The following morning, Shiloh woke to pain, praying that the Gods would see fit to kill her. Her shoulder burned as did her arm. She tried to move it, but cried out in pain instead. Opening her eyes, she looked up into light brown ones of the healer.

"Good, you're awake. Let's get you sitting up and see what damage was done to your arm, shall we."

Shiloh grimaced as a nurse came in and got her sitting up. She was tired, so tired after just that.

"Lift your arm, please. Now, make a fist. Rotate your wrist. Shrug your shoulder."

She did all of these, biting her lower lip to keep from yelling at him on how bad it hurt. Then he poked and prodded the healing wound and she glared at him, her grey eyes shooting sparks.

"You'll be okay, but you will have to take it easy with that shoulder for the next two days. This poultice will speed the healing, but you're on bed rest for those two days, young lady. We almost lost you more than once yesterday. As soon as your rider gets here, I'll release you into his care."

Shiloh groaned at that thought. Erik was the last person whe wanted to see as she knew he was probably furious with her. She pleaded with the healer to release right then and there and she would go to her room at the female aids quarters and stay there, but he wouldn't allow it, no matter how prettily she begged.

Braum and [/url] Temetarie stood on the ledge at the mouth of the cave, watched as the sun slowly sank in the east and dusk enveloped the valley below. Braum stiffened slightly as he peered down off the mountain side. He then spoke to Temetarie with his mind "Temetarie, it is time that we put into practice what we have been rehearsing for months. The time has come for us to venture off this mountain and see what evil has encompassed the lands below. This shall be a journey of reconnoaissance only, we shall nor seek evil out but we shall not run from it either. Should it wish to engage we shall show evil that we are a force to be reckoned with. What say you Draconius Temetaire?" Temetarie spoke to Braum with her mind "I am ready and would expect nothing less from my rider, that is why I chose you, Braum." With that she sat back on her hind legs, spread her wings, extended her neck, took in a deep breath, and roared, exhaling a torrent of flame from her nostrils into the darkening dusk sky. Then she knelt so that Braum could step on her knee, then to the rippled muscle of her shoulder and slip into the black and silver saddle upon her back. He slipped his legs into the leather straps, sinched them tight as his booted feet rested in the silver stirrups. Temetarie then extended her two hundred foot leathery wing span and leapt off the ledge, catching the thermals that rose from the valley floor. Slowly she cirled gliding down then slowly flaped her wings heading west staying above the scattered clouds. Braum and Temeraire scanned the valley below. Her with her sight of an eagle and Braum reaching out with his magic. They had seen the carcassus of several Lizonians and the shadowy forms of Sorcerers moving about the carcusses. After several hours as dawn was begining to reveal itself in the west, Temeraire dove out of the clouds and just below them was another Dragon and rider. "Braum look another Dragonrider." Temeraire said to Braum's mind.

Braum looked and said to Temeraire's mind "Quick back into the clouds and home. I do not wish for us to be discovered yet. We do not know if this young rider is in the service of evil or not. We have seen what we need to this night and dawn is near."

Temeraire and Braum then turned a flew back to their cave, along the way they climbed, banked, dove, barrel rolled, looped and circled. Skimming their way along mountain sides and low across mountain meadows an lakes. Once Temeraire grabbed a couple of deer as they ran across a meadow with her claws. Practicing mock battles in the air, until they arrived back at their lair. Temeraire glided down and hovered just above the ledge as dropped the deer. Then she slowly stepped down, folded her wings to he sides and walked onto the caver. There she knelt as Braum unstraped his legs and climbed out o fthe saddle and onto the floor of the cave. Returning to the mouth of the cave he carried the deer carcusses into the cave. Temeraire gulped them both down with one bite. Then together they walked back into its recesses and down onto a great cavern. There among walls of sparkeling gems and mighty stalgtimes and stalagmites, Braum ate some deer jerky, cheese and bread. Refreshed they both rested and discussed what the presence of the dragon rider, the slain Lizonians and the shadowy forms of Sorcerers moving about might mean.

Miranda and Satin kept going, following the stream for the better part of the day. At dusk, she knew she had to find shelter before it got dark for the Lizonians would be out and about.

She spotted a cave and luckily it was in a place where Satin could also get to it. Dismounting, she made her way up the loose rock about 50 feet up at about a 35 degree angle. She threw rocks into it, making sure it was empty. It was.

