"Man!! Why do I always get the trolls?" Zelgadis heard Lina complain
before she blasted a group of the aforementioned troll into dust.
Zelgadis drew his sword and cut a troll that had come too near in half.
"Evil doing trolls, in the name of justice I will punish you!" Zelgadis
sighted inwardly, did she always had to do that?
Zelgadis threw a flare arrow at another troll, neither he nor Lina
and Amelia dared to use any more powerful spells, they might kill what
was left of the towns population. Not that some of Amelia's philosophy
had been passed to them but unlike others they had some common sense.
"HELP!" he heard a woman's dispirited cry.
So there were some survivors after all. He hurried in the direction
of the cry.
"Ahh!!"
It came from inside a house, if it could still be called a house, one
of the walls was almost completely missing and the roof had collapsed.
Zelgadis approached the ruins. A troll was inside., He slayed the troll
on reflex, then he saw what the troll had been about to attack. A woman
lied there the roof had collapsed on her. Zelgadis removed the beam from
on top of her. She was severely injured and now he could see that she was
holding a baby protectively in her arms.
"Help her..." the woman coughed.
Zelgadis was about to cast some healing magic on her when she grabbed
his wrist.
"Too late for me, save my baby, promise to protect her..."
Zelgadis didn't answer, he just looked at the woman and saw the hope
and pain in her eyes. It crossed his mind that the woman didn't mind trusting
him, a stranger, a chimera with her child's life. She is brave, let her
die in piece...
"I promise." he said at last.
The woman sighted and released his arms, she pushed the baby with last
efforts towards Zelgadis. It wasn't crying, but it was about to start.
So he put fast a sleeping spell on it. When he returned his attention to
the woman, he saw that she was already dead. He took a blue pendant from
woman's neck. It would be good to give the child something that belonged
to it's mother. Zelgadis touched the brooch on his neck. It had belonged
to his mother and it had helped him keep hope even in his darkest days.
He exited the house and threw a fireball at it, he watched the burning
flames for a few moments before he turned around and walked away.
The others had watched him as he had set the house on fire.
"Mr. Zelgadis, why... why did you burn the house?" asked A very confused
Amelia as she reached him.
Zelgadis didn't answer.
Lina was the first to noticed that he was holding something in his
arms.
"What did you find? A treasure? Food? Let me see!" she said as she
reached with her hands for the thing he was holding.
Lina removed the blanket and stood still for some moments watching
the baby sleep.
"A baby?!" she finally managed to say and looked for an answer at Zelgadis.
"A baby?" Amelia came closer, "Oh, how cute." she said brightly.
"Zelgadis?" asked Lina still confused, "What happened?"
"The mother died and made me promise to take care of the child." said
Zelgadis grimly, the implications of his promise were just sinking in.
"How noble of you Mr. Zelgadis, you're finally accepting the code of
justice..." A glare from Zelgadis silenced Amelia.
Lina examined the child, "Why isn't it awake?"
"I put a sleeping spell on it." answered the chimera.
"It's a boy or a girl?" asked Gourry, wondering what all the fuss was
about, after all it was just a baby.
Zelgadis threw back the blanked and saw that the baby was wearing a
little blue dress.
"It's a girl." he said plainly.
"What's her name?" asked Amelia.
"I don't know..." said Zel realizing he hadn't asked the mother the
baby's name.
"We have to call her something..." said Lina.
All looked expectantly at Zelgadis.
"I... well... äh... Dana, we'll call her Dana." he said
at last.
"It's a nice name, it means 'treasure saved from peril', you choose
your names well." commented Lina, wondering since when Zelgadis had become
so sensitive.
The baby had fiery red hair like Lina and looked about 8 month of age.
Zelgadis looked at the sorceress, "Would you hold her?"
Lina backed away, hands outstretched in front of her as if to protect
herself from an attack, "Me and babies? Are you nuts? I have no idea about
what to do with them."
Zelgadis turned to Amelia.
"She's your responsibility Mr. Zelgadis, it would not be righteous
for me to hold her now, she looked so peaceful in your arms, it's better
for her to get used to being with you."
Zelgadis sighted, he didn't even dare to ask Gourry. He looked around
in the hope that there might be somebody he could leave the girl with,
but there was none, just a graveyard that used to be a village.
They started walking, Zelgadis carried Dana with one hand, she was
no discomfort at all she weighted almost nothing, but what should he do
with her now? He had no idea how to take care of a child less a baby. He
sighted. What did he got himself into again?....