Children.  The sparkling gem of a parent's eye, they are the key to the
future.  In them one can rediscover the long-forgotten dreams and hopes 
for a better tomorrow.  Ask even the most harried mother if she'd have 
things any other way, and more likely than not, you'll end up with 
righteous indignation and surprise that someone could even think the 
answer could be anything other than an emphatic "Never!"  After all, 
children are often regarded as the most precious treasures in the world.

Getehl was, quite simply, finding this _very_ hard to believe.

An evening of demands for attention and gifts and pampering had taken its 
toll on his reserves; her seemingly infinite energy had challenged the 
mercenary's characteristic infinite patience to a duel, and won.  

Both Naga and Mari had already fled from Actinaea.  Naga was downstairs,
probably happily getting drunk, Getehl supposed.  He'd seen her eying a
particular bottle of wine earlier that day, during lunch.  Mariposa was
very busily pretending to be asleep.  She had her back to them, but more
than once Getehl had heard a soft snicker coming from her direction.

"I wanna bedtime story!"

Getehl's attention returned to the now-six-year-old before him.  She had 
claimed the largest bed in the room, and now had the covers clutched
possessively over her.  Actinaea looked up at him with wide eyes, the
fatigue of a very busy day starting to finally register with her.  

"Are you gonna tell me a story, or not?" she demanded again, punctuating her
query with a tiny yawn. 

Getehl shrugged and pulled a chair up alongside the bed.  Settling in, he
began telling her the tale of a thief and a magician-in-training, and of 
their adventures as they saved their friend Quinton from the Queen of 
Halves.

"This is a really dumb story," she told him sleepily, interrupting him in
mid-story.  Her eyes were struggling to stay open. 

"Well, you'll just have to read the original when you grow up, then," he 
told her.  "Now go to sleep, Actinaea."

"That's... Ace..." she mumbled as she faded in and out of wakefulness.
"Gimme a g'night kiss?" she suddenly demanded.

Getehl blushed at her request.  He nervously looked around to make sure
Mari was actually asleep, and that Naga hadn't snuck into the room while he
wasn't watching.  Satisfied, he quickly bent over and gave Actinaea a quick
peck on the cheek.  She smiled widely as her eyes clamped shut and sleep
finally claimed her.

Standing up to his full height, he looked down at the little girl, a light
smile finding its way to his lips.  When she wasn't running around and
causing a general havoc, she really was a rather sweet thing.

Getehl found himself yawning.  He blinked in surprise; looking after 
Actinaea had taken more out of him than he had thought.  He yawned again,
and slumped his shoulders in defeat.  Sharpening his sword would have to
wait until tomorrow; his strength had managed to last only just longer than
Actinaea's had, it seemed.

Shuffling over to the cot that had been set aside for him -- no sleeping in
the hallway for him tonight -- he tiredly unbuttoned his tunic and crawled
under the ratty blanket that he'd been provided with.

- = - 

Pleasantly numbed by the quantities of the rare wine that had chased its 
way down her throat, Naga blithely glided up the stairs of the inn they
were staying in.  Actinaea was probably soundly asleep now, she figured,
which to her was a good thing.  She was definitely more entertaining now,
but Naga really preferred the older Actinaea to her age-reverted form.  
Less chance of spontaneous sugar overdose, she supposed.

Stopping in front of the door to their room, Naga first looked down, to
make sure Getehl hadn't decided to sleep out in the hallway.  Of course, 
in her mind she was checking to make sure she wasn't about to trip over 
him again.  Satisfied the brown-haired swordsman wasn't playing chivalrous
this evening (he was probably too tired), she pushed open the door and 
stepped inside.

Through blurry eyes she blinked at the sight before her.  Naga rubbed her
eyes and blinked again.

"She said she couldn't sleep," Getehl muttered before Naga could ask, make
a snide remark, or worst of all, laugh.  His face was red with
embarrassment.

He was lying in the large bed, the one usually claimed by Naga and
Actinaea.  Normally, this would have incited the sorceress to great 
violence, but tonight she was mellowed by wine and wearied by fatigue.

And besides, the sight of Actinaea snuggled up with Getehl in bed was 
entirely too precious.

"Don't say a word." 

Naga chuckled lightly, a genuinely warm smile on her face.  She slipped
behind the screen and changed before sitting on the cot.  "Good night,
Getehl.  Pleasant dreams."  

- = - 

The Captain sat on his bunk, unmoving.  Quietly seething, he was running
through lists of appropriate punishments with which to exact his vengeance
upon the White Serpent.

"No, that would be too good for her," he mumbled half-audibly.

The night-shift guardsman knocked his cane against the bars of the
Captain's cell.  "Hey now, keep it quiet.  You're supposed to be sleeping,
you know."

"Silence!  This is all the fault of the WHITE SERPENT!" the Captain
shrieked.  He looked from side to side, then gestured to the guard.

