**N'lin**

"So that will make it 60!"  Katla smiled as they readied to mount up.

N'lin whistled, they were sure to get those kids back.  This was much 
more productive then searching around for centuries, easy money pulled 
people like bees to honey.  He wa spretty sure the rest of them felt the 
same way.  

"Well, what are we waiting for?"  J'red said, grinning.   The four
mounted up, lifted off and winked out and appeared near Lord Fowler's 
estate.

<Nal, Tinka says we're going to Marketa so Katla can talk to some 

people... Lev's rider called them spies and Tinka's confused... and so 
am I,> Foil informed him.

<I'll ask her on the ground,> N'lin replied, not all that sure himself.

They peeled off with Tinka and landed at the edge of town.

As the two riders dismounted, N'lin looked over at her curiously.  

"What's going on?  'Foil says that 'Tinka's confused."

"Well...  I...  Spend a lot of money getting kids off the streets and 
out of... forced... labor of varying sorts.  Marketa is one of the best 
places in the area to both spread the news and get information...  If 
Owlean and K'leev are doing anything that concerns those kids, some 
people I know will be aware of it."

N'lin stared at her in surprise, but felt he really shouldn't have been.  
She was one of those rare people who did nice things just because they 
could.  It was even more startling when she greeted the gate guards by 
name.

As they wove through the streets, N'lin was stunned at how... versatile 
she was.  He knew they hadn't known each other for that long, but he 
hadn't any idea that she was this amazing.  He probably still didn't at 
that.

They entered a slightly under-class tavern and grabbed a table.

"So, N'lin...  What'll you have?  My treat..."  She grinned at him and 
waived one of the waitresses over.

"Umm, I'll have a chicken sandwitch and some ice tea," N'lin said when 
the waitress cam up to them.  He wasn't all that hungry.  He'd eaten 
well at the funeral feast, but it was about lunch time and if he didn't 
eat now, he'd be really hungry later.

"The same," Katla said.  

The waitress nodded and left to fill there orders.

"So who are these people you want to talk to?" N'lin asked, geniunley 
curious.

Katle made a face, like she had something bitter in her mouth.

"They aren't nice people..." she started slowly.  

N'lin could tell these people weren't pleasant just by the look on her 
face.   

"Money is their motivation, they do what is profitable.  If you have 

enough money, most likely they'll do what you want, if it isn't suicidal 
that is."

She didn't say anymore as the waitress served their food.  For a while 
they picked at their sandwitches in silence.

"So how do you think we are going to find these unsavory characters," 
N'lin asked before taking a bite out of his sandwitch.

Katla shrugged and sipped her tea.  "We won't find them, they'll find 
us... Or more specifically me and the money they know I have."

"Oh," was all N'lin said before he took another bite of his sandwitch.

They finished there lunch in relative silence.  Katla paid the waitress 
when she came and took their plates away.

N'lin had been trying to decide whether or not to ask her what her 

childhood had been like.  He had considered having Foil ask Tinka, but 
that felt like cheating almost.  And besides, dragons being the gossips 
that they were, Tinka'd probably tell Katla anyways.  

N'lin wanted to know more about her, but he was ashamed that he couldn't 
tell her anything.  Not that she would be interested in his past, but 
he'd listen to other people talk about their childhoods and they all 
told stories.  They seemed to almost play off each other.  One person 
would be asked and tell a story, and then somebody else would comment 
and add there own little bit, to which somebody else might do the same.  
He didn't have any stories to share and compare.  It would feel.. well 
wrong just to ask her when he had nothing to offer in return.

He was about to ask her some harmless question, when she looked up, eyes 
suddenly veiled and expression impassive.  N'lin looked up surprised as 
a man, six-foot-plus and lighter-footed than a cat sat down at the 
table.

"Telven."

N'lin detested him on sight.  This Telven made him think of oil on 

water, slick and opaque, hiding who knows what beneath the surface.

"Chance."  He gave her a slightly nasty smile.  "I assume you're looking 
for my... services."

"Perhaps.  I'm looking for some children."

"So what else is new, my... Lady.  All the world knows of your fondness 
for... younglings."

N'lin bit the inside of his cheek to keep from speaking out in anger at 
the insult to her.  He was here as silent support only and it was best 
to keep it that way.

Chance's eyes blazed as she sucked in a hasty breath.  "You..."

"Now, now, my lady, you wouldn't want to end our... association, would 
you?"

"...bastard."

He smiled.  "As I have always acknowledged...  After all, I had no 

avenging angels, now had I?"  