Heading back down to collect Satin, a large shadow passed over them. Satin whinnied in nervousness as Miranda looked up to see a rider and his dragon heading higher up the mountain only to disappear.

She had no idea who it was, but she thought that it might be best if her and Satin left the mountain in the morning.

Heading into the cave, she made sure that Satin had plenty to eat and drink and hobbled her between where she would be sleeping on further back in the cave, and the entrance. This way, Satin's superior sense of hearing and smell would alert Miranda of anything malevolent coming.

She prepared herself her piece of meat jerky and water, ate, drank, cleaned up after Satin when she defecated and urinated, prepared her bedroll and lay down to sleep. Sleep was a long time coming as she was alert to the rider and dragon she'd seen, but eventually, exhaustion took over and she slept.

Erik and Mina patrolled the area with a renowned sense of duty. One of their own had been attacked by the Lizonians and they weren’t about to let the overgrown lizards get away with it. As Mina moved over the air currents with graceful ease, Erik’s mind kept wondering to the way Shiloh looked the last time he saw her. Her face was extremely pale and blood flowed easily from her wounds and all he cold keep doing was pray to what ever God would hear him to spare her life.

Over the course of the night he and Mina came in contact with several Lizonian patrols and engaged with them. A couple of time Mina landed to allow Erik the chance to engage hand to hand with the creatures and let the dragon use her abilities as well.

By the time Erik and Mina were headed back to the encampment, he happened to glance up and saw another dragon with a rider strapped to her back. While the moment was short lived as the dragon quickly slipped back into the clouds, Erik had seen enough to know he wasn’t seeing things. Even Mina had seen them.

~Erik! Another dragon and rider!~

"I saw! Let’s see who our mystery rider is, shall we?”

Mina rolled to her side and made a sharp to follow the mysterious dragon and rider but they were too swift and cunning for the pair to keep up. The fact they used the clouds as cover and were deliberately avoiding Mina and Erik didn’t settle well with either of them. If they were allies why were they being so evasive? Needless to say, Erik didn’t like how all of this felt.

After an hour of fruitless searching, Erik and Mina headed back for the base camp. By now the daylight patrol was already in the area. Erik gave him a tired wave and gestured for him to land. Once on the ground, Erik and the fellow rider could discuss the mysterious pair Erik and Mina had come across, or to be more specific, had come across them. With a word of caution, Erik once more climbed into his saddle on Mina’s back and took off for the base camp while the other rider started his patrol.

Finally reaching the encampment, Erik dismounted and pulled the saddle off Mina, releasing her from her duty. The dragon lifted into the air and headed for her lair in he mountains. Once he secured his saddle in his shed, he went to report what happened to Commander Kryton. After debriefing the officers on what happened and showing them the location on the map where he encountered the dragon and rider and what direction he and Mina pursued them in, he was told to go to the infirmary.

Dreading the worst, Erik slowly made his way to the infirmary to hear the bad news about Shiloh. When he entered the place he dared not look at the room he’d last seen her in for fear he would see the sheet shrouded, lifeless body waiting for him to return her to her home for proper burial by her family.

He was exhausted, to say the least, and knew that when he received the news from the doctor he would take a long, hard drink alcohol in his room then gladly pass out after his bath with dreamless sleep. The healer looked up when Erik came in and blinked then stood up and smiled.

“Ah…good day Sir Jordon….I was wondering when you would return. Right this way.”

Erik thought he had a strange sense of humor. That or death had made him a bit callous to the feelings of others. As the little man ambled over to the room, he rattled on about this or that but Erik wasn’t listening. All he knew was that when the door was opened, he’d feel even worse than he did now.

When the healer opened the door and stepped in gesturing for Erik to do the same, Erik slid in and took a deep breath, steeling himself for the sight he really didn’t want to see. But when he saw Shiloh sitting there, awake and bandaged, he blinked and couldn’t hide the shock he felt. Blinking again, he looked at the doctor.

“She…She’s…alive.”

The healer gave Erik a confused look.

“Well, yes….I told you that just a moment ago. Along with the fact she will need complete bed rest for the next few days and total immobility of her shoulder. That’s why she has to be turned over to your care.”

Erik blinked again and looked utterly horrified.

“MY CARE?! What am I supposed to do for her?”

The healer frowned.

