[Day 3 - Evening - Med Center]

Trevor stood silently in the small room in the Med Center staring down
at his mother's still form.  Turner was laying in the bed next to her's
breathing slowly.  Time seemed to stand still for him.

He was dimly aware of someone else entering the room, but didn't give
any sign until he felt his hand squeezed.  He looked up and a wan smile
crossed his face, "Hi."

Cynthia smiled back, "How is she?"

"Same as before," he replied.

"It's stopped raining."

"I heard a little while ago," he said softly, "I also heard that the
Nomads are planning to celebrate."

She nodded, "I told Jinam I wouldn't be able to make it."

Trevor looked a bit surprised, but then nodded.  "I wanted to apologize
for getting Far'rin upset with you earlier."

"I won't appologize to either you or him for what I did, and you have
nothing to appologize for," Cynthia said with an edge to her voice.

Trevor looked surprised at her fervor.  Cynthia realized her tone, and
her face softened.  She pulled him into an embrace and whispered, "I did
what I had to do because I couldn't stand the thought of living without
you."

She released him, and as darkness settled over the Warren, they waited
together.

***
[At the Nomad's Celebration]


>    After the song was over Ankara turned to Isara.
>  "You know the song of the hopefull?" she asked her with a smile, remembering
>  singing that one with her tribe sisters as a young girl. It was about a young
>  girls dreams of meeting a handsome breave hunter, and some man hearing it
>  might answer back with the song of the lonesome, wich was its compliment, a
>  song of a young mans lonelyness and his desire to find a nice young girl to
>  take as wife.
>

Isara nodded, "But it has been some time since I have sung it."

"It is not something that you forget," Ankara said.

"No, it isn't," Isara agreed.  She motioned for Feysal to come over with
his lute and he sat down beside her.  After a moment he began playing.

The first few notes that drifted out into the night were simple, but
these were followed by a series of complex chords.  These were joined
after a moment by two voices in a rich harmony.

"I can't go in there," M'yer said forcefully.

"Why not?" P'ker asked, gesturing toward the mouth of the cave, "They
don't bite."

"It's a Nomad celebration and I'm not one," M'yer pointed out.

"We've been working with them and they almost consider us to be like
them."

"Almost."

"Look," P'ker said planting his hands on his hips, "if you don't go in
there, I'm going to drag you in.  Neither of us wants that."

"All right," M'yer sighed, "if that's the only way to avoid an ugly
scene."

"It is," P'ker assured him.

M'yer turned away from his friend and entered the cave.  Within the
entrance, the music and singing echoed off the faceted walls.  After a
few feet, the cavern widened out.  The Nomads were seated in a
semi-circle watching two women sing.  He realized that they were Isara
and Ankara, and they were accompanied by Fesal on a stringed instrument.

Their voices combined in harmony while Feysal's melody soared with
them.  M'yer listened to their song.  Most of it he didn't understant,
but some of the words he recognized.  It seemed to be about a love that
was lost and found again.  He wondered for a moment if Ankara were
singing to him.

The song ended with Isara and Ankara reaching a high note that lingered
in the cavern.  The Nomads cheered the singers and milled about them for
a moment.

M'yer waited until the crowd had thinned somewhat and stepped toward
Ankara.  Her eyes widened a bit when she saw him.

"I heard you singing," M'yer said.

"Did you like it?" Ankara asked.

"Very much," he replied.  M'yer looked at the floor of the cave for a
moment, "We've both been busy lately.  I've missed you."

{Gabrielle: Tag!!}

***
[Next Morning (FINALLY!!! Day 4!)]

Cynthia awoke alone, something that a few months ago was the norm, and
now seemed foreign.  She was in a sparsely furnished apartment that was
being prepared for the new hatchlings and their riders, but had been
used by some of those displaced by the flood.  Trevor had chosen to
remain at the Med Center, but had prevailed upon her to leave and get
some sleep.

Cynthia carefully got out of bed and stepped over the other people
sleeping on the floor of the small bedroom.  She retrieved her clothes
from the back of a chair near the door.  She picked her way across the
living area to the bathroom, weaving between several more sleeping
figures.

She used the bathroom and got dressed quickly because she assumed the
sound of her milling about would wake other people.  Her assumption was
correct because several people were stirring as she crossed the room and
slipped out the door onto the broad ledge of the apartment.

