Realee & Jerālin
****************

(before dinner) (The day of the talk with the head doc.)

"I tell you Jerālin," Realee said, after telling him about the girl showing
up this morning before breakfast. "There is something familiar about that
girl. I canāt exactly put my finger on it, but it was there."

"Love I donāt see how you could think that," her mate of many years had
said. "I had Banta talk to her dragon· not that she was of much mind to talk
about her riders past· but (?) did tell him that theyād come here from
Marrid Warren. Said they had their reasons for wanting to change Warrens and
Rezsia said her transfer paper were in order with a note of praise from
Waylene."

"But the way she laid out those rolls this morning·" the head cook insisted.
"There arenāt to many people who do it just that way!"

"So maybe they have a cook in Marrid who taught her how to do it just that
way," he said calmly. "She did work there for a number of years before
joining. Told you that herself, as I recall you saying. Donāt let it worry you."

Realee frowned at her mate as she turned to reach for a jar of spices from
the top shelf. But found a hand there ahead of hers and turned to see her
son standing there beside her.

"How many times do we have to tell you to use the stool I had made for you
to do this?" he asked as he handed her the jar.  "Thatās what I made it for
mother."

"Now why should I have to lug that thing around when you always pop up at
the right time?" the woman smiled warmly up at her handsome son then handed
him the jar back and pointed at two more she was needing. "Jaāks have you
met that new female rider who just transferred here from Marrid?"

Jaāks could hear the tone behind her question and frowned. He knew he should
be used to him mothers matchmaking ways by now, but didnāt she understand
that he was old enough by now to chose his own mate. 

"Mother·."

"Oh hush!" her hand came out to swat his chest. "Iām not trying to set you
up with her·I just want to know if youāve met her?"

"Your mother thinks that there is something familiar about the girl and itās
driving her crazy not being able to figure out what," Jerālin chuckled. "I
think sheās about to ask you to go meet her and see what you think."

"I was not!" Realee told her mate and then turned back to her son, ignoring
his father. "I just wanted to know if heād met her yet?"

Jaāks frown just then, for he knew who it was they were talking about. And
he did have it in mind to search the girl out and have a talk with her. 

Sheād been one of the riders there the other night when Noni had been hurt
and he wanted to talk to her about why sheād been out there and what she
might have seen. Also to thank her for saving the healers life.

Heād almost gone crazy when the call had come in about an injured rider, and
heād found out it was the young healer. For heād developed a special liking
for the girl. She was turning out to be a very good friend and someone he
felt very protective over. Something Maeve had been unable to deal with
before sheād asked to be transferred to the new Warren.

Maybe that was why she had done so. Had his love and word meant so little to
her that she had been unable to trust him when he had told her he and Noni
were just friends?

Maybe he was being a little unfair to her, but still, she should have
trusted him.

"As it happens mother," he said turning his thoughts back to the topic under
discussion. "I have plans myself to seek out this rider to ask her a few
questions about the other night."

Realeeās face took on a look of concern at the reminder of the injured
healer. "Oh how is Noni doing?"

"Fine now," Jaāks breathed a sigh of relief. "She should be up and around
soon and back at work. But they still donāt have any idea what the stuff was
that knock her out was. Zert that teacher friend of Jayleighās is trying to
come up with something just in case we ever run into it again."


Jayleigh
*********

Dinner went well.

Danika had been there to finally meet the other Wingleaders  and their
Wingseconds, and the evening had been lightened by her mothers wonderful food.

As she thought back on the meal she kept wondering about the funny looks her
mother kept throwing at her father. Something was up there but neither was
of a mind to tell her about it. 

Oh well, they would tell her when they felt the time was right if it was
anything to worry about, she thought to herself as she made her way over to
the medical center to check up on Tairān.

But once there as she was about to push the door to his room open, she heard
the excited voice of Rāven insisting to the Healer that he had heard Tairān
speak.

"I was talking to him and he spoke the name of the place I was talking about!"

She didnāt wait to hear the womanās reply for suddenly she felt like an
invader and turned away to walk down the hall. She couldnāt understand why
she was feeling this way, Tia was her lover after all, as near a mate as she
had, so why now was she afraid to hear the womanās words?

Because of the secrets they were keeping from her. She didnāt know what it
was but it was there. Gerald, Rāven and Tair'n .. they were all
in on this secret and not one of them had seen fit to tell her what it was.
Did they think her love for Tairān so weak that she couldnāt handle the
knowing? What could be so bad?

Next to coming out and demanding someone tell her, which she was sure they
wouldnāt, she didnāt think she stood a snowballs chance in hell of finding
out. And that scared her, because she didnāt know if it would effect the way
Tairān felt about her or if it would end what they had together. That scared
her most of all. Sheād loved him for so long.

