As the barge/ferry made its way down river towards Varna, Didymus
took the brief respite offered them by chance to lay upon some sacks of
grain and watch the clouds go by.  He was feeling especially peaceful at
the moment, quite happy that they were able to effect Kaega's rescue
without anyone getting hurt.  The captain of the barge had told him that
the ferry trip to Varna should only take two to three days, depending on
the river. This would effectively shave off weeks from their planned
overland journey.
     Everything seemed to be going spendidly.  The sun was warm, the
breeze was refreshingly cool.  The river even quit smelling, and was
beginning to look a bluish green (as opposed to the reddish brown tint
it had in Rosehaven).
     During their voyage, both on this barge and on the ocean-going ship
to the Dragons Isle, he would enlist the aid of both Valkyr and
Rorandair in his training of Pen.  The boy would be a great knight
someday.  Didymus would insure this by making sure the boy had the best
training possible.
     It was with these thoughts that Didymus succumbed to the warm
sunlight, and a low snore began to issue forth from the aging knight.
---je
     He did not snore for long.  He was awakened by the determined
prodding of a rather short, stout figure.  The pointy hat gave Karaz-
Gorm away.
     The knight mumbled, "uunnh...wudduya want, Karaz?"  He noticed that
the dwarf had a slightly greener hue than he had remembered, but he
shrugged it off since he had just been awakened.
     "Sir Did..<gag>..ymus," spoke the green-tinged dwarf.  "I think
there is something I forgot..<retch>..to mention before we
began..oooh..this trip..."
     Didymus was more awake now, and the dwarf was just as green. 
Expecting the answer, he asked, "What is that?"
     "Well..<gag>..as I'm sure you well know.....ooo!...dwarves are not
known <gag> for their affinity to water. <retch>"
     "Uh-huh."
     "Well...I'm particularly...bad...when it comes to boats!"
     "You seem to have picked a poor time to reveal this.  We will be
spending quite a bit of time shipborne."
     That was too much.  Karaz looked into Sir Didymus' eyes, his face
twisted in pain and the horrific realization that he was in for a
miserable time.  His eyes rolled back into his head, and his body
followed suit as he fainted and rolled over onto his back.  Being rather
robust (or should that be "rotund"?), and the bottom of the boat being
not perfectly flat, the dwarf slowly rolled towards the middle of the
craft.  He came to rest against a barrel and a pile of crates,
conveniently out of the way of anyone who needed to pass by.  With the
possible exception of Tan, he was an easily enough stepped-over
obstacle.
---med
     Kaega saw Karaz-Gorm's reaction to the news that they would be
traveling by water a great deal.  She smirked (yes, dragons can smirk,
and it's interesting to watch) and launched herself into the air, for
the n-th time thanking the Ancestors that she had been hatched a dragon
and not a landbound humanoid.  If she got seasick, she would just fly
for a while.  She sighed, hoping that her own quest was nearing its
completion.

     Far above, the two who had been following the party watched her. 
"Well," said Shagger, wind ruffling her hair/fur, "I think she's coming
along rather nicely.  Maybe soon, she'll be done with the test."
     "I hope so," answered Varna, "because I can tell you right now that
if she passes the test, she'll be one of the best Watchers ever born." 
The two soared higher, watching as always and hoping they would not be
noticed.
---at

     Didymus shook his head.  He rose from his nice warm pallet of grain
sacks, and walked over to where Karaz lay.  The kindness of the knight
overcame his initial instinct to leave the dwarf there, and Didymus
picked him up and placed him on the makeshift bed he had made.  He then
built the dwarf a little sun shade using discarded wood and an empty
grain sack.
     When he had completed his little task, he walked to the front of
the barge where Rorandair and Valkyr were looking down river.  He sat
with them, and relayed the plans he had come up with for young Pen's
training.  He sought their advice as well.
     He knew that Rorandair knew much about the sea, so he began to ask
him some pertinent questions on the subject, especially about the
Dragon=C6s Isle.  They talked until the sky began to darken.  The
shiphands were coming around and lighting torches around the barge. 
Didymus left the two to check if Pen had seen to their needs for dinner. =

It was a little test of the boy's commitment and attention to detail.
     As he went by, he heard the loud snores of Karaz-Gorm.  Didymus
wondered how much sleep the dwarf required in a day.
---je
     The two men found Pen busy in the ships' pantry, toiling with
various kitchen utensils, pots, and pans. Pen looked up for a moment to
find Rorandir and Valkyr smiling at him.  He smiled back, shooed them
from his work area and returned to his busy preparation of the meal to
come.
     Moments later, the young squire emerged from below the ship=C6s hull=

with their supper.  "Dinner!" he shouted, clanging the side of a large
pot.
     The mention and smell of food caught the little mage's attention
and he woke.  Perhaps his appetite had returned or perhaps the aroma of
the clam chowder soup filled with huge chunks of potatoes and crab meat
returned him to his earlier state of nausea.  In any case, to the hungry
men (and women) aboard the ferry, the mouth watering scent emerging from
Pen's pot was pleasing and a soup line was formed.
---ds
     Karaz was instantly intrigued at the palatable odor wafting in from
where the young squire was performing his own magic.  As the barge came
to life with the activity of everyone mustering for their portion, Karaz
quickly jumped to his feet.
     "Ex-CUSE me, please!" bellowed the shrill voice of the dwarf.  "I
DO believe that I should be awarded the first bowl!"  The stocky little
man pushed his way through his taller compatriots until he was standing
before Pen.
     There were murmurings of discontent, and speculations about who if
anyone would miss the cretin if he were to "accidentally" fall
overboard, but a staying hand from Sir Didymus quieted the bunch.  Karaz
noticed none of it.
     "Hand over that bowl, boy!" commanded the mage.
     Pen replied, "Okay, but don't you thi-"
     "Never mind!"  Karaz snatched the bowl and lifted it to his mouth. 
Pen tried to protest, but in vain.  The dwarf would hear none of it.
     In one lengthy gulp, Karaz had drained the entire portion.  He
lowered the bowl slowly, with an expectant look on his face as he tried
to decide what his taste buds were telling him.  Then he figured it out.
     "HHAAAWWHHAAAAAAAA!!!!"  The man sounded like his head was about to
explode.  He dropped the bowl and began fanning his mouth frantically,
to the laughter of the others in line.
     Pen looked up at Sir Didymus and shrugged sheepishly, saying, "I
tried to tell him it was hot."  At that, even the normally calm and
understanding Didymus surrendered a chuckle.  The dwarf retreated to his
perch on the barge, whimpering and whining, and frantically searching
for the party's store of cold water.
---med
     Kaega decided that pleasurable as this flight had been, it was time
to land and be sociable.  She hovered above the boat, changed into human
form and dropped the last few feet.  She headed over to the serving line
for the chowder.  Taking a bowl, she sat down with her staff floating
nearby.  She quickly ate the chowder, afterwards heading over to Pen. 
"You cook well, human.  It's almost as good as eating my meat raw."  She
then found a solitary spot and settled down to rest.
---at 
     Pen simply scratched his head, then took a taste of his own
cooking.  "Raw?" he laughed lightly to himself, realizing the woman was
teasing him.
---ds

     It had been an uneventful trip downriver, barring the
unpleasantness at the start of their journey.  Didymus could tell his
companions were in a much better mood.  If nothing else, the trip to
Varna by barge had been relaxing.
     The barge captain had notified Didymus that they had caught a
strong current, and should be hitting the river docks of Varna by
nightfall.  Didymus had everyone getting ready to disembark.  A quick
trip to an inn was next, where they would find dinner, a nice hot bath,
and a good night's sleep.  He would also begin to inquire about a ship
with a captain willing to sail to the Dragon's Isle.  He couldn't help
being excited.  With each step they came closer and closer to
fullfilling his long quest.  He knew that he had little time left.  The
sicknesses and prideful free-spending of his youth had already claimed
much of what time he had left in the world.
     Besides, he was down to his last thousand gold pieces.  Just enough
to get them to the mission's completion.  He hoped there would be enough
left over to set Pen up with the best weapon's master he could find.  He
knew he would not be around when the young boy had achieved his
knighthood.  Perhaps one of the two knights they now traveled with might
want to take over when he was gone.
     Didymus put such thoughts aside.  He had a quest to complete first. =

And he vowed he would bring penta-cillian back to the world of man.  He
just hoped the dragon-mage Nicol Bolas would see things his way.
---je
     Landing gently on the docks of Varna as the captain had promised,
Sir Didymus and crew disembarked and awaited their gear and horses to
follow them.
     Pen was one of the first to place his footing on dry land. As
uneventful as the river ride had been, the boy was nevertheless pumped
with adrenaline and excitement.  It was, after all, his first time so
far from home and his imagination raced with fantastic ideas of the port
city he now found himself visiting.
     For Pen, the city took on a magnificent aura. The streets and
larger buildings that caressed the small harbour lit up the night sky
with a soft glow. The boy took on a dreamy look as the others toiled to
get their things of the barge.
---ds
     Didymus came down the gang plank leading his horse.  He looked
around at the port city of Varna, home to the Grand Duchy of the same
name.  He had met the Duchess Valeria of Varna once before.  She seemed
a nice sort, and had left an open invitation to visit should he ever
again be in Varna.
     Suddenly, the wind changed and began coming from the east. 
Didymus' stallion snorted, and Didymus couldn't help also taking a deep
breath.  The sea.  They smelled the sweet smell of the sea.  The salt
water port lay clear on the other side of the city, but the smell of the
ocean was there.
     As the group assembled on the boardwalk, Didymus handed out
assignments to his party.  Tan and Liess were asked to get them all
rooms at the Broadmoor Inn, an inn of good name, in which Didymus had
stayed before.  Rorandair and Valkyr were asked to purchase supplies,
enough for a month of travel, as well as to be on the look out for news
of a captain willing to sail to the Dragon's Isle (a somewhat perilous
prospect for wooden sailing ships).  Didymus asked Kaega and Karaz-Gorm
to accompany him, so he could keep an eye on them. Though there was
peace between the two for the moment, that could quickly change by a
mis-spoken word from the magnificent Karaz-Gorm.  Along with Pen, they
would all go down to the docks to also seek a ship captain of brave
heart.  They would also pay a visit to the Duchess, whose keep
overlooked the northern part of Varna harbor. But first, they would have
to secure their horses at a stable.
     It was agreed that they would all meet at the Broadmoor at dusk. 
Didymus led their horses to a nearby stable and paid for a night's stay
and fodder for the animals.  Then Didymus, followed by Kaega, Pen and
the fabulous Karaz-Gorm made their way to the sea-docks of Varna.
     Didymus and group came over a small rise in the road, and there in
all its glory was the sea.  The sea, the sea, how he did love it so.  If
he wasn't a knight on a quest, he was sure that he would have liked to
spend his life on the sea.  Maybe when this quest was over...
     He was interrupted by a poking at his side.  He looked down to see
Karaz poking him with a stick "What is it Karaz?"
     The magnificent Karaz-Gorm had almost forgotten he was trying to
get the knight's attention.  Then he had trouble remembering what it was
he wanted to tell him.  "Ah...yes....uhm....hmmmmm...yes, it would seem,
Sir Didymus, that our servant has gotten himself lost."
     Didymus looked quizically at Karaz "Our servant?...PEN!  Where is
Pen!  Damn me for being such a wandermind.  Kaega?"  The dragon who
looked like a human girl shrugged her shoulders, and began looking
around.  "Karaz?"  The great Karaz-Gorm seemed to be looking for Pen in
a cheese pastry he had just bought.  "Immmf ddimmmff ssemf leefffff!" 
Didymus placed his forefinger and thumb on the bridge of his nose and
shook his head.
     "Come, we must backtrack and see if we can locate him."  The group
made their way back the way they had come, leaving a trail of cheese
pastry crumbs in their wake.
---je
     As Didymus dashed down the street in search of the missing squire,
Karaz turned to Kaega and said, "You know, this pastry is fabulous!  You
really ought to try one!"  Then, remembering who he was talking to, he
gruffly cleared his throat and sauntered after the knight.
---med
     Kaega decided that she ought to make an effort at peace with the
dwarf.  Striding to catch up to him, she asked, "Could you tell me about
Nicol Bolas?  I am sure that with your wisdom you could tell me
something I need to know."  Her attempt made, she waited to see how the
dwarf would respond.
---at
     Karaz was startled at Kaega's approach.  When she addressed him, he
instantly cowered, as if expecting a blow.  His arms popped up in front
of his face, and he whined, "Please don't eat me, misses dragon!"  His
eyes were full of fear and dread.
     Then, realizing that Kaega was offering conversation and not
conflagration, Karaz stood up tall (as tall as a dwarf can stand), and
nonchalantly tried to recover his dignity from the previous display of
unbridled self-preservation.  He answered her question with, "You're
darn TOOTIN' that with my wisdom I could tell you something you need to
know!  I could tell you EVERYTHING you need to know!  I could even tell
you something you DIDN'T need to know!  I am, after all, the fabulous
Karaz-Gorm!"
     Kaega was beginning to regret that she had decided to make the
peace effort.  Karaz had that effect on the people around him.  Fearing
a lengthy dissertation on nothing important, Kaega politely feigned
attentiveness.
     "Now, what was it you wanted to know?  Oh, yes!  Nicol Bolas! 
Well, you've come to the right man!  Yep!  Right man indeed!  Because
the fabulous Karaz-Gorm is the EXPERT on Nicol Bolas!  That's right! 
The undeniable expert!  Now, ah...Nicol Bolas....eehhhh..."  The dwarven
mage trailed off.
     "Oh look!" he began again.  "Sir Didymus is getting farther away! 
We must hurry to catch him!  Perhaps some other time, Kaega.  Sometime
when I can explain it in words that even you could understand.  But we
haven't time now, and I wouldn't want my pastry to get cold.  It's
really good.  You ought to try one sometime.  Did I already say that?"
     Karaz hurried his pace, with Kaega shortly behind.  "Sir Didymus! 
W-A-I-T-!-!  Sir Didymus!!"  Was the old knight trying to lose the mage
in the streets of Varna?  Certainly not the fabulous Karaz-Gorm!
---med

