"*BURP* That was delicious!" Xellos patted his bulging belly and grinned with great contentment at his daughter, who had created the chef’s ancestor.
        She rolled her eyes. "Dad, you’re so rude!"
        He giggled and belched again. Even Beast Master looked happy as she sat against a tree picking food out of her teeth with a dagger. The sun was high in the sky, but there was still no sign of the Sons of Chaos.
        "Wanna bet they got smashed and now they’re sleeping it off?" Urlich muttered with a disgusted snort. This was just so like those boys, but once they did arrive, once they actually got down to business, Url knew they’d have a bitch of a fight on their hands. At least they had a real Dark Lord on their side this time, not just an unusually powerful minion of a Dark Lord, that should make a difference. And now that Zelgadis was back in his body, with all his shamanist magic intact, that was one less thing to worry about. Stone Boy sat with Sylph and the underworlders, polishing off what was left of the carryout, while Lina and Gourry snored nearby. Jaz sat in the shade and stared off across the plain. She was too old for sunlight to really bother her anymore, and anyway that’s how Zhara had designed her. She’d been friendly enough to Zhara when she’d emerged from the catacombs with Zelgadis and the others, cheerfully wondering if Ullan and Zellan were off getting wasted in a pub again, then she’d sat herself down by that tree and hadn’t moved since. Not a good sign.
        Url closed his eyes and listened to the conversations around him: Amelia shyly asking Zelgadis for more tea, and Zel affectionately replying "but of course" as he poured, then they both giggled. Zhara telling their father what a slob he was, and Beast Master telling her she was one to talk the way her boys had turned out. Nik and Lenzer playing cards (Lenzer was winning). Garroll worrying about that bit of hair Xellos had put into the machine before they’d put Zel’s material in.
        "It wasn’t that much," Xellos yawned, "stop worrying. Zelgadis doesn’t seem to mind."
        "Like I can do anything about it now!" Zel retorted sourly. Truth be told, he really didn’t feel very different, not very, that is. What he noticed was some new magical abilities, which were welcome, and darker hair, which he could deal with. Nothing major. Even the new magical ability didn’t feel that much more powerful than what Rezo had given him. All in all, Xellos hadn’t done as much damage as he’d intended, but Zeladis figured they’d know for sure when he cast an attack spell at the Sons of Chaos.
        Xellos giggled. "True, very true. Eh?" The Trickster sat up with a start and cocked his head, listening. "What was that?"
        "What was what?" Several people asked at once.
        BOOM!
        "That!" Xellos exclaimed.
        BOOM!
        Lina and Gourry awoke at the same time and sat up rubbing their eyes. "Did you feel something?" Lina asked Gourry.
        BOOM!
       Zhara stood up and scanned the horizon, shading her eyes with her hand. Urlich rose with her, and soon everyone had gathered around the twins. "They’re coming," Zhara declared in a hollow voice.
        Beast Master snorted: "Well it’s about bloody time!"
        BOOM!
       In the distance, a deep, rumbly male voice sang: "Lock up your daughters and hide your sisters! ‘Cause the Sons of Chaos are coming to town!"
        A similar voice joined in tunelessly: "We’ll rape ‘em and kill ‘em, then burn down your town! We’ll kill you all—"
        "If we don’t get another round!"
        "We’re the Sons of Chaos, of Chaos, it’s true!"
        "So run while you can!"
        "We’re coming for you!"
        Zhara buried her face in her hands and shook her head. "Oh, gods, who told them they could sing?"
        Lina grimaced. "Sounds like they’re making it up as they go along…"
        "Probably," Urlich sighed.
        Gourry scratched his head. "I don’t think they’re sober, you guys."
        "No shit," Sylph said dryly. "But what else is new? They were totally pissed last time we fought them."
        "And got our asses whipped," Xellos finished and earned himself some very unpleasant looks for it.
        Beast Master crowed smugly: "But you didn’t have Zellas Metallium on your side then! I’ll mop up the plain with their sorry hides! I can’t wait!" She cracked her knuckles and grinned wickedly at the approaching silhouettes. Try to kill her servant, would they? Not if Beast Master had anything to say about it!
