Tara & Tanami
(The beach below Jasra - Morning, day 11)
 
 /snip from Arlene's post/
 
 "I never imagined that Jasra was real!"  Tanami exclaimed, "I thought it was
 only a myth that the sailors were telling me."
 
 "Well, then, let me show you around!"  Tara suggested, to which Tanami
 readily agreed.
 
 Corwin watched the two women walk up the beach together, "Jasra a myth?  And
 I thought the water-breathers were myths before I came here and met Wade."
 Corwin shook his head in semi-disbelief.
 /end snip/
 
      "I must admit to some surprise at seeing you here," Tara admitted as 
she and Tanami walked.  "We had a woman of your race here for some time, 
along with her seadragon.  She led me to believe that your people didn't 
commonly join with dragons the way ours do."
 
      "Wade?" Tanami asked, and Tara nodded.  "She was the only one of our 
race to join with a seadragon, until it happened to me too.  I knew her, of 
course - there are not so many of us - but not well.  And she left shortly 
after she met her dragon."
 
      "She said she wanted to go home," Tara told her.  "That's why she is no 
longer here."
 
      Tanami shook her head sadly.  "What can she have been thinking?" she 
asked of herself as much as of Tara.  "There is no place at our city for 
Jismin, any more than there was for Kethriss."  She briefly explained the 
problem she'd encountered at the city of the seapeople, that had caused her 
to leave.  "I could not bear for Kethriss to risk the open sea while I 
remained safe with my people," she concluded.  
 
      "I don't know," Tara admitted.  "She really didn't tell me of her 
plans.  But Tanami...what of you?"
 
      "I do not know," the young waterbreather admitted.  "I am still 
rather...surprised...to find myself here.  I had heard of Jasra Warren from 
some of the sailors I encountered in my travels, but did not believe 
them...just as I did not believe in their stories of a fabulous kingdom under 
the sea, where the streets are paved with gold and people live in homes built 
of precious gems."
 
      Tara chuckled.  "Well, if that latter place exists, I'd like to see it 
myself.  But Jasra Warren, as you've seen, is a very real place."  She 
stopped where she was and turned to face Tanami.  "I have a proposition for 
you," she said.  "I don't expect you to make a decision on this right away, 
but it seems to me that Jasra is just the sort of place you were searching 
for when you left your home.  Would you like to stay with us?"
 
      Tanami blinked in surprise.  "I...do not know.  I am accustomed to 
surviving on my own, and would not wish to be a burden to anyone."
 
      "Burden?" Tara asked, her eyebrows raising.  "Tanami, you're the answer 
to my dreams!"  The two began walking again.  "At the warren, no one is a 
burden. Every rider and dragon does their part, and in turn the warren 
supplies all of their basic needs."
 
     "But...what do you do here?" Tanami asked.  "What is the purpose of all 
this?"
 
      "We protect our people from wraiths," Tara explained, "not to mention 
wild dragons.  Only joined dragons and their riders can combat these menaces, 
and the warren is in turn supported by those we protect."
 
      "Wraiths!" Tanami hissed.  "I have seen them!  Kethriss and I have 
fought them."
 
      "You have?" the warrenlady asked, surprised.  "But they can't follow 
you underwater!  Why fight them"
 
      "They attack the ships your people use," she explained.  "We have seen 
this."
 
      "And you fought to defend the ships?" Tara asked.  Tanami nodded, and 
Tara rubbed her chin thoughtfully.  "Tanami, when I said you were the answer 
to my dreams, I didn't know the half of it!  If you desired to stay here, you 
would be of great value to us!"
 
      Tanami swallowed hard.  Could it be that her days and nights of 
loneliness and isolation were truly at an end?  These were not her people, 
but like the sailors she'd met, they seemed like good people.  "I would 
like...to try," she answered.
 
      "Good," said Tara, placing her hands on the young waterbreather's 
shoulder.  "Let's go to my office.  We have a lot to discuss."
 