Smirking in amusement, the guard stepped forward, eager to hear what this
crackpot had to offer.  The crazy ones always were good for some
entertainment.  "Oh really?  Tell me about this White Serpent..."  

He almost immediately regretted his decision, as the crazy old man started
into an endless incoherent rant about the evils of the previously-mentioned 
snake.  He was just beginning to tone out the loony's diatribe when his
ears picked out the important phrase "I'll pay in gold coin."

The guard turned to the old Captain.  "What did you say?"

"Let me out!  I have a cache of money... I can pay you handsomely," the 
Captain offered.  "Just let me out and get me my magic wand!"

The guard furrowed his brow in contemplation.  He didn't remember anything
about a 'magic wand'.  "Hold on a sec," he told the old Captain before
stepping into the guards' office to check the safe.  After a few moments, 
he returned with the wand.  Turning it over in his hands, he inspected it.  
"So what's this supposed to do?" he asked.

"It's Magic!" the old Captain hissed.  "It's the tool for getting revenge on
that accursed White Serpent!"

The guard continued to look over the rod.  Aside from the crystal at the
end, there really was nothing special about.  It was probably some prop the
old geezer had picked up somewhere.

"Be careful not to--" the Captain hissed, stopping in midsentence as the
guard fumbled the wand and dropped it to the floor.

"Ooops."

"What did you do?" the Captain demanded, trying to see in the dim light.
He could make out the shape of the wand, but the crystal at the end had
shattered into three pieces.  "You fool!  Do you know what will happen 
now?"  

The guard looked up at him with fear in his eyes.  "No, what?  Tell me!"

"I have no idea."

The guard facefaulted.

- = - 

Improfanfic presents... 

                           Slayers Glorious!
   Chapter 15: Confusion!  Will the Real Imposter Please Stand Up?
                           By Ravi Duvvuri
                        Started by Todd Harper

- = -

Morning arrived, and with it all the indications that it had.  The sun was
beginning to peek over the horizon, leading the various roosters of the city
to sing their daily song, which in turn roused the inhabitants of the city
fortunate enough to own their own rooster, as well as those unfortunate
enough to live next door to those who did.  These city dwellers made
themselves busy, either setting up shop in the market, or rushing to the
market to get the jump on those too sleepy to get up earlier than they.

Getehl was concerned with none of these things, of course.  He was instead
basking in the luxury of sleeping in an honest-to-goodness bed, something
quite rare for the mercenary.  He was lucky if he got a cot, seeing as how
he had spent the early portion of their journey either on the ground
outdoors or on the floor in the hallway outside the girls' hotel room.

No, he was quite happy to just lie back and relax, half-humming to himself 
in contented bliss as the first hints of the warm sun began to sneak across
his face.  Yes, this was the way to spend a morning:  enjoying the fluffy 
pillow beneath his head, the soft mattress under his back, the warm blanket
wrapped around his torso, the delicate hand stroking his chest...

Getehl froze in panic at that last revelation.  Struggling not to move any
more than he absolutely had to, he cracked open a single eye and looked
down, almost leaping out of bed at the sight before him.

Actinaea was in bed with him.  This was not a surprise, as he had been
cajoled into sleeping with her the previous night.  What was a surprise,
however, was the fact that the six-year-old body she'd been occupying last
night had been replaced... with a somewhat more mature teenaged frame.

Nervously, Getehl lifted his head up as much as he could to glance over at
the other two members of their party.  Both Naga and Mariposa were still
sound asleep, something that did not surprise Getehl in the slightest.  He
returned his attention to Actinaea.

The girl -- she was probably thirteen or fourteen now, he guessed -- was
still asleep, as well, but she was moving slightly, cuddled alongside
Getehl.  Her lips her mumbling softly, and with her left hand she was
absently tracing patterns across his thin undershirt.

Closing his eyes, Getehl prayed to whatever Gods there might be that they
would have mercy on him, and make her roll over and stop before she woke
up.  Or perhaps have her realize what had happened and just laugh it off.
Or, if they were feeling generous, they could just strike him dead where he
stood.

Ceipheed was not feeling generous.

- = - 

Feyik stumbled wearily toward the inn on Fishmarket Street, dragging one
leg lamely behind the other.  He was exhausted, hungry, thirsty, and
downright cranky, and as if that weren't enough, there had been a note
waiting for him when he had finally made it home just a short half-hour
earlier.  

His initial reaction involved a rather creative curse involving the mayor's
dead great-aunt, seven barnyard animals, and a length of Kalmaartian silk.
His second was less severe, and reduced the number of farm animals to
three.

It was then that his eyes fell upon the all-important phrase:  "Payment in
gold coin."  Actual gold being as rare as it was on the edge of the desert,
it was enough to get him to reconsider.  And so it was thus that he found
himself standing in front of the inn.

