Mirror (part 16 of 28)
Back to Part 15Interlude: Naga's Tale
"You know," Lina Inverse said after dinner, the group
having gathered to share drinks and talk in one of the
comfortable sitting rooms of the palace, "I remember
someone mentioning a adventure involving you and a
griffin?"
"And I'd hoped that you'd forgotten about that," Naga
made a face, the tall, busty black haired warrior
relaxing with a small glass of wine. Unlike the
original White Serpent this Naga only drank in
moderation, rarely if ever getting truly drunk.
Phil smiled as he studied her, the bear of a man's
black hair looking a bit scraggly, as usual. "I
wouldn't mind hearing about it," he said, "I had heard
they were extinct."
"And with good reason," Amelia quietly agreed, "all
the tales I've heard say that they were man-eaters,
and very dangerous." Her slightly longer mane of black
hair gleamed as she added, "I'd love to hear such a
tale."
"I think they're going to get the story out of you
eventually," Zelgadiss said impishly from where he sat
beside his lover Amelia, "you may as well give in
now."
"Please?" Lina reached out, putting a hand on Naga's
leather clad arm as she looked up at her in a silent
appeal.
Naga blushed faintly under Lina's gaze, looking down
shyly into her glass of wine. "All right," she said
softly, "it's not much a tale, but..."
0o0o0o0o0o0o
The revelry in the castle went on all around them as
Naga strode through the halls, her cloak swirling
around her. The older man was apologetic as Mayor
Anderson said, "I'm sorry to pull you away from all
the New Year's celebrations, m'lady."
"You don't need to call me lady," she answered him
gently, "I answer to Naga just fine." With a gentle
smile, "And I understand that your need is great, or
you wouldn't have come here through the winter
weather."
"Fair enough," Anderson sighed. They had come from the
western towns through heavy snow, the ice so bad that
few could travel the roads unprotected. "We know not
what the beast is," he said grimly, "all we know is
that it grows bolder every day, plucking up the weak
and stealing away before any can stop it."
"It's ability to fly even in the storms says it's as
powerful beast," Naga softly mused as they headed for
the inner courtyard where the horses waited for them
to go, "but it can't be a dragon or other type of
great wyrm."
Anderson seemed surprised, "You're sure?"
Naga nodded, "Despite the fires that dwell in their
bellies a Dragon's blood runs cold, and the winter
chill will slay them. When fall turns to winter they
retreat to dens deep beneath the ground, where the
warmth of the Earth itself sustains them."
"I hadn't known that," Anderson admitted. They passed
under a stone arch into the courtyard, gazing at the
towns people and a figure who waited nearby,. white
robes gleaming. "Is that...?" he started to say
softly.
"It is," Naga frowned then said, "excuse me."
Lady Lina, the sorceress and champion of light gazed
up warmly as Naga strode towards her. Her red hair
blazed like the summer sun, her cheeks almost as red
from the cold even here, sheltered somewhat by the
outer walls. "I suppose I can't convince you into
letting me go along with you?" she asked Naga softly.
"I'd like you to," Naga admitted, "but the storms this
year are very severe. If your powers don't at least
blunt their impact, many of our countrymen will die."
"I know," Lina admitted as she stepped close, letting
herself be enclosed by Naga's protective arms, "I just
wish..." They stood there a moment, close together,
then she softly asked, "Why can't someone else go? We
have many valiant knights, most of them trained by
you, and all eager to help."
"It may take magic or sword to defeat this thing,"
Naga reminded her. With a smile she added
reassuringly, "I'll try to return unhurt, this time."
Lina chuckled softly at that. "You always say that,"
she gently scolded, "then come home with cuts, scrapes
or wounds that need to be tended." She gently tugged
Naga down into a kiss then ordered, "Be careful,
m'love."
"Always," Naga answered softly, then with a final hug
she turned to walk towards the others who were getting
ready to go.
"It mustn't be easy, leaving her behind," Anderson
said sympathetically as they rode out, the heavy
cloaks they all wore barely keeping out the chill.
Behind him and Naga six other villagers rode, then
taking the rear were the pack animals with the winter
gear they would need for the journey.
A muscle jumped in Naga's jaw, her short black hair
ruffled by chilled wind. "It is," she admitted, "but
this is part of who I am... and if I turned away from
this, I would no longer be who she fell in love with."
