[Shard-Marrid Medical Center]
	Shard watched the drama unfold around the unconscious form of David.
	<Chal -- I guess I was wrong.  This does look serious.  You -- 
You don't think he's going to die, do you?>
	<I do not know.>  
	Shard watched the healers looking frustrated and helpless, and 
heard the strange prohibitions of the Queenrider -A'rillia?  as she 
prepared some sort of dangerous psychic surgery.  He was troubled at the 
thought of his first and almost-only friend at Marrid passing on.  Except 
it wouldn't be the first time ...
	He thought of watching his father dying, at the small temporary 
camp he had made, a mere several leagues away from the stony cliff on 
which he had fallen and collected mortal wounds.  He thought of the blood 
that seeped from his mouth and gurgled with his every breath, and the 
intense pain he must have felt with every syllable as he ordered his 
beloved son to return to Norwall and the hated Warrenfolk.
	He wished there were some way he could help -- but it didn't look 
like there was.  And while he might be helpless -- he hated to be 
reminded of it.  He tried to call it pragmatic, instead of heartless. 
Although he thought either might be appropriate.
	He hung his head grimly.  He grabbed a piece of paper, writing a 
short note explaining that he had unescapable errands to run, and that he 
would return as soon as possible.  He left it where no one would find it 
and left abruptly.

[D'Gerrit, outside of Jaquel's office]

	D'gerrit followed young Naomi out of Jaquel's office, calling 
lightly to her.  The girl stopped and waited for him to catch up, which 
he did, walking rapidly but not running.
	He studied the girl.  Young, a bit impetuous perhaps, but trying 
to curb her youthfulness with newfound responsibility.  She must realize 
that she was the obvious choice to become WarrenLady, and now, after a 
Hatching, would be a perfect time to press the point.  He sighed 
inwardly, and reflected that perhaps the best course of action would be 
to anticipate this, and call a meeting of Warren leaders to discuss the 
subject, and to make plans ... he realized that he was standing over the 
girl, lost in his own thoughts. He smiled through his developing beard 
and spoke.
	'I really must applaud your tenacity in this matter.  And I know 
that it seems like we may be avoiding it ... but, you see, truth to tell, 
Jaquel is getting a bit old.  Never doubt her wisdom, but sometimes it 
takes longer for her to make decisions, that's all.'  The girl blinked, 
nodded, appearing to accept this information.  D'Gerrit continued, on a 
much lighter note.
	'It's going to be wonderful to hear the creel of baby dragons 
again, after the raids and the slaughter of previous Hatchings.'  His 
voice took on a wistful tone.  He remembered only too clearly the 
slaughter of that day, the smell of dragonflame that should never, 
_never_, mingle with the scent of hatching eggs.
	A private part of him wondered if perhaps he were getting old as 
well.  But he loved Hatchings; the excitement, the unpredictability.  The 
attempts to line up 'viable' candidates, and the surprises that ensued.  
He knew from experience that the process was often little more than 
fortune-telling and star-watching.  He smiled at the pretty young Queenrider.
	'If you ever need anything, please, just stop by my office.  And 
now, I will go to the Medical building to see what the healers say about 
this.'  With his best smile, he continued on ...
	Laughing a bit inside ...
	
