Martyn
(Dining hall - late evening, Day 10)

     Martyn had been sitting in the dining hall, sipping a cup of tea - 
unlike his trainer at Daere, he wasn't much for coffee - and reflecting upon 
the recent happenings at Xylian when the ground began to shake and a great 
rumbling sound filled the air.

     *Havelok, what is it??* he demanded, leaping up from his chair.  

     [A rockslide!] the gray dragon answered. [A new rider who just arrived 
is buried under it, and  Queri and Shella are penned up inside the warren!] 

     Martyn dropped his cup down on the table, not even worrying about its 
spilled contents; the dining hall crew would have a lot of spills to worry 
about tonight.  No, what worried him was that while he'd been sitting here 
like the village idiot, yet another disaster had struck.  Rockslides were 
supposed to be natural occurrence, but even without seeing it something told 
him that this particular rockslide was anything but.

/snip from Shane's post/

     Banks slowly stood up and began to pick his way down the mountain. The 
avalanche would do little in the way of real damage. It was more directed 
towards a moral attack. The rock slide was positioned directly over the 
Warrenlady's apartment and would likely entomb her and her dragon for some 
time. Unjoined apartment would also be buried and the Green partially 
covered and tore up. Given the current housing shortage, this slide could be 
very interesting. With any luck, the people of the Warren would take this as 
a sign that even nature was out to get them.
/end snip/

     Martyn looked grimly at the scene of yet another carnage.  Nearby, a 
group of humans and dragons were digging a man out of a pile of rubble. *That 
is the human you told me about?* Martyn asked.

     [Yes,] Havelok agreed. [His dragon is the dark blue one who's helping 
dig.  His name is Khellen.]

     In the space of a second, Martyn considered and dismissed the newcomers 
as suspects.  Their killer had no compunctions about coldly and brutally 
slaying dragons, something which no one but a rogue would do.  A rogue rider 
generally meant a rogue dragon as well, and Khellen's actions told Martyn 
that he wasn't one of those.  He couldn't rule out *any* involvement on their 
part, of course, at least not until he'd talked to the rider. 

     *Has anyone else seen strangers around here tonight?* Martyn asked.

     [Just that human over there,] Havelok replied, turning his head in the 
direction he wanted Martyn to look.  It was an older man, wearing clothes 
that had definitely seen better days, and he was staring fixedly at the top 
of the cliffside...from the area where, by the looks of things, the landslide 
would have started.  

/snip from Chris' post/
 **And just how do you intend to get up there quickly, M'rdith?  You don't
have a dragon anymore.**

 <Of course I have one.  He just can't fly.  And just because I don't have a
flying dragon doesn't mean that I can't get up there.  These people are
under siege.  Maybe I can do something they can't.  The person seems to be
targeting the riders, not me.>

 Looking up at the mountain, he began walking towards it, eyes searching for
a way up.
/end snip/

     No way he could have gotten from up there all the way down there this 
quickly, Martyn thought.  And his dress and demeanor were not what Martyn 
would expect to see on a professional killer, which is what he'd by now 
decided he was looking for.  But professionals used disguises...he'd done so 
more than once himself.

     [Besides, Lunath says that he was down here when the rocks fell,] 
Havelok told him.  

     *He could have used blasting powder, set with a slow fuse,* Martyn 
reminded the dragon. *We know the killer has access to explosives.*

     Now the man was walking determinedly toward the rockslide, staring 
upward as though looking for something.  Martyn decided to take the risk and 
try to find out what it was.

     "What do you see?" he asked, falling into step beside the man.

     "Don't know yet," the man replied.  "Something...or someone..."

     "Would having a pair of wings help you see it better?" he asked.

     "It might," the man allowed.

     Martyn called Havelok over.  "Here's my dragon.  His name's 
Havelok...mine is Martyn, by the way."

      "M'rdith," said the other, accepting the offer of a ride without 
further comment.

     Martyn boosted himself up onto the saddle after M'rdith, and a moment 
later Havelok sprang skyward.   The dragon circled upward until they were 
almost level with the top of the cliff face.  

