YPA: Your Privacy Assured/YPA.ISO/text/j119-081

Text File | 1995-03-09 | 28.7 KB | 753 lines

     Kitty's Journal 081 / 0119

     When Kitty awoke her first thought was that she had slept all the
way through to noon.  A few seconds of thought and she laughed to
herself.  Pendor was a ringworld, of course the sun was overhead!  The
sounds outside her window however, told her that whatever time of day it
was, the daily life of Kendre was in full swing.

     She stretched and yawned.  The bed she had slept in had been both
lumpy and itchy, but she had been so tired that it hadn't mattered when
she had first lain down.  Now, in the morning, her back told her a
different story.  She sighed and tried to lick clean the foul taste in
her mouth, a combination of sleep and ale.

     As she was dressing a knock came at her door.  She turned to look,
shook her head again and said "Yes?"

     "Miss Kitty?  Miss Kitty?  Are you awake?"

     "Yes, Myrna," she said.  "What is it?"

     "Oh good, Miss Kitty.  I gots a letter for you."

     Confusion reigned for a moment.  " A letter?"

     "Yes Miss Kitty.  It's got a seal on it, it looks important.  You
might want to read it now."

     Kitty rose from the bed with a groan and wandered over to the door,
unlatching it and pulling it open.  She looked into Myrna's face and
said, "Okay."

     "Here it is, Miss Kitty."  Myrna pressed a folded sheet of thick
paper, held closed with a glob of wax.  Kitty flipped it over; it was
otherwise unmarked.

     "Myrna, where did you get this?"

     "Priest of Alias came this morning.  Gave this to me and said it
was for Miss Kitty Moran.  I guess that'n be you."

     Kitty nodded.  "Thank you, Myrna.  Give me a moment, will you?"

     "O' course, Miss Kitty.  Take all the time'n you need."

     Kitty closed the door gently and re-latched it.  After a quick
glance at the seal, which meant nothing to her, she broke it open and
read it.


     Dear Kitty:


     You said you wanted to go someplace "different."  Without
sending you off-world, there's only one really "different" place on
Pendor that suits you- Backwater.  But I've also made a new addition to
the list of Pendorian races recently, Dragons, and I released them all
in Backwater.

     At this point you're on your own.  What you chose to do is your own
business.  What Luke does with you is his business, but he's been
instructed not to mess with you too much.

     And remember, the monsters are only droids anyway.  It's the live
ones you've got to worry about.

     Love, Ken.


     She closed her eyes and sighed.  The letter didn't tell her
anything new, but she was glad to have it.  The one thing that bothered
her was what it didn't mention- Luke, her staff, the money.  What was
going on?

     She dressed, pulled on her boots and cloak and headed down the
stairs.  "Alfar?" she said.

     "'Mornin, Lass.  How was your sleep?"

     Kitty stretched again and felt bones in her back pop.  "The sleep
was good.  It was waking up I had trouble with."

     Alfar smiled and said, "I know, Lass, I know.  So, ye be heading
out t'day?"

     "Aye," Kitty said, getting into the accent.  "Right now, in fact.
I've got a friend to meet."

     "And what be this friend's name, might I ask?" Alfar said.

     "Pendor," she replied, slipping out the door.

     The street was a bustle of activity.  The smell of Kendre was rich
in her nostrils and the sun was clear overhead as she walked to the
bazaar she had found yesterday.  Getting past a Centaur blocking her
vision, she found a shopkeeper selling jerked meats, dried fruits and
nuts.  After haggling with him for a few minutes, she walked away with
what she figured was two weeks worth of foodstuffs.  It was a lot
heavier than the camping foods she had been used to packing over Mount
Washington, that was for sure.

     She shook her head again and headed out for the main gate.  It felt
so good to be out of there, she realized.  The light and air of the
fields outside the city cured the odd melancholy she'd been feeling all
morning, and she positively felt like skipping as she headed towards the
treeline and her meeting with Pendor.  She sang to herself as she
walked.  She wondered if there were any listeners, and if there were,
was Jethro Tull out of place in Kendre?