N'lin could feel her anger faintly, almost a shadow of his own, at 

Telven's manner.  Katla's hand's clenched and he gently, but firmly, 

covered one with his own.

"A reward is being offered, both for information and for the return of 
the children."

"What kind of reward?"

"Sixty thousand... more, perhaps, as we have not yet finished speaking 
to everyone who might be willing to contribute."

The man whistled.  "Who were they stolen from?"

Chance smiled thinly.  "Friends of mine, but I wouldn't suggest making a 
habit of stealing children.  I'll hunt you down and kill you myself."

He laughed, ignoring the glitter in her eyes.  "I may have... heard of a 
transaction..."

"Auction or outright sale?"

"Not without payment..."

"No payment without information.  *I'll* decide how much it's worth...  
So, auction or outright sale?"

"I'm not actually sure... but I think I can find out where it's going 
down...  I might even be able to make a better offer..."  He raised an 
eyebrow.

Her eyes flashed.  "Offer whatever you need to.  But they aren't to be 
harmed... in *any* way..."

"As you wish..."  He reached over and patted her cheek, elegantly 

manicured hands brushing against her skin.  N'lin fought the urge to 

slap his hand away from her.

"Gods, I hate him."  She pulled out a snowy handkerchief and rubbed at 
her cheek.  Smiling wanly at N'lin she shrugged.  "So... want to go 
wandering around telling people about the reward?"

N'lin smiled back.  He stood up and offered her a hand up.  They left 
without a backward glance.  

"How long does he usually take?" N'lin asked as they walked down the 
street.

"Telven?" Katla asked, looking at him.  He nodded.  "Depends...  He said 
he's already heard of something so it shouldn't take him long.  Why do 
you ask?"

N'lin shrugged.  "Perhaps one of us should go back there before we 
leave, just in case he's found something.  I mean who knows what could 
happen to them in just one night..."

"All right," she said.  "Do you remember how to get back to where we 
left Tinka and Foil from that tavern?"

He thought back, but he hadn't really been paying attention then.  "Not 
really."

"I'll pick you up from there when I finish then."

"Since when was I elected?" N'lin asked, not really objecting, but 
wondering when he'd said he would stay.  He clearly recalled no such 
statement.

"Do you know Marketa?" Katla asked, her eyes twinkling.

"Well.. no."

"There's your answer," she replied with a smile that he couldn't help 
but return.

"But that isn't for a while yet," Katla added.  "There's a lot of ground 
we can cover together...  In fact," she said as she started towards a 
nicer looking building across the road, "this is our first stop."
**************************
*Around Dinner Time*

Katla dropped N'lin off at the same tavern that they had eaten lunch in, 
saying she'd be back any where from a half an hour to an hour.  This 
time, N'lin went to the bar and took as seat.  

He ordered another ice tea, and recieved an odd look from the bartender, 
which N'lin ignored.  His rather disasterous drinking escapade with 
Terau was an all to vivid reminder that he couldn't hold his alcohol at 
all.  Besides, he was here for a reason.

He had been there maybe ten minutes when Telven came out of a room and 
made towards the bar.  N'lin fought down the hope that this slime ball 
actually might know something.  He would rather be pleasantly suprised 
then disappointed for the millionth time since this whole mess had 
started.

Telven took the seat next to him. Turning so his elbows leaned against 
the bar as he faced the room the man spoke in a 

tone so low only the rider sitting next to him would hear him speak.

"If a man needed to get a message to a rider from Whiteriver Warren 

without anyone being the wiser how would one do it?"

"Depends how important the information was," N'lin 

replied without moving his head to look at the man sitting beside him.

"I need to get a message to Katla...just tell her Telven needs a word 
with her at the usual place and to make it real quick like," the man 
raised his hand to wave at someone across the room as he stood up. "Tell 
her time just ran out and she has to act now."

Before N'lin could ask for details, Telven walked off.

<Foil?> he asked.

<Hmmm?> his dragon said from somewhere between consciousness and sleep.

N'lin sighed and started to mentally poke and prod his dragon into a 
fairly alert, if annoyed state of mind.

<Tinka awake?> he asked

<Yes,> Foil replied irritatedly.

<All right tell her to give Katla this message exactly, 'Telven needs a 
word with her at the usual place and to make it real quick like.  Tell 
her time just ran out and she has to act now.'  Got that?>

<Consider it done.  What's the big deal?  Your really excited,> Foil 
asked, his annoyance gone.

<We might finally be on to something,> N'lin replied as he got up from 
the bar.

He gave a quick fairwell to the bartender and walked out the door.
****************

Submitted by,
Bridget Olson
N'lin and Trefoil

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