Pilgrimage – Reunion

Part Three

        Amelia’s voice faded into the quiet and Zelgadis opened his eyes. She kept her gaze at the book, missing the tear that slid down his cheek.

        “Do you understand, Zelgadis? Why I could not tell you? She lives within that crystal… and yet, I have not the power to cast the necessary spells. I’ve trapped her for ten years… and there is no telling when…”

        “You did what you thought was right, Amelia. That was all any of us could do. We did what we did because we thought we were right,” Zelgadis replied. He looked over to her, amazed that he hadn’t seen any of this before. How could he have missed the resurrection spell? The entire ice aspect of her… well, grave… hadn’t sat right with him, but now it made sense. Why Amelia had insisted on being the one to lay the wards. But… if her magic was burned out… “How did you lay the wards, Amelia?”

        She closed the book around her fingers, keeping place but looking at her handwriting again. “At first, some of the things I bought at the magic shop kept the wards up. They were tuned to me, so even if my magic was dormant, in my presence they lowered the wards. All I did was exchange the stones and the spell would be recharged for the next year.” She looked at her hand in the book, fingers folded into the pages. “After a while, the lower level shamanic magics started to come back, so I could simply charge the stones without exchanging them.”

        He nodded quietly. “And where are your magics now?”

        Amelia sighed. “Fireballs are easier now… I think easier than before. But… I can’t cast an icicle lance yet. I mean, I know how it goes… except it has the same result as Sylphiel trying to cast a Flare Arrow.”

        For a brief moment, Zelgadis saw a miniature Flare Arrow in the back of his mind, complete with a totally mystified Sylphiel. “As long as it doesn’t come to the point that you need to cast that…”

        Amelia shook her head. “No… the students of the Royal Magic Guild are all sworn to my aid. Over half of the guards in the Palace are skilled mages. And little Lina has become quite… efficient at fireballs and mono volts.”

        Zelgadis refrained from snickering. “How much have you told her?”

        “She has read all of my books. Even at nine, she has sworn to restore Lina as soon as she learns how,” Amelia said. “She makes me so proud at times that it hurts.”

        “Hurts?” Zelgadis queried, looking back over to Amelia.

        “It’s hard to explain to anyone who doesn’t have a child, Zelgadis. It really is…” she replied softly. “It is getting late. Shall I show you to your rooms?”

        “I don’t need to stay here. The inn is-“ Zelgadis started, but was interrupted.

        “You are my friend, Zelgadis. I won’t have one of my friends staying at an inn when I have a roof for them to shelter under.” She rose, setting the book on the seat beside where she had sat. “Come. Your rooms are this way…”