Poison Chapter 10

Author: Tsutsuji Title: Poison

Poison

Chapter
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Title: Poison (chapter 10 of 12 or so) REVISED
Author: Tsutsuji
Date written: August 3-4, 2005
Fandom: Slayers
Rating: NC17 (X) for Lemon
Pairing: Zelgadis/Xelloss
Original characters: no
Type: yaoi/slash, adventure
Warnings: hurt/comfort, angst
Status: in progress.
Spoilers: no
Disclaimer: I do not own the copyright to these characters and I'm making no profit from this fic and intend no copyright infringement.
Summary: Zelgadis and Xelloss make several startling discoveries about each other - and one about the Curse of Shimer. Lemon alert! REVISED version.
---
Poison, chapter 10
It only seemed like magic that made boots, gloves, shirts, and trousers disappear, until they were lying together on the flowered bedspread, rough, stone skin against pale, smooth skin. Zelgadis stared into Xelloss' half-opened eyes. He'd never seen such a look of surprise on that face before.
Xelloss rolled onto his back and then pulled Zelgadis down and writhed beneath him, and drew his head down with his delicate-seeming fingers twisted in Zel's metallic hair. He caught Zel's mouth in a deep kiss, pressing his tongue over demon-sharp teeth. His skin felt human but he tasted of magic, a tangy sweetness Zelgadis sometimes tasted when the air was full of magical energy. It was good and he wanted more of it, so he pulled out of the kiss to lick Xelloss' face and down to his throat while Xelloss rippled under him like silk.
Xelloss stroked his stiff hair and caressed the tips of his ears. All the while he twisted under Zelgadis, seeking more contact. Zel let his teeth nip the soft skin at the base of his throat. Throwing his head back, Xelloss gasped and arched up against Zel's mouth.
Zelgadis hardly believed that his touch could affect anyone so much. It couldn't be only his emotions that the Mazoku wanted after all, because in spite of what he'd said, he couldn't hate Xelloss right now even though he tried. But Xelloss seemed to savor the roughness of his skin, rubbing his body against the hard flakes of stone and twisting his legs around Zel's for as much contact as possible.
For his side of it, Zelgadis was amazed by the intensity of Xelloss' touch, not just from his hands but also from all of the places where skin met skin. His stone body was not entirely insensitive, but he'd never felt so much sensation before, as if Xelloss could reach inside him and stimulate every nerve. The warmth was the most surprising thing, just as it had been that morning when it was only Xelloss' mouth and hands that touched him. The full body contact they shared now enveloped him in luscious heat.
Stripped down only to briefs, Zelgadis discovered with no surprise that Xelloss wore nothing but his human skin under his priest's trousers, sash and shirt. He would never have to wonder again about all that was suggested by loose, clinging curves of fabric. If it was all an illusion, it was a perfect one, and for once he was perfectly willing to be deceived.
He managed to pull away from Xelloss' hungry mouth and hands so he could sit back, straddling his thighs, and gaze down on the body revealed for him. Taut muscles rippled under flawless skin, and Zel brushed his fingertips wonderingly over nipples that grew harder under his touch. He spread his fingers over the firm planes and curves of Xelloss' chest and stomach. Xelloss squirmed and pressed his hands over Zel's, so Zel dug harder with his rough fingers, leaving marks on the pale skin. He moved his hands lower slowly, partly in apprehension and partly to tease.
Xelloss' half-closed eyes were almost black and his soft, bruised lips were parted. His dark hair spread like a shadow on the flowered bedcover beneath him. Zelgadis had never seen his face so openly before, and never imagined he'd see it as flushed and eager as this without being afraid.
"Did you have to be quite so perfect?" he said, letting his eyes wander all over Xelloss' body.
"It really wasn't my choice," Xelloss whispered breathlessly, apparently too distracted by Zel's touch to explain further.