     She found what she thought to be the place where she had turned off
the road yesterday.  After walking some yards through the dense forest,
she broke out into the meadow a distance away from the glaringly obvious
dragon, who lay curled up on the grass with his wings spread wide.
"Pendor!" she shouted.

     The dragon raised his head slowly, looked and said *Good Morning,
Kitty!*

     She ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his head, hugging
him.  "It's good to see you," she said.

     *It's good to see you too,* he replied.  *So, what was a town
like?*

     "Smelly," she replied.  "A good place to buy things, but I don't
think I'd like to live there."

     *Anything else?* he asked.

     Kitty related her experiences with Alfar as she pulled on the coat
and muffler she'd purchased at the bazaar.  "Ready to go?" she asked.

     *Where are we going?* the dragon asked.

     "Does it matter?  According to everybody we've met, we're in the
center of Backwater.  Every direction is somewhere new."

     *Then let us head, that way,* the dragon replied, lifting his head
and pointing to aspin.

     "Fine with me.  Why that direction?"

     *Less mountains.*  Kitty laughed as she mounted Pendor's back.
With a powerful bunching of the legs, Pendor launched himself into the
air and they took flight.  The powerful force of it exhilarated Kitty,
and she cheered as they took flight.  *Are you okay?* he asked.

     "Pendor, you worry too much about me.  I'm fine!" she replied.

     *Could you explain something to me then?*

     "Of course."

     *What are we?*

     "I don't understand."

     *What are we?  You're a human girl and I'm a dragon.  You are my
rider, but I don't think I'm your pet.  Are we friends?  Partners?
Lovers?*

     Memories of yesterday flooded Kitty and her face grew hot with
embarrassment.  She waited for the thoughts to fade before she said,
"We're friends, Pendor.  I think.  I don't know.  We're not lovers; we
probably can't be."

     *Why not?*

     "Because I'm a human and you're a dragon, and you probably won't
fit."

     Pendor didn't answer.

     They flew on for almost half a day.  The terrain below was lightly
hilled and covered in dense forest, but otherwise was so nondescript
that Kitty asked to head back to Kendre.  Pendor agreed.

     Once over the city, Kitty asked, "What now?"

     *We could follow the road that heads towards the mountains.*

     She shrugged.  "It's up to you, Pendor."

     There was that massive shrug of the shoulders.  Kitty crouched down
behind Pendor's head to keep out of the slipstream and watched as they
flew on.  The sky was still as clear as ever.


     Less than hour out from Kendre, Pendor said *Kitty?*

     Kitty looked up with a start.  "What?" she asked.

     *I don't feel good.*

     "Don't feel good?  Tired?  Hungry?"

     *Tired.  I think we should head back.*

     "Then, let's go."  Kitty looked around.  The day seemed a little
darker.  What was it?  She looked up and saw that they were flying right
into the coming night's shadow as it draped itself over the countryside.
Behind it were dark stormclouds.  She began to worry.

     *Kitty, I don't think...* The dragon's "voice" sounded strained,
sickly.

     "Come on, Pendor,"

     *Kitty, I'm going to fall.*

     "Pendor!" she shouted as the dragon's wings seemed to lose their
strength.  The thrilling power she felt in him faded as the night grew
darker.  The dragon began a frighteningly fast downward spiral.

     *I'll try-* Pendor started.  *Try to put down safe.*

     "Please," Kitty whispered.  "Be careful."  She held on tightly to
his neck, praying every second for him.   There was a clear spot up
ahead, another meadow, but the trees were close, very close.  The ground
was coming up fast as total darkness washed over them.

     Kitty felt a tremendous >thump< as Pendor slammed into the ground,
rolling into a black ball that threw her free.  She landed on her
shoulder, the pain registering dully in her head.  Dull compared to her
concern for her friend.  A light drizzle began to fall.

     "Pendor!" she screamed.