[Later]  
	D'Gerrit was in his apartment when the knock came on the door.  
He went to the door, opened it, and took an involuntary step back.
	'Shard!  How good to see you!'  The boy smiled, pushed a lock of 
his black hair out of the way self-consciously.  'Come in!  Come in!'
	D'Gerrit shut the door, amnd mentioned the son of his former best 
friend into a seat by the fire.  He poured 2 glasses of mulled wine.  
'So, how are things at Marrid?  The reconstruction efforts going well?'
	Shard smiled ironically.  'It s-seems l-like rebuilding has been 
th-the _least_ of the things I h-h-have b-been involved in.'  He 
proceeded to relate to D'Gerrit the events of the past days, his work in 
the kichen, his ambush of David, and meeting D'Zall and Ziila, both 
attacks of the Wraiths, and the panoply of troubles befalling Tr'etram, 
and finally, of his trip to visit his father's camp, his meeting with his 
mother and half-siblings earlier in the day.  The only thing he left out, 
tactfully, was Neire's concerns regarding D'Gerrit's ambitions.  D'Gerrit 
took all of this information in thoughtfully, with only a question or 
clarification from time to time.
	'Well, you have been busy.  Regarding this man Tr'etram -- have 
you considered what could happen if it were to come out that you are -- in 
the eyes of the Warrenfolk anyway -- the son of a murderer and a rogue?'
	Shard bowed his head, gazing at his twisted reflection in the 
crimson of the glass.  'Y-yes, I h-have.'  His earlier fears forgotten, 
as new ones resurfaced.  'I h-have al-also considered ... If I sh-should 
d-decide to j-join the Guild of S-swords ... ' 
	<Chal, any news on David?>
	<None.  I shall pay attention, however.  Are you enjoying 
spending time with D'Gerrit?>
	<Yes.  He was always a friend to me.  And you and Orobos?>
	<I don't think Orobos dislikes me, but he is not overly 
friendly.  I am with Redspann now.>
	Shard closed the contact, and continued.  'If-if my Sword Guild 
fr-friend recovers ... s-soon, I may w-wish to j-jpoin the Guild.  
Th-they are l-likely to ask me about my an-ancestry, for the r-records ...'
	D'gerrit nodded.  'I see.'  Shard continued. 'And m-my other 
f-freidnds are l-likely t-to ask, as well.  P-perhaps we could say ... 
that my f-father t-took me a-away, a-and was killed a l-long t-time ago, 
and, if y-you're w-willing, y-you could be my foster f-father.'
	D'gerrit nodded grimly.  'Are you sure this is the best way?  
Granted, it is stretching the truth, but ... '  Shard nodded again.
	'In that case, Shard my lad, I would be honored.  Actually, I 
kind f wish we had thought of this before we sent you away, to provide 
you with a better story at your new Warren from the start, but that's all 
past now.  I know it's just for show, as a story, but ... as you know, my 
only son died shortly after he was born ...'  D'gerrit's eyes grew a bit 
blank.  He contacted not his dragon, but a vanished past. He thought of 
little F'rathim, so pink, so beautiful, such a fighter, struggling for 
life -- pneumonia they said, those healers -- he shook his head 
suddenly.  He had to fight as well.
	He smiled a bit at Shard.  The effect was sudden, startling, and 
Shard took notice.  'Of course I'll help you, lad!  All I would ask of 
you is that you'd drop by more often, you know, share the gossip.  I hear 
many questions each day about how Marrid is doing since the Wraithing, 
and about the other Warrens.  And I'm sure your poor mother will be glad 
to see you about a bit more often.'
	Shard scowled a bit, and nodded.  'Now, lad, you mustn't be too 
hard on Neire.  Raising a child to the age you were when you left, and 
seeing him come back an angry man, must be hard on her.'  He leaned 
forward a bit.  'I know that you blame the troubles on Neire.  But there 
may be someone more culpable -- I can't really talk about it more, now, 
but be patient.  Justice will be done.'
	Shard's mind reeled.  D'gerrit might know who did the Poisoning?  
The reason behind all of the hate he had received?  Who? He realized that 
his grip on his cup had tightened, wiht both hands, as about the hilt of 
a sword ...
	'Relax, lad.'  D'Gerrit let out in his commanding voice.  'I 
would not have said a thing if I thought you'd go all tense on me.  You 
see, Warren life is quite different from what I observed of your and 
Rixx's life out in the trees.  You could hunt, and build a bit on your 
little fort-house, and be done with your work before the mist had 
dissolved, and spend the rest of the day swimming and enjoying 
yourself.'  Shard almost intejected that that was not entirely true, but 
he relented.  'Many's the time I've wished I could run away and live like 
that ... but duty's kept me here.  Duty's not all bad, Shard.'  Shard 
sighed, thinking of the lessons he had learned in his Wraith-scouting 
trip.  He relaxed.
	'Wh-why d-did f-father s-send you away?'  Shard asked, gazing 
intently at D'gerrit.  'Y-you used to v-vist us sometimes once a m-month, 
th-then you just stopped.'  D'gerrit shifted position.  'Your father was 