The note had stated that four travelers were looking for a guide into the
heart of the great desert.  While this was probably another group of
ruin explorers out searching for some lost treasure or another, if they did
in fact have the cash up front, there was certainly no problem with showing
them the way.  For a cut of the profits, of course.

He scratched his head.

Feyik's stomach grumbled loudly.  The smell of fresh bacon wafted out
through the windows of the inn, reminding him that he hadn't eaten a real
meal in well over a week, and not at all in the last day.  He dug around in
his purse, pulling out a few copper coins.  Smiling, he was about to step
inside when he heard a blood-curdling scream from above.

- = - 

Naga was awakened by the sound of a scream coming from behind her. Her eyes 
snapped open sluggishly, the drink of the previous night still tugging at 
her eyelids.  The voice registered in her mind as that of Actinaea, and
Naga sighed inwardly.  She pulled her blanket back up, trying to ignore the
yells.  She was probably throwing another tantrum of some sort.  Naga was
beginning to remember why she hated little kids.

Except that wasn't Actinaea's childhood voice, Naga suddenly realized.
Rolling over, she sprung out of bed.  Her eyes flew immediately to the bed
where the Praetor and Getehl had been sleeping, where she found something
that she expected, as well as something that she did not.

Getehl and Actinaea were still in the bed, which is what Naga had expected.
What she hadn't expected was to see Actinaea, now an adolescent.  She was
backed up against the wall and shuddering lightly, the blanket pulled around 
her.  Her eyes were fixed on Getehl, filled with fear.  For his part, 
Getehl was paralyzed, not moving from where he had been all night.  

"Pervert!" Actinaea spat angrily, glaring at Getehl.  The mercenary shrank
back from her, falling out of the bed with a loud crash.

He hopped up to his feet.  "Um, Ace?" he began, holding his hands out in a
calming gesture.  "This is all--"

"Don't call me that!" she interrupted, fire burning in her gray eyes.

"Ano..." Mari spoke up, only to have three sets of eyes turn to lock on 
her.  Tugging at the collar of her nightgown, she shifted her weight 
uneasily from one leg to the other.  "What's... going on?"

"Pervert!" Actinaea shouted again, returning her gaze to Getehl.  "This
lecher was feeling me up in my sleep!"  She clutched the blanket around her
even tighter.

Getehl scratched the back of his head.  "Actually, Actinaea-san, you were
sorta the one feeling me up..."  He decided to stop that line of reply when
he saw her raise her hands in front of her.

"Mono.  Volt."

Naga was finding the whole situation rather funny, probably an aftereffect
of the previous evening's libations.  She stepped over the slightly-smoking
figure of Getehl and sat on the bed next to Actinaea.  "Now, Acti-chan, you
do remember yesterday don't you?"

Actinaea looked at Naga with a gaze dripping with the dual sentiments of
"Grownups just don't understand" and "Don't condescend me, man.  I'll have
you fed to my pet goldfish."  Naga sighed again.  If Actinaea had been bad 
as a kid, how would she be as an angsty teenager?

To her surprise, Actinaea nodded slowly.  "Yeah, I remember."  She slid out
of the bed.  "I'm... sorry," she said as she knelt by Getehl's side.
"Please forgive me?"

Getehl smiled widely and sat up, the last five minutes already stricken from 
his memory.  "Sure thing," he said.  "Just so long as--URK"  He was cut off 
as Actinaea threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.  Reluctantly,
he lowered his hands and patted Actinaea's back slowly.

Naga didn't miss the expression on Mari's face as the young girl watched
the two embrace.  Time to break some of the tension and cut loose, she
decided.    "OHOHOHOHOHO!" she roared.  "If we are all amicable, then let 
us go seek our breakfast!  The White Serpent is faint with hunger!"

- = - 

On the other side of town, the guardsmen at the city jail were just
switching shifts.  Another daily ritual made of formalities, the filing
of reports and the transfer of keys.  As the evening guard finished dotting
the last sentence on his summary of the evening, the day guard peered over
his shoulder.

"Anything fun and exciting happen overnight?" he asked, out of habit.

"Same as always," the first guard replied, out of habit.  Then, he
corrected himself, "Oh wait, there was that crazy old coot."

The second guard raised an eyebrow, which wasn't so impressive a feat as
he only had one.  The first guard led him out of the office and down the
corridor.  He gestured for his friend to stop in front of a cell toward the
back.

Inside, the old Sea Captain was still awake, gibbering nonsense and
wobbling back and forth.  The day guard peered into the cell.  He couldn't
be sure in the dim light, but he could almost swear that he was foaming at
the mouth.  He stepped back from the bars.  He heard something crunch under
his foot.

"What was that?" he asked.

The night guard shrugged.  "A piece of crystal.  This loon's 'magic wand'
broke last night... I must have missed one of the pieces when I was
cleaning up."

The Captain spoke up.  "You fools!  When I get out, you will all pay!
You're all working for the White Serpent!  Heaven's Knight will see to it
that JUSTICE is done!"

