Telnor Warren was a hive of activity when she and Ribbon arrived. She 
ask the Purple to make themselves known to the Watch dragons and then
instructed her to get directions to the Warrenladies office. Soon after that
she was on her way to the medical center.

Inside she introduced herself to the woman sitting behind the front 
desk and was then shown into the Head Healers office....

"My father was right, Healer R'chein, I have faced something that 
sounds very much like a problem we had at Marrid.  Tell me, Healer
R'chein... have you ever dealt with or heard of hellspawn?"

He shook his head.  "What are hellspawn?"

"R'chein, Ryan's father is here to get his body.  Can you show him?" 
a dragonrider asked, looking desperately like he didn't want to deal 
with this man.

R'chein looked at the rider and the man's grief-stricken face. "Sure. 
I'll take him.  Lakoda, please excuse me.  You can ask one of the staff 
to show you to L'sein's room to examine him.  I'll meet you there 
shortly."

She nodded and while R'chein led the man to the underground room where
bodies were kept in the relative cool until the funeral.

Leaving the office she made her way back down the hall to the front 
desk and asked the woman there if someone could be found to show her 
the patient named L'sein.

The woman herself got up and motioned for her to follow down the hall. 

"It's really sad," the woman commented as they walked. "R'chein is 
beside himself with this one, but then it's always hard to see one's 
own child in this kind of state and not be able to do anything about 
it."

"This is his *son* we're going to see?" Koda asked, thinking the healer 
had forgotten to tell her something. But then she could understand, she
thought. She didn't like to think of something like this happening to 
one of her family. It was just to hard to deal with.

"Yes... the boy has been a handful at times," the woman continued.. 
"But his father still loves him."

"I'm sure he does," the female healer from Marrid agreed. "Now lets 
see what we have inside."

She was scared. She admitted it to herself even before the door opened 
and she saw the coldly evil look in the eyes of the man strapped to the 
bed.

As soon as he saw them standing there he began talking wildly. Raving 
and ranting the same sort of words Koda had heard coming from another 
man in a different time. But she knew she was facing the same thing 
here and now that she had faced back then.

Dear Gods, she swore and felt herself grow dizzy for a brief moment 
before pulling herself back together. She didn't want to have to face 
this again. She just wanted to turn around and run back to her dragon 
and get the hell out of there, but she stayed where she was.

She was a healer. Swore to help those in need.

"How long has he been like this?" she asked the woman who had moved 
back towards the door, as far away from the man on the bed as she 
could get without leaving the room. 

"A few days at the most."

A few days.... gods she hoped it wasn't to late.

Reaching into the bad she'd been carrying, the healer pulled out the 
syringe she'd prepared before coming here, just in case her fears were realized.

Moving slowly towards the bed, Koda heard the woman behind her telling 
her to be careful. As if she needed the warning.

It was hard to ignore the strange things the man was yelling loudly as 
she approached him, but she did and finally when she was standing beside
him, she lifted the syringe and depressed the contents inside into the 
mans arm.

His eyes flew to hers and she nearly rocked back on her heals feeling 
the glaze fall upon her as if it was adding her face to memory.

Then he was quiet.

"What was that you gave him?" the woman asked finally coming into the 
room and looking down at the young man on the bed. "Why it's almost like
he's asleep! Nothing we were able to give him effected him like that!"

"What I gave him was a formula derived from the root of the Tajas plant,"
Koda told her as she reached out to check the mans vital signs. "We found
it's use can knockout a wraith and keep it immobile so that it can be
studies until such time as it's destroyed."

"A WRAITH!!" the woman's voice rose and then as if remembering where 
she was her voice returned to normal. Well almost normal.. "You're 
telling me he's a wraith?"

"No," Koda grinned and turned towards her with kind eyes. "But there 
is a wraith inside of him. That's what's causing him to act the way 
he does. But we have successfully removed a wraith like this, called 
a hellspawn, from a man in Marrid not to long ago, and he's doing fine 
now." 

She hesitated for a moment wanting to say more, but before she could 
go on loud angry dragon roars filled the air outside.

<<RIBBON!!! What's going on?">> she sent the quick thought to her 
dragon, and her breath caught sharply when she heard the dragon's 
panicky reply.

