[Cynthia and Trevor's apartment- before he and Triss leave]

{SNIP}
"How come you're here, if Dan'yar's decided to include you in the
fighting?" Cynthia wanted to know, and then her eyes widened.  "He
doesn't have you going after the hive-queen, does he?"  She looked ready
to countermand any such order that might have been given.

"No, nothing like that," he assured her.  "At least, not so far as I
know."  He put his arms around her.  "We may be called at any time," he
told her.  "I'm glad that at least I'll get to be with you until the
time comes." He leaned forward and kissed her tenderly.  Knowing that he
had Cynthia here to come back to gave him all the more reason to long
for the end of this battle, and to look forward to coming back to her.
And, if nothing else, knowing that she was here, safe, would make it
easier for him to face the dangers that lay ahead.
{END SNIP}

"Sometimes I wish we could come with you," Cynthia said.

"Why?" Trevor asked.

She sighed, "I know that Syren and the other queens have an important
role to play in the warren as a whole, but the waiting while other are
in danger is the worst part.  At least if we were out there in the
middle of the fray, I wouldn't have time to worry."

"Triss and I will be extra careful."

"I'm sure you will, but I'll still worry about you both."

"I know," Trevor smiled.

Cynthia smiled back, and then kissed him quickly, "Now, I've got to make
sure there are enough people manning the coal bins.  If it weren't for
the details, I'd go completely insane at times like this."

***
[Near the coal bins]

By the time Cynthia arrived at the coal bins, the first few riders were
already beginning to sporadically arrive to refill their coal sacks.  It
would not be long before more riders began to run low on coal and return
to the warren for more "fuel" for their dragons.  Then her organization
skills would be put to the test and she'd have much less time to spend
worrying about Trevor.

Each of the bins were manned by several men with their shovels at the
ready.  Some fresh sacks of coal had already been stacked neatly several
yards away on the green ready for loading quickly on returning dragons.
Overall, Cynthia mused, they looked as ready as they could be.

Behind her, Cynthia heard the sound of a shovel being planted in one of
the coal bins, and she heard her name called out.  She turned to see
Feysal walking toward her.

"Yes?" she said as he approached.

"Why make dragonridah come here for coal when fighting wraith?" he
asked.

"Because this is where the coal is," she replied.

"No," Feysal said shaking his head, "not what I mean.  I know place
closer to wraiths.  Rock stick out," he made a gesture with his hands
that looked like he meant a place where an arch of rock stuck out from
the side of a mountain.

"Someplace sheltered and protected?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied with an enthusiastic nod, "I bring some coal sack
there.  A few ridah to defend it.  We save time, ridah not have to
return to Warren for more coal."

Cynthia thought for a few moments while Feysal looked at her anxiously.
Finally she said, "It's worth trying, but there are two things."

"What?"

"If you are threatened in any way by the wraiths, you will return to the
warren."

Feysal looked for a moment as if he might protest, and claim that a
Nomad warrior would never give up a position without a fight, but then
he thought better of it and nodded in agreement.

"Good.  You'll also need someone to bring empty coal sacks back here and
full ones to you."

"Isara bring coal," Feysal said.

Cynthia considered his suggestion, and then nodded.  "Isara can bring
coal to you.  Now, get organized and start moving coal."

Feysal grinned, "Going."

Cynthia watched him dash away and begin selecting a few Nomad riders to
join him.  She smiled, because it was good to see Feysal finally taking
some initiative.

****
[A Bit Later at the Coal Bins]

Cynthia looked around, and for the moment no dragons were gliding in to
land near the bins.  She leaned on her shovel and wiped the sweat from
her forehead with her sleeve.  Sometimes running the Warren involved the
most basic of thing, like shoveling coal into sacks.

From the reports she had been getting from Syren, her Wingleaders were
doing all they could to hold off the horde of wraiths.  So far the
wraiths had made very little progress toward Cleft.  She just hoped that
her riders had the stamina to keep this up.

A young Nomad girl walked toward her and offered her a skin of water.
Cynthia took it and thanked the girl.  She pulled the cork and took a
long drink.  Water had never tasted so good.

*My rider,* Syren's voice echoed in her mind.

{Yes, my dragon?}

*You had better come to the mess hall now.*

{Is it important?} Cynthia asked.

*Very,* Syren assured her.

{I'm coming.}  Cynthia planted her shovel in the coal and jumped down
from the bin.  She took another drink from the water skin, stoppered it,
and slung it over her shoulder.

She walked through the Warren toward the mess hall noting how quiet it
was with everyone engaged in vital task.  How much quieter it would be
if they did not succeed today.

As she got closer to the mess hall, however, the silence ended.

"What were you thinking?" Cynthia heard Maddy yell at someone.  There
was an obvious edge to her voice.

"What's going on?" Cynthia asked as she walked into the room.

Several heads turned to look at her, and Cynthia noted Maddy, C'aranth
and Danki.

No one answered, and after a moment she repeated, "Syren assured me I
had to come here immediately, so, what is going on?"

"He let Amar get away," Maddy snapped.

"You say that like I did it intentionally," C'aranth replied hotly.

Maddy looked like she was going to respond, and Cynthia held up her hand
for silence.  "Danki?"

"It's me," she replied slowly.  "Amar is gone."

"To who?" Cynthia asked, "Who touched you?"

"I don't know," Danki replied.

"How can you not know?" Cynthia pressed.

"That's something only C'aranth can explain."

Cynthia turned to C'aranth as waited to hear this explanation.

****
[Attacking Wraiths]

Where there had been order, there now seemed to be only chaos.  The
cloud of wraiths began to boil and come apart.  Verdanth flamed, first
left and then right. On both sides of him wraiths fell from the sky as a
cloud of charred ash.  Dotharth flew past him while P'ker fed him some
more coal.  The other dragon flamed the wraiths around them, and then
Verdanth winged into the lead again.

*The wraiths have lost organization,* Dotharth sent to him.

*Perhaps the queen is dead,* Verdanth replied hopefully.

Then, as swiftly as the wraiths had degenerated into a mob, they seemed
to pause in their millings and move back into formation.

Seconds later, the dragons teleported a safe distance away to make
another pass at the wraiths.

NRPG:
Happy Easter to everyone!!!!  Happy belated Passover, as well.  This
year Passover was fairly early.  That allows me to have a normal
birthday cake this year.  That was one of the toughest things about
having my birthday in April.  Every few years my birthday cake would be
a macaroon with a candle stuck in it :)

Darren:  A bit of a tag in the scene with C'aranth in it.

Katrina and Barb: You guys, too.

Arlene: Please have Andahar prevent Triss from slamming into the
ground.  Cynthia would be most appreciative.

Well, that's all for the moment.  Somewhere in the house there is a cell
phone giving off the "my battery is about to run out" beep.  I need to
track it down.

Respectfully submitted,
Warrenlady Cynthia - Cleft Warren
Alton Reich
--
    Alton & Elizabeth Reich
    areich@alum.wpi.edu
"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



 

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