<Faith>


The chill in the air raised goose bumps on Faith's naked skin, but she
ignored that and the soft insistent voice of Lorilei as she scooted back
towards Trinale's garden on her hands and knees. Moving very quietly so
that she wouldn't be heard she pushed the leaves of the bush she was hiding
behind aside, and watched Trinale and the man.....


"What are you doing?"  Lorilei hissed  "Do you want Trinale to catch you
and send you away?"


Faith held a finger to her lips and turned her attention back to the two in
the garden.


>"Now, I have to go play Warrenlady" Trinale sighed. "And there are nobles 
>coming in for the hatching so I have to entertain them. This will have to 
>wait until after the hatching, Derry....I hope you understand." Trinale 
>quickly added "And I will understand if you change your mind and can't 
>wait on me."


Faith breathed a sigh of relief as Trinale hurried away, and then wriggled
backwards  through the undergrowth, standing up only when she was sure she
wouldn't be seen.  She brushed the dead leaves and twigs from her hair and
knees and then looked at the gold chain she still held in her hand.  


"We still have to find some way giving that back to Cali."  Lorilei
persisted  "Come on Faith... you know we do!"


"I know."  Faith sighed reluctantly  "It was just so pretty an' all that I
couldn't resist it.  I would have given it back to her eventually."


Lorilei smiled in relief and linked arms with Faith as they two made their
way towards the lake once more......


*******

<Caliban - Hatching day>


*Turn over love ... so I can oil that dry patch under your left wing.*
Caliban commanded, clambering down from Lute's back with the oil bottle in
her hand.  


Lute did as she was directed and flopped lazily onto her back, tongue
lolling from the corner of her mouth in ecstasy.  A tinkling hum vibrated
through the dragon as Cali continued to work the oil into her skin, and
Cali grinned with delight at the musical sound.  It never ceased to amaze
her that something so big could produce so sweet and delicate a note.


"Cali?"  a small voice called


Lute's hum cut off abruptly at the interruption, and she rolled away from
the two girls to stand on her feet once more.  Cali picked up a rag, wiping
the oil from her hands and fore arms as Lorilei and Faith walked forward.  


Faith seemed nervous, biting at her lower lip and  trying to hide behind
Lorilei's back.  Thinking that perhaps Faith was afraid of Lute, Cali tried
to put her at her ease, but the girl just shifted nervously and avoided
looking at her.


"Go on!"  Lorilei said, impatiently pushing Faith forward  "Tell her!"


"Tell me what?"  Cali asked with a puzzled smile, as she patted the
lounging Lute on the neck. "Come on you two... whatever it is neither of us
bite."


Faith shot a quick scared look in Lute's direction and then held out her
hand....


"Oh... my necklace!"  Cali said with joy, taking the delicate chain from
the girl's outstretched hand.  "I thought that was gone forever.  Where did
you find it?"


She fastened the thin chain around her neck, settling the tiny dragon
pendant in the hollow of her throat, and then smiled at the two girls as
she waited for an answer.


"Tell her!"  Lorilei hissed, nudging Faith in the side with her elbow.  


Cali looked from Lorilei to Faith and back, beginning to get an inkling of
what this was all about.  Faith's small mouth was set in a mutinous pout,
but scared tears sparkled on her dark lashes.  


"It's all right Lorilei."  Cali said quietly  "I think I already know what
this is about."  She moved closer to Faith and put her arm around the
child's stiff shoulders.  "Faith? ....."


The bugling and trumpeting from the hatching ground drove everything else
into the background, and must have been a welcome relief to Faith.  She
sagged against Cali for a moment, and then pushed herself away from the
dragonrider.  Cali took a quick look at Faith's set face and decided that
she wasn't going to get any kind of quick answer form her, so she
reluctantly let the girl alone.


"The eggs?"  Lorilei asked quickly, a flicker of fear that the rogues might
have returned flashing across her face


"The eggs!"  Caliban smiled as Lute confirmed that the eggs were indeed
hatching.  "Be a good girl and run and tell T'reve where I am.  I promised
him I'd be stay with him...."