<WRIATHS!! In the Warren!!!>

<<Where!?! Show me!!>> she shouted reaching inside her bag for a 
second syringe, then tore passed the woman beside her and followed 
the path Ribbon was flashing in her mind.

Heat stopped her forward motion as she came to a corner. It slammed 
into her, making her reel back from it's intensity.

<Wait!! Dalanth is flaming it to kill it.> Ribbon warned her rider. 

Koda peered around the wall and saw the big dragons head sticking 
inside the doorway, the frame cracking and breaking around
him.

She turned in time to see the huge wraith gliding up the stairs. And 
nearly froze where she stood. Only long years of duty made her move 
forward and by the riders standing there, on down the steps to the 
fallen healer, checking him over she turned to the two men who had 
followed her, "We've got to get him upstairs."

The burns on his skin had to be looked after and a thought crossed 
her mind that she didn't even want to think about, but knew was a possibility.

The second syringe was still in her hand and she reached out now and 
gave it to him.

A hand touched her arm and she turned to see a young rider standing 
there.

"What was that you gave him," the man frown as his fingers moved quickly.

Koda lifted her hands without thinking, and answered him back, 
speaking with her hands just as he had done. In the heat of the 
moment neither of them thought it strange that she did so. 

She didn't have time now to tell them everything, the injured healer 
need to be seen to first, later if her fears were confirmed she would 
tell them, but found no need to worry anyone else until she knew for 
sure.

H'nry and Kay nodded. She turned then as two men with a stretcher 
arrived and Koda stepped back as the two riders help the men load 
R'chein onto the stretcher. 

"We'll take him to Sarrine," they told the stranger.

As the carried him away, she moved to look at the body. Kay's nose 
wrinkled and his brow furrowed,  *Ryan ..*

He felt H'nry grip his arm as the both took in the horrible sight 
before them. The woman was shaking her head. She turned to the two 
men, "It was a hellspawn. Where is R'chein's patient?"

"Who are you?" H'nry asked.

"Lakoda, Head Healer from Marrid Warren. I'm hear to help. R'chein 
has a patient, suffering from delusions about Wraith.."

Kay nodded his head frantically, and fingerspelled, *L'sein.* He 
turned to H'nry, *She's here to help L'sein.*

"Yes that's his name," Koda replied, her hands moving in front of her 
as she spoke. "Is he a friend of yours?"

She saw the younger man nod his head. "Can you help him?" he signed. 

"I'm going to try my best," she signed back, neither saw the bearded 
rider watching the healer and wondering how she could speak to Kay so 
easily with his hand signs. 

"Now I need to go and check up on R'chein," she told them both and then 
turned to look around the darken room. "Can you find someone to...
clean up down here?"

Back upstairs she quickly asked someone to tell her where they had 
taken the injured healer and was show the way to the examining room. 

Inside an older woman was shouting orders to others in the room as 
they attended to the mans burns. Sarrine looked up when she noticed 
someone new had joined them.

"I'm Lakoda, Head of Marrid Medical Center," she told the woman when she 
saw the question in her eyes.

Sarrine nodded her head and went on with what she was doing.

"You're Larsine's daughter. I know him well," the woman said as she 
worked. "I even studied under him for a while. Good man."

When they finally finished and the healer was resting as well as they 
could make him Koda turned to the woman and said they need to talk.

Sarrine led her into her office and sat there, a stunned expression 
on her face when the healer from Marrid had finished.

"So you think that maybe one of these...hellspawn could have gotten 
into R'chein's body somehow and ..."

"I don't know for sure," Koda told her honestly. "I'll need to look 
him over first and check for the signs we discovered. But until I do, 
I would advice you to keep him sedated with the same stuff I knocked 
him out with. I'll leave you a supply of it here, just in case you might
need it, and teach someone how to prepare it."

She went on to tell her about the tajas root derivative she had given 
both the man and his son, and then explained how it work. 

"Someone will need to operate on the boy as soon as possible," she 
told the elderly woman sitting across from her. "If the hellspawn has 
been inside of him as long as I've been told. Then we can't waste any 
more time if he has any chance of getting through this."

"So there is a way to save him?"

