A Trip To The Seedier Side Of Town

Kanler
******

"What do you mean you won't be going to the services?" Kanler turned and
looked at his mate, his face frowning. "Katla these are our friends that
were killed. Don't you think you should at lease be there to honor them?"

Katla turned her head to look up at the tall handsome man she had come to
love. "I will do best honoring them by finding out who is responsible for
their deaths, and I can't do that by staying here? Please understand love."

His frown broaden. "This trip can't wait until morning?"

"No... if I wait there's a chance the people responsible can go into hiding,
and then we may never find out who they are."

"Some how I don't think hiding out is what they have planned," he quipped
but reached out and pulled her back against his front. His arms slipping
around her waist as his chin came down to rest on the top of her head.

"Okay... but you don't go alone."

"But..." she started, turning to face him.

"But nothing. Either I go with you or you don't go."

It wasn't often that he used that tone with her. Mostly he'd been good about
letting her make the decisions when it came to the Wing and duties, but this
was a different matter all together. Derry had taken him aside and explained
to him about the *meetings* Katla sometimes had with some of the townships
seedier people. People he never much liked her going to for information, but
could never stop her from doing so. 

She looked up at the hard set of his face, wanting to argue with him, but
knowing it would do no good this time.

"All right you can go with me. BUT!!" she held up her hand and waggled a
finger in his face. "I do the talking and you have to promise you won't do
anything but stand by my side. I know these people and they trust me."

"Ah..." he grinned and caught her finger bring it up to his lips for a kiss.
"But do you trust them?"

"Money has a way of making anyone trust you," it was her turn to frown.
"They know I pay well for good information and am good for a few....
favors... from time to time. The man I'm going to see has never failed me
yet. In fact... He's the one who helped us get Cill and Ojean back when..."

"Okay. I get the picture," Kanler nodded his head slowly. "I just stand
there and look menacing and handsome while you get to do all the talking."

Katla pulled away from him and threw a punch into his stomach. "Just don't
let me see you making eyes at any women you might see there mister!"

"As if!" he pulled back and brought his hands up to cover his heart as if
she had wounded him. "Why would I even want to look at another women when I
have the women I love already by my side?"

"Just you remember that," she giggled and then her face became serious
again. "Well the sooner we go the sooner we can find out if my informant
knows anything about the blindfolded Lady and her followers."

.....

It was dark in the part of the woods where Katla had them land. Kanler was
off his dragon in a hurry and made his way over to her side.

"Here love... let me help you down," he said reaching up for her. She handed
him her crutches first and waited for him to set them aside before sliding
down 'Tinka's side and into his arms where he stole a kiss before letting
her go.

"Stop that!" she scolded him. "We're here to meet with my informant, not
neck in the woods!!"

"Hey.. don't knock it till you tried it," he winked at her and then his hand
swept out, motioning for her to lead the way. "Keep it in mind for some
other time."

"Right now my mind is on getting to Telven and seeing if he knows anything
that might help us," she told him, taking the crutches he held out to her
and started walking away. 

Kanler kept his eyes and ears peeled. Listening for any sound to warn them
of someone approaching. He wished they could have brought a torch with them,
but Katla had told him they didn't need one as she knew her way around.

"I know those woods like the back of my hand," she'd said. "so don't worry
that I'll get you lost."

"As long as I'm lost with you beside me I don't think I'd mind it all that
much," he'd replied.

Now as he followed her, he knew she'd been speaking the truth, and he found
once again something to admire and respect her for. It amazed him just how
different she was for the spoiled Blanca, though they had come from the same
sort of back ground.

The thought of that spoiled, pampered bitch trudging through the damp woods
at this time of the night made him chuckle.

"What's it that you find so funny love," Katla called softly back over her
shoulder. 

"I was just trying to picture Blanca out here taking a mid-night stool
through the woods as calmly as you are and could only picture her bitching
and complaining because she got mud on her new boots or...I broke a nail!!!"

the last line was done in a perfect imitation of the girls vocal tones and
caused Katla to giggle. 

Kanler knew he'd gotten the best of the two women. Not that Blanca ever had
a chance in hell after he'd laid eyes on Katla. Katla was six times the
woman Blanca would ever be and he thanked his lucky starts Katla loved him
in return.

He moved up beside her just as a man came out of the darkness and approached
them and began to speak.

"I hadn't thought to see you again, lady."

"I love you, too," He heard Katla snap, but knew this was all part of the
game. So he just stood there silently beside her and let her run the show.

"Testy today, aren't we?"

"Yeah. You could say that." Her eyes were dark and she grimaced. "I've got
some questions about a... religious order."

"An abbey?" he asked, using an archaic slang for whorehouse. She shook her head.

"No.  It's... a group headed by a... blind woman, or so I'm told." Katla
passed over one of the wooden coins that were becoming ubiquitous around the
Warren.

He turned the coin over in his hand.  "I may have heard something."

"I may have money for information."

Telven laughed.  "I hope so."

