"No wait!" Zelgadis lunged for 'Dancer but missed her by a hair's breath as the boulder/Game Piece whisked up. "Stop!" He shouted helplessly as 'Dancer disappeared from view.
"I'm sorry but that simply wouldn't be proper." Startled by the educated voice welling up from under his feet Zelgadis looked down to find he was standing right between the Game Piece's eyes.
"Stop the game then! She'll be killed!"
Looking at him cross-eyed the Game Piece answered.
"I dare say not! I could no more stop the game than you could stop time. But if I may be so bold, she'll be all right, as soon as she gets off the Lines and back into a Square." Zelgadis shook his head. "She won't though. We were trying to get to the middle of the field, and the quickest way is by taking the pa-the Lines." The Game Piece blinked in mild surprise. "Really? I would have thought that flying would have been the quickest way to the middle. But tell me, why do you want to go to the middle? There's nothing there except the Column."
"Aren't the Head Game Pieces in the middle?" Zelgadis called over the wind. The Game Piece creased it's forehead (if one could call it that). "Well, yes and no. You see the Column holds up the Bowl, which is where the Head Game Pieces are." It paused. " I say, would you like to see that? I'm headed that way." Zelgadis nodded, realizing that there was nothing more that he could do for 'Dancer at the moment.
"Do you have a name?" He asked, seating himself.
"Me sir? Jet."
A good thousand meters up, balancing on an incredibly slender gray stone column, was a colossal bowl divided into two halves. On one side were piled all the white Game Pieces and on the other where all the black Pieces. Resting on the dividing wall were two Game Pieces, one black and one white.
"Are those the Head Pieces?" Zelgadis inquired.
"That would be correct...I say, what are you doing?" Zelgadis stood at the edge of the Game Piece, coolly judging the distance.
"Just this. Thanks for the ride." He shouted, leaping off the Game Piece's back.
With a thunk (that left a dent in the partition) Zelgadis landed and stood. Without moving both Game Pieces looked at him.
"Stop the game, now!"
"Why show we? G-5." Asked/replied the white Game Piece.
"Because someone's down there on the lines."
"Then they should get off the Lines. L-5." The black Game Piece replied flippantly.
"L-5? That's not a logical move."
"Sure it is, if you use you brains, rather than sitting on them."
"Are you insinuating-"
"ENOUGH!" Zelgadis threw one hand into the air and called on the forces of magic.
"FLARE ARROW!" A gust of wind swept by Zelgadis and slammed into the Game Pieces, pushing them almost all the way to the edge of the bowl. Zelgadis could feel sweat breaking out on his forehead, but made it look like that was his intent.
"Will you stop the game now?"
"I say, is that a challenge?" Snarled the white Game Piece.
"I should quite think so." Answered the black Game Piece in a huff.
"Well then if you're planning to challenge us, you'd better be good." The two Game Pieces rolled together forming a much larger grey Game Piece. A chess board materialized in front of Zelgadis.
"Chess?" Zelgadis couldn't help asking. The gray Game Piece nodded. "We can never decide on what color to play when it's Go, so this way we can choose a neutral color." Zelgadis looked down at the board again. The red chess pieces where facing the double sized Game Piece.
Feeling as if nothing else would ever surprise him again, Zelgadis sat down at the chess board and waited to begin.
"Check." The gray Game Piece was positively euphoric with anticipation as his knight threatened Zelgadis's king. Zelgadis examined the board carefully, then moved his bishop diagonally across the board, taking the red king.
"Checkmate." He sat back, his arms crossed, with a small, satisfied smile.
"Jet," Zelgadis stood on top of the black Game Piece again, as it flew over the fields of wheat, "is there some way to see into the squares?" The black Piece shook his head (which looked really strange, the back half staying stable as the front half wobbled like gelatin).
"No way to, Sir. It's in the Rules that we aren't to go into the Squares and not even the Head Game Pieces can break the Rules."
"Not even to look in?"
"Not even a peek. Who are you looking for, that lady friend of yours?"
"Are you suggesting something?" Zelgadis eyed the black Game Piece warily.
"Wha-, you mean by calling her a lady friend? Good heavens no! I just ment to ask if the person you were looking for was the girl we left on the ground." My goodness, these non-Game Pieces are so touchy!
"Yes. Let's start back where you picked me up at."
"Right-o!"
'Dancer blinked, and wasn't too surprised to find herself standing on the path between wheat fields again. Glancing at her arm she was relieved to see the swelling had gone down somewhat. She looked around. Figures. Ice would drop me off in the middle of who-knows-where. A Game Piece lay on the ground near her, and 'Dancer climbed on to sit and think.
