Barb - I'm at work.  Could you resend this to the group for me?  It'll be
late before I get home.  Thx!
**********
	Danavin was bored.

	It wasn't in the greyish dragon's nature to complain, but her rider
could sense it nonetheless.  Still, there was nothing Nefiri could find
fault with in Danavin's maneuvers with the wing.  She was, as always,
polished.

	Nef sighed as another series of orders to practice yet another
formation were issued by Javangath.

	**When the days comes that I get a wing command, flame me if I ever
get this unimaginative.**

	Danavin chuckled, dropping her altitude to take up the rear-position
as the wing shifted.

	<I'll flame you now, if you want.  Liven things up a bit.  You know,
we could always...>  Her voice broke off as her head turned toward in the
direction of Daere.

	**What's going on?**

	<Wilders are attacking Trylar.  Viktroy is scrambling Alpha wing.>

	**I knew I should have put in for a transfer!  They stick all the
fuddie-duddies in Gamma.**

	<And their dragons have to suffer with them.>

	**Hey!**

	They continued their playful bantering for amusement, when the
second call was received.

	<Beta wing is also being dispatched to fend off another wilder
attack.>  She paused as her attention was caught by Javangath.  <The wing is
being split.  We're to take up third position with the second group.>
Danavin dropped from the group, flew back around to the new formation.

	<But that will take us further out,> Nef heard her dragon counter.
<We should return one group to the warren.>

	**What now?**

	<Overgrown lizard!> Danavin snapped.  <The new coordinates are
farther from the warren.  Javangath told me to shut up and do as I was
told!>

	**We'll make a formal complaint when we get back, but for now...**

	<I know, I know.  T'rell agrees with me,> she added after a moment.
<We go.>

	They 'ported to the new location, and quickly spread out over the
territory.  They had only just settled into formation when Flerrion fell out
a moment, as if startled, and rejoined.

	<He thinks he heard Viktroy,> she said, somewhat surprised.
<Something about her eggs being under attack!>

	**Did you hear it?**

	<No.  There is arguing with Tokarith.  T'rell is pressing for us to
return immediately to Daere.>

	**Hold your position, Dee, and wait for the order.**

	The order never came.  Flerrion left formation and began heading
back to Daere, T'rell issue one final plea to the other dragons.

*Dragons of Gamma Wing!!* he cried out in his most authoritarian voice.
*Viktroy and Kalindreth are in danger!! The eggs are in danger!!  Who will
follow me to defend them??*

<Get back into formation!> Tokarith ordered.  <All dragons will maintain
their position>

	<Nefiri...>

	**Oh, hell!  You know as well as I do where are duties lie, Dee.
Let's go,**

	Danavin backwinged and dropped from formation, Tokarith furiously
telling her to get back.

	<My rider says that if the queens and their eggs are under attack,
then that is where we must be!> She shouted back at him.  She quickly caught
up to Flerrion, falling into the wingsecond position beside him.

	<Don't think this means we'll become snuggle buddies anytime soon,>
Danavin quipped when Flerrion turned his head to look at her.

	<I'll give you however much space you want for what you've done for
me now!>

	<Well, if you're wrong we'll both have plenty of wide open space to
move around in.>

	<I am not wrong, Danavin!  The queens are in danger!>

	<I believe you, Flerrion.  I believe you.>

	**The others have fallen into formation, Dee.  Tell T'rell...**

	<...we are ready to go!> The grey finished.  T'rell raised his fist,
looking one last time at Nefiri before giving the order to teleport.

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

	Insantiy met them in the skies over Daere, as if she were some deity
that mortals had denied for far too long.

	Danavin had to veer suddenly to avoid being hit by a retreating
rogue.

	<They're taking the eggs!> she shouted as she came 'round.  <Both of
the queen's are incapacitated and... my rider, Jayleigh has fallen.  And
Keppo is among the raiders!>

	**Oh, Ghods!** she gasped, then reached round to pull her crossbow
free.  **Tell T'rell we have to get to Jaidan before one of them does.**

	<He agrees.  He has instructed Jaidan to stay where he is, that we
will come for him.>

	**Where is he?**

	<Hiding in Jayleigh's office.>  Nefiri released the security straps
and jumped from Danavin before she had a chance to land, the grey
immediately gaining height again to chase after the rogues who were quickly
leaving.  She hit the ground and rolled to her feet, running up the steps to
the warrenlady's office.

	"Jaidan!" she busted in, bow ready.

	"I'm here," he said, coming out from under his mother's desk.

	"Jai, come on.  We have to get out of here."  He stepped away from
her, shaking his head.

