She couldn't have come at a worst time Lakoda thought as Ribbon settled her
large bulk on the green near the Warren offices. There was a great sadness
hanging over the area that spoke of the recent tragedy that had befallen
them here. 

Maybe this wasn't the right time to be showing up here looking for a job,
but a healer offering her services would be welcome almost anywhere.
Wouldn't shy? There wasn't anything to stop her from trying. She sure as
hell wasn't going back to Falagand. No way was Koda going to put up with
anymore of B'nair's petty carping and interference. Imagine the nerve of
that woman, second guessing her work, or forcing her to get a second opinion
before adminastiring any kind of treatment.

No healer should have to be put in position where they had to delay
treatment to a patient for what could turn out to be a live or death
situation because of a petty vindictive grudgefull woman with some power. 

After coming close to losing the badly injured child due to B'nair's
interference this last time, Lakoda of the Healer Guide decided she had had
enough. When the need for revenge over rid the safety of a child or any
other person seeking a healers help, that was when Koda put in for a
transfer with her Guide. Better to let the woman think she had won then
having someone die to prove her wrong. The price was just to high.



<The watch dragon who said we could land, told me the Warrenlady is in her
office.> Ribbon told her rider as the healer dismounted. 

<<Thanks Ribs, I remember where it is from the last time I was here.>> Many
had died that day, she remembered sadly as she made her way inside and down
the hall way leading to the Warrenlady's office. Surely with all that had
happened here, they would have need of a qualified healer with her
experiences.  Especially one who came with her own dragon.

A new home where she was allowed to do her work was all she asked. That and
the added bonus of being reunited with Arri. The Queen rider knowledge of
herbs and their uses, had been a big help to the Falagand healers. Koda had
missed the girl when the queen rider had left the Warren and transferred to
Marrid. 

Koda could hear voices coming from the Warrenlady's office when she drew up
next to the door. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but something made her stop
and listen to the conversation going on inside. It had to do with a medical
problem, something she knew something about. So she listened.

****
(insert Kris's post here about the hellspawn)

Finally Koda decided that she had heard enough and pushed the door opened
far enough to step inside. For a moment every eye in the room was turned on
her and she almost faltered. 

<Go on,>> came the reassuring thought from her dragon. <You're a healer,
what could they do to you?>

<<Thanks Ribs,>> Koda sent back. <<You're right dear heart. What would I do
without you.>>

<Oh, you'd be fine.> the purple dragon chucked. <For a human, you're very
smart.>>

"May I help you?" the brown-headed lady sitting behind the desk spoke up.
"Are you lost?"

Koda took a deep breath before answering. "No Warrenlady Waylene. I'm healer
Lakoda, formerly of Falagand Warren and while I didn't mean to eavesdrop
outside your office door," she had the grace to blush. "I believe I may have
the answer to your healer's problem." Well you might as well go for it all
the way girl, she thought as the man turned to take a good look at her.

"Young lady I'm not sure what all you heard while you were on the other side
of the door," he paused and before he could continue she cut him off with.

"I heard enough to know that I think I could be of help to you." she told
him. You need to find a way to put this thing out of action while you try to
remove it from the human it's infested. Right?" He nodded his head and she
went on. "I think I may just have a way for you to pull it off. "

"And how would you do that?" the healer asked. Koda had his full attention now.

"There's a plant from the waste called Tajas, that if you mash up it's bulb
and then seep it in hot water for five minutes before giving it to the
patient, will cause the persons body into a sort of hibernated state. It
slows down the heart rate and metabolism until it's almost undetectable."
She explained to those in the room. "If this thing.. inside of him is
attached to any of his vital organs, it should render it helpless as well."

"I never knew it could be used that way." the man muttered more to himself
that to Koda. " How was this usage of if found?"

"We found out quite by accident," she smiled.  "When one of the orderlies
was making our afternoon tea one day and picked up the wrong jar. One of our
nurses was the first to receive the tea and when she collapsed it took us a
while to make the connection to a second orderly who as so seamed to slip
into a coma like trance. There are no side effects that we ever came
acrossed, and the person who uses it wakes up feeling rested and alert."
 
