(evening of Tair'n's return)

/snip from Barb's post/
"You mean it does get easier?" he asked dryly, and she could sense some
sadness about him she hadn't noticed before. 

"Are you okay?" she asked softly, turning her head slightly to look at him.

"Mari and I have decided to go our separate ways," he said. "Actually she
chose Jason over me so ... but it's a long story."

"I'll lend you a shoulder if you care to talk about it," she offered. "I
mean after all... what are friends for?"
/end snip/

     T'rell nodded.  If he couldn't talk to Jayleigh about this, then whom 
could he talk to?  "It started with this thing over Tair'n being guilty or 
innocent," he told her.  "I thought one thing, she thought another...and we 
got into an argument about it.  Apparently, I said something that hurt 
her...she basically threw me out, and I decided to give her her own space, 
you know?  I figured that when she was ready, she'd tell me.  But in the 
meantime, she and Jason...well, you know."

    "I think I can figure it out pretty well," Jayleigh replied.

     "The way I saw it, Mari would have been miserable trying to divide her 
attention - and her loyalty - between two men.  So I forced her to make a 
choice between us."

     "And she chose Jason," Jayleigh said quietly.  "And you didn't expect 
that?"

    "No.  Should I have?"

     The warrenlady shrugged.  "In matters of love, I've learned that you 
should always expect the unexpected."

     "Like with Gerald?" he asked.

     "Yes," she said glumly.  "That's exactly what I meant."  She refilled 
both of their glasses with the Marrid Red.  "So...what will you do now?"

     "The same thing you're doing," he said.  "Go on with things."

     "T'rell, there are other women in this warren," she reminded him.  "You 
don't have to spend your time alone."

     "There are other men as well," he pointed out, giving her a sly look.  
"I haven't noticed you availing yourself of any of them lately."

     "You notice quite a bit, don't you?" she asked, with a wry smile of her 
own.  "Well, I suppose none of us is ever really alone, are we?  We've always 
got our dragons."

     "Yeah, right," T'rell chuckled.  "You wouldn't say that if you had mine."

     Jayleigh gave him an odd look, but decided to change the subject.  
"Well, if you want my advice...don't let yourself go through life alone, 
T'rell.  I know how you felt about Mari, but...there will be others, believe 
me."

     T'rell shrugged.  "Not for me, Jayleigh," he said.  "I won't go through 
this again." 

* * * * * * * *

     After leaving Jayleigh's quarters, T'rell found himself somewhat at 
loose ends.  He'd thought of going over to M'naten's to mention that he'd be 
bringing Martyn back tomorrow, and that both he and Sharees would be needed 
to coordinate their evidence with him, but when he asked Graimor if the 
wingsecond was alone, the dragon replied that he wasn't.  T'rell didn't ask 
the dragon who it was that M'naten was with...probably Sharees, he decided, 
and he didn't want to disturb them.  So he settled for telling both Graimor 
and Chamelle to have their riders available tomorrow when Martyn got back.

     And, really, he decided that he shouldn't be talking to either of them 
about the trial or about any evidence they'd found regarding Tair'n.  He had 
to keep an open mind, he knew, if he was to render an impartial decision.  He 
sighed, realizing that if he'd learned that lesson earlier he might not be 
spending tonight - and every night from here on out - alone.

     He looked upward, squinting in the gathering gloom, at his old 
apartment.  It was dark and empty...he hadn't really lived there since he and 
Mari had become a couple.  Come to think of it, he'd really never gotten 
around to putting any of his personal effects in there - since he'd wanted to 
be close to the trainees, he'd pretty much lived in the hatching barracks.  

     Turning toward the barracks, he frowned at realizing that it was now as 
dark and deserted as his own quarters.  The trainees were gone now, having 
become fully fledged dragonriders, and had moved into their own quarters.  He 
stood there indecisively for a moment, wondering if he should do the same.

     He decided against it, and instead walked over to the quartermaster's 
office to have his apartment listed as available for a new occupant.  He'd 
never liked the place anyway...Flerrion had picked it, not him, and only 
because it overlooked the damned feeding pens.  It would be far more 
practical, he decided, to just move into the barracks on a permanent basis.

     [Fine,] said Flerrion.  [Leave me without so much as a ledge of my own.]

     T'rell rolled his eyes, and forbore to remind Flerrion that he seldom 
used that ledge anyway...he was more often camped out on Troy's.  Still, he 
supposed that the dragon would still need a covered place to sleep at night, 
and the hatchling barracks couldn't accommodate a grown dragon.  Well, 
Flerrion could keep the apartment and T'rell would live in the barracks.

    Settling himself down behind his desk, he was struck yet again by the 
unfamiliar quietness of the place.  Always before, it had been the trainees 
who'd made this place seem like a home.  Now it was just an empty shell, that 
seemed far too big for its sole occupant.

     Well, life went on, and he knew that eventually that would change.  
Eventually there'd be a new group of trainees, and things would go back to 
being the way they had before.

     Well, almost.

