Dying Confessions

He stood there not knowing what to do. But his mind was telling him
something was wrong. Something was very wrong. The woman standing before him
seemed so different from the woman he had grown up knowing at first Telnor
Warren and then here at the Cleft. She looked the same, but the wild look in
her eyes was something he had never seen before.

It filled him with fear. 

<<Voger... maybe you had better ask Jamble and Futdanlith to bring their
riders here,>> he sent the quick thought out to his life mate. <<I don't
know what's going on here but something's not right. Tell them something is
wrong with the Warrenlady.>>

<I have done so and they come.>

He turned his full attentions on the woman standing before him and saw her
knees appeared to buckle for the briefest moment.  Saw her
plant the end of her quarter staff on the ground to remain upright.

My'kel stepped forward to help her, "M'lady..."

"Stay away from me," Cynthia lashed out with the quarterstaff.

My'kel didn't expect the blow which hit him squarely in the chest.  He
stumbled backwards and fell in the dirt.

He rose slowly and said, "Maybe I should have Voger contact the warren and
send someone to help you?" His worst fears had been confirmed. The Cynthia
he knew would never have attacked him like this.

"No, you should not.  You should leave."

"But, M'lady?" he pleaded, not knowing what else to do. Suddenly he found
himself wishing someone else were here with him. Someone who would know what
to do.

>Cynthia snarled like a cornered cat and came toward him swiftly.  My'kel
leapt backwards and avoided her first blow, but her second scored painfully
on his arm.  He drew his dagger from his belt and tried to defend himself,
but the quarter staff gave Cynthia far superior reach. 
She pressed and he was forced to give ground.

>Both Syren and Voger were alarmed at what was unfolding before them, but
neither wanted to act for fear of hurting their riders.  They did the only
thing they could and contacted the dragons at the warren.

He tried to defend himself, but she just kept coming after him. He didn't
know what else to do. His hand felt for the knife he always carried at his
side. But even as he pulled it free, he knew he couldn't use it on her.
My'kel had been taught all his life that one always protected the
Warrenlady... but this woman welding the quarterstaff in no way resembled
the woman he had known all his life. 

The end of the stick hit him across the forehead, stunning him briefly. Then
before he could get out of the way he felt it land heavily against his side
again. Stepping backwards, he tried to stay out of her reach, then it hit
him that she had been trying to force him to make this very move. His eyes
caught sight of the cliffs edge briefly before she scored another hit.

He had just enough presence of mind to think about turning and trying to get
by her, to get to his dragon and try to get away from here. If he could
reach Voger he knew he could get away and bring help. But just as he turned
she hit him again and he lost his footing. 

My'kel saw the ground come up beneath him, then felt himself rolling
forward. His hands flayed about trying to find something to hang on to, to
stop his fall,  But then he was going over the edge of the cliff and he fell
he screamed out his dragon's name... knowing he was going to die. Knowing
that Voger was going to die with him.
------

Pain!! 

He felt it in every cell in his body. 

He tried to move but his limbs didn't respond. His mind screamed out to
Voger and for a moment felt the comforting presence of his dragon. Then he
knew no more.

Dan'yar
*********
"We need to talk," B`rand told him.

"What is it?" he'd just been going over everything with his brothers and
trying to figure out what to do.

"I had my suspicions, but I wasn't sure. Now you've got a witness,"
B'rand said, jerking his head back towards where Leyean lay. 

"Witness for what? For...this?" Dan'yar was suddenly very interested in what
the red-head had to say. If he could shed any light on what was happening...

"That's right. My'kel."

Dan'yar laughed. "Sure it is. Might as well accuse Mother."

"I'm not kidding. He's jealous. He was unaccounted for whenever
something happened. Fr'ougth's footprints were there on the ledge when we
checked before, and now Ley saw him do it."

"Leyean said so? Why didn't she tell me?" the man's lips tuned up in a frown
as his eyes looked down the hall way to where his daughters room was. 

"Scared, I think. It doesn't matter. My'kel did it. What do you want,
fiery letters in the sky?" B'rand was starting to lose his temper.

