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The book had turned out worthless.
"They always turn out to be worthless", Zel thought bitterly. He slowly made his way to the inn. He hadn't thought of his accounter with Amelia once.
Zelgadiss rubbed his temples. His head hurt like hell. A healer had told him once that they were stress headaches. He pulled his hood closer as a young women and her child passed by. The boy clung to his mother. Something twinged in Zel's memory. A half remembered thought hung at the edge of his consciousness. He tried to grasp it, but it faded away into oblivion.
"Couldn't have been very important anyway," he thought absently.
He reached the door to the inn. His hand grasp the cold metal door handle.
**Jingle Jingle**
Zel stopped cold in his tracks.
"That sound... " The sound faded away.
"No couldn't have been him. He's dead.... ", Zel mumbled to himself. Zel shrugged off the odd occurrence and entered the inn.
Unbeknownst to Zel the door knob glowed red.
Zelgadiss Greywords ascended the stairs. The old wooden stairs made groaning and creaking sounds as he weighed down upon them. The inn was pitch dark. Most of the inhabitants were gone. It was Christmas Eve after all. Who would want to spend it alone?
Zel scowled at the darkness and cast lightning. The darkness receded away and the light formed a protective circle around him. He ascended the stairs again. Now.. only if he could keep the darkness within at bay....
Zel got ready to settle in for the night. He sat his sword next to his bed. He laid in his inn bed with a weary sigh. His mind started to slip into merciful sleep....
**JINGLE JINGLE*
Zel sat straight up in bed.
"That sound....no it can't be him." Zel rubbed his temples. "I shouldn't have drunk that cup of coffee before I went to bed", Zel told himself. He settled back into bed. The light globe was suddenly snuffed out.
"Zelgadissss"....
"No, it can't be him. I refuse to believe it's him!" Zel put the pillow over his head and tried to disappear under the covers.
"Zelgadisss Greywordsss".....
"No its just the coffee... I've had too much coffee..."
Zel peeked his head up from under the covers. Standing before him was the last person he thought he would ever seen again. The man's robes hung loosely about him. His eyes were tightly closed as they were in life. Well, most of his life anyway.
The chimera leaped out of his bed and grabbed his sword. He pointed it threatenly at the man.
"Rezo...."
"What are you going to do with that sword boy...kill me?", Rezo replied. "You can't kill something that's already dead."
"What are you doing here?", Zel replied still not able to beleive what his senses were telling him. Rezo's face took on a pained expression.
"I'm here to warn you... so you don't end up like me".
Zel noticed after closer inspection that Rezo was encased in chains. His face was sheet white and translucent. Zel narrowed his eyes.
"I'm nothing like you".
"Are you so sure about that? You search relentlessy day and night for a cure. You push everyone who loves you away, and you don't think twice about it. You'll step on anyone who gets in your way, regardless if their a friend or not."
Rezo's face seemed to grow paler.
"I should know. I pushed everyone who loves me away in the search to cure my eyes. I let Shabranigdo take over my body. These chains I wear....I forged them in life. You Zelgadiss have a chain the same as mine."
"I don't beleive you.....," Zel said and griped his sword tighter. The chimera slowly backed away. Rezo grabed him by the hand and pulled him close.
"See for yourself boy.... " Rezo pulled open his robe. Underneath his robe were worms eating at his decaying flesh. Zel stared in horror.
"This is my punishment. I am doomed for eternity to roam the world seeing what I could have had, what I could have become."
Rezo's face took on a decrepid appearance. His flesh hung in ragid strips off his face. "You can escape this fate...." Rezo leaned his face close to Zelgadiss. Zel's nostrils filled with the smell of rotting flesh and he tried not to vomit.
"You will be visited by three ghosts, the ghost of christmas past when the clock strikes one, the ghost of christmas present when the clock strikes two, and the ghost of christmas future when the clock strikes three."
Rezo started to fade away.
"Heed my words Zelgadiss Greywords," Rezo said, "The past is history, and the future a mystery. Right now however, is a gift.., that's why its called the present."
Rezo faded as he said those last words. Zelgadiss could have sworn he heard the souls of the dammed crying out for mercy. The oak grandfather clock in the hallway struck eleven. The sound echoed through the empty inn.