There were voices coming from the healer Noniās room when she pushed the
door open and stepped inside. She wasnāt all that surprised to find her
brother sitting there beside the girls bed or to find them laughing over
some joke or other and suddenly felt left out. So when she turned to the
girl and asked her to explain what sheād been doing out of the Warren and on
her own the other night, her tone might have sounded a little harsh.

She knew by the surprised look on her brothers face that she was being a
little rough on the girl.

"Sorry," she smiled weakly hoping to ease the tension that had come over the
room. "Youāll have to forgive me. Iāve had a few things on my mind as of late."

"Oh I understand Mālady," Noni was quick to forgive her. "Iām just sorry to
have added to your problems."

"As to that," Jayleigh frowned. "Why donāt you tell me what you remember
about that night? And why you left the Warren without letting anyone know
you were going. That wasnāt a smart thing to do."

"Jayleigh ease off!!" Jaāks moved between her and the girl on the bed. "She
didnāt ask to be attacked."

"No she didnāt ask, brother dear," Jayleigh took note of the way heād jumped
to protect the girl. "But didnāt she realize the danger she was putting her
dragon in? Sheās not combat trained and wouldnāt of know how to protect
herself if sheād run into any kind of trouble. My point in being exactly
what happened. What if the others hadnāt of found you Noni? What do you
think would have happen to you and your Amie?"

(Tag Paula Jayleigh is a little upset right now as well she should be· but
Jaāks will be there to protect you from the worst of her anger.)

---------   

"Jayleigh if youāve a moment!!"  A voice called out to her as she was
getting set to walk out of the medical center and head on over to her
parents house to spend sometime with her son and Calāan.

Turning she came face to face with Kizera. 

"You said you wanted to be kept informed on rider Dyanisaās progress," the
night healer told her as she came towards her.

"Yes I did," Jayleigh could see the concern in the womanās eyes. "Has there
been a change in her recovery?"

"Thatās just it," the woman said as she began rings her hands together.
"There really hasnāt been any change. Herin tried to give her the drugs
earlier that are normally used in cases such as hers, but discovered by
chance before administering them that sheās highly allergic to them. So heās
in a query to know just what to do."

"Surely there has to be something else that he can use?" the Warrenlady
asked. There had to be!! They couldnāt just give up on the girl. Something
had to be found that would help her!

"Heās in his office right now pouring over his books. Hoping to find out if
thereās something else he might try, but the chances are looking slim. Heās
plenty worried I tell you."

No!! She cried inside. There had to be something. They couldnāt lose the
girl. Not now. Not when sheād made a home for herself here and was well
liked by all. Jadain would be devastated if nothing could be found to help
his friend.

"Can I go in and see her?"

"I donāt see why not," Kizera said. "Just donāt let yourself get upset when
you see her. It wonāt do either of you any good."

She wasnāt there long when the girl on the bed began to move around. It
looked to Jayleigh as if she was trying to fight off something and she began
to worry. Then the girl settled and Jayleigh let out a sigh of relief as she
closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the chairs headrest.

"Jayleigh·" she heard her name, and opened her eyes to look towards the
door, but found no one standing there calling.

"Jayleigh!!·."

"Itās the young miss," the nurse in the room said at the same time Jayleigh
heard Dy call to her from the bed.

"Wraiths are going to attack·" the girls was trying hard to be heard.
"Attacking Triylar·."

"Dy don't speak. Just rest." The Warrenlady told the feverish girl.
"Youāve been having a bad dream, but youāre awake now."

"I'll rest when you send somebody out there to look," the girl insisted

"Send someone out where Dy?" she asked, not understanding the girlās
insistence in the matter.  "And for what?"

"Triylar! The towns gonna be wiped out if you don't stop those 
  wraiths! Weren't you listening?"

Jayleigh moved her hand up to smooth away a lock of the girls hair 
out of her face. "Oh course I was listening sweetie. But it was only a 
dream you were having. It wasn't real."

"It wasn't a dream!  I can see things when they're far away.  Have 
Troy ask Ra if you don't believe me!!" the girl cried, Wanting this 
woman to believe her.

"All right, I will if only to ease your mind," Jayleigh said and 
then sent a silent message to her Queen. <Troy.. could there be any truth in
what she says she saw?>

<Her dragon supports what she is saying my rider!> the queens tone suddenly
to on a frighten? <I believe she speaks the truth, I have called out Beta
Wing to ready themselves for a look, and will have Alpha and Delta be ready
to move if it is true,>

Jayleigh turned back to the girl on the bed. "Dy... Troy is sending Ja'ks
Beta Wing out to have a look. and the others will stand by the ready in case
your vision proves true."