 * * * * * * * *
 Kethriss
 (same time)
 
      [I want to go swimming!] said Khamorray, who was beginning to tire of 
watching the humans work on the big wooden thing.
 
      Kethriss smiled, reaching out a wing to enfold the little hatchling.  
[That sounds like a very good idea!] she agreed.  [The waters here are very 
nice, and full of fish!
 Perhaps we could catch some!]
 
      [Ooh, would you show me how?] the hatchling asked.  
 
      [Of course!] she agreed, looking over at Syngnath, who had settled 
himself down on the sand near her.  [Would you like to hunt also?]
 
      Syngnath nodded eagerly.  [That sounds like fun!] he agreed.  [I 
already know how to hunt, of course, but I would like to see how you do it!]
 
      [Then let's go!] she told the younger dragon.  She stood up and waded 
elegantly into the water, the two other seadragons splashing in behind her.  
When the water was deep enough, she propelled herself gracefully forward with 
sweeping undulations of her body and tail.
 
      [Hey, wait for us!] Syngnath called.  Kethriss turned around and saw 
that the others were struggling to keep up with her, particularly the 
hatchling Khamorray.
 
     [Here, hold onto me!] she told Khamorray, swimming up under him.  The 
hatchling grasped her around the neck while Syngnath swam up alongside her.
 
      [Show me how you do that!] he asked her.  [I can't move as fast as you 
do!]
 
      [When it comes to swimming, some things come naturally,] she explained 
to them, [while others you have to learn through experience.]  Although 
Khamorray was too small to keep up with her no matter what he might do, she 
knew that Syngnath was ready now to benefit from her experience.  [Don't use 
your legs when you want to move fast...they only slow you down.  Use your 
body and your tail, like this.]  She started to move slowly forward, letting 
Syngnath observe and copy her technique.
 
      [Like this?] he asked, carefully tucking his legs against his body as 
she did.
 
      [That's right,] she said.  [Now, you do use your legs if you want to 
turn, like this.]  Having built up some speed, she extended a webbed foot out 
to one side, the sudden resistance against the water causing her to turn in 
that direction.  She allowed herself to slow to a stop.  [And, of course, you 
paddle with your legs to get your speed back up again.]
 
      Syngnath grinned happily - he was learning so much in such a short 
time!  Khamorray echoed those sentiments, and disengaged himself from 
Kethriss' neck so he could practice these moves for himself.
 
      [Very good!] Kethriss told them, using one claw to point at a school of 
fish up ahead.  These were a type that she knew were exceptionally swift and 
difficult to catch because the whole school would break up and head in a 
thousand different directions the moment any predator approached him.  
Catching one was easy - catching enough to make a meal for a seadragon was 
something else again.
 
      [Now, show me how you'd catch some of those for a meal!] she challenged 
them, grinning widely.
 
 (Tag Arlene)
 
 * * * * * * * *
 (Afternoon, day 11)
      
 /snip from Arlene's post/
 
 The two washed off quickly, removing the chemicals from their skin before
 heading to Tara's office.  Upon her summons to enter, Corwin noted that
 Shawnee and the newcomer, Tanami, were already seated and deep in
 discussion.
 
 "Ansel!  Corwin!" Tara greeted them, "We have great news!  Tanami and
 Kethriss have agreed to stay on at Jasra... at least for the time being,
 right?"  Tara smiled at the young waterbreather.
 
 Corwin grinned, "I'm sure you'll love it here!  Your dragon already seems
 to."
 /end snip/
 
      Tanami smiled.  "Thank you, I am sure I will!"
 
      Tara leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desktop.  "Corwin, 
Ansel, Shawnee and I have something in mind...I'll let her explain it as soon 
as she...oh, here she is now."
 
      Shawnee strode in, carrying some rolled up papers under her arm.  Tara 
made quick introductions, since she had not yet met Tanami.  With that behind 
them, Shawnee unrolled one of the papers onto Tara's desk.  Tanami, Corwin, 
and Ansel moved up closer so they could see it.
 