"All I know of our legends?" 'Dancer mused. "Who is us?" She thought for a long moment. Ever since she had learned to read she'd meticulously read and memorized legends from around the world. But it was Ice, the trickster spirit of the Pacific Northwest, that had made that comment. 'Dancer ruffled her hair in frustration. What do I remember about the Northern legends? Arrrgh, they're all so different! For lack of a better place to start she re-examined her conversation with Ice. He said our legends, he didn't specify a group. What do all our legends have in common?
"Oi, 'Dancer are you going to sit down there all day?"
'Dancer looked up to be greeting by a flying black Game Piece, ...and Zelgadis. Letting out a sigh of relief she stood and waved.
"It's about time! What took you so long?" Jet landed next to her Game Piece and 'Dancer hopped aboard. Zelgadis gave her a sour look.
"It's nice to see you too." He replied as Jet took off again. "How's your arm?"
"Did you find a way out yet?" 'Dancer abruptly changed the subject. Zelgadis shook his head. "The Head Game Pieces didn't know anything."
"Then let's try my theory." She glanced down at the Game Piece. "Does this thing have a name?"
"Jet." 'Dancer smiled faintly. "As in the color?" Zelgadis nodded.
"Oye, Jet, do you know where there's a calm body of water, a pond or lake or something?"
"Would a bog do?"
"Sure, that'd be fine."
The black Game Piece flew to the edge of the fields and finally landed in a marshy patch just out of sight from the wheat fields. 'Dancer lept off and strided over to the slight depression overgrown with swamp grasses.
"What is your theory?" Zelgadis asked, walking up to her as she knelt down by the black water. 'Dancer pushed a fern aside and stared intently into the cloudy brown water.
"Oye, Jet, be a doll and come here." She beckoned to Jet.
"There, do you see it?" Zelgadis looked where she was pointing, but apparently didn't.
"No. I don't see anything. What are you pointing at?" 'Dancer glanced up at him briefly trying to read his expression.
"Jet's reflection. Neither of ours are here, but hi - ...er, Jet's is." Zelgadis raised an eyebrow, begining to get 'Dancer's line of thought.
"You think that wherever our reflections are that's the way home?" 'Dancer nodded, then frowned. "But I still don't understand the part about our legends." She murmured to herself.
"What about our legends?" 'Dancer looked up at Zelgadis, startled by his question.
"I...met someone who suggested that the legends I knew held an answer, of some sort." 'Dancer shrugged helplessly. "But I don't know what he meant." She admitted standing up and going over to Jet. Zelgadis looked thoughtful. "What do you think he ment?" 'Dancer sighed. "I thought it had something to do with the land of the dead, since that's where I met him but, ... why are you staring at me?" Zelgadis opened his mouth to say something, then closed it and turned away. Oh crap, I blew it.
"¿Qué? Geeze Zel, if you're going to be mad at me you at least tell me why."
"Why didn't you tell me you'd been to the realm of the dead?" He asked in soft, calm voice. Yep, he's pissed.
"It wasn't pleasant, and it's something I'd rather forget."
"Hell isn't suppose to be pleasant." Zelgadis snapped turning on his heel to face her. 'Dancer felt her blood boil.
"No shit, Sherlock! Why do you think I - wai - what the hell makes you think I'd be sent to Hell anyways??? For all you know I could have just as easily gone to heaven, you-you-you insufferable mule!"
"Dig deeper, Watson! How about letting me in on your little side excursions once in a while?"
"Excursions? I've had my mind erased, almost trampled, twice, nearly been squashed flat by Diosa only knows how many falling Game Pieces, as well as having the Queen of the Damned tell me that I'm messing everything up in the afterlife, and you, you make it sound like I've been playing hooky!" She shouted at him. Zelgadis just gazed at her evenly.
"Did you?"
'Dancer blinked and mentally drew a blank.
"Did I what?"
"Mess everything up in the Land of the Dead?"
'Dancer opened and shut her mouth several times before stalking off. "You are so impossible." She grumbled, marching through the tall fen plants.
"Then why do you stick with him?" 'Dancer glanced out of the corner of her eye at the small grey canine striding along side of her.
"Leave me alone, Coyote." They traveled on for several moments in relative silence before 'Dancer spun around to face him.
"Listen Coy - ...Zel." Zelgadis stood a meter back, unsmiling. Coyote was nowhere to be seen.
"Who's Ki?" He asked, breaking the silence.
"Why are you following me?" 'Dancer demanded, ignoring his question.
"The way trouble finds you, do you really need to ask?" 'Dancer looked away, feeling set up. Finally she looked back, and smiled sourly.
"As far as I know, no." Zelgadis raised an eyebrow. "No what?"
"No, I don't think I really screwed things up in the afterlife." 'Dancer stared up at the clear sky and cooled her temper. "How are we going to get out of here Zel? I feel if I stay much longer I'll go mad."
