Lina groaned and sat up. It was awfully bright all of a sudden and colder, though not unpleasantly so. She looked around; the temple was gone, except for the table, her chair, _The Secrets of the Radiance_, which now had some odd stains on the two open pages, and her friends, who were scattered about. When she realized Amelia was lying on top of Zelgadis, she jumped up in sheer surprise. I didn't realize they were...where are we? she thought. It bore a faint resemblence to the area around Sairaag, but the ground was too rocky and the trees were too scruffy; Sairaag was in a fertile area. Also, she couldn't see the holy tree Flagoon anywhere. Xelloss, she thought. It must be his fault! He's trying to separate me from my book!!!! It's another one of his tricks...this is probably an illusion. I should have known the second I saw Zelgadis and Amelia curled up together, she thought. She closed her eyes. Let's see...the door out of the room I was in was over here... Taking the book firmly under one arm, she walked through the open space that was just where she expected it to be, then walked down where she was sure the hallway was to Gourry's room, then tried to pound on the door. Nothing happened; her hands swished through air. Clearly, this was a very powerful illusion to make her think there really WASN'T a door there. She began feeling her way with her foot; Gourry's bed should be fairly close to the door, she was sure. Her foot struck something fleshy; he must have fallen off the bed. "LINA!" he shouted. "You don't have to...hey, where did my bed go?" "It didn't. It's all a trick by Xellos!" Gourry looked around. "Looks like the city vanished." "We're just supposed to THINK that," Lina said confidently. "My temple is gone!" Sylphiel suddenly announced from a fair distance away, where she was now sitting up. "You didn't blow it up, did you, Lina-san?" She stared at the sacred tree seedling on the endtable near her feet, and wondered for a moment if it had done this somehow. "NO! This is a trick by Xelloss," Lina said. "I'm sure of it." Her certainty was starting to ebb, however. If Xelloss had done this, why hadn't he taken the book while she was asleep? Unless he WANTED her to have it. Maybe it really would turn her into a dog. "Halt! Identify yourselves!" A squadron of men wearing bowl-like helmets with a top tassle, breastplates, and knee-length metal skirts of overlapping plates, armed with spears and shortswords, stood about fifty yards away to the north of Lina. They all had short, dark hair, dark eyes, and swarthy complexions, except for two people--the dark skinned, green eyed commander, marked by the eagle insignia worked into his breastplate and a black haired, grey eyed woman in a blue and black kimono decorated with silver eagles the same as the one on the commander's armor. She wore thick bronze bracelets on her wrists, twined with characters unknown to Lina and friends, and carried a naginata that glowed faintly. Lina gave up on trying to ignore the illusion. If this was real, it could be dangerous to ignore it. "Lina Inverse, sorceress. THE Lina Inverse." Maybe I can play on my reputation for once. "Gourry Gabriev, swordsman." Gourry pushed his hair away from his eyes, and three seconds later, it flopped back, so he began repeating himself more and more frantically. "Sylphiel, miko of Ordana," Sylphiel said, picking up her rod and trying to half-hide her teddy bear behind her back. She stood near the seedling protectively. Zelgadis and Amelia finally woke up, saw the other person's face an inch from theirs, screamed in unison, and leaped a good twenty feet away from each other. "What are you DOING?" they both shouted. Lina pointed and said, "That's Zelgadis. He's...magical. And the other one is Amelia, daughter of Prince Philionel of Sailoon. She's a sorceress, sort of." "And a champion of JUSTICE!" "I'm Captain Tanokito of the Borydis garrison. I'm afraid I must inform you that the penalty for breaking into Borydis is twenty years imprisonment here. So unless you can produce a letter from the Emperor, I'm going to have to take your weapons and assign you to a chain gang." He sighed. "Sorry about that." "But...we didn't MEAN to come here!" Lina said. "Xelloss sent us here!" "He did?" Amelia said. "Of course he did!" Lina said. "Play along, Amelia!" she whispered to her. "Oh right. Yeah! He used his evil Mazoku magic on us! We did not mean to break into your island without permission, for that would be unjust!" Amelia flowed into the third 'Fighting for Justice' kata of poses. The Captain watched her for a few seconds, then turned to the kimono-clad woman. "What do you think, Shan?" "She looks ridiculous." "Besides that." Amelia spluttered futilely. "It is possible; several evil sorcerors do make a habit of depositing people here to get them in trouble, though I know nothing of this Xelloss." She spun her naginata about and stuck it into the ground, then spread her arms wide. "Great Koryis, I invoke thy guidance that thou might grant me the power to discern