        Zhara smiled, even though she was starting to feel like she might throw up from all the somersaults her stomach was doing. She took stock of their assets: Six magic-users, including a Dark Lord; three swords, an assortment of knives, a pair of notorious fists, and…her thoughts fell on Jaz and she stopped. The vampire stood beside her and a little behind, next to Urlich and Sylph, and watched her nemeses approach the field of battle. She no longer had magic, just her fangs and vampire’s speed. Zhara wanted to tell her to go back to the catacombs, to leave this battle to those who had the power to fight, but the determined look on her old friend’s face killed the words in her throat. Well, she could die now, as she should have been allowed to do eight hundred years ago. They hadn’t talked about her restored memories since Jaz had emerged from the catacombs a few hours before, had just sort of pretended nothing was different. If they survived this fight, she and Jaz would have to have a very long, very overdue talk. It was about time she said she was sorry, even if there was nothing else she could do, no way she could reverse what she’d done.
        BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
       The Sons of Chaos shook the earth with every giant footfall. They were halfway between man and dragon, their most intimidating (and ugly, even their mother had to admit) form, the one they always pulled out when they went into battle. Four and a half meters tall, almost two at the shoulders, enormous curling dragon’s horns on their heads, claws that seemed to be made of iron on each hand, fangs as long as a man’s forearm, and long, flowing black hair. They wore armor made from dragon scales, shining blacker than night in the noonday sun. No ornamentation, just jet black. Each bore a mighty sword on his hip with a hilt of black iron, each sword was more than two meters long.
        They’d be a lot more terrifying if they’d just stop singing that stupid song! Zhara frowned as the brothers came nearer, arm in arm, singing at the top of their lungs about all the nasty things they were going to do to whoever refused to give them every drop of alcohol in the town (and their female relatives—especially their female relatives). "I’m so embarrassed…"
        At last the boys arrived with a triumphant crescendo about raping and sacking, one arm about each other’s waist, the other raised dramatically to the heavens. Their voices shook the ground, throwing down their opponents, even Beast Master, who landed on her Dark Lord butt with a very un-ladylike curse. Lina landed on Gourry, who landed on Zelgadis, who got his hand smooshed when Princess Amelia landed on it with a yelp. Nik poked himself with the knife he’d drawn in preparation for battle when Lenzer landed on him. Garroll was growling something about his wardrobe. Sylph and Jaz clung to Urlich, who hung on Zhara.
        Finally, the Sons of Chaos finished congratulating each other and surveyed The Enemy Forces. Zellan burped and excused himself, sending his brother into a fit of loud, earth-shaking chortles which jumbled up his foes like popcorn in a pan. Then Zellan joined in, forcing everyone else to cover their ears, lest they go permanently deaf.
        "Oy! Mum!" Ullan declared with a toothy grin, "we’re home!"
        "Did’ja miss us? BWA-HA-HAA!"
        Zhara started to say something really snotty, but just then Ullan bellowed: "Ready to die this time, Mum?!" He drew his sword, swung it around his head a few times, then brought it down with a loud battle cry.
        Everybody screamed at scattered. Ullan’s blade buried itself up to the hilt in the dirt, the impact causing another minor earthquake and knocking everybody off their feet again. "BWA-HA-HAA! Wooo-hooo! Are ya ready to RUMBLE?!"
        "Yeee-haaaa!" Zellan joined the fight with gusto, pulling a giant war hammer out of the back of his belt and twirling it around his head until he chose his target and brought the ox-sized thing down with a roar.
        Urlich only just barely rolled out of the way in time. The hammer came down, leaving behind a meter deep crater where he’d been. Url came up with a knife in his hand, took aim at Zellan’s eye and let it go. His nephew dodged it with very little effort and raised the hammer over his head once more. "That wasn’t nice, Uncle Urlich!" BOOM!
        "Eek!" Urlich jumped out of the way again.
        "Hey, you!" Lina called to the boys, who stopped everything at the sound of an unfamiliar female voice and gave her their undivided attention. She held her hands before her and started to chant the Dragon Slave, only to be interrupted by a rather unexpected comment from Ullan.
        "Oy, Zel! Lookit ‘er! She’s…BEAUTIFUL!"
        "Eh?" Lina raised an eyebrow, the spell petering out in her hands. Oh sure, handsome princes couldn’t find her beautiful, oh no, she got big, ugly relatives of Shabranigdo! "Hey! Wait—what’re you—Gourry, help me! Yeek!"
