Amelia was just ready to head to bed when an old and familiar voice caught her attention.
        “Amelia!”
        She turned to see Xellos, of all people, on one knee… as if he was paying a twisted sort of homage to her. Frowning, she walked across the room and kneeled to look at him.
        “Mister Xellos…? What are you doing?” She asked sweetly. Amelia was all too aware of what the Trickster Priest was capable of, and knew precisely how to off-balance him.
        The General-Priest of Zelas Metallium had his own agenda, of course. He couldn’t stay out of the game for very long, and in order for him to play the game right, he needed Lina Inverse. So the troubled look in his eyes was completely real when he opened them to meet Amelia’s blue eyes. “Amelia, Zelgadis sent me to find you. Lina needs your help.” The scary thing was that it was the absolute truth.
        Amelia regarded Xellos disbelievingly. “First, Mister Xellos, I know that Miss Lina is with Mister Gourry, not Mister Zelgadis. Second, why in the Four Worlds would I ever believe you?”
        Xellos sighed. “You’ll just have to trust me, Amelia. I can’t answer any of that. But Lina’s in a lot of trouble and Zelgadis can explain it all.” He knew the Princess was going to be trouble. If Lina were here to talk to Amelia… but she wasn’t. And Xellos knew that if he did anything to fake her presence, Amelia would see through him and never go along.
        Amelia brought her nose close enough to nearly touch his, and he jumped, startled. He’d slipped into thought without noticing it. He was upset, he realized with a shock.
        “You’re worried,” Amelia said. “There is something wrong, isn’t there?” She sighed. “Let me go change out of this dress, and then we can go.”
        Xellos blinked as Amelia headed out of the room. What had he done to prove it to her? Human females. He’d never figure them out.

        Zelgadis paced in his room, back and forth, working on the puzzle presented to him. It was Lina… only something had taken the spirit right out of her. Something had defeated her so completely… and that something was Gourry’s death. When she remembered, she retreated and became Amy. When she forgot, or was caught in that half-asleep state, she was Lina.
        He considered. What if he hypnotized her? Rezo had used such before… in his studies of the mind. It was amazingly effective… and used no magic at all, which made it even more frightening. But Rezo had discovered that not everyone could be hypnotized. Zelgadis, for example. Being a Shaman, his magic dwelt in the resting place of his soul… and he was more attuned to his Self than most. But Amy… as separated as she was… it might work. And then they could at least talk to Lina…

        A surprised squeak caused him to turn around and see Amelia standing there across the room. Xellos faded from sight immediately, and Zelgadis walked over to Amelia. “Amelia…”
        “Mister Zelgadis, what’s going on?” Amelia asked as she looked at Zelgadis. He looked… old. She’d never seen his eyes etched with worry like they were now, had never seen him so thoroughly preoccupied. He looked like he hadn’t slept in several days, and she knew that he didn’t sleep a whole lot… which meant that he wasn’t sleeping at all. “No, wait. You need to sleep. You’re exhausted, Mister Zelgadis!”
        “I don’t have time to sleep. I have to tell you a few things. There are things that you need to know before the sun rises,” he returned, but she put her hand on his arm. “Amelia,” he protested as he felt her cast the spell. “That’s not… fair…”
        She caught him as the sleep spell took effect, staggering backwards as she remembered almost too late to cast a levitation spell around him so that she could move him to the bed. “I’m sorry, Mister Zelgadis. But you need to sleep. Whatever it is can wait until you’ve rested enough to see straight.”

        Sylphiel was cheerfully setting the house ready for night, humming to herself as she turned down the bed. It wasn’t quite bedtime, but it would be ready for her when it was. She turned to the door just in time to see Xellos phase in, and blinked. “Mister Xellos?” Every instinct she had said that something had gone horribly wrong for him to be making a late-evening appearance at her house in Sairaag. “What’s wrong?”
        “Lina needs your help. Zelgadis and Amelia are waiting for you.”
        Sylphiel put all thoughts of bed aside and picked up her scepter. Good thing I’m still dressed! “Let’s go, Mister Xellos.”
        Xellos looked at Sylphiel. Such blind faith. It was admirable, in a way. He nodded to her, and the two of them vanished into the night.

        Amelia was sitting quietly in the corner of the room when Sylphiel and Xellos popped into existence. She looked up, rising to her feet, whispering. “Miss Sylphiel! Mister Xellos!”
        Sylphiel blinked several times, and then frowned at Amelia. “Miss Amelia! You shouldn’t cast sleep spells like that!”
        Xellos hid a snicker. Righteous Sylphiel, always good for a laugh.
        Amelia frowned. “You didn’t see him, Miss Sylphiel! He was exhausted, but he wouldn’t sleep!”
        The cleric frowned harder as she looked at Zelgadis. “I wonder why… he’s usually so responsible…”
        Xellos cleared his throat. “He’s worried about Lina.”
        Amelia and Sylphiel both turned to look at him, each with questions in their eyes. “Worried about Miss Lina?” Amelia asked.
        Xellos nodded. “I do rather think that he’s in a better position to tell you two what’s going on when he wakes. I don’t even know the full story myself.”
        “Well, where is Miss Lina?” Sylphiel asked, looking to Xellos.
        Xellos shook his head. “Don’t bother her right now. She was sleeping not too long ago.”
        Amelia looked at Zelgadis. “I think we can talk quietly. The spell will keep him from hearing us.” She turned to Xellos. “Where are we?”
        “Somewhere on the outskirts of the Balck Forest,” Xellos replied. “Although, you might know it better as the Orihalcon Forest.”
        Amelia shook her head. “I’ve never heard of it.”
        Xellos mused. “It’s on the border of the fallen barrier. We’re about a two month’s journey away from Sairaag.”
        The girls stared at him. “Two months?” Amelia asked, incredulously. “Mister Xellos, stop making things up!”
        Xellos pointed out the window. “Then how do you explain that it is well into night here? It was evening in Sairaag.”
        Sylphiel moved to look out of the window. “He’s right, Miss Amelia. The stars are old in the sky… and the positions aren’t the same as they are at home. Some of them I don’t even know…”
        Amelia moved to the window in order to look at the sky herself. “But… but that star should be over there!”
        Xellos simply folded his arms and envied Zelgadis the sleep, intentional or not. He didn’t have to deal with the two girls. “So do you at least begin to believe me now?”
        Amelia turned and sighed. “I guess we have no choice. It won’t kill me to sleep on the floor. What do you think, Miss Sylphiel?”
        Sylphiel laughed softly. “I’ve slept in worse places, Miss Amelia. If you recall some of our travels…?”
        Amelia grinned and nodded. “And the night that Mister Xellos fell out of the tree!”
        Both girls looked over to the Mazoku, who had a very strange look on his face. Almost as if he was… embarrassed. “You… saw that?”
        Amelia smiled sweetly. “It was kind of cute…” Her words trailed off as the door to the outside hall opened slowly and someone looked in.
        “Um… excuse me…?” Crimson eyes peered out from under a tumble of loose red hair. “But… who are you?”
        Amelia and Sylphiel stared at the girl in the doorway. For all appearances, that was Lina. Only, they’d never seen Lina Inverse wearing a long white nightdress. Moreover, they’d never heard that sort of softness in her voice.
        Xellos looked over. “Ah… Amy… did we wake you? I’m sorry.” He gave a courteous little half-bow. “Amy… meet Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune and Sylphiel Nels Rada of Sairaag. Amelia, Sylphiel, this is Amy Sellmore.”
        The three girls blinked at each other, and Xellos sighed. It was going to be a long night, wasn’t it?
        And Mazoku didn’t sleep.