Cautiously, teasingly, Zelgadis let his fingers brush over that hardness that had surprised him so much a few minutes ago. It certainly felt real twitching against his palm as he closed his hand around it. Xelloss shuddered and hissed through his teeth, and then caught Zel's wrist in his powerful grip. He had that look again of wanting something that he knew he shouldn't want. Zel couldn't pull his hand away, but Xelloss wouldn't let him move it either.
He narrowed his eyes defiantly and twisted his wrist against Xelloss' hold with a snarl of frustration. Xelloss grunted as if the emotion had hit him physically, and his hold loosened. Zelgadis closed his fingers around the thick shaft in his hand and felt it swell in response. He was beyond wonder at the fact that he'd never touched anyone like this before, not even himself. He only knew that his shadowy desire for Xelloss had suddenly become very real and specific.
Xelloss let his wrist go as Zelgadis began to slide his hand along the shaft, varying the pressure of his touch experimentally. Seeing Xelloss respond to him like this was incredibly arousing, and of course, Xelloss noticed this. He pushed himself up on his elbows with his eyes fastened on the bulge growing under Zel's black briefs. Unconsciously, maybe, the tip of his tongue darted out to touch his lip.
Reminded of the heat of Xelloss' tongue and mouth on him this morning, Zelgadis groaned and twisted his hand more tightly around Xelloss' erection. Xelloss' hips jerked, but pinned by Zel's weight he couldn't thrust himself into the tight fist as he wanted to. But he did manage to reach between them and curl his fingers under Zel's trapped erection. Zelgadis strangled a cry and pushed into Xelloss' hand. The Mazoku's soft laugh was even more arousing than his touch.
Finally it seemed that Xelloss had been teased enough for the moment. He pulled Zel down on top of him again with a strong hand at the back of his neck and pressed their bodies tightly together. Their erections met and slid against each other; the heat and firm silk of Xelloss against his rough shaft made Zel gasp and curl his fingers into Xelloss' shoulders. In spite of this distraction, he stiffened with surprise when Xelloss slid his hand under his briefs from behind and grabbed his ass.
"Is this one of the places where your body is still sensitive?" Xelloss murmured, squeezing lightly. "I'll be disappointed if it isn't."
Zelgadis didn't know if it was or if it was just Xelloss' touch that made it seem so; he'd certainly never been touched like this before. Xelloss trailed his fingertips from the tip of Zel's spine down the cleft of his ass, and slipped them teasingly deeper for a second before pushing the briefs out of the way. Seconds later, Zelgadis found himself on his back with his arms and legs flung wide. Xelloss tore the final bit of fabric off of his body and then settled himself between Zel's thighs. With one hand on Zel's shaft and the other on his own, he looked down at Zel spread out beneath him.
Exposed like this for the second time in a day, Zel's desire was now stronger than the shame he felt for his horrid body, and stronger than the fear he felt when Xelloss leaned over him with his lips twisted in a feral smile. He tried to ignite some anger inside himself to give to Xelloss, but he couldn't find any. The best he could do was to struggle with himself, hating and fearing his own desire. It seemed to be enough. Xelloss closed his eyes and moaned softly.
When Xelloss lifted his hips and reached between his thighs again, Zel's struggle with himself intensified. He knew what Xelloss intended to do and the thought of it terrified and aroused him at the same time. It was too much and too soon, he thought desperately; they had only just discovered their desire for each other. But he'd never felt a need so great as his need to be touched this way. He was helpless against his body's desire for Xelloss' touch, and suddenly he hated himself for it.
He heard Xelloss sigh quietly, as if the power of Zel's emotion was a caress. He quickly thrust another finger inside and Zel let the helpless anger grow--but his erection stiffened as well.
Xelloss leaned down over him. Zel's eyes grew wide when Xelloss opened his own eyes all the way once again.
"Your hatred tastes wonderful, Zelgadis-san," he said in a low voice, "but I can't tell what it comes from. Do you hate me for doing this to you, or do you hate yourself for wanting it so much?"
Zelgadis stared at him for a second, speechless with shock and denial. Then his need and longing and horror flared so strongly that Xelloss looked like he'd been hit with some astral spell the shaman had unleashed.