With a quick "OK" flung over her retreating shoulder, Lorilei dashed off to
find Cali's brother.  Cali turned back to Faith, only to see the girl
streaking off in the opposite direction to Lorilei as if all the demons in
hell were on her heels.


*Damn!*  Cali exclaimed to Lute  *I was going to ask her if she wanted to
come with us too.  Now I expect she'll avoid me like the plague and I'll
never find out why she took the necklace.*


*She'll be back.*  Lute said complacently  *She likes me!*


*Well we'll see...*  Cali said, watching the girl disappear into the distance.


<..>


"What's the holdup?"  T'reve asked impatiently hopping from foot to foot.
"If we don't hurry up all the hatchlings will already have joined."


He jumped up and down, trying to see over the heads of those crowding in
front of them, his excitement at being a candidate for one of the eggs
overshadowing the usual staid demeanour.  With a grin for his impatience,
and because she too was concerned about the delay, she asked Lute what was
going on.


*Chrysthal thinks the humans want to hrm her children and she's guarding
the entrance so they can't get in.*  Lute told her  *Cricket is trying to
persuade her....*


Cali grabbed T'reve by the hand and pulled him away from the overcrowded
path to the hatching ground despite his protests. 


*You'll have to fly us in Lute.* she told Lute as she hurried back toward
the dragon.


"We'll miss my dragon Cali"  


T'reve shouted at her angrily as he tried to pull his hand from her grasp,
but she held tight and he calmed down  when she explained what she was
going to do.  He climbed eagerly onto Lute's back, waiting impatiently as
Cali climbed up behind him, and then grabbed hold as he almost lost his
balance when Lute left the ground.  


It was only a short flight to the hatching sands, but T'reve still willed
Lute to fly faster and when the dragon backwinged to land on the top tier
of stands, he was sliding off her neck before she'd even had a chance to
fold her wings across her back.  He raced downwards, almost tumbling in his
haste, Cali following at a more sedate pace, her mind drifting back to her
own Joining.


She sat on the lowest steps watching as first one and then another
hatchling found it's soulmate.  The stir caused by Aradia's fainting, and
Chrysthal's almost flaming Pa'gan as he went to help her only caused a
brief ripple in her concentration on her brother.  


He stood there looking lost and alone as each hatchling was claimed... and
none of them were his.  Heart almost breaking for his disappointment she
finally drew him away and led him back outside.


"He wasn't there."  T'reve said in disbelief.  "My dragon wasn't there."


The sadness in his voice brought compassionate tears to Cali's eyes, and
she hugged him tightly to her.


"Next time!"  she told him fiercely  "You'll get your dragon next time."


<..>


Her brother's disappointment left Cali feeling slightly depressed, and she
really hadn't wanted to attend the hatching party.  But she'd allowed
herself to be persuaded by T'reve so there she sat, in a corner of the
noisy room, nursing a drink, trying not to remember the look of
disappointment on her brother's face....


>"I WONDER IF  THOSE BUSHES WILL HOLD THREE!"  a loud drunken voice called
above the chatter and music.


The hush that followed was complete, and then Trinale's small figure raced
from the room, her face wet with tears.   Cali rose to follow her but the
red-haired Aradia was already close behind her as she ran from the room.  


With a shrug she sat down again, and once more lost herself in her own
morose thoughts. 

 Submitted by

Caliban & Lute


NRPG  Got me caught up even if it doesn't advance the storyline.  If anyone
wants to come and talk to her then feel free...




-- 
Mint,  the voice and soul of

Timi Caplain  FO   USS Javelin       T'Beth  CMO/Coun  USS Magellan
Lillith the Mage     Broken Lands     Minty, Kirimith's rider  Dragon Lands 
                          Caliban, Lute's human       Dragon Lands  
Naomi, QueenRider to Amethyst, Norwall's WarrenLady,  Dragon Lands

http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/5902
http://www.dragonfire.net/~Mint/