<Please mother!>

<<LET THEM LAND!!>> the Sr. Queen called out and saw the other dragons veer
off making a path to allow the new queen to land. 

Loran slid over the side of her dragon to the ground and turned to face a
tall dark headed rider approaching her.

"Please.... I need to talk to the person in charge," she told him when he
came to stand before her. "I have news of an attack that will soon be taking
place against this place."

"And just how do you know about the attack?" the dark headed man asked 
as he took her arm and began leading her through the throng of the crowd 
that had begun to gather around them.

"Because until a short time ago my Queen and I were their prisoners, 
before we escaped and came here," she told him, sending quick glances 
around at the hundreds of dragons settled in the bowl and surrounding 
area. 

She didn't get more then those few glances before being shepherded into 
a large cavern where several men and women were all sitting around tables.
All eyes turned to look at her then back the to tall woman seated at the 
head table.

Phaedra stood, her icy eyes staring down at the young girl being brought
before her.  

<My mother's rider,> Sphere told her quietly.

"You are?" she asked and waited for Loran to speak. 

"I am Loran. Rider of the Queen Sphere," she spoke her name with her chin
held high. Though inside she was shaking like a leaf. "I was a prisoner of
the Chosen One and his dragon until he and his followers were attacked and
overcome by the devil and his wraith followers."

<<Sphere... I'm scared... what if they don't believe me?>> she sent the
thought to her queen and felt feelings of love and understanding come over her. 

<Do not fear them my heart. They will know the right of what you tell 
them,> the young queen told her. <I have told my mother what has happened 
and she will tell her rider. All will be well. You will see.>

<<How can all be well while *he* is alive?>> A shiver when through her 
as the memory of his eyes looking through to her soul flashed into her mind. 

<You must have faith... and trust these people like you've never trusted
anyone before. They need to hear what you have to tell them. It may help 
to save many of lives.>

"Melith, my Queen has told me what your Sphere has told her," Phaedra went 
on after Loran had told them all who she was. "Now I want to hear what it 
is that you have to tell us. Come... bring the girl up here so that she 
won't have to shout."

The Warrenlady frowned slightly when she saw the look of near panic on the
younger girls face and saw her hesitate.

"You're safe now from those who would harm you," she told her and again
motioned her forward. "As safe as any of us can be for now."

Loran allowed herself to be led forward to a seat that had been vacated 
next to the Warrenlady and seated herself, while looking around at all the
faces of the people looking back at her. She knew they were wondering why 
she was here... and if she was come as a friend.. or foe.

"Now my dear... why don't you start at the beginning and tell us your 
story."

And Loran did.

She told of being kidnapped off the streets of her town, by the promise 
of the hatching at the Warren like so many others. Only to find out once 
they had been taken, that it wasn't the Warren they were meant for. She 
told them how the girls had to go thought the *training* but didn't go 
into the details. Something's were just to persona land humiliating to 
share with people she didn't know.

Then she briefly told them about her joining with Sphere... and the plans 
the Chosen One had for them... then bowing her head she began to tell them
about the arrival of the tall thin man who seemed to control the wraiths, 
and then the dragons after they had defeated the rogue riders and the 
Chosen One.

"He was unlike any man I've even known," she told Phaedra, while her free
hand moved to caress the cast absentmindedly. "He's evil.... anyone who 
can control wraiths the way he does must be the devil himself. Just being
around him scared the hell out of me worst then anything the others had 
done to me before he... before he arrived."

"Were you able to see how many of the damn things he had with him?" a tall
blond headed rider off to her right asked her. She later learned his name 
was Dan'yar and that he was from Cleft Warren.

"More then I could ever hope to count in a life time," she shivered,
remembering what had seemed like thousands of gray blobs in and around 
the area that she'd seen while they had been escaping. 

"My friend... Nancia.. she helped me to escape.. by trading places with 
me.. when they came to take me back to my cell.. but I found out later 
that they did something to her.... she said they put something inside of 
her that she was suppose to bring back here with us... and somehow spread 
it around... Something that was going to help them win."

"Your friend... where is she?"

Loran could hear the sympathy in her tone, but wondered at the fleeting
glance she threw towards the dark headed rider who led her inside. Saw him
shake his head and frown. 

"She.. when we were escaping she took an arrow meant for me... and then 
told me she couldn't go with me.. thought I begged her to wait and told 
her we could get help for her here. that's when she told me what they had
done to her.. and said she wouldn't let them use her anymore .. and she
...she..."

Loran couldn't go on. Her throat choked up as she remembered the look 
on her friends face just before she let go and fell to her death. 

<I have told them.> Sphere's comforting thought filled her mind and heart.

"Your friend was very brave," T'rell of Daere said softly. "You should 
always remember and honor her for the choice that she made in the end."

"Yes," H'nry of Telnor agreed. "If she hadn't of taken her own life, who
knows how many riders she could have possessed with those damn hellspawns
before we found out."

"We wouldn't have to worry about any of this if it wasn't for that damn 
Ash!" Ga'brin of Telnor called out. "I say we take care of him and the 
rest of the damn bedsheets will scatter and be easy picken's for our 
dragons to flame to hell and back!"

"NO!!" Loran shouted in shock. "You don't understand.... he controls them.
How I don't know... but if you take him out then they will run amok and
...and... well you can't!"

"But if like you say he controls them... then wouldn't it be better to 
take him out and..."

"NO.. I saw them go after a rider... and what they did to him.. then saw 
them move to go after another but he stopped them... I could tell they 
wanted to ignore him but somehow he won out over them," she told them. 
"If you take him out and they go wild without direction then I fear we 
will all die. It would be better to kill all of them that we can then 
when there aren't that many left go after him... But he won't be that 
easy to kill. The devil has his own luck."

She heard some agreeing with her, others thought she was crazy. One man. 
The dark headed man who had brought her inside was nodding his head, but 
she couldn't tell if he agreed of not.

Phaedra stared at her for a full minute then turned her eyes back on the
riders sitting with them. "Okay. We've heard her story. Now does anyone 
have any more questions or ideas?"

They batted things around for some time. At one point food and drinks were
brought in and Loran had to stop herself from falling on the food like a
beggar who hadn't seen a decent meal in some time. 

The food reminded her of how little sleep she'd gotten the night before,
 and she tried to hide a yawn while someone else was talking. 

"I think our young Queenrider here, might need to find someplace to lay 
down and rest for a bit," a woman's voice said and Meena of Cleft stepped
forward. "She looks exhausted."

"No... Really I'm fine," Loran protested, then wished she could sink into 
the floor when all eyes turned her way. It was only then she remembered 
what she was wearing and felt ashamed. "I would however like to have a 
bath if I may... and maybe have the loan of some decent clothing."

"Argent.. will you please see the young woman... Loran.. to a apartment 
where she can bath and see that she gets something warmer to wear," Phaedra
turned to the younger woman who's been sitting beside her for most of the
meeting. "Go with her child. She is Geode's Junior Queenrider and will see 
to your comforts."

"Certainly," Argent smiled reassuringly and stood motioning for Loran to
follow her. 

As they left the meeting hall she could hear then start the discussion all
over again and vowed to hurry and get back to join them. She didn't want to
miss anything.

=========================  

Nrpg: anyone who feels like asking her any questions before the battle 
starts... feel free...

I'm Afraid Ga'brin of Telnor doesn't believe her and will still want to 
go after Ash but that won't happen just yet.....

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

Loran & Sphere 
Geode Warren

Dan'yar & Shinner
Cleft Warren