Chapter Three

As morning sunlight filtered in through the windows, Lantis awoke to find himself in unfamiliar surroundings. Disoriented, he moved to sit up, but pain stabbed through him and forced him to remain still. It was at that moment that a vague recollection of what had happened the day before returned to his pain-fogged brain.

"That's right………I was poisoned. Lina must have found a healer to purge it….. By the Pillar it still hurts, though!" Lantis thought, as he gingerly sat up, put a hand to his side, and kept it there; putting pressure on the healed-over wound.

"Hey, look who's finally awake!" Lina said, as she looked at the still rousing up Kailu.

"You stayed with me." Lantis said, quietly, seeming to be a little surprised by that.

"Yeah. We couldn't very well leave ya alone. Feel up to eating anything?" Lina asked. Lantis shook his head.

"Not really. Right now I really want something for this pain. It feels worse than getting slashed by one of the monsters in Cephiro." Lantis said, quietly.

"If you're admitting that much then the pain then it must be bad. Not to worry, though. Naga went out a little while ago to get some kingsfoil to help manage it. She should be back soon." Lina said, conversationally.

"Kingsfoil? What is that?" Lantis asked, with some curiosity in his tired voice.

"Kingsfoil is the name of an herb that was used by ancient kings and elves in the days of the Dark Lords. It was used to heal and purify. I don't know how Naga came to know about it, though." Lina said, as she shook her head.

"That may lie in her past. Whoever she was before she took on the name Naga, had to have had some knowledge of this land's herbal lore." Lantis said, thoughtfully.

"Maybe. By the way, who is Zagato?" Lina asked, getting a startled look from the man on the bed.

"Why do you ask?" Lantis asked, now looking a little wary, despite his attempt to look nonplused.

"You muttered that name last night when you came to for a moment. Well? Who is he?" Lina asked, impatiently. Lantis gazed at her for a moment, then sighed and lowered his head.

"Zagato is the name of my brother. He is the High Priest of Cephiro." Lantis replied, sounding a little sad and depressed as he said that.

"Whoa, so your brother is one of the most powerful men in Cephiro, eh? Then why do you look so depressed?" Lina asked, having the feeling that there was more to this 'Zagato' than Lantis was letting on.

"I don't think that that is any of your business, Miss Inverse." Lantis said, coldly. Before Lina could become angry, Naga returned, with Jeffrey at her heels.

"Well, well, he's awake. I suppose I should go ahead and make those poultices now, while he is." Naga said, sounding (and seeming) very sane at that moment. As Naga prepared the poultices, Lina glared at the stubborn Kailu. What was he hiding that was so painful that he refused to tell them about it?

Later that day, Lantis found himself alone in the room. With immense effort, he sat up and reached into his glove gem. He pulled something that looked like a small glass ball and a miniature brass stand out of it.

"Have to be quick. I don't know where Lina and Naga are, or when they will return." Lantis thought, as he painfully stood and limped to the table, where he set the ball and stand, and stood silently before it, waiting. Within seconds, the crystal emitted blue light, then showed Lantis what he wanted to know.

"So, that is who is after me……..I must go now. Ready or no, I must leave, before I drag Lina and Naga into unnecessary danger." Lantis murmured, as he quickly gathered his belongings, put his armor and cloak back on, then tucked the crystal back into the glove gem. Luckily for him, the windows were large, and he escaped easily through them; unfortunately for him, though, the weakness from having been poisoned still remained and threatened to topple him.

"The one who did this………….is going to pay dearly for using poison against me." Lantis thought, angrily, as he summoned his spirit beast, jumped onto its back, and rode off. Throughout that day and the next, Lantis put as much distance between himself and the town where Jeffrey lived as he could. When he arrived on the outskirts of another town, he hesitated. Did he dare endanger the innocent people here by staying the night in an inn? He doubled over slightly when the constant ache in his side reminded him that he needed to rest sometime. With a sigh, he rode into town, taking care that he didn't arouse unnecessary suspicion while doing so. It was dusk, so there were very few people on the street. But the few that were gave Lantis curious glances as he passed, whispering their opinions among themselves when he was beyond earshot. Finally, he reached the town's inn, dismounted, and called the spirit beast back into his sword's handle. As he turned to enter the establishment, he stifled a gasp when the muscles in his side protested against moving.

