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invoking_uraniaTitle: The Sun, Half Covered (Chapter 5)
Fandom: Slayers
Rating: PG
Genre: Mystery/Action
Words: 23,000 total (2,200 this chapter)
Notes/Warnings: Oh, boy. I started this ages ago. It might be older than my grad school career. I finally finished it for this year's![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
casestory. Art is by sholio. Beta work done by ![[insanejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/ij-userinfo.gif)
yuuo. Story may have a Zel/Amelia bias, but I think it can be read as friendship.
Summary: Zelgadis's attempts to settle down are not working well. When Amelia asks him to accompany him to the southern frontier of Saillune to investigate reports of sabotage, it certainly sounds like a breath of fresh air. What he finds is a mess of politics and bigotry, and Amelia's attempts to help are hit or miss... and starting to drive Zel nuts. The two of them must work together to find the saboteur, and hope the discovery doesn't touch off a riot in a town divided.
Disclaimer: Slayers copyright Hajime Kanzaka/Rui Araizumi/Kadokawa/TV Tokyo/Medianet and this derivative work was created without permission.
Index
Previous Chapter
Night had fallen hours ago, and Amelia's legs were starting to cramp as she, Bartalan, and Pol sat in their lookout place high in the mill rafters. They were being silent, which made it hard to stay awake, despite the coffee... and the bathroom breaks before they started their stakeout. Amelia stifled a yawn, and looked down from their observation spot.
Outside the mill, the guard, wearing a hooded cloak against the chill, was pacing around, a light spll clearly visible. Mister Pol had posted the schedule himself, and it was common knowledge who was on duty. Donla Savarnla had guard shift until midnight, when she would be replaced by Rian yas Galatei, who had taken his wife's injury personally and volunteered for as many shifts as Mister Pol would give him.
Amelia had expected something to happen before midnight. After all, Donla was Halimeda's apprentice. Either Halimeda could use Donla as a pawn, or someone else could use the opportunity to frame Halimeda. But, from the town's small bell, it was almost midnight. If something was going to happen, it better happen soon.
Amelia saw another light approach along the mill path. She peered into the darkness, trying to see if Galatei had come early, but the person's face was too far away to make out. Or maybe it was just too dark. She glanced at Pol, who had better eyes than her. He shook his head; it wasn't Galatei.
Things are starting then. Amelia leaned forward to watch. The figure was wearing a light-colored cloak, approached the guard, waving. The guard turned towards the newcomer.
The newcomer dashed forward, touching the guard, who fell, light spell extinguished. Amelia was nearly certain she caught the sparkle of a Mono Bolt discharging and she winced a bit. She stood up from their hiding place, and Bartalan had to tug on her cape or she might have been seen against the sky. He made a 'wait and see' gesture.
Amelia continued watching. If the newcomer, the saboteur, turned to check the fallen guard, they could be in a lot of trouble. But the newcomer just held her hand to the door for a moment -- casting an unlock spell, no doubt -- and entered the mill. The guard lay still until the door closed, then carefully stood up. "It worked!" Amelia whispered. "Come on."
* * *
Thankfully, the saboteur hadn't spoken to him, Zelgadis mused. While he could pass for Donla in low light and with Amelia's make-up assistance, he had never managed a good falsetto. Imitating a specific woman was right out.
The upside was he had remained conscious, despite a Mono Bolt spell that would have knocked out anyone who wasn't part golem -- that part of the plan had worked. The downside was, he hadn't gotten a good look at the saboteur; only enough to see that she had worn a light blue cloak, one very much like Leigh's.
He pulled himself to his feet, trying to move quickly in the strange clothing and extra padding that had shifted when he fell, and followed his attacker into the mill.
He entered the mill, and quickly head over to the storage room where Pol had stored the parts they had yet to finish installing. They had practiced so much that he could find his way in the dark. As he opened the door, the saboteur, bent over the remaining boxes, turned to face him. "You're not Donla," she said.
"And you're not Leigh Halimeda," Zelgadis replied. "I never would have known you were a criminal, Priestess Sholei."