      "This is the domain of Jasra Warren," Shawnee explained, using a hand 
to indicate the entire area covered by the map.  "And this..."she stabbed a 
finger down at one spot on the map, "is Jasra Warren itself.  I guess the 
first thing I should ask is if any of you see anything unusual about it."
 
      "It's way over to one side," Ansel said after a moment.  "Seems like it 
would make more sense if the warren were located right in the middle."
 
      Tara grinned.  "But then we'd have nothing but complaints from our 
riders at not having the beach right below the warren...not to mention from 
the dragons.  But there's a more important reason."
 
      "This map is a bit deceptive," Shawnee said.  "It only shows the 
landward side of Jasra Domain - but a strong argument could be made that we 
have responsibilities on the other side, where the sea is.  But as you can 
see, the map only shows a thin strip of blue to the west of the warren."
 
      "Anybody know why it doesn't extend out further?" Tara asked.
 
      "Um...hasn't been explored?" Ansel asked.
 
      "Oh, it's been explored right enough," Corwin said.  "My ship had maps 
going all the way to the Outer Islands, where your Queenrider Danis hails 
from - and even to the outermost fringes of the known seas, where Aitzan 
comes from.  We've only recently begun trading that far out."
 
      "Exactly," said Shawnee.  "But the main reason this particular map 
doesn't go any farther is that my dragons and riders can't operate any 
farther out than about where this line is - about twice the distance out as 
the horizon as seen from the upper ramparts of the warren.  Any farther out 
and the magic of these lands becomes too thin to maintain the bond between 
dragon and rider."
 
      "Leaving the ships and sailors unprotected beyond that point," Corwin 
agreed glumly.
 
      "But...do wraiths really go that far out to sea?" Ansel asked.  "What 
do they eat?"
 
      "Son, a wooden ship filled with sailors is like a box lunch to 
wraiths," Corwin explained.  "When they first started showing up a few years 
ago, we didn't have any trouble with them.  But slowly, they began to learn 
that there were easy pickings to be had out at sea.  That acid they put out 
will eat through anything organic - all they have to do to bring a ship to a 
stop is to destroy the sails...then they can bore through the wood anywhere 
above the waterline, and...well, let's just say I've seen ships that they've 
attacked.  Not a pretty sight."
 
      "And ships can't carry any sort of effective defensive armament against 
them," Tara continued.  "I suppose it would be possible for them to put metal 
plates over the hull and deck of a ship, but..."
 
      "But that would make the whole thing top-heavy," Corwin said.  "A ship 
armored like that would founder the first time it encountered a good, strong 
storm."
 
      "Which leaves us with a real problem," Shawnee concluded. "Jasra is the 
only seaside warren, and if anyone has a responsibility to protect the ships, 
it's us.  But up until now we haven't been able to cover anything except the 
coastal waters."
 
     "Our dragons can swim better, but if we still can't go any farther out 
than what that map shows, I guess we can't help much either," Ansel said.
 
      "But we can," said Tanami.  "Kethriss and I have explored far out to 
sea, to the islands and beyond.  The sea has its own magic...perhaps your 
land-dragons here cannot use it, but seadragons can."
 
      Seeing the stunned expressions on both Corwin's and Ansel's faces, Tara 
held up a hand.  "This still needs to be tested," she cautioned.  "Tanami is 
of a different race, which is itself far more in tune with the sea than our 
own.  What works for her may not necessarily work for the two of you.  But if 
it does..."
 
      Shawnee nodded.  "Seadragons aren't ideally suited to fly with the 
regular wing," she said.  "To use their steam-weapon, they have to ingest a 
considerable amount of water...and that limits their endurance and 
maneuverability in the air, particularly at higher altitudes."
 
