This is part one of four... Part two follows and part three and four will be
out in a day or so...

Barb

==========================  

***  Something Rotten In Lenna's Cave  ***



"Can Triss find Blanchie?" Dan'yar asked, looking at Trevor. Alarm marred 
his handsome face. More trouble with females he didn't need. He was already
worried about what he was going to do about the nomad woman and her son now
living in his apartment. He didn't need the added trouble with Lenna and
thoughts of one of those damn hellspawns living inside of her.

Outwardly he appeared as calm as the others, which wasn't saying much, but
inside he was scared stiff. To get his sister back alive after a year then 
to lose her to one of those things wasn't acceptable to his way of thinking.
Right now he'd go along with any hope that would save her.

"If she's not too far away," said Trevor.  "We'll leave right now."

"I'm coming along," said Lonnie, with a *don't you dare tell me I can't go*
look at his brother, who nodded his permission. 

Dan'yar stood beside Cynthia as they both watched to other go run towards 
the dragons on the ledge. 

"They'll find her Dan'yar don't worry," Cynthia reached out and touched his
arm. She too was worried about Lenna.

Dan'yar snorted and pulled his eyes away from the dragons taking off to look
at her. "I'm make you a deal," he said, one side of his lips pulled downward
in a frown. "I won't worry about Lenna if you don't worry about Trevor."

"No deal," the Warrenlady replied.

"I didn't think so." He snorted again and then started walking purposely
towards his own dragon. "We've got an attack to plan against. I don't think
the Nomad's coming at us are going to wait until we get her back to prove
what's been going on. Someone's going to have to meet them and have a little
talk about the facts of live."

Lonnie
*******    

Moments later, the two dragons were airborne. Triss immediately sent out a
pulse targeted at Blanchie, and was rewarded by a return echo. She began
flying southeastward to follow it, and Trevor had to pinch her to bring her
back to alertness.  

They did a series of pings and teleports, with Meritanth following Triss
through each teleport. Finally, they were close enough that Trevor had Triss
land. Meritanth touched down as Trevor was dismounting.

Lonnie came up to stand beside Trevor. The two stood before a huge, yawning
cave entrance set into a cliffside. "They're close by," Trevor said. 
 
"In there?" Lonnie asked, giving his friend a wary look. Inside they'd be
limited to what they could do. And he hated not knowing what he was up
against. Trevor said that the voices had told Lenna to *kill Trevor*. 
Lonnie wondered what else they were telling her.

"Only one way to find out," Trevor told him.

"I don't like it," Lonnie said softly as they started towards the cave. "I
mean if Lenna and Blanchie were here... then where's Blanchie? Shouldn't we
see her?"

The question stopped Trevor in his tracks. He turned and looked back over 
his shoulder towards the pearly white dragon which had led them here. 
Seconds passed by before he turned back to Lonnie.

"Triss said she's no longer here, but that this is the place Blanchie said
the voices made Lenna come to, so I think we should check it out real quick
before going after her," the map-maker told him, then saw by the change of
expression on Lonnie's face that he was going to argue. "Look... we have to
find out what's here and let the others know. It might be information they
need."

"And it may be a cave full of wraiths that are just waiting for us so they
can have us for an appetizer," Lonnie said off handedly, but he turned and
began walking towards the mouth of the cave. "Let's go, but be careful and
keep your eyes open just in case something is waiting for us inside."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Trevor muttered as he began to follow
 his friend inside.

Even though their eyes were accustom to the darkness of the night, their
first few steps inside the mouth of the cave had them taking careful steps.
One foot would slid out in front of them to make sure no rocks or sudden 
drop offs were in their path, then the second foot would follow.

But once they had traversed about 20 feet inside, they came to a spit off 
and a saw a strange light source coming from far down the left hand tunnel 
so they went that way.

Slowly they moved, keeping an eye on both that which laid ahead and on 
their backwards trail, so as not to get caught in a trap from both sides.
Then after what seemed like hours, they came to a spot where the tunnel
opened up into a vas bubble like aperture in the rock and knew they were 
to late. For the cave shown signs of once having played home to something 
so familiar and deadly, but now it was as empty as a school yard during 
the holiday season.

"They were here," Trevor said softly, as his body made a slow turn around
the room once they were inside. I can feel that they were here."

"Then where are they now?" Lonnie asked, not expecting an answer for he 
too was looking around the room and starting to feel sicker by the second.

At the far end was a raised platform, where the remains of what may have 
once been one of the fruit trees that grew near the oasis down by Lenna 
Lake. The trees usually known for their wide trunks and branches heavy 
with the fruit they bore, now bore little likeness to the tree they had 
come to know. All that was left was the burnt out ruins of the wide trunk.
And next to it was a pile of bones that looked strangely like the heard 
beast that the dragons fed on. 