"We'll just have to go ask him, won't we? If you suspected, then
why didn't you tell me?" Dan'yar glowered at the redhead, he wasn't about to
take this man's word against a member of the family just because he said it
was so. My'kel would be given the chance to respond to or deny the accusation. 

"Because it would have set you all at each other's throats when I told
you. I was going to tell you anyway, but...aw, hell, forget it." B'rand
waved his hand off to the side and Lonnie thought he knew what his friend
had been about to say. Smart of him to keep his mouth shut at a time like this.

"We've got to find him." Dan'yar's eyes moved from one brother to the next.
If this was true.. and he prayed that B`rand was wrong, then they had to
find the boy and get him to explain himself. somehow they had to get him to
understand what he was going could lead to someone getting hurt.

"I want to go. If I'm wrong, then I'll take the fall. I need your help,
Lonnie, I might, ah, need some help making his friends understand."

"I'm coming," Lonnie said. Then with a quick understanding look at his older
brother, he turned and followed his partner out of Dan'yar's place. They'd
worry about helping to clean it up later.

As he watched them leave, he turned back to reach for the dagger he always
wore when he went on patrol and then his strapped his sword around his waist.

"No gods Dani... no please!!" 

The tall blond turned to see his sister standing the at the entrance to the
hall. Her eyes were glued to the wicked looking blade handing from his side.

"Dani I know he stepped over the line but please... he doesn't deserve
this..." her hand pointed towards the weapons he carried.

"Thina...I would never...!!" he moved across the room and wrapped is arms
around the woman. "Gods Sis how could you even think that? My'kel may be the
one responsible for all my troubles... but he's still family. "

"Just don't hurt him Dani..."

"Don't think about that Thina..." he told her and just then Shinner's urgent
thoughts filled his mind.

<Blanchie has sent out the word that her rider is missing,> The beast relayed.

<<What do you mean she's missing?>> He sent back . <<What else did she say,
and who's all going to help?

<She was looking for clues to what happened to the Syren's rider when
another rider she didn't know came... then another man held her and she knew
no more.....Blanchie says they have taken her into a cave and she can not go
after her!!>

<<Try to keep her calm.. we'll be there as soon as we know where to go.>>

"I have to go Thina... something's happened to Lenna." he turned to his
older sister and said then moved towards the door, and headed out on to the
green where he was to meet Shinner. On his way Dan'yar looked up to see his
love walking towards him. But he didn't have time to talk to her right now.

"What's happening?" she asked as she fell into step beside him.

"We've got word that something's wrong with Lenna.  Something about rogues
or nomads, I think." he told her as they came upon the copper dragon.  And
then he was slightly surprised when she threw her arms around him and kissed
him in front of everyone. When the kiss finally ended, his head turned
briefly to glance back the way he had come. 

Thina and the girls were just leaving the apartment and he could tell his
sister was worried. My'kel was her son, so he didn't blame her. He knew he
would have to tell Brisse about the things he had learned about the boy...
but not now. Now Lenna needed him and he had to pull his mind together to
help her.

"Be careful," she said worriedly.

He nodded, but she could see that something about the incident in his 
apartment was on his mind, his eyes darting back to his apartment.  She 
could see the twins with the Aunt Thina, heading for the classroom.

"Is everything all right?" she asked.

"I'll talk to you later, love.  I'm sorry." and he truly was. He dropped a
quick hard kiss on her willing lips and then moved to mount his dragon.
Seconds later they were in the air.

He saw her nodded, and waved as he mounted Shinner and took to the air. Her
image was the last good thing he remembered as he teleported into the air
about the location he'd been given. 

Dan'yar was off Shinner and his feet running towards his nephew the second
his feet hit the ground. He pushed past the riders who were already standing
around watching the young girl on the ground kneeling over the boy. Somehow
he knew her for what she was ...a healer and didn't interfere as she went
about trying to save the boys life.

When he saw that everything was being done to save the boy's life, Dan'yar
turned to Caster, Jamble's rider and asked the man what had happened.

"Why was he here all by himself?" Shinner's rider wanted to know. "You two
are suppost to be his training instructors... how could you have let this
happen?"

"Hey Dani...he said he didn't need any help," Caster told him. "He said he
wanted to check it out and ... we let him."

