....Chapter Two

As if he had heard her cry, Rezo the Red Priest appeared beside young Medb, a soft smile upon his lips. His eyes were always closed; he was blind. But he had ways of 'seeing' the beautiful girl who had just begun to bloom into womanhood.

Hearing a noise, Medb looked about her, and Rezo appeared in her vision. Seeing his open arms, she ran into them, and buried her face in his chest, letting the tears flow freely. That soft smile still on his lips, he embraced her, enveloping her in his cloak.

She saw the kind blind man as the father she never had, or otherwise she would not have wrapped her slender arms around his waist and soaked his shirt with her tears. She had met Rezo before the dreams started, not once thinking that he was the one responsible for them.

He rocked her back and forth in a gentle swaying motion, and ran his large hand over her braid. As he held her shaking body close to him, he was careful not to accidentally hit her with the staff he held in his other hand. As the girl clung to him, he frowned deeply, the smell of ale entering his nostrils. So, she had been drinking again. He held her soft body against him tightly, and unknowingly hurt her.

"Rezo, ye are 'urtin me!"

Immediately, he let go of her, angry because she cried the words he never wanted to hear from her again. He turned his face to the side slightly, his brow furrowed.

Suddenly, a childish peck was placed upon his cheek by her full red lips, and she was hugging him. She did not want him to be angry; he was not a person made to be angry-at least in her opinion. His arms once again slowly went around her, and he held the girl close, knowing this was as far as he would ever get; at least for now.

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Medb lay asleep in her bed, occasionally tossing and turning. A few hours earlier Rezo had tucked her into bed, and left her to sleep. For awhile, she had thought of the man Zelgadiss Greywers. He scared her. But, there was something intriguing about him that caught her interest. She planned on talking to him on the 'morrow; if she dared get near him.

Now she lay asleep, and was free to manipulate through dreams. And Xelloss did just that. He appeared in her mind, whispering "Beware of Zelgadiss Greywers. He is your enemy."

As always, she did not recognize the man with purple shoulder length hair who harassed her in her sleep. All she knew was that she woke up, scared, shaking. And lonely. The dreams always affected her like this. And this one was the worst.

Tears streaming down her face, she cried out to her only friend. "Rezo!!".

(*(*(*(*)*)*)*)

Very early the next day, Zelgadiss pushed himself up on his elbows, and stared around his room from his position on the bed. It was simply furnished: a night stand, a small bed, a closet, a couple of chairs beside a window, a table, and a dresser. There was really nothing to brag about, but he liked this room. He felt at home here. "Home?", he thought. "No.. not home.. just comfortable.."

With a heavy sigh he fell back against the pillows, which now had a leather pillow case on them to protect them from his sharp, shard-like hair. With a rough stone hand, he rubbed his face, barely feeling the 'pebbles' on his chin and along the sides of his face. He was a monster.

No wonder Medb had reacted so terrified when she heard his name. No doubt she has heard stories of him. Last night when he saw the look on her face, he felt as if she had slapped him. She had seemed more than terrified by him; she seemed to think he was looking for her. That he wanted something from her. What could he possibly want from that girl?
"She was just drunk, is all. Nothing to worry about." Or was there? There was something about this girl that attracted him to her. He had to admit she was beautiful, her lively green eyes, her appreciation of life. But when she shrank from him last night, he felt deep despair. Of all people, he did not want to see such a look from her.

As he thought over these things, he decided the best thing to do was to ignore her, place a barrier between them, and treat her as she was: a barmaid. Little did he know that she would play a major role in a series of events soon to come.

Some time later, Zelgadiss clasped his cloak on, pulled the hood over his head, and stepped out the door of his room. His facemask already in place, he tugged at one half-glove, making sure it was on properly. His sheathed sword was attached to the belt around his waist, and his arms hung limply at his sides. He looked the same as he did every morning; ready for whatever trials were awaiting him.

The stairs creaked with his heavy weight as he made his way down them towards the main floor. He paused briefly to scan the patrons. People of all shapes and sizes occupied the tables, and barmaids scurried around, serving one table, taking orders at another. Medb, as far as he could see, was not among them. Perhaps she didn't work today. He was glad.
As he reached the bottom step, someone burst out of the kitchen, carefully balancing two trays on her slender hands. It was Medb. Her hair was braided beautifully with a dark green ribbon intertwined in the thick strands of hair. He watched as the young woman carefully made her way across the room, her black skirt swishing about her bare ankles. He noted with amusement that she was the only barmaid who dared to go barefoot in this cold weather.

Shaking his head, he approached an empty table, and eased himself down in a chair, wincing as it groaned. His weight was almost too much for the inn's weak chairs. He watched Medb as she delivered the two trays to a couple of rough looking men who did not look very trustworthy. Medb, he noted, seemed to know them well, for she laughed at something they said.

With a sigh, he turned his attention elsewhere. His friends were no were in sight; he knew they would still be sleeping. So instead he concentrated on the conversations that were going on around him. Maybe someone would have a clue about a shrine or anything else that would help him find a cure for what he had become.

"Good morrow, Milord. What will ye be 'avin today? Black coffee?"

Startled out of his thoughts, he turned quickly to see Medb, who was regarding him with dull green eyes. She looked as if she did not get much sleep last night, and he sensed the fear she felt towards him. She was confused about something. But, what? He wanted to know.

He nodded, absently wondering how she knew that what he wanted. But he had other things to worry about. Such as who she really was. There was something about her that unnerved him. A familiar smell embraced her, intertwining with the smell of roses that simply radiated from her. But that familiar smell was faint, as it was last night, and he could not make it out.
Medb returned with his coffee -which he took gratefully- just as Lina, Gourry, and Amelia sat down at his table. She scribbled on a pad of paper as, once again, words were hurled at her. (He knew she was surprised at how much those three could consume.)
Lina regarded her thoughtfully, then spoke just before she left. "Wait, uh.. Gwin.. Can I ask you something?" Surprised, the young woman turned to her, and nodded. "Aye, ye can do that, Milady. I will try ta answer."

Lina frowned heavily at Medb, watching her with narrowed eyes. Zelgadiss compared the two redheads thoughtfully. Both were beautiful, and each held a grace of their own. Lina, though not always graceful, seemed to cast her spells almost perfectly, and he knew no one who did as well as she. Medb seemed to move with a gracefulness of her own when she walked. And there was something else about Medb that differed from Lina.. But he could not figure that out.

"Who was that you were with last night?" Lina's eyes were narrowed.

Medb's dull green eyes seemed to turn to a black-green color as she returned Lina's stare. Her slender hand gripped the pad, her knuckles whitening. " 'Tis none o' ye business who I talked to after I left Lord Greywers late last night." With that, she turned on her heels, and stalked off.

Lina watched her go, eyes widened. "After she talked to Lord Greywers? When did she talk to you, Zel?"
"After 3 o'clock in the morning.. Why?"

"I wonder who she talked to after she left you.."