Nefiri managed to pull herself together, a third dragon landing next to the
other two.  Zert went over to talk with them, and she hastily rubbed her
hands at her eyes, trying to remove any evidence that she had been crying.

	"Nefiri?"  A voice behind her, unfamiliar, and she turned, immediately
flushing in the darkness under the scrutiny of an intensely handsome man.

	"I'm Ja'ks, Beta Wingleader.  Are you alright?  Danavin told Sprarroe that
you're injured."

	"My leg got gouged in a scuffle, but I'm alright."  He looked over her
disheveled appearance, then appraised Danavin.

	**Dammit!  We're in for a scolding for sure!**

	His brow crinkled as if he was about to say something, and he returned his
attention to Nefiri and seemed to change his mind.

	"Do you think that you and Danavin can help us with Amethyst?"

	"Yes, Wingleader." she nodded.

	Ja'ks quickly went about directing the operation, getting the tarpaulin
spread out and the maneuver coordinated.

	>"Easy... Easy, now... Careful..." 

	>Slowly but surely the combined efforts of the four dragons, Sprarroe,
>Pocomb, Ramidith, and Danavin, moved the unconscious Amethyst from the
forest >floor to the unfurled tarpaulin a few feet away. The victim did not
move a single >muscle. 

	>"All right," Ja`ks called. He studied the forms of the four conscious
>dragons before him. "Danavin and Sprarroe will be opposite each other in
the front. >Pocomb will be behind Danavin, and Ramidith will be behind
Sprarroe. Zert, you're >riding with J`kar." 

	>Quickly the riders fastened the tarpaulin to the harnesses on their
dragons. >After everything was bound as it was to be bound and everyone had
mounted the >appropriate dragon, Ja`ks gave the signal for the party to
cautiously ascend. 

	<Sprarroe says that we are to fly directly to the Warren.>

	Nefiri looked at the pair in parallel flight to them.

	**He noticed our lack of riding gear, didn't he?**

	<Yes.  Do not let this thing worry you too much, I have already explained
to Sprarroe that I am to blame.>

(Later, at the Warren)

	She removed the harness from Danavin as quickly as she could, and, seeing
that Ja'ks had engaged the dragonhealers and the other two folding the
tarpaulin, she pulled herself astride her friend and asked her take her
home.  Danavin launched, but instead of gaining height to reach their
apartment she turned toward the med center, landing right at the entrance,
crouching low to the ground so that her rider wouldn't have far to go.

	<You need to have your leg looked at.> the dragon explained patiently,
aware that her rider was cranky from exhaustion.

	**It can wait till the morning!**

	<An infection could set in by then.  Do me this favor, my human.>

	**Haven't I done enough favors for one evening?** Nefiri replied sourly,
but dismounted, touching one bare foot down, then gradually lowering the
other, not wanting to put sudden pressure on the injured leg.  She paused a
moment against her friend, exhausted.

	<I will wait right here for you.>  Nefiri managed a faint smile, and began
her limp into the building.  It was only a few hours before dawn, but the
place was bustling.  She was all the way down the corridor before finding
someone who looked like they could help her who wasn't running past her.

	"Excuse me," she waved her fingers to get the woman's attention.  "I'm with
the group that helped bring Noni and Amethyst in, and I got into a bit of a
scrape in the woods.  Can you, or somebody else help me?"  She angled her
body and leg so that the woman could see the wound.

	"Bit of a scrape!"  The woman exclaimed, looking it over.  "Looks more like
a gouge, if you ask me!"  She stood up and smiled.  "Here, this way.  I'll
get you cleaned up and bandaged in no time."  She offered her shoulder for
support, for which Nefiri was grateful, and they went a little further down
the hall and into triage room.

	"So you were with the rescue party, huh?"  The woman asked, going through a
cabinet to put together a wound kit.

	"You make it sound so organized!  Danavin and I just happened to be in the
area."  The healer turned, her arms full, appraising the rider's dishevelled
appearance.

	"No, can't say as you look like someone who anticipated a fight."

	"How is Noni?"

	"She's doing fine.  Sleeping the drug off."  The woman started cleaning
Nefiri's leg.  "I'm Kizera, by the way."

	"Nefiri," she returned, her teeth clenched as she struggled to keep from
whining.

	"We're more concerned about Dyanisa, now."

	"What's wrong with her?"

	"Teleportation sickness.  Set in just as she arrived with Noni."  Nefiri
winced as something on her leg stung.  "Oh, sorry."

	"But will she be alright?"

	"I think so.  We'll know more after a few hours observation."  Kizera
paused, looking around, then picked up the dressing.  "I'm almost finished."
She deftly applied some salve, then began to wrap Nefiri's leg with the
bandage.  She tied it off, then stood and helped the rider to her feet.

	"I'm putting you on 72 hours leave.  Don't worry, we'll inform the Warren
Lady in our morning report.  I'll give you some extra bandaging to take with
you, and you'll need to change it every twelve hours, or sooner if it bleeds
through.  Gently wash the wound with warm water, apply the salve and
dressing each time.  Come back to see me in three days, and I'll decide then
whether to release you or keep you on leave.  Well..." Kizera closed the
cabinet she had been looking through again.

	"Wait here a minute.  You need to take some antibiotics to help prevent an
infection, but I need to go get them from the supply closet."  A nod and a
smile and she left the room, leaving Nefiri to shuffle into the hall where
she leaned against the door frame to wait, watching the bustle in the corridor.