     "But at sea, in an action to defend ships, they're *very* effective!" 
said Tara.  "Tanami has been telling me about some tactics she and Kethriss 
have used to kill wraiths that are attacking ships."
 
      Tanami nodded.  "We learned from the dolphins," she said.  "Come in 
under the ship, then leap up out of the water when the wraiths come close.  
When we do that, we are never far from the water and can dive right back in 
to avoid danger."
 
      "Tanami says that Kethriss has even killed wraiths by splashing water 
at them," Tara said.
 
      "Yes, that is true," said Tanami, smiling. "Throw enough water at a 
wraith, knock it into the sea where it drowns."
 
      "So, we've come up with an idea," sand Shawnee.  "Rather than using 
your seadragons as part of the warren's regular wing, what if we were to use 
them independently?"
 
      "A Maritime Wing," said Tara.  "Beginning with you three.  Corwin, 
after discussing this with Shawnee, I'm offering you the command."
 
 (Tag Barb or Arlene)
 
 * * * * * * * *
 (Early Evening, Day 11 - The trial)
 
/snip from Katrina's post/

     Gus chose to ignore Loki's commentary and yanked free of Jerram's grasp. 
Corwin, Elly and the strange tattooed woman from the shipwreck were seated 
near the front of the "court". Gus started to head that way when she heard a 
growl and a scream from the prisoners.
  
      "You little thief! Gimme back my ring!"
  
      Colm, the sailor she'd fought, charged her, waving the cast on his arm 
like a club. Those guarding the prisoners were unable to react quite fast 
enough to stop him. Reflexively, Gus sidestepped Colm's charge and spiked the 
back of his neck as he went by. He dropped, moaning.
  
      "Thief," he managed hoarsely. "The boy stole my ring."
/end snip/
  
      Jerram had been standing next to Gus, and so was close enough to 
intervene.  He quickly reached down and grabbed Colm around the neck, 
dragging the man to his feet.  "What ring?" he asked.  "I don't see any 
ring." 
   
      "He stole it...ack!" Colm squeaked, as Jerram squeezed harder. 
  
      "Are you sure?" Jerram asked.  "Why, I don't see any ring...do you? 
You're *absolutely* certain the boy took it from you?" Jerram asked, 
squeezing tighter. 
  
       "Yes, I'm.....urkk....n-no..." Colm gasped. 
  
       "Didn't think so," said Jerram, shoving the man into the prisoners 
dock.   
  
        Gus glanced at Jerram briefly.  Was it her imagination or had he just 
stood up for her? She shook her head.  Must be seein' things, she thought. 
  
       At the other end of the room, Tara stood up.  "Now that everyone is 
here, the trial will begin."  She faced the prisoners.  Rufus, Wargh, Colm, 
Mungo, and Gegger...you are each charged with assault and battery with intent 
to commit bodily harm.  Rufus, you are also charged with attempted rape and 
assault with a deadly weapon...and Wargh with assault with a deadly weapon.  
How do you plead to these charges?" 
  
        "No f'k'n way. Y'a know we didn't do nothin'" 
  
         Tara frowned.  "Guilty or innocent will do," she said. 
  
        Rufus moved forward. "Ma'am it was a misunderstanding -- honest -- 
we's all innocent, I tell ya."  Jerram's sword flicked out, it's point just 
touching Rufus' throat.  He sat back down in a hurry, glaring at everyone.
 
      Tara nodded. "I'll take that as a 'not guilty, then.  Very well, we'll 
call the first witness.  Elvynia?"
   
       "Oh, sure, you're all as innocent as newborn babes...and I just 
happened to slice my own neck open the other night," Elly retorted 
sarcastically.  "This is what happened."  She half-closed her eyes as the 
vision of that awful night's horror reappeared before her.  "I couldn't 
sleep..." she glanced up briefly toward where Corwin was seated, "so I 
wandered down to the beach.  I was just sitting on some rocks when that 
bastard grabbed me."  She pointed at Rufus. 
 
