Seduction of Evil - 5

Author: Miss Nightfall Title: Seduction of Evil - Part 5

# Part Five: Lust and the Magi

Dawn always brings new possibilities. As the sun breaks over the horizon it sheds new light and new hopes upon the awakening world, inspiring and motivating.

Amelia Wil Tesla Sailuune smiled as she inhaled the fresh scent of morning. She had always been as early riser, and today was no exception. She sprang out of her bedroll, grinning at the promise of a new day. Maybe today they would find that lake. This thought sobered her some, as she was still concerned that they too would be poisoned by its waters. She was particularly worried about Zelgadis. Lina-san would take precautions, but she was worried that Zelgadis would be blinded by the possibility of a cure and wind up killing himself. But then again, it wasn't like him to do things on impulse. Amelia sighed. She could only hope it would all be alright.

Lina and her friends had all risen and eaten and were trying to decide which direction they should head in when Xelloss reappeared from wherever he had gone to. Zelgadis paid absolutely no attention to him at all, and Lina gave him a curt nod. Inwardly hurt, he smiled cheerfully.

"Ne, Lina-chan! Guess what!"

"What is it, Xelloss?" She sounded as though she was only just barely paying attention to him.

"I was looking around a little earlier, and I realized I recognized the territory. I know where your lake is."

Lina stopped, and slowly turned to face him. "You mean to say," she began as her fist clenched. "That you've known where the lake is all along?!"

"Well... yes."

"Why didn't you tell us?!" she screamed.

"Sore wa himitsu desu!" he exclaimed, laughing as he floated out choking distance.

After a few minutes, Lina had calmed down a measure and Xelloss proceeded to lead the little band of mortals over rocky hills and areas of sparse forest. The trees grew thicker and thicker, and it seemed that all sun was blocked from their path. Amelia hung close to Zelgadis, periodically shrieking when some noise managed to frighten her.

At length, Zelgadis noticed the faint sound of water crashing down. It had to be the waterfall at the south end of the lake. He smiled grimly. So, the Mazoku had been telling the truth after all. Naga's eyes lit up when her own ears detected the sound as well.

"It really does exist!" she cried happily. "Oh Xelloss, you clever little bastard! Before we know it we'll have everything we could ever want!" She laughed her obnoxious laugh.

"All that and more," the smiling priest replied. Something in his voice caused Amelia to look up. Dark secrets were hidden in that smile of his, and Amelia started to get the feeling that this was to be a very bad day.

The sound of the waterfall grew maddeningly louder, but still the trees around them did not thin out. Lina pushed grimly forward, and was startled when suddenly she nearly fell down a bank into shimmering water.

"GAHHH!!" she cried, pinwheeling her arms wildly. Zelgadis reached out and grabbed one of her flailing appendages and yanked her back.

"You okay?" he inquired, hie eyes dark with concern.

"Yeah," she replied. She felt flushed, warm just from his close presence. She looked down and broke into a smile. "We're here!" she called cheerfully over her shoulder. "We found it!"

The lake was smooth, not disturbed by a single ripple or wave. It was eerily silent, with no animals of any kind anywhere in sight. No birds sang from the trees that surrounded the water, and no fish were to be seen swimming beneath.

"It's creepy," Amelia ventured as she cringed behind Gourry. The lanky swordsman nodded.

"Creepy or no, we have to see if it works," Zelgadis said as he carefully made his way down to the shore. The rest followed cautiously. When they all stood at the lake's still edge, they paused, unsure of how to proceed. Slowly but inexorably, all eyes turned to the Mazoku priest.

"What?" Xelloss asked.

"You got us this far, do you know how to summon the lake spirits?" Lina asked. Xelloss just stared at her, his strange eyes unreadable. At last she dropped her own gaze, feeling a weird sort of guilt. But over what?

"Yes," he said after a few moments of uncomfortable silence had spun out like a spider's web. "I know how to summon them. I've been here before, you know."

"And you never said anything?" Zelgadis asked, anger rising within him.

"You never asked," the Mazoku replied nonchalantly with a shrug. "But that's not important. After all, it matters little to you what my motives are or how much I choose to reveal, just so long as you get what you want, am I right?"

Lina was silent. Xelloss was not acting like his usual giddy self at all.

"Well!" Xelloss said briskly. "Let's get down to business, shall we?" His cheerful smile had returned, and his eyes were closed once again. A mask was all it was, one worn by the most skillful of actors, and it hid far too many secrets.

"What do we have to do?" Naga asked.

Xelloss ignored her. He walked forward so he was standing in the water, then stood there with his head bent as though in silent prayer. After a few minutes, he looked up and walked back onto shore, smiling. "Now we wait."

The night was uncannily still, without even the sound of crickets or night birds to break the silence. Zelgadis Greywers tore his eyes away from the undisturbed waters of the lake, wondering if at last he could have found his cure. He looked to where Lina lay and smiled a little. He hoped so, he really did. With this stone body of his, he was still uncertain of how to proceed with Lina.

Lina sat up, saw Zel looking at her and grinned. He blushed a little, but luckily the dark shroud of night hid it. He hoped.

"Hey Zel," she called and he walked over to join her. He sat down and Lina smiled. "Can't sleep, huh?" she asked and he nodded.

"I just keep hoping that this is the one, you know?" he asked. "Finally something that can cure this monstrous body of mine..." he trailed off and Lina looked at him thoughtfully.