The man frowned and turned away for the angry rider. He knew the man was
right. They never should have let the new rider go off on his own the way
they had...  but who could have known? The kid had said it was the
Warrenlady after all. How could they have know something was wrong with her.
How could they have ever imagined that she would attack the boy this way.

"Dan'yar...Gees man...I'm sorry. Man I'm so sorry but he said it was
Cynthia!!" the younger rider green eyes turned away from My'kel's Uncle. "We
couldn't have known..."

Dan'yar was still angry, but he knew the man was right. His head turned back
to glance at his nephew and saw the boy's friend kneeling beside him now. It
looked as if the two were talking so he made his way closer, wanting to tell
the boy that he was here. That they were doing everything they could to help
him. He was hoping to comfort the boy but then he hear the words his nephew
was saying and froze...

My'kel
*******

He heard voices. Someone was there beside him. 

He forced his eye open and fought hard to focus on the figure leaning over
him. A female he guest from the way the body was curved, but he really
couldn't tell. his eyes refused to focus beyond the dark outline blocking
off the sun's glare behind them.

"Voger..." his voice sounded rough... and then a hand was lifting his head
slightly and he felt a cool liquid wet the inside of his mouth, and  then
his head was lowered and he heard a voice saying that they had done all they
could do for the moment.

"We have to get him back to what ever you use as a place of healing," Yes it
was a female, he could hear her voice now. But she was wrong... he wasn't
going anywhere. In his heart he knew that today was the day he would die.

A tear fell from the corner of his eye. He didn't want to die.. there was
still so much that he had to do with his life. If he was gone who would
protect Brisse from his Uncle's fiendish attentions. Gods he hated the man. 

"My'kel... can you hear me?"

Frog.... he recognized the sound of his friends voice.

"Gotta promise..." the injured rider's weakening voice tried to force out. 

"Don't try to talk My'kel," his friends worried voice told him. "Save your
strength man...."

"Not ... till... you ...promise to .. watch... Bri," he choked out through
the blood beginning to trickle out of the corner of his mouth. "Promise ...
to protect.. her.. from ... Uncle Dani...promise...you won't let...him...
hurt her... any more... gotta promise. Love her...so much....tell her...I
tried to stop...Uncle Dani...from hurting... had him put in ...med center...
hurt him for...what he ...did to her.. want her to...know.."

"I'll tell her My'kel...I promise," the young man reached up to wipe away
the tears falling from his eyes. "I promise. Now you just rest you hear?"

Frog didn't know what to do, so he found himself agreeing with his friend.
He knew as well as the others that the rider didn't have long to last. He'd
been surprised when he had landed and had seen his friends dragon winging
it's way downward towards it's fallen rider.

His hopes had flared at the sight of the beast, for he knew then that his
friend was somehow still alive. He had his own dragon land as close to them
as he could get, just seconds before Jamble and Futdanlith landed with their
riders

But after seeing the broken body being tended by the unknown healer, Frog
knew in his heart that his friend wasn't long for this life time.

"I promise my friend," he said again and then saw the smile that crossed the
injured riders face and knew in that moment... he was gone. 

They all turned as Voger launched himself up into the air. The dragon
screaming out his anguish and loneliness just second before he teleported
into nothingness. without his rider the beast had no more reasons to go on
living...

"I'm sorry," the girl next to him was saying, drawing his mind off of what
he had just witnessed..."I try to help, but he was to far gone."

"I know," Frog told her, his hand reaching out to squeeze her arm as he
moved to stand up. The blood drained quickly from his face when his eyes met
the blue eyes of the Uncle the dead rider had hated so much. Frog was quick
to guess that the man had heard every word his friend had spoken just before
he past on, and when he saw the big mans fist coming towards the side of his
face, the younger rider made no move to avoid it.......

"DAN'YAR STOP IT," voices were yelling at him from somewhere behind him. The
tall rider had just enough time to pick up the downed rider and deliver a
second blow before hands pulled him away.

"STOP IT MAN," Futdanlith's rider had a hold of him and was pulling him
away. The man had no idea what was going on. Could Dan'yar be blaming his
nephew's friend for what happened?

"Dani it's not his fault," Trig tried to reason with him but it was doing no
good.

