“I’m screwed,” he whispered to himself and looked around again. He couldn’t believe it.

Seyruun was now just a blanket of rubble and dust as far as the eyes could see, most of it on fire.

He suddenly got a strong scent on the air. It smelled like ash and fire and charred flesh, but underneath all that there was a pungent smell of mazoku.

Opening his yes, he sniffed the air. These were no ordinary Mazola, not in the least. Something smelled fishy. Very fishy. Not like fish rotting in the sun, but like fish swimming freely in the ocean, covered in thalassic brine. The other scent stung his nose. It was almost and absence of smell. Snow. Freezing, fluffy snow. Deep Sea Dolphin and Dynast.

Why, though? Why hadn’t his master noticed this? Surely anything they did, let along destroying the White Magical Capital of the known world would have made her call her general and priest to her side.

Either she was in danger, which wasn’t likely. She was had driven Dolphin crazy the last time they fought, and Dynast was weaker than Dolphin.

He didn’t smell wolf on the air, but the only other option would be for his master to have been in on this. That meant she had allied with her two worst enemies.

She couldn’t though… right?

Only the wind bothered to answer his mental query.

Xellos sighed. He couldn’t sense anyone alive.

Before he could start thinking about how he was going to explain this to Lina, Zelas called to his mind.

Speak of the devil
 
 

* * * * *
 
 

“Have you heard the news about Seyruun?” Zelas asked, blowing noxious smoke in the air and turning her back on her servant as her kneeled.

“Yes, Master, I have,” he said, solemnly.

“Humans are just now daring to explore in the direction of Seyruun, how would you know that?” she asked, putting a stiletto heel on his neck.

“I was just there, Master.”

“Why?”

“I agreed to find a friend of Lina’s for her.”

“The princess?”

“Yes.”

“Then you have undoubtedly found out who has done such a thing,” she said, taking her foot off of him.

“What of them?”

“Just stay here, with me. They might go after you after taking out Seyruun. If all goes without incident, then you can go back to … that man.”

“Thank you, Master,” Xellos said, and stood up.

Zelas turned away and smiled. She went back to smoking her cigarette. The spell was hard to cast and she would be rendered magic-less and vulnerable for months, but it was worth it. His ring was useless under the barrier she had put up, and he couldn’t sense it.
 
 

* * * * *
 
 

“Howling sword!” Zangulus screamed. The green blast flew from the enchanted sword and hit the monster with no effect.

Martina screamed and grabbed her husband so hard she knocked him over and they both fell in the deep snow. “We’re gonna die!” she shrieked.

“Ra Tilt!” a vaguely familiar voice shouted. A white blast hit the monster and it burned up, white flames consuming it in an instant.

The scared couple looked in the direction the spell had come from and wiped the snow from their eyes.

“Are you hurt?” Zelgadis asked, tossing come fur clothes to them.

“I HATE snow,” Zangulus muttered.

“You saved us!” Martina yelled ecstatically. “Lina must have gotten my letter. It was horrible. Everything was destroyed and all the building were crumbling and we couldn’t save anyone and we barely go out alive.” She began bawling as her husband wrapped a fur cloak around her.

A team of dogs ran up and began licking her face, dragging a sled behind them; those that couldn’t reach started slobbering on Zangulus.

“Sorry, they do that,” Zelgadis said. “Over here guys,” he called.

The dogs paid him not attention and kept licking Martina, too baffled to cry anymore.

Zelgadis sighed. “Cookies,” he called.

The dogs raced over to him and sat at attention, the sled smacking Martina and Zangulus in their faces.

“Well, get on,” Zelgadis said.

Martina and Zangulus exchanged glances, then shrugged.

They hopped on the sled and Zelgadis got on.

Eager for the cookies they were promised the dogs charged off once Zelgadis was on, healing straight for a tiny village a few miles from the base of the mountain.

“Whee!” Martina squealed, hugging her husband and giggling. “I love sledding!”

“I’ve fallen off too many mountains to enjoy this,” Zangulus commented to himself.

Martina suddenly stopped giggling. “Did you hear something?”

Zelgadis looked up slightly. “There is a fell voice on the wind—“

A blast of snow and ice and fire went off, severing the lines that held the dogs to the sled.

The canines kept charging off, their tongues waving in the wind and dripping saliva on the snow.

The sled, however, took a turn the dogs didn’t, and slid down and zigzagging curve.

“Whee!” Martina yelped again. By now the dogs were out of sight.

“How do you steer this thing?” Zangulus screamed.

“Steer? Where’s the fun in that?” Martina asked.

“Your supposed to steer the dogs,” Zelgadis said.

“What now?” Zangulus screamed.

“Hang on tight or you’ll fly off!” Martina yelled. Martian grabbed the edge of the sled, Zangulus grabbed her, and Zelgadis grabbed him as the sled flew off a snow dune and was now flying through the air.

“Aaaaah!” the men screamed.

“Waaahoooo!” Martina shouted.

The reached the crest of the arch and they began falling. The men closed their eyes, but Martina just laughed her head off as they fell faster and faster, crashing on the snow and sliding down the mountain said again.

“Aww, we slowed dow—oh, here we go,” Martina said.

The mountainside was getting steeper and steeper, the sled going faster and faster.

“Whee! Ptooie! Whee!” Martina continued laughing and squealing with joy as she spat out random bits of snow that hit her mouth. “Oh dear,” she said, her tone abruptly changing.

“What?” Zangulus asked.

“We’re going too fast for that one. And it’s too big,” she said, pointing to a dune.

Everyone silently started saying prayers.

The sled smashed into he dune and everyone and pieces of said sled went flying.

Zelgadis’s ring flashed for a second time and he swore he heard the strange voice again.
 
 

* * * * *
 
 

Zangulus shook his head and looked up. He wondered where all the trees came from.

His sword crashed onto his head and he took an impromptu nap.

Close by, Martina pulled herself out of a large, frozen, and extremely sharp thorn bush.

“Owie, owie, owie, ow—“ she muttered, stopping as she saw Zelgadis.

Tears were gushing from his closed eyes; he was shaking in pain, holding his right leg. A huge bear trap, with recently sharpened teeth had bitten down on his leg and snapped the bone in half when he landed on it.

It somehow seemed magical and ominous as it began to snow heavily.