"My lady Phaedra, I thank you for seeing me," Norik bowed low before her
some hours later when he'd finally been brought before her. "

"I was told you had important information to tell me," she answered.
"Something about Ghost...Bashie... being in danger?"

"Yes my lady," he nodded his head, then took a quick look at the other
rider's in the room. 

"You can speak freely among these men," Phaedra told him, motioning towards
Mc'Key and another rider. "I trust each of them with my life."

Norik took a second to consider this fact and decided that he really had no
other choice.

"First before I begin. I would ask that the woman known as Dellanie be asked
to come here, for this involves her as well as the girl."

Dellanie? Why? Phaedra frowned as the man stood silent before her.
Was he here at Bridgett's behest? Gods help him if he did...

He stood back and waited while she sent one of the riders to get the woman
and as soon as the man was gone he turned back to her.

"First off, my name is Norik de Verguan. I am the first born grandchild of
Morki de Verguan, trusted advisor to the old Lord Brequest," he saw her eyes
open wider and knew she had recognized the name. 

"My family has been in the service of the Brequest Family for as long back
as the township was first formed and have stood proudly by their sides
thought good times and bad. It has always been the duty of the first born
son to take over the responsibility of keeping the Lords children safe from
their enemies... but my father failed in this duty due to the betrayal of a
distant relative of the good Lords. A Man who wanted the lands for himself
and stopped at nothing to take what he wanted. A man who hid his ambition
and treachery until it was to late. That man was married to one of the
Brequest daughters... and my Uncle...The man you now know as Lord Bridgett.
The man who is coming her to claim Kin rights to the girl known as
Bashie...Hoping to take her away from here and control her... for she is the
last of the true blood rulers of our township."

He stopped speaking for a moment to let his words sink in, and saw the
horror on the Warrenlady's face. But to her credit she hid it quickly. 

"I have sworn an oath on my fathers grave, and to the others of our family
who survived to work to restore our family honor," his voice was humble now
as he told the last of his tale. "And to avenge the senseless death of an
old woman who risked her life to save the young baby girl, born days before
the attack."

"Dellanie's mother... when she'd died?" Phaedra asked, her voice sad, when
he paused.

"NO!!!" came the cry from the door way and they turned to see the woman
who'd been sent for standing there. Mc'Key reached for her when she started
sinking towards the floor.

"Dellanie I'm sorry.... I'm so sorry," Norik cried softly coming to stand
beside her, helping her inside the room to a near by chair. "gods...I didn't
want you to learn about your mothers death like this. I'm so sorry"

The small woman slowly raised her head up to look at the young man kneeling
beside her. "It was *his* doing...wasn't it?" she asked, her voice harsh
thought her tears. "He had her killed...didn't he? Tell me Norik!!" she
screamed when he hesitated.

"Our spies have told me he did the do himself," the young man said softly.
"Somehow he found out who Bashie really was and went to your mother to force
the truth out of her...He found the letter... he knows the truth now and is
on his way here with a squadron of men to take the girl... by force if
necessary."

This last bit said while he was looking at Phaedra. 

"He will die first before he ever touches Bashie again!" Dellanie swore.
"Dead men pose no threats."

"Attacking his men is beyond my province, and I will not risk alienating
the landbound over this. Once he crosses into the warren, however,
it will be another story." She paused, gauging each person's faces.

"As I've had occasion many times to say, a warren is different than 
a landbound Hold. The rules are different. Ghost is joined to a 
dragon, and in theory Bridgett has no claim to her. In practice,
politics usually adjust the situation, but I have no desire to treat with
him. If he shows up at our door, he'll be in for a rude awakening."

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

  Are you okay, mister...?"   Kirin turned an interesting shade 
of pink.  "Ahem, hello, Cygnus."
	Cygnus dusted himself off.  "Well.  I think I'm okay."  peering down at
her, then said, "I havn't seen much of you since...Melith's hatching."
	That was when she turned a VERY interesting shade of pink.  

Ah, he thought, her dragon must have arranged this.  "Is she still playing 
matchmaker?" he asked sympathetically.
	
	"Yesss....she is.  And she wants to know if she can abduct you.  We were
about to go flying. "then, under her breath she muttered,
something that sounded like a profanity about her dragon. 

"Sounds good to me," Cygnus replied. "Let me get my harp."

"Your harp?"

"Of course, how else to woo the beautiful queen rider?" he said over his
shoulder. "I'll meet you on the green in about ten minutes. See you there."
He wondered what shade her skin had turned at that remark...

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

Thunk!

The dagger spun lazily through the air to sink, quivering, into the wood 
of the wall. H'nin glanced around, wondering just what he should do.
The raid on the castle had been a dismal failure,  only the signs of a 
hasty departure evident. No sign of Callana, no enemy present to 
face, nothing. 

Thunk!

Maybe if they searched the area more carefully...no, it was out on 
a separate magical pocket. Risky. Certainly not worth the risk of 
multiple teleports...

...ah, but perhaps someone could search after all. What he needed
was a scout, and one that wouldn't be easily recognized as a rider. 
H'nin stood up and exited his cabin, striding quickly as he looked 
for Almintha....

________________________

Hokay, tag to Barb for Bridgett, tag to Shana for Kirin, and tag to Jamila
for H'nin. I'm back!

Allen Veazey
wolf@dbtech.net
	
	"I'm not really bad, I'm just drawn that way."
			--Jessica Rabbit