"You should have let me go"

Ailill rubbed her pounding temples.  How was she supposed to answer 
that.  She glanced at Waylene, but the Warrenlady only had eyes for her 
mate.  

She shook her head. Half in answer to his comment, half to shake away 
the throbbing that was building in her temples.  "I couldn't do that 
Z'lec."

"Why"  His voice shook.

Ailill had no answer.  It was just something she had to do.   She would 
like to think that she did it for Waylene, for Z'lec.  That she had done 
it because it was what was best.  But no, she had gone into this 
thinking only of herself.  It had started out as some twisted idea about 
making up for her inability to help her brother by saving Z'lec.  But 
somewhere along the line her purpose had changed.  She had touched 
something within herself, something that needed Z'lec.  Chosing her 
words carfully, for she realized that he was not out of the woods yet, 
she answered him.

"Perhaps you should ask yourself that question Z'lec.  Why did you come 
back.  Part of you must have wanted to return or you would have never 
let me get close to you."  

He didn't respond, because the true was that there had been somethng he 
needed from her.  He laid back, glaring at Ailill.  

Waylenetook his hand.  "Z'lec..." Her voice faultered as he shifted his 
dark glare towards her.  "Z'lec, I'm gla..." She broke off once again 
when Z'lec turned his eyes from her and continued to gaze, coldly, at 
Ailill.  She breathed deeply, composing herself.  

Ailill thought that perhaps it would be best if the two of them had a 
few moments alone.  Without her in the room.  She cleared her throat, 
rising as she did so.  "Warrenlady, I'm tired, and hungry.  I think I'd 
like to go get something to eat."

Waylene smiled, she knew what Ailill was up to.  Rising she walked 
Ailill to the door.  Stopping her just before she walked out.  "Thank 
you Ailill.  I'm not sure what you did, but thank you."

Ailill grinned weakly,  "I'm not sure what I did either, and I'm not 
sure you should be thanking me just yet."  She closed the door quietly 
behind her, leaving the Warrenlady alone with her mate.  She walked 
slowly to her room.  There she found another glass of... stuff... 
waiting for her.  Downing it quickly she settled down on her bed for a 
short rest, hoping that a nap would ease the pounding headache.  Despite 
the pain she was asleep in moments.  

~*~Late Afternoon, early evening~*~

Ailill startled awake when an aid dropped a fully loaded lunch tray just 
outside her door.  <<Ugh!>>  Her head throbbed, the nap had done little 
to dull the pain.

<<Are you alright?>>  Storm concerned voice filled her mind. 

<Yes, I'm fine love.  I'm just not use to using my telepathy.  I over 
did it a bit.  The headache will go away in a day or so.>

Unable to sleep she climbed out of her bed and headed to Z'lec's room.  
She arrived at the door of his room at the same time Sina did.  The 
woman gave her a scrutinizing look.  "You should be in bed Ailill."  

Ailill just smiled sheepishly.  Putting on her most innocent look.   

"Alright," the woman gave in.  "You can sit with him but only until I'm 
done speaking with the Warrenlady."

Sina opened the door and led the way into the room.  Ailill slipped in 
behind her.  It didn't look like much had changed since she left.  Z'lec 
simply stared at the wall  "Lady Waylene..." Sina began, startling the 
Warrenlady.  "I have a few things I would like to disscuss with you.  I 
wonder if you wouldn't mind coming with me."  

Waylene sighed deeply, giving Z'lec one last look she rose and followed 
The healer.   Ailill watched them go.  Then she turned towards the man 
lying on the bed.  Neither one of them said anything.  Words didn't seem 
right.  She sat by his bed, listening to him breathe.  Just wanting to 
be near him.  

When Ailill heard the door open she turned around quickly expecting to 
see Sina and Waylene.  She was surprized to see Lakoda's small form 
sillouted in the door way.  She took one look at the healer's angry face 
and knew she done for.  

"Where's Waylene?" Koda asked in a tight voice.

"Talking to Sina..." the girl rasped out, She was about to tell Lakoda 
that she was sorry for getting out of bed, but was cut of by the angry 
healer.

"NO! Don't talk," Koda hissed quietly. "Have your dragon relay your 
answers through Ribbon. I can already tell you've been using your voice 
too much already today after I TOLD you not to! Are you *trying* to ruin 
whatever chance you have of getting your voice back!!"

Ailill stepped back unconsiously.  She had never seen the healer so 
angry.  Her breath caught in her throat and tears pooled in her eyes.  
She was sensitive, and she couldn't stand having her friends upset with 
her. Storm's comforting voice filled her.  <<She is simply concerned for 
you.  Ribbon's rider says that you will not get better if you keep 
talking.  So I don't want you talking any more.>>

Ailill rolled her eyes.  <Great even my own dragon is against me.>>  She 
relaxed a bit. Blinking back the tears

"So tell me... through Storm... what happened here?"