“Make sure she doesn’t get out of bed unless it’s absolutely necessary and make sure she doesn’t use her arm.”

Erik still looked like a deer in the headlights.

“But…I have patrol.”

The healer shook his head then walked back out the door talking as he went.

“Not for the next few days, you don’t. Commander Kryton has arranged for her to be housed in the vacant room next to yours during her convalescence. It’s at the end of the hall and no chance of he other men having access to the room without coming through you first.”

When the healer left Erik and Shiloh alone, an awkward silence shrouded the room. Finally Erik took a deep breath and ran his hand through his blond hair then sat down heavily in the chair next to the bed. When he sat down, he looked down at his armor and saw that it was smeared with her now dried blood along with some Lizonian green ooze that splattered the normally clean metal. Glancing up at her and giving a sheepish look, he apologized the best he could.

“Sorry…I didn’t expect to find you awake.”

Alive was the real word he was looking for but he didn’t want to actually say that to her.

“MY CARE?! What am I supposed to do for her?”

Shiloh had heard Erik's exclamation about him caring for her and knew then that she'd been right earlier. She was nothing more than a nuisance to him. The Gods sure did have a warped sense of humor. Her face fell, even the sheepish grin he gave her didn't lift her spirits.

"Erik, I'm sorry I've caused you all of this trouble. It wasn't my intent. Maybe the Gods made a mistake in my vision. Why don't you go get cleaned up and I'll get ready to leave here. Once I'm healed, I'll leave." She looked down, fidgeting with the sheet, before looking back up again, "How are Sampson and RainStorm? Are they okay?"

She called for the nurse, asking her to help her dress when the nurse told her that her clothes had been ruined and they had to be burned for the toxin from the Lizonian's saliva. "If you could send someone for my bag that is with my horse, I have a change of clothes in it." The nurse scampered off to send someone for the bag.

"Erik, I know you don't want me here, I finally get that. In my excitement at finding you so soon, I didn't even think about you and how you would feel. My father raised me to be better than that, and I apologize. I meant what I said about leaving. I don't want to be a nuisance to you or to Mina. And I know that the last thing you want to do is care for me and miss your patrols."

She felt like crying, but she wouldn't. She was stronger than that and she wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

The nurse returned with her bag and informed her that RainStorm was kicking at his stall and the dog was crazed, having constantly tried to get into the infirmary, growling and snapping at people so the guards had to capture him and chain him in the stables.

Shiloh gave a cry at the news. She turned to Erik, "Unless you want to see me in all my glory, I'd suggest that you leave for I am getting dressed and going to the stables to collect Sampson." Her eyes became hard as ice. "He will be staying with me or I will leave today."

Not waiting for his reply or to see if he was leaving, she began to rise out of the bed, the nurse was besides herself at seeing that Shiloh meant what she said about dressing whether he was there or not.

As Erik heard Shiloh talk, he realized how harsh his words had been to her and about her. It was never his intent to make her feel unwelcome and he was only thinking about himself when he thought about the whole aid thing. She had an obligation as well and now, because of his wounded pride, she was paying the price for everything.

He deserved more than what she gave him and it was he who should have been apologizing. And by the time the nurse returned with her clothes, Erik was on his feet and letting Shiloh know, in no uncertain terms, exactly what she was going to do and leaving was not an option.

“Look…Shiloh….just hold on a second here. We got off on the wrong foot. Both of us. If anyone should be apologizing, it’s me. I was a complete ass the way I treated you. And I should have never left you alone outside the walls. When I saw you were awake and doing well when I came in, it was more of a shock to me than you’ll ever know. You don’t have to leave. What I need to do is get used to the fact I have an aid now. One that needs my help right now. I’ll take care of Sampson and RainStorm for you but you’re under strict orders to stay abed and I have to insist that you do.”

When the nurse handed Shiloh her clothes, Erik took them from both women’s grasp. Seeing the utter shock on the nurses face and the heated glare he received from Shiloh he held his hand out to stop all protests.

”Look…your shoulder was ripped up pretty good. If you move it trying to get dressed, you’ll do more harm than good and then your future as my aid or any ones aid is sunk like a rock in a stream.”

Looking at the nurse, he gestured with his hand.

”Just…find something for her she can be well covered in, modestly, that doesn’t require a lot of moving with that arm.”

Looking back to Shiloh, he let his blue eyes settle on her grey one.