Zelgadis clenched his whole body, resisting the invasion even though the pressure made his erection throb. Xelloss' bowed his head so his hair screened his face, but Zel saw him smile as he twisted his fingers deeper inside. The heated touch melted Zel's resistance; it was all he could do then not to thrust his hips and force it in deeper.
Without thinking - because it was becoming very difficult to think anyway - Zelgadis pulled Xelloss down for another deep kiss and nipped soft lips with his sharp teeth. Xelloss growled and twisted on top of him to rub their erections together. Zelgadis gasped and fell back, overwhelmed by the sensations. He hardly noticed when Xelloss drew back suddenly and pushed Zel's knees up to his chest, and quickly replaced his fingers with something else. Something that was even hotter and stiffer than fingers prodded him, something that Zelgadis suddenly remembered was much larger as well. Instinctively he struggled and tried to pull away, but he was trapped now with Xelloss' arms hooked around his legs and the full weight of his body pinning him down.
"Oh, yes," Xelloss breathed, bent low over his face. "Stop me, if you can, Chimera. If you really want to."
Hearing those words, Zelgadis knew he didn't want to, but he tried anyway. If only for Xelloss' sake he struggled and squirmed, only because it made Xelloss' skin even hotter, and even though he knew the monster would win in the end anyway.
Sudden pain stopped his breath; he felt a burning pressure as Xelloss entered him with one quick thrust. He cried out and went rigid. He could almost feel Xelloss drawing on his pain and helplessness. The Mazoku sighed happily and plunged in deeper. Zelgadis struggled for real; the burning, tearing pain was excruciating. He screamed and clawed at Xelloss' shoulders, but Xelloss was relentless and only pounded into him faster.
In seconds the pain melded with a sharp pleasure that made him gasp. It was unbearable, terrifying, to feel so much so suddenly. With another thrust the pleasure exploded and overwhelmed the agony. He hooked his legs around Xelloss' back and began to move in time with him, desperate for more of it even if it felt like it would tear him apart.
Xelloss reached between them and closed his hand around Zel's erection. He didn't need to move it; the heated pressure and the rocking of their bodies was all Zel could stand anyway. He tried to hate what was happening to him and what he was feeling now, but he barely succeeded. All he could find to give to the Mazoku was his desperate need for a release of the sensations spiraling tighter in side him, and a sudden stab of despair when he realized they might never have another moment like this together.
Xelloss cried out and pressed his face against Zel's neck as his body spasmed. His dark hair fell across Zel's eyes. The sound he made was almost a sob, but Zel couldn't guess if it was bliss or some despair of his own that made it.
The dark heat of Xelloss' energy filled him and engulfed him inside and out. With that energy pulsing through him and with Xelloss' fist clenching around his erection, he hung on the precipice of his own release for a few more seconds before he plunged over the edge into welcoming oblivion.
-----
Zelgadis woke up. At first, that was all he could figure out: he'd been unconscious and now he was awake. Then he remembered that he'd been in pain and now he felt better than he'd ever felt in his life. Then he remembered why. He'd just given his virginity to a Mazoku whom he'd once hated with all his soul--and he had no regrets.
He opened his eyes to see Xelloss stretched alongside him. One soft hand rested on his thigh, the other stroked his wire-like hair. The Mazoku's eyes were closed but he looked content, and that was unnerving. A Mazoku should only look that happy if someone else was in misery, and despite some lingering pain, Zelgadis felt anything but miserable.
Impulsively, he turned his head and kissed the upturned corner of Xelloss' mouth. Xelloss opened one eye and quirked an eyebrow. He seemed to study Zel silently for a moment through that one eye, or maybe he was gauging Zel's emotions. The upraised eyebrow twitched as if in surprise.
"It seems I've been foolish as well," Xelloss said. "Even when I sensed desire in you, Zel-san, I never thought it could be for me."
Zelgadis didn't bother to confirm that it had been all along, even before he knew it himself. He figured he'd demonstrated that fact pretty clearly.