"And, I never would have pegged you as a crossdresser, Mister Graywords." Claire Sholei's face was clearly visible by the glow of her own light spell. She shifted into what Zelgadis recognized as a typical sorcerer's combat stance -- ready to dodge enemy spells.
Zelgadis felt his face redden. "Whatever it takes," he said, quickly. Claire would have to get past him to get out of the room. "What do you hope to gain by escaping?" he asked. Hopefully, she would be the sort who could get drawn into a villainous monologue. It would certainly make finding any co-conspirators easier, or he could just get the jump on her while she was busy explaining how beastmen killed her cat when she was five.
"Ever here of a little country called Jarei, Mister Graywords?" Claire asked, feinting to the left, and moving to launch a spell.
Zelgadis cursed under his breath as he recognized what Claire was chanting under her breath. If what Pol had told him was true, one spark could send the whole place up. Stupid mill. "Freeze Arrow," he quickly fired off, cutting a fire spell off before it could form. "Does it have anything to do with you trying to blow us both up?" he asked. Jarei did sound familiar.... wait a moment, it was the place that the sorcerer back at Atlas City was from. A little tributary of Elemekia, somewhere near here.
Claire smiled. "Something like that," she said. "It means I have no interest in seeing Saillune settle out here as well. Human, beastman, chimera -- it doesn't matter what they are."
Save me from crazy patriots. At least Amelia's brand of justice-obsession was only mildly crazy. "You won't do them any good if you're dead, Sholei," Zelgadis said, trying to close to use the same Mono Bolt spell she had tried to use on him.
"I won't do them any good in prison, either," Claire said slipping past him. For a priestess, she sure was agile on her feet. "And it's Kilarei sim Sholeiba."
Zelgadis sighed. Damn her, she had managed to turn halfway around, nearly getting a clear break at the door. "I don't care if you're calling yourself Princess of the Moon Kingdom," he growled. Bursting a hole in the mill wouldn't be appreciated by the town, though it would make his life a lot easier. "Bomb di Wind." At leas the wind spell would force her against the wall, and possibly knock the breath out of her enough so he could grab her.
Or she could use the momentum of the wind spell to go sailing through the door. Zelgadis cursed again, dashing out into the main mill room with his light spell leading the way.
He shouldn't have worried. Amelia had managed to use the same burst of wind as a boost to tackle the incoming Sholei. "Nice tackle, Amelia."
"Thank you, Mister Zelgadis." Amelia beamed at him.
Behind her, he saw the mayor, the miller and Rian yas Galatei. "Did you get all that?" he said, looking around. Two humans, two beastmen and a chimera had heard the confession; that should settle all but the most fanatic conspiracy theorist. "Here's your saboteur. Her reasons had nothing to do with humans, beastmen or chimera. Just politics."
* * *
To His Royal Highness Crown Prince Philionel el de Saillune and His Highness Prince Christopher ul Bromell Saillune
From Zelgadis Graywords
Dear sirs,
Here are my findings in the case of crimes of property against the citizens of the town of Redcliffe and surrounding environs.
The priestess in the town of Redcliffe, Claire Sholei, also known as Kilarei sim Sholeiba, was the saboteur. Her family was originally from Jarei, which is a tributary of the Elemekian Empire in the southeast. It seems her plan was to create unrest in Saillune enough to cause the southern settlements to fail. She refused to name any co-conspirators, but I wouldn't dismiss any that are out there.
I assume you two will pass this on to whoever needs to know.
-- Yours sincerely,
Zelgadis Graywords
* * *
He would pretty up the draft later. Zelgadis saw a shadow fall across the paper. He put down his pen, and turned to look at the source. "Hello, Amelia."
"You're writing to Daddy about this, aren't you?" she said. She had gone back to their room as soon as Claire had been captured, leaving him to finish up the investigation. She looked like she had just gotten up, hours after her normal wake-up time. Her eyes were still half-closed and her clothing was rumpled, like she had changed quickly. All very much unlike her.
"Well, I am a Royal Investigator," Zelgadis said. "If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right. Plus as soon as Prince Phil gets this report, I'm done."