"Yeah, right, Pops," the day guard smirked.  "You're in here for what, two
more days?  Try to get some rest."

"The WRATH of HEAVEN is slow but sure!" the Captain screamed at the guards.

"Oh, shut up, old man."

- = - 

Getehl blinked. "Isn't it a little early to start drinking, Naga-san?" 

"OHOHOHOHOHO!"  Naga laughed as she poured a liberal amount of Zeifelian
wine into her mug.  "You are mistaken, dear Getehl-san.  The White Serpent
must wet her tongue for the taste of victory!"  She closed her eyes and
smiled, sniffing at the liquid. 

"Er... right."  Getehl stabbed his sausage with a fork.  "I hope this Feyik
shows up soon.  We can't afford to stay here much longer." 

Then, due to the laws of Dramatic Necessity, the door swung open with a 
loud creak.  Various patrons raised their heads to see a deeply tanned, 
lanky man wearing worn, dusty white traveling clothes step in.  As he 
entered the room, he removed his sunbeaten tuatara-leather hat, clutching 
it in both hands.  His sharp eyes scanned the room, then stopped as they 
met Getehl's.  He made his way to their table, dragging one leg behind 
the other. 

Naga looked up from her drink and eyed the man before her.  "You must be
Feyik." 

Feyik tried to straighten his unruly black hair, then bowed.  "And you must
be Naga the White Serpent." 

"I see my reputation proceeds me," Naga preened. 

"Of course," Feyik said, standing at his full height once again.  "Everyone
heard of Naga the White Serpent and her amazing... ah... assets, sidekick
to Lina Inverse, the Enemy of All Who Live."  He was cut off by the icy
glare Naga gave him, one that even the adult Actinaea would have been
hard-pressed to match. 

"Do.  Not.  EVER.  Mention.  Her.  Again." 

"Er..." Feyik glanced at Getehl, who was making shushing sounds.  "Right.
Well then, Naga-san, my services are at your disposal.  For a fee, of
course." 

Naga studied Feyik a bit longer, then slapped him on the back, causing the
poor man to nearly fall over.  "OHOHOHOHOHO!  Of course, of course.  But
first, the indomitable White Serpent has her breakfast to attend to." 

Feyik smiled uncertainly and took a seat.  This was going to be more
interesting than he thought.  The other man, Getehl, he supposed, resumed
examining his sausage.  Feyik's stomach growled. 

"Are you hungry?" Getehl asked.  "You can order some if-" 

"No, no.  We don't have time for that."  Naga took another gulp of wine. 
"We must finish eating as quickly as possible!" 

"Don't you mean drinking, Naga-*san*?" an acidic female voice asked. 

The three adults turned to face a very irate, very teenaged Actinaea.  She
was wearing her adult robes; they fit her rather loosely, but they
sufficed.  Her arms were crossed in front of her, and she scowled angrily. 

"Well, Actinaea-san, I'm sure that we can-" Getehl gaped.  Standing right
behind Actinaea was Mariposa, dressed head to toe like the other girl.  She
noticed Getehl's eyes on her and fought back a blush. 

"Um... hi, Getehl-san," she managed to say. 

Feyik looked from one group to the other and back.  Yes, this was going to
be much more interesting than he thought. 

- = - 

Lilen peered out of the alley at the inn across the street.  Naga and her
party were beginning to make their move.  Finally.  Lilen had been
wondering when they were going to actually leave the inn.  Late risers, she
supposed.  How they'd managed to sleep through all of the screaming earlier
that morning was beyond her.

The group of people was turning to the left, and Lilen marked them off as
she identified them.  There were five of them now, which meant they must
have picked up a guide at some point in time.  She recognized Naga and
Getehl immediately; Naga's outfit made her unmistakable for anyone else,
and Getehl's tall, muscular frame made him stand out among the slender
residents of the town.  Two girls followed them.  One of them might have
been Mariposa, except that she was dressed and made up completely
differently.  The other girl was completely unknown to Lilen.  The man who
followed them, however, was very familiar to her -- Feyik the guide.  That
was a good thing, as far as Lilen was concerned.  Feyik knew the desert
better than anyone alive or dead, which meant this should be a short
journey.

Slipping out of the alley, Lilen readjusted the hood of her cloak.  She had
a decent tolerance to the sun, all things considered, but she'd be getting
more than enough exposure to it, if she were going to follow them into the
Desert of Destruction.

She melted into the crowd, keeping an eye on Getehl's hat.  The late
morning traffic wasn't too dense, coming about halfway between the morning 
and noon rushes.  People were happily heading to and fro, talking loudly.
Which made it all the easier for Lilen to go unnoticed.

Through the throngs of people, Lilen caught a glimpse of a half-familiar
face.  She'd noticed him skulking around in the back alleys and streets 
of Onika, but hadn't paid him much attention.  But now, interestingly
enough, he seemed to be following Naga's party himself.