     *Kitty?* the dragon said weakly.  *I'm hurt.*

     She scrabbled to her feet and ran to the treeline, where Pendor had
impacted against stand of three trees, fracturing one.  As she ran, the
dragon began shifting, moving back away from the trees.  In a slow limp
he turned around and fell to the ground, his eyes closed.

     As Kitty got closer, she could feel the waves of pain emanating off
him.  She closed her eyes and concentrated, walking up to his head and
saying, "Pendor?"

     *My wing... It hurts.*  She looked over at the wing he had splayed
out along the ground.  It looked wrong.  Horror spread through her when
she realized why; the wing was broken, high by the shoulder.

     "Don't move!" she screamed as the dragon started to get up again.
"Pendor, your wing is broken."

     *Broken?* he asked.  *How do you fix it?  It hurts!*

     "I know, I know it hurts.  It'll be okay."  Okay?  What did she
know about broken bones... broken Dragon's bones?  She grit her teeth
for a second and said "I'm going to do something.   It's going to make
it hurt more."

     *MORE?* the dragon wailed.

     "It has to, Pendor.  Please, trust me."

     *Kitty, I don't want it to hurt.*

     "Please, Pendor!"  She walked around to the wing and examined it
from the outside.  All she had for medical training was her Girl Scout's
badge and the time she'd broken her leg.  She knew you had to set it and
keep the person from using it, but how?  "Pendor?" she asked, laying
hands out the edge of the wing away from the break, away from his body.

     *What?* the dragon asked.

     She dug her bootheels into the ground and said, "Pull."

     *WHAT?*

     "Pull away from me, Dammit!  One sharp pull!  Do it now or you'll
never be able to fly again! Do it, NOW!"

     The dragon raised his head and turned on his long neck to look at
her, his eyes full of pain.  He closed them.

     Kitty felt him tense, and there was a sudden jerk, followed by a
sickly cracking sound, and Pendor screamed, the pain emanating from his
mind into hers; she whimpered in her agony.  But she never lost her
grip.

     "Pendor!"

     There was no answer for a few seconds.  *Kitty...* he said.

     "Pendor, fold the wing, slowly.  Very slowly."  She held the
fracture point in place carefully, straining her arms; his wing was
heavy.  The wing slowly folded into place.  Kitty pulled her staff from
her waist and laid it along the fracture.  "Don't move," she said.  She
stripped off her shirt and pulled her knife, slicing the sleeves from
her shirt and using them to tie the staff in place, splinting the wing.
She worried that she was cutting off Pendor's circulation.  She checked
the splint; it looked adequate.  She could only hope.

     "Let the wing loose, Pendor.  Relax it."

     *It hurts!* the dragon said.

     "I know it hurts," she said.  "But you've got let it go.  Please?"
The wing slowly drooped downwards until it rested loosely against
Pendor's body.  "Okay, that's it," Kitty said, trying to reassure the
Dragon.

     "Pendor?" she asked, walking around to his head.  She touched him
gently there.

     *Kitty,* he said, his voice barely a whisper in her head.  *Will I
fly again?*

     "If you don't move you will.  It might be a few days.  Will you be
okay?"  It suddenly occurred to her she might have to feed her friend.
It was going to be more than a few days.  It might be a few months.

     *I don't know.  I hurt.*

     "I know, I know," she said, kissing his head, lying close to him in
the rain.  "Pendor, I have to get my stuff."

     *Don't leave me!* he wailed.

     "I won't.  I'm just going to walk to where I fell.  Okay?  It's
right over there."

     *Okay.*  Kitty didn't think he sounded okay.

     Kitty walked around the place where she thought she had landed,
looking for her pack.  It had fallen open, scattering her equipment
everywhere.  The only things still inside it were her money pouch and
the little red book.  She gathered up her clothes and food, finding the
yellow book by touch and wondering why he hadn't said a thing.  "Luke?"
she asked the book.

     No answer.  She pursed her lips and wondered if the book had been
damaged in the accident.  "Luke!" she demanded.  The book was silent.
Cursing, she threw it into the pack and wandered back to Pendor.