     Rorandair was glad at the chance to go and speak to some ship's
captains.  After all, he had been one for almost fourty years in his
earlier days.  He also considered the possibility of getting one of his
own boats for this group, but decided that it would be too much of a
bother, and something that should be used as a last resort.
     "Valkyr, do you know the city at all?  If not, maybe we should find
some sort of a guide to help us."
---mp
     Valkyr looked around.
     "No, I am afraid to say I have never been to this city.  Finding a
guide would be a wise decision indeed."
---avc

     Niki set the heavy, broad-based lantern down and walked over to the
ship's rail near the bow of the sky-galleon to watch Bellatrix rise.  A
chill breeze blew her long, auburn hair back from her face.  It would be
a mess later to untangle, but for now the salt mist blowing off the
water refreshed her.
     Streaks of orange shot through the dark rouge covering the horizon,
golden-lit streamers brightened in intensity as she watched.  Valentine
had always watched the sunrise and countless times she had laid awake in
her bedroll watching him, wondering why the sun should matter so much to
him.
     "Light ends darkness, Niki, and brings a new day," he had said when
she had eventually gathered the courage to ask him.  He had taken her
hand to help her up beside him and returned to watching the sky. She had
watched him instead, towering over her in the dimness, as the sky
lightened.  Glancing down, he had seen her staring.  Smiling in the
half-light he had gently put his hands on her shoulders and turned her
to face the sun.  "Watch, Niki, then you'll undertsand."
     She had watched, but remembered the feel of his calloused palm
covering hers and the safety of knowing he was there.
     He had taken her back to camp and they had fixed breakfast for the
rest of the party.  Each morning after that she had risen when he did
and watched the sun rise, but he had never held her hand again.
     Her deep blue eyes turned upward and to the right where a few stars
still shone.  Valentine was there, still.  Waiting for her to come.  =F4I=

can't do it alone Valentine, but I will come.  Don't leave me...=F6
     By the time her passengers had begun to be up and about, Niki had
brought the ship down to the water and fixed breakfast for everyone. 
The city of Varna was emerging from the morning misty haze.  Niki
estimated only an hour or two left in the journey, when the last platter
had been dried and locked away. Her passengers would be safe here, and
there would be another inn and another place to leave a notice.
     With her auburn hair untangled and loosely braided back with a
green-blue ribbon, dressed in a matching under-tunic and coffee-colored
leather vest and thigh high boots, Niki stood at the helm to direct the
ship into harbor.
     Ropes attached themselves to the dock and the gangplank lowered of
its own accord when the mages were ready to depart.  The women hugged
her goodbye; they had adopted her into their family during the voyage. 
The men shook her hand and wished her well.
     Niki watched them go with unaccustomed sadness, then forced herself
back to work.
     There were provisions to replace, laundry to do, and an inn to
find.
     Niki eyed the noonday soon high overhead and scrambled to shore.
---pw

     Varna was a magnificent city indeed.  Pen was quite taken by it's
charm and soon trailed behind his master and companions with his head
stuck in the clouds.  It seamed as though the young squire was drawn by
every facet of beauty that Varna had to offer.
     Soon Pen found himself alone in the busy streets of a strange city. =

Spinning on his heels he searched out his friends, failing miserably in
the attempt.  He cried out for his master, but no response was returned. =

In lost panic, he darted one way, then another in the hopes of bumping
into familiar faces.  He did succeed in bumping into someone, but the
person's face was far from familiar.  Glaring down at the anxious boy
was a tall, burly man with scars tracing along the few patches of flesh
not hidden by his barbed hair.  "Watch where yis is goin ya teeny puke!"
he growled.
     Pen took a few steps away in shock and stammered, "S..s-sorry-"
     Grabbing Pen by his scrawny arms (they were toothpicks compared to
the man's paws) he blurted, "Sorry don't cut it boy!" along with some
spittle for good measure.
     The boy was mortified, frozen in the clutches of some unknown
brute.  His earlier fantasies of Varna had all but disappeared under the
beast=C6s foul breath.
---ds
     "Oh there you are... Thank you sir for finding my cousin.  I
stepped into the store for just a moment and he didn't even notice that
I wasn't with him anymore.  I'm afraid this is all my fault."
     Pen looked around and down at an auburn-haired girl only a little
older than himself.  She shifted her armload of packages and smiled
sweetly, tolerantly, rather like an older sister.
     Pen gulped and turned back towards the man who was looking at her.
     "Yer cousin?"
     Niki smiled warmly and hoped her beating heart wasn't too loud.
     "Oh yes sir.  I'll admit that we don't always get along, but I do
need someone to carry my packages and defend me in this strange town.  I
only arrived this morning.  Shopping you see."  Niki stepped forward and =

handed the top three packages from her stack to Pen, who nearly dropped
them.  The brute still held his arms, but not very tightly anymore. 
Circulation was returning.
     "Come along now, and you, too.  If you hadn't stopped him from
wandering further I might never have found him and then where would I
be?"
---pw     
     The bear released the tiny arms in time to catch a loose parcel. 
Pen was flooded with relief along with confusion.  Who was this auburn
beauty?
---ds
     Niki's blue eyes got huge as she gazed up at the brute and relieved
him of the package he held.  Hiding her actions, she stomped on Pen's
foot to get him to move.  He did, sending the packages cradled in his
arms sliding.
     Niki smoothly stepped between the two men and piled more packages
into her "cousin's" arms, and then, facing Pen, she winked and hoped he
understood and would play his part.  The man might not be such a bad
sort as he appeared, but she didn't really want to find out.
---pw
     As the young pair of "cousins" walked away, the bear stood frozen
in the middle of the busy street and blinked uncontrollably.  "What
the?"  When they finally drifted out of sight, he snapped out from his
mental daze like a hare sensing danger and moved onto his business with
a huff.
 ---ds
     Scrambling to contain the various parcels in his grasp, Pen finally
stumbled, spilling the load before him.  "Oh damn it-" he bit his lip
and took a quick glance at his saviour.  "Please, excuse my french,
ma=C6am."
     Holding a scornful look unsuccessfully, Niki finally giggled,
"That's alright.  Let's pick these things up before someone tramples all
over them."  She helped cultivate the boxes and couldn't help but notice
the evidence of the boy's bashfulness.  "I guess introductions are in
order.  My name is Niki, and you are?"
     Pen stuck out a hand, allowing some of the parcels to return to the
ground again.  He made for them, stopped, stood, bent down again, stood
and finally made the decision to shake Niki's hand.  "I...I, my name is
Pen," he finally blurted.  "I'm Sir Didymus's squi- you don't know
him...he's a knight, I'm his squire."  Pen smiled broadly, still showing
a rosy complexion in the young lady's presence.  "Thanks for saving me
from that brute over there."  He cocked a thumb in the direction they
had come from.
     Soon Pen had managed to grab most of the packages belonging to Niki
and asked, "Where do you want these put?"  He had for the moment,
forgotten his friends as he waited her answer.
---ds

     Meanwhile, in another part of Varna, Liess, walking with Tan on her
shoulder, was beginning to doubt his ability to handle the simplest of
missions.
     (A few hard ones, he'd managed to acquit himself at fairly
honorably.  But a simple matter like finding the right inn and booking
the right number of rooms...)
     "Now, let's see," he said.  "We're looking for the Boardroom Inn on
Market Street?  No, that's not right.  The Broadloom Arms on Weaverly
Place?  Close, but I don't think so.  The Bawd and Poorhouse on -- ? 
Somehow, I doubt it.  Oh, come on, Liess, give me a hint, why don't
you?"
     She turned a corner and walked into the Broadmoor Inn.
     "Very subtle hint, Liess, thank you very much."
     She advanced to the front desk (from which the taverner also
dispensed a number of popular (and coincidentally fermented) beverages
and, plucking Tan from her shoulder, dropped him on this round metal
lump that had a button on the top.  There was a ding when he hit it.
     There was also a yelp from Tan.
     "All the latest inventions," he groused, getting to his feet and
rubbing that first point of contact.
     "Yes?" the taverner said to Liess.  She waved at Tan.
     "Right," Tan said importantly, seizing the situation.  "We need
rooms for the night."
     "Uh, huh," the taverner said.  "Two?" he guessed.  "You don't like
each other?"
     "We have friends," Tan said, deciding that in his current mood,
he'd best avoid that question.
     "So how many rooms do you need?"
     "Uhh..." he looked at Liess.  "There=C6s Sir Didymus, and Valkyr, an=
d
Rorandair...and, well, the great Karaz-Gorm had better be by himself."
     "And how much were you planning to spend on these rooms?"
     "How much?" Tan repeated.  "That's right!  We need money!"  In a
panic, he turned to Liess, who already had her face buried in her hands.
     "Oops."
     "Yes," the taverner admitted.  "I've heard of Sir Didymus.  I know
him well enough.  He's a good man and a noble knight."  The taverner
frowned.  "Though of late he sometimes alters his plans at the last
moment.  You're sure he'll be coming here this evening?"
     "Quite sure," Tan nodded emphatically.
     "All right," the taverner sighed.  "Seeing as it's him and out of
the respect I hold for him, I suppose I can hold the rooms and wait for
him to arrive to make good on the price."
     Tan allowed himself a deep sigh of relief.  "We have simply got to
avail ourselves of an independent source of this money stuff," he told
Liess.
     "That's what they all say," the taverner said dryly, while Liess
inspected the rafters.  "Now, it seems to me that I also heard you
mention the name of the Magnificent Karaz-Gorm -- "
     "Did I?" Tan asked innocently.
     "I don't know.  Did you?"
     "Uhhh."  After a quick review of all that he knew about the
Magnificent Karaz-Gorm, Tan took the prudent course.  "I don't think so. =