between truth and lies. May all deceit be made naught." A spasm ran through her, and she turned to stare at Lina with tiny golden flames in her eyes. "Tell me how you came here." "I went to sleep in a temple of Ordana in Sairaag. I woke up here. I assume Xelloss did it because I wouldn't give him this book." She held up the book. "Either that or the book somehow brought us." "She speaks truly," Shan said. "She believes it to be true, at least." "Really?" Amelia said. "I was assuming she made it up and this was all her fault." "Thanks a LOT, Amelia!" Shan smiled faintly. "Did any of you intend to come here of your own choice?" "No," everyone replied. "Koryis agrees they are telling the truth," Shan said. "Who's Koryis?" Amelia asked. "Is he your familiar or something?" Shan blinked. "He is the great Patron of Peace and Prosperity. I am one of his priestesses." "Is he one of the Dragon Gods?" Lina asked. "He's not a dragon," Shan said. "He is the great patron of my homeland, Ochalea, and of all those who seek peace, order, and prosperity. It is his will that I minister to the prisoners on this god-forsaken rock in the middle of the ocean inhabited only by murderers, rapists, thieves, traitors, and soldiers, for reasons understood only by him." She didn't sound too happy about it. "The previous head chaplain had to be removed after he started cursing everyone on sight. I'm starting to understand why." "So how far are we from Sailoon?" Amelia asked. "I've never heard of it," Tanokito said. "Borydis is about 250 miles southeast from Thyatis City, though, so that should give you some idea where you are. We're east of the Isle of Hattia, and west of the Isle of Dawn." "Thyatis City?" Zelgadis asked. "Never heard of it. Is it west of the Uilo Wastes?" The entire array of twenty soldiers displayed Thyatian discipline by face-faulting in unison. Shan slumped over, only avoiding falling by catching her naginata. Tanokito simply boggled. "Never...heard...of Thyatis?" "It's not that little village in Firickor where they make rock candy, is it?" Sylphiel asked. The soldiers, half risen, fell back down. "It's the capital of the Thyatian empire. Over six hundred thousand people live in it. We're speaking the native language of Thyatis." "We are?" Amelia asked. "I thought we were speaking Common." "Yes." "So no one in Thyatis has a native language?" "This is the native language," one of the soldiers said. "We invented it, and everyone else with any education speaks it." "I thought Otto the Ostrogoth invented it," Gourry said. "NO," virtually everyone else said. He wilted. "I bet whatever brought us here is translating for us too," Lina said. "Because I know Common was invented in the Trilarian Empire. It beat out Esperanto, because you had to be psychic to use Esperanto correctly." "Anyway, why don't you just come with us, and I'm sure the commander will let you go," Tanokito said. "You've been snorting zzonga berries again," Shan said. "Even if Koryis himself came down and begged the Commander to let them go, the Commander wouldn't do it. He'd probably put Koryis on the chain gang too. As the Analects of Koryis say, 'A Hattian who bends the rules is like water that flows uphill.'" "He isn't that bad." Tanokito said. "He's the first Hattian I ever met who didn't tell me to go back to the Pearl Islands and to stay away from his daughters." "He's still going to put them on a chain gang." "But we haven't done anything wrong! It would be unjust!" Amelia shouted. "Look, how about if we just fly to the nearest island that isn't a prison?" Lina asked. "Next closest is Moisitus. Only forty miles," Shan said. "FORTY MILES?" Lina frothed. "I can't fly forty miles without resting, especially if I have to carry Gourry." "Makes for a good prison," Shan said. "You can't swim to freedom unless you're REALLY good at swimming." "And there's a lot of sharks in the waters around here," Tanokito said. "And the last major escape attempt, a sea monster ate them. Then again, the prisoners kill each other a lot more often than anyone gets eaten by sharks." "Well, it can't hurt to take them to the commander," Shan said. "He might let them go, although I suspect Hattia will sink under the waves first." "I wish." And so they set off across Borydis, prison isle of the Thyatian Empire. ************** Slayers: Exile Chapter 2: Jailhouse Rock by John Biles ************** Commander Franz von Blinken was tall and muscular with a neatly trimmed beard and moustache the exact same shade as his short, close cropped black hair. He dressed in woolen black slacks, a tight white buttoned shirt with the Thyatian Imperial Insignia (the eagle) embroidered with black thread over his right breast. Over that, he wore a black jacket over that with cuffs embroidered in gold. He was the sort of person who SHOULD have had a monocle. A sword hung at his waist, and he wore bracelets almost identical to the ones Shan wore. His voice was premptory. "Take them to the chain gang." "But...we didn't MEAN to come here!" Amelia said. "I'm