"Yes. It is definitely time to stop for the night. I'm in no shape to continue traveling. While the opening in my side may have been sealed to prevent more bleeding and infection, the damage inflicted by the dagger is still healing. I shouldn't have tried this, but Lina's and Naga's lives would have been in danger if I had remained with them." Lantis mused, as he slowly made his way into the inn.

"Well, well! If it isn't the Kailu who left Cephiro under a dark cloud! Good to see you, Lantis!" a sneering voice said, as its owner appeared before him.

"Kokuyo." Lantis growled, blue eyes darkening with anger when he saw that the innkeeper and the staff of the inn had been brutally slaughtered.

"The last time we met was near Cephiro's border. Surely you remember what was said there." Kokuyo said, almost conversationally. Lantis narrowed his eyes.

"Yes. I remember. You called me a traitor and vowed to track me down and kill me. And only me. Why did you break that part of the vow? These people were innocent!" Lantis said, with cold fury in his voice.

"Because I knew it would make you fighting mad. In your heart, you cannot escape the role you played in Cephiro; that part of being a guardian of the peace has been so engraved into your soul." Kokuyo replied, as he stepped over the bodies and stood before Lantis, ebony eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

"Meet me outside of town. Harm no one else on the way. We'll fight on the outskirts." Lantis growled, as he left the inn, his white cloak swirling about his ankles as he went.

"You have my word, Lantis. I will meet you at the appointed place…..and kill no one on the way there." Kokuyo said, in a semblance of honesty.

"I cannot trust your word, Kokuyo. That is why I am leaving one of my spirit beasts to keep an eye on you. I will know if you have killed anyone en route." Lantis said, not even turning around to face the assassin as he walked into the gloom. For a moment, Kokuyo gave the Kailu's back a disdainful glare, then he shrugged. He had what he came for; there was no need for any more bloodshed. With a final snort, he left the inn, flicking the air with one hand as he left. The moment he stepped away from the threshold, the innkeeper and his staff started to get up from the floor, bloodied and bruised, but alive. And none the worse for their experience.

Lina fumed as she, Naga, and Jeffrey followed the trail Lantis had left behind. It had been almost three full days since they had last seen the Kailu, and some concern had convinced them to try and catch up with him.

"Lina-san, what if Lantis is in some kind of trouble? What should we do to help him?" Jeffrey asked, for once asking a sensible question.

"Dunno. It depends on what kind of situation he's gotten himself into. Something tells me that he's got something following him. Something bad from Cephiro. We won't know till we catch up with him and find out……and that is only if he's willing to reveal anything more about his problems." Lina muttered, as they approached the next township.

"Lina! Look!" Naga hissed, as she pointed out a familiar-looking man in black and silver armor.

"Speak of the Mazoku! Lantis!! What the heck is he doin'?!" Lina asked, as the Kailu walked in their direction, forcing the three to take cover in the underbrush that grew alongside the path.

"I don't know, but he looks angry. His eyes have a strange glow in them." Jeffrey whispered, as a shudder traveled down his spine. Lina chanced a look at the Kailu's eyes and also shuddered; his eyes were alight with fury. Something had angered the Kailu to the point that his feelings were being directly reflected in his eyes.

"I had heard that, in Cephiro, the strength of magic is determined by the will of the user. If so, then feelings amplify power. What would anger do for a person whose power rivals that of Cephiro's high priest and Pillar?" Lina wondered, freezing when Lantis paused in a forest clearing and turned his gaze back to the town he'd just left.

"Ah, I see we have some spectators! Are these friends of yours' Lantis?" a male voice said, in a jeering tone, as the owner lifted Lina and Naga by their capes in one hand, and the used the back of Jeffrey's tunic to lift him with the other, showing them to Lantis.

"Leave them be, Kokuyo. Your fight is with me." Lantis snarled, his voice low and dangerous, and his eyes seeming to glow even brighter than before. 'Kokuyo' smirked.

"As you wish." Kokuyo replied, as he deftly tossed the trio back into the bushes.

"You askin' for a fight, asshole?!" Lina asked, furiously, as she fired up one of her sure-kill spells. Kokuyo merely gave her a look of indifference.

