[Day 1, afternoon, just after the investigation team returns]

[Ranon]

"We'll be okay..." he repeated.

"Ranon?"

He turned and met the eyes of the female healer.  Sina, her name was.
"Yes?"

"Carie came and got me.  I need to look over Colchis and see how he is."

He nodded and moved back from Colchis's head slightly to give her room to
work.

"Tell me what happened," she said.

"I already told Carie when we first got here," he said.

She nodded.  "Tell me.  I want it firsthand."

"I started to feel the magic fade and Colchis and I took off as fast as we
could."

"How did you know the magic was fading?"

"I felt it."

"And you know what it feels like?"

He nodded.  "The Nomadlands, when Roland's Rogues first arrived, weren't
too stable.  We learned the signs early on."

"Okay.  Go on."

"Anyhow, we teleported back here, but I could feel the bond... snapping."
He fought back a sob.  "I can still only half-hear him."

"Maybe it's because he's hurt," she offered.

He shook his head.  "No.  It's more than that."

"Okay," she said.  "You stay near to him.  No one will ask you to leave."
She set to work examining Colchis, asking him questions as she went.

The more she questioned and examined, the more concerned she looked, till
by the end of it there was a knot of fear in his stomach like nothing he'd
experienced before.  Finally, she patted the dragon and stood back.

"Is he going to be okay?" Ranon asked.

She grimaced.  "I won't lie to you.  He's pretty bad.  There's been some
bleeding within the brain.  If it continues..."

He nodded and swallowed.  "Thank you... for your honesty."

"We may be able to operate, but I'd rather wait and see," she said.

"Okay."

"Is there anything you need?"

"Can you get someone to watch Alon tonight?"

"I can do that," she answered.

"Good.  And..."

"And what?"

"If it's bad and Colchis... can you... can you find me something to... to
join him?"

She reached out and squeezed his arm.  "We'll do everything in our power
to make sure it never comes to that."

"But if it does?"

"We'll help you, yes."

"Thank you."

She squeezed his arm again and then left toward the Medical Center.  He
settled down next to Colchis and curled as close to the dragon as he
could.

******

"Excuse me?"

He looked up to see Dorien, Waylene's assistant, standing there with a
plate of food.  "Yes?"

"Waylene thought you might be hungry.  I understand you're under medical
orders not to leave your dragon."

"That's right," he answered.  He realised he hadn't eaten in forever, it
seemed, and the food smelled very good.  He took the plate and after a
moment just appreciating the aroma of it tucked into it with relish.

Dorien pulled out some paper and a stylus.  "While you're eating, may I
ask you a few questions?  For Waylene?"

"Of course," Ranon answered around a mouthful.

"I've talked to Sina and Carie and they both said you told them you felt
the magic receding, correct?"

Ranon nodded.

"Sina said you had experience with this sort of things in the Nomadlands
while in... the company of Roland and his men?"

Ranon almost smiled at the hesitation and careful phrasing.  To most
people in the warren he was still Ranon the rogue.  He nodded.  "Yes.  The
magic was very unstable when we first arrived."

"Do you think you could describe the sensation?"

Ranon considered.  "Well... I'll try..."

He described and Dorien wrote and questioned and wrote some more.  By the
time they were done, Dorien had several pages of notes on how the dragons
who had died from the fluctuations had done so, what the fluctuations felt
like, how swift they had been, what it felt like to feel the bond
weakening, and other questions of a similar nature.  Ranon handed back the
empty plate.

"Thanks for the dinner."

"You're welcome.  Thanks for the information."

******

[Trey]

He stepped into the Dining Hall, looking for the young man, Breeze.  After
a brief search, his eyes fell on the young man, drinking with the woman
Tina.  He heard Solly snort behind him.

"What?" he asked.

"That woman drinks like a fish.  And her clothes..."

"S'far's we can figure, she was Landborn," Trey countered before his
brother could start.

"So far as you can figure?"

"Mmmm... Yes.  She's from someplace else and originally thought this was
some sort of... magic illusion game or something.  Very strange."

"Well, that's a new one," Solly said.

"Well," Trey said, considering the young man smiling back at the
come-hither look the woman was giving him, "I think maybe I'll talk to
Breeze about hatchings some other time..."