Lilen made her way closer to him, slipping through the masses of people
easily.  She looked over him with a somewhat practiced eye.  He was dressed
practically, rather than for comfort or for looks.  He moved gracefully and
efficiently, not wasting any extra effort.  He had a sheathed sword at
his side, a large one, from the looks of it. 

"Ah, he must be a bounty hunter!" she exclaimed to herself.  She blinked as
she realized she'd spoken out loud.  The people around her were to loud for
her to have been overheard anyway, she decided.

Looking back up, she realized she'd lost track of Getehl's hat, and was
falling behind the red-haired man, as well.  Picking up her pace, she 
started following the follower.

- = - 

The group first made their way to Orlin Desse's home, hoping the old man 
might have some idea as to Actinaea's sudden reversion.  Perhaps a cure was 
closer than they might have initially thought.  Unfortunately, knocking at 
the door was producing no response.

Actinaea began shuffling away.  "He's not here.   Let's just go," she 
announced, with just a hint of a whine in her voice.  After a moment,
Mariposa nodded in agreement and started after her.  

Naga frowned slightly.  No, Actinaea as an adolescent really wasn't
something she was looking forward to.  And Mari seemed set on emulating
her mentor's behavior, too.  Definitely not something to look forward to.  

Stepping forward, she pounded on the door with her fist.  "Oh-HOHOHO!" she 
whooped, expecting that if nothing else, this would get some reaction.
"Open up, old man!  We are here to see you again!"

She turned around, pleased by the fact that Actinaea was cringing in
embarrassment.  If that was what she expected, Naga decided, that's what
she'd get.  

The door opened, and Orlin's wife peeked out from behind it.  She had a
nervous look in her eyes, and she opened the door fully, welcoming the
group in.  "Come in, come in," she said, "Just please don't laugh like that
again.  You'll scare my roses."

She led them to the study, where Orlin was snoring lightly, slumped back in 
his armchair.  As though he were aware of all of the people standing around
him, he straightened up and stretched.  He rubbed his eyes and yawned
loudly before looking around him.

"Oh, Naga.  I wasn't expecting to see you so soon.  What seems to be the
matter?" he asked.  He looked around expectantly, trying to see Actinaea.
His eyes eventually fell on the gray-haired girl, who was staring with
disinterest at a some trinket in the far corner of the room.  "Is 
that... her?"

Naga nodded.  "She changed in the middle of the night."  She smirked, as if
there were some greater joke to it, but Orlin didn't press for information.  
"Do you know what might have happened?"

The retired priest shook his head sadly.  "Like I told you yesterday,
there's no way to really know.  I certainly wasn't expecting this quick a
recovery.  The spell looked much stronger than that.  I would wager that
something happened to accelerate the aging process, or at least give it a
jump start. "

Getehl spoke up.  "So even now there's no way of knowing if this will be
cured soon?"  He looked at Actinaea again and watched as she began pulling
books from the bookcase, and studying the titles.

"No," Orlin answered him.  "I'm sorry you had to waste your time coming out
here, but like I said, it's all too chaotic.  At least we have confirmation
that the spell will wear off."

"You mean you didn't know?!" Naga, Getehl, and Mariposa said as one.  

Orlin held up his hands to reassure them.  "Not one-hundred percent
certain, but I was pretty sure she would."  He shrugged.  "Anyway, would
you like to stick around for lunch?  My wife would love to chat with 
Ace-chan again!"

The old priest cringed as he heard a snarl come from across the room.  He
looked over in confusion at Actinaea, the source of the sound.

Naga winced sheepishly.  "I don't think that would be a good idea, but
thanks."

Feyik spoke for the first time.  "We should probably be going soon anyway.
We still need to get supplies for our trip, and secure horses."

Getehl nodded.  "It'll take some time to take care of all of that too,
especially if we want to get started today."

He was still worried about Actinaea, but Orlin managed to say his goodbyes
and see them to his door.  With a smile on his face, he returned to his 
study.  Rubbing his hands together in anticipation, he pulled out his 
favorite quill and reached for his sheaf of notes regarding Actinaea's 
age-reversion.  Which wasn't there.  Frantically, he began searching for 
them, but to no avail.

Slumping forward, he collapsed against his desk.  "It's all gone," he
wailed.  "My breakthrough research... my grant from the Magician's Guild...
my comfortable and affluent future!  All gone!"  He snapped upright,
realizing there was only one thing that could have happened to his papers.

"Curse you, you thief!  I'll get back at you yet, White Serpent!"

He hacked loudly, falling into a series of rasping coughs.

"Or not!"

- = - 

For all of the excitement of the early morning, the rest of the day
proceeded in relative boredom.  There had been a bit of trepidation as they
finally stepped foot into the border of the expansive (and ominously named)
Desert of Destruction, but that really proved to be nothing of consequence.

