The Warren gates were is sight and so far he and his men had seen no sigh
that anyone was aware of their arrival. Where was everyone? Out on patrol or
sleeping in. It didn't really matter for soon it would be to late for the
leaches to do anything to stop him once they were inside.

Soon he'd have everything he wanted. Just a little while longer and the
mistakes of the past would be corrected. 

He'd been so sure that his men hadn't left any of the family blood alive the
first time around, but somehow someone had messed up and now here he was
years later having to fix their screw up.

Who could have foreseen the old woman stealing away in the night with the
newborn brat, or that she would have the never to come back with a dead
infant in it's place. How could she have known the child was in any danger,
he'd guarded his plans to well. Not even telling his own trusted men until
it was to late for the results to turn out different. So how had she known?

Well it didn't matter now, she had paid finally for her betrayal. Paid with
her life. Now all he had to do was get rid of the last two who stood in his way.

Dellanie and that brat of hers. But first, before he made sure she would
never pose as a threat to his rule, he planed on having from her what he had
been denied while she had been a guest in his mountain home. He'd make her
beg for his mercy before he took the knife to her throat and reunite her
with her long dead father.

That something was wrong never once entered the over-confident Lord's mind.
As it should have, when he and his men traveled unchallenged into the inner
sanctuary of the Warren proper. 

"Where is everyone?" Rogetah, his second in command asked as he moved his
mount up beside his Lord. The man was becoming a little spooked by the eerie
quiet around the place. Shouldn't there be people walking around? Dragon's
sunning themselves like he'd seen the last time he'd been here? Where were they?

"Hiding inside their buildings like the cowards they are," Lord Bridgett
sneered as he too began looking around.

A lone figure stepped out of a long building to their left and Bridgett
motioned for two men to bring the tall blond headed man to him.

Mc'key
********

Everything was set. The riders and dragons were ready. Just let Bridgett
show up and try to take Ghost from her home in the Warren. He'd find it a
harder task then he ever dreamed. 

<<Vas, please make sure the riders and their dragon's know they're not to be
seen at all until they receive the word,>> Mc'key reminded his life mate.
<<They are to stay in their apartments out of sight.>>

<They understand,> the dark green dragon replied from where he was hiding in
their own apartment. <They are all looking forward to this.>

Key couldn't help but smile as he heard the laughter in the dragon's tone.
Yes he thought, the dragons weren't the only ones looking forward to
settling a score with the soon to be disposed Lord of Lago Vista.

<My rider,> Vasleth's thought entered his mind. <It's time. The watchdragon
says the men we look for are about to enter our home.>

<<Thanks Vas," the rider returned and then turned to H'nin.

"They are here," he informed the Wingleader and Warrenlady. "I'll give them
a few minutes to wonder then leave here."

"Just be careful Mc'key," Phaedra warned him. "I still can't believe I let
you talk me into doing this crazy scam of yours."

The tall blonde's lips curved up into a smile that wasn't quite as friendly
as it looked.

"Well you did want a way to deal with this mess without spilling any blood,
M'lady," he reminded her. "and this just seemed like the best way to go
about it. Besides with Lord Uboe of Greymist here to swear and witness the
Warrens dealings, there can be nothing the Landbound nations can hold
against us."

"I hope your right young man," she frowned slightly and turned to the man
standing beside her. "Come with my Lord Uboe to my office. While we wait for
Mc'key to bring Bridgett there, I'll let you talk to the young girl who is
at the rut of all this."

"Yes well," the man's words faltered just a little. He was still a little
upset with the Warrenlady for the way he had been drug here to the Warren
without much in the way of word or explanation. 

Though he had listened to the whole story, he was still finding it a little
hard to take. The murder of a whole family. A betrayal of the magnitude of
Lord Bridgett's had to be punished. If what they had told him was true. 

"Come quickly," Phaedra told him. "We have to go now or we'll be spotted
crossing the way. I'll need to be ready
when I'm called."

She frowned again at this part of the new Beta Leaders idea. Being forced to
wait in her office until such time warranted her appearance. It should be
her job as the Warrenlady and the leader of this Warren, to face Bridgett
not Mc'key's. How had the young man gotten her to agree to this plan of his?

The three men left in the room watched as the Warrenlady and Lord Uboe left.
Then H'nin turned back to face Mc'key a slight frown formed on his face. "I
sure hope you know what you're doing Kid."

"You thought my plan sounded like it would work when I explained it to you
earlier," 'Key reminded him and turned to look over at C'rin for support. 

"Yeah the kid's plan made some sense," C'rin agreed with a shrug of his
shoulders. "Besides it's to late to come up with a new one now, they've
entered the Warren... get ready kid you're up."