a princess! Arrest me and you'll have a diplomatic incident!" "I've never heard of your so-called 'Kingdom of Sailoon', so I doubt the Empire cares," he said. "And it doesn't matter if you meant to come here. The law clearly states that anyone who enters Borydis without Imperial Permission immediately becomes a prisoner for the next twenty years." "But...that's not fair!" Amelia shouted. "We didn't MEAN to come here!" "Yeah! It's not our fault!" Lina said. "I only enforce the law. You can, of course, register a complaint to the Emperor. Since none of you are Thyatian citizens, it should take about two years to process it." "TWO YEARS?" Lina shouted. "On this hell hole of an island?" o/~ Working on a chain gang o/~ drifted in from outside. "That's ludicrous," Zelgadis said. "Please hand over all weapons and possessions. We will store them until your release." Lina looked around frantically at Tanokito and Shan. "Do something!" "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do," Tanokito said, frowning. "Commander Franz is in charge, and I'm not ready to commit treason for someone I just met." "That's it! No more Miss Nice Lina! TIME TO LEVEL THIS ENTIRE FORTRESS!" She began to gather the energies for a Dragon Slave. "Darkness from twilight..." "OhmightyKoryis, Ibeseechtheetofreezethisoffender inhertracksthatshemightnotshatterthepeaceofthisplace," Shan said, shouting at high speed. "HOLD PERSON!" She pointed at Lina, while everyone else was diving for cover. "Crimson from b...b..." Lina's entire body went stiff, including her vocal cords. She couldn't finish the spell. It wasn't impossible to cast a spell without fully vocalizing the words, but it was a lot harder. She continued to focus and the light in her hands began to grow. The commander simply smiled and rested his right elbow on the table, showing Lina the back of his hand, which was adorned with two rings. One was silver, the other was gold with an emerald. When he did this, Tanokito dived behind the desk, as did Shan. Amelia tried to run out of the room, but the door wouldn't open. "It's stuck!" Lina, still frozen in place, unleashed the energy as best she could. It hurled forward, struck his hand, and bounced off it like a rubber ball, tearing through the rest of the room in a storm of energies. The last thing she heard before darkness took her was him saying, "Rings of spell turning are rather useful in this line of work." ********** After three days on Borydis, Lina swore an oath to hunt down and kill whoever invented the song 'Working on a chain gang'. Although he would have to stand in line to be killed after the Commander and the Thyatian Emperor, and whoever had come up with the idea of creating this island prison in the first place. The worst part was being chained next to Amelia, who kept trying to get the prisoners to sing the damn song as a round. She also had Gourry on the other side of her, but that wasn't so bad. It kept the would-be rapists away. Normally, she would have done that herself, but they'd stuck some kind of ring on her that prevented her from casting any spells, somehow. It was like the magical energies weren't even there to be tapped, no matter how hard she focused. Zelgadis was locked up in the keep; the prisoners kept trying to kill him. Sylphiel had been assigned to work for Shan in the Fort's Temple. They're probably sipping tea and eating cakes, Lina thought. Feh. ************* Shan watched the horde of brooms finish sweeping the floor of the temple. "Amazing. You serve Ordana?" "Yes," Sylphiel said. "One of her Sacred Trees binds the great demon-dragon which once tried to destroy my home town, Sairagg." The seedling sat on a table near the altar, which was where Shan was standing. "Like this one we found with you?" "Yes." "I am sorry you are imprisoned here, but the commander is rather more concerned with justice than mercy. He follows Tarastia, patron of Justice and Revenge." "So he's a priest?" "Just a worshipper. He's a very skillful fighter. Given the way the prisoners revolt periodically, he's had to put his skills to use. But unlike most Hattians, he treats everyone as fairly as he believes the law will allow him to. He will send your appeal, even though Lina attacked him. But he was right. It will likely be two years...at best. Assuming the appeal doesn't get lost." She sighed. "It isn't fair." "The Analects of Koryis say, 'When life drops a boulder on your head, carve an elephant from it.'" Sylphiel stared at Shan, who continued, "Make the best of what life deals you, even when it is unfair. I can insure you are well treated, and if your friends behave, I may eventually be able to sway the commander to assign you all to lighter duties." Sylphiel had rather strong doubts that Lina would behave. *********** Everyone was asleep, and Lina took the fat she had saved from the stew, and tried to grease her finger again. There had to be SOME way to get the ring off; no stupid prison island was going to keep her prisoner for ten years! They did get unchained at night; it