“Why?!” I demanded.
“Think about it. This is Gourry. It’s impressive he remembered that much.”
“I mean... as long as you’re cool with it, I guess. Anyway, let’s head to the city. Now’s not the time for chit-chat, right?”
With that, we all began the trek to Atessa. Amelia spoke up on the way, “So... I really don’t have the slightest idea of what’s going on.”
Hmm, where to start...
“Well, I’ll tell you what I can. The truth is, when we were fighting the raiders yesterday, I realized that Zel was one of them.” I hadn’t been able to see his face, but he’d used the exact same moves he’d tried on me when we first fought ages ago—so I’d responded in kind to show my recognition. “You’re working with the raiders to help find a way to restore your old body, huh?”
“Was it that obvious?” Zel replied with a slight shrug.
Before meeting us, Zelgadis had been in the employ of a sorcerer named Red Priest Rezo who’d turned him into a chimeric fusion of brow daemon, rock golem, and man to sate his lust for power. As I understood it, he was now on a wandering journey in hopes of discovering a way to restore his humanity. I’d already sussed out that he’d joined up with the raiders to that end, and I’d been hoping I wouldn’t have to spill the beans about it until I was entirely sure what was going on...
“But then the envoy from Saillune arrived. I’ll bet the raiders thought they could kidnap her and use her to make demands.” I looked in Zel’s direction. “Except once they got her back to camp, you were in for a big shock. And you knew she’d go on a rampage the minute she woke up...”
“Hey!” Amelia shouted, pouting. “You make me sound like some kind of berserker!”
“Okay, let me ask this. If you woke up and found yourself surrounded by villains, what would you do?”
“What else?!” she responded, clenching a fist. “I’d bring down the hammer of justice!”
“Exactly what Lina said,” Zel groaned.
A small wince crept into my smile. “Zel knew that would ruin everything, leaving him no choice but to save Amelia. He also knew that raiders would give chase immediately, so heading straight for the city would either mean getting caught or giving the baddies time to set up an ambush elsewhere. Moreover, he realized that I’d be anticipating all this too. So we needed to meet up somewhere we both knew. Somewhere no one else would think to look. And where could be more perfect than where we fought yesterday?”
“I see! That makes sense!” Amelia said, beaming.
“Aha...” Gourry muttered vacantly, nodding along. It was crystal clear he remained totally clueless.
Amelia then tilted her head. “So, how exactly did I get kidnapped in the first place? There were soldiers on watch, and even if they all fell asleep, most people awaken when they sense evil intent nearby.”
Well, I don’t think most people do. But you, Amelia? I’d buy that.
Deciding not to say as much aloud, I instead replied, “The soldiers and the maids seem to think a Sleeping spell was cast over the entire guesthouse. That’s probably why you didn’t wake up.”
“Sleeping?” Amelia asked warily. She was skilled in white and shamanistic magic. She knew how the spell worked, and she likely shared my doubts about the Sleeping theory.
“Oh, that? I suspect—” Zel began. But just then...
“Haaang on a second.” Gourry stopped the group in its tracks.
We were some ways out from Atessa. I wouldn’t say we were far, exactly, but far enough that the city was still obscured by the trees.
Gourry’s reason for stopping us, however, was immediately apparent. We all came to a halt and peered deeper into the trees. The next thing I knew, Gourry had his hand on his sword, ready to draw it.
Soon, a figure melted out of the shadows of the woods. They were dressed in the same dark green tunic and pants as the raiders we’d tangled with the day before. Their hair and throat were still covered with sand-colored cloth too, but their face was exposed. Perhaps they’d been in too much of a hurry to track down Zel. Or perhaps they’d decided covering their face wasn’t worth it. Maybe both.
Their face was quite attractive, although I couldn’t peg their gender. When they spoke, however, it was the same male voice I’d traded words with the day before. “What are you doing, Zelgadis?”
“I happen to know this girl. I really couldn’t just let you kidnap her.” Zel gestured toward Amelia. “And despite how she looks, she’s Saillune royalty. You could turn a whole kingdom against you if you’re not careful.”
“As if I care,” the man shot back immediately.
Zel released a deep sigh, then replied, “I knew you’d say that, Tessius. You’re far too reckless.”
“And you’re far too careful, Zelgadis. You act so superior, yet you constantly advocate the most spineless tactics. I’ve deferred to you all this time, but now I see where that gets me.”
Normally I would’ve taken the opportunity while they were catching up to start casting a spell and blast Tessius from an unexpected angle, but in the moment, I couldn’t make a move. I was partly hoping that if I let him talk, he’d get careless and spill some useful info, but more importantly, I had yet to figure out what we were really up against. I could sense a number of presences blended into the surrounding forest, but I couldn’t tell how many there were or their exact locations. Just punking Tessius right away wouldn’t have done us much good under the circumstances, and it ran the risk of setting off his friends.
“Even so,” Tessius said with a sigh, “while I dislike your selfishness, such distaste is hardly a reason for us to engage in mutual destruction. Therefore, if you agree to my terms, I’ll agree to let you all go.”
Huh? Now here’s a change...
“How uncharacteristically accommodating of you,” Zel replied sarcastically, still on guard.
Tessius shrugged a little. “It’s more that I realize that killing you won’t get us any closer to our goal.”
“So, what are your terms?”
“First, don’t get in our way,” Tessius began calmly. “This is less a ‘term’ and more a ‘prerequisite.’ Surely you understand. No one in their right mind would let an opponent go knowing they intend to be a thorn in your side. Once you’ve agreed to back down, then before I tell you my conditions...” Tessius’s even voice drifted by on the wind that rustled the leaves. “Zelgadis, I think you already know this, but I’ll explain our objective officially. I don’t want any misunderstandings, and I’m sure there are some things you can’t judge unless you know exactly what we’re after...”