Outside seconds later he was spotted right away. He knew they had seen him
but continued along the path he was walking until two men cut themselves
away from the others and came after him.

"You there!!" one of them shouted as their horses moved to block him in.
"Lord Bridgett wants a word with you."

Mc'key stopped walking and looked up at the two men mounted on the four
legged beasts.

"You talking to me?" he asked and smiled amicably.

"Yea...come with us," the man who spoke up first said, and moved his mount
closer to the tall blond in an attempt to force him to turn in the direction
of the rest of their party.

"Don't you know any better than to ignore the word of your Lord?" 

"If Lord of the lands gave me an order, I might be tempted to follow it,"
Mc'key muttered to himself but his lips smiled brightly.

"I look only to Warrenlady Phaedra for my orders," Mc'key said aloud but
started moving in Bridgett's direction. "However if the man is in need of
assistance I'll be only to happy to help him."

Help him right into hell... 

It was all he could do to keep the hatred he felt for this man show on his
face or in his movements when he was finally standing before him.

"I want the woman who runs this place," Bridgett told him. "Where is she?"

"What business do you want with her?" Mc'key asked, his tone of voice still
friendly, but Bridgett could sense something behind his question. 

"That's not of your damn business!" the older man's voice betrayed his
anger. "What I have to say is for her alone. Now go get her."

"I don't think so Lord... Bridgett..." the mans name came out sounding like
the insult the rider intended it to. "You have no business here in the
Warren. You're trip here was a waste of time so the sooner you turn around
and leave the sooner you can return home."

Bridgett made a quick motion with his hand and Mc'key found himself
surrounded by several armed men, swords pointed in his direction. He made no
move to show he even noticed them.

"The Warren protects their own and Ghost is a member of this Warren," All
trace of friendliness was gone now from the riders tone of voice. "Make no
mistake... we will protect her."

<<Vas... step one now!>> he sent the silent message to his dragon who'd been
waiting for the order.

>From seemly out of nowhere men and women began to appear from doorways,
around corners... singly and in pairs until the Lord was left with little
doubt of the riders boast.

Still... Bridgett was quick to notice that not one of these people was armed
for fighting. While his men were all trained skilled fighters. It would be a
slaughter, he thought. The men with him, though almost a hundred in number,
would have little trouble.

"For someone about to die, you seem to have a big mouth on you," Bridgett
told the man standing before him. "None of you have to die if the girl is
turned over to me. When she'd brought here I will take her and leave your
Warren's people in peace."

"Ghost is one of those Warren people. One we care about to much to turn over
to a bastard like you," 'Key sneered. 

"Mc'key speaks for the whole of the Warren Bridgett!" a female voice was
heard to say, and all eyes turned to look upon the Warrenlady who had
stepped out in front of those she stood near. "You have no claim to Bashie.
She's a joined dragonrider and as such, free to make her own choice by the
laws of the Charter. She has made that choice."

H'nin and C'rin moved to stand on either side of her.

"Bah!! Warren Charters mean nothing when the person in question is the only
living heir to the leadership of a great lands," he reminded her, proving
he'd read the laws before coming here. "And with her being a minor, I as her
only living kinsmen have a sworn duty to protect her and guide her. That is
the law is it not?"

The smile that crept over Phaedra's lips would have frightened the toughest
of her riders had it been turned on them, but Bridgett was to full of his
supposed victory over her to notice. 

"It is," she admitted freely. "But as you are only a kinsmen by marriage and
not blood, there is one who's claim to her supersedes yours. And that  is a
law not even you can get around."

"You lie woman!" his voice rose in anger. "There is no one else who holds
any claim to her. The woman passing herself off as her mother is in fact the
daughter of the nurse who watched over the old Lords children. She will be
arrested and charged with kidnapping the only living heir of Lago Vista
Domain. So you see... You have no rights by *law* to keep the girl from me."

"Oh I think her husband may have some say in that," Phaedra chuckled as she
delivered the news.

"That's right Bridgett!!" Norik de Verguan stepped forward, Ghost at his
side. "And as her husband I deny any claim you think you have over her. Or
any claim you think you have over the lands that are rightly hers."

"You lie!!" Bridgett cried. It couldn't be true! All his hard work, all his
plans.... "This is some kind of trick you all cooked up between you!! Well
it won't work."

"No trick Bridgett," Lord Uboe spoke up as he moved to stand beside ghost
and Norik. "I myself saw them wed just this afternoon. Saw and witnessed,
and I will swear to that in a court of Lords if need be."

Mc'key had been keeping his eyes focused on Bridgett so he was the first to
notice when the Lord gave the order to his men to draw their weapons and
take the girl by force if they had to. 

