(NRPG: In Z'charai and Eolanth's Apartments)

Z'charai stirred, then winced as pain shot up his neck.  He reached his
hand up to rub the stiffness from his neck and opened his eyes to see a
tiny girl standing before him, watching him with huge blue eyes.

Zach smiled.

"Hello, little one.  How long have you been standing there?"

Terany twined her hands together, "I woked up cuz I had to go to the
bafroom.  And so I went in there," she pointed towards the bathing area,
"And I used the bafroom and then I came back and you was wakin up."

Z'charai chuckled, wincing again as he pushed himself out of the chair
he'd been sleeping in all night.  He'd have to get another bed up here
soon if this little girl was to be staying for any length of time.
Sleeping in the chair was not an acceptable alternative.

Eolanth's rumble of greeting announced the arrival of Starion and G'mit,
accompanied by G'mit's bellow, "Good morning to you too, you purple lump!"

Looking up at Zach, Terany asked, "Who's dat?"

"That's G'mit.  His dragon is..."

Terany cut him off. "Starion," she said. "He's red."

Z'charai's eyes widened, but he refrained from questioning the girl as
G'mit's large form blocked the doorway, a jovial smile on his face.

"Good morning, Zach.  Ready for breakfast?" G'mit greeted.

"Aye, good and ready.  Just let us get into more appropriate clothes, eh?" 

"Us?" G'mit asked, his eyes finally falling on Terany, who had moved close
enough to Z'charai to cling to his leg, "And who is this?  The lovely
little lady we rescued yesterday, I think.  What's your name?"  G'mit
squatted down so he was eye level with the girl.

Terany didn't answer, opting instead to hide her face in Zach's pant leg.
Tentatively she peeked out with one eye, still clinging to the man.

Z'charai put a hand on the blonde head and addressed G'mit, "This is
Terany.  She'll be staying with me for a while."

G'mit nodded and smiled, "Well, welcome to Jasra, Lady Terany." He leaned
in to whisper, "I'm told we've got the best porridge in all the land!
That's what I'm told." A wink and a nod brought a tiny giggle from the
girl.

"We'll be right out, G'mit." He took Terany into the bathing area and
changed her into the clothes from the day before.

"Today we'll get you some new things, okay?" he said, squeezing her hands
in his own.

Terany nodded, "Okay."

After changing into his own clothes, the three of them headed down to
breakfast.

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

(NRPG: On the green)

After landing and dismounting, G'mit, Z'charai, and Terany made their was
across the green towards the dining hall.  

G'mit was the first to catch sight of the unfamiliar red-gold dragon
landing neary, "Now who is that?" he asked, pointing.

Z'charai squinted, "I don't know.  I've never seen that dragon
before."

"Dat's Firen," Terany stated.

The men exchanged a confused look over the girl's head.  Their gaze then
shifted to the tiny blonde between them.

"How do you know that, Terany?" Z'charai asked.

"She told me," the girl said.

"Who told you?" G'mit asked.

Terany turned her gaze to G'mit, "Firen did."

G'mit and Z'charai exchanged another glance, G'mit's eyebrows shooting up
questioningly.  Z'charai responded with a befuddled shrug of his own,
shaking his head.

They were about to question Terany when a feminine voice interrupted,
"Excuse me?"

Turning, they realized there was a woman standing there, her auburn hair
shining in the sun.

"Do you know where the Warrenlady's office is?" she asked, smiling
patiently.

G'mit blinked, his eyes catching hers with a dazzling smile of his own,
"And whom may we say is calling on our fair Warrenlady Evelle this day?"

The woman chuckled, "Soliel.  Rider of Firen.  I've just transferred to
Jasra." She sighed, looking around, "I must say, this is a beautiful
place."

"Well then, let me be the first to welcome you to Jasra, Soliel, Rider of
Firen.  I am G'mit, Rider of Starion" he bowed graciously, then gestured
to those near him, "And this is Z'charai, Rider of Eolanth and the little
lady here is Terany."

At the sound of her name, Terany once again buried her face shyly in
Z'charai's pant leg, peeking out with one eye at the woman.

Soliel laughed, her eyes sparkling, "Nice to meet all of you."

"Would you care to join us in some breakfast, Soliel?  If the Warrenlady
isn't actually eating her own breakfast now, her office isn't far from the
Dining Hall." Z'charai invited.

Soliel looked around thoughtfully for a moment before nodding, "Yes, I
think that would be lovely.  Wouldn't want my stomach to rumble when I
meet the Warrenlady, now would I?"

G'mit offered his arm, and Soliel took it with a blushing smile as the
four of them walked towards the Dining Hall.

When they entered, they noticed it was fairly quiet.  A few riders here
and there, but the morning rush hadn't arrived yet for their meal.

Z'charai settled Terany at a table, telling her to stay put until he came
back with her food.  The girl nodded, looking around with curious eyes.

As they were heading towards the food, a crashing sound came from the side
door.  Without a pause G'mit and Z'charai were running to and through the
door, Soliel on their heels.  In front of them was a stranger that Z'charai
didn't recognize.

The door to the storage room was open.  They moved through there to find
that the trap door to the Potatoe Cellar was hanging from a single hinge,
dust still puffing up from below.

Without hesitation Z'charai, G'mit and the other man headed down the
stairs.  Soliel waited at the top, peering down into the hole.

"What happened?!" She called out.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Z'charai recognized the form of Wade
kneeling over another person.  Potatoes had fallen in a huge pile, half
burying the other victim.

"Wade?!" Z'charai pushed past the others to get to her.

>"Zach..." she whispered and gave into the darkness knowing the child
>would survive.

Z'charai caught Wade just as she began to crumple, his face a mask of
astonishment and questions.  He held out an index finger to wipe at the
trickle of blood on her forehead. 