”I’m gonna go check on Sampson and RainStorm. When I come back, I’ll get you then take you to the dorms to get you settled into your room next to mine.”

He saw the look in her eyes and knew he was going to have to work at this.

”Give me a chance to make up for what I’ve done and some how redeem myself with you. If after you’ve healed you don’t think things will work you between us, I’ll take you where ever you want to go. Please?”

Shiloh, still glaring at him, did listen to him and what he said.

"Fine, but I want Sampson with me. He has to get used to you IF I decide to stay."

She sat back down, noticing how badly her shoulder was beginning to ache just from her moving around this little bit. She watched as he walked out of the room and the nurse went and got her a large gown that would indeed cover her from neck to toe and it was big enough that she wouldn't have to put her left arm through the sleeve. It was ugly as hell, but she could always work on changing once she got to her room.

Once the nurse was done helping her, she felt as if she'd been enshrouded in an oversized sheet.

As Erik left Shiloh in the nurses care, he slipped into the stable and found Sampson chained to the stall RainStorm occupied and frowned deeply. The horse was making quite a ruckus and Sampson was trying his hardest to get off the chain that secured him. The stable hands were trying to calm the animals but coming at a chained dog with a pitch fork and an upset horse with a dark blanket wasn’t working. Obviously. Erik’s booming voice brought the entire chaos to a sudden halt.

”ENOUGH!”

The stable hands startled and quickly stopped. RainStorm tried to jerk his head around to see the person the voice belonged to and Sampson took a defensive stance and growled. Erik waved his hand at the stable hands and tried to keep his temper in check.

”Leave now….”

The one stable hand tried to argue.

”We was just tryin…”

Erik repeated his words again, this time through a clenched jaw.

”I said leave now.”

The stable hands quickly vacated the area. Using a soft but firm voice, Erik slowly approached Sampson. Keeping his eyes averted from the dogs, he reached out his hand to the dog all the while talking soothingly to him.

”There now, Sampson. It’s alright boy. Your mistress is doing just fine. We just need to get her back on her feet when she’s well again. What say you and I make sure we get her taken care of, huh?”

The dog was a little leery of the tall man and as Erik approached then knelt down, Sampson gave a couple of more growls before he cautiously approached and sniffed Erik’s hand. Erik never moved his hand the entire time the dog sniffed and when he finally saw the hairs on the back of the dog lay down, he gently rubbed his hand over the dogs head.

”That’s a boy. Let’s get this thing off you.”

Reaching up and unhooking the chain from around the dogs neck, Sampson shook then started for the door but was halted by Erik’s commanding voice.

”No Sampson. You can’t go see her right now and if you don’t want to end up back on this chain, I suggest you stay with me.“

Sampson looked at Erik, looked at the door, looked back at Erik then walked slowly over to stand next to the man. Erik smiled and gave the dog another pat on the head before standing up and slowly approaching RainStorm. Like with Sampson, he used a soothing voice and slowly approached the horse to make sure he understood Erik was not there to hurt him in any way.

When Erik reached the front of the stall, RainStorms eyes were still wild looking but Erik could tell he was already starting to calm down. After a few moments, he picked up a brush and started brushing the horse down. By the time he was done, RainStorm had settled nicely and was munching from the bag of oats on the side of the stall. Erik ran his hand over the horses flanks one last time then gave him an affectionate pat on the hind quarters before slipping out.

Sampson walked along beside Erik as he walked back to the infirmary. When he reached for the door, Sampson tried to force his way inside but Erik quickly closed the door. When Sampson looked up at him, Erik frowned and shook his head.

”I know this is difficult for you right now, but you gotta trust me. Wait here and I’ll be right back with Shiloh. K?”

The dog sat down then and Erik smiled before he opened the door and walked in. When he returned to Shiloh, he looked even more exhausted but he gave her a smile all the same. Seeing that she had been dressed in the night gown, he was satisfied that would do just fine. Seeing the look on her face he knew she was in pain and worried about her companions.

”Come on….let’s get you out of here.”

As Shiloh got out of bed, Erik was there to help support her on her good arm. His one arm draped around the small of her back while the other rested easy on her shoulder nearest him, he guided her out of the infirmary and she was greeted by a jubilant Sampson that Erik had to make understand his mistress was not in the best of health yet.