Cynthia blinked in the brightness of the rising sun.  With the new day,
all traces of the storm seemed to have dissapeared.  The air was warmer,
and only a few high, wispy clouds hung across the bright blue canvas of
the sky.

*Syren, dearest,* she thought to her queen, *I need a pick up please.*

{I'll be there in a moment,} came the dragon's sleepy reply.

Syren landed on the ledge moments later.  Cynthia looked at her queen's
mud splotched hide and frowned, *I didn't realize yesterday just how
much you need a bath.*

{It can wait a few days.  I've seen more than enough water lately.}

Syren flew her down to the lower green, which had been heavily rutted by
the previous day's torrent, and Cynthia dismounted.  She walked into the
Warren and made her way toward the dining hall.  The water had drained
from within the warren over night, except in a few low spots, but the
floor and lower portion of the walls were still damp.  Cynthia's nose
wrinkled in anticipation of the lingering odor that would likely follow.

She entered the dining hall and noticed that the staff had already begun
cleaning up and a simple breakfast of breads and cheeses was laid out.
She got a plate for herself and made a mental note to praise the staff.
She choose a table and angled toward it.

She had just gotten settled when Katrina took the seat across from her.

"You want to talk about your sister," Cynthia said before the younger
woman could begin speaking.

"Yes," Katrina replied, "I'm worried about her."

"You're sure she left here with Vorbis?"

"I'm not sure that she did, but I can't think of anywhere else she would
be."

Cynthia sighed, "Even though I shouldn't care, I'm concerned about the
settlers.  I think someone should go check on them.  Are you and Dan'yar
availible?"

"Dan'yar won't want to leave the Warren."

"At this point everything is under control.  Besides, you can't go
alone."

"I won't," Katrina replied.

"Good," Cynthia smiled, "If he gives you any problems, send him to me
and I'll straighten him out."

***
[Nikol]


>     The following morning he agins rolled off of his sleeping mat slowly,
>        both in regard for his aching body and for Andorra's sake, who was still
>        asleep beside him.  He had more than one reason to go to
>        Relengarde.  Soon he found himself outside the space now designated
>        as the temporary office (hers being flooded early) waiting for her to give
>        him a moments time.  As he waited he rehearsed what he had to say.
>        'My blasting supplies have been water damaged . . . need to return to
>        my master for more and to ask him about how to handle flooding . . .
>        could I be dropped off and then picked up at the end of the day?'  The
>        she waved him forward and he, after taking a deep breath, stepped up
>        to make his requests.
>
Cynthia looked thoughtful as she considered Nikol's request.  She would
certainly have ot grant his request for a rider to take him to
Ralengarde.  To get the supplies here any other way would take months,
if they could even find a trader willing to bring explosives this far.
Who could she spare, though?

For a moment, an image of Far'rin exploding in mid-air popped unbidden
into her head.  She shook it to clear the image away and looked up at
Nikol who was regarding her strangely.

"Sorry," she appologized, "I got distracted for a moment."

"I understand," he replied politely.

She nodded, but doubted that he really did.  As a blaster, getting
distracted would probably lead directly to getting dead.  "Far'rin
should be able to take you to Ralengarde.  He knows his way around the
city, so you won't have to spend too much time keeping him out of
trouble.

***
[Med Center]

Cynthia walked down the corridor carrying a small bundle of food.  She
looked into the room where Trevor was standing near his mother's bed.
She knocked and said, "I brought you breakfast."

***
NRPG:
John: I wasn;t sure what would be up with Kellie, so I kept it simple.

Kris, Barb, and Darren:  I'm expecting some kind of fireworks when
Katrina catches up with her sister.

Mike and Barb: Have fun in the big city!!  Try not to blow up on the
trip back :)

I think that's all for now.  Life is settling into something that
resembles a routine.  I will hopefully not fall off the planet for a 3
week stretch again.

Respectfully submitted,
Warrenlady Cynthia - Cleft Warren
Alton Reich
--
    Alton & Elizabeth Reich
     alton.reich@snet.net
"Love is born with solar flares / From two magnetic poles /
It moves toward a higher plane / Where two halves make two wholes"
-- Rush, The Speed of Love



------------------------------------------------------------------------
MyPoints-Free Rewards When You're Online. 
Start with up to 150 Points for joining!
http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/805


eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/cleft-warren
http://www.egroups.com - Simplifying group communications