        Ullan scooped her up in his hand, wrapping his fingers around his struggling prize so she couldn’t escape and pinning her arms so she couldn’t cast a spell at him. He held her in his brother’s face: "Lookit what I got, Zel! Ain’t she a beauty?" His breath was like a hurricane and smelled worse than a garbage dump. Lina almost puked on his hand.
        "Put her down!" Gourry shouted. "Light come forth!" The Sword of Light ignited, catching Zellan’s enraptured attention. Next thing Gourry knew, he and his weapon were scooped up by Zellan and held before the giant’s eyes for inspection.
        "Ooh, neato!" He said of the Sword of Light, which he plucked from Gourry’s hands using thumb and forefinger—and didn’t get burned, much to Gourry’s surprise. "Look what I got, Ullan! Isn’t it cool?"
        Ullan wasn’t impressed. He held up Lina. "Mine’s cooler! That’s just a dumb magic sword! You can get those anywhere!"
        "Hey!" Gourry protested. "It’s not just any sword, it’s the—"
        "Dumb magic sword!" Lina interrupted with a meaningful glare at Gourry. "Ha-ha! That’s right! Just a cheap toy! Certainly not good enough for one of the mighty Sons of Chaos! Ha-ha—OOF! That hurts!"
        "Sorry, Miss." Ullan loosened his grip, though Lina still feared he’d broken a few of her ribs.
        Zellan threw the Sword of Light overboard and checked out Gourry instead. "You’re a cute girl!" He said with a lusty waggle of his bushy, black eyebrows, then held him up at his brother. "Mine’s cuter than yours!"
        "I’m a guy, you moron!" Gourry shrieked. "Look at me!"
        "No you’re not."
        "Am too!"
        "Nice try," Zellan sniffed, "but you can’t hide what you are—"
        Gourry turned red with rage and shouted: "Ok! Ok! You’re so sure I’m a girl? Pull my pants down! Go on! Girls don’t have what I have down there! Go on! Pull down my pants!"
        "Uh, Gourry…"
        Too late. Zellan took him up on the challenge and pulled off Gourry’s pants, letting them flutter down where they landed on Amelia’s head and were shortly followed by Gourry’s under shorts, leaving the Swordsman of Light’s…er, little Sword of Light, flapping in the breeze for all to see. With a yelp of disgust, Zellan dropped Gourry like a burning coal. Since Princess Amelia was still busy struggling with Gourry’s pants, it fell to Zelgadis to catch the big swordsman in a Raywing and lower him to safety, where he sat on the ground and covered himself until Amelia threw his pants at him.
        "That’s not nice, making me think you’re a girl!" Zellan bellowed indignantly, conveniently forgetting that Gourry had been declaring his manhood all along. Zellan waved his hammer in the air and brought it down, only just missing Gourry who tripped over his pants several times but still managed to get out of the line of fire.
        Meanwhile, back in Ullan’s fist, Lina was struggling desperately to free herself and getting absolutely nowhere. "Let me go, you brute!"
        "’Brute’?" Ullan repeated. "You think…I’m a…brute?" His eyes watered up, and his lower lip started to quiver. "A—a brute?" Tears fell from his eyes, down his cheek, off his chin and onto Lina’s head. Soon she was soaked to the skin, and Ullan was wailing his grief to the world. "You think I’m ugly! All the girls think I’m ugly! They all like Zellan better than me! WAAAA!"
        "Aw, Ullan," Lina sputtered through his tears. She felt like she was in the middle of typhoon. "You’re not ugly, I just meant you’re acting like a brute, squeezing a girl hard like that and hurting her! You should be gentle with girls!"
        He sniffled and wiped his eyes with his free hand. "You don’t think I’m ugly, Miss?"
        She did, but hell if she was telling him that. Maybe if she was nice to him, got on his good side even, she could talk them both out of killing them all. "No! You’re cute! I really like your horns, especially," she said with a shy blush. "I’ve always been a sucker for big horns."
        On the ground, Zelgadis and Nik had to sit on Gourry to keep him still.
        Ullan blushed profusely and ducked his head. "Aw, you’re just saying that!"
        Lina did her best to look shocked. "I am not! Are you calling me a liar, Ullan?"
        "Huh? No! No! I’d never call a lady a liar! Never! I just," he hesitated and looked away again, biting his lip in a way that would’ve been charming coming from just about anyone else, but just looked silly when he did it, "well, I’m not used to girls likin’ me, that’s all."