Amelia nodded. "Are you upset I asked you to do this?"
Zelgadis considered this, then shook his head. "No. It was... strangely satisfying, having a real problem I could solve quickly. Refreshing, really." Not like researching when one didn't know if the answer was even written down, that was. Or like lessons, where everything came together in a neat little package that never would happen in the real world. Perhaps, instead of going back to Atlas City he could pick up freelance magic again. It would probably be just as useful, and less frustrating. Zelgadis Graywords, wizard investigator for hire. It had a certain ring to it.
"I'm glad you got something out of it, Mister Zelgadis," Amelia smiled at him, but the smile wasn't quite reaching her eyes, which still looked tired and worried.
"How did you sleep?" he asked.
"Sleep?" Amelia looked a bit confused by the seeming non-sequitur. "Oh, I slept fine."
Zelgadis sighed. "Liar."
"Mister Zelgadis!" Amelia crossed her arms and glared at him. It would have been more effective if she didn't have to stop to yawn first. He raised his brow. "Well," she added, "Maybe not fine."
"You were asleep when I got up," he said.
"Kind of," she said, sitting down next to him. "I couldn't stay asleep. I mean, I'm happy that there isn't a standing argument between the chimera and beastmen and humans... is there?"
Zelgadis shook his head. "Not that I know of." Thankfully, the attack on Erica yas Galatei, and attempt to frame Leigh Halimeda had made sure that the local non-humans didn't think that Claire Sholei was a plant. Having the mayor and Pol around to back up the story helped. He had made sure that Bartalan had been present when he talked to Claire after her capture, just to be sure that whatever the town heard would be correct. That and the intimidation value of a large bearman couldn't be discounted. Careful, Zelgadis, she'll turn you into a politician yet.
Amelia nodded. "Good. But, everyone is talking about Jarei, aren't they?"
"Yep." The town was no longer divided... but mostly because they now had a common enemy of the foreign kind. In particular, Rian yas Galatei was rather vocal about 'the Jarei problem', and some of the former beastman mercenaries -- people who he'd never give the time of day before -- were listening to him. Politics made strange bedfellows indeed.
"I wanted everyone to pull together and live as one community," Amelia said, sinking down in her chair, and burying her head in her hands. "I didn't want them to do so out of xenophobia."
"People aren't as altruistic as you think they are, Amelia," Zelgadis said. "You gave them a lot more credit then they deserve." He wanted to comfort her, but he thought she had enough comforting stories from her father and his rose-tinted view of the world.
"I know, I know," Amelia said.
"But, you really can't control what other countries do," Zelgadis said. "You didn't send a spy and saboteur into Jarei, did you?"
"Of course not!" Amelia said, nearly jumping out of her chair. "Saillune doesn't spy on people! Besides that, our treaties with the Elemekian Empire asks us to officially negotiate with all of their tributary states through their capital. We don't even have an embassy in Jarei."
"So, it's not like you could control what other nations think of you," Zelgadis said. Or even predict it, if their intelligence is that bad. He wondered if Saillune even had someone on their payroll in Jarei that Amelia and Phil didn't know about. It would be what he'd do, after all.
"And Archamage Awel seemed so nice when we spoke in Atlas City," Amelia said. "Why would he invite me to Jarei when they were just going to cause trouble for us?"
"Misdirection, maybe," Zelgadis said. "Or a classic case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing."
"You know, if I were to take up his invitation, it wouldn't be officially negotiating," Amelia said. "It would just be paying a personal visit to the King of Jarei."
"Elemekia might not see it like that," Zelgadis said, amazed at how Amelia could go from being straightforward to her first attempts at deviousness. Politics might get to her yet. In a way that still kept her as... well, as Amelia.
"Elemekia will get the official complaint about this," Amelia added. "I have to do something about this, though. I can't just leave the situation well enough alone."
Zelgadis made a note to amend his letter, hoping that Prince Phil and Christopher could talk some sense into Amelia. Otherwise, it looked like he would be charging off into another adventure with her. He certainly wasn't going to watch her go into a possibly-hostile foreign country without offering to watch her back.