"You're not going to get him out of there before he makes a fool of
himself?"

"Not my business," Trey answered.

Solly shook his head and walked out.  Trey followed.

"I don't understand the warren sometimes," Solly said.

"Sorry," Trey answered.

They wandered for a while in silence.  "She hit on me the other day,"
Solly said.

"Tina?"

"Yes."

"Obviously you didn't take her up on her offer."

"No."

Silence again.

"Might've been interesting..."

Trey smiled.  "It might have been at that.  I didn't notice at the time,
but I think she made a few plays for me back when she first came to the
warren.  I was still too lost without Diana.  She'd've had to hit me with
a tree limb."

Solly laughed.  "Somehow I don't think that would have put you in the
mood, Tannet."

They fell silent again, wandering onto the edges of the Green.

"You still miss her?"

"Desperately.  You?"

Solly nodded, something Trey could just make out in the darkness.  "I
still only use half the bed."

Trey sighed.  He understood that sentiment exactly.

"Say, isn't that Talitha?"

He looked up to see his brother heading for a boulder.  He could make out
a woman's form sitting on top of it.

"Hello, 'Lith," he heard Solly say.

"Hello, *Solly.*"  It wasn't a pleasant greeting.

<Prisma thinks her rider shouldn't be alone tonight,> Koroth said to him
then.

"Waiting for someone?"

"No."  He saw her stand.  "The only man I *ever* spent time waiting for,
as you put it, is dead.  Okay?  Believe it or not, we Warrenborn don't
spend all of our time falling into one another's beds." 

"Whoa, there --"

"What?" Talitha jumped down, ignoring the gentlemanly proffered hand.

"Look, I don't know why--" Gransol's voice died suddenly.

"You don't know why what?" asked Trey, walking up behind his brother, and
'Lith looked away.  He stepped forward, placing a gentle hand beneath her
chin and forcing her to meet his eyes, seeing the tear stains on her face. 
"Are you okay?"

'Lith shrugged.  "Yes.  No.  I -- I spent this afternoon with Waylene.
Talking... talking about..."

"Would you like to have dinner with us?  Me and Solly and the kids?"

Behind him, Gransol choked.  His brother was still nervous about dining
with Warrenfolk.  Considering the likes of Tina, it was no surprise, but
Trey wanted him to see that Tina was hardly representative.

"Yes.  That would be... good."

"Good.  Roth tells me Prisma doesn't think you should be alone tonight." 

She snorted.  "Interfering dragons."

"True.  But you've got to love them."

'Lith blinked up at him, and then laughed.  It was good to hear her laugh.
It lightened the worry that wrapped itself around his heart.

******

Gransol pushed back the plate and leaned back, moaning slightly.  "I
haven't had dumplings that good since... well, probably since you left
home," he guessed.

"Glad you still like them," Trey answered.  He turned and considered the
two gravy-covered girls.  "It's nice they can feed themselves, but
goodness!"

Gransol laughed.  "Here.  Let me help you."

Larisel hopped up.  "Me help!"

"Nono.  You sit," her father told her.  Her face clouded over and she sat
back.  She sat and watched her father clean up one of his nieces, pouting,
then her eyes moved to the half-filled glass of milk still at her place.

"Larisel!" Solly yiped as her plate met the milk glass and tipped it over.
"What do you think you're doing?"

Her face screwed up and she started to cry.

"Solly, there's no need to scream at her.  She didn't mean it.  It was
just an accident," Trey said to his brother. 

"No, it wasn't," Talitha said.

Trey paused in the clean-up to look at the woman.  "What?"

"She spilled it on purpose.  I watched her."

Larisel's sobs became an outright scream as soon as her father turned his
angry face to her.  "Gods above, you'd think I beat her," Solly muttered
as he moved around the table and swept the girl up into his arms. 
"Bedtime, kiddo." 

******

With all the girls in bed, the three adults sat around the apartment and
talked.

"Mael and I were hardly unusual," Talitha was saying to Gransol.

"There are always exceptions," Solly said.

"There are more 'exceptions' that those who fit your supposed rules,"
Talitha shot back.