"Did I enjoy it too much for you this time?" he asked, partly in jest, but he remembered that he hardly managed to hate Xelloss as he'd said he would.
"Not at all!" Xelloss said mildly. Zelgadis wasn't sure what that tone of voice meant, but then Xelloss gave him a sly smile. "I'm supposed to be the one to ask if I hurt you, aren't I?"
Zelgadis snorted. "If you ask that, I'll be very worried about you! Anyway, if I was human... but since I'm not, you needn't worry."
As he spoke, he realized he might want to take a moment later for a little Recovery spell, but it wouldn't take much to heal the damage Xelloss had done. He didn't mind the ache of it, actually. It remained as evidence of Xelloss' desire for him, which he still could hardly believe was real.
Xelloss sighed. "You still refuse to think of yourself as a human, only one with the greater spiritual capacity of a magical being and this marvelous body, which you despise and which I admire. You are so durable, Zelgadis-san, and yet so flexible!"
Xelloss grinned in direct proportion to Zel's blush. He'd never thought of himself as "flexible" before, and certainly not in the suggestive way Xelloss said the word.
In spite of Xelloss' claim of admiration, and in spite of how good he felt at the moment, he still hated his body, so he turned his attention to Xelloss instead. While Xelloss watched him with an amused, indulgent grin, he ran his palm over the contours of the perfectly proportioned body. His hand grazed the smooth curves and planes of chest, hip, and thigh, and brushed lightly over the fading evidence of his arousal.
"This, on the other hand, is perfect," he whispered. "Beautiful, if that word can be said of Mazoku."
"It certainly isn't applied often to us by humans! I suppose we have our own standards of beauty, which have more to do with dark energy and power than with physical form. But I've lived among humans often enough to know what they mean by the word...."
Xelloss trailed his fingers again through Zel's silver strands of hair, down over his face and lips to the stone flakes on his chin. Zelgadis was glad he didn't say any more. It would have been too strange a thing for a Mazoku to say even if it was a lie, and stranger still if it wasn't.
"How ironic this is," Xelloss said softly. "Each of us trapped in a form we wish to be free of, and each of us desiring the other in that form. And at the end of another day, these forms may no longer exist at all."
Zelgadis was silent, remembering his unexpected moment of despair when he realized they might never be like this together again. Whether he was restored to human form tomorrow, or whether Xelloss ended the Curse and returned to his own true form, whatever was going on between them now would change. He wondered if that was why Xelloss had finally acted on his own desire. And if it was as strong as it seemed, he wondered if the Mazoku might have taken him like that even if he hadn't wanted it as well.
The thought should have disturbed him more than it did, he supposed. As it was, he'd gotten what he'd wanted. And at the very least, it looked like they would go on together to face whatever awaited them at the Shrine.
Lying there in the dark room in silence, Zelgadis started to wonder about the note of regret he'd just heard in Xelloss' voice. He'd heard it twice before, each time after Xelloss had been wounded. He studied Xelloss with concern. Half-opened eyes gleamed with pale amethyst light as they gazed into the darkness, focused on nothing; his mouth was set in a straight line, expressionless. For a moment Zel worried that he had actually harmed the Mazoku with his emotions.
But slowly it came to him that what he'd heard in Xelloss' voice wasn't really regret at all. It was resignation near to hopelessness. Whatever happened when they reached the Shrine, whether he succeeded or failed, Xelloss didn't even expect to return to his astral body. He expected it to disappear along with his human form. The stupid Mazoku was still planning to go and die anyway.
The flash of anger he felt caught him by surprise. After all Xelloss had already done to get this far, and after all Zelgadis had given him, the Mazoku thought he was just going to disappear at the end of it all. He couldn't believe it and he didn't want to accept it.
Xelloss must have felt his anger, but rather than looking pleased he turned to Zel with his eyebrows raised.
"Zelgadis-san?"