And the Mage's Guild and his classes could just go hang.
Index
Previous Chapter
Fandom: Slayers
Rating: PG
Genre: Mystery/Action
Words: 23,000 total (2,200 this chapter)
Notes/Warnings: Oh, boy. I started this ages ago. It might be older than my grad school career. I finally finished it for this year's
casestory. Art is by sholio. Beta work done by yuuo. Story may have a Zel/Amelia bias, but I think it can be read as friendship. Summary: Zelgadis's attempts to settle down are not working well. When Amelia asks him to accompany him to the southern frontier of Saillune to investigate reports of sabotage, it certainly sounds like a breath of fresh air. What he finds is a mess of politics and bigotry, and Amelia's attempts to help are hit or miss... and starting to drive Zel nuts. The two of them must work together to find the saboteur, and hope the discovery doesn't touch off a riot in a town divided.
Disclaimer: Slayers copyright Hajime Kanzaka/Rui Araizumi/Kadokawa/TV Tokyo/Medianet and this derivative work was created without permission.
Index
Previous Chapter
Night had fallen hours ago, and Amelia's legs were starting to cramp as she, Bartalan, and Pol sat in their lookout place high in the mill rafters. They were being silent, which made it hard to stay awake, despite the coffee... and the bathroom breaks before they started their stakeout. Amelia stifled a yawn, and looked down from their observation spot.
Outside the mill, the guard, wearing a hooded cloak against the chill, was pacing around, a light spll clearly visible. Mister Pol had posted the schedule himself, and it was common knowledge who was on duty. Donla Savarnla had guard shift until midnight, when she would be replaced by Rian yas Galatei, who had taken his wife's injury personally and volunteered for as many shifts as Mister Pol would give him.
Amelia had expected something to happen before midnight. After all, Donla was Halimeda's apprentice. Either Halimeda could use Donla as a pawn, or someone else could use the opportunity to frame Halimeda. But, from the town's small bell, it was almost midnight. If something was going to happen, it better happen soon.
Amelia saw another light approach along the mill path. She peered into the darkness, trying to see if Galatei had come early, but the person's face was too far away to make out. Or maybe it was just too dark. She glanced at Pol, who had better eyes than her. He shook his head; it wasn't Galatei.
Things are starting then. Amelia leaned forward to watch. The figure was wearing a light-colored cloak, approached the guard, waving. The guard turned towards the newcomer.
The newcomer dashed forward, touching the guard, who fell, light spell extinguished. Amelia was nearly certain she caught the sparkle of a Mono Bolt discharging and she winced a bit. She stood up from their hiding place, and Bartalan had to tug on her cape or she might have been seen against the sky. He made a 'wait and see' gesture.
Amelia continued watching. If the newcomer, the saboteur, turned to check the fallen guard, they could be in a lot of trouble. But the newcomer just held her hand to the door for a moment -- casting an unlock spell, no doubt -- and entered the mill. The guard lay still until the door closed, then carefully stood up. "It worked!" Amelia whispered. "Come on."
* * *
Thankfully, the saboteur hadn't spoken to him, Zelgadis mused. While he could pass for Donla in low light and with Amelia's make-up assistance, he had never managed a good falsetto. Imitating a specific woman was right out.
The upside was he had remained conscious, despite a Mono Bolt spell that would have knocked out anyone who wasn't part golem -- that part of the plan had worked. The downside was, he hadn't gotten a good look at the saboteur; only enough to see that she had worn a light blue cloak, one very much like Leigh's.
He pulled himself to his feet, trying to move quickly in the strange clothing and extra padding that had shifted when he fell, and followed his attacker into the mill.
He entered the mill, and quickly head over to the storage room where Pol had stored the parts they had yet to finish installing. They had practiced so much that he could find his way in the dark. As he opened the door, the saboteur, bent over the remaining boxes, turned to face him. "You're not Donla," she said.
"And you're not Leigh Halimeda," Zelgadis replied. "I never would have known you were a criminal, Priestess Sholei."
