Heart of Darkness

Chapter 22

Jedah had emerged from the caves first, immediately turning to Naga and thanking her for heading up such an important task and telling her how very much he appreciated her enthusiasm. She may have been suspicious before, but now she was lapping up the praise like a kitten with a fresh bowl of cream.

Xellos was second, his face still fairly violet-hued. He was busy looking backwards at an incredibly smug looking Lina, but his countenance darkened, the violet taking a dangerously dark tone when he turned and his now-open eyes settled on the new addition to the group. “You!” Without moving, he sent a bolt of magic towards the white-haired woman.

Instinct saved her, but at the same time betrayed her, for as her own powers shielded her from Xellos’ attack, Jedah turned to see what the problem was. “Oh, hello there, Kessary, nice to see you again.” His was a lazy smile, that kind that meant even the slightest slip-up, and you could be very, very dead very, very fast.

Xellos needed no prodding, mental or otherwise, Before Kessary could reply, he had shot past Jedah and grabbed the white-haired woman by her collar. She hadn’t anticipated the physical attack from the Trickster Priest, so she hadn’t moved until it was too late. “Hello dear, nice to see you again indeed. Time to go. Say goodbye.”

As Xellos and a very startled Kessary vanished, Amelia looked at Lina, completely confused… right down to the nearly visible question marks over her head. “Miss Lina… Mister Jedah… what just happened?”

Sylphiel foisted her bag onto Gourry’s already precarious load and began to unfold the picnic sheet she’d picked up at the shop. “I think Jedah and Xellos know our mysterious refugee. I wouldn’t say that Xellos likes her very much, though.”

Jedah took some of the bags from Gourry and grinned across them at Amelia. “Ex-lovers.” To his delight, Amelia turned pink at the thought and moved to help Naga with the plates and napkins. Maybe it would smooth over and things could get back to as close to normal as they could.

It was, unfortunately, Gourry who made the connection that the others missed. “Gosh. I didn’t know that Xellos was here. And you both knew Kessary.” he said as he set down the bags and started to fish wrapped sandwiches out of them.

Naga came to a halt and looked up at Jedah, suspicion bright in her eyes once more. “That’s right. Both of you said that it was nice to see her again. And you called her by name.”

Jedah could have dropped an entire town on top of Gourry. Leave it to the village idiot to see through him. “Think about it, Naga. I’ve obviously had dealings with Xellos in the past…”

“Who hasn’t?” Lina interjected, though she wasn’t trying to help Jedah out of his self-made mess. She hadn’t forgiven him yet.

Jedah nodded to Lina, smiling brightly, though he knew her lack of meaning for the comment that it was. “Don’t you think I may have met his ex-lover along the way, too?”

Naga completely misread that bright smile on Jedah’s face. “You… you don’t mean to say that you’re why she’s his ex… Now listen here, Jedah Greywords! My little sister isn’t one to be toiled with! She’s the Crown Princess of Saillune and needs a companion who can comport himself properly. A cad like you who goes around stealing other people’s lovers…”

It was taking every ounce of concentration for Jedah to keep from bursting into laughter, not at the self-righteous wrath of Naga, but the scarlet hue of Amelia’s face as she studiously arranged the packets of seasonings on the blanket.

“Naga,” Jedah finally said, allowing a tint of that laugh to color his voice. “I never said I stole his lover… just that I’d met her. Your desire to protect Amelia does you a good deal of credit, but I think she’s more than capable of taking care of herself.”

Lina had to give Jedah some credit of his own. He hadn’t taken the opportunity to do harm, hadn’t even so much as besmirched anyone’s reputations... and there had been more than ample opportunity to do both. He wasn’t acting like any Mazoku that she knew of. Maybe… just maybe he wasn’t quite as bad as she expected him to be.

Maybe.

The scene elsewhere, however, was not so benign. Xellos and Kessary had squared off, each eyeing the other with open hostility. Insults had been thrown and Kessary had smirked at the Trickster Priest. “You may be Beastmaster’s General-Priest, but you are still her son’s toy, just as you always have been.”

Xellos snorted, eyes blazing violet. “Perhaps you are not aware of my true position, servant of Cassandra. Jedah’s toy I may have been, but those days are long since past. I am no longer his toy, no more than he is my master. There is a bond, yes, a Pact that stands between and ties us irrevocably to one another. You, created as you were, would have no knowledge or understanding of such. You have no will of your own, no desire but that of your creator.”

Those obsidian eyes flickered with an angry depth and the woman’s white hair went almost transparent as she drew forth her magic. “I may not have a will of my own, but my Lady Cassandra has the Black King, and you and your pawns are but trifles in the face of his power.”

“He’s gone, Kessary,” a woman’s voice interrupted. “The Black King has awakened, and will likely soon become Shabranigdo’s Avatar.”