"Damn it, Xelloss!" Zelgadis burst out. "You really are on a suicide mission, aren't you? You self-centered bastard... I didn't even think it was possible for a Mazoku to give up and die like this!"
He knew his anger was twisted and fueled by other emotions he shouldn't have for Xelloss even now, but he couldn't help unleashing it anyway. Xelloss' eyes darkened. He consumed the emotion even as the meaning of the words sunk in.
Lavender eyes slowly opened and stared silently at him for a moment. Zelgadis felt a chill creep through him as he realized what he'd said. Xelloss' lips curved up in a slow smile.
"Your concern for me is touching," he said softly. "But you're quite right, Zelgadis-san. It's not possible. Or at least, it shouldn't be. Oh, Shimer was certainly clever, wasn't he?"
Understanding hit Zelgadis like a Burst Flare, abruptly shoving all his other feelings aside. Of course, he thought wildly; he should have realized it long ago. Not only should it not be possible for a Mazoku to feel such despair, it could actually be fatal.
"That's what's making you weak, isn't it?" he said. "I remember Lina explaining it to us once. Self-doubt, the belief that a human could defeat you, is your greatest weakness, isn't it? If you give in to it, that is. Shimer used that against you, along with your need for negative emotions. All he had to do was create a weapon that any human could use to harm you."
"So it seems," Xelloss said, still with the same soft voice. "The spell on those weapons affects our emotions much as the Relics affect human emotions. But in our case, the spell plants seeds of worry and doubt that have slowly grown over time as more of us are injured and lost."
"It seems that Shimer's particular magical talent was to weave various spells together into something much more powerful than the individual strands," Zelgadis said, remembering the multi-layered magic he'd sensed in the bracelets. "There must be another spell on the weapons as well, one of astral magic that seals your power away after it's siphoned off by your self-doubt. But if the actual seal is in the source at the Shrine, not in the weapons themselves, then destroying the source will break the seal and your power will return."
Xelloss said nothing, but frowned as he thought about what Zel was saying. His eyes gleamed a little more darkly as he considered this possibility.
"Shimer was very farsighted, as well," Zelgadis mused, staring up at the dark ceiling. "Just as he knew you wouldn't destroy the Shrine until it was too late, he planned for this process to take years. He knew it might be a hundred years after his lifetime before his Curse finally succeeded!"
Zelgadis turned to face Xelloss again. One corner of his mouth had lifted again in a grim smile. Zel imagined he was thinking of the destruction of Shimer's shrine. He never thought he'd be relieved to see the glint of malice return to those slitted eyes.
"I knew you weren't acting like yourself after you were injured," he said. "But it's no wonder it affected you more quickly each time; with every injury, your confidence wavered a little more."
"Very true," Xelloss admitted. "I have behaved strangely, haven't I? Normally, I would never have confided in you the way I did. I began to regret it as soon as I recovered some of my strength. "
Zelgadis chuckled. "Yes, it was a very strange thing for the ultimate keeper of secrets to do, even if I didn't believe you at first. But this time, Shimer's plan may have backfired against him."
Zelgadis grinned maliciously. Xelloss gave him a questioning look.
"In your moment of despair," Zelgadis said, "you confided in the one person with the unique nature to resist Shimer's spells on humans, and whose emotions you could still feed upon - and who has his own reasons to hate Shimer, or at least his Shrine Keepers."
Xelloss nodded. "Ah, I see! Unfortunately, relying on a human ally is also beneath our dignity," he added, only half jokingly.
"Well then, just continue to pretend you're only using me like you always do," Zelgadis said. He almost wished he hadn't said it as soon as the word left his lips. The secretive smile Xelloss gave him in the dark brought back too many of his earlier doubts.
"Do I do always do that?" Xelloss said in a musing voice. He traced the curve of Zel's jaw up to the ear with his thumb. "I'm afraid you make it far too easy for me to use you, Zel-chan."
Zelgadis caught his hand and stared at Xelloss, but once again, the Mazoku's eyes were hidden. After a few seconds, without pulling his hand away, Xelloss simply settled with his head nestled against Zel's shoulder. Zel couldn't see his face; as far as he could tell, Xelloss had gone to sleep.