Who is this Magnificent Karaz-Gorm?"
     "Peril personified," the taverner told him.  "I have new stables,
the cost of which I put on his tab.  (It is a very old tab now, but
someday I hope to redeem it in his flesh.)"
     "That sounds a bit vindictive," Tan said, wondering whether another
establishment might be a better choice for lodgings.
     "I also had to get a new cook.  Shall I tell you why?"
     "Ah, perhaps this evening sometime.  I think right now -- " Tan
glanced at Liess.  " -- we have some urgent shopping to do."
     "Without any money?"
     "That does add to the challenge.  Come on Liess!"
     "How many rooms?"
     "Oh -- half a dozen, I suppose."
     "Ah, Sir Didymus is traveling in style, I gather," the taverner
observed, as Liess scooped up Tan and hurried out.
---al

     Pen was surprised by the big hand which landed on his shoulder. 
"Pen!  Where have you been?  We've been worried sick!"  It was Sir
Didymus, with a stern look on his face.  Kaega and Karaz were standing
behind him.  Karaz had a beardful of cheese pastry.
     Pen looked quite sheepish "Oh, hello Sir Didymus.  Uhm, well...I
got lost.  This is Niki.  S..She just helped me out of a very bad
situation."
     Didymus nodded to Niki "My lady!  I thank you for the assistance
rendered young Pen here, but I am afraid we do not have much time for
pleasantries.  We are on urgent business, and must be about it.  I give
you my gratitude, and hope someday to repay your kindness."  Didymus
gave Niki a parting smile, and then turned to Pen.  "Come Pen, we must
hurry to the docks to find us a ship to Dragon's Isle...."
---je
     Turning to follow his master, he glanced helplessly at his false
cousin as they began to part company. He wanted to say something,
anything that would keep her company.  His fickle nature had once again
caused his young heart to perform flip flops over a young and beautiful
lady.  However, as much as he wanted to do otherwise, he held his
tongue.  Either out of respect for Sir Didymus or simply because his
tongue was to  busy keeping his heart from crawling out through his
throat.
---ds
     "Oh."
     Niki looked helplessly at Pen, suddenly feeling slightly bereft.
     "I have a ship..."
  ---pw
     It was all Pen could do to prevent his overwhelming felicity from
performing a jack in the box routine. He looked at Niki then Sir
Didymus, then Niki, and then back to his master, wide-eyed and face
filled with shiny pearls.  Was Niki going to be their captain?
---ds
     Didymus halted in his tracks, and turned back towards Niki. 
"Excuse me, my lady.  Did you say you have a ship?"
     Niki nodded at Didymus.
     "Well, I..yee..ah, if I'm not being too forward, might I inquire if
you may chance have your ship out for hire?"
     Once again Niki nodded at Didymus, this time with a smile.
     Didymus blessed his luck.  Well actually, it wasn't luck.  It was
Pen's good fortune that had brought him together with this lady. 
Didymus fully forgot his anger at his young squire.
     "Well, m'lady.  A final question.  Would you be receiving to a
request for passage for my group to the Dragon's Isle?  We would pay any
Captain who would make such a journey for us rather handsomely!"
---je
     Niki grinned at Pen.  "I think I could be persuaded.  You said
you're in a hurry so why don't we walk as we discuss it?  My ship=C6s not=

far."
     Niki fell in with her arms full of packages, Pen on one side and
Didymus on the other.  The rest trailed after, one leaving a trail of
crumbs as if to find his way back to this spot.
---pw
     Pen made a gesture and quickly lightened Niki's load to her
gratitude.  Didymus beamed a knowing smile at his squire, delighted to
see him so adeptly playing the role of chivalry.
---ds
     Niki smiled at Pen, too, murmering her thanks.  It was so wonderful
to be around nice people again.
---pw
     "I hate to say it Sir Didymus, but I don't really need money very
much.  I'll take it of course, but what I really need is help rescuing a
friend of mine.  You don't have to, and of course your charter would
come first in any case.  Why are you going to the Dragons Isle?  Are
there really dragons there?"  Niki's blue eyes widened at the thought. 
Wow!  Thai had fought a dragon once, and Lil had before she had met
Valentine, but not Niki.  Wow!  A dragon!  I might see a dragon!
---pw  
     Pen shared her enthusiasm.
---ds
     Karaz rolled his eyes in disgust.  "You'd think it was something
worth seeing," he murmured to himself.  Kaega rapped him hard on the
back.  "Oww!" came the mage's reply, and he turned to scowl at Kaega. 
She was already scowling at him.
---med
     Didymus leaned in to Niki to speak conspiratorially.  "Well,
m'lady, since you mentioned it, Kaega here is, in fact, a dragon.  A
true and trusted friend.=F6
---je
     Niki's eyes got huge and she immediately turned around to look at
Kaega.  The rainbow dragon knew there would be questions later.
---pw
     "She has promised to act in our interests upon reaching the isle. 
Our quest, well, it has been the quest of a lifetime.  We seek a
powerful elixir.  The secret of this elixir is known by a dragon-mage,
who goes by the name of Nicol Bolas.  This elixir is called Penta-
cillian.  It has the power to stop plague dead in its tracks.  I have
seen children who were withered away with the plague make a miraculous
recovery.  We seek to bring this secret out of the Dragon's Isle, and
back to mankind.  With the elixir, sickness and plaque shall be no
more!"
     Didymus seemed to glow as he gave the accounting of his life's
mission.  "So that is the tale of why we seek the Dragon's Isle. 
Beside's myself and Pen, we have Kaega, whom I've already mentioned."
---je
     Niki nodded to Kaega.
---pw
     "This..."  he said pointing out the still-munching dwarf, "...is
the magnificent Karaz-Gorm, dwarven magus most extraordinaire.  He
handles most of our magical issues."
---je
     Niki smiled widely and nodded to him as well.
---pw
     "There are also two knights, Valkyr and Rorandair, as well as the
Taliessans, Tan and Liess.  We have all vowed to see this quest
completed."
---je
     Niki turned back to face front and nodded, impressed.
---pw
     They arrived at the docks and her gaze turned forward to light on
the green-furled sails of her sky galleon, floating at anchor in the
line.
     It was beautiful, and her eyes softened with deep affection for the
trim, sleek craft.
     Late afternoon light backlit the winged-woman figurehead, and
glinted off of the pale, almost golden, wood of the decks and the silver
inlay on the rails.
     Her green silk flag fluttered in the breeze, welcoming her.
     She led them towards it and watched their expressions to see their
opinions of it.
---pw
     The squire looked on in total fascination.  He had never seen a
vessel of such beauty, such magnificence.  He was awestruck.  A friendly
jab from Karaz ensued, "Close your mouth young man, before the flies
find a new home to nest."  Pen did so with a snap and smiled back, sense
of humour in check, at the mage.
---ds
     Niki felt a surge of friendship for Pen, and gratitude that he
admired the ship as much as she did.  She smiled at him gratefully.
---pw
     Karaz barely noticed the ship, and when he did look at it, it was
with mock interest.  He was clearly more interested in his pastry, which
seemed to be lasting the voracious dwarf a surprisingly long time.
---med
     Turning to Didymus and Niki, Pen asked, "Will we be flying to the
Isle then?"
---ds
     Sir Didymus had his backside plastered in already-chewed pastry as
Karaz-Gorm projectiled the contents of his mouth in reaction to Pen's
words.  "FLY??  This thing is going to fly us to the Isle?  Uh-uh!  No
way!  The magnificent Karaz-Gorm has already put up with plenty with the
barge trip on the river, and the proposed sailing trip across the sea. 
It would be absolutely offensive, positively un-acceptable!  We are not
flying to the Dragon's Isle!"
     Karaz folded his arms defiantly across his chest while Pen and the
others helped Didymus clean his armor.  As they were doing so, he began
to think of just exactly what Pen had said.  His stern expression began
to soften.  Then a single chuckle escaped.  Followed by another.  And
another.  Soon, he was openly laughing.  The others in the group just
watched him, not quite sure what was going through his strange mind.
---med
     Niki looked, wide-eyed, at Pen and Didymus.  What was so funny?
---pw
     Finally composing himself, Karaz slapped an arm across the
shoulders of Pen and said, "Boy!  Don't you know that ships can't fly?" 
Laughing again, he took another bite of his pastry.
---med
     Momentarily dysfunctional, Pen scratched the top of his crown and
wondered, "How did I know that her ship flew?...Oh ya!"  Pen snapped his
fingers in recollection, but before he had the chance to explain to
Karaz-Gorm that he had seen the sky-galleon fly overhead as they made
their river run and he was sleeping, an argument broke between his new
friend and the antagonising dwarf.
---ds
     Niki replied sheepishly, "Mine does."
     Didymus had just gotten his armor cleaned when Karaz repeated his
earlier performance.  Shocked, Karaz challenged, "No it doesn't!"
     Niki answered, "Yes it does!"
     "I, the fabulous Karaz-Gorm, says it doesn't!"
     "Well, I, Niki the sky-galleon owner, says it does!"
     There was a long silence as Karaz considered the girl's words. 
Then he began to stagger.  "I think I'm going to be sick.." he muttered
as he ran for the dock.  His head disappeared from view as he dropped it
over the side.  All sorts of nasty sounds issued from where his head had
disappeared, interspersed with such laments as, "Oh, my pastry, my
beautiful pastry!" and the like.
---med
     Pen was about to join Karaz in the business of purging, but managed
to settle himself with a deep breath of fresh sea air. He had gotten
himself a little dizzy, flipping his head from side to side to watch the
two debaters, like one does to watch a tennis match.
---ds
     Just then Sir Didymus spoke up, saying, "Ah, I see Valkyr has
rejoined us, and look here, 'tis Rorandair as well!  Gentlemen, we have
found us a ship.  A 'flying Galleon' no less.  This is her captain,
Niki.  Niki has agreed to take us to the Dragon's Isle!"  All could tell
that Sir Didymus was quite happy with the way things had worked out.
---je
     "Hello," Niki said to the newcomers, shuffling her few remaining
packages.  "I'm Niki Silverrun.  Sir Didymus said that you were needing
to leave as soon as possible so I was about to show everyone aboard. If
you need to find your friends I could stow my gear and wait here I
guess.  Do you have much to bring with you?"
     She frowned slightly as a thought occurred to her.  =F4Do any of you=