"Lina. Stand down. Kokuyo is my problem." Lantis said, then telepathically added, "Go to the town and tell all who live there to evacuate. I don't think I will be able to contain the full extent of Kokuyo's power in the state I am in." Her eyes widening, Lina nodded. She understood all too well what could happen between the two men should the fight become too intense, and remembered that Lantis was still weak from the effects of the poison.

"Naga, Jeffrey, c'mon." Lina whispered, for some reason following Lantis' order and leading the pair away from the clearing. No sooner did they get to the town when a loud explosion rocked the ground beneath their feet.

"Lantis!" Naga yelped, her eyes wide as they all turned to see brilliant light strike the ground, obliterating some of the trees that stood within ten feet of the clearing.

"Come on! We've gotta warn the people here!" Lina shouted, as she led them in a mad dash to the town's center, hoping they could get the people to listen to them when they got there.

Kokuyo sneered when he stood up from Lantis' attack.

"You haven't lost your edge, my friend." Kokuyo said, as he dusted the soot off and prepared to attack.

"Nor have you. No other man could survive that." Lantis growled, as he held his sword at arm's length, ready for anything.

"You flatter me. Though I think Sol Zagato could have…….and would have wiped the face of Cephiro clean with whatever remained of you afterwards." Kokuyo said, with a hint of snap in his words as his cold black eyes glared holes through Lantis.

"I think not. My brother understood my reason for leaving, as did the Princess. But your stubborn refusal to leave me be is as much a sign of your immature heart as any words could prove." Lantis replied, calmly, yet tensing when he sensed that Lina and Naga were returning.

"You're going to pay for those words, Lantis. Starting with those two women you have befriended." Kokuyo threatened, as he prepared to fire off a spell at the pair.

"Lina! Naga! Shield yourselves! Quickly!" Lantis shouted, then cried, "Cresta!" He heard both Naga and Lina yelp when his shield went into place in front of them, and barely had enough time to protect himself when Kokuyo launched a fire arrow at his back.

"Lantis!" Lina shouted, as she and Naga joined him on the battlefield (which was what the forest had been reduced to).

"Irazuma Shuurai!" Lantis cried, as he used all of his strength to summon the lightning and send it crashing into the evil warrior.

"Dragon Slave!!" Lina shouted, joining her magic with Lantis' in an effort to help finish off the other sorcerer.

"We'll meet again, Lantis! Mark my words!" Kokuyo roared, as he disappeared in the midst of the combined spells' explosion.

"The backlash is coming……..Better get Naga and Lina out of here……before it hits." Lantis tiredly thought, as he quickly summoned his spirit beast, mounted, raced back to where the two women stood, grabbed them, then flew off in the direction of the safest place beyond the town; an ancient shrine that had been designed just for that purpose. At first infuriated by Lantis' bold move, Lina soon realized that 'proper chastisement' would have to wait; the Kailu was barely conscious as it was. Blood oozed freely from deep cuts all over his chest and arms, and his face was covered in a thin sheen of sweat; proof that he'd used the last of his endurance to try and eradicate the threat.

"He's just trying to protect us……" Lina thought, as the spirit beast's feet again met the ground and they were released from the tall man's grasp. With little more than a groan, Lantis allowed the spirit beast to disappear from beneath him and he fell towards the stony ground.

"Levitation!" Lina and Naga shouted at the same time, catching the Kailu with their combined spell just before he could hit the ground. As gently as they could, the two women used the spell to place the wounded man on some smoother, more even ground, then got started on treating his injuries.

"Blood…….so much blood….." Naga moaned, almost swooning when she saw the injured man's wounds.

"Naga, don't you dare faint. Fainting will not help Lantis. Ignore the blood just this once and concentrate on healing!" Lina ordered, sternly, knowing only too well that with every drop of blood lost, the Kailu's death loomed closer.

"Hang in there, Lantis. Don't let go of life just yet." Lina thought, as hers' and Naga's healing spells sank into him, and as some of the townsfolk moved closer to see if there was anything they could do to help.

Author's Note!

I realize it has been a LONG time since I last updated this story, but I hope people are still reading it and that this chapter was worth the long wait. I fully intend to update sooner next time!

Gemini14