=09Day 8
=09Andorra finished his food, curry and rice would fill him, and keep him
warm on his trips.  He had been out for some time and she worried over him.
 He had been her younger growing up, four years seems like a big age
differance when you are young.

=09She straitened her dress as she stood and walked over to him, he was
sleeping so she drew a blanket up over him.  She didn't want him to get
cold.  She looked at his face, he looked like his father.  His face was
bold and powerful, she could tell he was ment to lead.  But he was still
young, and didn't have the wisdom of an elders circle to guide him.  He
would have to learn from error.
=09
=09She stepped out to gather up some food and other supplies for the week.=
=20
She studied the other females in the warren.  She watched them, with their
pale skin and fair hair.  Her tribe would be different from now on, but at
least it would be kin again.

=09She returned to the room to see him thrashing in the chair.  He wispered
and murmered.  She set her things down and walked to him.  "Kahzeen,
Kahzeen=85. Shamir"  She jumped back as he said the name.  She made the sig=
ns
of protection to ward off the darkness of those names. =20
=09She reached over and shook him to wake him from his sleep.  He bolted
awake and looked at her.  His body looked worn, more so then before he
rested.=20

=09"What is this?  Kahzeen, and Shamir, why are they in your dreams?"  She
felt his head for feaver.

=09"It is nothing to worry about."  He slipped out from under her arm and
walked over to get the food that sat over the fire.

=09"Those are names of gods who should never be worshiped let alone called
on.  And they are in your sleep.  How is this?"  She grabbed him.  "Tell
me, is it this place?"

=09He looked at her sternly.  "No, it is rumored that the god Shamir is her=
e,
and he has brought Kahzeen with him, to rule the nomadlands.  He seeks to
unite them under one god and to destroy the dragonriders here."

=09She found a place to sit, staggering a little as her mind tried to
comprehend a god here.  "This cannot be.  How would the other gods forsake
us?"  She looked at Andahar.  "Will the dragonriders call on their gods?"

=09"They have no gods."  He sat next to her, seeing her stunned at the
comment.  "I do not understand it either."

=09"No, I lived with your Grandma for a long time after our capture.  She
would not let them split us, she told them I was her granddaughter and I
needed to be kept safe.  They did as she told them because she had the gift
of seeing.
=09
=09"In her last days she was ill, I tried all I could to keep her alive, bu=
t
her body was too old.  She called to me one night, she said she was
reciveing her last vision.  She said the day would come when the gods would
walk with men, and beast and man would be as one with the nomads, the gods
from the north would fight our gods, and nomads would make prisons for
themselvs.  The nomadlands would be changed for all time and none should
know of our ways because they will die.  It will be the time of change.

=09"If Shamir, and Kahzeen are here, then the gods walk with men.  The time
of change is here.  And all we are will die.  The end of the nomadlands."

=09"Who else knows of this vision?"  He stood and looked at her.

=09"No one, she died shortly after she told me."  Andorra started to cry,
part for fear, and part for sorrow.

=09"Do not repeat it again.  We will talk more latter, now I must help with
the search of their missing kin.  Do not worry Andorra, I will not let this
happen."  He smiled reassuring her that he was in control.

=09She wanted to tell him that there was nothing he could do, but only smil=
ed
back.  "Make our name proud and bring back their kin." She smiled.

=09He started to eat.  "The food is good, just like home."  She turned back
to the fire to take care of the food and dishes.  Things went silent for a
time. =20

=09He stood and touched her shoulder.  "I need to go, I am going out to fin=
d
a plant for their healers.  All will be well."  She nodded and let him go.
********************************************************

The suddenness of her actions caught him off guard, and her kiss was
quickly breaking his will.  He tried to think but things were getting hazy
very fast.  He sat up. =20

=09"We will leave before dawn, one hour before dawn."  He was trying to mak=
e
sense of what he was saying, but all he could do was look at her, her hands
on his.  He leaned close and kissed her, his hands moving to her waist and
pulling her to him. =20

=09They lay down in the sand, her hair falling over their faces like a dark
veil.  His hands moved up and down her back as they kissed.  Her lips left
his and trailed down his neck, she removed the gorgte and kissed the bare
flesh of his neck softly. =20

=09He could feel his skin on fire, and he felt as if he might burst.  His
heart beat fast and he could feel a sweat coming, his palms were already
wet. His nervousness must have betraied him, she started to unbuckle his
armor for him.
*********************************************
 =20
=09He lay on the beach, his cloak wrapping the two together.  He had fallen
asleep with her laying on his chest.  He had seen the female form naked
before, in paintings and sulpture.  But as he looked on her now, he could
imagine nothing more perfect.  He mused that he must have lost his
objectivity.
=09
=09He had never experianced anything like that before in his life.  He had
heard of it, and he had heard of other people talking about it.  But he had
never expected it to be what it was.  It was complet and total
enrapturment, he fell into the stormy seas and he drowned in them, enjoying
it.  He had never felt so close to another being except for the link with
him and Britania. =20

=09He looked at her next to him, the dawn light still some time away, but t=
he
predawn light making murky shadows.  He hummed softly.  Renata, the name
was from legend, it was the name of a woman who was a warrior who was
stripped of her rank and title after being unjustly accused of being
unfaithful to her word.  He realized why she took the name, it was the name
of an outcast.

=09He stopped singing and she stirred. "Why did you stop?"  She looked up a=
t
him.  "It was a lovely song.  I was pleased to hear it."

=09"It is time to sing another song.  Of war and death."  He hummed softly
the death chant.