<<NOW VAS...NOW!!>> he cried.

Bridgett's men had succeeded only in moving their hands to the hilts of
their swords when suddenly the Warren was filled with the angry sounds of
the dragons roars.

The riding beast the men were mounted on, scared by the sudden appearance of
the dragons, began to buck and rear in fright.  

As quickly as the dragons appeared they were gone.

<<VAS??>> Mc'key sent the question to his friend as surprised at their
disappearances as Bridgett and his men had been when they appeared.

<Melith's rider thinks they got the message.>

He turned and saw the Warrenlady looking at him, nod her head then turned
back to where Bridgett was picking himself up off of the ground. 

By the time the commotion was over and the place was settling down,
Bridgett's men found themselves surrounded by a large army of armed men.
They had no choice but to lay down their arms. Only Bridgett still wanted to
fight, but was quickly over taken and held by two big men.

"As the new Lord Of the lands of Lago vista, I hereby place you under arrest
for the murder of my wife's family and will see that you and those who
followed you will have a fair trial,' he turned to his men, the ones who'd
appeared with the weapons, and silently ordered them to take control of the
prisoners. 

"We apologize Warrenlady for the trouble here today," Norik spoke up and
turned to bow to her. "I will see to it that my wife's enemy is taken care
of by the laws of the courts of the Landbound Nations. Bridgett will be
brought to trial for the betrayal and murders of her family."

"After what I've seen here today, I don't think the courts will have any
trouble convicting him either," Lord Oboe added his support. "Why when I
think of how old Lord Brequest and his family died.... Now how about
something to eat and drink while these young people tell me the rest of the
story. I'm sure M'dear that you have some place suitable for keeping that
bastard for a little while don't you?" 

---------   

"So you see because of the heir law stipulated in the Charters, we figured
out that the only way we could keep Bridgett from getting control of Bashie
was for her to have a husband. Without another male heir to challenge his
claim, he would have won," Norik told them all later when they were back in
the Warrenlady's office taking a break. 

"So I came up with this plan and asked Norik to marry me," Ghost spoke up.
"It's not a real marriage, not the way most people get married, but as I
told M'lady earlier, I wanted to stay here in the Warren with Kikeane. This
is my home, but someone had to challenge *his* claim and the only one who
could do that was me, and since I don't want to rule any lands I had to find
someone who would. But I couldn't just give the Lordship away to anyone.
Only a husband of mine could rule, so Norik and I were married by the
Landbound laws."

Norik could see the sad look come over Mc'key's face as the story unfolded.
He knew the man cared for Ghost and didn't want him to think bad of her.

"So as soon as word of our marriage is noted in the books, Bashie and I will
get a divorce and..."

"...and Norik will be the new Lord of Lago Vista," Ghost grinned. "It'll be
his headache and I will be able to stay here where I belong!"

"And you are really sure this is what you want Bashie?" Phaedra asked in a
soft voice. She wanted the young girl to be sure she was doing the right thing.

"Oh yes M'lady!" the girl nodded her head quickly. "I've never been more
sure of anything in my life. I don't want to rule any lands. I'm not the
same baby born to that life and Norik and his family have faithfully served
the Brusquest family over the years and are as much apart of the lands as
my... fathers... family ever was. So it's only fitting that Norik becomes
the Lord there. I know the lands will be in the best possible hands and it's
people will prosper as they never did under *him* ."

She still refused to mention his name.

"Well said my girl," Uboe chimed in with approval. "Well said. And now my
young Norik... if there's ever anything I can do to help....."

While the older people were taking, Ghost looked up until she caught
Mc'key's blue eyes.... how could she not have known how she felt about him
before now. Why he'd put his life on the line out there today for her. 

She crooked her head to the side slightly and motioned towards the door. He
nodded back and the two of them asked to be excused. 

Outside Norik caught up with them as they were heading somewhere quiet to talk.

"I wanted to thank you for protecting her and being her friend," he told the
rider then reached for his hand and then Ghost's. Placing them together he
smiled.

"I'll only have her for a week at most," he reminded them of the sham of a
wedding. "Only until the books have been changed, then she's all yours if
she'll have you."

"Oh I don't think there's any question of that," Ghost said quickly then
blushed. 

"I didn't think so," Norik grinned. "Be happy Bashie. You have found a good
life here. And you Mc'key... take care of her."

"With my life if I have too," the blonde rider swore and their eyes met....

Norik wisely left them alone.

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

Well this wasn't the idea I was thinking of doing ..but ...I 
didn't get that one written down in time and forgot part of it.....
so....


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

Barbara (a.k.a.

Ghost & Kikeane 
Mc'key & Vasleth
Norik de Verguan
Lord Bridgett... 
Geode Warren