Instead of walking her straight to the dorms across the compound, he escorted her to the stables and directly to RainStorm. Leaving her alone with the horse, he told her not to move and that he would come get her directly. A couple of minutes later, Erik returned as promised and after she said her goodbye to the horse, guided her to a waiting wagon. Without asking, he scooped her up and set her in the seat taking care not to jolt her injured arm. Once she was in the seat, he climbed up in it as well and picked up the reins to snap them gently over the horse.

Sampson jumped up into the back and rode along as they made their way across the expanse to the riders dorms. Pulling the wagon up in front of his dorms, he jumped off the seat and walked around to help her down. Like before, he scooped her up and instead of setting her on her feet, he proceeded to carry her into the vacant room next to his, setting her down on the soft bed, Sampson following close behind.

The room was identical to his with the only difference of a door in the wall connecting the two. Making sure she had fresh water and a glass to drink from, he stifled a yawn as best he could and looked down at her with a tired smile.

”If you’re good to go for now, I’d like to get a couple hours shut eye. If you need anything, just yell. I’ll leave the door open between the rooms. Of course you could always send Sampson in to me as well.”

"Thank you, Erik." Shiloh reached down and patted Sampson's head who promptly jumped up onto the bed and snuggled in close to Shiloh on her uninjured side.

Seeing Erik yawn, her gray eyes softened. "Go, lay down, sleep. I will be fine and I'll probably take a nap as well. Thank you again, Erik."

Shiloh got comfortable, settling in next to Sampson and quickly drifted off, her breathing much stronger than the night before. Sampson raised his head and his soft brown eyes stared into Erik's blue ones. He gave a soft 'woof' before laying his head down next to Shiloh's.

There was no doubt Erik could have slept a few more hours but he also knew Shiloh needed tending to. Forcing himself out of his comfortable bed a few hours after he had exhaustedly fallen into it, he rose and washed his face before tussling his blond hair to make it look not so unruly. He then dressed in a blue tunic with a wide, leather belt, leaving the neck untied and pair of brown, well fitting trousers tucked into a pair of soft boots that wrapped around his calves and tied at the top.

Hoping he didn’t look too tired, he walked from his bedroom into the main room and over to the door that separated his room from Shiloh’s. Staying well on his side of the wall, he knocked on the door frame and waited for an answer. When he didn’t receive one right away, he dared to peek inside and saw that Sampson was laying next to Shiloh with his head raised and his ears alert. Erik’s gaze shifted to the woman still sleeping in the bed next to the dog. Letting his eyes take in her features for the first time he wondered why he didn’t realize how beautiful she was. He’d seen her malevolent eyes turn from a soft grey to stormy in no time flat but other than that, he’d never really paid much attention to her . He surmised it was due to the fact he was too upset by hr sudden presence and proclamation of being his aid. Something he hoped he would never have to deal with.

But now he did and he had to resign himself to that fact. And he might as well get to like it. It wasn’t like he was the only one that had an aid. In fact, Erik was the last one to get one. He thought for the longest time he wasn’t going to have one. And by a strange twist of fate, she literally dropped into his world.

With a deep sigh, he turned on his heel and shook his head to clear his thoughts. His stomach reminded him he hadn’t eaten in a few hours and he slipped out of his room to get some food for both of them. Not sure what Shiloh liked to eat, he gathered up the same thing for her he got for himself. A bowl of hearty venison stew with fresh vegetables. A loaf of fresh baked, wheat bread. A small bowl of butter a bottle of red wine and two goblets. Getting the stuff situated on a large tray, he carefully made his way back to his room and set the tray down on a table in the far corner near the window.

Getting everything off the tray and setting the table properly, even taking the time to pour the wine in the glasses to let it breathe, he made sure Shiloh’s chair was pulled out for her before he walked back over to the door that separated their rooms. Once more he knocked and this time he heard her invite him in. Straightening his back and squaring his shoulders he stepped through the doorway and into her room. She was sitting back against her pillow and he felt a pang of guilt wash over him again for seeing her invalid like she was right now.

”I took the liberty of getting us both some food. I hope you like venison stew. I have it set up in my room. I know how tiresome laying around all day in bed can be and was thinking you might like to sit up long enough to eat dinner as well as stretch your legs.”

Giving her an easy smile, he raised both brows.

”What do ya say? Join me for dinner?”