	"No, my uncle says that you're only here to hurt me.  You're
probably working with Da'ntray to take me away from my mom!"

	"What?  Jaidan, no," she lowered the crossbow and went to him.  "I
know what Ja'ks told you, but I'm not working with Da'ntray or anybody else.
I want to get you out of here, it's not safe, please!"

	<Jaidan, we will not harm you!>

	"I don't know that!" he said, beginning to cry.  "My uncle Ja'ks
said..."

	"Ja'ks isn't in full possession of the facts, Jaidan.  He means
well, but he's been misled."

	<Jaidan,> Danavin said very softly, especially for someone who was
busy chasing off rogues, <My rider is your grandfather's missing niece.  She
is your mother's and your uncle's cousin.  She is here to help you because
you are her family.>

	"What...?" Jaidan's eyes went wide as he looked at Nefiri anew.  The
redhead sighed, nodding.

	<Hear me, Jaidan...> Danavin said, and in the way that only dragon's
can she showed him the images, relayed the conversations and the emotions of
her rider, a lifetime of joy and sorrow, of fear and revenge, in a mere
moment.  The boy began shivering, but didn't resist Nefiri when she picked
him up to leave.

	He put his arms around her as she ran to where Danavin waited for
them, climbing the proferred leg without letting him go.

	"It's okay, Jaidan," she soothed as Danavin vaulted from the ground.

	**Do you know where we need to go?**

	<Yes.>

	**Did you  have to shock him quite like that?**

	Danavin didn't reply as she teleported from the skies of Daere, no
dragons to question where she was going.

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

	Trylar was still the scene of dragon against dragon when they
appeared overhead at the edge of the city.  Danavin kept low, flying in
swiftly.

	<Bren said to enter the subterranean passages at the entrance behind
the marketway alley.  He will meet you there and take you on to Gennerin.>

	She landed in the square to deposit her passengers, then left to
join the other Daere dragons who were still in the area fending off what was
left of the wilders.

	Nefiri and Jaidan went quickly to the alleyway.  The entrance Bren
meant was a large, heavy metallic door that was locked from the inside.  It
was one of the entranceways used by city officials when they had to get into
the underground facilities for repairs and rennovations.  When the reached
it, Nefiri pounded her bootheel on the door, then turned to keep an eye on
the alleyway, Jaidan positioned behind her, while they waited.

	After a few moments there was a dull thud, and door began to swing
outward.  Jaidan grabbed part of it, trying to help, but let go when Nefiri
wrapped her arm around his chest to lift him up and down to Bren, then came
in behind them.  The door was allowed to slam shut, and she relocked it.

	"You're my cousin, too, aren't you?" Jaidan asked Bren as he was set
back to his own feet.

	"Yes, I am."  He answered.  Jaidan still looked nervous, glanced at
Nefiri then back at her brother.

	"The others say you're an assassin," he whispered, searching from
sort of reassurance.

	"That is also true," Bren agreed, "But as you observed, I'm family
first."  Jaidan continued to stand as if uncertain, his look thoughtful.

	"I understand about the two of you.  Danavin told me.  It was so
fast, though, a lot of it I don't understand.  But she told me about what
has happened."  He met Bren's gaze again.  "I'm really sorry about your
mom."

	Nefiri closed her eyes as she turned away.

	**Oh, Dee, what have you done?**

	Her brother's smile was sad as he merely skirted a direct response.

	"C'mon, Jaidan," he said, offering his hand to the boy.  "There's a
good friend of our family that I would like to introduce you to."

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

	"It should only be for a few days at most, Gennerin," Nefiri assured
the innkeeper several hours later.  She and Bren were preparing to return to
Daere, leaving Jaidan safely and secretly tucked away with the older man.

	"Oh, I think we'll be alright." He grinned, waving a carefree hand
at the boy where he sat, happily finishing a rather large piece of chocolate
brownie in caramel sauce.

	"Jaidan, you do understand that you'll have to stay hidden and heed
Gennerin until it's safe for you to go home, right?"

	"Yes, Nefiri, I understand."  He put his fork down, pushing the
plate away.  "Do you think my mother is alright?  I still can't hear Troy."

	"We're far away from them, Jai, but Danavin assures me that they are
both going to recover alright.  I'll know more about what's happened after
we get back."

	"That's what Dee told me," he said quietly.  Bren entered the office
where the three of them sat, handing a sword to his sister.

	"I'm ready to go."

*****************
Okay, the siblings are back to Daere w/o Jaidan.  I didn't have the rest of
the posts with me here at work, so I just halted there for now.  I hope I
didn't take too much liberty with T'rell or Jaidan.

ttyl
Nik