      "That's a lie!  I did no such thing!  We was only talking!"  Rufus 
shouted. 
 
      "The only talking I was doing was to refuse you and tell you let go of 
me."  Elly turned to Tara.  "He offered me a jewel to be intimate with him.  
Like I would even want to be anywhere near him."  She looked disgusted.  "I 
liked him a lot better when he was rolling on the ground after I kneed him 
good," she smirked. 
 
      There was an appreciative titter from the audience as Rufus winced in 
memory.  Gegger elbowed Colm in appreciation of Rufus's discomfort. 
 
      Tara leaned forward.  "Elly...I need to know exactly what he did...or 
tried to do...to you." 
 
      "If I hadn't kicked him, I know he would've done more than just stick 
his hand down my shirt."  Elly narrowed her eyes at him.  "Then later, he 
pulled a knife on me, threatened to cut me into little pieces."  She 
shuddered briefly at the memory.  "And he did take a piece of me."  She 
gestured to the still-bandaged wound beneath her chin. 
 
      Tara asked Elly a few more detailed questions, and a picture of what 
had occurred between her and Rufus emerged.  Satisfied, Tara told Elly she 
could sit down.  "Gus, when did you arrive?" 
 
      Gus glanced up, startled.  "Um..I seen Elly take the redhead down."  
She sat back, hoping she would be done and could get out of here.  Even when 
it wasn't her in the dock, trials made her nervous. 
   
      Tara nodded.  "Please describe what happened after that point." 
 
       "Well, I tackled that one," she pointed at Colm, "and then Corwin 
showed up whilst the big one and Wargh come up from down the beach."  She 
paused, collecting her thoughts.  "And then Jerram come up - and then I was 
fightin' ..uh that one."  She pointed at Colm. 
 
      "What was Colm doing when you tackled him?" Tara asked. 
 
      "He'd just grabbed Elly's arm and said she was gonna pay.  Reckon he 
meant for what she done to his friend...and then Jerram come up and Wargh 
told him he hadda wait his turn with Elly and then I was fightin'..." 
 
      Tara turned to Jerram.  "What happened when you arrived.?" 
 
      Jerram stood.  "I heard shouting, and then Seydor said he'd gotten a 
call for help from Iris, who said that someone was attacking her rider.  When 
I got there, I saw that one..." He pointed at Rufus. "...had hold of her arm. 
 Gus was fighting off that other one, who was running to help.  And then I 
ran into green-teeth there." 
 
      "And then what?" Tara asked. 
 
      "He drew his sword and tried to run me through," Jerram went on. 
 
      "Thas' a lie!" Wargh bellowed.  "That scurvy barstard drew on me 
first!" 
 
      Jerram ignored Wargh.  "He drew on me, so of course I drew too.  He 
swung his sword at me, I blocked....and so on.  Anyway, I was able to disarm 
him without killing him." 
 
      "Arr, 'e broke me sword!" Wargh accused.  "Oos gonna pay fer that, eh?" 
 
      Elly couldn't contain her anger.  "You're going to pay for it, that's 
who.  All of you are going to pay for what you did that night." 
 
      "Enough!" Tara shouted, half-rising from her chair.  "Thank you, 
Jerram.  "Corwin, did you see any of this?" 
 
      Corwin released Elly's hand as he stood, patting it reassuringly. 
 
      "It happened just as they all say.  Those three were fighting with Gus, 
Elly and Aitzan, and then those two were coming up the beach.  I got between 
and then Jerram came in to help out." 
 
      Corwin paused and looked down at Elly, reassuringly, "Then that man, 
Rufus, pulled a knife on Elly, just when we'd had all his friends subdued.  
If that dragon hadn't come up behind him..."  
 
      "The dragons helped," Elly conceded, "but you were the one who disarmed 
Rufus before he could do any more damage."  She looked warmly at Corwin.   
 
      Gus swallowed hard on a snigger.  Now wasn't the time - no matter how 
tempting. 
 