        "I like you, Ullan," Lina smiled and batted her eyes winningly, "and I’m a girl."
        Zellan frowned at his brother. "I can’t believe you’re falling for that, you big sucker!"
        "Shut up!" Ullan slugged him.
        Zellan lost his balance, waved his arms around drunkenly, then started to go down. The defenders screamed and got out of the way, Zelgadis and Nik all but carrying Gourry, who had his shorts on but still had his pants around his ankles.
        "I finally find a girl who likes me, and you’re trying to ruin it!" Ullan shouted, causing another earthquake. If he’d been facing her way, Lina was sure she’d be stone deaf. "How dare you question—er, what was your name, Miss?"
        "Lina."
        "How dare you question Lina’s honor—hang on!" He narrowed his eyes at Lina. "Not Lina Inverse?"
        "Uh…"
        "The mighty sorceress Lina Inverse?!" Ullan blathered on excitedly, then started hopping up and down with glee, making everybody on the ground (except his brother) do that popcorn thing again. "I can’t believe it! Lina Inverse—THE Lina Inverse—thinks I’m cute! This is so cool! Wow!" He stopped hopping about and beamed at his captive. "Ya wanna go on a date, Miss Inverse?" He asked her eagerly, then blushed. "I hope you don’t think I’m too forward, or anything, but I really think you’re pretty…"
        Zellan propped himself up on one elbow, drummed his fingers in the dirt and mocked his little brother: "’I hope you don’t think I’m too forward, or anything’. BWA-HA-HA! By the gods, Ullan, you’re such an ass!"
        "Hey!" Lina screamed down at him. "Don’t you call Ullan an ass! He’s being nice!"
        "Yeah!" Ullan added smugly, then blushed at Lina again.
        She said, making her best cute-as-a-button face: "I don’t think you’re being forward at all! I’d like to go on a date with you, Ullan. I could go put on something really pretty, and we could have dinner! How does that sound?"
        Judging by the expression on Ullan’s face, that sounded about as cool as his life could get. "Um, sure! Great! Uh…hang on a sec, this isn’t my dating form." He put Lina down and closed his eyes. In a moment, Lina found herself facing a man who was about Gourry’s height, only with long dark hair and dark eyes and a perfectly dazzling smile. He blushed again. Lina blinked, gulped, then took his offered hand.
        "Wow!" She thought in utter shock. "He’s gorgeous!"
        Zellan rolled his eyes, but kept his intimidating form. "Geez, I don’t believe him. What’s L-Sama gonna say, bro’? She’s payin’ us to snuff Grandad, remember?"
        Ullan waved a dismissing hand at his brother. "You do it. I got a date! C’mon, Lina, you don’t have to change clothes. I think you look great in this!" He offered her his arm, which she took, and they left the battlefield, headed for Marrigan. "You’re even prettier than I heard you were, you know that?"
        "Really? You heard I was pretty?"
        "Uh-huh!"
        Gourry kicked and thrashed, but Zelgadis was heavy and Amelia had her hands clamped over his mouth, so he couldn’t scream at Lina or anything. That fickle little—ooh! How dare she? What was he? Chopped liver? And to think he actually gave up his virginity to that girl! Didn’t that mean anything to her? Ah! How could he even have considered asking her to marry him? What was he thinking?! It never occurred to him that this was all a clever plot on Lina’s part to make the odds better for her friends.
        Or maybe not…
        "What kind of food do you like, Lina?"
        Giggle. "Oh, I like all kinds. You pick, Ullan!"
        Thrash-thrash! "Mrf! Mrf!"
        Zellan continued to drum his fingers, thinking. His gaze roved over his enemies: His mom, his uncle, his uncle’s fox-lover, three piddly Marrigans, Beast Master—eh? "Zellas Metallium? Is that you? No way!"
        She growled. "I can’t believe I got dolled up for this! Yes it’s me, you moron! And what’s this about the Lord of Nightmares paying you to kill my favorite servant?!"
        Zellan choked and hastened to explain. "W-w-well, My Lady, she, um, didn’t actually say! The thing with Mum and Uncle Urlich and them is personal. I dunno about these other people, though. I guess they can leave."
        Zhara smacked her forehead. "You twit! They’re my allies!"
        "I know that! I was just saying I don’t have anything against them, so they can leave if they want!" Zellan snarled back. "Geez, Mum, you never talk nice to us, do you? It’s like we’re not your kids, or something! Just ‘cuz you didn’t wanna have us is no excuse to—"
        "WHAT?!" Zhara stomped over and kicked him in the knuckles. "Where do you get that?"