"And, I never would have pegged you as a crossdresser, Mister Graywords." Claire Sholei's face was clearly visible by the glow of her own light spell. She shifted into what Zelgadis recognized as a typical sorcerer's combat stance -- ready to dodge enemy spells.
Zelgadis felt his face redden. "Whatever it takes," he said, quickly. Claire would have to get past him to get out of the room. "What do you hope to gain by escaping?" he asked. Hopefully, she would be the sort who could get drawn into a villainous monologue. It would certainly make finding any co-conspirators easier, or he could just get the jump on her while she was busy explaining how beastmen killed her cat when she was five.
"Ever here of a little country called Jarei, Mister Graywords?" Claire asked, feinting to the left, and moving to launch a spell.
Zelgadis cursed under his breath as he recognized what Claire was chanting under her breath. If what Pol had told him was true, one spark could send the whole place up. Stupid mill. "Freeze Arrow," he quickly fired off, cutting a fire spell off before it could form. "Does it have anything to do with you trying to blow us both up?" he asked. Jarei did sound familiar.... wait a moment, it was the place that the sorcerer back at Atlas City was from. A little tributary of Elemekia, somewhere near here.
Claire smiled. "Something like that," she said. "It means I have no interest in seeing Saillune settle out here as well. Human, beastman, chimera -- it doesn't matter what they are."
Save me from crazy patriots. At least Amelia's brand of justice-obsession was only mildly crazy. "You won't do them any good if you're dead, Sholei," Zelgadis said, trying to close to use the same Mono Bolt spell she had tried to use on him.
"I won't do them any good in prison, either," Claire said slipping past him. For a priestess, she sure was agile on her feet. "And it's Kilarei sim Sholeiba."
Zelgadis sighed. Damn her, she had managed to turn halfway around, nearly getting a clear break at the door. "I don't care if you're calling yourself Princess of the Moon Kingdom," he growled. Bursting a hole in the mill wouldn't be appreciated by the town, though it would make his life a lot easier. "Bomb di Wind." At leas the wind spell would force her against the wall, and possibly knock the breath out of her enough so he could grab her.
Or she could use the momentum of the wind spell to go sailing through the door. Zelgadis cursed again, dashing out into the main mill room with his light spell leading the way.
He shouldn't have worried. Amelia had managed to use the same burst of wind as a boost to tackle the incoming Sholei. "Nice tackle, Amelia."
"Thank you, Mister Zelgadis." Amelia beamed at him.
Behind her, he saw the mayor, the miller and Rian yas Galatei. "Did you get all that?" he said, looking around. Two humans, two beastmen and a chimera had heard the confession; that should settle all but the most fanatic conspiracy theorist. "Here's your saboteur. Her reasons had nothing to do with humans, beastmen or chimera. Just politics."
* * *
To His Royal Highness Crown Prince Philionel el de Saillune and His Highness Prince Christopher ul Bromell Saillune
From Zelgadis Graywords
Dear sirs,
Here are my findings in the case of crimes of property against the citizens of the town of Redcliffe and surrounding environs.
The priestess in the town of Redcliffe, Claire Sholei, also known as Kilarei sim Sholeiba, was the saboteur. Her family was originally from Jarei, which is a tributary of the Elemekian Empire in the southeast. It seems her plan was to create unrest in Saillune enough to cause the southern settlements to fail. She refused to name any co-conspirators, but I wouldn't dismiss any that are out there.
I assume you two will pass this on to whoever needs to know.
-- Yours sincerely,
Zelgadis Graywords
* * *
He would pretty up the draft later. Zelgadis saw a shadow fall across the paper. He put down his pen, and turned to look at the source. "Hello, Amelia."
"You're writing to Daddy about this, aren't you?" she said. She had gone back to their room as soon as Claire had been captured, leaving him to finish up the investigation. She looked like she had just gotten up, hours after her normal wake-up time. Her eyes were still half-closed and her clothing was rumpled, like she had changed quickly. All very much unlike her.
"Well, I am a Royal Investigator," Zelgadis said. "If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right. Plus as soon as Prince Phil gets this report, I'm done."
Amelia nodded. "Are you upset I asked you to do this?"