He lay there staring up at the dark ceiling for a long time, aching with the simple pleasure of having Xelloss lying next to him, and trying not to think about anything at all.
---
It wasn't until the next morning when they were climbing the winding road above Underhill that he remembered what Xelloss had told him before: that any strength he gained from Zelgadis' emotions would be stolen away, and ever more quickly as time went on. Watching Xelloss use his staff like an old man's walking stick to help him climb the hill, he realized that this Mazoku, one of the most powerful of his kind, was nearly as weak as a human - and trying desperately to hide it.
Still, it seemed absurd to pity Xelloss, or even to offer to help. As far as he knew, that kind of concern would do more harm than good. But if what Xelloss had said yesterday morning was true, even his darker emotions might do just as much harm in the long run.
"I asked you the wrong question, didn't I?" he said with a humorless smile.
"Hmm?" Xelloss looked perplexed.
"When I asked if I enjoyed it too much, that wasn't the right question. Why did you make me feel like that last night if it was like drinking poison to you?"
Xelloss peered at him sidelong with one pale eye open.
"I told you. I couldn't resist you."
Zelgadis wanted to ask if it was really worth it, but he didn't. He knew how much he'd wanted it. In fact, he wanted Xelloss even more now than he had before. It was all he could do to keep himself from touching him as they walked side by side up the road. He would gladly turn aside from their path right now, even if it meant delaying his chance to be normal again, just to spend more time with Xelloss' body pressed against his as it had been all night.
He could afford to wait a little longer for his cure, but he wasn't sure Xelloss had that luxury. Clearly, he was even weaker than he had been yesterday. He could only hope that whatever anger he felt would still be useful, at least from one moment to the next. He was certainly going to feel more of it when they reached the Shrine and faced Zuller.
He realized that his hatred for the Shrine Keeper had grown even greater than it was before last night. He didn't question why a mortal should be so angry about a plot to defeat the evil race, just as he didn't question why Xelloss had given him ecstasy in return for his dark emotions even when they made him weaker in the long run. Even knowing the answers wouldn't make things any simpler when they reached the Shrine.
"If it's any help at all, I'm sure just seeing Zuller again will piss me off nicely. He might even get to see a little more of my demon side," he said.
"Ah, that would be amusing to see!" Xelloss said gleefully.
"Are you saying it wouldn't help you at all?"
It was the kind of blunt question he would never have expected an answer to in the past. For a minute he wasn't sure he was going to get one now, either. Xelloss walked along silently up the hill, face turned toward the Crystal City somewhere up ahead. Eventually he lowered his head and spoke quietly.
"Let's just say, for the moment, I'm only using my powers to maintain this human form-- my disguise, as you put it-- so that I can enter the Shrine. It's still as I said before, Zelgadis-san. As much as I love and crave the rich taste of your emotions, which the demon aspect of you makes more useful to me, the power I gain from them is being drawn off and sealed ever more quickly. I know how anxious you must be to reach the Shrine after waiting so long to find your cure. I'm only reserving all the power I have left so that I can do what I have to do when I get there."
He still sounded like he didn't plan to survive the destruction of the Shrine. Zelgadis shook his head in disgust.
"If I was Lina I'd be whacking you on the head about now," he said.
"Lina-san?" Xelloss asked, bewildered by his sudden mention of the sorceress. Zelgadis scowled at him.
"Yes, Lina. You know, that beautiful sorcery genius who never gives up no matter how badly the odds seem to be stacked against her? Haven't you ever heard one of her pep talks? If you start thinking you don't have much of a chance, it's like giving up what chance you do have."
He stopped short in his explanation. It might not be the best time to mention that she'd given that speech just before he and Gourry helped her defeat the Mazoku's Dark Lord, Shabranigdo. Even with his warped sense of humor, Xelloss might not find that amusing under the circumstances.