     "Down there," said M'rdith.  Martyn followed the direction he was 
pointing and saw...something.  A dark shape against the rocks, that might 
have been no more than a shadow cast by another rock...he thought he might 
have spotted just a bit of movement, but wasn't sure.

     Well, only one way to find out. *Down!* he told Havelok, then turned 
back to look at M'rdith.  "As soon as we touch down, be ready to jump.  If 
that's our man there, he won't just wait for us to grab him."

(Tag Shane or Chris)


Submitted by:

John

Martyn & Havelok

Marrid/Xylian Warrens
Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2000 13:39:17 -0500
From: Isha ArrowHawk <ArianneShadowWalker@worldnet.att.net>
To: James Carden <jamescarden@hotmail.com>, vasaris@az.com,
     tamarisk@midsouth.rr.com, kgant@home.com, veronyca_elvenchild@yahoo.com,
     Chris@positronix.demon.co.uk, canary@in.net, shadowsinger@bigfoot.com,
     mint@saqnet.co.uk, araminta@tesco.net, lcowper@io.com, domani@hotmail.com,
     carolyn@prismnet.com, trissana@aol.com, mike054@yahoo.com,
     forrellyn@netscape.net, dramdoug@optusnet.com.au, ripper@i-star.com,
     treedr@yelmtel.com, weeda@ix.netcom.com, mdl_WW_stuff@hotmail.com,
     dlands@dragonlands.dhs.org
Cc: arianneshadowwalker@worldnet.att.net
Subject: [DL-X/M] Desperation leads to insane ideas

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> <Chai'lynn says that help is on it's way.> said Shella.
> "It'll take them ages to dig their way though that!" muttered Tina.
>
> "Well it probably will. So it's a good thing you've got me!" said a young
> mans voice comming from the back of the chamber as the chamber was lit by
> the yellow light of a lantern.
>
> "Billy, how did you get in here?" asked Rhia "No wait, the old stairs and
> passage."
> "Yeah that's right. Good thing Queri nearly killed me that time or I would
> never have remembered them! Now who needs first aid?"
> "Does anyone else remember them?" asked Rhia.
> "Yes, Chai says that Lunath told her that Sarilyn remembers and shes
> organising people as we speak."

Even as Billy spoke, shouts and running footsteps were heard as Sarilyn and
other riders and warrenfolk hurried down the stairs.

Everyone else ran to check on the dragons and eggs, and Rhia, but Sarilyn
ran for the caved in pile of rocks, staring at it intently.

*Lunath, I have a crazy idea*

~Why do I not like the sound of that?~

Sari went quiet, then grinned, and turned, heading for Rhia.  "Warrenlady, I
have a crazy idea, but one that might work."

Rhia and Billy both looked at Sarilyn, and Rhia nodded.  "Go on.."

Squatting on her heels, Sari drew on the sands, trying to explain as she
went, and hoping she made a little bit of sense.

"Ok, I seem to remember something in the training manuals about how to aim
the dragon flame to get the maximum amount of damage."

She looked up, into two very confused faces.  Rhia arched a brow, "And what
does dragon flame have to do with the cave in?"

Sari grinned.  "It doesn't, but...if using a certain direction for flame
gets better results than another...why can't you do the same with
explosives?"

Billy gasped, and looked at his friend as if she'd lost her mind.  "Are you
trying to kill us all?!  We can simply go out by way of the stairs.."

The bluerider interrupted quickly.  "We can, but the eggs and dragons can't!
Please, just listen before you think I'm mad.."

Looking at Rhia, she went on.  "That new rider, I forget his name.  The one
with the explosive bolts on his dragon's wings?  What if he hovered directly
above the entrance, and let fly with one?  The explosion would be centered
downwards, not towards the inside or the outside...so no one would get hurt,
and would hopefully take enough of the slide out that we could get the
dragons out by digging the rest."

She shrugged softly.  "It would give more air in here, and we could have
more room to work with.  It's just a thought.  Maybe H'llie could explain it
better, he knows more about the dynamics of this stuff than I do."

Tag:  Billy, Jill!

==
[NRPG:]  Ok, will that idea work at all?  And will our flying fortress help?
:)

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