Chapter Ten

Answers and Horror...

They exited the stairs the shock not completely worn off. Xelloss wasn't too trilled at the turn of events either and sighed placing a hand behind his head.

"Oh dear!" He murmured amiably, shaking his head as though speaking of an unexpected change of weather. "Lord Beastmaster won't be too happy if I stick around… what with our contract null and void now. It's a shame too, I would have liked to have stayed and see how this turned out…"

"You're leaving!" Filia and Amelia gasped in unison, while Lina glowered at him.

"He was only here for his mission." Zelgadiss replied darkly, crossing his arms. "And now that this has no meaning to his mistress he has to go scampering home."

"Leave him be Zel." Lina stated dryly, her rage subsiding as she ran a weary hand through her hair. "At least he's giving us a form of explanation and not just disappearing when we need him. If he's going to leave this would be the time to do it."

Gourry looked around the room and shrugged, his only concern was that Lina had said that there was no food, and well he was getting pretty hungry.

Filia shook her head, tossing her hair in disgust. "Just like a filthy monster! Dragging us all out here and then leaving us a soon as you have no more use for us."

Xelloss grinned darkly. "Well I wouldn't want to break character, now would I, Filia? However, unlike you dragons, we monsters have a sense of protocol!"

"Sounds more like slavery, if you asked me." Zelgadiss muttered.

Zelas' anger vibrated throughout him and Xelloss glared open eyed at the offensive chimera.

"I'd be careful in insulting my Master if I were you." He hissed darkly. "I receive enough of that from Filia; I won't take it from you…"

Zelgadiss blanched and Lina shook her head. Real smooth there Zel, insulting a Dark Lord's governing style in front of her 2nd in command…

Zelas' anger drained out of him and Xelloss relaxed, looking off into nowhere. "Well, I suppose now is a s good a time as any. Be seeing you!"

And with that he was gone leaving a despairing Filia alone to stare at the spot where he once had been.

Zelgadiss grunted, crossing his arms in a huff. "I don't take back what I said."

"Nor would we expect you too, Zel!" Lina replied amiably, slapping him hard on the back. "But right now we have bigger problems, than Xelloss abandoning us we need him most, on his mission!"

She glared darkly at the ceiling and Amelia cut in. "We have to save Lord Eric, now more than ever!"

"I agree." Filia replied, tearing her eyes away from the empty spot, resolute. "I will stand by your side and help Miss Amelia, Miss Lina."

"As will I." Zelgadiss agreed, his gaze softening as he nodded to the princess.

"Right!" Amelia beamed tightening a fist and nodding her head as their eyes met. "And with us, the allies of justice working together, we shall cleanse this house!"

"Um…" Gourry cut in hesitantly. "Normally I'd want to have lunch first, or at least tea, but Lina, is there really no food, at all?"

"What? No food?" Amelia sputtered, wilting slightly.

"Yeah." Lina sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "I was just about to get to that; you all may wanna sit down for this one."

Amelia, wilted completely at that, plopping to the floor.

Zelgadiss opted to stay standing, crossing his arms calmly.

Filia shrugged, kneeling beside Amelia, this sort of problem not really pertaining to her.

Gourry, looked around and then shrugged, plopping to the floor with a loud crash.

"Nice Gourry." Lina commented, decideding not to punish him just then as she turned serious.

"Remember when Zel asked Lord Eric how he was able to prepare all that food so quickly?" Lina asked by way of begining.

"Yeah." Amelia nodded. "And he said he'd never had any servents."

"Yes well..." Lina bristled slightly, rubbing the back of her head. "I'll admit I didn't think to much of it then... as I was more involved in the food as opposed to it's preperations..."

"I'll say!" Gourry chimed in cheerfully. "Lina didn't even notice when I stole her roll!"

"I thought that was missing..." Lina murmered softly before cathcing herself and rounding on him in fury, while the others sweatdroped. "Hey!!! Gourry!"

Before she could pumle him, Zelgadiss placed a restraining hand on her shoulder. "Lina."

"Right, right." She shighed, brushing it off and casting him a final warning glare. "Anyway, when we were looking for Lord Eric we noticed that all the cupboards were bare, and as it seems unlikley that he would despose of all the food, cook us breakfast and then go hang himself, we are led to only one conlusion..."

"The Lord was a ghost all along..." Filia murmured in shock.

"Impossible." Zelgadiss stated annoyed, his arms crossed. "There's no way Amelia wouldn't have noticed."

"Come to think of it..." Amelia stated quitely, a finger on her chin as she remmembered. "I did sense something odd about him, but I just wrote it off to it being this house..." She shuddered and went on. "But after the feast, I didn't since anything from him... or Lord Marcus, Miss Lina that means!"

Lina nodded, growing a little green. "The food was put there to numb us, and there's only one way a ghost can do that..."

Zelgadiss shook his head, cutting in. "It still doesn't make sense. If he was dead from the beginning, then how come he wasn't at the Ball, Lina."

Lina smirked, darkly. "Remember when I said the cupboards were bare?"

Filia looked back at her in shock. "But thats not right, there should have been bugs there; eaters of the dead and such."

"Like on that ghost ship." Lina nodded the disturbed grin not leaving her face. "See, that was my real key, and the thing that explain's all of this."

Amelia looked at her in wideyed horror. "Then Lord Eric didn't prepare that food..."

Lina nodded, going green in the face. "He made that food, from his soul. Selene must have ordered it, that's why our emotions and logic are dulled, to save us from noticing that we were being played."

The group looked at her in horror.

Amelia stared at her hands in disgust and Gourry held his own stomach in horror.

Filia looked palely at Zelgadiss. "But myself, and Mr. Zelgadiss never ate any of the food."

Lina nodded again, a sad smile on her face. "That's why you two, and Xelloss were behaving in shuch a mannor. Selene's aura is so powerful it blocked out the veiw of this house from the astral plane, thus numbing Zelgadiss preseptiveness, and shamistinsc magin won't help with ghosts."

Zelgadiss blanched and Lina nodded.

"I realized this when Zel insulted Lord beastmaster and Xelloss nearly took of his head." She went on. "The only reason he would have reacted so... rudely I supose would be the best trem for it..."

She pursed her lips and went on. "Is because she was directly linked to him, that's why he had no choice but to leave. Normally he would have at least stuck around to see how we'd end up."

She shrugged. "And the only reason Lord Beastmaster would have to do that, was if she couldn't keep an eye on him from afar."

Zelgadiss arched a brow at this and shrugged. "All the same, I don't take back what I said." Espescially now that I know they can't see me...

"Xelloss." Filia murrmered sadly, shaking her head.

Lina looked over at Filia and stated blandly. "But what about you Filia, I have no clue why you were blind sighted by this."

Filia smiled sadly. "Xelloss, actually. I've been having nightmares about him for some time. Plus, for a dragon, his aura was so much stronger than a ghost's, but now that he's gone..." She shuddered, eyeing the walls anxiously. "I can feel them everywhere."

Lina nodded and riased a finger. "And there you have it, however the biggest problem is this..."

She looked meaningfully at the others and stated darkly. "As of now, all of us who ate breakfast are still under Selene's control..."