get seasick?"
---pw
     A low and sickly moan came from the doubled-over dwarf, indicating
an apparent affirmative response.
---med
     Niki looked at Didymus.  "Most of my friends have seen a dragon,
and now so have I," she smiled at Kaega, "but I'll bet none of them has
ever seen anyone like the magnificent Karaz-Gorm.  He has a cabin to
himself, I take it?"
     She glanced at the dwarf's backside.
---pw
     "If you have room, I think we'd all prefer it that way!" Didymus
said with a wry smile.
---je
     "Oh, there's lots of room," Niki assured him, looking at Kaega
curiously.
     "I can assure you that it really is safe to travel on, and I never
get lost for long."
     After she'd said it, Niki realized that hadn't come out right, and
smiled instead.  It was true.  She didn't get lost, ever, for more than
an hour.  Either they trusted her or they didn't.
---pw
     Another groan, this time higher pitched, indicating a heightening
of his discomfort, from the dwarven mage.  He was not having a good
time.
---med
     "Oh for heaven's sake.  Excuse me, I'll be right back."
     Niki turned and went up the gangplank and headed directly
belowdecks, returning almost immediately with a large bottle of
something pinkish-yellow, a wooden goblet and a covered plate.
     She walked up to the magnificent Karaz-Gorm and stood near him.
---pw
     The bemoaning dwarven mage paid her no attention.
---med
     "Sir Karaz-Gorm, I apologize for inconveniencing you.  Although my
ship may not be up to your high standards, I assure you that I will do
my best to make the trip as enjoyable for you as possible.  As a token
of my sincerity," her mouth twisted as if fighting down a giggle,
"please accept these as my present to you. The ale is dwarven, or so I'm
told, and is also, so I was told, good for stomachs (dwarven, but she
didn't say that).  As you seem to have lost your dessert, these also are
for you."  She placed the covered plate next to the dwarf and stood,
backing up to the others.
     She didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with these people,
but... well she had tried to be nice. What would the other two be like?
     Karaz-Gorm continued to moan and complain, and then began to smell
a warm, bakery smell coming from under the napkin on the plate...
---pw
     Let it always be said that the surest way to win a dwarf's heart
was through his stomach (perhaps that's where the humans got the saying
from?).  And with Karaz, it was extremely true.  He had ignored the
mention of dwarven ale at first, thinking that it was a ruse to get him
to shut-up (after all, how could a person get dwarven ale this far out? 
Impossible!).  But the lovely smell wafting its way up from the plate
that Niki had layed beside him was beginning to erode his dwarven
stubbornness.
     Turning slightly, and muttering weakly under his breath, he asked,
"Did you say 'dwarven' ale?"
     "Y-yes, Mr. Gorm, I did," was Niki's reply.
     Karaz hobbled over to the bottle.  He picked it up with one hand
and brought it close to his face, scrutinizing the contents with first
one eye and then the other, as if one would find something that the
other missed.  With a slant look over to Niki, he opened the bottle and
sniffed.  The contents having passed that inspection, Karaz carefully
tipped the bottle so that just a tiny drop touched his lips.  He drew in
just a taste, and for the longest time stood swishing the liquid about
in his mouth.  Then, he swallowed.  Still he stood, looking skyward in
contemplation.  With his left hand, he began extending fingers as if
counting in his head.  One...two...three...four...five.
     "Ye-ye-ye-ye-ye-ye-o-o-o-o-w-w-w-w-w!!!!!!!"  The dwarf's scream
rattled the docks and caught everyone by complete surprise.  That stuff
was dwarven ale, and the five-second delay before the kicker proved it! 
The expression on the mage's face did a complete about-face, and he was
now easily the happiest man in Varna.
     He ran over to Niki as she partially raised an arm as if to ward
off an overly friendly dog.  He clapped his hands on both of her
shoulders, and planted a big, juicy kiss on her right cheek (hairy, too,
what with his beard)!  "Now, lassie, if you keep this ale a-comin', you
can sink, sail, or fly that boat of yours to the ends of the world, if
you want!  Yahooo!!"
     Pen was about to roughly separate Karaz from Niki, but was too
late.  The dwarf was already moving on.
     Karaz ran back to where she had put the plate, and lifted the
napkin off of the contents.  There sat three of the most beautiful
strawberry danishes that he had ever seen!  He looked at the napkin, not
knowing what it was used for, and casually tossed it aside.  Grabbing
the first danish (and it was huge, too!), he gently raised it to his
mouth and took a careful bite from it.
     "MMMMmmmmmm!  MMmmmmmm!  Oh, my!"  The dwarf was clearly in pastry
heaven.  His stomach was so happy that his eyes were closed in ecstasy. 
Not even bothering to finish the first one, with danish in hand, he ran
back over to Niki.  Pen stepped in front of her.  Karaz didn't even
notice.  He planted another juicy, hairy kiss, this time on Pen's cheek. =

"Niki, if there is anything that you need, then do not hesitate to ask! 
The great Karaz-Gorm shall be forever in your service...as long as you
keep feeding me these pastries!"
     Didymus knew there had to be a caveat in there somewhere.  Still,
as long as the mage was happy, it would make the trip that much more
endurable.
---med
     Niki looked delighted too, and shy at the attention given by the
magnificent Karaz-Gorm. She scrubbed gently at her cheek and smiled.
     Niki said, "So what time do you want to leave?"
---pw
     "Well, actually I would like for us to take an evening to rest.  We
have just come to Varna after a very long journey, and I think a light-
hearted night is precisely what we need.  We also have rooms reserved at
the Broadmoor Inn here in Varna.  We would love for you to join us for
dinner and converstion.  It would give us a chance to acquaint
ourselves."  Didymus paused, stroking his long moustache.
---je
     "Well, I'd like to stow my gear, if Pen doesn't mind helping me. 
We can meet you there."
---pw
     The young squire=C6s ears perked, if that was possible.
---ds
     "I would like to leave tomorrow morning, if that would meet with
your schedule, m'lady."
---je
     "I have no schedule, and I'd be happy to join you.  Pen, would you
mind helping me just a bit longer?"
---pw
     Pen was ecstatic.  He had made a friend tonight.  Sure, he would
help her in any way he could.  "Do you know the way to the inn?" he
asked Niki.  She nodded.  "Excellent."  He looked to his mentor and was
about to ask him if it were all right, but saw the consent written on
his face.
     "Don't get into any trouble you two," the Knight said with a salute
to Pen and a bow to Niki.  "'Til we meet again."
---ds
     Kaega nodded to herself as Sir Didymus proposed to stay a night in
Varna.  "Excuse me," she said politely, "but I will be conducting some
business here. I will be joining you tonight."  So saying, she dropped
the illusion of humanity and took to the air.
     Flying above the water, she knew that in a way she had not been
fully truthful with the humans.  It was not "business" that she needed
time for, it was a memorial ceremony.
     "Mother, Father," she thought, "you were with me less than a
hundred years before you joined the Ancestors.  Now I need your guidance
more than ever.  It seems that I draw closer to my goal of finding our
people again.  Perhaps on this world - ah, well, even if I do not find
them here, I will perhaps be able to do some good before I move on
again.  Wind to thy wings as you fly the Final Sky."
---at
     Pen and Niki watched the others leave as they parted company. 
Kaega sailed off to the heavens, was Pen's guess.  As happy as he was to
accompany the lovely Niki, he looked forward to the party Sir Didymus
had mentioned.
     Finally, Pen followed Niki to help her with her things.  "So...how
long have you had the shop?" he asked nervously, causing the young lady
to giggle.
     "What?" Pen asked adding his own bout of giggles.  He did enjoy her
laughter.
     Pen chuckled lightly, then turned to Niki.  "Where do you want
these?" he asked, referring to the packages he clung to.
     "This way young squire."
     He followed Niki up the gang plank, port side, where she told him,
"Please take those to the stern, I'll meet you in two shakes."
     "Aye aye, captain" Pen retorted playfully, nearly dropping a couple
of the boxes as he saluted. Recovering the loose parcels he flashed a
clumsy smile then turned left off the plank.
     "Uhum...where do you think you=C6re going!?!  The stern is this
away," she stated, pointing to the rear of her ship.
     "Sorry...don't know much about boats.  Horses yes.  Boats, not too
much."
     Reaching the spot where Niki had indicated, he took the opportunity
to scan the incredible ship.
     Soon Niki had done what she had to do then joined the young squire
stern side.  "Do you like her?" she asked Pen noticing his fascination.
     Jolted, he took his gaze off of the ship and eyed Niki.  "Her?"
     "I guess a lesson is in order.  A ship is usually referred to as
'her', as opposed to 'it'."
     Pen simply nodded.  "How does it- I mean she fly?"
---ds

     "You're right," Tan agreed, dropping the remainder to the ground. 
"Even if we are starving, even if we did go to a lot of trouble to slip
it unnoticed off that counter into a waiting pocket, that is a meat pie
that is unfit for consumption."  He sighed and watched a dog walk up,
inspect the fragments on the ground, and walk away.  "By anyone," he
added.
     Liess continued to inspect the traffic on the wharf, looking for an
old knight, a young squire, the other knights, a querulous dwarf or the
beautiful disguised dragon -- preferably all together, but one at a time
if need be.  The search was going badly.  Sometimes she (or occasionally
Tan) saw one or another of the members of her list, but it was never the
right old knight or querulous dwarf.  (And running down and tackling the
wrong querulous dwarf was not a mistake she cared to repeat today.)
     "You know," Tan said thoughtfully, slightly louder than his
growling stomach (which was annoyingly close to Liess's ear, since he
was, as usual, perched on her shoulder).  "It's getting close to sunset. =

Maybe we should head back to the Broadmoor and wait outside.  That way,
we could at least remind the Magnificent about the innkeeper=C6s memories=

of him?  What do you think?"
     Liess nodded.  Doing that made more sense than this fruitless
loitering.  She stood up.  There was just one problem.  Uncertainly, she
started to the left, then decided to go right instead.
     "Uh, you do know the way back to the Broadmoor, don't you?" Tan
asked.
     Liess shrugged.
     "Hey!" Tan shouted, just barely hanging on.  "All right, all right. =

You navigate."
---al

     After leaving detailed direction to the Broadmoor Inn for Pen and
Niki, Didymus led the rest to his favorite inn in Varna.  "You will just
love the cuisine here.  Their chef actually pays travelers for recipes
from other lands.  There is a land crab souffle' there from my native
Karrantine.  To die for..."  Didymus had a look of feined ecstacy on his
face.
     The three knights, trailed by a pastry-munching dwarf, quickly made
their way through the streets of Varna (leaving a trail of pastry crumbs
to follow should their friends forget the directions).  Finally, Didymus
stopped in front of a very large inn.  "Ah, here we are!"  He entered
the inn and walked up to the owner, who he knew from his many stays
there.  Instead of the friendly greeting he had expected, the owner
suddenly turned red, and shouted, "YOU!", pointing in their direction.
     It took Sir Didymus a few seconds to realize that the owner wasn't
pointing at him, but past him.
---je
     All eyes (including those of the patrons who were already there)
followed the pointing finger of the owner towards the door through which
the newcomers had arrived.  Standing there was a stout little dwarf
nonchalantly munching away happily at a strawberry danish, totally
oblivious to the fact that he was suddenly the center of attention of
the place.
     That oblivion did not last long.
     Just as he realized who the owner was, the man spoke again.  "How
dare you show your face in this establishment again!  After what you did
last time, I should have you tied to two ships and dragged apart!"
     Karaz replied, "Errr...uh...good, sir...perhaps you have me
confused.  I don't believe I've ever shown my face in this
establishment...ever!"
     "Of course you haven't, you pint-sized oaf!  You burned down the
last one!  And you conveniently disappeared before I had a chance to tan
your hide for that one!"
     Karaz stood thinking nervously, "Oh yes!  I do remember that!  Uh,
sorry!"
     "'Sorry' ain't gonna cut it this time, tiny Tim!"  The owner was
beginning to spit with his words.  Karaz noticed that he was a little
angry.
     Turning to their fearless leader, the not-so-fearless Karaz-Gorm
announced, his voice wavering, "Mr. Didymus, uh, sir, I just remembered
that I have some other business to conduct in town.  Uh, I'll be seeing
you, oh, in about a couple of weeks!"  With that he turned to make his
escape out the door.
     "Oh, no you don't!" yelled the owner, and he started to come around
the bar in pursuit.
---med