"Damn you!!" he yelled at the man still laying on the ground. "How could you
have let him go on with what he was doing.. My daughters were in that
apartment when you three trashed it...My daughters!!! What would you have
done to them if they  had come out to see what was going on?"

"We wouldn't have hurt them..." Frog told him praying he was believed. "I
tried to get him to stop... I didn't want to be any part of it but he was my
friend!!"

"He was my nephew!!!" 

Trig looked over at his patrol partner... both men shrugged. Neither knew
what was going on. But Dan'yar had calmed down so Trig let him go. He could
see the tears in the Flightleaders eyes and thought they were for the man's
nephew. Little did he know about the trouble the man had been having.

For if he had at the time, he might not have been so quick to pull Dan'yar
off of the other rider. He just might have given him the time he needed to
pay the man back for the beating he and his friends had given Dan'yar
sometime ago. If he had known.

"Dani... we got to get the boy back to the Warren," Caster spoke up and
began moving to pick up the still form laying on the ground. 

"No! I'll do it!" Dan'yar seemed to come alive for the moment. "He's my
nephew despite everything that's happened, and I  will be the one who takes
him home to the family. To his mother."

As he moved to pick up the boy, his eyes raised up just enough to look into
the eyes for the healer woman. He didn't know her, but she had tried to help.

"Thank you," his tone was flat but she understood. "I know you did
everything you could to save him and for that my family will always be in
your debt. My name is Dan'yar, Shinner's rider. If I or any of my family can
ever do anything for you... you only to ask."

"There's no need," the girl told him. "I did only what I was trained to do."

"Never the less, my promise still stands." with that said, Dan'yar lifted
the dead weight of his nephew into his arms and started walking towards his
dragon. 

He excepted the help that Caster and his partner gave him in getting the boy
up, and then gave Shinner the order to lift.

Those on the ground watched as man and beast lifted up and then when they
blinked out, they turned to their own dragons and followed. By now there
were others searching the area around them. Several people had entered the
cave where the Queen had reported her rider as fleeing but so far no sign of
Warrenlady Cynthia had been found. The search would go on for some time...

******

<<Shinner will you ask the watch dragon to inform my mother that we are on
the way back to the Warren and that I need them to go to Thina... She will
be in need of them.>>

<The message has been sent my rider,> the dragon's tone was as sad as the
riders. He too had lost a friend today. Dan'yar wasn't so far gone that he
couldn't feel his dragon's pain. Later they would go somewhere and grieve
together. Right now they had to stay strong.

Thina was standing there on the green waiting for them where they arrived.
She took one look at the still body of her son as other riders moved to help
Dan'yar lower him to the ground and fell apart. 

All Dan'yar could think about was what if it had been his own daughters.
What if they had come to some harm because of My'kel. What if it was he who
would have been standing here over the body of a dead child....Gods he
wouldn't be able to take it. His daughters were everything to him. Them and
Brisse, Those three women were his whole life.  

He thought about what could have happened if My'kel hadn't of been injured
and the things he came up with he didn't like, and for that he knew he could
never forgive his nephew. Nor the friends who had gone along with his plan.
To think he would ever hurt Brisse... 

Yarik moved to stand beside his son as his mate took her daughter off after
the men who had carried her son's body over to the medical center.

"Dani...I know this has been hard on you... but son your sister is still
missing," the father told him.

"What do you mean she's still missing?" 

"They have everyone who isn't searching for ... Cynthia... out searching the
caves  where Blanchie last saw Lenna being carried off into .. but so far
there has been no sign of her."

"Farr'in and Lonnie?" Are there right now as well as that new mate of hers
B`rand," Yarik confirmed. "Turner and some of his friends have all hitched
rides with who ever they could... seems a large body of water was found
under the cliffs...but I don't care about that!! I want my daughter found
and I want her brought home alive.!!"

The older man's voice was choked with emotion. 

"I don't want to have to bury two members of this family,' he told his son.
"Find my daughter, find my girl."

****Submitted by:*****

Barbara (a.k.a.

Dan'yar & Shinner
Lonnie & Meritanth
Yarik , Thina, 

And the late but not soon to be forgotten....
My'kel & Voger... may they finally find peace at last.....

Cleft Warren