"Anyway," he went on after a few seconds, "ever since I've known you, even before I knew what you really are, I knew you were the kind who always gets what he wants and always expects to come out on top. You're quite a bit like Lina that way."
Xelloss grinned crookedly. "I suppose I should take that as a compliment?" he said doubtfully. "I'll try chanting 'believe in yourself, Xelloss!' a few times and see if that helps!"
Zelgadis laughed. "All right, that does sound absurd, doesn't it? Leave the chanting of affirmations to Amelia, then. Just..." he trailed off. What could Xelloss do to counteract the doubts Shimer had planted?
"Yes, it's not that simple," Xelloss said quietly, as if he knew what Zelgadis was thinking. "Shimer designed the perfect trap for us. Trying to think more positively as a human would doesn't exactly work for my kind, and only confirms that he has already harmed us."
Zelgadis couldn't think of a reply to that for a few seconds, but then he grinned.
"Well, just don't give up and die quite yet, please. It may not work for you, but I'm looking forward to seeing the looks on their faces when they finally realize, after it's too late, that they've invited a Mazoku to walk right into their precious Shrine! I wonder what Zuller and his Shrine Keepers will have to say to that?"
"We'll see, won't we?" Xelloss replied with a gleam in his eye. "Or rather, they will see. You should be long gone by then. Once you're normal again, I highly recommend you depart from the Shrine as quickly as your little human legs will carry you!"
He grinned cockily, but Zelgadis shook his head.
"We'll see about that, too," he muttered. He was still far less optimistic than Xelloss was that the power of Shimer would restore him to normal. And even if it did, he didn't plan to run off and leave Xelloss alone to face the Shrine Keepers, even if that was exactly what Xelloss himself would do.
Xelloss paused. Zelgadis looked up from his brooding thoughts to see that they'd come in sight of the marble wall with its many open gateways. White walls and blue tiled roofs climbed up the hill beyond the wall, and above all the crystal spires glittered in the bright sun.
Below them to the right, they could also see the High Road and the white bridge across Crystal River. As usual, there was already plenty of traffic on the road even though it was still early in the day. No one else climbed up their road, but he could see people moving around in the streets of the city beyond the gate. Two figures stood near the gate as well, either guarding it or keeping watch.
"No Soldiers of Shimer, at least," Zelgadis observed.
The two people at the gate spotted them and started to wave excitedly. Zelgadis now saw that one was a young woman dressed in the silver robes of the Shrine Keepers, with gems that flashed on her neck and arms as she waved. She spoke quickly to the other, a teenage boy, and he sped off into the city. As they drew closer, Zelgadis saw the woman smile and clutch her hands in front of her chest as if she could barely contain her glee. A small knot of people was already gathering behind her, gesturing and talking together eagerly.
Xelloss smiled grimly. "This is going to be fun!" he said. Zelgadis couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not.
They started forward again. Zelgadis held his hand out in front of Xelloss, who looked at it with a puzzled expression.
"The rest of your disguise, remember?" Zelgadis said with a sly smile.
Xelloss grinned back at him, giving him one of those shocking glimpses of his lavender eyes, and took his hand.
The woman bobbed up and down in several quick bows when they reached the gate. She was flushed and jiggling with excitement, making her many bracelets and beads rattle loudly. Zelgadis gritted his teeth but Xelloss didn't flinch.
"Zelgadis-sama, Xelloss-sama, I'm so incredibly honored to be the first to welcome you to the Crystal City of Shimer!" she said in a breathless rush. "I'm Under-Assistant Shrine Keeper-in-Training Kemara. Please, allow me to escort you to the Hall of the Shrine. Chief Shrine Keeper Zuller-sama awaits your arrival!"
Xelloss had plastered his usual cheery smile to his face, the one that scrunched up his eyes so they couldn't be seen. Ducking his head and smiling demurely, Zelgadis squeezed his hand, and together they stepped through the gate into the Crystal City.
----
to be continued...
Next: The final secret of the Shrine is revealed, but will either Xelloss or Zelgadis survive to make use of what they've learned?

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