Zelgadis snorted. "I thought you were." 'Dancer made a face at him. Doing so made her feel better.
"Where did you meet the Queen of the Dead?" Zelgadis asked, leaning against Jet.
"In one of those wheat squares." 'Dancer walked over and sat down on the black Game Piece. "Why would Ice ask me if I'd forgotten our legends?"
" 'Dancer," Zelgadis began slowly, as if he was choosing his words carefully "Jet had said that the Squares are like temporal gateways, teleporting a person to a far away place in this same plane. If you've been to Hell..." He paused, as though he was looking for the right word. "We might not be in the Material Plane anymore."
"What's the Material Plane?"
"The real world, as we know it." 'Dancer glanced sideways. "The place where flowers don't talk, ¿sí?" Zelgadis noddeded.
"So where are we? Wait- we're not... the spirit world???" Zelgadis shrugged.
"Maybe the Astral plane would be a better name. In any case it would explain why magic doesn't work properly here." He reflected calmly.
'Dancer felt sick to her stomach. Then how... She blinked.
"Zel, almost all the legends I know hold that the fabric between the real and the spirit worlds is very thin."
"Meaning?"
"All we have to do is figure out how to 'step' through the fabric." Zelgadis rolled his eyes. "How?"
'Dancer thought carefully, turning the situation over in her mind. "Ice came to retrieve me, Coyote stopped me, and-" She paused and looked quizzly at Zelgadis.
"Yes?"
"Zel, was it my imagination, or did the water in that bog seem to lighten when we got closer to it?" Tapping her finger to her lip she stood and moved in the direction of the bog.
Zelgadis knelt down and touched the surface of the water. Almost instantly the water began to glow. Rising like a mist off the ocean Zelgadis's reflection rose out of the water.
"Hello, Zelgadis." It smiled welcoming at him.
"Where's my reflection?" 'Dancer demanded of his.
"I'm right here, Stormy." Hers drifted up along side of his.
"We'd like to return. Now." Zelgadis stated quietly.
" 'Fraid it doesn't work that way, Zel. You see, Stormy here got you into this mess. It's up to her to find a way out of it."
Both Zelgadises turned and looked at 'Dancer reprovingly. Traitor.
"Something else I should know about, 'Dancer?" Zelgadis asked, tapping his foot. It's days like these I wish I'd never gotten out of bed. 'Dancer thought testily.
"I teed off this girl at the bath house." She muttered. "She cursed me." Zelgadis raised an eyebrow. "What was the curse?" 'Dancer seriously began to reconsider finding the square that erased her memory. It wasn't that unpleasant...
"What was the curse, Stormy ?" 'Dancer gave him a poisonous glare.
"To wander lost in my reflection. I thought she was just being rude. If I'd known it was a hex proper..." She shrugged helplessly. Zelgadis sighed and rubbed his head. HE was begining to feel a migraine.
'Dancer turned to her reflection. "So we've been lost. Can we return now?" Her reflection shrugged helplessly with a self-satisfied smirk. "No sé."
'Dancer's half forgotten anger erupted again, and she lept at her reflection, wishing to strangle it into submission. As her hands tightened around the smug reflection's neck, 'Dancer briefly wondered if she would feel any pain as she thrashed her own image.
"That's a pretty tune, what's it called?" 'Dancer blinked and looked around to identify the speaker. A young mother combing her daughter's hair had addressed her.
"¿Pardón?"
"That tune that you were humming, what's it called?" 'Dancer paused to think back that far.
"It's called La Caballera." 'Dancer looked around. The bath house was just as it had been when she was pulled into the mirror. It took no time...?
"Could...could you excuse me?" She mumbled, going to the enterance. Popping her head out the curtain to the ladies's side she looked around. A moment later Zelgadis peered out from the men's side. A look of relief/annoyance flicked across his face and he retreated behind the curtain. 'Dancer sighed contently and returned to her place by the mirror.
"Zel?"
"Yes?"
"What does that little flag mean?" 'Dancer pointed to a yellow and green striped flag hanging off a pole hung in the doorway of one of the local inns. Zelgadis raised an eyebrow.
"It's a quarentine flag. It's rare to see one these days." 'Dancer wrinkled her brow.
"Because of healing spells and all?" 'Dancer asked. Zelgadis nodded.
"Weird. Wonder what it is."
Zelgadis shrugged indifferently. "Could be anything. Wasting Plague, advanced consumption, measles, a pox of some sort, anything."
"Oh."
On the second story of the quarentined inn, laying in bed burning up with fever, (at the same time feeling as if she was laying on a block of ice) an aqua haired girl tossed and turned locked in her fever dreams.