Chapter 10

 

Lina walked down the stairs and into the hotel’s miniature restaurant, looking about for the blonde swordsman and the inevitable pile of plates that usually meant that he was eating breakfast. Sure enough, there he was at a table in the corner, a harried waiter standing next to him, gathering stacks of plates off of the table.

Walking up to them, Lina looked to the waiter. “Did he leave me any?” she asked with a grin. The waiter couldn’t possibly know how much she could eat, so the odds that he would reply favorably were good. Lina liked those odds. No sense in starting today on an empty stomach, even though, technically, she already had.

The waiter nervously nodded to her, seeing how small she was. There’s no way that she could possibly eat as much as the blonde. “Yes, ma’am… May I ask what you would like?”

Lina cast a quick glance at the meager menu, and nodded. “Everything, triple portions. And could you hurry it up a bit? I’m on a tight schedule.”

The waiter paused, and Gourry looked up at Lina. “If you’re on such a tight schedule, Lina, why didn’t you get up sooner?”

Lina closed her mouth, not willing to tell Gourry or Amelia how long she’d been up. It’d been sunrise when she awoke, and the discussion with Zelgadis had taken longer than she had thought. At least by the sun in the windows, it looked like late morning. She sat down and managed to glare at Gourry. “I had a rough night.” Looking to the waiter, she shrugged. “Fine, just bring one of these,” she muttered, pointing to a random selection on the menu.

            The waiter nodded, and moved off to take another order, then vanished into the kitchen.

Amelia looked to Lina quietly as she sat in her chair. “Miss Lina, do you think we'll really find Mister Zelgadis in town today?”

Lina looked over at Amelia, trying not to reveal anything. “There’s something really old and powerful around here, Amelia. I can’t think why he wouldn't stay to investigate. And if we investigate too…”

“We’re sure to find him!” Gourry finished as the waiter reappeared with food for Lina.

            Lina ate quickly, and messily, to Amelia’s chagrin. Soon, the little party was out the door and heading into town.

 

The town was a quiet one, split by a wide river, with a whole lot of what Lina would call mundanes wandering the streets, peddling their wares. Twice now, Lina had bitten her tongue as a tan-cloaked figure was seen in the distance that turned out to not be Zelgadis. Sighing, she looked to Amelia and Gourry.

“That’s it, I want to get something to drink before we go off to the other side of the river. Can we stop over there and get something to tide us over?” Lina said, pointing to a place that advertised itself as a ‘tea-house.’

Amelia looked at Lina in despair. “Do you ever think of anything but food, Miss Lina?”

Lina paused for a moment. “Sure.  There’s treasure, and blasting bandits, and looking for old ruins in which to find a cure, eh, Zel…” She paused, her voice trailing off. They still hadn’t found him, and Lina had seen him that morning… she sighed. “But right now, food is high on my list.” She turned resolutely towards the door, determined not to let the disappointment show to the others. She’d been so sure that he’d come back.

 

She stepped into the door, pausing inside to allow her eyes to adjust. As they did, she scanned the place for a table. Suddenly, her gaze fell on a quiet figure drinking from a steaming mug. Was it…? He set the mug down and looked up, aquamarine eyes locking with crimson ones. Zelgadis… he’s here! He’s right there! An unfamiliar ripple went thrilling through her, and she froze for a moment as he tilted his head to her.

            “Oh! Lina, there’s Mister Zelgadis!” Amelia brushed past the frozen sorceress and bounced up to the table.

            Lina walked slowly up to the table, Gourry trailing along behind her, and when she got close, she pulled out a chair and sat slowly, watching the chimera for any sign of emotion. He reminds me of when we first met… there’s nothing I can see in his eyes…

            “So Mister Zelgadis, did you find what you were looking for yesterday?” Amelia asked as she waved to a waitress.

            Zelgadis focused on Amelia, then nodded. “I did. It was… at the foot of a tree.”

            Lina coughed suddenly, taking the glass of water from the waitress with a grateful smile and drinking it quickly.

            “A tree?” Amelia looked confused. “If you say so, Mister Zelgadis.” She sounded highly doubtful.

            He offered her the slightest of smiles, but offered nothing else on the matter.

            Gourry finished his quiet discussion with the waitress and looked to Zelgadis. “Lina says there’s something powerful nearby, Zelgadis. I’m not so sure, but there’s a really old temple that has me curious.”

            Amelia, who hadn’t been privy to Gourry’s earlier display of intelligence, turned and stared at the blonde swordsman with her mouth wide open. “Mi…Mister… Mister Gourry?”

            Lina sighed. Oh yeah… Amelia had no clue. Speaking of which, she didn’t have any idea where this intelligence was coming from herself. “So, Gourry… tell us. What’s the deal?”

            Three pairs of eyes turned to look at the swordsman, who attempted to look like he was thinking for approximately three seconds - the precise amount of time needed for Lina to reach out and smack him with the slipper that she kept in her cape for just such occasions. “Jellyfish! Out with it, already!”

            Gourry rubbed the side of his head and sighed. “Okay, okay… put that away before you hurt someone, huh, Lina?” He watched Lina stuff the slipper back into one of the various pockets in her cape, then picked up his water. “You all know that I’m Gourry Gabriev… but do any of you know who the Gabriev family is?”

            Lina frowned slightly. Now that she was thinking about it, the name was awfully familiar. As if she’d met someone with that name before… It hit her about the same time Gourry said it.

            “You see, I’m the great-grandson of Rouddy and Meliroon Gabriev.”

            Lina put her head on the table. Of course. It suddenly made all the sense in the world. Gourry was, in part, elf. And the very elf that held parentage to her companion was the same elf that she had assisted with Naga so long ago. The one and the same.

            She suddenly realized that all this time that she’d been travelling with Gourry, she’d not once considered who he was. Lifting her head from the table, she sighed. “So… what you’re telling us, Gourry, is that you really aren’t…” she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

            “That dumb?” Gourry offered for her. “Not really. But it’s only when I’m not focused on something else… like sword-fighting. I can only be good at one thing at a time.”

            “And that would be the elf-blood’s effect on you. Suddenly, Gourry, a whole lot makes sense. Like why you have the Sword of Light… and why you’re not that much of a thinker.” Lina grinned. “But that’s okay, Gourry. We still like you. Just don’t hide any good ideas anymore, okay?”

            Gourry nodded amiably. “I’ll share them if I think them, but believe me, it’s not always easy to think them when keeping us alive is more important.”

            “I agree. But it doesn’t mean that thinking can’t keep us alive. There’s a time for thought, and a time for action,” Zelgadis said as he put his cup down. “And right now, we need to consider the ruins under the town.”

            “Under the town?” Lina echoed. “You mean…” her voice trailed off as she realized what this might mean.

            “There’s an entire city under this one. And what I have seen gives all indication that it is as old as the Claire Bible. Possibly older.”