     "It's wet," she said to him, but he didn't answer.  Instead, he
snored quietly, and when she recognized the sound she was grateful.  He
had shifted weight slightly so that he was propped up against the
nearest tree, the broken wing laying flat on the ground.  She prayed
silently that she'd done right, setting and restraining the wing.  She
touched it gently, reassuring herself.  It was warm to the touch.

     She cursed the rain, wondering where she was going to find shelter
when an answer presented itself.  She had noticed that Pendor tended to
sleep with his wings outstretched; his left wing, his good wing, was
splayed out along the ground.  She knelt down; there seemed to be room
underneath, so she crawled under and took refuge.  She leaned up against
his leg and tried to sleep.  Touching his body, she could hear his
massive heart beating slowly, feel his breathing.  She felt that as long
as he kept breathing, they would be okay.  She turned on her side,
feeling his cool reptilian hide against her cheek, and kissed his leg,
hoping for sleep.


     Sometime in the night she awoke, feeling hot and uncomfortable.
The rain had stopped, but the humidity was oppressive as she crawled out
from under Pendor's wing.  She stood up and felt bones creak in places
where she hadn't known she had places, much less bones.  She wandered
around, wondering when daylight was coming.  She looked up and saw the
approaching daylight, hours away, and sighed.  As she walked, she kicked
something; her knife, which she had dropped when she had shredded her
clothes.  She picked it up, looking at it closely for the first time.
It was intricately engraved with a language that was unknown to her.

     She was examining the knife under the residual light when she heard
the voice, a high-pitched yet guttural sound.  Wondering what it could
be, she turned in the direction she'd heard it come from.

     Hands wrapped around her shoulders, and a voice screamed in her
ear, "The Knife points the way!  The Knife is the sign!  The Knife to
The Key! The Key will be mine!"

     Kitty struggled with her assailant, who felt light and hairy.  She
threw it against the ground, shouting "Pendor!"

     *Kitty?*

     "Help!" she screamed as hands scrabbled for her in the dark.  The
dragon rolled over and began to stand.  She punched her assailant.

     There was a loud "Oof!" as she was released.  In the dark she saw a
tall, stick-thin shape against the light of distant ringworld sectors,
and it cast a glance at Pendor.  "Mine!" it shrieked, screaming, running
for the dragon.  Kitty ran after it, trying to grab it as it leapt up
onto Pendor.  Kitty reacted with horror when she realized it was going
for the splint.  "Mine! Mine! Mine!" it shrieked more.  Pendor screamed
aloud as the cloth gave way and it pulled the staff free, twisting the
wing as it did so.  There was another, much louder CRACK! as it leapt
off.  Pendor howled in pain and fear.

      Kitty jumped for the creature, hauling it to the ground.
"Bastard!" she shouted, punching it.

     "Mine! Mine!" it shrieked in return, pushing her free and
scrabbling to it's feet, running blindly into Pendor's head.  The
dragon, incoherent with pain, opened his mouth and bit down hard.  There
was a single, final shriek from the creature, and it died.

     "Pendor?"

     There was no answer except for monstrous waves of pain.  Kitty took
one look at the wing and her heart broke; there was blood and bone,
showing through the wing.  "Oh, god," she said.  "Oh god, oh, god."  She
closed her eyes; she was going to be sick.  "Please," she said, not sure
to who or what.  She walked over to the wing, her eyes blinded by tears.
"Oh, god."

     "This way, sir!  I heard it over here!"  She turned at the voice.
startled, and waited.  A horse was crossing the woods, followed by more.
She seized the knife in her hand and shouted "Don't come any closer.
Any one of you bastards tries to touch him and I'll kill you!"

     "M'Lord," the rider of the lead horse shouted.  "Over here."

     Another horse rode up, this one ridden by a melMephit in a red robe
and a light, mesh chainmail.  "We heard the screams of an animal,
M'Lady, and came to investigate."

     "He's not an animal!  He's my friend," tears welled in her eyes and
she said, quieter, "and he's dying."