Zelgadis considered this, then shook his head. "No. It was... strangely satisfying, having a real problem I could solve quickly. Refreshing, really." Not like researching when one didn't know if the answer was even written down, that was. Or like lessons, where everything came together in a neat little package that never would happen in the real world. Perhaps, instead of going back to Atlas City he could pick up freelance magic again. It would probably be just as useful, and less frustrating. Zelgadis Graywords, wizard investigator for hire. It had a certain ring to it.
"I'm glad you got something out of it, Mister Zelgadis," Amelia smiled at him, but the smile wasn't quite reaching her eyes, which still looked tired and worried.
"How did you sleep?" he asked.
"Sleep?" Amelia looked a bit confused by the seeming non-sequitur. "Oh, I slept fine."
Zelgadis sighed. "Liar."
"Mister Zelgadis!" Amelia crossed her arms and glared at him. It would have been more effective if she didn't have to stop to yawn first. He raised his brow. "Well," she added, "Maybe not fine."
"You were asleep when I got up," he said.
"Kind of," she said, sitting down next to him. "I couldn't stay asleep. I mean, I'm happy that there isn't a standing argument between the chimera and beastmen and humans... is there?"
Zelgadis shook his head. "Not that I know of." Thankfully, the attack on Erica yas Galatei, and attempt to frame Leigh Halimeda had made sure that the local non-humans didn't think that Claire Sholei was a plant. Having the mayor and Pol around to back up the story helped. He had made sure that Bartalan had been present when he talked to Claire after her capture, just to be sure that whatever the town heard would be correct. That and the intimidation value of a large bearman couldn't be discounted. Careful, Zelgadis, she'll turn you into a politician yet.
Amelia nodded. "Good. But, everyone is talking about Jarei, aren't they?"
"Yep." The town was no longer divided... but mostly because they now had a common enemy of the foreign kind. In particular, Rian yas Galatei was rather vocal about 'the Jarei problem', and some of the former beastman mercenaries -- people who he'd never give the time of day before -- were listening to him. Politics made strange bedfellows indeed.
"I wanted everyone to pull together and live as one community," Amelia said, sinking down in her chair, and burying her head in her hands. "I didn't want them to do so out of xenophobia."
"People aren't as altruistic as you think they are, Amelia," Zelgadis said. "You gave them a lot more credit then they deserve." He wanted to comfort her, but he thought she had enough comforting stories from her father and his rose-tinted view of the world.
"I know, I know," Amelia said.
"But, you really can't control what other countries do," Zelgadis said. "You didn't send a spy and saboteur into Jarei, did you?"
"Of course not!" Amelia said, nearly jumping out of her chair. "Saillune doesn't spy on people! Besides that, our treaties with the Elemekian Empire asks us to officially negotiate with all of their tributary states through their capital. We don't even have an embassy in Jarei."
"So, it's not like you could control what other nations think of you," Zelgadis said. Or even predict it, if their intelligence is that bad. He wondered if Saillune even had someone on their payroll in Jarei that Amelia and Phil didn't know about. It would be what he'd do, after all.
"And Archamage Awel seemed so nice when we spoke in Atlas City," Amelia said. "Why would he invite me to Jarei when they were just going to cause trouble for us?"
"Misdirection, maybe," Zelgadis said. "Or a classic case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing."
"You know, if I were to take up his invitation, it wouldn't be officially negotiating," Amelia said. "It would just be paying a personal visit to the King of Jarei."
"Elemekia might not see it like that," Zelgadis said, amazed at how Amelia could go from being straightforward to her first attempts at deviousness. Politics might get to her yet. In a way that still kept her as... well, as Amelia.
"Elemekia will get the official complaint about this," Amelia added. "I have to do something about this, though. I can't just leave the situation well enough alone."
Zelgadis made a note to amend his letter, hoping that Prince Phil and Christopher could talk some sense into Amelia. Otherwise, it looked like he would be charging off into another adventure with her. He certainly wasn't going to watch her go into a possibly-hostile foreign country without offering to watch her back.
And the Mage's Guild and his classes could just go hang.
Index
Previous Chapter