"I don't think it's monstrous, Zel," she told him quietly. She gently ran her fingers across his face, then leaned forward and kissed him. After a second of surprise, he kissed her back. For a little while, they seemed nothing but the two of them, wrapped in a sweet embrace. They finally stopped, both a little short of breath.

"Uhh, maybe we should stop," Zelgadis said. Lina snuggled closer to him.

"Do you really want to?" she inquired, her voice slightly husky. She couldn't believe what she was saying, but at the same time it felt right. She could trust Zelgadis, he would never hurt her. With him she could give in to her lust, and give him her love, without fear of pain. He could return her love.... As a Mazoku never could.

Zel thought about what she had just said. He wasn't experienced with women, but even he heard the unmistakable invitation in Lina's voice. "No," he whispered back. "I don't want to stop. But I think we should." He placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her head up so he could look into his eyes. "I want to be with you, Lina," he managed to say. "In all sense of the word." He blushed and so did she, but he did not turn his eyes away. "But not in this body."

"Zel," she began, but he silenced her with a kiss. "Goodnight, Lina." He stood and walked over to where he had laid out his things, laid down and went to sleep. For the first time in years, his sleep was undisturbed by bad dreams.

Three days passed. Nothing stirred, and Lina was beginning to get impatient. She walked down to the lake's shore and screamed at the placid waters: "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? YOU CALL YOURSELVES LAKES-SPIRITS?"

Nothing happened.

Zelgadis walked down and stood behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Give it up Lina." The disappointment in his voice was impossible to miss. "I don't think - "

Suddenly, the lake roiled. It's mirror-like surface shattered and frothed as some.. things rose up from its depths.

Lina gawped. Before her, hovering over the lake, were crystal beings, shimmering in the sunlight. There seemed to be four of them, all female. Their eyes were blank and pupiless.

WE HAVE BEEN SUMMONED. Their mouths did not move, and they seemed rather to speak in the mind.

YOU WISH TO POSSESS THE POWER OF THE CRONE'S LOOKING GLASS. It wasn't exactly a question.

"Yes," Lina said, stepping forward. The spirits paid her no heed, and stared past her... to Zelgadis.

YOU. CHIMERA. YOU WILL PAY THE PRICE.

Gourry, Amelia, Naga and Xelloss had joined Lina and Zelgadis. They all stared, jaws agape, except for Xelloss, who grinned tightly.

"They are ancient," he whispered. "And they are hungry."

"Hungry for what?" Amelia started to ask, but the spirits interrupted.

CHIMERA. YOU ARE YOUNG AND STRONG, AND ATTRACTIVE AS WELL. YOU WILL SERVE.

"What are they talking about?" Zelgadis asked nervously. A knot of fear was tightening in his stomach.

"They want you, Zelgadis," Xelloss explained. He paused. "They desire sexual intercourse."

"WHAT?!" Lina screeched.

IF YOU WISH TO DRINK OF THE WATER, AND SO GAIN THAT WHICH YOU TRULY DESIRE, YOU MUST MAKE LOVE WITH ALL OF US. The spirits spoke as one. Zelgadis looked at Lina, his heart torn. He wanted a cure, more than anything in the world, but...

He didn't want to hurt Lina. And this would hurt her, he knew it.

To one side, Xelloss grinned. He could feel the uncertainty and anguish coming off the chimera like a glow. He had known what the spirits would desire. They would not want it from him, as he was pure Mazoku, and Gourry would not give it to them. That left only Zelgadis. The boy was now forced to choose between his obsession and his love. And in his choice, he would break Lina's heart.

She deserved it, too. Let her hurt as he did.

Zelgadis looked at the spirits, then at Lina again. He sighed deeply, all hope fleeing from him. "No," he said.

"What?!" the word was shocked out of the Mazoku, and his smiling façade shattered.

"No. That is a price I am not willing to pay."

The spirits hissed and the lake churned again. They disappeared back into its depths, and then the lake was still again. Nothing moved save the wind.

"That's that," Zelgadis said with a sigh.

"Zel, you moron! That was your chance!" Lina couldn't believe it.

Zelgadis placed his hands on her shoulders again. "Maybe there'll be another," he said, then whispered so only she could hear: "I couldn't hurt you like that."

"Oh, Zel." She didn't know what to say.

"I love you Lina," he whispered quietly, and she hugged him tight.

"I love you too," she replied.

"The hell with this!!"

The two lovebirds turned, along with everybody else. Xelloss had thrown his staff to the ground; his hands were clenched into fists as his breath came in sharp gasps.

"Xelloss-san?" Amelia asked cautiously.

"Shut up," he snarled and the Princess shrank back.

"What bug crawled up your ass?" Lina asked. Inwardly she was confused. What was up with Xelloss? She'd never seen him act in such a manner.

He looked down, his bangs hiding his eyes. Just as well she couldn’t see the suffering in them. "Fuck you," he muttered.

"You already did that," she said in a cold voice.

Xelloss looked up, and Lina got the shock of her life. Tears tracked their way down the Mazoku's face. There weren't many, but they were there.

He saw the surprise on her face and laughed bitterly. "You were right Lina," he said. "Mazoku can't love. Humans are our toys, nothing more than a cheap form of entertainment. But you want to know something?" He picked up his staff again, and it glowed dully. His eyes were dry now, a vacant, blasted desert where nothing could grow. "I've never been very careful with my playthings. They break far too easily."

He pointed his staff at Lina. "Let's hope you are more durable."

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