Feyik told them that it was about four days worth of travel to the heart
of the desert, to the abandoned tower where Shazard Lugandi had spent a
number of years experimenting and developing many new and fantastic
inventions.  Aside from the normal perils of desert travel, he didn't
foresee any difficulties, aside from one.

Naga attempted to press him on the matter, but he wouldn't reveal what it
was, except to assert rather emphatically that it in no way involved any 
sort of monstrous guardian.  None whatsoever.

Whatever it was, it could wait for later.  Naga had much more important
things on her mind.  Killing the overwhelming boredom that was crushing her
soul, for instance.

She looked over to her traveling companions.  Getehl had managed to
somehow doze off in his saddle, his hat pulled down over his eyes.  Mari
was hovering nearby, just in case he slipped out of his seat.  It wasn't
likely, but Naga got the impression that Mari needed something to do as
well.  And as for Actinaea...

Naga was glad that Actinaea had outgrown her child-sized traveling outfit.
She hadn't realized quite the effect that particular combination would 
still have on her.

It was over a month later, wasn't it?  She had tried so hard so move on...
She had new companions and a new role, something more than just a sidekick.
Now _she_ was the leader, the one in charge, the one who...

Who was she kidding?  No matter what came of all of this, she was still the
hanger-on.  No one would ever hold respect for her name; she would always
be the Goldfish's Feces.  Even Mari had admitted the only reason she knew
Naga was because she'd been told to look out for her.  Lina had known what
she was doing when she'd split company with Naga:  getting rid of dead
weight.  Naga wondered how long it had taken Lina to finally act, to break
off the partnership.  Had she come to a snap decision, or had it been
something that had required lengthy deliberation?  Naga hoped it was the
latter.  Somehow the image of Lina losing sleep and being troubled about
something pleased her.

Feyik's horse neighed, rousing Naga from her ponderings.  Naga looked
around.  Feyik had already dismounted, and the others were coming to a
stop. 

"It's still light out.  Why don't we keep going?" Naga asked.

Feyik looked up from where he was setting up a small tent.  "It can get to
be freezing here overnight.  Once the sun goes down, it get very cold, very 
quickly.  We need to set up camp now."

Naga didn't argue.

- = - 

A few hours later, the sun had set.  Mariposa, Getehl, and Feyik had 
already retired for the evening, bundling themselves in the thick blankets
that the guide had insisted they bring along.

Naga and Actinaea were both still awake, sitting around the fire.  Neither 
of them was speaking to the other; instead they were both staring pensively
into the flickering flames.  Occasionally, Actinaea would toss in what
appeared to be rolled-up bits of paper.

Naga occasionally peered over the fire at the brooding teenager.  Something
was bothering her, but Naga didn't know how to ask.  "Actinaea?" she called 
out, breaking the silence.  "Are you going to bed soon?"  

Actinaea nodded her head and shrugged noncommitally.  Naga waited for a
more detailed response.  When she realized she wasn't going to get one, she
herself shrugged.  She crept over to the tent that Mariposa was already 
sleeping in and slipped under the blanket.

Actinaea tossed another three pages of Orlin's notes into the fire.  The
corner of her mouth turned up in a contented smirk as the edges began to
blacken before the whole page went up in flame.  That would teach him to
try to benefit from her suffering, she thought.

She yawned.  Blinking, she looked around and decided that maybe she should
finally get some sleep.  Getehl might have been able to nap while riding,
but she didn't want to chance it.

Actinaea stood up and yawned again.  She stretched widely and shuffled
sleepily toward the tent.

She was probably too tired to register the hand clapping over her mouth.

- = - 

The next morning rolled around, as it tends to do.  Of course, in the
desolate stretches of the desert sands, there don't tend to be roosters
crowing, or merchants calling out praise of their wares, or any of the
normal signs of life.  

Mariposa was the second to awaken, as their guide was already up and
making coffee.  She looked to her left, finding Naga, but to her right...
Actinaea hadn't been there at all.  

She crawled out of the tent, suddenly worried.  Feyik waved his greetings
to her as she caught sight of him, then blinked as the rushed over to his
tent and stuck her head in.  She came out to the fire ring, fidgeting
nervously.

"Good morning, Mariposa-san," he said warmly.

"Have you seen Actinaea-san?" she asked.

Scratching his head, Feyik took a sip of water from his canteen.  "No, I
haven't, and I got up about a half-hour ago."

"Oh, no..." she wailed.

"What's the problem, Mari-chan?" Naga asked from behind her.  She was
rubbing her eyes, having just crawled out of the tent.  "Where's Actinaea?"

"I don't know, Naga-sama," Mariposa answered.  "I don't see her anywhere."

By now Getehl had managed to wake up.  Yawning loudly, he joined the group.
"So what's going on?"

"Actinaea is missing," Naga said.  She wondered what could have happened to
the girl.  She felt a hollow feeling in her stomach, and she suddenly
wondered if--

"Well, her horse is still here, so she didn't run away," Getehl said,
assuaging Naga's fears.  