wasn't like they were going to be able to run very far. Ameila was fast asleep, exhausted; Gourry was playing cards nearby with some other prisoners. She couldn't believe how fast he had adapted to this; it was as if he had been a slave growing wheat forever. Maybe it was just that he had the physique to do this kind of work; she was so tired she could hardly think, and she was in better shape than most people. The ring still wouldn't come off, but her finger was now disgustingly slimey. She washed it off, and sighed. I may have to cut my finger off, she thought. That would be a last resort, though; new fingers were hard to come by, and she didn't know a good way to regrow it, although Sylphiel might have been powerful enough. She shook Amelia awake. "We have to come up with a plan." "Too tired to plan," Amelia muttered. "What, you wanna be a slave forever?" "Call me in the morning," Amelia said, rolling over. Dammit, I wanna get off this hell hole, Lina thought. No one else seems to care. ********** Sylphiel was confused. She'd gone to bed in a nice warm, if kinda stiff, bed at the temple, but now she was walking through a vast forest where every tree was the size of the Great Holy Tree of Sairaag. It was beautiful, lit by sparkling stars above, an ocean of huge trees interspersed with shallow pools reflecting the moon. A deer looked up from drinking in one of the pools, and she came up and petted it. "Hello," she said. "Hello," it said. "Welcome to the Wood Between the Worlds." Sylphiel's eyes widened. She knew that place from the holy writings of Ordana; it was where Ordana lived. "I...I should have realized." "The Forest Mother has called you; she will be here soon," the doe said, then returned to drinking. Music preceded her, and between the trees came a huge dryad, nearly seven feet tall, clothed only in vines and leaves, with a long mane of green hair nearly down to her ankles. Flowers and sapling trees sprouted up in her wake. Sylphiel fell to her knees and bowed. "Great Mother of the Forest and protector of Sairaag." "Hello, my child. I have work for you." "I live to obey, Great Mother, but I'm afraid I'm imprisoned on Borydis Island." "That will change soon enough. The prison is not easily made that can hold your friends. While I cannot break you out, I can tell you that you can trade the sapling I sent with you to the Forest Elves of the Minrothad Guilds in return for a branch from the Seedless Oak which can send you home. They have long waited for me to send them one, and this will help both them and you." Sylphiel bowed to her "Thank you. This is..." "Incredibly dangerous. I can think of over two hundred wizards who would gladly kill you for this if they learn of it. And half the elves on the planet would launch a jihad after you if they knew you had it. But I cannot simply give it to them, yet they need it. They have gone long enough without one." "Why can't you give it to them?" "There are rules that govern even our behavior, and while we can bend them, we cannot break them. Things as powerful as a Tree of Life cannot be simply given away by the Immortals to their followers; they have to be earned. You must beware, Sylphiel, for there are many among the Immortals who will try to use you. Each of you has gifts which cannot be found in this world, and many will try to take advantage of them." "Gifts?" She paused. "This world...we're in another world?" "You have passed from your world to the world of Mystara, which while similar in some ways, is very different. Magic is weaker, but the Immortals are freer to act here. That is how you came; some Immortal yanked you from your own world, though I know not which one, or why." Sylphiel was not happy to learn this; being caught in the middle of a war between gods was a good way to die horribly. "So _The Secrets of the Radiance_ was a trap?" Ordana frowned. "Rad. But why...The Radiance is a trap; it's power comes at a cost, and the risk is too great for the rewards." "Cost? Rewards?" "I know little of it, but I know it slays most who use it in the end. If Rad seeks to use this to somehow bring its use to your world..." She frowned intensely. "He will pay. But that is not your concern. Yet. Tell Lina she is a fool if she seeks after the Radiance. If you take this to the Elves of the Minrothad Guilds, you will be able to quickly return to your homeworld; that would be best." She nodded. "Any idea how we can get off this island?" "The rings are cursed to be unremovable. If you remove the curse, they can be taken off. With your group's full power, I'm sure you can escape easily." "I...I had to submit to a Geas to not use my magic without Shan's permission for as long as I am on Borydis in order to be able to stay at the temple." Ordana frowned. "I cannot remove a Geas of Koryis in his temple, and outside holy ground, I cannot reach you on an island so devoid of forest. You will have to make do without your magic for this, then. Ahh...here's an idea." Sylphiel listened carefully and prayed it would work. **********