[Ranon, Timejump 1]

He'd spent some time nearly every day with the bedridden Carie, visiting
her and playing tehdahkh and playing general messenger boy.  He'd brought
armfuls of papers, sharpened quills, fetched books from the library and
done research for her.

He had noted that other than occasional visits from Waylene and the
healers, the junior queenrider was left alone.  Her friendlessness matched
his own.

The queenrider and the ex-renegade, both alone.

Even if there was never any romantic interest, he thought, he could at
least provide her with friendship.

******

"Ranon, I can carry it, really," Carie protested.

"You can't carry this and all the other stuff, though," he countered.

She rolled her eyes.  "I can so."

"Can not."

"Can...  Oh, this is ridiculous.  Come on."

The two set off across the Green.  Carie stopped and gazed at the Hatching
Cavern.

"What is it?" Ranon asked.

"Fiera says that Aura says there's something wrong with Shella's eggs."

Ranon shrugged.  "Doesn't surprise me.  She's not a queen, then she is a
queen...  I can't think that bodes well for egg production."

"I wonder if I should go over there.  Aura's really upset."

"If Aura's really upset, that's the last place you want to be."

She turned and grinned.  "Yeah, you're probably right."

******

[Timejump 2]

<My rider, we are being called to the Green,> Colchis informed him.

He looked up from the book he was flipping through.  <What for?>

<I don't know.  But Grall and Porthios are somewhat upset.>

He picked up the stack of books he had been searching through for Carie
and returned them to the shelves, grabbed his jacket and headed out and
into the sunlight, where Colchis was waiting for him.

The description of what D'nar and T'rend had found sent chills up his
spine.  He remembered one of the younger members of Roland's Rogues who
had been among the patrols sent to explore the NomadLands for the group.
The magic had still been unstable further into the NomadLands at the time.
They'd found him and his dragon in the same condition.

The rogues had learned to be cautious in exploring the land they hoped
would offer them a chance to establish a society the way Roland said it
should be.  There had been other casualties.  Ranon and Colchis had had a
couple of brushes with magic instability.

The thought of those times still left him cold.

Kendal and Ainu arrived, and the two of them, plus Talitha and Prisma,
T'rend and Grall, and the healer Lakoda and Ribbon teleported to the
scene.

Colchis was nervous as soon as they arrived and Ranon felt his stomach
tying up in knots.  It couldn't be.  He'd lived through this once.  He was
finally home.  He even had friends... well... one friend...

He watched Kendal dismount and help Lakoda off.

<What does he think we should do?> Ranon asked Colchis.

There was a pause, then Colchis answered, <He says to scout out the area
in the eastern section at least about 4 miles out.  They will take the
western half and meet back once we scouted out the area.>

He nodded.  <Okay, let's go.> They started to turn away, when he saw
Lakoda starting to sway and heard Talitha's voice cry out, "GET HER OUT OF
HERE!  Take the healer with you T'rend and get her back to the warren
NOW!!!" 

"What about her Dragon?" Kendal shouted even as he moved to help T'rend
half carry the healer towards Grall. "You can't mean to leave Ribbon
here!"

She shook her head, vaulting into the saddle.  "Of course not, you idiot! 
I'll make sure she gets back to Marrid."

Slowly, Ribbon stood and managed to launch herself into the air.  Ranon
and Colchis followed.  Colchis descended beside the dragon and offered her
his support as she landed unsteadily.

The purple dragon was being supported on both sides by the two remaining
dragons and everyone watched with half an eye while Lakoda was lowered to
the ground and placed on a stretcher. 

"It's the baby... the pains are coming too close...." she cried as Sina
motioned the orderlies to wheel her inside.

"Someone go get C'tain," Sina yelled.

He stood and watched, wondering what to do now.  He supposed they should
return to the site of the death and investigate.  If it was what he
thought it was, the warren needed to know the extent of the problem. 

"What happened?"

He turned to see Ailill standing next to Kendal.

"Rainy and his rider died," Kendal answered.

"Why?  What happened?"