Dy smiled tiredly, 'Thank you for believing a half dead blind girl 
Jayleigh."

"Half blind...What do you mean?" she turned to the healer in the 
 room and called the man over. "She's complaining about her eyes. Is there
something you can do?"

Dy laughed weakly and with little humor "I doubt it Jayleigh"

"You'll be all right Dy," Jayleigh could feel the tears welling up 
in her eyes as she looked down into the young girls face. "Somehow they will
find away to help you. Jadain would be sad if you left him. So you see you
have to fight this thing. You don't want to upset Jadain do you?"

"Not really, but I'm sure he can handle it.  Blindness isn't deadly 
  and I have this feeling I'm going to be around for a while"

"He won't care if you can see the end of your nose just as long as 
you're alive to try," the Warrenlady tried to joke but her voice ended in a sob.

"I didn't know you cared,' Dy said softly, a sound of wonder entered her tone.

"I do child," Jayleigh stroked her head again, as she tried to keep the
sadness out of her voice. "I do. Now you rest and if I find out anything
from the riders who went to out to check...I'll make sure Troy informs Ra·okay?"

"All right. Thank you for believing. And don't worry about me, I'll 
be fine.. for now anyway." Then her voice trailed off and Jayleigh felt the
panic welling up inside her.

"DY?....Dy??" Jayleigh called the girls name twice but got no 
response and then turned to see Herin who had come at the younger healerās
insistence when Jayleigh had sent him to find the older man. just walked in
the door. 

"I was just talking to her and she was fine then she didn't answer me and
not I can't wake her up!!" her panic was showing in her voice now. 

"Well then let the poor girl sleep Jayleigh," her healer told her. 
"The poor things had a rough night and the sleep will do her some good."

He leaned around Jayleigh to place his hand on the girls forehead and she
saw the smile that eased over his elderly features. 

"Her fevers finally starting to break," Herin told the man, who shared the
grin. "Please make note of that on her charts and let me know if thereās any
more changes. I donāt care if you have to wake me out of a sound sleep."

"Yes sir." The man sounded as relieved as Jayleigh was beginning to feel.

"Sheāll be okay now?" She asked Herin as the healer ushered her out of the room.

"As far as we can tell for now," he told her, "But there might be some side
effects that we donāt know about, wonāt know about until sheās awake and can
tell us. So we have to be prepared for anything."

<WRAITHS ARE ATTACKING TRIYLAR!!!!> Came the cry from her Queen into her
mind, nearly sending her rider into a dead faint. <Sprarroeās rider had
reported back that they have been spotted massing just outside the city and
are moving quickly forward.> The Queen continued.

"By the Gods!!" she cried as she reached for the door jam to steady herself.

"Jayleigh what is it!?!" Herin asked after seeing the color drain from her
face. "Whatās wrong!?!"

"Wraiths," she turned to him. "Troy just informed me Wraiths are massing to
attack Triylar!! Iāve got to go. Just get this place ready to receive the
wounded."

Then she was running down the hall and out the door. She would have been
pleased to see the Wings responding so quickly to the alarm if things
werenāt so serious.

Troy landed in front of her and she mount her Queen for the short trip to
the green where the were assembling. Readying themselves for the up coming
fight.

Gerald and Random landed next to her, as she was dismounting from Troy and
spared her a brief second, pulling her to him for a quick hard kiss.

"Take care my love," she told him, then he turned away from her and began
shouting orders to the others assembled there. With Tairān indisposed,
Gerald was in charge of the Warrenās Fighting Wings.

She turned to see Rāven heading towards Zenith and moved to cut him off.
"Were in the hell do you think youāre going??" she shouted at the tall
dark-headed dragonrider as she grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Wraiths are attacking!!" he shouted back trying to pull his arm out of the
hold she had on him. "All riderās are needed."

"You canāt go Ven!!" she shouted back at him, suddenly afraid of losing this
man who she respected above all other. She couldnāt let that happen. "Not
with your injury. You wouldnāt stand a snowballās chance in hell of staying
on Zenith long with only one good arm!!"

"Iāve got to go Jayleigh·All Dragonmen are needed."

"NO!!" she shouted, then aloud so that he would hear her and mentally to her
Queen she issued the following order. "<<TROY!! I want you to tell Zenith
that I am ordering his rider grounded from this fight. He is NOT to take his
rider and follow the others!! Is that understood!?!>>"

"You wouldnāt?" Rāvenās handsome face turned red in anger.

"I just did!" she said softly, knowing he was probably hating her right now.
"Iām sorry Ven·Iām so sorry· but I canāt lose you too.. not now! I just
couldnāt bare it·"

(Sorry Lea· but I couldnāt resist :) So howās he going to take it?)