* * * * * * * *
(next morning)

     The trip to Marrid - or rather, "New Marrid," as the new warren was 
being referred to - was relatively uneventful, although it took longer than 
it might otherwise have because T'rell gave Flerrion a set of coordinates 
that was just inside Marrid's domain and a considerable distance from the 
warren itself.  With the magic in that area shifting so unpredictably, he 
wasn't taking any chances.

     They arrived at the warren without incident, and the dragon settled in 
to land on what passed for a green.  *Ribbon, are you here?* T'rell 
mindcalled.  

     [Here, T'rell!] Ribbon said happily, coming out onto the green to meet 
them.  

     [I'm here too,] Havelok piped in, [and even though you didn't ask for 
me, I'm sure you're glad to know that.]

     *I am at that, my friend,* the wingleader replied, as he dismounted.  
*In fact, it's your rider I really came to see.  I assume he's here?*

     [He is,] Havelok replied.  [I just told him you were here.  He says he's 
coming.]

     [My rider is too!] Ribbon said.

     "T'rell!" said Martyn, appearing from behind the bulk of his dragon.  

     "Hello, Martyn," said T'rell, looking around and noticing the state of 
the half finished warren.  "What's going on here?  Things look more unsettled 
now than they did when I was here before!"

     Martyn sighed.  "We've learned that this temporary warren, too, is 
untenable.  Many of the riders here have already left, and more will be going 
today.  By nightfall, I doubt there will be many left."

     "Abandoned?" T'rell asked.  "Where is everyone relocating to?"

     "One of the lost warrens," Martyn replied.  "Xylian, by name."

     "The entire domain is being abandoned?" T'rell asked, amazed.  "How can 
that be?  What will the landbound that still live here do without 
dragonriders?"

     Martyn sighed.  "I don't know," he admitted.  

     "That's a first," T'rell said wryly, knowing that Martyn seldom 
*admitted* to not having all the answers.

     Martyn opened his mouth as if to reply, but was stopped by Lakoda's 
arrival.  "What brings you back here, stranger?" she asked, smiling.  Despite 
her attempt to look cheerful, T'rell observed, her face looked pale and 
drawn.  Clearly, things here had indeed not been easy of late.  

     "I need to borrow Martyn for a bit," T'rell replied, after introducing 
Lakoda and M'naten to one another.

     Martyn's eyes widened.  "Borrow me for what?" he asked.

     "Tair'n's back," M'naten said.  "There's going to be a trial tomorrow."

     Martyn frowned.  "This could hardly come at a worse time, you know."

     T'rell nodded.  "Look, I don't know what kind of plans have been made 
here...but I'm sure Jayleigh will continue to stand behind her offer to 
extend any possible assistance to Marrid and its people."

     Koda shook her head.  "I don't know what there is that you or anyone can 
do."

    "I'm sorry," said T'rell.  As he looked at Lakoda, and noticed the looks 
that passed between her and Martyn, he thought back on the old days when he 
and Koda had known one another at Falagand...and he wondered if, back then, 
he'd missed another chance...  He silently berated himself, knowing that such 
thoughts weren't likely to do anyone any good now.

     "I'm sorry too," said Martyn.  "Because I fear that I may be of less 
help to you and Daere in this matter than I know you were hoping for."

     
* * * * * * * *

     A short time later, Flerrion and Havelok touched down on Daere's green.  
As soon as they'd dismounted,  T'rell saw Sharees and M'naten walking across 
the green to meet them.

    "Good to see you back, Martyn," said Sharees.  "I hope you'll be pleased 
with the detective work we've been doing while you were away."

     M'naten nodded.  "Yes, it was quite a *feat,* if you take my meaning."

    "I look forward to seeing what you've obtained," said Martyn.

     "I'll leave you three to talk," said T'rell.  "I shouldn't be involved 
in this part of it anyway...not before the trial, anyway."

     After the Gamma Wingleader had departed, Martyn looked gravely at the 
other two riders.  "I fear you won't like what I have to tell you," he said.

     The other two looked at him with concern, waiting to hear what he had to 
say.  Martyn wished there was an easy way for him to say this, but he didn't 
know that there *was* one.  "As you know, I recently transferred to Marrid 
Warren.  The problem is, Marrid has become untenable due to a shift in the 
magic in that area.  Later today, many of the survivors are relocating to 
Xylian, one of the Lost Warrens.  I will be with them."

     "But the trial..." Sharees began.

     Martyn held up a hand.  "I know," he assured both of them.  "Here, the 
life of a Wingleader hangs in the balance.  But there, the life of an entire 
warren may hang in the balance.  It may be that I will be able to come to the 
trial...but traveling between here and the lost warrens presents certain 
difficulties, or so I am told, which may make this impossible.  I can promise 
to do what I am able to do...but I cannot promise that this will include my 
being at that trial tomorrow."

     Sharees and M'naten exchanged glances. "Then what *can* you do?" M'naten 
asked.

     "Prepare you to present the evidence in Wingleader Tair'n's favor, in my 
stead," Martyn told them.  "Now...tell me what you've found out."

(Tag Katrina or Arlene)

Submitted by:

John

T'rell & Flerrion
Gamma Wingleader
Daere Warren

Martyn & Havelok
Marrid Warren