        He pointed at Jaz, then made a puzzled face. "Is that Jessica? She looks kinda pale."
        "Yeah, yeah, it’s her," Zhara waved his question aside, since she still wasn’t ready to deal with the issue herself, "make your point."
        "Well," Zellan sat up and tucked his legs under him, "you guys were kind of lovers, right? So, two chicks in love don’t want kids do th—"
        "WE WERE NOT LOVERS!" Zhara kicked him in the kneecap this time, which had no more effect than when she’d kicked his fingers. "Yes, she loved me and I loved her, but we weren’t sleeping together or anything! I like men! Anyway, just because it’s two women, doesn’t mean they don’t want children, it just means they have to find some other way to have them! I don’t know where you get your goofy ideas, sometimes!" She stomped her foot and jabbed a finger at his face. "And furthermore, yes I did want you and Ullan! I wanted you very much and was thrilled to death when you were born because I loved your father more than I loved anybody outside my family! So I don’t ever want to hear you say your mamma didn’t want you! Ok?!"
        Zellan chewed his lip and rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment. "Well, um, then why did you try to kill us back then?"
        Zhara’s eyes bugged. "Us try to kill you? Why did you try to kill us?"
        "Huh? But—Zeris challenged us! We were just fighting him, and you guys all showed up!" Zellan protested, looking from his mother to the other players in the old battle.
        Zhara crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. "That’s why Xellos was helping you, I suppose."
        Xellos started to argue, but Zellan’s voice was louder. "He was just there to make sure it was a fair fight—you know, a referee. Then you showed up and started fighting him, so he had to fight back. Geez, mum, when’d you get so dense?"
        "Dense?" Zhara sputtered. "Excuse me, did you just call your mother dense, young man?"
        Zellan ducked his head again and looked to Xellos for support. "Well, yeah, I guess, but, um, so were we—a little, um, ‘cause *cough* L-Sama told us we were supposed to be killing Xellos, see? Only, she tricked him and made him think he was supposed to kill us, only he couldn’t, see, ‘cause we’re really powerful, right? Um…and…well, she didn’t tell us that’s what she wanted, and…"
        "Yeah, we know that part," Zhara snapped. "So how come you’re fighting us now? I mean, all of us, not just Xellos? Save it, Zellas!"
        "Urk!" Beast Master gagged on her outrage, but held her tongue when Xellos motioned for her to let Zhara continue to interrogate her son.
        Zellan shrugged. "I dunno why she wants Granddad dead, but she’s the Lord of Nightmares…and she pays real good! Bwa-ha—er, uh, *ahem*. Anyway, we don’t wanna do it, but, hell, who says ‘no’ to L-Sama, right?"
        He had a point. "Didn’t tell you why she wants him dead, eh?"
        Zellan shook his head, no.
        "Did you ask her?"
        Vigorous nod. "I even bought her a drink, but she wasn’t talkin’."
        Behind Zhara, Lenzer cleared his throat. "Excuse me? Um, are we gonna fight anytime soon, ‘cause if we’re not, I sort of promised the wife I’d be home for dinner, and she can be a real bitch when I’m late. You know how it is."
        Everybody’s eyes bugged. Nik started to remind him that he didn’t have a wife, then caught on to the trick and chimed in. "Yeah, me, too. It’s our anniversary," he shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "I kinda promised to take her someplace special."
        Zellan smiled and waved cheerfully. "Guess that’s it for you two, then! Go on, I got no quarrel with you. Congratulations, uh—"
        "Nik,"
        "Nik. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do! BWA-HA-HA!" He looked at Garroll, who was scrambling for an excuse, and asked. "What  about you, pretty boy? What’ve you got planned for tonight?"
        Garroll raised an elegant eyebrow. "Why do you ask? Looking for a date?"
        Zellan turned green, then blushed and looked away. "Uh, no, uh, I’m not that kind of a guy! Really!"
        Nik clapped a hand onto Garroll’s shoulder. "C’mon, Garroll, let’s go. I don’t think they’re fightin’ tonight."