     "I told you we should've gone right at that whatchamacallit
fountain," Tan said again.  "You know, the one with a statue of some
naked faerie holding a very large cauliflower and spitting into that
dried up bowl.  It probably doesn't look much less stupid with water in
it, but those glaziers whose shops front the thing are too cheap to pay
for a little aesthetics.
     "(And I still don't think you needed to trip that oaf in through
that open door -- however annoying he was being.  He made quite a racket
in there.)
     "Anyway, we lost quite a bit of time when you insisted on running
in the wrong direction and -- oh, well, there it is at last!"  Liess
came around a different corner from before, but there, nonetheless, was
the Sign of the Board.  Or Broad.  Or someone like that.  And there,
wearing -- er, eating -- a raspberry danish, and entering the esteemed
establishment, was a person of diminished stature.
     As Liess broke into a run, hoping vainly to somehow stop the
individual before he walked into Really Big Trouble (even though he'd
already walked into the inn), Tan remarked unnecessarily, "I think
that's who I think that is so ..."
     Apparently holding a very short fuse when it came to gratuitous
tautologies, Liess abruptly halted, pulled Tan off her shoulder, and,
glaring at him, was about to try to shake some sense into him when a
high-speed dwarf flew out of the inn and crashed through the pair of
cranky adventurers on his way to parts unknown.
     "Whoo!" Tan said, crawling to his feet.  "That raspberry danish
really has a kick to it..."
---al

     Rorandair stepped forward to meet the innkeeper, his massive frame
filling the doorway, and a little bit extra.  He stopped short, but did
not look at all deflected from the object of his anger, the esteemed
Karaz-Gorm.
     "Get out of my way!" the owner yelled at Rorandair.
     "Sir, if it is a simple question of money, I think we can come to
an agreement.  And if it is something more, and you wish my friend
personal injury, well, I think I, and my friends, might have to put my
foot down."
     With that, Rorandair stomped his foot a full foot into the soft
dirt and moved forward into the room to see if between himself, Sir
Dydimus, and the owner, they could find a solution.
---mp
     Continuing to glare at Rorandair, the innkeeper called out, "Louis,
this man is annoying me."
     Within moments, another large individual, one who strongly
resembled Rorandair, emerged from a back room and ambled forward. 
Actually, "resembled" is putting it too mildly.  "Identical" would
better capture the degree of similarity between this Louis and
Rorandair.
     "And Mercury," the innkeeper called again, apparently to someone
else in back, "the Magnificent Karaz-Gorm is indeed back in town so the
contract is on."
     "Now, as for you -- " the innkeeper focused his glare on Rorandair. =

"That is a fairly busy doorway.  I'll thank you to remove yourself from
it.  Else Louis will have to do it for you -- and that would be very
hard on you, very hard on Louis but not at all hard on my Inn."  With a
single raised eyebrow, the innkeeper concluded, "I assure you, my
friend, you do not want to find out what that means. The Magnificent
Karaz-Gorm puts me in a bad mood -- even thinking about that little wart
puts me in a bad mood -- who the hell are you to get in the middle of
what's between that so-and-so and me?"  The innkeeper waved off any
attempt to answer that obviously rhetorical question.  "Anyway, you only
get one warning."
---al
     Sir Didymus was quite disturbed by the turn of events.  He
forceably wedged himself between Rorandair and the other giant man.  He
was wedged in so tight that he began to rise off the floor in tune with
their breathing.
---je
     Strolling into the Broadmoor Inn between Rorandair's legs, Tan
continued to rub at a sticky red spot on his face.
     "Strangest raspberries I ever tasted," he said to himself.
     "Now you, Sir Didymus -- "  Ignoring any response Rorandair was
about to make, the innkeeper turned to the old knight.  "What are you up
to, consorting with the likes of that demon dwarf or this oversized,
overbearing, interfering -- " the innkeeper glanced back at Rorandair
and shrugged " -- person?"
---al
     Didymus pointed towards the innkeeper.  "Look here Monsiuer LeBold. =

I will not have you sicking hired henchmen against my friends - Could
the two of you move apart a bit?  I'm getting light-headed - I suggest
we sit down and discuss this rationally.  I would remind you that I am a
close personal friend of Duchess Valeria, and though I hate the thought,
I would have to mention your discourtesy of the moment!  I say!  Would
the two of you please move apart!  I'm finding it extremely difficult to
breath!"  Didymus stopped to look down at Tan, who was tugging at his
boot.
---je
     "Oh, Sir Didymus, good to see you.  We reserved you some rooms here
but -- "  He looked at Sir Didymus.  He looked at the innkeeper.  He
looked at Louis -- he quickly looked again at Rorandair and rubbed his
eyes and rechecked the scene.  He shrugged.
     "I suppose it's a little late to be advising you that there's
apparently some bad history between the innkeeper here and the Mag --
Yeah, I thought so.  And, uh, also, the matter of paying for our rooms
here is also, uh, unresolved."
---al
     Rorandair was just about to reply that all he meant was that he
could pay for the damages when he felt an urgent tapping on his back.---
mp  It didn't feel patient.---al  Exasperated, he turned around.
---mp
     Didymus smiled, "Ah, Tan, very good.  If I could
just...<errgh>...reach..<oww> my money..<yeegh> ..pouch...
     Jeanier LeBond motioned for Louis to stand away.  Didymus almost
fell on top of him due to the ceased resistance.  "Ah yes, that's much
better.  As I was saying I..."  Hmmm, that was strange.  His money pouch
was missing.  He reached down and pulled his large sack from his pack. 
"Where were we.  Oh yes, payment.  Here you are..."  Didymus handed
LeBold a bar of platinum, stamped with the seal of the Imperial Mint of
Karrantine.  "That should be enough to cover food, wine, song, as well
as rooms for the evening and..."  He sighed wistfully "...a bath!"
---je
     Turning in the doorway, Rorandair beheld a dusty, tired, pretty
darned dishevelled Liess standing before him.  (She had, after all,
fallen down a couple of times, gone without food and done some
considerable running that day.  Not to mention a fair amount of
fruitless shopping.)  She raised one eyebrow.
     "Uh, I think she wants to come in," Tan (who was already inside and
therefore now standing behind Rorandair) suggested.  "I think -- and
this is complete speculation, mind you -- that she also wants some
dinner (as well as breakfast and lunch), a bath and a comfortable bed. 
A competent laundry would also be nice."
     "Actually, all those things would appeal to me too," he added, to
no one's surprise.
---al
     Rorandair sighed and stepped aside.  As he did, he said to the
innkeeper, "I'm sorry about the fuss.  Is there any way I can pay for
all of my companions, including the esteemed Karaz-Gorm?"
---mp
     LeBold looked up from the bar of platinum with a smile upon his
face. "Indeed, you are most generous, Sir Didymus!  As always."  He then
frowned.  "But this does not come close to paying for the damages that
that rogue dwarf did!"
     Didymus held up his hands  "As I said, the two of us shall sit down
and work that out.  For now, Karaz is my guest, and I wish him treated
as such."  He turned to Tan.  "Tan, do you think you might find our
magnificent mage and lead him back here?  Tell him that it is perfectly
safe...that a mistake was made." 
---je
     "But we -- " Tan started to say.  He finished with " --just got
here" addressed to Sir Didymus's back as the bold but somewhat
preoccupied old knight turned back to the innkeeper.
     "Hell!"  Tan looked at Liess.  Liess shook her head.  "Yeah, I
know:  We did such a swell job finding him this afternoon that it'll be
a snap now that it's getting dark.  Come on, Liess.  It'll be fun." 
Liess shook her head again.  "All right, so it won't be fun.  It'll give
them time to heat our bathwater really hot -- And Sir Didymus did ask us
very nicely."  Liess folded her arms and glared.  "Look," Tan said, "you
know that little as you like the idea, we are going to go out there and
look for our boon companion, the Magnificent Karaz-Gorm.  Why?  Because
someday we hope to sell this story to some journeyman bard who's trying
to make his artistic name and it's going to look awfully unheroic in the
permanent record for us to have gone off to enjoy the sensuous pleasures
of the bath while our brave companion Karaz-Gorm got himself neck-deep
in trouble.  And you know he's neck-deep in trouble."
     Liess grimaced briefly, sighed for the postponed bath, and scooped
up the articulate Taliessin.  She stomped out the door -- no mean trick,
considering her lack of authoritative weight.  As they left, Tan was
still talking.  "It'll be easy," he said.  "We'll stop anyone we meet
who'll stop to talk to us and ask them where the trouble is.  Whatever
direction they point, we go that way.  We'll find him in no time  --
Hey! What're you..."
     A moment later, Liess came back in alone.  She closed the door
behind her.
---al
     Didymus quickly turned back to a frowning LeBond.  "I guarantee he
will behave himself this time, monsiuer.  In fact, I think he will be
bunking with Rorandair and Valkyr here.=F6
     LeBond looked at the two large knights, and grudgingly gave his
approval.  He yelled over his shoulder, "Mercury, the contract is off
again...for now."  Turning to Didymus, he said, "Come, my friend.  The
banquet room is yours.  I shall arrange for a feast for you.  My chefs
are at your disposal.  Enjoy your stay at the Broadmoor..."
---je
     Kaega stepped up behind the group just in time to catch the
"discussion".  She sighed, and when the others entered the Broadmoor,
tried not to express the sentiment that perhaps it would have been
better if the dwarf had fallen off the river barge.  Or, better yet, she
could have dropped him from a great height and forgotten where she did
it.  She pushed aside these thoughts, reminding herself that she must
try to get along with the insufferable dwarf.
     "Excuse me, Sir Didymus," she asked, "will we be eating supper
here, or somewhere else?"
---at

     Leaving Niki to her business, Pen skipped merrily along the cobbled
stone streets to where he believed the Broadmoor resided.  After
stopping a several times for new sets of directions from different
sources, Pen finally witnessed Kaega's entrance to the inn.
     "Phew...I made it," he told himself, with a wipe of his brow.
     With a quickened trot, Pen made it in time to over hear his master
resolving yet another situation in his usual diplomatic style.  Pen
grinned a proud smile.
     Soon the group found themselves dining in a beautifully decorated
banquet room.  Pen was hungry enough to eat the very animal he adored
so.  He dug in, received a disapproving glance from Sir Didymus then
halted.  With a gulp he smiled sheepishly then recovered his manners.
     "Where is our new friend...the young...um, um...now what was her
name?" the knight asked his squire, his eyes rolling back slightly in
thought.
     "Niki."
     "Yes, Niki.  Where is she?"  The old knight nearly shouted,
returning a smile at his squire.
     "She had some business to take care of.  She will join us as soon
as possible, sir," the boy quickly informed.
     "Ahhh...I see," said Sir Didymus with a nod.
     The feast resumed.
---ds
     The feast was grand!  Large slabs of roasted meats.  Platters full
of sweatmeats.  Cheese, seafood, crepes...every type of food imaginable. =