     "Healer!" the Mephit shouted.  "Attend to the creature."

     "M'Lord?" A Tindal in the back replied.  "I've no learning for
dragons."

     "Do what you can."  The order was direct, the voice commanding.
The Mephit dismounted and made a visible show of leaving his swordsheath
on the ground.  He opened his arms wide and said, "We can help.
Please."

     Kitty's resolved wavered.  She dropped the knife and dropped to her
knees.  "Please," she said, exhausted, crying.  "Please, save him."

     "We shall do what we can," the Mephit said, walking forward and
crouching next to her in the wet grass.  "What is your name, M'Lady?"

     "Kitty... Kitty of The Hall."

     The Mephit smiled at her and said, "Then we are kindred spirits,
M'Lady.  I am Aaden of Tleil, of late, Lord of Degranni.  It is not a
role I cherish."

     Kitty looked at him; he was smiling, but behind those eyes she saw
honest concern.  One of the other riders walked over and said, "M'Lord,
you should see this."

     "Will you be well, Kitty?"

     "I think so."

     "Then excuse me; I have to attend."

     "I'll come," she said, rising from the grass.  Aaden nodded; the
Uncia guard led them to where Pendor lay, by his head.  The guard
pointed to the remains of the creature that had attacked them.
"Elahedrel, M'Lord."

     Aaden turned to Kitty and said, "Your attacker was a Fell beast, a
creature of seeking, Kitty.  Do you know what he sought?"

     Kitty shook her head.  "When, when he first showed up he was after
my knife, but he tried to run away with my staff."

     "This staff?" Aaden asked, picking it up off the ground.  Kitty
nodded.  "Did he say anything?" Aaden continued.

     Kitty nodded and repeated what the Elahedrel had said.  Aaden said
"May I see your knife, M'Lady?"

     Kitty nodded again and handed it to Aaden.  He looked at it closely
in the darkness.  "Get me a light," he said to the guard.  The guard
returned with a small black bag.  Aaden took it and dismissed him.

     He opened the bag and removed a small, glowing ball.  "Now then,"
he said, examining the knife more closely.  After a few minutes he said,
"Kitty, come with me."

     He led her a distance away from both Pendor and the horses.  "Do
you know what you carry?" he asked.

     She shook her head.  "You are carrying the Sazknife.  The forces of
Luccas will do anything to get it.  You are in great danger."

     "Why do they want it?"

     "I do not know.  But what you have told me leads me to wonder.  Do
they want it, or do they know that she who carries it has something
else, the thing they really seek?"

     "My staff?" she asked.

     "Aye.  What disturbs me all the more is that I know not the why.
Is this staff magical?  It surely looks the part."

     Kitty shrugged.  "I don't know if it's magical.  It was given to
me."

     "By who, M'Lady?"

     "Shardik."

     There was a slight hiss between Aaden's teeth.  "Vatare' himself.
I do not envy you, M'Lady.  He has presented you with a burden, the
purpose of which is unknown to us."  He turned around for a moment and
said "Mezlo!  Attend to me!"

     A short, unkempt Felinzi wearing dark robes and an beret with holes
for his ears walked over.  "Yeah?" he asked.

     "Mezlo, I need you to sit still and advise me in a moment."

     "Okay," the Felinzi replied.

     "Kitty, I need to ask you a question, and I need you to answer me
as honestly as you can.  How do you feel about non-Humans?"

     Kitty blinked and said, "What do you mean?  I'm a Pendorian; I
wouldn't be here if the Hall didn't think I belonged!"

     "Mezlo?"

     "She speaks the truth, Lord Aaden.  She is not a Luccan."

     "Thank you, mage.  You are dismissed."  Mezlo bowed and wandered
away.  "Forgive me, Kitty.  I had to be sure."

     Kitty nodded.  "The Luccas are all human?"

     "To a one," Aaden said.  "That is why I was suspect; you are human.
Not all humans are Luccas, Kitty, but it is getting hard to tell them
apart.  The Luccas do not accept ought else."

     "M'Lord," a voice interrupted.