The healer turned to face the woman behind the desk, "It just might work.
Providing that we can find the right plant." he turned back to face Koda,
"You've used this plant before you say?"

"Yes Healer..."

"D'ssarian."

"Yes Healer D'ssarian, I have used it a number of times before to put a
badly injured person into a deep coma. We found it sometimes helps with the
healing process."

"And you know where we could get some of this plant?"

"Oh yes sir," Koda was happy to report. "I always have a couple bulbs of the
Tejas plant in my personal stores. You never know when it might be needed."

She saw the look that past between the Healer and the Warrenlady and had an
idea that the next question might be.
Koda wasn't wrong.

"Perhaps you would tell us how you came to be here today?" Waylene asked.

Certainly Warrenlady Waylene," Koda smiled her most endearing smile. "I was
sent here by the Healer Guide, depending on your approval and need for a
healer, because I requested a transfer out of Falagand Warren where I found
it difficult to perform my duties because of a very vindictive and spiteful
woman."

"And who would that be?"

"Warrenlady B'nair." Koda answered truthfully. "She had held a grudge
against me every since I joined with my dragon Ribbon. She felt that it was
a waste of Warren resources for a dragon to go to a mear healer when there
was such a need for fighting dragon's." She couldn't hide the bitterness in
her voice as she continued. Try as she did. "When a small child almost died
because she refused to allow me to start treatment until such time as a
second healer could verify my work, I knew then that I had to transfer out
before her interference in my work came to a tragic end. Losing a life was
to high a price for me to pay and that's what would have happened had I stayed."

"Did she have reason to question your healing skills?" D'ssarian asked and
Koda felt her temper rising.

"No Healer D'ssarian. She didn't." Koda said as calmly as she could. It
wouldn't do to lose her temper here right now. "As I have stated, B'nair
holds a grudge against me that started with my joining with Ribbon and it
sort of grew from there. The real harassment didn't start until after she
had assumed the office of Falagand's Warrenlady and was them able to use her
authority to interfere with my work."

"That's a pretty strong charge to be making against a Warrenlady." Waylene
stated. 

"Yes ma'am it surely is. But not one with out proof." None of the anger or
resentment she was feeling showed on her heart shaped face. "Did you ever
wonder why so many of Falagand riders put in for transfers when the Cleft
Warren opened up?"

She saw the quick look pass again between the two, and knew she had hit the
mark. So the fact hadn't gone unnoticed.

"I do have letters of recommendation from the Master of my Guide as well as
from other healers I have worked with." she informed them. "In fact you have
a queen rider here at Marrid who could tell you about my work. Arri and I
often worked together before she transferred here. Not that we were friends
or anything like that, but I'm sure she'll recommend me as a healer." 

Before Waylene could form another question, D'ssarian spoke up. M'lady, I
feel if we are to have any chance of saving the life of the man in the med
center, we had better start soon," he turned to look at Koda. "Are you able
to assist in surgery?"

Koda smiled, her green eyes sparkling. "Would you expect anything less from
the daughter of Larsine?" she asked and saw the shock register in the older
mans face before it turned to certain respect. Her father was well known,
but Lakoda rarely traded on his name.

"Well then Daughter of Larsine, let us proceed. Shall We?"
--------------------------------------------
(nrpg: Well here's Lakoda's  intro story. I hope I didn't take to many
liberties with the events and mentions of other people's characters.....




*****Submitted by:*********************
Barbara
Voices of:
Warrenlady Jayleigh & Queen Viktroy (Daere)
Tera & Sundellath (Telnor), 
Dan'yar & Shinner (Cleft) 
Shawnee (Whiteriver)
Lakoda & Ribbon (Marrid)

Daere Warren Home Page
(http://mail.reallink.com/~carolyn/index.html
(Barbara's Pern Question page)
<http://pubpages.unh.edu/~bscott/pern/questions.html>