Chef Francois had really outdone himself this time.
     Sir Didymus was no longer in his armour.  Instead, he was dressed
in his best clothing.  Brown velvet and silk adorned his old body.  To
top off his lordly clothing he wore a large hat complete with a roc's
plume.
     The music was loud and plentiful, and soon Sir Didymus found
himself whirling on the floor of the large meeting room with both Kaega
(in human guise) and Liess.  His dance style was of the northern
(mountain) Karrantine variance, and he looked somewhat silly twirling
about.
---je
     Pen clapped and stomped in tune, enjoying the moment.  It would
seem that Sir Didymus would teach his squire the art of play as well.
---ds
     As the feast continued and a good number of people danced to the
music, Valkyr sat near the corner of the table, his plate full of half-
finished and uneaten food.  As he looked at the dancers, old memories
shot back into his mind...
     Old memories from Dyoptaz...
     Old memories of Alicia.
     How they had both danced like that, as everyone else were sitting
around the hall, too exhausted to continue.  He and his beloved were
like winds in a storm, dancing and dancing like no other.  How he had
once lived only to gaze into those deep blue eyes, full of joy and
peacefulness...
     But those days were gone.  The paladin would never see Alicia
again, and no one on this world would be able to ever come close to
replacing her...
     Valkyr put his hand over his face, drooped down and silently wept
in utter despair and desolation.
---avc
     Valkyr appeared completely detached from the ongoing festivities as
he sat alone in one of the few corners of the room that remained poorly
lit.  The convivial atmosphere carried on regardless of the Paladin's
heart-ache.  As sensitive as a boy can be, Pen could not help but notice
Valkyr's pain.
     He moved towards the lonely man with ingenuous motivation. 
However, Valkyr's sorrow ran deep and success would be hard fought. 
Bluntly, Pen asked, "Sir...what's wrong?"
---ds
     Valkyr looked up.  Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, the
paladin spoke, with a hint of despair or sadness in his voice.
     "Sorry, my lad.  This is quite unfit behavior for a paladin.  I was
only reminescing about Alicia...  It has been a long time since we...
parted, and this dance brings back happy but painful memories.  I do not
know if you have already know true love, Pen, but it is more painful to
lose than anything else in this world, my homeworld Dyoptaz, or anywhere
else."
     "I am being a poor conversationnalist, my boy.  If there is
anything you need to know, feel free to ask.  Otherwise please let me
be.  I have some thinking to do..."
     Valkyr looked down once more...
 ---avc       
     His heart went out to the paladin, but he was young, never had
experienced what pained Valkyr, so he stood silent.  Suddenly there was
a tap on his shoulder.  An out.  He turned to find Liess standing,
gesturing at the dance floor.
     As Valkyr had wished, he was again left alone with his thoughts.
---ds
       Kaega, noticing Valkyr in the corner, walked slowly over to him.
She sat down beside him and spoke. "You seem troubled tonight, sir
warrior. If you need someone to talk to, I can listen. I too have known
much sorrow." She wait ed for his answer.
---at
     Valkyr looked up, his face a mix of despair, sadness and anger.  In
a broken voice, he spoke.
     "Perhaps.  But, have you ever loved and lost?  Have you ever found
the one person that makes you whole... then lose that person in a
heartbeat?"
---avc
     Liess after a bath was an improvement over Liess before it.  The
grime was gone, along with the grimace.  Her dress was still the same
one she'd worn all along (it being the only one she had) but it had been
cleaned and mended.  Someone had helped her braid her hair and the color
on her face was arranged differently from how it would have been had it
simply been the result of being out in the sun all day.
     She smiled at Sir Didymus and she smiled at Kaega.  (The
intricacies of Sir Didymus's steps she didn't know, but she faked well.) =

She even smiled at Valkyr when she joined him in his dark corner to eat
some -- well, a lot of -- food.  She was, after all, quite hungry, but
still shy about the table manners of her palsied fingers.
     At one point, she came over to Pen, stood in front of him, tapped
him on the shoulder, and pointed at the dance floor.  He looked up at
her in surprise.
     "You want to dance with me?" he asked.
     She looked down at the floor, glanced back up at him, gave him a
shy little smile and nodded.  At that moment, she didn't look that much
older than Niki -- who, Pen noticed, had still not arrived.
---al
     Frozen by the invitation, a warm blush ebbed from the inside out
and finally unthawed the boy. He blinked uncontrollably at Liess.
---ds
     At that moment, Liess was also -- Pen realized -- pretty.  Not
enchantingly beautiful, like Kaega or that other woman who'd traveled
briefly with Sir Didymus.  And not pretty like Niki.  Liess's
attractiveness depended more on her smile -- and Pen had seen her
smiling so seldom that he was surprised now to see how much it did for
her.  Pen wanted her to keep smiling.  He wanted to dance with her. 
There were just one or two small problems:
     The first was that he wasn't sure whether a knight's squire was
free to dance when the knight was dancing.  Should he be ready to fetch
water or wine in case the old man over-exerted himself?  No:  Thinking
about it, Pen decided that that was too much devotion to duty -- kind of
silly, actually.  (At least, as long as Pen stayed in the same room.)
     The other problem was more serious.  Pen wasn't much for dancing. 
He knew a basic stampie or two and could follow in a line well enough,
but Sir Didymus's performance was flamboyantly virtuosic -- Pen had
decided that a knight wasn't supposed to just dance, he was supposed to
dance well.  Pen didn't dance well and wasn't sure whether he wanted to
appear on the same floor as Didymus until he'd done something about
that.
     There was a tug on his arm and Liess gave him a raised eyebrow.
---al
     Didymus gave his squire a knowing wink.  With the wink speaking
volumes, Pen finally snapped out of his conundrum and gently took one of
Liess's hands.  With a smile he said, "It would be a pleasure and an
honor."  That said he stepped onto the dance floor with his pretty
partner and tried his best not to crush her toes.
     What he lacked in skill and grace, he made up for in his effort and
jollity.
---ds
     Finally, Sir Didymus kissed the hands of his dancing companions,
and fell into his chair, totally out of breath.  "Pen, m'lad.  Life is
good!  Has Tan returned with our illustrious dwarven friend?"
---je
     With all the goings on of the party, especially the dance of pretty
ladies, Pen had forgotten all about his tiny friend.  With an anxious
glance he scanned the floor for any red blemishes that might represent
an unlucky dance step.  Thankfully, there were none.  He quickly turned
to the aging Knight and declared he hadn't a clue on the whereabouts of
Tan, nor Gorm for that matter.
     "Shall I go look for them sir?"
---ds

     Niki missed a part of Pen's commentary as she saw the strange
cloaked man with Sir Didymus' pouch in his hand.
     It couldn't be, but she sensed that it was.
     A thief?  "Pen, I just remembered something I forgot to do this
afternoon," Niki said, smiling at the boy walking beside her.  =F4I'd hat=
e
to slow everyone down and it won't take me long.  Could you go tell the
others while I go and take care of it?  I won't be long, and I'd hate
for them to worry about us."
     Pen blushed and mumbled something she barely heard as she watched
the thief out of the corner of her eye.
     The boy continued on to the Inn as Niki merged with the crowds and
followed the thief.  She hated to lie, but what was she supposed to do? 
She barely understoodd her ability herself, and explaining it to a guard
would give the man a chance to get away clean with Sir Didymus' money.
     Niki loosened her auburn hair and fluffed it with her fingertips as
she walked along.  An alley appeared beside her and she turned in and
ran down it and up the next street to get ahead of the man.
     She straightened her clothes, loosened a few laces in the proper
places and waited.
     Ryker noticed the girl leaning casually against the wall eyeing him
as he approached.  It was hard not to.  She was a bit young, but filled
out in all the right places.
     As he neared she leaned away from the wall, rolling her hips as she
walked towards him in a way that was unmistakable.
     "Ev'nen love.  Wanta party a bit?" she invited as she stopped in
front of him and ran her hands down his shirtfront.
     Niki smiled at the man as her hands slipped to where she knew he
had hidden Sir Didymus' money...
---pw
     Ryker looked at the woman and smiled.  He reached into his pouch,
taking out his crystal ball, and suddenly the money disappeared from
Ryker and appeared on the man Ryker had stolen it from.---bb  Then he
replaced the globe back in his pouch.---med
     Suddenly he spoke softly.  "Well, if that=C6s what you wanted me to
do, you succeeded, but do you still wanna do what you said?" Ryker said,
softly smiling at Niki.
---bb
     Niki blushed furiously, uncertain what to do, and all pretence
vanished as she backed away with her hands behind her back lest they
lead her into more mischief.
     "I um, thank you.  That was what I wanted.  I don't think, that is,
I don't... I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have said anything."
     So very true.  When will I learn?
     She smiled hesitantly, a safe distance away from the man.
     "Sir Didymus is a nice man.  If you'd like, they invited me to a
party before we leave tomorrow.  If you'd like to come with me, I don't
think anyone would mind.  So long as they didn't know about... how we
met."
     Was this another bad idea?  Probably, but it couldn't hurt to make
amends, could it?
     Suddenly Niki wasn't certain of anything anymore.  Where was
Valentine when she needed him!?!
---pw
     Ryker smiled at the lady, then suddenly reached into his pouch.  He
pulled out the same Crystal globe he used to steal with the then held it
at about eye level of Niki.  It started swirling a strange bright red
color.  Goober, Ryker's dragon, covered his eyes and backed back into
Ryker's cloak.
---bb
     Niki smiled uncertainly and backed up another step.  =F4Someone help=

me, please don't kill me...=F6
---pw
     As soon as Goober was in Ryker's cloak, the light from the globe
shot out, hitting Niki.
     Niki fell to the ground in pain and shriveled up, hurting and
screaming.  The light went off her and back into the globe.
---bb
     Niki shook several more times as the pain receded slowly.  It hurt
to move but she had to.
---pw
     After a long pause Ryker spoke.  "How do I know your not lying
again?"
---bb
     "Because I didn't think I had to!"  Niki slowly sat up, watching
Ryker, plainly terrified.  "I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me... I won't
do it again."  She swallowed hard.  "Please..."
---pw
     Something from the corner of Ryker's eye caught his attention,
forcing him to relinquish his gaze upon his young female victim. 
Turning to see what approached he witnessed a large figure emerging from
the shadows.  He was huge, but fascinatingly silent.  Without a word the
grizzly character formed a wall between Ryker and Niki.  He stared
menacingly upon the man who stood dwarfed beneath his shadow.
     Niki, clutching her abdomen, looked up to find what she recognised
to be the man she had earlier rescued her young friend, Pen, from.  She
didn't know whether to be thankful or dread his sudden re-appearance. 
Whatever, an opportunity to escape had presented itself.  If Ryker
wanted more of her, he would first have to pass through this stranger.
---ds
     Ryker put his Crystal ball away and smiled.  "Don't worry."
     Niki watched him carefully as she got to her feet.  "What are you
going to do now?"
     Ryker stood up and laughed.  He then walked towards Niki and just
stood in front of her, but on the way he raised his Crystal Ball. 
Suddenly, a forcefield shot out around his satchel and all his
possessions.  Ryker then spoke softly.  "I like ya girl, what's ya
name?"
---bb
     Niki backed away until she hit a wall, Ryker following her every
step of the way.  She flinched as he spoke to her and tried to edge
away.  Unfortunately she was having trouble moving.  Every muscle she
possessed was shaking either in reaction to the pain, or fear of this
man and his crystal ball.
     "N-Niki."  She glanced at his shielded belongings fearfully but all
she could see was the crystal ball in his hand.  "Please just let me go. =

