Merrin got up to follow, but she frowned and paused. "Because of the company I keep?" she repeated slowly, walking after the druid. "They - they practically kidnapped me!" She flushed a little, remembering her own stupidity in the matter, and suddenly wondered why Kendath had almost seemed amused at Sage's earlier comment.

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"All in due time," Sage responded in a voice serene enough to make even the wisest grind their teeth in impatience. He led them down the torchlit corridor to a wooden door set in the stone wall. He spoke a word, and the door glowed blue and swung silently open.

As they entered, Kendath took mild note of the tapestried walls, cushioned seats, and chalices of wine and plates of delicacies on the table. A glass door on the far wall led to a curved balcony.

With an enigmatic smile, Sage dissipated from sight. The door shut itself and magically locked.

"How are you enjoying yourself?" Kendath asked wryly, making no move for either the cushions or the food.

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In answer to this, Merrin very eloquently overturned an elegant silver vessel full of wine with a flick of her wrist, sending a purple stain over the white cloth on which it rested.

"I hate being kept in the dark!" she exploded, stalking over to the glass doors, but not opening them. "You're all keeping secrets from me, all of you!"

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"Apsolutly nothing.." she aswered him "...i made it up to see what his reaction would be...as it is he's madly proud and a showoff...which could be useful..."

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Made by Lembas

((Bumpitty bump bump - your post, LDM. No hurry, just thought I'd save this from going onto the third page))

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((is saveing it from ther fourth page))

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Made by Lembas

Kendath followed Merrin out towards the glass doors. "If we knew as much as you claim, then perhaps we wouldn't be - " he began pointedly, then stopped himself as he caught something in his peripheral vision.

He looked again, out the glass doors of the balcony. In consternation, he pushed open the doors and strode out onto the terrace. A marble courtyard opened out underneath it, complete with fragrant flowers and verdant vines. But it wasn't the marble itself that riveted his attention, but the occupants.

"Demon?" he breathed. The black dragon lay sprawled in the center of the courtyard, his neck resting on Jemx's flank, his eyes closed. A faintly glowing adamantine chain encircled his sinuous neck.

[just so you know... I have absolutely no idea where I'm going with this or the plot. I never do...]

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((Well, I have a sort of idea that's been nagging at me for a bit. But I'm not sure Kendath's the type, though Merrin definetely is...))

Going out after him, curious in spite of herself, Merrin followed Kendath and leaned on the edge of the balcony. She frowned, and hesitated a moment, perhaps grappling with her current (and mounting) irritation with the two Meiltha and that maddening druid.

However, eventually she glanced up towards him and commented, "Odd, how they're right there. You could climb down with no trouble at all." This was delivered quite evenly, and having got it off her mind, the girl gazed down at the two dragons, puzzled.

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[sure I've got nothing planned. care to elaborate? ]

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((I've finally caught the flu bug that the rest of my family's had, and it's not fun...so I'll post tomorrow...))

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"Jemx?" she gasped...she couldn't feel him, not with her mind...but she could see him. "Right..." she lept over the balcony and down to the sleeping dragons, striding over perposefully. She lent over and shook him, yet after only a few seconds the chain emmited a huge forcefelid that pushed her backwards though the air, so that she lay sprawled on the ground as deeply asleep as her Dragon.

After a few minits she sat up warily, she was surrounded by yound druids. "What the.." a barage of swear words exploded from her lips "...have you done to my Dragon?"

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Made by Lembas

Merrin watched this with interest, if it was a little detached. "Intriguing..." she murmured.

((Okay, this is the basic idea: the druid decides, seeing as Merrin's obviously not in league with Kendath and Evlyn, to give her leave to depart whenever she wishes. So she stays one more night, intending to try and find Wyvern when she goes...and, well, it's no fun if I give it all away, is it? I've got plans, though And then we'll see if Kendath would do what I suspect he might...))

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[I really have no idea what you suspect's going to happen, but Kendath'll react accordingly as events unfold. you may have to give me a little push in the right direction.]

Falchion unsheathed, Kendath leaped down from the balcony to land in the midst of the druids next to Evlyn. "Good question," he snarled.

In response, the druids only parted to allow a smiling Sage through. "I was really hoping you'd rest yourselves first," he sighed, a benign smile still touching his lips. "We did not poison anything, I assure you. But very well... if you are so impatient. Come inside and we shall talk."

He spoke a small charm, making all three of them levitate upwards back onto the balcony. Once inside, he gestured for them to take a seat on one of the cushioned couches.

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((Will do - I may do some spontaneous adjusting as I go, as I'm not really sure it'll work. Actually, I may end up discarding the idea altogether. Something'll happen, though EDIT: Boy, that made me seem indecisive. Maybe it's this blasted flu bug))

Merrin paused uncertainly, but reflecting on the fact that the druid could probably levitate her into a sitting position anyway, sat and gave him a rather unimpressed look. "I'm not extremely fond of having your desired position imposed upon me."

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"You f-ing bastdado.....talk." She may not, have her dragon, she may have had her sword and weopans removed...but they had fogotan her hair pin. In a second it was spining in her hand the point cruel.

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Made by Lembas

"We druids are of the earth," Sage began quite sagely. "We have existed since the dawn of time. For eons since the gods first began their creation, we were of the trees, the land, the air, the - "

Kendath loudly cleared his throat.

In high dudgeon, Sage continued, "We have dwelled in isolation! Long ago we made a pact with the gods to worship them for all eternity! We hear of this war but we know nothing of it."

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