantly. He opened his eyes to find himself in semi-darkness, the room lit only by one lone candle that stood on the table nearby. For a moment he couldn't remember where he was until he tried to lift his arm to put his hand to his head. He cried out as the muscles contracted painfully, then memory came rushing back, bringing him as much mental anguish as the over-extended muscles in his arms provided physical. His cry lengthened into a soft moan.
"Damn," he thought to himself, trying to sit up. It took several tries, but eventually he did make it. He sat with his elbows resting on his knees and stared into the darkness. After several moment, he wrinkled his nose; he really needed a bath.
Levering himself up, he moved stiffly over to where his pack lay and pulled out his change of clothing. Then, not bothering to pull on his bots, he went off in search of a bath to wash away the smell and soak the stiffness out of his muscles.
Feeling somewhat less stiff, Gourry padded through the tunnels to the main living area. He found it empty and quiet. Wondering where his friends and Jarix had gone, he wandered over to the hearth and peeked inside the covered baskets there. He felt hollow inside and his stomach growled painfully as he found a basket containing loaves of freshly baked bread. He ripped off half a loaf and tore into it with his teeth and chewed thoughtfully as he found some fried chicken and a bowl containing ears of roasted corn. Helping himself, he sat down at the table and quickly devoured the food.
The empty feeling inside him taken care of and feeling human again, he went back to his room and grabbed his boots, pulled them on, and buckled Graeswandyr around his waist. Then he set off in search of his friends.
He found them in the first place he looked: The Temple. The three of them were gathered around the doors, which were standing open. The sun was high and shining down into the chamber, making it comfortably warm.
As he approached, the three looked up. "Gourry-san!" Amelia cried and jumped up to greet him. He grinned a little at the small girl and ruffled her hair like he used to do to Lina. It was an act, however, as he felt no trace of his usual good humor. Disturbed by that, he put his arm around her shoulder and gestured towards the others.
"Morning," he said. "What's going on?"
"We're preparing the summoning spell that will take us to where Xellos is holding Lina-san," Amelia answered.
"Why here?"
"We tried it earlier while you were sleeping and it almost worked. Only Xellos managed to close the portal before it opened fully," Zelgadis explained. "It appears this Temple was built on a place that is dimensionally transcendental and the dimensional walls are very thing all the time, and the thinnest right here. So we're going to use that to our advantage the next time we cast the spell. Between the bond you share with Lina and the physical link provided by her hair, we should be able to create a doorway that will allow us to pass through to that other dimension."
Gourry blinked, not comprehending any of it, save one thing: "Xellos? He was here?" His hand tightened on Graeswandyr's hilt and his voice hardened.
"Not here," Jarix said. "In the portal. He closed it before it could fully open." He looked at the others. They were looking at him, waiting for him to explain. "Which...is why we're going to wait for the half-moon before attempting the spell again."
The swordsman's eyes snapped over to Jarix. "What? That's another week away! We can't leave Lina there another week!"
"Listen to me, Gourry," Zelgadis said, stepping forward and taking the other man by the arms. The taller man looked down and fixed the Chimera with an icy stare. "If we try the spell again now, Xellos may very well be waiting for us. If we wait, we may catch him off-guard."
"But what will he do to Lina? What if he hurts her?"
"He won't. He wants her alive; the fact that you've been able to communicate with her all this time is a good sign that he intends to keep her that way."
"But...Another week...?" Gourry's voice was full of pain and longing. "How can you ask me to leave her there any longer than necessary?"
Zelgadis took a deep breath. "Listen. Jarix believes that time may not move at the same pace there as it does here. Like in the Temples." A thought occurred to him. "How long do you think your battle for Graeswandyr took?"
Gourry's brow furrowed in confusion at Zel's sudden shift. He thought back. "An hour, hour-and-a-half, no more. Why?"
"You were up there for nearly six hours our time. It might be a month for us, but only a few days for Lina."
The blonde man digested this. "It could just as easily move faster there than for us, though, right?" Reluctantly, Jarix nodded. Zelgadis cursed under his breath; trust Gourry to pick out the flaw in his argument. "What if it's been longer for her?"
"Gourry-san," Amelia said, placing her small hand on his arm. He looked down at her. "Lina-san would not want you rushing in before you're ready. You need to practice with Graeswandyr, to learn its capabilities and understand how to use it. If you don't, all this time we've spent and everything we've gone through, everything you've suffered, will mean nothing if Xellos defeats you."
He looked like he was going to argue, but backed down. "All right. I trust you - all of you," he added with a significant glance at Jarix. The Priest's green eyes opened wide at that admission. "If I've got to practice with this sword, we'd better get started."
Jarix nodded, his tarnished silver hair flashing in the sunlight. "Very well." He fetched his staff from where it leaned against the wall nearby. "Let's begin. Amelia, you and Zelgadis be sure to stay well back. Zelgadis, I'm counting on you to step in if things get out of hand again."
"I'll be here," the Chimera said with a nod.
Gourry looked from one man to the other. "What do you mean, 'out of hand?'"
"You nearly killed me last night," Jarix said.
"If that sword had been the Sword of Light, you would have killed me," Zelgadis added.
There was nothing that the swordsman could do but stare. When he finally found his voice, he stammered, "I - I'm sorry, Zel. I didn't know - "
The Chimera held up his hand. "Don't worry about it. You should have seen yourself - you were magnificent. Now go, learn how to use this damn sword so we can get your wife back and get home. I'm getting tired of the cold up here."
Gourry nodded and turned to Jarix. "Okay. What do I do?"
Lifting his head, the purple-haired General-Priest of the Beast Master inspected the space directly in front of him. So, they had succeeded in tracking Lina. He knew they would try, but he hadn't expected them to actually get this far.
He rubbed his chin as he turned away and paced through the dark corridors. Although he wasn't worried about his ability to keep them from interfering, still, this didn't bode well. He'd glimpsed the Chimera and Seyruun's princess, but not the big swordsman. Certainly, he would have been there, wouldn't he? He supposed it was too much to hope that Gourry had either given up or done himself in out of grief and madness.
And there was also the question of the silver-haired priest. Just who exactly was he? And how did he figure into this?
Knowing they would probably try again, Xellos increased the strength of the barrier that protected his private playground. Let them try to get through that with a simple summoning spell, he thought gleefully. Plus, he'd be waiting for them when they came. And this time, he would take care of all of them. Permanently.