Feyik rubbed his chin.  "Stand still, all of you.  There may still be clues 
in the sand," he told them as be began walking in a wide circle around the
camp site.  He stooped down in a couple of spots, examining the sand
closely.  Returning to the group, he nodded slowly.  "Well, it's what I
thought it might be.  It looks like she's been kidnaped by nomads."

"She's WHAT?!"  Naga reached over and grabbed Feyik by the collar.  Hefting
him up, she looked straight into his eyes.  "Repeat that!"

He shrugged nonchalantly.  "I said that it appears that she has been
kidnaped by nomads."

Naga stood in disbelief.  How had this happened right under her nose?  And
why had they taken Actinaea?  "Please tell me there is no sort of greater 
prophecy among these nomadic tribes," Naga demanded, letting go of the 
guide.  "No sacrifice of the silver-haired maiden to appease the gods and 
bring water back to the desert or anything like that?"

Feyik shook his head.  He took a sip of water from his canteen before
responding, "Actually, no... It's probably just the King of the Nomads
looking for a new wife.  He really has the hots for chicks with gray eyes."

Naga sweatdropped.

"Anyway, it looks like they went that way," Feyik said as he pointed north, 
or maybe it was south.  It didn't really matter; it all looked the same to 
his companions.  "Which would make sense.  That's the direction that the
main nomad encampment would be, this time of year, about a day and a half
from here."

"You are sure?" Naga asked him.

He glanced again at the tracks, then back at Naga.  He nodded slowly.
"Shall we get the horses loaded up?"  At Naga's affirmative nod, he
shuffled his way over to where the horses were secured.  Getehl followed 
close behind.

Mariposa was a bit slower to follow, as she was examining her scarf.  She
scampered up to Naga.  "Ano... I've been thinking..." 

"Hmm? What is it, Mari-chan?"  The older woman looked down at the teenaged
girl. 

Mari blinked.  "Why don't we cast Ray Wing and follow them?" 

Naga shook her head.  "Over that amount of distance?  It's too tiring.  Add 
in the heat, and you'd collapse before you made it a league." 

"Oh," Mari pouted as she kicked at the desert sand. 

"Besides which, we don't know where they went, and there's a lot of
territory to cover."

Mari nodded glumly.  "I see."

"OHOHOHOHO," Naga laughed, patting Mariposa on the shoulder.  "Don't worry,
Mari-chan.  We'll get there in good time."  She brought the back of her hand
back up her mouth.  "OHOHOHOHOHO!" 

"Does she always laugh like this?" Feyik grumbled, as he fastened a
sidebag to his horse's saddle.

"I'm afraid so," Getehl sighed. 

"Zounds.  I was hoping that _some_ of the rumors weren't true." 

- = -

Later in the day, shortly after noon, when the sun was just starting to
beat down its hardest, the group came upon a small oasis.  Though some
people (Mariposa) wanted to press on, others (Feyik) insisted that they
stop to rest a short while.  The horses needed watering anyway, so the
second group prevailed.  

While filling his canteen, Getehl found a blue hair ribbon.  Actinaea's.  

With the confirmation that they were actually on the right trail, they
started up again, their spirits somewhat higher, but still distracted.

- = -

Lilen sighed a breath of relief.  They hadn't noticed her yet.  Trying to
keep up with Naga while on foot was not something she had enjoyed, so now
that there was a free horse, she was taking full advantage of it.  She
idly wondered what had happened to that other girl they'd started with.

It took all of her concentration to maintain the illusion of invisibility.
Masking herself as someone else was far easier, because she didn't have to
constantly hold it in place, but this was draining her.

She couldn't keep this up, she knew.  But she needed to infiltrate the
group and get some info.  Lilen decided to wait for nightfall.  Once
Mariposa had gone to bed, she'd make her move.

- = -

Later that day, in the early evening hours, the party stopped again.  This
time, they pitched their tents closer together, and made sure not to wander
off alone.

Naga was making it a point not to let Mari out of her sight.  She had 
tried to keep an eye on her all day, really.  Mariposa was probably getting 
a bit annoyed by it, but after what had happened to Actinaea, Naga wasn't
about to take any chances.

So instead, she was waiting until Mari was ready to go to bed, chatting
with her and the guide about the trip, and what to expect when they reached
the nomad camp.

Naga perked up.  She thought she heard something, the sound of...

"You hear that?" she asked.

"Hear what?" Mariposa asked.

The thudding of hoofs on sand grew louder.

"That."

And then suddenly a horse appeared at the edge of the campsite charging
through at full speed.  Naga had just enough time to register the rider
before her bent down and scooped up Mari -- Torr.  A spray of sand flew up
into the air, causing Naga to flinch.

"Naga-sama!  Save meeeeeee!" the girl screamed at the White Serpent.