        "Well, we might!" Zellan protested, but his voice didn’t hold all that much conviction. As he turned to Xellos, his shoulders sagged.  "I don’t wanna kill you, Granddad. I don’t wanna kill any of you, really." He twiddled his fingers in his lap and stared at the ground between his legs. "I thought I’d be all spoilin’ for revenge when we got out, but—"he looked up at Zhara with a smile and tears in his eyes, "—I missed my mum!" He sniffled and wiped away a tear. "Oh, shit, I can’t believe I’m bawlin’ like a girl, or sumfin’! *sniffle* L-Sama’s gonna kill us!"
        "Oh, Zel," Zhara melted. She patted her son’s giant knee comfortingly until he at last shed his scary form and a young man who looked very much like her threw his arms around her and sobbed.
        "This is so touching!" Amelia sniffed, then started weeping in earnest, wiping her face on the sleeve of Urlich’s borrowed tunic. Zelgadis hugged her, getting a little misty, himself. Even Gourry forgot about Lina and declared the whole scene incredibly touching and burst into tears. Soon everybody but Xellos, Beast Master and Jaz was sniffling and sobbing and assuring Zellan that they weren’t mad at him, if he wasn’t mad at them anymore.
        Jaz stood apart from the group, not feeling in the least bit touched by the warm and fuzzy scene before her. After all she’d sacrificed and what Zhara had done to her—and it was all just some big misunderstanding? Some overblown plot of L-Sama’s to eliminate Xellos for reasons known only to her? "I was one of the oldest beings in the world," she seethed, clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides, "my power rivaled Seified’s! I gave all of my power and life to save Zhara from her stupid bastards, and it was for nothing? She made me a damned vampire! And it was for nothing?" She looked up at the sun, cursing it for not reducing her to dust as it did most other vampires and knowing that, too, was Zhara’s doing. "I loved you, you ungrateful lizard! How could you do this to me?"
        No one noticed when she turned her back on Marrigan and walked away from the big family reunion. She had no idea where she would go now: Marrigan had nothing she wanted (not even Urlich anymore), and she couldn’t go back to her own people like this, could she? Finally Sylph noticed her sister was missing and called after her, but Jaz ignored her until Sylph caught her up and pulled her around by the arm. Jaz had a mean comment all ready, one guaranteed to make her little sister let her go, but the tears in Sylph’s eyes stopped her.
        "Please don’t go," she begged in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "She still loves you. She just…she couldn’t lose you…only she regrets doing this to you now, but she can’t change it. Please, Jessica? Please talk to her!"
        Jaz looked away. "Jessica is dead. There’s only Jaz, now. I don’t want to ever hear that name again."
        A tear slid down Sylph’s cheek, but her sister didn’t see it and roughly pulled her arm from Sylph’s grasp. "I have a lot of thinking to do," Jaz said in a tight voice. "When I’m ready to talk, I’ll talk. Now let me go."
        "But," Sylph stammered, "what about Urlich?"
        She shrugged and kept on walking. "What about him? He only felt sorry for me—"
        "He loves you!"
        Another shrug. "I need to think about him, too. Don’t let anybody follow me, sister. I mean it. For once, respect my wishes."
        That hurt. Sylph sagged to the ground and sobbed into her hands. When Urlich tried to run past her after Jaz, Sylph caught his ankle with her hand and stopped him. "Let her go, Url."
        "No!"
        Sylph pulled his foot out from under him, and he fell on his butt next to her. "She wants us to for once respect her wishes. Let her go." She looked at him through her tears and added: "If you ever want to see her again, Urlich, let her go now."
        Url started to protest, even got as far as tugging his ankle out of her hand, but that was as far as he got before giving up and starting to cry. Through his tears, he watched Jaz go until at last he couldn’t see her anymore, then he lay his head on Sylph’s shoulder and closed his eyes. After a few minutes, a hand on his shoulder brought him about, wiping his face, expecting to see Zhara, but much to his surprise it was Zelgadis. The others stood behind him, including Zhara and Zellan.
        "I’m sure she’ll be back," Zelgadis said quietly.
        Urlich wanted to jerk away from the chimera’s touch, but didn’t. The man was trying to be nice, and anyway, Url didn’t have the energy left to fight him, so he just nodded and looked away.
        "Let’s go home, Url," Zhara whispered as she took him by the arm and helped him to his feet. She was crying, too. "L-Sama’s not going to be happy. We have to try and plan for whatever she decides to do now."
        He nodded and allowed himself to be led back to Marrigan.