Please..."
---pw
     Suddenly a high-pitched voice spoke from behind Ryker.  "Just what
do you think you are doing to that young lass, mister?"  The voice had a
very serious and demanding tone to it.
     Ryker gradually turned around to see who was addressing him.  As he
did so, Niki peered past the man to catch a glimpse as well.
     Her heart jumped as she saw the Magnificent Karaz-Gorm standing
there.  His feet were planted broadly apart (well, as broadly as a dwarf
can get), and his left arm was stretched straight out from his side. 
His right, stick in hand, was pointed straight at Ryker.  The stick was
glowing a faint red, and little balls of green, yellow, blue, purple,
orange and other colors danced about its tip.  The remnants of Niki's
pastry entangled in the mage's beard did not help the image he was
trying to project, but hopefully the display of primed magic would.
     There were whispers of "witchcraft" in the crowd behind the dwarf.
     Karaz spoke again.  "I suggest, sir, that you would leave this
place, and this girl, promptly, and forget that you had ever met her,
lest myself and the rest of her friends decide to take issue with it."
     Niki could not help but smile.  If only, though, her saviour could
have been Pen!
---med
     Ryker looked up at the man and stared with cold eyes.  He stared
hard and long.  Finally, he broke the silence by pulling out his crystal
ball and raising it to the dwarf's face while it swirled black preparing
to cast a =F4death=F6 spell.
     "What did you say?"
---bb
     "Don't hurt him, Karaz!  Please don't hurt him!"  The last syllable
trailing away in an ear-piercing shriek, the small figure dashed forward
and threw himself at Karaz-Gorm's feet.  "He doesn't know what he's
doing crossing you."  Tan got a tight grip on one of those Magnificent
shoes.  "He can't possibly know or he never would've.  He's just
ignorant, that's all.  You wouldn't hold such obtuseness against the
poor fool, would you?  Would you?"  Suddenly, Tan wrinkled his nose and
glanced down at the shoe he was clutching.   "And by the way, could you
be a little more careful where you walk?  It makes displays like this
rather disgusting -- as if it wasn't already.  I am really going to need
a laundry when I get back."
     He looked up at the Ryker who'd been annoying the nice girl to whom
he hadn't yet been introduced.  "Hello," he said, standing up.  "Say, is
that a dragon in your cloak or are you -- "  Tan looked at the nice girl
and then back at Ryker.  "Skip it," he decided.  "Not funny."
     Tan strolled toward Ryker.  "So, you're the reckless individual
who's risking a major public safety hazard by tempting this magnificent
wizard into casting a few over-zealous spells in a highly populated
area.  Do you have any idea how viciously the Watch around here will
treat you if they catch up with you?  They won't blame Karaz, you know. 
He's just a force of nature -- doesn't he look like one?  Oh boy, I
would not want to be in your shoes if -- " he stopped for a quick glance
at Ryker's footware.  "Hey, do you follow in Karaz's footsteps or what? 
Anyway, where was I?  Wasn't it something like running away, having
gotten you just the teensy weensiest bit ticked off?  Yeah, I think
that's it.  So -- uh, hold that thought."
     Tan turned to the Magnificent Karaz-Gorm.  "By the way, Kazzy, Sir
Didymus et al say to please come home -- you know, the Inn (wink, wink,
nudge, nudge)?  All is forgiven -- or at least paid for on an
installment plan with a very high credit rating."
     Then Tan turned back to the long-suffering Ryker.  "All right,
boss, which way do we go?  I was thinking of a nice moonlit pursuit
along the wharves.  Are you ready?  Get set -- I wouldn't do that if I
were you!"
     Ryker had run out of patience with Tan's patter and had again
produced his crystal whatsit.  This time, he was looking through it at
Tan.  Tan took a step to the side.
     "I don't suppose you're aware that that thing hums," Tan said. 
"The pitch is a little high for people, but small dogs and taliessins
can hear it -- and it has the definite possibility of giving me a
headache.  It's rather annoying, you know.
     "It's also the reason I'm here.  It sounded to me like trouble, and
since I was looking for the Magnificent Karaz here, naturally I came
this way.  And while I was walking here, I've been thinking of ways to
stop the humming.  Now, you see that bell tower?"  Tan pointed to the
building that was indisputably a bell tower.  "It's got bells in it. 
Tuned bells.  Using combinations of those bells and their overtones, I
can get any mix of aural frequencies I want.  And working out the mix I
wanted that would shatter a crystal that hums at the particular
frequency yours does was a mathematical exercise that kept me amused
during my walk over here.  Now I think I have the answer.  Want to hear
it?
     "I do hope you won't say no."
---al
     Ryker smiled at the woman and said, "I won't hurt you ma'am.  'Eh,
I'm Ryker.  So, tell me 'bout yerself."  He appeard to be ignoring all
the other people around him.
---bb
     "I don't want to tell you about myself.  You already hurt me,
Ryker.  You're a thief and you stole from my friend.  Leave me alone."
     Niki's fear was beginning to turn productive.  He was within reach,
one swipe and that crystal'd be all over the street.  If he touched
her...
---pw
     Ryker picked up his crystal ball, raising it and waving it in front
of Niki's face, it still swirling black =F4death=F6 magic!
     "Well, well, well!  You blame me for being a thief!  And what about
you ma'am?"
---bb
     "Me, Ryker?  I only used to be a thief."
     Niki ducked, her hand lashing out with a dagger that slid into the
palm of her hand, straight for the crystal in Ryker's hand.  Her other
hand, and the other wrist dagger, sliced through Ryker's robes, tunic,
and  whatever else he had on, straight towards his stomach, ripping a
path upwards towards his heart.
     "Guess I still am.  Surprise Ryker."
     Ryker used his magicks to get away, and Niki slumped to her knees.
     She was now closer to the height of her rescuers, Karaz and Tan,
but mostly it was because her legs refused to support her any longer.
     She had never been so terrified in her life!
     "Thank you so much, and thank you, too," she said, hugging Tan.
     It was wonderful to be alive.
---pw
     "Uh, I don't think we've been introduced," the small acoustical
engineer remarked, starting to squirm in Niki's embrace and then
deciding the heck with it.  "My name is Taliessin.  I'm an associate of
the Magnificent Karaz-Gorm here."  He craned his neck around at the
wizard (who for some reason was glaring at the tip of his latest wand). 
"You did have a spell all ready with which to toast that poltroon,
didn't you?  I'm surprised he fell for that old bell tower line -- like
I'd've had time to get all the way across town to the place and actually
find out what pitch bells they have here.  Oh, and Sir Didymus really
would like you to come back to the Broadmoor.  They really do plan to
settle that innkeeper's grievance like civilized sentient beings.  (In
other words, like nobody I've ever encountered.)  Anyway, I think Sir
Didymus is footing the bill for a nice feast, so I would like to get
back.  (And by the way, you're very nice, mi'lady, and I expect to be
very fond of you once I get to know you, but could you put me down
now?)"
---al
     Throughout the duration of Tan's tirade, Karaz was constantly
opening his mouth as if to say something, only to be lost in the dust
with the continuing flow of verbage from the little taliessin.  When the
tiny man did stop (speaking that is, he was still squirming), Karaz
finally was able to answer him.
     "One, I did have a spell, yes.  What sort of a mage do you think I
am?"  A pause, and then, "Don't answer that.  Two, you realize, of
course, that if any harm befalls me at that accursed inn, that I will
have to 'Tan' your hide!"  Karaz snickered at his own joke.  Three, free
feast?  Why didn't you say so!"  And the dwarf was already halfway down
the street towards the Broadmoor Inn.
---med
     Niki let go of Tan and stood up.
---pw
     "Thank you."  Tan also stood up.  He looked at the fast departing
Kazam-Gorm.  "Funny," he mused.  "Seems to me that it works better going
right at that corner -- "
---al
     "You know each other?" She looked again at Tan.
---pw
     "Huh?  Well, sort of.  The ways of the dwarven wizard are a mystery
to all -- sometimes, I think, even to themselves.  We're acquainted,
though.  I'll admit to that -- sometimes."
---al
     "I'm sorry, but what was your name? Sir Didymus said there were
others back at the inn... He hired me this afternoon to take some people
to an island..."
---pw
     "Taliessin Minor -- but everyone calls me Tan.  I have a friend
named Taliessin Major (she's more like human-sized, see).  We call her
Liess to keep things straight.  And, since we've been hanging around
together a lot, you may have heard us referred to simply as Taninliess."
---al
     "Umm, maybe we should be getting back to the Broadmoor.
---pw
     "Now there I agree with you (excuse me)."  With a hop and a scurry,
Tan climbed up to Niki's shoulder.  "(Hope you're not ticklish.)"
---al
     Niki tried hard to hold still.  She was ticklish, as a matter of
fact.
---pw
     "I know just how many steps it is back to the Broadmoor and it's
more than my feet have left in them today."
---al
     Niki turned right, reaching up to steady Tan in case he needed it.
She wasn't certain of the rules of etiquette when carrying someone, but
dropping them seemed bad form.
     "I am kind of hungry now that I think about it... A feast you
said?"
---pw
     "One can hope.  I just hope that someone besides Didymus did the
shopping.  The poor man can forget to put lemons in lemonade..."
---al
     "Well, Pen and I did most of it, separately, I think."
---pw