"The Queens room Maybe?" Lonnie commented, taking in the rotting carnage 
both there and all around the huge cave room.

"Did they go out and get them," Trevor asked in a whisper. "Or did she 
bring the beast here for them to consume?"

"Does it really matter now?" Lonnie snapped, the smell of the room was
getting to him. He gulped in a deep breath and then wished he hadn't for 
he felt sicker now. He needed to get out of there and back into fresh air
before he lost what was left of the dinner he'd been eating when Trevor 
had first approached him about the change in Lenna.

The very thought of what the cave suggested made him feel sick with worry 
and scared to the soles of his riding boots.

"No I guess not... But if she did then maybe that's how they stayed hidden
here for so long as we didn't see any signs of them."

"My god!" Lonnie muttered as a thought hit him, and he turned back towards
Trevor. "She warned them! That's why she came here. To warned them that we
would be coming!!"

"Kind of looks that way," Trevor muttered. "But where did they go?"

"I've no idea... But I can guess," Lonnie said turning as started running
back down the tunnel to where their dragons were waiting. Trevor was only 
a step behind. "We have to warn the Warren before it's to late. The damn
things could be attacking right now!!"

"The dragons can do that," Trevor reached out and grabbed Lonnie's arm
stopping him from mounting Meri. "Think Lonnie! If they were attacking the
Warren right now then Triss or Meri would have told us. They can send back 
a warning to the others and they can prepare for it when and if it comes."

"Oh it'll come!" Lonnie growled viciously. "You know they'll attack and 
the Warren will need every dragon pair they've got. You saw the size of 
that cave back there..... same as I did!"

"Yes I did," Trevor gave a small shudder, and Lonnie thought maybe his 
friend was feeling the same way he himself was. Sick because of the things
they had learned. "All the more reason we have to stay out here and find
Lenna. If the damn hellspawns are going to attack the Warren then maybe 
she knows something we can use to stop them or figure out how to fight
against them."

"You're right," the tall blond rider signed. He hated to be out of the
action, but knew Trevor's idea was a good one. The only one if he allowed
himself to think of it. It had been hell for the year Lenna was missing. 
He wasn't about to lose her now that she had been found again. The damn
wraith or whatever it was inside of her had to be stopped. More lives 
then hers depended on what they might learn, but if there was one chance 
in hell of finding her and figuring out how to kill off the thing inside 
of her without killing her in the process, then he had to try.

"What's the chances of Triss doing her thing and finding Blanchie or Lenna
again?" he asked.

Trevor sadly shook his head, and Lonnie noticed that Trissana's head was
facing away from him as if in shame.

<She is sad... She can not find Blanchie or Lenna,> Meritanth told his 
rider. <But she will keep trying for she feels she is partly to blame 
for Blanchie's rider taking off the way she did after asking her all the
questions she asked Blanchie.>

<<Tell Triss she is **NOT** to blame!!>> Lonnie told his dragon. <<It's
because of her that we found this place and it may save the Warren now 
that we know the wraiths are here. Tell her she is a hero. If she had 
not questioned Blanchie the Warren might not have been warned in time.>>

Lonnie spoke the same words allowed so that Trevor would know Lonnie did 
not blame Trissana. 

"Tell her I said she is not to feel like she failed us," Lonnie added to
Trevor. "But if she can keep on trying... It may save us some trouble."

The other man nodded and went to stand in front of his dragon. Lonnie 
gave them a few minutes while Trevor relayed his words then was ready to 
go when Trevor came back to stand before him.

"She said the best place to try is in the air, and that she is not to 
tired to keep trying."

Lonnie nodded, knowing how much it took out of the White dragon to do 
what she somehow managed to do with her *pinging* effect. "We really 
don't have any other choice, but if she gets to tired we go back to the
Warren. No matter what she says. I won't be responsible for anything
happening to her. Nor would Lenna want to be the cause of Triss being harmed."

This time it was Trevor who nodded as they remounted their dragons and 
took to the air.

<Trissana said her riders wants to start south of the lake,> Meri relayed 
to his rider after they achieved a cursing altitude. 

<<Why south?>>

Meritanth gave a mental shrug. <Why not? It's as good a place to start as any.>

===============  

nrpg: They'll be out most of the night looking for her, but will not 
find her. Lenna and Blanchie have found a place to hide where Triss can 
not *ping* her. But they will be back in the Warren the next morning in 
time for what happens next....... something I'll get to in my next two 
posts of which I have one more to write and have it started.....

Part two: The Nomad's Come To the Cleft

Part three: Lenna Comes Home with a mission.....