"Yes. But as I have said the operation will need to be performed as 
soon as possible if he stands any chance at all." Koda repeated. 
"Who is your chief surgeon here in Telnor?"

Sarrine groaned and laid her head down in her hands. A feeling of
helplessness came over her.

"The only one who here who could do what you described is laying in 
a room down the hall."

"R'chein?"

"Yes."

"There's no one else?" Koda asked. Panic began to seep in but she 
battled it down. 

A knock sounded at the door and Koda turned around to see a young 
woman poke her head into the room.

"I've looked after Dalanth, and fixed him up," the blond told the 
woman behind the desk. "And I've told H'nry that he is not to try 
to take him for any long flights for the next few days until Dal's 
injuries start to heal."

"Well I hope you told Dalanth how brave he was?" Sarrine cracked a 
small smile.

"Several times," the girl said and then looked towards Koda 
wondering who she was.

"Why don't you come in and have a seat Abby. I want you to meet 
Lakoda of Marrid healer hall. She has an interesting story to tell."

Abby sat down and Koda very quickly went over the things she had 
told Sarrine. "So if there is no one here who is trained to do what 
must be gone, it looks like I will have to do it. If you'll trust me 
too."

"As your Larsine's daughter, I've no doubts that you are able to do 
the surgery. So I'll help out anyway I can and have Abby assist you."

Koda turned to the younger woman who nodded her head.

"When do you want to start?"

"Now," Koda replied. "The sooner we get started the sooner we know 
what we're facing. This is what I will need first..."

A flame-thrower was found and H'nry agreed to stand guard in the 
operating room with it just in case it was needed. Koda felt 
relieved. She was remembering what had happened the last time and 
didn't want it to be repeated.

It took less then an hour to set things up and then she was making 
her first cut into the stomach of the possessed rider. 

It looked worse then she could have imagined. The hellspawn had 
spread worse the last one she'd seen. It would be touch and go if 
the man would live through this or not. Half his stomach was gone. 
Eaten clean through. One kidney destroyed and it looked like they 
had gotten to the man just in time to save the other.

She worked fast not knowing how long the dose of the drug she had 
given him would continue to work, but had a third needle ready just 
in case.

She could see the color was gone from the riders face as he stood 
there and watched what was going on. Koda felt a moments pride 
towards him for keeping himself going even though she knew he wanted 
to be else where. 

The man had guts! 

She turned her mind back on to the man laying on the table in front 
of her. She could see the wraith inside of him now and started to 
sever the *thing* from where it had attached itself to it's human 
host. This was the tricky part. She had to go slowly so as not to 
slip and cut into something vital.

Someone dabbed a cloth over her forehead, and her eyes looked up to 
see Abby standing across the table from her. The young woman nodded 
her head and held out the tool the healer asked for.  

At last the last link between the human and the hellspawn was severed 
and Koda asked for the special gloves she had brought with her. Fear 
and revulsion assaulted her as she put them on and reached inside the 
mans body to remove the thing...then turned and flung it into the metal 
waist can they had waiting there. Stepping out of the way, she  
watched as H'nry moved forward and ignited the flame-thrower 
incinerating the vile creature before it could do any more harm. 

"Well that thing will never harm anyone ever again," she said, taking 
a deep breath and heard the room as a whole sigh deeply. Then she turned 
back to the man on the table and began the long process of repairing what 
she could before closing the incisions she'd made.

It would be a long time before the man was fully healed and he would 
never again be the same person he had been. Because of the damage the
hellspawn had reeked inside of him, he would never again be the 
healthy man he had been. 

His whole life would be changing as he learned how to deal with theses 
no changes to his body. Koda only hoped he would be able to deal with 
them. She had done all she could for him and now, if he lived through 
it, the rest would be up to him.

She was dead tired by the time they were finished.

All she wanted was to find a quiet place and curl up and sleep until 
her body was rested. Operations such as this one took so much out of 
her, both mentally and physically. So when she left the room and found 
the Telnor Warrenlady waiting outside, she had to stop herself from 
telling the woman to leave her alone.

Instead she spent the next hour going back over the story of how she 
had gotten the letter from her father, Larsine of the Healer Hall in 
Tinobal and of how she connected this with something that had happened 
in Marrid. She explained about the operation and told her of the changes 
the man would have to deal with if he lived through this ordeal. 