"That's what we were trying to find out.  Lakoda was examining the scene 
when this started."  He gestured towards the Med center.  

Ailill nodded.  "Take me there," she demanded of Kendal, her voice coming
out a little harsher than she had intended. 

Kendal gave her a questioning look but said nothing.  He simply turned and
headed towards Ainu. 

<Come on, Colchis, let's go back and finish.>

<I don't want to,> Colchis answered.  <I don't like it there.>

<We have to.  The others don't have the experience.>

Colchis huffed, but gently left Ribbon's side.

When they arrived, Talitha had also returned.  They watched as Ailill set
to work, not wanting to leave.

<Prisma's rider says not to go far.  Prisma warns that it is dangerous.>

That surprised Ranon.  Where was she from that she felt the danger, too?
<Can you ask her why she thinks that?> he asked, curious.

Talitha glared, but he got no reply.  Instead, she began scouting the area
close to hand.

<My rider, are we going to do as we had planned before?>

<Not just yet.  Let's stay nearby first.>

"I don't understand it!" Ailill said in frustration.  "There are no
wounds, no signs of trauma.  It could be illness, but it doesn't look
right.  He looks like a perfectly healthy dragon, except he's dead!" 

Kendal stood a few feet away, scanning the skies.  He'd only uttered a
handful of words since they had arrived. 

She glanced at Kendal, weariness painting her face.  "I'm finished, 
there's nothing more I can do."  She hated failing, and it came through 
in her voice.  "Unless you have any ideas..."

"Internal injuries," suggested Ranon softly.  "An aneurysm, or something
like that?"  It was what they had found before.  The loss of magic did
things like that to the dragons that the rogues had lost.  If she could
validate that this one had died from such a thing... 

Ailill turned to look at him, and Talitha followed her gaze.  The healer
might have said something, but Talitha's voice cut across any potential
conversation. 

"Ranon!" she said sharply, "I want you to move slowly-- very slowly-- to
your left."

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Ranon, please don't argue with me, there isn't time."  She was white and
trembling.  "You are in danger.  Please move slowly to your left."

He couldn't imagine what sort of danger he was in where it would help to
move *slowly*, but obeyed anyway.

Behind him, there was a high-pitched scream, and Ranon whirled in time to
see the brambles attack a small furred creature reminiscent-- almost-- of
a rabbit.

He'd never seen anything like it in the NomadLands or Falagand.  He stood
frozen to the spot as the brambles burrowed into the creature's flesh.

Then he felt it...

Talitha was yelling something, but he was paying her no attention.  He was
simply running... running to where Colchis was squatted down, wild eyed as
he felt the bond begin to fray.

<My rider, don't leave me.>

<I'm here...  Go!  Go!>

Colchis launched even before he was seated and was teleporting as soon as
they'd cleared the ground.

He clenched his teeth and reached... reached to the severing ends of the
bond and held them... held on for dear life.

He slid, his hands hitting the cold, rocky soil of the Green, the
scratches unfelt.

<M... r.der...  Nn...!  R.n.n...  ...hear me?>

His head was pounding.  "Colchis," he sobbed, "stay here... stay here with
me..."

Someone was grabbing him, pulling his upright...

"Ranon!  What happened."

He focused then, looked into her eyes.  "The magic... it started to
fade... barely got out in time...  I think we were in time...  Have to
stay with Colchis...  It's weak...  He's hurt..."

He stumbled to Colchis's head and wrapped his arms around the dragon's
snout, smearing the blood and froth that was running from the dragon's
mouth on his riding jacket.

"Oh, gods," he heard her say.  "I'll go get a healer.  You stay here."

He would obey that without question.  No one could pull him away.  He
opened his heart up fully and pushed, trying to send all his energy
through the frayed bond and into Colchis.  "We'll be okay..." he
murmurred.  "We'll be okay..."

Respectfully submitted,
 Lynette R. F. Cowper
  for Ranon and Colchis

NRPG: Their bond isn't broken, but it took a real beating and Colchis took
some injury, too.

---

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