"Mariposa!" Naga shouted after her, leaping up from where she was sitting. 
She felt a tap on her arm.  She turned to look.

"Um, what?" Mariposa asked, looking confused.  She was rubbing her eyes, as
thought she had just woken up.

Naga blinked.  She looked at the girl being carried off in the distance,
back at Mariposa, then back at the first girl.  "Do you see what I see,
Mari-chan?"

"I think so, Naga-san."  She squinted at the receding figures.  "A man on
horseback and a young girl."

"Oh, damn.  And here I thought I could just pass it off as an alcoholic
vision."

"Ano... I'm getting confused."

"I thought she was you."

"Oh."  Mariposa rubbed her chin.  "Maybe it was a mirage?"

Naga nodded.  That worked, even if it didn't make any sense whatsoever.  
"A mirage! Yes.  That must be it!  A fabled midnight mirage!"

Feyik sweatdropped.

- = - 

Lady Erika ducked into a side corridor of the Royal Palace of Saillune.
This was more difficult than she had thought it would be; just being there
gave her a headache.  

She reached into the pouch at her side, pulling out a crystal sphere.
Waving her hand over its surface, she uttered a brief incantation.  An
image slowly faded into existance at the center of the ball, and Erika
almost broke out into laughter right there.

So, Torr had inadvertantly managed to hook up with the other operative
she'd assigned to the case, the albino.  This would prove to be most
interesting.  On one level, she was very please by this latest development.
After Torr had crushed his own crystal, she had been unable to stay in
touch with him.

Well, she'd have to let them figure things out, she decided.  She was late
for a very important meeting...

- = - 

"Are we there yet?"

"No, Mari-chan."

A little while later...

"Are we there yet?"

"No, Getehl-san."

"Are we there yet?"

"No, Mari-chan."

A little while later...

"OHOHOHO!  Have we yet arrived at our intended destination?"

"My ears are full of cottage cheese."

"What was that?"

"'No.'"

- = - 

The palace of the Nomad King, one of the most treasure-filled places in the
desert, is an impressive stone structure that stood for the past thousand
years, and likely a thousand years more.  Its weathered stone walls have 
endured the desert wind, sun, and sand.  It is the only permanent structure 
for scores of miles around, having withstood the test of time.

However, the people inhabiting it were ready to break.  Though, in their
defense, it was unlikely the stone structure would be able to deal with
what they were up against.

"No, no! You're doing it all wrong!" Actinaea snapped.  "Look at this!  My
hair is a mess!"  She pointed at her silver hair, and sure enough, a few
strands were out of place.

"For- forgive me, Actinaea-sama!" the guard fanning her apologized. 

"And you!"  She grabbed the other guard by the shirt.  "These grapes are
sour!  What kind of desert king feeds his destined wife *sour* grapes?!  
Find me some sweet ones!" 

"Hai, Actinaea-sama!"  The man bowed and scurried off. 

The teenaged girl eyed the other man.  "Make sure he doesn't get lost."  He
nodded and ran out the room, as well. 

The first man ducked around the corner, and looked at the other in mild
surprise.  "She chased you out, too?"  The other man mutely.  "Fuagh!" the
first swore, tearing at his hair.  "I... I can't take any more of this!" 

"Tell me about it," the other muttered even as he gasped for breath.  "But,
she'll be married to the Chief tomorrow night." 

"Well, she's already got the attitude for the job down," the first man
grumbled. 

The second man nodded in agreement.  "But, you know... she's exactly what
the Chief's been looking for, you know?" 

"Can't we just, you know, toss her in a volcano or something?  I'm sure
there's an ancient god that needs appeasing somewhere..." 

"Dream on, Cal. Dream on."

- = - 

AUTHOR'S NOTES
[or, In Which Ravi Admits to Folly]

I made several mistakes with this chapter, all of them having to do with my
time management skills.  I really should have started on it earlier, but
didn't putting it off, as always, until the last minute.  This didn't
help, especially with things like ACen and finals tossed into the mix.

So, I ended up cutting chunks of it out.  Ah well.  This still ended up
being a fairly large chapter.  I just didn't shove the redhead's plot at
much as I've done in past chapters. :P

I'd like to really thank Ardweden, who helped immensely by writing a couple
of scenes for me (the meeting with Feyik as well some parts of the morning 
after Actinaea goes missing and the final scene).  I'd also like to thank 
Todd Harper for being the fount of Slayers knowledge that he is.  Thanks 
to my prereaders:  Ardweden, Phoebe, Puu, Todd, and Yu-Mei.

I hope you enjoyed this.  Please mail all comments to duvvuri@uiuc.edu
Thanks. ^_^

-r

What's in Ravi's CD Changer:

Hana Yori Dango - "Variations"
Kiroro - "Kiroro no Sora"
Outlaw Star - "Original Soundtrack 2"
Warrant - "Dog Eat Dog"