"That's the Warrenlady!" The other man cried, pointing to the figure
buried by the mound of potatoes.

His gaze was shifted to the figure buried and he gaped.  She was beginning
to stir, her hand moving to her forehead as her eyelids fluttered open.

"Don't let her move, Zach!"

Z'charai turned to look at G'mit questioningly.  He was pointing to the
stacks of potatoes that looked as if they'd topple at any time.  He laid a
hand on Evelle's and stopped her from shifting.

"Stay still, my lady.  We don't want you buried again."

Evelle looked at him in confusion, then nodded quickly with a frown.

"Who do we need to get to help?!" Soliel called down, still unfamiliar
with the Warren.

G'mit called up to her, "Get Wynn!  And anyone you can find!  We have to
get Evelle out from under this pile!"

He turned to the others, finally noticing the young man standing with
them, "You, there.  What's your name?"

"Lucky, sir.  I'm Lucky," the young man said.

"Well, Lucky, why don't you and I start to stablize these roots and rescue
the Warrenlady, eh?" G'mit began moving the other potatoes out of the way,
gesturing for Lucky to follow suit. "Zach, you'd better get Wade out of
here.  We don't want her buried as well."

Z'charai looked at the Warrenlady doubtfully, but Evelle nodded, "Go on,
Z'charai. Take her out of here." She hesitated, "And tell her I'll come
find her when I'm out of this mess."

Z'charai frowned, then nodded, "Yes'm." 

Carefully he stood, cradling Wade in his arms, and made his way up the
stairs.  Soliel was at the top and guided him up the last few steps.

"What can I do, Z'charai?"

"Go down and help them free the Warrenlady," he smiled slightly, "I'm sure
she'll be happy to welcome you to Jasra."

Soliel smiled faintly, then gave him a shove towards the door, "Get that
girl to the Infirmary."

Z'charai nodded, moving past her and out the door.  As he entered the
Dining Hall again, the little blonde girl was immediately at his side.

"Zach, what happened to the lady?  She don't look so good." Terany
observed, touching Wade's long curls that fell over Z'charai's arm.

"She got hurt, Terany.  You stay with me, okay?  Stay right by my side.
We're going to the Medical Center."

Terany nodded and scurried after Z'charai and he ran across the green.
Halfway to the Medical Center he saw the figure of Wynn running towards
him at lightning speed.

"Wade! What in all that's holy has happened to her?!" the Alpha Wingleader
demanded of Z'charai.

"I don't know, sir.  But Evelle... you need to get to the storerooms
immediately!" He gestured with his head for Wynn to go to the Dining Hall.

"What?!  What's happened to Evelle!" Wynn's features became a mask of
concern.  Not waiting for a response, he ran past Z'charai.

A Healer met Z'charai at the door, beginning to examine the unconcious
Wade even before Zach could set her down on the examination table.

"What happened here, Z'charai?" Balagon said, trying to assess the
situation.

"I don't really know, Bal.  When I got there, Wade was falling into
unconciousness... and Evelle was buried under a mound of potatoes."

"Potatoes, eh?" Balagon held open Wade's eye and shined a light into it,
checking her pupils.  He then began to feel her head for bumps.

"Potatoes... but Wade wasn't buried in them..." Realization struck him and
he snapped, "I bet she took Evelle's pain!"

Balagon glanced at Z'charai curiously, "Took her pain?"

Z'charai nodded, "Yes, I saw her do it with Jismin when the dragon burned
her hands.  Wade put her hands on Jismin," he demonstrated, "and then the
dragon's pain went from Jismin into Wade... even the burns showed up on
her hands!"

The Healer frowned at the rider, "And you think this is what she did with
Evelle?"

Z'charai frowned, then nodded slowly, "I know it sounds insane..."

Balagon sighed, "Well, she's got some nasty bumps on her head, and this
cut on her forehead." He wiped away the blood with a piece of gauze, then
bandaged the cut, "Why don't we see what she has to say when she comes
to?"

Z'charai nodded, moving out of the way as some attendants came to get Wade
settled in a bed, "Can I stay with her?" he asked.

"I don't see why not," Balagon responded, "A friendly face would be good
for her to see when she wakes up."

'Friendly face,' Z'charai thought to himself, 'Gads, if she only knew...'

"Can I stay, too?" A childish voice from the doorway asked.

Both men turned to see Terany standing there. Z'charai had forgotten she
was with him in all the hub-bub.  He went over and picked the girl up.

"I don't know, Terany... what do you think?" He directed the last question
to the Healer.

"Sure.  Just be very quiet, okay?" Balagon gave Terany a playful pinch on
her cheek.

Terany nodded, "I'll be vewy quiet!"

As they followed Wade's stretcher to her room, neither of them noticed
Sitra standing in a doorway down the hall.  The girl's jaw dropped at the
site before her, recognizing the child in Z'charai's arms.

When Wade was all settled in her bed, Z'charai sank into the single chair
in the room, Terany in his lap.  The tiny girl stuck her thumb in her
mouth and laid her head on the man's chest.

Together, they watched Wade, hoping she'd wake up soon.

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

Respectfully Submitted,

--Lisa (Z'charai and Eolanth) 


_________|-------------------------------------------------|_________
\       :| )\   /(                                 )\   /( |:       /
  \     :|  )\_/(	Never Annoy A Dragon	    )\_/(  |:     /
    >   :| (/^|^\)  For Thou Art Crunchy and Taste (/^|^\) |:   <
  /     :|  \*|*/          Good With Ale            \*|*/  |:     \
/_______:|---\|/-------------------------------------\|/---|:_______\
              V     Lisa Klein - lyonesse@best.com    V  
                                                                       



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