She smiled slightly.  "There have been... problems.  I need to know who is
causing them and why.  The questions need to be quiet and, as you know, I
can pay..."

"Hmmm.  And you will.  Let me tell you the little I know..."

......... 

"I'm not sure how what he told us is going to be of much help," Kanler
raised his voice a little as he stepped out of the shower and picked up a
towel before heading back into their bedroom where Chance sat combing out
her hair.

"I mean we've always known that some of the high Families have long time
complained about turning over half their yearly gain to the Warrens in
exchange for the protection we give them, but I've never once heard even the
slightest of rumors about any of them being involved in something like this."

"I never have either," Chance said dropping her hands into her lap as she
turned around to face him. "But then our families have never hidden the fact
that they support the Warrens. Maybe that has something to do with who's
been approached by the blind ladies followers."

"Could be," he agreed, as he wrapped the towel around his middle before
following her out into the living room. 

"Do you want a glass of wine? He asked continuing on into the kitchen. Then
remembered he'd seen her taking some of her pills when they'd returned home.
"Or maybe a glass of juice?"

"Juice I think," she called after him. "And maybe some of that cheese and
fruit if there's any left."

Kanler reached up into the cabinet and pulled out two glasses. Filled them
and then went to the frig and rooted around inside until he had the fixings
for a light snack.

It had taken her a while to realize that she didn't always have to be strong
and the one everyone depended on. Alone together like this in their
apartment, she had finally began to relax her guard and let him take care of
her, making him treasure these times.

"So who do you think we should tell about this?" he asked, coming back into
the living room and setting the tray down on the end table before moving to
sit beside her.

"Well we have to tell Derry and Trinale. And maybe our parents to see if
anyone might have approached them...or.." she stopped talking long enough to
take a bite from the slice of apple he held up to her mouth. "Or to see if
they might have heard of anyone being approached with anything remotely
dealing with this."

"Good idea, but can we do it in the morning?" he asked moving her so that
she was facing away from him as his powerful hands began to gently massage
the strains of the day from her shoulders. "Even super women like you need
to get their sleep once in a while."

"Sleep?" she grinned knowingly as she turned her head around until their
eyes met. "Is that all you want to do is sleep?" He got up and held his hand
out to her letting the towel slipped away from his hips.

"For starters..."

.....................

[[The next morning. The day of Fawna's escapade, after Doshy's mating flight]]

They met up with Derry and Trinale the next morning after Katla had 'Tinka
send them a message that they had some news. 

Kanler could see Derry trying to rack his brains trying to remember if he'd
heard about anything like this before he'd joined with his dragon. But then
saw him frown as his thoughts came up empty. 

"Katla had a thought about that," he told them and preceded to tell them her
theory about why their two families hadn't been approached. 

"Maybe that's it," Trinale commented. "But how can we know for sure."

He saw her turn to the fifth member of their table. An older rider, who'd
only just arrived at the Warren. But one she'd told them with some knowledge
of the Blind Folded Lady and her followers. She hadn't gone into details
with them over what that was, saying he would tell them when he had the chance.

"Can you shed some light on this maybe?" she asked the man. 

"It's possible," he said. "They won't rust anyone they think will betray
them to the Warrens. Them who have, have ended up dead."

"Well I think the best thing to do is talk to our parents and see if maybe
they might have heard something," Chance spoke up. "It couldn't hurt."

"Fine," Trinale agreed. "But I'd like for W'lam to go with you. He may think
of some questions that will jog their memories that you might not think of."

She looked at the older man and saw him nod his head in agreement. "Good so
you'll visit Derry and Chance's family first and then you family after that
Kanler. Then come back and we'll see what if anything we learn from it."

[Tag to anyone wanting to add more to this meeting]
......  

Lord Jerlyn Vaddon was there to meet his daughter, her mate and his son when
they arrived. They quickly introduced him to W'lam and explained why they
had come.

Lord Vaddon motioned for them all to get comfortable and sent a servant
after coffee and he paced up and down on the rug before them. He waited
until the servant had left the room before he began to talk.....

[Tag Jill.. ??]

Later while the others were getting ready to leave, Kanler saw Jerlyn call
his daughter back to his side and saw him telling the girl something that
made her frown. Then he handed her a folded piece of paper which she looked
at then shoved inside her jacket pocket before reaching out to hug him and
turned to join the others. 

"What was that all about," he asked as he helped her to mount 'Tinka. 

"Father said a messenger came for me early this morning and gave him a note
to give me, telling him it was important that I got it as soon as possible."

She took the note out of her jacket pocket and showed it to him. The only
thing he saw was a small picture of a mug of ale.

"Is this a joke?" he asked slightly confused.

"No.. it's Telven's way of telling me I need to come see him because he
found out something."

"So do *we* go see him now? And what about them?" he asked, pointing with
his thumb over his shoulder at Derry and W'lam.

[Tag again Jill]

****Submitted by: ******

Kanler & Sariss
Whiteriver Warren

aka
Barbara