Shiloh smiled at Erik, knowing he was trying hard to make things up to her. And, he was right, she hated lying around and she hated that she had to rely on someone else for her needs.

"Yes, I would love to join you for dinner, thank you." That was when her stomach growled and none too quietly. She blushed, looking down at the horrible gown she was wearing.

As she swung her long legs over the side of the bed, she moved wrong and the pain in her shoulder brought a small cry to her lips. As she sat there, breathing through it, she noticed that Erik was immediately by her side, Sampson sitting behind her, watching Erik intently.

"Sorry, I moved wrong. How long did the doc say I was going to be like this?"

With Erik's help, she made it to the table in his room, Sampson trotting beside them. As he got her seated, her stomach growled again when she smelled the stew and fresh bread.

"How is RainStorm doing? Is he being treated well, has he settled down?" She waited while Erik fixed her a bowl of the stew, setting it down before her along with some sliced bread. Taking a bite of the stew, she closed her eyes, savoring the taste. She hadn't realized just how hungry she was until then.

She watched Erik while he ate, noticing how tired he still looked. She told herself to make sure that once they were done, and he helped her to the bathroom, she would make it a point to be tired so that he too, would get some more rest.

While Erik was not the type of man to pamper any woman, he wasn’t the type that liked to see a woman in pain either. So when Shiloh cried out in pain, he was across the room with just a few strides of his long legs and giving her a worried look. When she reassured him she was OK, he didn’t really believe her but decided to let it go all the same.

“The next few days, at least. All depends on how well they cleaned the poison out of the wound and how well the poultice helps with the healing process.”

When she got to her feet, she swayed slightly and Erik seriously considered just carrying her to the table but that wouldn’t have been any good for her. She had to regain her strength back and doing the basic things for her wasn’t going to help her in the least.

When he made sure her food was prepared for her he finally sat down across from her and took a few bites of his own food. Knowing how hungry she really was brought a small sense of relief to him. If she had an appetite, that was a good sign. It was if she lost it things were about to take a turn for the worse.

While Erik was a fighter to the truest sense of the word, that didn’t mean he wasn’t without manners. He ate wit the correct utensils and made sure he swallowed his food before he talked. When she asked all those questions in one breath, he couldn’t help but chuckle. Setting his spoon down, he chewed on his food then swallowed it down with a sip of the wine.

”You realize you asked those questions in one breath, right?”

When he saw the look on her face as well as the color brighten in her cheeks, he leaned his head back and laughed then settled a mirthful, blue gaze to her shocked, gray one.

”It’s OK, Shiloh. I’d be doing the same thing if the shoe were on the other foot. But rest easy. RainStorm, while not all that happy about his housing arrangements, is doing just fine. In fact, I brushed him down myself before I went back to get you from the infirmary. I’m sure he would love to see his mistress but I can’t take the chance of taking you out in broad daylight to see him.”

Seeing the look change on her face, he merely gave her a conspirators wink before he took another good bite of the stew and bread. The rest of the dinner was relatively quiet and when the food was done, he helped her walk over to a long couch to sit down and set her glass of wine down on the table next to her. Leaving the table as it was for now, he joined her by sitting in an oversized, cushioned chair off to her right with his own glass of wine that had been refilled.

”I’ve taken the liberty of ordering a bath for you. I figured you’d like to have one. I know a bath felt damn good to me after I had to lay around all day. I’ve also asked Mrs. Winston to send one of the house maids over to assist you in getting in and out of the tub. I’ll tend to your wound to make sure it’s healing correctly.”

Seeing the sudden easiness that gathered in her eyes, he quickly clarified.

”As part of my duties when your care has been turned over to the rider is to inspect the wound made by a Lizonian to insure it’s healing correctly. We all know what to look for as it could mean the difference between life and death for us in the field. In time, you’ll know as well.”

He looked down for a moment and took a sip of wine before he looked back to her again.

”I’d feel much better if you allowed yourself to be fitted with some armor. It would help protect you in situations like this in the future and it would certainly set my mind at ease. Since you’ll be on the ground, it will be you they fire at first. Mina and I usually come in to wipe out the area but only after you’ve confirmed their presence. You don’t have to say one way or the other right now. Just…consider it.”

Taking a deep breath, he smiled again.

”So tell me….since you’re my aid now, what skills do you have? Do you shoot a bow? I see you carry a blade and you know how to use it but is there anything else you know?”