Just when she thought things couldnāt get any worse, Troy informed her that
the watchdragon was reporting a caravan had just showed up at the main gates
demanding to be in.

<Lord Gossimor,> Troy told her. 

Oh wonderful. She though issueing the order to let his party advance into
the Warren proper. This was just what she didnāt need right now. Somehow she
knew instead of being gratefull that the Warrenās riderās were preparing to
defend his domain, he would somehow blame them. Claiming it to be some kind
of trick to make themselves look good after this last bit with Daāntray.

<<Troy have Lord Gossimor brought to my office?>> she asked her Queen and
turned to head over there. Her office was as good a place to await the
coming news of the attack as anywhere. But she really wasnāt looking forward
to this meeting, wondering when things were ever going to get back to nornal.

Vesta was there waiting for her when she arrived. Thankfully before the good
Lord. The young girl already had the wing rosters out and ready for her as
well as having already sent orders to the Masterminer that the coal bins
were to be continusly kept full for the riders who would be needing to
replenish supplies. 

"Gerald has ordered half of Delta Wing to remain here to protect the Warren
and the other half to be ready to take bags of coal out to the other wings
as needed," the girl was filling her in as Jayleigh moved behind her desk.

"Itās a pretty smart move if you think about it," Vesta went on, more to
keep herself calm, while at the same time counting herself lucky she wasnāt
in a fighting wing any longer. She knew her fear of having to face the
wraiths on a flaming dragon, would have hurt the wing more than she would
have helped. But that didnāt keep her from worrying about her friends who
were getting ready to leave.

"That way they Wings wonāt have to teleport back here and leave spaces open
where the Wraiths can get by,"

<My rider,> the Queenās ergant though entered her mind. <The Wings have
ingaged the enemy!!>

May the Gods protect them all, she thought just as the door to her office
was thrust open to admit a very angry Lord Gossimor and his brother, Lord
Rennie Gossimor of Ranscor.

"I want you to tell me what in the hell is going on here!?!" the older Lord
shouted as he entered the office. "Why were we detained at the gates and
then ordered to report here like some drudge ??? Well Jayleigh? What do you
have to say for yourself?"

"Sit down Lordās Gossimorās because I donāt think you will like the answer
to the questions you just asked," Jayleigh said with a calm she was far from
feeling, indecating the chairs Vesta had set up in front of her desk. "And
Iāll tell you a little tale about a whole lot of wraiths massing just
outside of your towns at the moment·."

At her words the blood drained from the faces of both men.

"What trick is this that you are playing young lady?" Renyar Gossimor asked
as he sat down heavely in the offered chair. While his brother was more
concerned with his son.

"What of Alex?" he asked, his voice showing his terror. "Whereās my son?"

"At the moment heās with his Wing, fighting to protect your towns and the
people who live there," she said kindly. "You should be very proud of him.
Of Alex and Dagion both."

The door opened just then to admit Rezsia and Danika. Behind them entered
Matory, Lord Gossimorās eldest son and heir. Jayleigh couldnāt have been
more relieve to see the younger man, who had always been friendly to the Warren.

"Iām sure you both know Queenrider Rezsia," Jayleigh then introduced them to
the newest member of her Warren. "This is Danika, rider of the Queen
Kalindeth. Who is newly transferred here from one of the newer Warrens
discovered recently."

"Theyāve been informing me about whatās happening," Matory told them all as
he helped bring over two more chairs for the Queenriders, but Rezsia chose
to stand at Jayleighās left. Showing her support.

"What I want to know is what you and this Warren we tithe so much of our
goods to is doing about this mess," the pompous Lord asked. 

"Why Lord Gossimor," Jayleigh smiled a little to sweetly as her violet-blue
eyes bore into his. "Weāre about to earn those tithes·.."  

--------------------------   

Nrpg: Okay any of you with fighting dragonās who want to join the battle·
have fun J Or even if you just want to write an npc fighting.. have fun with
that too!!!!

Alex· Wonder what our good Lords are thinking/feeling at this moment·

Wish Allen was still here to write for Gerald, but oh well *s*·. Maybe if
one of you ask him nicely··no forget I wrote that·.

One other thing· blame the attack on Bridget·it was her idea, but one I
thought we could have some fun with·..so blame me too ·

The Wraiths show up just after dinner on the same day Lyn's headsrinker
talkes to everyone....I think.

Lyn: I need some kinf of idea what kind of questions she might ask Jayleigh

****Submitted by: *******

Barbara (a.k.a.

Warrenlady Jayleigh & Queen Viktroy
Beta Wingleader Jaāks & Sprarroe
Hatchling Trainer Jerālin & Banta
Head Cook Realee
Vesta & Callyanth (courier to the Warrenlady)