{NRPG: Picking up where I left off.}

> Evart saw a chance to move suspicion away from himself.  "It wasn't me, but
it
> might have been one of the others.  Maybe Titus.  He's been mad at his
father
> lately over having to work so hard."
>
> Ah, thought H'nry, now the rats would fall upon one another.  The truth was
> close, he just needed time to reach it.

"Well, lets go speak with him," Lyonnia said walking back toward the wagons.

H'nry motioned for Evart to follow and then brought up the rear himself.  They
found Titus cursing at a sheep that had gotten under one of the wagons and
wouldn't come out.  He was so preoccupied with trying to grag the sheep out
that he didn't notice the trio standing and watching him.  The harder he
tugged at the sheep's coat, the harder it dug in and refused to move.

Lyonnia cleared her throat and Titus looked up at her.  "Mind if I try?"  She
asked.

"You're just a girl, how are you going to drag the sheep out?" he said
sneering at Lyonnia.

"If she wants to try, I'd suggest you let her," H'nry said flatly.

Titus looked at the much larger dragon rider, shrugged, and stepped out of the
way.  "Be my guest," he said sarcasticly.

Lyonnia kneeled down near the wagon and began slowly stroking the frightened
sheep.  She mumred softly to the animal as she stroked it.  After a few
minutes she gently guided the sheep out from underneath the wagon.  She stood
up, brushed the dirt from the knees of her riding pants and turned to face
Titus.  He was standing with his mouth agape.

"Now you can tell us what you know about the Shadow," she said.

"What?" he asked.

"The Shadow," H'nry said, "Evart suggested that you might have been the one
who told the Shadow where your caravan would be the other day when he raided
it."

Titus didn't like where such implications could lead.  He wasn't particularly
swift, but he knew trouble when presented with it.  He also wasn't very happy
with Evart since he took the whore from him.  Here was Titus' chance for some
revenge.

Titus glanced at Evart and then back at H'nry.  H'nry could tell the young man
was thinking, probably trying to decide what course of action would get him
into the least trouble.

"Nuh," Titus began, "it was Evart who was dealing with the Shadow.  That girl
that you thought was that rider the Shadow took, she was mine.  Evart gave her
to the Shadow to use."

"That's a lie," Evart said, taking a step toward Titus.

H'nry put his arm out to restrain Evart, "What do you mean she was yours?"

"Well," Titus said looking down at the ground and pushing a rock around with
the toe of his boot, "I brought her from Glosby to provide some...fun on the
trip.  Besides, Evart's met the Shadow before."

"What!" Evart said.

"When?" H'nry asked flashing Evart a menacing glance.

"A few weeks before we left.  He met some people at night who were going to
take him to meet the Shadow.  I heard them talking before they left.  He was
gone the entire next day.  Didn't return until after dark."

"How did you hear them talking?" Lyonnia asked.

"I'd been in town and I was coming back late.  I heard them talking as I
passed by the barn."

H'nry turned suddenly on Evart, "Is this true?  You can either tell me, or I
can get my dragon to assist in getting to the bottom of this."

Evart glanced over nervously and saw Dalanth stretch and yawn showing his
claws and teeth.  Evart's face fell, "Yes, I've met with the Shadow.  It was
in a raider village in the hills near Glosby.  Near a mountain with three
peaks."

H'nry knew the mountain Evart was refering to from his days patrolling the
area several years earlier.  He remembered seeing the vilage Evart had likely
been in a few times from the air.  It was time to pay the Shadow and his
cohorts a visit.

H'nry smiled, thanked Evart and Titus, and led Lyonnia back toward their
waiting dragons.  Titus couldn't help watching Lyonnia as she waslked away.

NRPG:
Sarah - Again forgive me if I messed up Lyonnia.  Please get us back to the
warren so we can organize a raid on the village in the mountains.

The Shadow is not in the vilage, but other raiders are (Barbra and I discussed
this).  This is (unless I'm really confused) the day Ophelia is at the
Council, so we've probably got some Real Time to kill.  Anyone interested in
being part of the raiding party should chime in.  It would make sense for
F'gon to be included.

                            Respectfully submitted,
                                H'nry - Dalanth
                                 Telnor Warren
                                  Alton Reich


-- 
                                Alton J. Reich
                                areich@gdeb.com

		   "I may walk slowly, but I never walk back"
			       --Abraham Lincoln