	"N'ri?"  A quiet voice asked.  Nefiri turned, and saw a petite young woman
walking toward her, hand on the wall as if to keep her from falling down.

	"N'ri, is it really..."  Her blonde hair was pulled pack from her face,
blue eyes looking up at the dragonrider.  A thin, finely boned hand paused
at her mouth, as if registering surprise, and the bruised eyes began to water.

	"N'ri, do you remember?  It's me, Janellee."

	Janellee stopped before Nefiri, who was quickly going into mental shock.

	**This can't be happening to me...**

	"Janellee Meveou,"  Nefiri whispered, more to herself than to the woman.
But Janellee was oblivious, experiencing only joy of seeing a familiar face,
and flung herself at Nefiri, burying her face against her shoulder as she
began to cry.

	"Oh, N'ri!  It's so wonderful to see you!  I'd thought you were dead, after
all these years, but," she pulled back, smiling brightly, "you're alive!
You're really alive!  How...how did you get here?  Were you rescued too?"

	"Rescued?  No, I...I live here."  Janellee's eyes widened.

	"You live here?  Are you a dragonrider?"  Nefiri nodded, still stunned.

	"What are you doing here?"

	"The others brought us here, from the caves.  There are a lot of us from
the landbound nations, but no one else you know.  These dragonriders took
us, said we were being searched, but they really intended to sell us as
slaves."  She choked back a sob, and steadied herself against the wall.

	"You mean Da'ntray?  You were among the slave girls that were rescued?"

	"Yes."  Nefiri quickly looked the girl over, noticed how she didn't look
like she would be able to stand on her own for much longer, and concern
overtook her.

	"Janellee," she said softly, "are you ok?  What did they do to you?"

	"They...they..." she began to cry again, tried to be strong.  "They were
cruel to us.  I'm hurt, but there are others who are worse off than me."

	"Janellee!"  They turned as Kizera returned, quickly put her arms around
the woman.  "My dear, what are you doing out of bed?  You need to rest, so
you can heal."

	"I thought I heard someone familiar.  An old friend."  She smiled again,
looking from Nefiri to Kizera.

	"Alright, but let's get you back to bed, and then you can explain
everything to me."  Nefiri moved to the other side of Janellee, and helped
Kizera return the girl to her room and back into her bed.  A man appeared at
the doorway of the room.

	"Kizera, one of the patients is complaining of more abdominal pain."  She
nodded, handed a small package to Nefiri.

	"Take one every four hours until they're all gone.  You," she smiled at
Janellee, now safely tucked in, "stay here and get some rest.  We'll talk
later tomorrow.  Don't let me catch you up wandering the halls again,
alright?"  Janellee nodded, and settled back as Kizera left her room, and
looked at Nefiri.

	"I feel so much better that you're here, N'ri.  Father will be so excited
to learn that you are alive and well!"

	"I use my full name now, Janellee.  And, you can't tell your father that
you've seen me here.  You can't tell anyone."

	"What?  Why not?"  Nefiri sat on the bed, took the girl's hands in her own.

	"I can't go into it all now.  But you have to promise me that you won't
talk to anybody about me, and or that I'm here at all."

	"I...I don't understand..."

	"I know, my friend, it doesn't make much sense.  But it's late, and we're
both tired.  I'll explain it all to you later, but for now you must promise
me that you won't say anything to anyone."  She squeezed her hands.

	"Alright," Janellee agreed, puzzled.  "Alright, I promise.  I won't say
anything.  But you will come see me, won't you?"  Nefiri sighed, exhaustion
almost overwhelming her.

	"Yes, sweetie.  I'll come by and visit you tomorrow.  And I'll explain
everything to you then.  Right now, I just..."

	"You look tired.  Alright, N'ri.  I mean, Nefiri," she giggled.  "We'll
catch up with each other tomorrow, and you can tell me why all the secrecy,
and what it's like to be a dragonrider!"  Nefiri nodded in agreement,
smiling, and left Janellee's room, closing the door behind her.  As quickly
as she could, she retrieved the supplies from the triage room and headed out
of the med center to her waiting dragon outside.

	**Danavin, we've got an even bigger problem to deal with.**

	<That can wait until tomorrow.  You must rest, and we will discuss our
options later.>

	**You mean you see more than one?**

	<Tomorrow, my human.  We will worry about this tomorrow.>

	Nefiri wearily pulled herself atop Danavin, who launched straight up and
gently glided into their apartment.  Her rider tossed the supplies to the
floor and slid off, managed to swallow one of the pills Kizera had given her
and tossed the package on the floor, unfastened her cloak and let it drop,
and with her last ounce of strength pulled the tattered nightdress off her
body and collapsed on her bed naked, instantly asleep.

******************************************************************************

nrpg:

Kizera: 45yoa, 5'5", short, closely cropped brown hair over blue eyes.
Healer, nice, no-nonsense type.  Good with patient relations.  Works night
shift at med center.

Janellee Meveou: 22yoa, 5'3", petite, long blonde/blue.  Landbound daughter
of merchant family, brought in with the other slave girls rescued from
Da'ntray.  Very nice, trusting.  Eternally optimistic, always assumes the
best outlook.  Knows Nefiri from childhood.

****
Kizera is available for writing by whoever, whenever, but please, not
Janellee without talking to me first.  Not that she'll be around for long.  <eg>

Three more days till my vacation,
Nickelodean



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