Renata
(inside Vorbis' camp)

/snip from Darren's post/

The tent flap opened and a Guard stepped in.  "I hate to disturb you your 
lordship..."  He looked at C'aranth with his sword and Vorbis with his throat 
slit.  The man did not have time to speak as a knife flew into his head.  He 
dropped next to his lord.  C'aranth looked back to see Renata looking at him. 
 "You could not help yourself, could you."

"I did not do this."

"No time to talk we need to get going, they will be waiting for us at the 
river."  Renata slipped back under the tent, followed by her lover.

/end snip/

     Renata kept herself pressed to the ground, hoping that by crawling in 
the direction of the camp's perimeter she could remain unseen.  She turned 
around and saw that C'aranth had not done the same.  He was standing erect, 
sword drawn, as though ready to take on Vorbis' whole army.

     "Get down!" she hissed.  "They'll see you!"

     C'aranth's look was defiant.  "It disturbs me to slink around like a 
common thief," he said quietly.

     "Better a dead thief than a live hero!" she whispered urgently, reaching 
up to grab his hand, intending to pull him down alongside her.  But before 
she could do so, the guard whom they'd seen inside the tent came racing out.  

     "His Lordship is dead!!" the man screamed.  "His Lordship's been 
murdered!! Guards!! Guards!!"

     "Ah...damn," Renata muttered.  There was no use in hiding now.  The 
guards were racing toward the tent in response to their fellow's call, and 
all over the camp soldiers were springing from their bedrolls and drawing 
weapons.

     "There's no way we can get out now," Renata said, sliding her sword from 
its scabbard.  

     "We are innocent of this," C'aranth said firmly.  "We should have 
nothing to fear."

     "Okay, tell them that," said Renata, as the two of them were surrounded 
by a ring of armed soldiers.

     "They did it!!" shouted the guard who'd first discovered Vorbis' body.  
"Take them!"

     "I wonder if he means dead or alive?" C'aranth remarked calmly.

     "I don't think it's going to matter much in the long run," she replied, 
as the two of them moved back-to-back to face the oncoming horde.


* * * * * * * *
Trevor

/snip from Alton's post/

Syren's head turned to look at Trissana, *Triss reminded us to be
careful.*

{Tell her we will be,} Cynthia replied as she swung up into the saddle.

Syren launched herself from the ledge and climbed up through the Cleft.
Three dragons launched themselves from the upper green and rose to join
her.

/end snip/

     [They've left,] Triss announced as soon as the queen and her escorts had 
teleported.  Trevor jumped up from his chair and dashed into the sleeping 
chamber.  When he emerged into the dragons' portion of the apartment moments 
later, he was wearing a camouflaged tunic and pants that were a mixture of 
soft greens and browns, perfect for blending into the terrain of the 
Nomadlands.  He was carrying his bow, and had a quiver of arrows slung over 
his shoulder.  His father's sword hung at his side.

    Triss blinked curiously at him, as she watched him smear a brownish 
pigment onto his face.  [What are you doing?] she asked.

     *Putting this stuff on my face so I'm harder to see,* he told her.  *Oh, 
by the way, it would help if you took a quick roll in the mud before we took 
off, so that pearly hide of yours would be harder to see."

     [Roll in the mud and get all dirty?] she demanded indignantly.  She 
pointed her noise in the air and closed her eyes.  [Certainly *not!*]  

     Trevor sighed, knowing that he hadn't the time right now to argue the 
point with her.  *All right...I guess we'll just have to take our chances 
then.  Let's go.*

     Triss shrugged herself out from under her blanket - she didn't really 
need it on a warm night like this, but it had neatly concealed the fact that 
she'd already been saddled and ready to go well before Cynthia left.  Trevor 
swung himself up into the saddle, and Triss sprang from the ledge.  She 
soared upward, over the rim of the cleft, and the watchdragon had time for 
only one surprised bellow at her sudden appearance before she had vanished 
yet again.

     They came out of teleport a number of miles from Vorbis' camp.  Trevor 
could have gotten them right on top of it, but he knew that on this outing he 
needed to avoid Cynthia and the others just as much as he needed to avoid 
Vorbis' soldiers.

     Triss, using her unique dragon-locator, was quickly able to ascertain 
where Syren, Bohoc, and the others were.  Trevor then had her steer a course 
that would take them well clear of that spot while looping around to come up 
on the other side of the camp from where the others were.

     The pearl dragon landed quietly and quickly crouched down as low as she 
could to avoid being seen.  Trevor dismounted and likewise flattened himself 
to the ground, crawling stealthily to the low rise that overlooked the camp 
on this side.  He stopped when he heard the unmistakable sound of Triss 
crawling forward behind him.

     *You stay here,* he told her.  *I'll go alone.*

     [I don't like that idea,] she protested.  [What if you need me?]

     *Then you'll be the first to know,* he told her. *But don't come unless 
I tell you to!*

     Reluctantly, Triss waited behind while Trevor crawled forward.  Soon 
he'd reached the top of the rise, and could peer down into the vast 
encampment.  At first, there appeared to be nothing much to see - everything 
was quiet and still, the soldiers apparently asleep.  But as a precaution, he 
strung his bow and nocked an arrow.   Then he settled down to wait.

     The wait wasn't a long one.  In a few moments, he saw a woman - he 
recognized her as Renata a second later - crawl out under the tent flap.  
C'aranth followed her, and the appeared to be whispering urgently back and 
forth.   At that moment, a guard raced out of the tent, screaming that His 
Lordship had been murdered.  Trevor's eyes widened.  Vorbis was dead??

     In only a few more seconds, the whole camp was a beehive of activity.  
Many of them rushed to the tent where their former lord lay, but many others 
were racing to surround C'aranth and Renata.  

     "Damn," he swore softly.  He raised his bow and drew back the string, 
prepared to fire the moment hostilities began.    

     But he was distracted by the sound of wings behind him, and was 
horrified to see that Triss had taken to the air.  *What are you doing??* he 
demanded.

     [I think they need help,] she replied calmly.  [And I can get there 
faster than you can, so....]

     Trevor swore silently as the dragon swept over his position, heading for 
the camp.  He knew that his only option now was to follow her, and he set off 
at a run.

(Okay, tag to whoever wants to go next!)

Submitted by:

John

Trevor & Trissana
Renata & Vega
Cleft Warren

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