     "Healer," Aaden replied.  "What news?"

     "The dragon will live, Lord Aaden, and he will fly again.  He must
not move for several days, however.  The Healer's Strength has become
unconscious, M'Lord, and I fear for her; it was a task worthy of
Gregor's strength, and he is not here to see it- she has certainly
overextended."  Aaden nodded.  "I have men seeking proper splinting for
the Dragon in the meantime, and for food.  Looking at the beast, it will
need food in great quantities.  We may need to call on the Mage."

     "Thank you, Healer.  Tell the Sergeant that I shall require a
constant watch of three.  We shall stay here until the Dragon is ready
to fly again."

     "Sir..."

     "That is an order, Healer.  The lady here has become extremely
valuable to our cause, and as she was willing to protect its peaceful
dying with her life, I do not think she would leave it in its healing."
Kitty shook her head.  "Therefore, we stay.  Also, tell the Mage to
prepare to call Castle Degranni; I shall need to speak to the Captain of
the Guard."

     "Yes sir," the Tindal replied.

     "Come, Kitty.  Let's us eat; you must be hungry, and we have fresh
meat."  Kitty nodded, dully.

     The sergeant at arms, a tall Satryl name Ahamo, was busily setting
a fire now that word had gotten to him that they would be staying a few
days.  "'Ere's the stew, M'Lord," he said with a grinding sort of voice.

     "Thank you, Ahamo."  Aaden passed a bowl to Kitty and took another
for himself.  "Are the guards set?"

     "They are, Lord Aaden, they are.  I'll be on the first watch.  You
can call me if y'need me."  Ahamo walked away, muttering under his
breath.

     Kitty sat down next to the fire and brought the bowl to her lips,
sipping it carefully, grabbing hold of a chunk of meat with her teeth
and chewing slowly.  "M'Lady," Aaden said quietly.

     "Aaden, excuse me if I play out of character for a second, but I
don't know why I'm here, what I'm doing, or what's going on.  I walked
the Hall less than a month ago.  I feel so... so lost."

     "I can understand some of that.  As I said, I am a Tleil; I am the
only Mephit in all of Backwater.  I'm not sure I'm fully out of IS
myself."

     "IS?" Kitty asked.

     "Incorporation Shock," Aaden replied.  "The sudden realization that
'I am a person, not a thing.'  Sometimes I am still a pre-programmed set
of memories and ideas.  But one thing Vatare' didn't put into me was
Backwater; I came here because it was the fastest way to get away from
everything I knew, to 'find myself.'"

     Kitty laughed.  "That's funny.  Ken put me here for the same
reason, to get away from what I was."

     Aaden nodded.  Kitty felt safe next to him, and in her exhaustion
she leaned next to him, putting her head on his shoulder.  "Kitty?" he
said.

     "Yeah?"

     "Before you make assumptions, I have something to tell you.  I am
not physically attracted to your kind."

     "Humans?" she asked.

     "Females," Aaden replied.

     Kitty rose with a start and said, "You're gay?"

     Aaden laughed.  "The word is erolie' in Pendorian.  But yes.  That
much I know.  I prefer my own sex to yours."

     "I didn't mean-  I'm sorry."

     "I am not offended.  True erolie' are more rare then true entalie',
I am told.  I could not have expected you to guess."

     "No, no.  I mean..." Kitty broke off, feeling uncomfortable.  What
had she meant by lying against him like that?

     Aaden put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Kitty of the
Hall, how old are you?"

     "Seventeen," she answered.

     "And I am but two.  The ground is still wet, but not miserably so.
Come, drag out what bedding you have and sleep by the fire.  I have some
matters to attend to."

     Kitty nodded and rose, retrieving her blankets.  "Kitty," Aaden
said, "How did the dragon's wing break?"

     "I... I don't know.  He just suddenly got tired and couldn't fly
anymore.  And we just fell."

     Aaden bit thoughtfully at the thin lower lip of his muzzle for a
second.  "May I ask a favor?"

     "What?"