"Can you tell me what his chances look like for surviving?" Ophelia 
asked.  

"No M'lady," Koda told her honestly. "I wish that I could, but with 
as much damage as the hellspawn was able to reek before we got to 
it... I just can't say. But I don't think it's looks good. Now 
please I need to look in on R'chein to see if he's resting easy."

She knew Sarrine was looking at her, and wondered why she didn't tell 
the woman about her fears of the healer being effected as his son had 
been by the hellspawn, and was grateful when the woman made no comment 
on.

Koda didn't want to have to worry the Warrenlady just yet if she didn't 
have too. She wanted to have her facts strait before she said anything.
"And then I'd be obliged if my Ribbon and I could find a place to rest 
for a while," she continued. "I'm not sure how much longer I can keep 
myself awake."

"Oh I'm sorry Lakoda," The Warrenlady apologized. "I wasn't thinking."

"No M'lady it's all right. You had a need to know what was happening, 
but now I really need to see R'chein and then get some rest."

She got up when she saw Sarrine motion towards her daughter and followed
Abby down the hall to the room where they had placed the injured healer. 
A nurse in the room turned to see who had entered the room and then 
turned back to what she was doing when she recognized Abbien.

"That'll be all for a few minutes," the younger healer told the woman.
"Healer Lakoda is going to have a look at R'chein and the you can come 
back in when we're finished."

The woman threw her a questioning look, but then left the room when she
received no answer. "I didn't think you'd want an audience," Abby said 
and then moved to watch the healer, so she would know what to look for 
if anyone else was effected.

Koda explained to the Telnor healer what all to look for. She went over 
it two or three times until she was sure Abbien understood and would be 
able to spot the change in anyone if she needed too.

She breathed a sign of relief when her exam, proved that R'chein had come
through his ordeal with only the burns that lanced his skin. Those would
heal in time, but he had been unaffected otherwise.  

"He's fine," she told Abby. 

"Thank the gods," the woman cried softly and Koda knew how she felt.

"Now.. how about showing me where I can find an empty apartment so I 
can get some sleep."

"Come on," Abby smiled for the first time in hours. "You can use my 
place until you're slept out. I can stay with my parents if you don't 
wake before I go home. I'll see tht your dragon gets something to eat."

---------  

It was the next the next morning before she awoke. She took a shower and
dressed in clean clothes before making her way outside to call Ribbon to
come get her. They headed towards the medical center where she met up with
Sarrine and Abbien, thanking the daughter for the use of her bed and the
three of them made their way down the hall to check on their patients. 

R'chein was awake and in no pain from the drugs Sarrine had forced him 
to take. He wasn't happy until Koda had gone over everything again and
assured him that his son was still alive and improving, but still she 
made no promises that that would last.

"All we can do it pray and hope," she told him. "And hope for the best."

The man reached out and took her hand. "I want to thank you Lakoda of 
Marrid for all the help you've given us here in Telnor. And for trying 
your best to save my son. I will not forget this. Now what are your
plans?"

"I really hate to leave right now, but I have to be getting back to 
Marrid," she told him and then signed as memories of the last few days 
came floating back. For a few days she had been able to forget her guilt
over what she had done to her friend, but now she had to go back and 
face the music. She couldn't put it off forever.

"If you find you have need of me again, just have a rider come for me."

"Thank you again."

In some ways it felt good to be back home, Koda thought as Ribbon 
popped into the air above Marrid Warren and then slowly spiraled to 
the green near the Warrenlady's office. 

Koda had asked the purple to land there so she could report and let the
woman know she was back. As soon as they landed, Koda threw her leg over 
the side of her dragon and dropped to the ground. 

Immediately she knew something was wrong as the world around her started 
to spin and the last thought that entered her mind before she knew no 
more was that C'tain would yell at her when he found out she had 
forgotten to eat before she came back home......

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

Nrpg: Well Koda's home!!!! but she wore herself out and yes she forgot 
to eat.....She'll be okay ....once someone gets her to the Med center 
and she gets something to fill her stomach. 

****Submitted by: **********
Barbara (a.k.a.
Lakoda, Head Healer, Marrid Medical Hall
Marrid Warren