[Domaia]

>>
>"Come in."  she called, standing once more to welcome the visitors. 
>
>
>M'lent ushered a pair of youngsters into the room, and introduced
>them.
>
>
>"This is Edbert and Domaia." he told her.  
>
>
>"Welcome to Norwall Warren."  she said, smiling softly at the nervous
>pair.
<<

Domaia didn't quite hear this stranger. The events of the past day rattled in
her mind... the capture, the rider, the dragon, the ride to the Warren... And
now... Ah, well. Mustn't be rude, after all.

"Hello." Good. Quiet, but not flat. Quietly suspicious. 

"So... M'lent said that you're searchlings."

Domaia supressed the urge to snort at that statement. Oh, yes... Searchlings.
Domaia couldn't figure out whether *she herself* was a searchling for a cell
or a dragon. She doubted the latter. All she knew was that she had committed
a crime and had been caught. Few dragonrider searches took place under such
circumstances.

Domaia looked around the room. Somehow she couldn't bring herself to look at
the woman standing in front of the desk. "Yes," she said in a quiet tone. Her
voice surprised her. Normally it didn't tremble so much.

*You know, child, you really shouldn't worry,* a mellow voice sounded. Domaia
didn't think that she heard it with her ears... but in her head! 

The strange voice in her head made Domaia jump. She looked up with alarm.
Finally she looked straight at M'lent. His eyes twinkled. 

"What happened, Domaia?" he asked with a vague trace of concern. 

Domaia touched her hand to her head. "I -- I heard something. A voice!" She
glanced quickly between the woman at the desk and M'lent. She backed away and
turned to face both.

Again Domaia heard the voice. *Oh, no, you needn't do that. Why panic so when
I only suggested that you not worry?*

Domaia again shot looks at both adults. "I heard it again!" Panic began to
rush through her. She hadn't been scared to the point of hearing voices that
didn't exist... had she? 

The woman behind the desk looked at M'lent, who winked. She looked directly
at Domaia. "Can you describe this voice?" she asked. 

"Sure can." Fear of that unknown voice overtook Domaia's fear of punishment.
"I heard it in my brains! It seemed like it was coming from all over the
place. Sounded like someone who was laughing at me, but... " she paused. Oh,
how to put it... "encouraging me all the same."

"Well, young Domaia, you have described something truly interesting.
Something tells me that M'lent knows something about this little phenomenon
that he's not willing to tell at the moment." The woman's voice rippled with
amusement. "You may want to concentrate on asking him about just what kind of
voice you've been hearing." Domaia could hear M'lent chuckle. "Oh, by the
way, my name's Naomi. M'lent is going to show you around the Warren today.
Pay close attention; you'll both need to know these things." Naomi smiled.
Somehow, Domaia felt her own fears easing. She swore that she now heard a
chuckle in her head, and M'lent was not its source.

M'lent led the two searchlings out of the office. He left the office and
stood next to the doorway, against the wall. Edbert filed out of the office
and continued to walk away, but stopped and turned when he realized that
neither M'lent nor Domaia was walking with him. Domaia stepped out of the
office and felt a tapping on her shoulder. She turned sharply to see M'lent's
grinning face.

"Would you like to talk to that voice?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yeah!"

"All right then... The next time you hear that voice, concentrate on what you
want to say to the voice. Don't say it aloud, think it." 

Her chance wasn't long in coming. *Well? Don't you want to say something to
me?*

<Who are you?>

*Good, good... You're a quick study!*

<Who are you?>

*You know me as Ebony.*

Domaia cast a shocked expression to M'lent. His eyes twinkled. "Well? What
did the voice tell you?"

Domaia took a few moments to gather her voice. "I asked him who he was and he
said that I knew him as Ebony!"

-------------------------------

NRPG: 

Gee, I hope I didn't break too many rules with my commentary from Ebony. :)
Tag, Les! :)

BTW, this will NOT be posted manually to the newsgroup. After the way AOL
skewed the last one, I don't want to even *risk* another messup. 

Clear Skies and Seas,
Paula
(Domaia)