     "As long as I do not hurt your friend, may I ask the Mage to
examine him and find out why he fell?"

     Kitty returned the thoughtful look, then nodded.  "If it'll help."

     "It may.  It is a mystery, at any rate."

     Kitty lay down and bunched her light blanket under her head for a
pillow.  "Goodnight, Kitty."

     Kitty nodded and fell asleep.


     Aaden walked over to Mezlo, who was closely examining Pendor's good
wing, and small opaque monocle in his left eye.  "What have you found,
Mage?"

     "I have found out why the dragon lost flight, M'Lord, but an
explanation of it would require that I leave character."

     Aaden sighed and said, "People seem to be doing that a lot these
days.  Okay, Mezlo, give it to me straight."

     "Well, Dragon's aren't terribly aerodynamic.  Apparently, even
though they qualify as a full Pendor race, they're at least partially
cybernetic in their own right.  When I leave Backwater, first thing I
want to read is on Dragon reproduction."

     "How so?"

     "My guess is that Dragons are born with a trans-generational
angstrom-level mechanism installed by the previous generation's
mechanism in the womb.  The mechanism builds an array of energy-
scavenging Corran-field cascades."

     "Millions of nanotech-sized gravitics generators."  Mezlo nodded.
"And they're solar powered."  Mezlo nodded again.  "Does this mean all
dragons can't fly at night?"

     "No, M'Lord.  This dragon apparently had been flying all day; any
store he had reserved had burned out immediately upon nightfall.  Also,
I can think of some magic and some science that could keep them
airborne."

     Aaden cursed under his breath.  Kitty was asleep; it would have
been useful to ask her how long she and Pendor had been airborne.  "Very
well, Mage, you have cleared one mystery.  We have others.  I must speak
with The Captain."

     "Yes, M'Lord.  Come."  Mezlo led Aaden back to where he had left
his saddlebags and dragged out a small golden sphere.  As the Mage
muttered under his breath, Aaden could feel the air coming alive, could
feel the breath stirring in his chest.  He felt just a little jealous of
the power Mages wielded, he admitted to himself.

     "It is ready; I am in touch with Mara, M'Lord.  She has sent for
the Captain."

     "Thank you.  Greeting, Mara."

     The voice from the sphere said, "Good evening, M'Lord Degranni.
How is your journey, that you wake me so late at night?"  Aaden scowled
slightly at her tone.  Mara and he had had an encounter he would sooner
forget; it had been that night he had realized his lust ran towards
males.

     Aaden bit back his feelings and proceeded to tell the entire tale
to Mara in one long breath, trying to get out everything as fast as he
could.  The voice that came over next was masculine and soothing, and he
relaxed when he realized it was Captain Gregor.  "M'Lord, that is some
tale.  You have the Sazknife in your possession?"

     "I do not, Gregor.  I have left it with the lady; it is her
burden."

     "Now one we share.  The Luccas have had a pogrom."  A chill crept
up Aaden's spine.  "They burned a farmhouse on the edge of the Alliance
territory.  Seven dead.  Although they burned, Mara tells me that the
family was tortured before death.  They did not 'touch' the family,
however."

     "Luccas," Aaden hissed.  "What was the family?"

     "Centaurs, M'Lord."

     Aaden closed his eyes in pain, visions of young Lerea, a handsome
boy-stallion who lived with his family at Degranni searing in his head.
"Gregor, a reward for whoever knows of the animals that did this, and
where they might be found."

     "Aye, M'Lord.  I have news that would interest you as well."

     "Such as?"

     "I shall bring it to you personally.  Tomorrow, at noon."

     "We are three days from Degranni, Gregor.  How do you propose to
deliver it personally?"

     "That shall be the news, M'Lord.  Speed has come to Degranni."
--
"Fall of the Dragon"
The Journal Entries of Kennet R'yal Shardik, et. al., And Related Tales
are (c) 1989, 1990 Elf Matheiu Sternberg.  May be freely distributed by
cybernetic media; hardcopies are limited to single printings for
personal use.