Chrysthal was rather upset this morning.  Merissa tried to calm her, but
what she was saying could not possibly be right.  Something concerning
Wintermoon's rider -- doing what?  No.  Not possible -- Merissa's mind
returned to their shared kiss at the medical center....  But she did
understand that Trinale needed to speak with her in her office, so Merissa
had hurriedly dressed, dropped Oberon off at Racine's, and raced over to
Trinale's office.

They had just begun discussing the situation with Xanthia...
Merissa turned, startled, as the door to Trinale's office burst open.  It
must be urgent business if the person didn't even knock...

She looked at the two pale young women, Xanthia and Ashelle, as the first
pushed into the room.  Merissa missed most of what Xanthia said, as she
focussed on the ashen color of the girl behind her.  Something in Ashelle's
eyes told her that she had witnessed something horrible... which was
confirmed as Ashelle spoke up for herself.

>"Oldreth, he...."Ashelle turned white remembering "He tortured the man who
>hurt Xanthia"
>
>Trinale demanded. "Where is this man?" .
>
>"Outside the warren, at the crossroads" Ashelle said.
>
>"Is he still alive?" Merissa asked.
>
>"We have to go check this out" Trinale said, then noticed Xanthia sitting
>there pale and not speaking. "Xanthia you need to go to the med center and
>lie down. You can not come with us to face this man."


Merissa saw Xanthia nod.  The girl seemed beyond caring -- numb.

Trinale turned to Merissa "I told Areena to have Th'rin meet us. The man may
need medical attention...even if he doesn't deserve it."

Merissa nodded herself.  So, what Chrysthal had spoken earlier was the
truth!  Oldreth had tortured the man responsible for raping Xanthia!
Merissa felt sick -- yet a thrill also went through her.  Oldreth would go
to great lengths to protect those he loved, and Merissa found herself
imagining how he would do the same for her....if that man who had been in
her apartment were found....

Merissa realized that Trinale was addressing Ashelle "Can you take us
there?"

>Ashelle frowned "Only if others will meet us there as well. This is going
>to take more than us to handle it."
>
>Trinale frowned and then realized the truth behind Ashelle's words. "I
>will contact my father and have him meet us there."


They hurried outside and already the dragons were winging in for a landing.
Merissa climbed atop her lavender queen, sensing a great urgency in her.
Chrysthal was unusually silent....

Upon landing they saw the remnants of what had been a man, still bound, and
left naked and helpless in the middle of the crossroads.  Merissa felt her
stomach turn, but swallowed down the bile.  She was shaking as she stared at
the remains of the man, and had not even realized that Th'rin was there --
until he asked for Oldreth.

>"Oldreth?" Merissa asked.
>
>"Don't worry about him," Trinale said to the confused healer. "The man he
>attacked is over here. Do what you can?" She pulled him to where the dying
>man lay.
>
>Th'rin cringed at the horrible sight, "I .. I don't understand. What about
>Oldreth. Areena said he was dying?"

>"No .. no," Trinale said. "Xanthia's attacker. Oldreth did this to him. Can
>you help him?"

>He turned away, "No."
>
>"Th'rin!" she called after him, "Where are you going?"
>
>"I will not help him." Th'rin said spinning around at her.
>
>"But .. you're a healer."
>
>"I can't heal that!"
>
>"At least give him something to lessen the pain. What's been done to him is
>inhuman .."
>
>Th'rin growled, "And what he did to Xanthia isn't! I will do nothing for
him!"
>
>He turned away again and moved to where Merissa was waiting by her queen.
>"I won't help, Merissa. I can't."

Merissa felt surprise when Th'rin refused to treat the man -- he was a
healer!
She reached for Th'rin.  He looked stricken, and almost as ill as she felt.
But before she could utter a word, Ashelle charged up with anger burning in
her eyes.

>  She strode purposefully over to Th'rin, and held out her hand.  "Then
>give me something and I will care for him."
>
>  Th'rin spun, and an astonished expression crossed his face, before he
>growled at the girl in front of him.
>"That..that...thing laying there attacked and raped your friend,
>Ashelle.  And you are standing there asking me to let you help him?  Why?
>You should be wanting to kill him yourself."
>
>  Ashelle shook her head slowly.  "It's not my place to administer
>justice.  But no matter what he did, or what was done to him, he is still
>a human being..what's left of him anyhow.  And he at least deserves to be
>as comfortable as we can make him."
>
>  Her hand was held out, between them, waiting for something to be put in
>it.
>
>  "If you noticed, as a healer, I can guess he doesn't have long left
>anyhow.  If you won't help him be comfortable, at least have the decency
>to let him die in relative peace, instead of what he's going through now.
>Any human being or animal deserves that much."
>
>Xanthia's mouth was agape as she heard Ashelle dressing down Th'rin. <I
>thought she was my friend!> She cringed at the loudness of the thought,
>hoping that neither Trinale nor any of the dragons overheard.

Chrysthal spoke to Merissa, softly, <Xanthia is here>

<What?  Here?  But Trinale sent her to the med center!>  Merissa looked
around, and did not see the red headed girl.

