Chapter Two:

There, But For a Friend, Go I

 

            “Zelgadis! Answer me! Zelgadis!!” Lina grabbed his face, turning it towards her. Not a single glimmer of awareness shimmered in those haunted crystal blue eyes. His skin was cold; he’d been outside for quite some time in the cool night.

            “Light of all Lights, grant thy power to my hand!” A sphere of brilliance burst into Lina’s hand, then spun out to cascade over Zelgadis.

            It was one of the healing spells that Lina knew, and while wasn’t the strongest, usually handled well whatever she had managed to do to herself.

            Unfortunately, it had very little effect on Zelgadis.

            I can’t just leave him out in the center of town like this! With a sigh, Lina stood and reached out to pull him up and carry him.

            He was far heavier than she could have expected. “Ugh!” She staggered a bit, then caught her balance and looked at him. “I keep forgetting that you’re made of rock… oh well… Levitation!”

            She floated him easily alongside her, re-entering the hotel and ignoring the stare of the desk clerk as she walked past with Zelgadis hanging in the air beside her. As she walked past Amelia’s room, she knocked on the door. “Wake up, Amelia. We’ve got trouble.”

            She floated Zelgadis into his room and set him on the bed in time for a sleepy Amelia to wander in rubbing her eyes.

            “Miss Lina, don’t you know that we’ve only had a few hours of sleep..?” She opened her eyes fully and saw Lina dismiss the spell around Zelgadis. “Oh no! What happened?!”

            Lina shook her head. “I don’t know, Amelia. I went to talk to him and found him in the center of town like this. I tried a healing spell… but it didn’t have any effect.”

            Amelia padded over, her slippers flipping against her heels with soft slaps. Peering at him, she considered for a moment. “I think he’s trapped in thought.”

            Lina looked to her. “Trapped? How can that be?” She looked back to Zelgadis.

            Amelia cast something under her breath, watching his face intently. “He’s definitely still with us… but something is keeping him from being able to come back to himself. He’s… in the Astral Plane… and I can’t get to him.”

            “Can you send me to him?” Lina asked, crimson eyes intently fixed on the open and vacant crystalline eyes.

            Amelia bit her lip and nodded. “It’s extremely dangerous… and I don’t know what you’ll find when you cross over. I don’t really recommend it…”

            “We don’t really have a choice, Amelia. Somebody’s got to help Zelgadis, and we’re the only two who can,” Lina said.

            “I know… Here… sit in that chair and try not think of anything but helping Mister Zelgadis…” Amelia said, pointing.

            Lina dragged the chair over to the bedside and sat, looking at Zelgadis quietly. “I’m ready, Amelia.”

            Amelia sighed and set one hand on Zelgadis’ arm and her other hand on Lina’s arm. “Infinite power, the Light of the Spirit… I call upon thee in our time of need. Heed my call and open the door to the Astral Plane!”

            There was no visible shift, no change that a passer-by would register. However, to Amelia’s senses, a great gate swirled within the ether of the Astral Plane and settled around Lina.

            Lina, focused entirely on Zelgadis, didn’t even notice the shift until she suddenly found herself Somewhere Else.

            Lina looked around, trying to orient herself and discover where she was. She didn’t recognize the town, but then she hadn’t visited everywhere yet. As she wandered, she saw some shopping stalls ahead, and approached them. As she did so, a familiar voice touched her ears.

            “I wish to place an order with you. I want the strongest and sharpest dagger that you can get. Money is no concern. I will give you double your asking price if you have it tomorrow.”

            Zelgadis! She ran over, catching him by the arm and turning him around. “Zelgadis! It’s me. You can come back now.”

            He pulled his wrist easily from her grip. “I do not know who you are, or what you want, but I do know that I have no business with you.”

            Lina stared, then ran after him again, confused. “But… Zelgadis? Don’t you recognize me? Don’t you know who I am?”

            “No. I do not know. I am not interested, either. It would be better for you if you turned and walked away.” He replied, continuing to walk away.

            “Zel… it’s Lina. Don’t you remember?” She laid her hand on his arm, using his inertia and her weight to pull him around so that he had to face her, or fall.

            Something echoed in his eyes, a pain far deeper than she had ever seen within his eyes before. He frowned, then grabbed her hand, recognition over-writing the pain that she saw there. “Lina…I…”

            He was shifting, turning intangible under her grasp. She could feel a spell working to take him away again. “Zelgadis!” She gasped, trying to keep her hold on him. If she let go, she might not find him again.

            He faded from her sight and touch, leaving her alone in a sudden gray nothingness. “Damnit!” She cursed in frustration, looking around. Okay… now what? But I could have sworn his lips said, “Help me” as he vanished.

 

            Back in the hotel room, Amelia frowned, waiting. She wasn’t privy to what was happening, but Lina’s frustrated expression was a clear indicator that something wasn’t right. Fretting, she did the only thing she truly could do: waited.

 

            Lina sighed, looking out over the rocky terrain that had suddenly sprung up around her. What was going on here? “Hello…?” She walked uncertainly towards the nearby cave, calling out as she did so.

            “What do you want?” Came an answer from the cave. He didn’t sound pleased that she was there, but oh well. Lina wasn’t about to back off. Zelgadis was her friend, and it was all too apparent that he was in trouble. And Trouble was one of Lina’s middle names.

            “Zelgadis? Is that you?” She called, running towards the cave. It was dark when she stuck her head in, and she could barely make out the outline of his figure in the center of the rock room.

 

            “Who are you? Why are you bothering me?” He answered, his voice devoid of emotion. It reminded Lina of the first time she had heard his voice in the hotel when she had the orihalcon statue with the Philosopher’s Stone in it.

            “It’s me, Zelgadis. It’s Lina,” she said, stepping closer to the center of the room. She still couldn’t see anything inside, but she could hear where he was.

            “I don’t know anyone by that name. Now go away. I’m busy,” he replied curtly.

            Lina wasn’t about to give up that easily. No way. “Zel… what’s wrong? What are you…” Her eyes finally adjusted, and she saw him sitting there in the center of the room, broken bits of metal scattered about him like the remnants of some small explosion. A dagger was in his hand, and the point of the blade was resting against his chest. Oh no… what have I walked into? He’s trying to kill himself, but doesn’t he remember that a normal blade won’t work? Lina thought. Holding her voice steady and trying to hide the anxiety that she felt, she asked: “What are you doing, Zelgadis?”

            “Did Rezo send you? You can tell him what I am doing, if you want. Now go away.” He turned his attention back to the blade and began to cast a fireball spell.

            Lina rushed towards him, uncaring for the moment about anything other than saving his life, an irrational fear striking that the spell he was casting on the dagger would somehow pierce his stone skin. “Zel… you can’t! Please, come back!” She grabbed his hand, yanking the dagger free and breaking the spell he was casting. The dagger skittered away on the floor.

            With his free hand, he caught her easily and with almost a careless effort, pushed her back and away, cursing as he lunged after the dagger. He wasn’t aware of the strength he used, but heard the bones break, and turned to see dispassionately the blood forced from her mouth as she hit the far wall with a gasp.

 

            The chair pushed backwards, Lina coughing involuntarily, blood landing in her lap. Amelia screamed and Gourry was instantly in the door with his sword drawn.

            “Amelia! What’s going on in here?”

            Amelia looked to Gourry, then back to Lina. It was clear that something had happened so strongly that it had crossed the boundary of the Astral and entered the Physical. But what…? She couldn’t cast healing on Lina – if she did, the Astral Transference spell would be broken. But if she didn’t do something…