Ailill sighed.  <Storm tell her that... That I asked the Warrenlady if I 
could sit with Z'lec, because I wanted, no I needed to help him.>  She 
sat down on the chair next to Z'lec's bed as Lakoda waited patiently.  
She realized that using Storm to tell this story might not be as bad an 
idea as she had first thought.  Through the dragons she could relay 
feeling, and emotions as well as words.  Perhaps that would make it 
easier for Lakoda to understand what really happened.

<Tell her how I started.  Ailill thought aboutwhat it had first been 
like.  Searching for Z'lec's mind.  Then finding it and surounding it.  
Slowly breaking down his resistance.  She thought of how he had fought 
her at first, but then relaxed and clung to her.  Drawing ever closer 
until he seemed to crawl inside her soul and take root there.  Even now 
she could still feel the connection they had had.  Like a little part of 
him, of his desperate need still remained inside her.  She thought of 
how she just held him.  Then she thought of how Waylene had interupted 
her.  Here she switched from feelings and pictures to mere words.  

Waylene told me to leave.  She wanted to me to get some rest.  Her exact 
words were.  "Healer Lakoda will have my head if you strain yourself."  
But when I was about to leave, Z'lec stopped breathing.  She thought of 
the icy fingers of terror that had crept around her chest.  It had been 
happening all over agian.  She was losing him, just as she had lost her 
brother.  Sian rushed in and started to revive him.  But I knew it 
wouldn't work.  It wouldn't work unless he wanted to come back.  

So I reached out to him again.  Once again her story drifted more 
towards pure feeling than words.  I reached out and took hold of him.  
He... he felt so betrayed.  He didn't want me, I had left him.  I was 
just torturing him, causing him pain.> Ailill swallowed hard,  she still 
felt guilty for leaving him.  <I just held him,  cradled him.  He didn't 
want to die, he didn't really want to leave.  He doesn't want to be 
alone.  So he came back.  He came back, but this time he didn't curl up 
inside my mind.  This time he wanted more.  He wanted to know who I was, 
what I was.  He wanted to know that I wouldn't leave him again.  I 
didn't know what to say... So I just told him my name.  Over and over 
again until he woke up.  Once he was wake, I couldn't feel him any 
longer, but I didn't need to.  He was alive, and he didn't need me to 
hold him away from the darkness.  He still hurts, but the egde has 
dulled.  Slightly.  He knows he is not alone.  Not totally>

She focused on Lakoda's face.  The anger had faded from the healer's 
face. Her eyes had widened in surprise.  It took a few moments for the 
last of the message to travel through it's draconic network.  Ailill new 
that she had heard the last of it when her eyes came back into focus.

She just looked at Ailill for a few long silent seconds.  Briefly Ailill 
though that she might just be out of trouble.  Surely the healer 
couldn't be mad at her after she had just informed Lakoda that she had 
saved Z'lec.  But Lakoda's mood would not be that easily improved.  Her 
eye's narrowed as she watched Ailill rubbing her temples.  

"Telepathy can be very physically draining.  Waylene should have never 
allowed you to try it.  You should have never left your room.  The idea 
behind confining you to the Med Center, was to allow you to rest.  Not 
to provide you with a means of totally draining yourself."  She paused, 
taking in a deep breath.  "Don't get me wrong Ailill, I'm glad you 
helped Z'lec, but I'm not happy that you endangered your own health to 
do so."   She glanced at the man, who had fallen into a light slumber.  
     
Ailill dropped her hands to her lap and began twisting the belt of her 
robe mercilessly.  

Lakoda sighed,  "Where did you learn that... that thing that you used on 
Z'lec.  And what made you think of trying it?  How did you know that 
Z'lec would even hear you?"

Ailill cocked her head.  <Tell her that I learned through 
experimentaion.  Tell her that I knew he could still hear us, 
because...> The pain in her head grew to a persistant unignorable 
throbbing.  <Just tell her about Salis, Storm.  Tell her about how he 
died.  About what I felt.  You know the story, and I'm too tired to deal 
with it right now...>  In an instant her dragon was with her.  
Comforting and supporting, demanding nothing in return. 

NRPG: Tag Barb, Ailill isn't going to be awake much longer, so Koda 
better make it quick!
  

                             *)*)(*         
Katherine Heath               \(*/    Ailill And Storm,
                               *)       Marrid Warren      
     Domani@hotmail.com        /\  
                              {**}   J'res and Tleilaxu,
           The Voice of...     ^^       Xylian Warren
                               ;}   
~_------------------@__        :}         __@-----------------_~
  \__             /    `-_     /}\    _-`    \             __/
     \___        /        `'-.) }(.-'`        \        ___/
         \___   /            (  } )            \   ___/
             \_/~,_,_,_,_,.-(   }  )-.,_,_,_,_,~\_/
              *             (   }  )             *
                            0\  } /0
                            * \ }/ *
~May Dragons Fly Ever In~      :}:
                              ;};
     ~Your Dreams...        ;};    ...Soaring On The Wings Of~
                           ;;
                          ;;             ~Imagination~
                          ;     
                           '*
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