=09She burried her head in his chest.  "You have not changed your mind?"  H=
e
simply shook his head.  "Then I will rouse Vagen and we will be off soon,
as I promised."  Her hand touched his scared shoulder.  "Is this what she
did to you?" =20
=09He nodded, he had never let anyone touch him there before.  He dispised
that part of him, loathed and hated it.  Because everytime he looked at it
he would remember.  And now he remembered, and felt the fool for letting
her suduce him like she did.  One whole night was lost because of his
follish passions.  "It is nothing.  I have to kill a dragon, if you don't
mind."  He flushed as she looked at him.  He had to look away to keep from
feeling the regret he knew her eyes would give him.  The same look Els'beth
had given him.  She stood and dressed silently.

=09C'aranth walked to the lake and bathed, washing himself and chanting
softly small prayers to his ansestors who he would meet.  He dawned his
armor and mounted her dragon who was ready.  The dragon gave him a stiff
look as he got on, and she didn't look at him.
*******************************************************

=09Andorra waited at the door.  The night was long with out Andahar, and no
word as well made her even more nervous.  The night had given way to the
light of the dawn and the sun burned the sky behind the mountains.  She
didn't dare to leave after hearing the alarms lastnight.  But all was still
this morning, very still.

=09Andorra stepped out onto the balcony and looked out into the sky.  In th=
e
distance she could see a flock of birds.  They drew closer and closer.  The
is when she could see the long necks of the dragons.  Her heart lept and
she studied them hard, looking for her kinsman.  She couldn't tell and it
seemed as if they were taking forever to land.

=09She rushed down to the green and waited there.  He would need a warm mea=
l
and a bath.  The dragons landed and she looked for Andahar.  She rushed to
his dragon and it looked at her.  The beast was enormus, bigger then she
thought they would be.  She stepped back looking into it's eyes and called
for Andahar.  "Are you alright?"  She spoke in her native toung as the
dragonrider speak still eluded her.

=09"I am fine.  What are you doing here?"  He dismounted and that is when s=
he
saw him.  The large man who was with C'aranth.  She stepped back looking at
him getting off a pearl dragon with lovely scales.  He looked battle worn
as well, the whole party looked as if they could use some food and rest.

=09"I was worried about you.  There was an attack last night.  I was worrie=
d
you had been killed."  He approched her as she wouldn't move for fear of
the dragon.

=09He turned and listened to some of the dragonriders speak.  He furrowed h=
is
brow and turned back to her.  "Your ok?"

=09"Yes, what is it?" =20

=09"It sounds like Shamir was here last night."  She caught her breath and
stepped back.  "He has stolen some of the dragon's young."

=09She stopped listening to watch the tall man walk past her.  He moved wit=
h
a purposeful grace, his hair blowing slightly in the morning breeze.=20
Andahar touched her arm.  "Are you ok?"

=09"Yes, I am fine.  Pardon me.  You must be hungry, I will fix you some
food, and your friends.  I insist."  She added it before he could protest.=
=20
"You would not dishonor me by not letting me fix the warriors food?"

=09"No I cannot dishonor you."  He sighed heavily anf turned to the crowd a=
nd
spoke in the dragonrider toung.
*****************************************
Tag- Arlene have fun, she will want to fix them all something, esspecilly
Nikol.  She fancies him.
******************************************

=09Her warren lay under them in the stillness of the morning.  She brought
the dragon around and landed on the opisite side and spoke with her dragon
again.  She then turned to C'aranth.  "I will take you to the warren, but
Vagen wants to stay here, she says she doesn't want to see Kahzeen when he
sees you alive."

=09"Understood. I just want to see the dragon, then you are free to go as
well."  She looked a little disappointed at that comment.  But she pushed
back a bush and lead him into a tunnle.

=09"This is a back way, it will lead to a store room from there it isn't fa=
r
to the hatchling cavern."  She lead the way through the dark cave his hand
in hers.=20

=09 It opened to a dark store room, but a little light was visable, more so
then in the cave.  He still nursed a sore shoulder that he had bumped along
the way.  Renata tried to warn him but it came a bit too late.  They
crawled over bags and crates in the store room to get to the door.  Renata
stepped out first to make sure the area was clear.

=09"Come on, it is clear."  She whispered.

=09C'aranth stepped out and they started down the hall.  They stopped to
round a corner when behind them there was a cry.  C'aranth looked back and
there was a procession of men, nomads.  Some of them laden with large
baskets over their shoulders.  C'aranth moved instantly covering the ground
between him and the first nomad with a weapon to impale him on the spear.=
=20
He with drew and slashed at another.  The sharp blade needed to only glance
the flesh of a human to wound deeply as it was forged for running theough a
scaley hide. =20

=09Four of them had surrounded him by this time and the spear was
ineffective.  He drew his sword and a long dagger.  The sword found a spot
in one of the nomads and his dagger cut the throat of another.  He danced
amoung them, not standing still for them to unite aginst them.=20
Individually they may have been a challenge, and if they had trained as a
unit, but their numbers worked aginst them as they would cross their own
blades and bicker and curse at each other.

=09"STOP."  The voice boomed through the hallway.  C'aranth turned from the
fray to look at a man walking to him.  He had the whole nomad procession
bowing and parting to make way for him.  "I am Kahzeen.  Who are you?"  He
looked to Renata and then to C'aranth.

=09"I am C'aranth, and if you let me be I will not have to kill you.  I hav=
e
other business her then you."  C'aranth was tightening, ready to spring.

=09"He is the dragon killer Kahzeen."  Renata said with a sigh.

=09Kahzeen looked at the dead bodies then to C'aranth.  "I told you to brin=
g
his head to me, and you have.  But I thought you would have detached it
first Renata.  It is no matter, we have won.  And I am sure Zelandreth
wouldn't mind the pleasure of killing him herself."

Tag- John, I don't know what will happen, but I thought you would like to
play Kahzeen for this.
Darren Hunter
Roland Brock
korzad@lgcy.com

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