     It was a good night to party.  Didymus danced and sang and ate and
frolicked.  He hoped the night would never end.  He was feeling
quite....wonderful!
---je
     Niki turned in at the Broadmoor and opened the door, following a
silver line unerringly to the feast Didymus had provided.
     She and Tan had just gotten to the table when Karaz arrived by the
long route. She stepped out of the way and bumped into Sir Didymus in
the process, rescuing her plate before she could make a mess.
     She greeted the old knight while watching the dwarf in amazement.
---pw
     It was a raucous night at the Broadmoor Inn.  Sir Didymus knew how
to throw a party, and do it in style!  No one noticed when the front
door opened a crack, and a pudgy little nose stuck through.  After a
short time, the nose was followed by a round little face with a long,
scraggly beard, topped off with a short, pointy hat.  When Karaz had
finally determined that the coast was clear, he made a mad dash to Sir
Didymus' chair.  Hiding behind the Knight (who had, in fact, noticed
that he had suddenly become someone's cover), Karaz whispered up to the
man, "Tan said that it was safe for me here?  Is that true?"
     Didymus answered, "Yes, Karaz, you can safely show your face here."
     "YIPPEE!!" cried the dwarf as he sprang to his feet.  Instantly he
was groping over the table as far as his dwarven arms would reach,
snatching up whatever poor morsels were unlucky enough to find
themselves within range of his clutching fingers.  It was utterly
amazing the amount of food that was suddenly disappearing down the mouth
of the diminuitive magician!  Didymus' eyes went wide, and he quickly
checked his money pouch/sack.
     As did Monsieur LeBold.  On one of his many trips to the table, he
whispered into Didymus's ear, "If he keeps eating like that, you'll need
another bar of platinum!"
     Finally sating himself, Karaz waddled over to a chair in the corner
(somewhat close to where Valkyr was sitting) and struggled to pull
himself onto it.  Finally succeeding, he relaxed into it, and gently
patted his distended belly.  He was slowly lapsing into sleep, when the
most horrendous belch the inn had heard in a long time rattled that
rafters and came close to shattering windows.  Courtesy of the
magnificent Karaz-Gorm.  The shock was too much, and the chair collapsed
underneath the mage.  No matter.  He was already asleep.
---med
     Sir Didymus was pleased at the return of Karaz, Tan and Niki (this
feeling reversed somewhat when he saw how much food Karaz-Gorm put
away).  He was immediately concerned by the tale of Niki's encounter,
and thanked the girl for the return of his money pouch (now he could
better afford Karaz's voracious appetite!)  He thanked Tan for his part
in the rescue, and invited everyone to continue with the frolics.
     Around the same time that Karaz had finished eating and was
settling in his chair, Didymus was also starting to nod off in his.  The
party continued on, but Didymus, exhausted from his dancing and the
night's frolics, was soon fast asleep.
     He barely stirred when Karaz's chair collapsed beneath him.
---je
     The Magnificent Karaz-Gorm devoured everything in sight.
     Niki looked at the party after the dwarf had fallen asleep. "Does
he always eat like that? If so I'm going to have to do some more
shopping."
     She spied Pen dancing and having fun. Didymus looked as though he
was taking a much needed break and Valkyr looked troubled.
     She walked over to Rorandair. "Hello. If its not much trouble,
would you like to dance? It looks like fun and I haven't been to a party
in a long time."
---pw
     Rorandair smiled at that.  "Indeed, I would like to dance.  I have
not had much of a chance after I stopped going to all of the palace
balls and such.  Usually, I am too beset upon by subjects, but here
nobody knows me.  Tell me, why has it been so long since you have been
to a party?  Surely your life has enough time for some merriment!" he
exclaimed as he led Niki to the dance floor.
---mp
     "You've been to court!?! Valentine taught me court dances but I've
never found anyone who uh..." Niki blushed as he took her hand and led
her onto the floor.
     Standing next to him, she noticed for the first time how big he
really was, but smiled anyway as the festive mood caught her up too. He
started them, and she simply followed his lead.
     "I've been adventuring and working and usually the people I meet
aren't the sort a girl by herself would want to dance with. They might
get the wrong idea, so I don't usually associate with passengers.
Valentine said if I acted like a lady people would treat me like one,
are you a paladin too? Or a prince in disguise. I've never met a Prince
before..."
---pw
     Rorandair laughed.  "Actually, I am a Prince plus a few other
things, but those are in far away lands with very little meaning here!"
---mp
     "A Prince isn't a place, its what you are. What else are you my
lord Prince?"
---pw
     Rorandair laughed again.  "As far as my being Princely, you will
have to be the judge of that.  Personally, I found it tedious a few
decades ago and I have developed some bad habits.  As far as other
titles, I have a few but as I said they would mean nothing here.  And
you; are you the Princess that someone might fancy you to be?"
---mp
     Niki stumbled and caught herself, then flashed Rorandair a
mischievous smile.
     "You've found me out my Prince. And not a glass slipper in sight."
     The musicians began playing a slower song and Niki drifted into his
arms. Her smile turned wistful. "Valentine wanted the best for me. He
taught me to be a better person in the hopes I could escape my past and
find a place where I'd be happy, then he was captured defending our
party and sold to a marilith. The rest of the party died, either in the
fight or afterwards of their wounds, and alone I couldn't go after him."
     "I came here to this world, I'm not certain which one it is now
that I think about it, and have been helping people here and there like
he would have done if he was here. I'm not strong like him, or powerful,
but I'm me and its usually enough."
     "A princess should be beautiful and wise and gracious and forgiving
and I'm none of those things. You disparage your titles but they do mean
something. Sometimes having a title and a noble past is the most
important thing in the world."
     She smiled and grinned, almost the Niki of old, "Do you think Sir
Didymus would let me accompany you all to meet the dragon?"
---pw
     Rorandair huffed.  He had not thought about it.  "I guess he's
really the only one who could answer that.  I do know, however, that we
lost a couple of our party and so he's not strictly against having more
people along than we have now.=F6
---mp
     Niki smiled brightly as he twirled her around.  This was fun and
these were nice people. She was terribly happy that Sir Didymus had
invited her to join them. Getting his pouch back was the least she could
do for him.
     She smiled up at Rorandair. "What do you like for breakfast by the
way?"
---pw
     "Usually, I eat just about anything that comes my way.  One of the
things I've actually enjoyed a great deal about this place is the new
foods," Rorandair replied as he executed a difficult spin-and-flip
maneuver.  "Why?  Are you interested in something 'new'?"
---mp
     Niki shrieked with laughter and was happy when Rorandair caught
her. When she had her breath back she smiled widely.
     "I wouldn't know until I saw it. I wanted to make sure I had it on
hand, whatever you wanted. It looks like I may have to go to the market
again before we leave if Karaz Gorm's appetite is like that all the
time." She nodded over at the demolished remains of the meal.
---pw
     With Rorandair having taken the dance floor with Niki, Varna was
suddenly beset with a distinct case of seismic instability.
     Even the great Karaz-Gorm, as wonderful and practiced a sleeper as
he was, was unable to ignore the rythmic jostlings that were now gracing
his presence.  Awakened, he grumpily looked about the Inn to see what
was going on.
     What he saw was a scene of great frivolity and party-going. 
Rorandair and Niki, as well as Pen and Liess, were gleefully enjoying
themselves on the dance floor.  Karaz had never seen anyone of the group
looking so happy and having such fun ever before.  Even Didymus, now
snoring in his chair, had a look of contentment on his face like never
the great mage had seen.
     "It must be nice to have friends like that," thought the dwarf to
himself, his memories going back to how he had been outcast from his
home village.  "Just you wait and see," he spoke to the imaginary town
elders that had banished him.  "When I triumphantly bring back the
secrets to this penta-cillian stuff, you'll be begging me to return!  So
what that I don't know a darned thing about this Nicol Bolas fellow? 
How hard could it be?"
     As the dancing concluded (at least Rorandair's part of it), Karaz
sighed to himself and slipped back into sleep.
---med
     His skill as a dancer paled in comparison to Rorandair (the
"prince"), but Pen and Liess were having to great of a time to be
embarrassed.  However, the music came to an end and the two walked hand
in hand (Pen held Liess's palsied hand tenderly) towards the table where
Didymus slept.
     "I thank you madam for the dance," Pen said with a bow.  "It was
truly a pleasure."
     Liess beamed back a smile in response, then the two collapsed into
their respective seats laughing (Liess in her state of muteness guffawed
as best as one with her limitations could).
---ds
     The dance ended and Niki thanked her partner as Valentine had
taught her to, but the effect was ruined by her happy smile.
---pw
     As Rorandair and Niki headed for the main table, Rorandair said to
her, =F4By the way, you said that Valentine was sold to a marilith.  What=

is a marilith?  And while I am on random subjects, I agree that titles
usually mean something, but too often those who hold the title are
incapable of wielding it."
     After having waxed philosophical more times in the last few minutes
than in the last few months, Rorandair waited for Niki's mind to roll
those thoughts around and allowed himself to admit when he knew her
better he might ask her more about what seemed like a tragic past with
some small inklings of his own....
---mp
Niki frowned. "A maralith is a demoness with six arms and spellcasting
abilities, the torso and head of a beautiful woman, the lower parts of a
giant snake."
     She rested her chin on her linked hands as she looked across the
table at Rorandair. "I apologize for being so sharp about your titles.
I'd give anything to be a lady, or a princess, but no matter how hard I
try I'm still what I am, and..."
     She shrugged, her determined eyes glistening with a sheen of
frustrated tears. "I wouldn't be very good at it, but I'd try really
hard."
     She shook off her sadness, unwilling to linger over something that
couldn't be changed. Her mother was a prostitute and a thief, her father
she had never known. Just another soldier passing through Shatterfall,
no different from any other. Her mother didn't even remember his name,
if she had ever known it.
     Valentine was a paladin and would be a Lord when he retired from
his questing, and there would be no place for her there. Her memories of
their adventuring were all she had, all she would ever have.
     "I think you're a marvelous prince Rorandir," Niki said quietly,
growing tired now that the excitement of the party had worn off.	 "And
I like random topics." She smiled sleepily, the long day catching up to
her. Several others had disappeared, probably to their rooms upstairs.
Niki realized that she didn't have one and would probably have to go
back to the ship soon.
     Her eyes dropped, reopened, and dropped again.
     She swayed slightly as her exhaustion took over, missing what
Rorandair was saying. Just a little nap and then she would go back to
the ship...
     She wanted to apologize for falling asleep, but was so tired...
---pw
     Rorandair watched with a small smile as Niki swayed in her seat. 
She really was beat.  Well, he rationalized, if I don't use my room
tonight and she's going to ask Sir Didymus if she can come along anyway,
maybe if I give her my room that would be fine.
     "Niki, if you like you can stay in my room.  I don't need it," he
said to her, feeling for once that maybe sometimes there was a time and
place to be Princely after all....
---mp

     "How very strange," Didymus commented to himself.  He looked down
at his body, and found himself to be covered with fur (beneath a proper
knight's attire, of course).  He held a lance in his right paw, and he
was mounted upon what appeared to be a large sheepdog.  But this was as
it should be...here, anyways.  "Let us be off, Ambrosious!" he said to
his mount.
     The pair galloped down a dusty road, and were surprised to see a
large dragon hiding behind a windmill at the side of the road.  Didymus
nudged Ambrosious in that direction.
     "Excuse me, sir Dragon.  Why are you hiding behind yon windmill?" 
He asked the terrified beast.  The dragon looked down at him, then
looked all around, then back down at Didymus again.  "We are being
watched..." he whispered.
     Suddenly, one of the blades of the windmill swept down and knocked
Didymus from the back of Ambrosious.  Didymus drew his sword, and
yelled, "Attack me at unawares will you?  Have at thee!" and he charged
the windmill.  Sir Didymus and the windmill fought for many hours, until
finally the knight had knocked off all of the windmill's blades. 
"HaHaaah!  Victory is mine," he said.  "Victory is yours!" said the
watching dragon.  "I concede!" said the windmill.
     Didymus awoke to find that everyone else had turned in for the
night.  He was in the banquet hall alone with a still sleeping Karaz-
Gorm.  He got up and stretched.  Taking a tablecloth from one of the
tables, he covered the dwarf's sleeping form.
---je
     As he covered the dwarf, he noticed Monsieur LeBond just staring at
the mage.  The innkeeper said, "Amazing that such destructive power can
be contained in such a small body..."
     Didymus merely shrugged, and LeBold went about cleaning up the rest
of the Inn.
---med
     Nearby in a dark corner, Pen stirred. "Sir...you're awake." he
yawned.
     "Aye, or would you prefer I were walking in my sleep?"
     Pen simply smiled sheepishly in response.
---ds
     Didymus had had that confusing windmill dream again.  He had to
remember to write down the strange things which occured in that dream
someday.
     Didymus climbed the stairs to find his room.  He was still quite
tired.
---je
     Pen followed at his heals. When they reached the level of the inn
where their room resided, the squire sped up his pace, made for their
door and opened it to allow his Knight easy access.
     "Why thank you Pen...Age before beauty I always say," Didymus said
with a smile and a tweak of his moustache. He then made for his bed. Pen
followed suit.
     The two where out like babes before the sheep where counted.
---ds