"Yes, but there's still more broken homes in the warren than in Lanbound
society, you have to admit."

"That depends on what you call a broken home.  A couple who stay together
because of some legal obligation and do nothing but snipe at each other,
*or worse* is just as much a broken home as a couple who realise they're
not getting along and decide to part.  And you can't tell me you don't
know anyone who has left his wife, or sleeps with anything that moves." 

"There are at least Landbound laws against such things.  But the
warrenfolk... well... they just *wink* at such things."

"Ah... you mean the Landborn are hypocrites and we leave it in the open? 
Well, if you enjoy lying to yourself and others..."

"I'm not lying to anyone," Solly countered.  "I was faithful to my wife
and still am!" 

"Well, as you say, there are always exceptions," Talitha said with a smile
on her face.

Solly coloured and Trey chuckled.  "Talitha one, Solly zero."

Solly glared at his brother.  "You just don't understand."

"Maybe it's not him that doesn't understand," Talitha said.

Gransol shrugged.  "I think I'm all debated out and I'm tired, if you two
will excuse me..."

"G'night, Solly."

******

[Day 2,  Early Morning]

<The hatching!  The hatching!>

Trey moaned and tried to muffle Koroth's voice with a pillow over his
head-- a manuever of no effect.  The eggs would have to choose to hatch
the one night where he'd sat up late talking to Talitha and Solly.

<My rider!>

<Okay, okay, I'm up.> Despite his words, he laid there for another couple
of minutes till he heard the girls yelling for 'Papapa'.  It was his first
hatching as the only Searcher.  He did want to see how his candidates
panned out.  He rolled out of the bed and spent a few frantic moments
throwing together two bottles and some slices of bread and soft fruit for
the girls to eat while watching the hatching, changing two diapers and
dressing two active toddlers, getting them both strapped onto Koroth and
getting down to the hatching cavern.

He spotted Solly being dragged to the cavern by Larisel, who was gabbling
excitedly.  "Solly!  Wait up," he called, unstrapping the girls.

"I'm trying!" his brother answered.

Trey wrestled the two girls off Koroth and grabbed hands and led the two
into the cavern.

"Got a spot you usually sit?" Solly asked.

"Up front there.  I want to watch how my Search candidates do.  Good
morning, Talitha."

"Morning, Trey.  Morning, Solly."

Between the three of them, they managed to get the three girls settled and
arranged so they wouldn't wander onto the sands, but all three adults
still had a good view.

They had watched a half dozen young people join, and Trey was counting his
successes when Solly suddenly stood up.

"You okay?" Trey asked his brother.

Solly gave him a confused look, then looked out onto the sands where a
pale green dragon met his eyes.  "She says her name is Sylan."

Trey and Talitha exchanged shocked glances and then Trey stood and took
his brother's hand and led him out to the green dragonet.

"What do I do?" Gransol asked and Trey could see the panic rising in his
brother's eyes.

"Feed her," Trey answered.

"But she can't be mine.  I don't want her rider to--"

"She is yours, Solly.

"But I don't want to be a dragonrider," Gransol responded.  "And she's
female, so she can't be mine anyway."

"Riders can crossgender join," Trey answered.

Despite his protestations, Solly had started absently stroking the soft
hide of the dragonet's head as she had butted up against him.

"Daddy!" a voice yelled behind them.  They turned to see Larisel dash onto
the sand and stop in front of the little green.  The two youngsters, one
human and one draconic, eyed each other, then Larisel laughed.  "Daddy
gots pretty dragon."

Gransol turned to Trey, his eyes wide as saucers.  "But the mating
flights... you said the riders of the dragons..."

"Yes," Trey answered simply.

Gransol's mouth opened and closed several times, then his knees buckled.

"Is he okay?"

Trey looked up to see Talitha on the sands with two toddlers to hand.  "I
think he's passed out from the shock."  He looked at Talitha and sighed.
"This is going to be difficult."

Respectfully submitted,
 Lynette R. F. Cowper
  Tr'etram and Koroth
  Ranon and Colchis
  Gransol and Sylan

NRPG: ;>

---

 Lynette R. F. Cowper <lcowper@indy.net>, INWO Line Editor