Shiloh's eyes looked confused at the mention of a bow. "I should have my mother's crossbow with me." Panic filled her eyes when she realized that all she had was her sword and dagger.

"Oh no. Maybe it's with my gear in the stables." She breathed deeply, calming herself, sipping the wine. "My mother was an aid, to your commander. She died a few years ago to a Lizonian attack." She took another sip, "My father handed her sword and crossbow over to me before I left to find you. I am an expert bowswoman and pretty good with the sword and dagger." She takes another sip, beginning to feel even more relaxed.

"I am a Celtonian and the chiefs daughter. I have no siblings and plenty of cousins." She smiles, thinking about her youngest cousin, Teigan. He was 6 years old and kept the whole clan on their toes.

"As for the armor, when I'm healed, I would greatly appreciate being fitted, especially after what has happened." She turned thoughtful, taking another sip, "Erik, the Lizonian that bit me, he was different. His skin had a red hue to it instead of the bluish-green, his head was more squared, and his eyes," she shivered thinking about his eyes, "they were gold with a rimmed with a wide, red circle. I've never seen anything like him before. And the toxin in his saliva worked much more quickly than normal. I was down within minutes and my arm and shoulder started burning almost immediately."

Erik was relieved to hear she was skilled with the bow. It would certainly be better for her and him as well knowing she could fire off shots at a distance instead of having to engage the Lizonians hand to hand. Taking a sip of the wine, he swallowed it down and nodded.

”I’m glad to hear that. We’ll check your equipment in the stable later. It’s far better to fire off shots at a distance than it is to engage hand to hand, as you have discovered. They are like a pack of rabid dogs when you got too close. As you fend off one, three more are behind you getting ready to take a swipe at you with those damn tails of theirs or bite a chunk out of your hide. We never try to engage with them in tight quarters. If you ever do have to face them at close range, draw them out in an open area. They can’t hide then.”

When he heard her heritage and the fact her mother was Kryton’s own aid, things began to make sense. Kryton had never gone mad when any of the other aids had been injured or attacked. Erik thought he was over reacting but now he knew why.

”I’ll make sure the blacksmith knows your coming so he can be prepared to fit you with some armor. And thank you for agreeing to it. It makes the difference between life and death. Trust me. I can testify to that first hand.”

When he heard the description of the Lizonian, he didn’t seem all that surprised and nodded again as he took another sip of his wine then furrowed his brow.

”We’ve seen them before. They are an evolved form of the Lizonians. They are quite deadly indeed. You’re even luckier than you think. Most people don’t survive their attacks. Their poison works extremely fast. We can’t figure out if they are evolving naturally or….if they’re getting help from an outside source. If it’s from an outside source, we’ve got trouble. If it’s naturally then we can control it. Only problem with both of those scenarios is the fact we don’t know where their lair is located. And it’s not like they leave a well marked trail for us to follow.”

"My mother found out before she died that they are not naturally evolved. When she was attacked, a sorcerer was with them and he was controlling the red-hued ones more than the others." She looked down at Sampson, rememberin the day she'd found her mother lying in a pool of her own blood, just outside their village.

Kryton had just dropped off Eleanor, close to her village. They'd gone on patrol early, for her vacation was starting that very day. He'd left her close enough to the village, so he thought, but she never made it home. A group of Lizoninans had been waiting, hidden well with a sorcerer's aid.

When Shiloh had felt that something was amiss, she went out, searching for what it was that had made her uneasy. She'd found her mother, lying in a pool of blood, her body all but shredded. With her last breath she told Shiloh about the sorcerer and how he'd called the red Lizoninans his greatest creations. Then, she'd died.

Kryton and his dragon, having heard the commotion after dropping Eleanor off, rushed back only to find Shiloh holding his aid, her mother, dead in her arms. The young girl was hysterical and Kryton had had a hell of time getting her to let go of her mother and get them back to the village.

Shiloh didn't realize that she had tears running down her cheeks as she told Erik what had happened to her mother and how she knew that the red Lizonians had been created.

Wiping her cheeks, she smiled at him, "We never found their lair either, and father and I searched for days. I haven't seen Kryton since then. I think he feels responsible for Mother's death, even though it's not his fault."

She takes another sip of her wine, finishing it when she hears a knock at the door. It's the maid from the aids' building, having arrived to help Shiloh with her bath.