From: "Aaron Smith" Subject: yet another post ^_^ Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 10:30:54 PDT I just finished an 8-page research report (due tomorrow, o'course ^_^) for a summer class I'm takeing, so now I'm gonna celebrate by writing some MORE! Mwa-hahaha!! Amanda, I didn't send this to you for proofing first because Iya has like one line in the entire post. I apologize if I misunderstood something about her, even in so small a mention. -Aaron (Spiffy) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Finn leaned back against the tree and tried to make himself as comfortable as possible. He was quite ready for the numbness of sleep to take away the aches of walking all day. Oh, sure, they'd taken it easy - didn't really have a choice, when one of'em was blind, did they? But walking had still been their main activity of the day, and it got tiresome after a while. His stomach rumbled, and he heard Iya stirring on a branch somewhere above him. "You should have taken some of the squirrel I offered you. It was tasty." *I'm sure it would've... if it had been cooked.* Finn kept this comment to himself, of course. Iya had only been trying to help - it was just that he couldn't bring himself to eat raw meat. He hadn't been brought up that way. Eventually, he was able to push these thoughts out of his mind and fall asleap... ...Only to immediately find himself in Tel'aran'rhiod. Aaron was there waiting for him again, but this time, they were in the woods - not the Green Dragon Inn. Aaron seemed to have had an experience similar to what Finn had gone through that day - he looked very tired, somewhat sad, and what had merely been stubble last night had grown to almost pass for a beard ... almost. "So we meet again." "So we do. I know you've had a hard day, so I'll try to keep this as brief as possible. I have a few questions, tho'" "Like what?" "Ever hear of the 'Sixth Army'? Or someone called the 'Gahnril'?" "Not that I can recall... why?" "They just burned Kaika to the ground." A cold feeling washed over Finn, and inside, he shivered. *If I hadn't left when I did...* "Why?" I'm not sure of all their motives, but I know they were also looking for someone from my world named Estela. She's safe for now, but Kaika.. isn't." "What about Drake? And the Green Dragon?" "I'm sure Drake's alive - he's a little too resouceful not to be." "You don't know that for sure." "No, I don't. But I wouldn't write him out of the script yet." Finn thought about this, then nodded. Drake _did_ have a way of getting himself out of tight places... But there was nothing Finn could do if an army was involved. There were other subjects to be discussed, as well. "So how many of your friends are in my world?" "There's Paul, Stana, Teri, and a friend of Teri's named Estela. Paul and Estela are closest to where you are now, but then, so's the army. Paul seems to be in the company of an army, but I don't know what army it is. Could be the sixth, or allied with it, at least ... or it could be an opposing force. "Stana and Teri are further away, but they've at least managed to find each other. They're also probably going to be the only ones besides you and Iya who are travelling on foot." Aaron had pulled out a map, and was pointing out where people were while he talked. There were notes scrawled on the map that mentioned things like direction headed and whether the person was on foot or horseback. "So those closest to me are the ones who are surrounded by the most danger..." "Quite possibly. I don't know where the sixth is from or where it's going, so it's possible Estela's in no danger at all - and Paul... well, let's just say he's adapting nicely to his new environment." "Hm.... I'll need to talk with Iya about this. I'll need her help to do anything, and I won't drag her into this against her will." "Understood. Oh, one more thing- well, two, actually..." Aaron folded up the map nd handed it to Finn, then removed a necklace and turned it over as well. Holding it up for a closer look, Finn saw that is was rather simple looking, actually - not the kind of thing you'd expect a wizard to be wearing. Tied to a small leather strip was a piece of baked clay with a symbol pressed into it. "What's this?" "Something I made a while ago. If you decide to do this and run into Stana or Paul, they should recognize it almost immediately. It'll back up any story you tell them as well - and prove that this isn't _just_ a dream." "So you can send small objects from one world to another, but not bring them back?" "Well, actually, I'll still have my necklace in the morning. The best I can do is have you find one that looks just like it when you wake up tomorrow. Nothing changes worlds - all I do is create a coincidence in yours." It was still confusing to Finn (...made him think about Iya and her coins, to tell the truth...), but he nodded, and fell out of Tel'aran'rhiod and into a more normal dream. The next morning, true to Aaron's word, Finn woke to find he'd been sleeping on a small clay necklace wrapped around a piece of paper. ----=Fare thee well, be loved, and be whole.=---- Aaron "Spiffy" Smith "Tir gan ealain, tir gan anam." A country without art, a country without soul. LONG LIVE THE MACINTOSH! http://members.tripod.com/~Spiffykun/ -------------------------------------------------