      Corwin smiled back at her, before looking again at Tara, "That's true 
Ma'am.  He might have cut her throat... but he was distracted by Xanith, or I 
never would have tried it." 
 
      Corwin was about to sit back down when Tara stopped him.  "Could you 
translate for Aitzan? I'd like to get her view on this situation."
 
       Corwin nodded, and turning to Aitzan, said a few words in her 
indescribably language.  Aitzan's eyes widened.  Then she looked over at the 
sailors.  She launched into a tirade of emotional syllables, her hands 
flying, her hair whipping, her eyes flashing!  Anger was evident in her 
description, which all could see.  She made chopping gestures, and kicking 
gestures... which sent poor Baakke flying.  The lizard hissed and scurried 
under a table.
  
      Finally she finished.  Corwin nodded, telling her thank you in her 
language.  Then he turned to face Tara and said, "She said that she knocked 
that one down when he would have attacked Elly."  Then he sat down. 
 
      Tara nodded.  "Thank you, Corwin, and please thank Aitzan for us.  Now, 
does anyone have anything to say before I pronounce judgment on these men?" 
 
      Silence met her question.  "Very well.  Now, would any of the accused 
care to speak in their own defense?" 
 
      "Ere now, it were Rufus what dunnit!" Wargh protested. "I din't ave 
nuthin' d'do wi' it!  'Ang 'im, not me!" 
 
      "I didn't want nothin' to do w' th' girl!  Why you couldn't ye keep yer 
mind on d' business at 'and, Rufus?"  Mungo shouted out. 
 
       "And what business was that?" Tara asked, her eyes locking onto those 
of Mungo. 
 
      Mungo flushed, "Umm... we was just com'n' to get our stash is all." 
 
      "Stash?" the warrenlady asked.  "What sort of *stash* are you talking 
about?" 
 
      Gus felt her heart sink.  Oh damn, it couldn't be - could it?   
 
      "Now y' done it!"  Gegger shouted at Mungo.  "You and yer big mouth!" 
 
      Mungo shouted back, "But y' want to hang fer that girl?" 
 
      "Shut up, both of you!!" Colm yelled them both down.  They looked at 
Tara, who waited patiently for an answer.  Finally, Mungo spoke up again, "We 
had some gems we'd been hidin' in a cave back there." 
 
      Tara leaned back and eyed all four of them.  "So...you were looking for 
your buried loot, and you came across Elvynia.  You, approached her, Rufus, 
and tried to proposition her...and when she refused, you tried to rape her.  
The rest of you assisted him, making you all accessories to the crime of 
attempted rape...is this what I'm to understand?" 
 
      The sailors began yelling at Tara, at each other, some standing, all 
glaring at Rufus... who attempted to back away from them.  All in all they 
had by now managed to thoroughly incriminate one another by their own 
statements, corroborating the charges made by the warrenfolk against them.
 
      Tara raised her hands and shouted for silence.  Jerram started 
advancing towards the five ruffians, who promptly quieted down and stared 
sullenly at the warrenlady and their accusers. "Very well, I believe I've 
heard all the pertinent evidence," she said.  "I will consider the facts as 
presented to me before rendering my judgment.  "Court is adjourned until one 
hour after sunrise tomorrow."  There was, really, no question about the 
verdict, at least not that she could see...although she'd think and rethink 
the testimony she'd heard to make sure.  She didn't want to pronounce an 
innocent man guilty.  Still, if she'd had to make the verdict right now she 
could have pronounced the whole lot of them guilty with a clear conscience.  
The problem was...what would she sentence them to?
 
 (Okay, tag anyone who wants to add anything)
 
 (NRPG: Thanks to Katrina, Dana, and Arlene for co-writing the trial 
sequence.)
 
 Submitted by:
 
 John
 
 Warrenlady Tara & Varaenna
 Jerram & Seydor
 Ansel & Khamorray
 Tanami & Kethriss

Jasra Warren