afraid someone might follow me and find you.  Not impossible, you know.  
But, lad, why don't you tell me about Llanida, and those other male 
riders?  Why did the three of you fly in after the mating last time, with 
brokes bones and the like?'
	Shard sighed, knowing that that story was probably still making 
the rounds here at Norwall, probably would be even still, especially 
since he had been seen entering the Warren by the young folk and since 
this was the Hatching of that flight.
	'It w-was the m-mating time.  Ch-Chaldecony flew Kallit, and I 
found m-myself in L-llanida's quarters.  Y-you know what happens.'  He 
blushed a little, remembering that fiery embrace.  He was still shy 
around females, and yet, for that one moment, almost half-a-year ago, he 
knew one, uniquely well ... And he thought of Llanida, with her 
shoulder-length reddish brown hair, and her sneering, laughing smile, and 
how he wondered at the time if there was any deeper feeling in their 
instinctual coupling for her, more than wondered.
	'W-we a-awoke t-together, and ... I guess, when she r-realized 
wh-who I was, the s-son of a ... murderer ... she freaked.  She hit me, 
kicked me, b-bit m-me ... I shoved her, a-and sh-she h-hit a wall, and 
f-f-fell un-unconscious.'  He remembered wondering if he had killed her.
	D'Gerrit nodded, placing names to faces of the young folk he had 
seen in some of the combat wings.  Shard went on.  'I dr-dragged her out 
of the ap-apartment ... I had s-summoned Ch-chal t-to carry her to the 
M-medical b-building, wh-when M'narrin and As'Tarth had flown by.  They 
had m-mated earlier in the d-day, and saw the P-p-poisoner's son with a 
f-friend of theirs, un-unconscious ...'
	'They landed, and attacked me.  Th-that is w-why, b-by the time 
Chal a-arrived, I had a broken j-jaw and a-arm, M-m'narrin a comp-p-ound 
leg f-fracture, and As'Tarth a m-minor c-concussion.'  D'Gerrit looked as 
if he were going to ask a question ... 'We h-had no weapons, s-so 
th-they came at m-me w-with l-large rocks.'
	D'Gerrit nodded grimly. 'I remember.  The healers had to remove 
three of your back teeth, and, after your jaw was healed and the 
headaches went away, why we removed you from combat rider training and 
assigned you to collecting herbs and firewood.'  Shard assented.
	'And the others?'  'I r-received w-word th-that they d-didn't 
consider th-the matter closed, b-but that is all that h-happened.'
	D'gerrit rose to pace.  'I wish you had told me this a long time 
ago, Shard.  I could have done something.'  He turned.  'Not an ideal 
first mating flight in any respect.  ... Well, my lad, i'm getting 
tired.  I took the liberty of asking a rider to deliver some wood to your 
father's 'old' apartment, so you could sleep apart from the rug-rats if 
you wished.'  Shard nodded, smiling at the reference to C'Vrinn and 
Slessa.
	The two men said their goodnights, and parted.
	Shard stopped off briefly to speak to his mother before retiring, the 
children already in bed.  He delivered the news of his plans and methods to 
his mother, and his opinion of D'Gerrit's normal behavior.
	"Oh Shard, I'm sorry I troubled you for nothing like this.  And I 
knew you woudl be happier at the Warren.  But ... mightn't it be easier 
to just tell the truth about your father?"
	Shard sat silently for a long time.  Finally, he spoke.  'H-he's 
dead, mother.  H-he still l-lives for me, but ... he's dead to everyone 
else.  M-maybe you tr-truly knew him ... b-but no one else d-did.  Let's 
just l-let him stay dead.'  And with a bow and a kiss to her hand, a 
feeble effort at gallantry that did not go wasted on her, he retired to a 
dead man's chambers to rest.
	Shard sat for a long time in his father's cave, reminiscing, as he had 
at the campsite.  He tried not to feel doubly a traitor.  Finally, he 
resolved to hurry back to Marrid early the next day, and slept shallowly. 
	D'Gerrit stood pondering an pacing for a long while.  Well, now 
he would have information coming in about Marrid, and about Keldarra 
eventually, as well.  The time was coming when Jaquel would be asked to 
step down.  But who would fill the void? He smiled.  It would not go 
empty, and he would see it was well-filled ... one way or another.  	

[nrpg]
	Sorry about how long it's been since Avalon and I have posted!  We 
went to a Vampire: the Masquerade dance/murder mystery -- great time, all 
the clans turned out  (guilty about that boyfriends thing I guess).  I'll 
bug her to post.
	From my lookings at the minerals list, I realized the word was 
'ChalCEDony', not 'ChalDECony.'  Ah well.  Far too late to change now, 
and besides, I like my version better anyway [;)].
	Poor Neire!  I didn't create her _just_ to suffer, honest ...
	I went ahead and skipped past the meeting on Tr'etram -- like I 
said before, he's not going to say anything, but he is interested in 
talking with Trey later.

	'Til later ...

	Josh 'Khan' Kubli

	'There has not been any great genius without an element of madness.'
		--Seneca