Th'rin and Ashelle were continuing to argue, when Merissa spotted the
Xanthia as she charged out of the brush.

>"No!!!!!" Xanthia shrieked in outrage, charging out from the cover of
>the leaves like a small bull and pushing down Ashelle.


Merissa rushed forward -- torn between helping Ashelle or the stricken
Xanthia.  Xanthia was staring at the remains of the man who had attacked
her...


"Xanthia..."  Merissa spoke her name quietly, remembering how the girl had
been the night before.  She reached for her slowly, placing her hand on her
shoulder.


Xanthia did not break her stare from the man who had brutalized her.


"Xanthia..."  Merissa tried again, softly.

>"It's him," (Xanthia) confirmed aloud, her voice frigidly vacant of all
>emotion.
>
>(Xanthia) shrugged the hand off her shoulder and walked closer to the man
and
>bent down within inches of his face, the expression in her eyes was cold
>as ice.
>
>"Why???" she demanded of the tortured man.
>

Merissa watched, barely breathing, as Xanthia knelt down in front of the
dying man.  What would she do?  Would she pull her honor dagger as she had
the night before and finish what Oldreth had started?

As a group, they moved forward to where the man lay.  Had he spoken?
Merissa wasn't sure, but Xanthia's reaction seemed to indicate that he had.
What had he said to the woman?

The dark-haired queenrider looked around at the faces of those near her.
They all held the same tortured fascination with the scene in front of them.
A mixture of disgust and intrigue played across their countenances.
Suddenly Merissa noticed Moira -- how had that girl gotten here?

"Moira... she trusts you!  Please, can you ... do you think you could get
Xanthia to go back to the med center?"  Merissa appealed to the girl.

****
Tag: Rob, Rhi and Morgie
****

Trinale turned to Th'rin and Ashelle, who were still glaring at each other.
"And if Th'rin can't or *won't* help"  her eyes glazed for a moment before
glaring at Th'rin... "I've contacted to Juniper to have Clarissa standing
by.  Father?"  Trinale turned to L'rian.  "Do you think you and Dandy
could... take *him*" Trinale indicated the tortured man, "back to the med
center?"

L'rian's blue eyes coldly regarded what was left of Drak.  He looked at his
daughter sadly, realizing the great responsibility that this dropped on her
small shoulders.  "I don't think they'll be able to do anything..." but he
nodded.  He turned those hard blue eyes on Th'rin.  "If I am to do this, I
need to know how to get him back there...."

****
Tag Kat, Kris, Jeanette
****

After they had returned to the Warren, Trinale called to Merissa as she
dismounted Chrysthal.  "We really need to talk..." the young Warren Lady
looked close to tears.

Merissa nodded, feeling numb and in shock.  If she had not seen that man
with her own eyes...yet, wasn't Oldreth justified in what he had done?  That
man had raped the person closest to *family* that Oldreth had!  Merissa
found herself torn, as she pondered these things on the way to the Warren
Lady's office.

They entered and sat in silence.  Neither knowing where to begin.

"What are we going to do?"  Trinale finally opened.

"About....?"  Merissa knew though, to whom she was referring.

"Oldreth."

Merissa swallowed.  Again her mind recalled the pleasantness of his kisses,
the concern he had shown her when she had argued with her mother, the love
he had demonstrated for her son, Oberon.  This man was not a monster!
"Perhaps it is their custom..."  Merissa started, again visualizing the huge
Nomad charging to *her* rescue.

"That doesn't excuse what he did to... to that man!"  Trinale responded
shocked.  "You saw him, or what was left of him!"

****
Tag Kat.
****
Merissa was resting in bed with Oberon, late in the afternoon.  The boy was
still edgy and easily disturbed.  She was sure it had something to do with
the boy's *connection* to Xanthia.

They had finally drifted to sleep, when Chrysthal awoke her.

<Doshayne's rider is very upset!>  Shawnee?  Merissa sat up in bed.  What
could have happened to upset her friend so?  The last she had known, Shawnee
and Katla were going shopping...

Oberon's eyes popped open, as he felt the warmth at his side leave --
sighing, Merissa scooped up her darling, and headed out to Chrysthal's
ledge.  <Where are they?>  Merissa asked and Chrysthal supplied a picture of
the location of Doshayne and her rider.

****
Tag Barb -- if you want a shoulder to cry on [g] Merissa's is there!
NRPG -- I'll get out a J'red post soon (sorry David!)

Respectfully submitted by Arlene
AKA Merissa Junior Queenrider of Chrysthal of Whiteriver Warren.

****************************************************************************
Arlene E. Jacobs (9/22/63) <ajacobs@zebra.net>; ICQ 11274608
in Montgomery, Alabama
Loving Wife to Mark (7/9/59) and Mother of
Kevin (5/17/92-11/22/93), Jeffrey (5/14/94) and Jessica (3/25/96)
Charter Member of The Wise Women of the Web
http://www.neosoft.com/~acoustic/wwwarlenejhp.html
Family page http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Park/1013/

"I will extend peace to her like a river,
and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees,
As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you;"
Isaiah 66:12-13