It took three days of hard travel to reach the town at
the base of the mountain, days of biting wind and snow
and nights spent huddled in tents trying to stay as
warm as possible. All of them felt the strain when
they finally arrived, and the mayor insisted that Naga
take a day to rest up before venturing out after the
beast.
The next day Naga rode out to the snowy hills, her
heavy winter cloak flowing around her, even as she
grimly considered the words of a village woman. "We
haven't let anyone go out of the town for days," she
had said to Naga grimly that morning, "but it still
took another child. Whatever it is, it grows bolder
day by day."
This band of woods was where the first sightings were,
and the first disappearance. Carefully Naga rode down
a marked path, her eyes roaming as she searched for
traces of the creature's passage. A broken branch,
damaged brush and other things led Naga into the
darkness, until she finally had to dismount and go
ahead by foot.
Off in the distance Naga heard what sounded like a
child's teary cries, but she continued forward
cautiously. Reaching over her shoulder she loosened
her long sword, advancing near silently using skills
she had developed over years of bandit fighting.
Eventually she reached a clearing only to blink in
surprise at what she saw.
Naga instantly recognized the griffin from texts she
had studied, but the reality was a far cry from the
drawings. In most pictures it was a patchwork
creature, an eagle's head atop a lion's body with
great wings attached to the lion back, but this thing
flowed together gracefully. The 'fur' that covered the
body was in fact small, golden feathers that grew into
the wings and up over it's eagle's head, eyes piercing
as it gave those small, mournful cries.
'Does it lure it's prey this way?' Naga thought,
wondering how many worried parents or children were
drawn in by those cries. She crept forward, studying
the terrain and quickly realized that stealth wouldn't
help much, for nearer to the griffin there was almost
no cover available, and it's den was in a sheer cliff.
'Which leaves the direct approach,' Naga thought.
The Griffin jerked up as Naga's battle cry echoed
through the hills, clearly startled at seeing her
appear so suddenly. Sword drawn she charged forward,
powerful muscles throwing her across the ground even
as the griffin raised a claw. Muttered words brought a
sphere of destructive power to life between its claws,
then it flung the attack towards her.
Naga barely blocked it with a counter spell, visibly
startling it once again. "A warrior who uses magic?"
it rumbled, voice distorted a bit by the shape of the
beak.
'It's intelligent?' Naga felt a flash of rage, one
that she quickly quelled. "Why are you hunting men?"
she asked coldly, holding her sword at the guard
position.
"I grow old," the griffin rumbled, "and the prey I
once hunted it too strong for me." A merciless laugh,
"And humans are easy prey, meat."
Naga bared her teeth fiercely, "You won't find me so
easy."
"Let's see," and the griffin charged, galloping at her
with inhuman speed. It was atop her in moments,
lunging to attack... only to jerk violently.
Using the beasts own momentum Naga had swiftly jabbed
her sword up, driving it up through the base of it's
beak and into it's brain. The collapsing griffin
hammered Naga into the ground, blood splattering and
she felt a shock of pain as it convulsed, but after a
few moments it was still.
With a painful groan Naga got out from under it, only
then realizing it had raked her on the leg with it's
claws. "Damn it," Naga muttered as she dragged her
sword free, blood running down her leg, "Lina is going
to end up lecturing me again..."
0o0o0o0o0o0o
"Were there any who survived the griffin's attack?"
Amelia asked Naga softly once she finished, her gentle
eyes concerned.
"A few," Naga said softly, "it captured it's prey then
ate later, usually."
"What happened to the griffin's remains?" Zelgadiss
asked. the oddest look on the young man's face.
"The mayor told me they were going to go claim the
body," Naga looked over at him curiously and asked,
"why?"
"Because I think I visited that village once,"
Zelgadiss mused, "they stuffed the griffin in a
ferocious pose." A faint smile, "It has a plaque
reading 'Slain by the champion Naga.' I think." He
sighed, "I knew I recognized the name somewhere."
"I wish you'd have told me, Zel," Lina scowled, "I'd
have checked it out."
"We didn't know you and Naga were connected then,
Lina," Amelia swiftly jumped in to defend her
boyfriend.
"Point," Lina conceded.
"Besides, it's embarrassing," Naga sighed, a blush
coloring her cheeks.
Lina reached out to stroke her cheek gently, "You're
too modest," she scolded with a smile, "I think that's
part of why I like you."
Naga blushed brighter.
Onwards to Part 17
Back to Mirror Index -
Back to Slayers Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction