Date: Sun, 6 Nov 2005 18:40:43 -0600 (CST)
From: "Barbara A. Matthews" <carolyn@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-J] Truth or Fiction (JP) ((Part one))
(Part one of two)
They talked for a while. Fig telling him as little as possible about
how
she came to be there other then at Wisp's insistence. The truth was
just
to far out for him to understand. Finally Jerram decided she had told
him
enough for now and Jerram got up from the chair where he'd been
sitting,
he nearly fell forward as his bodies tiredness finally caught up with
him.
Fig leaned forward and caught him.
"Are you okay? She asked as he pulled himself upright and shook his
head
as if to clear it.
"I'm fine," he replied. "Don't concern yourself about it. And don't
leave
this apartment until I come back for you."
"What if I get hungry?" she quipped, regretting it the moment his
fingers
came up to caress the underside of her chin. She shouldn't have said
anything but she was slightly hurt that he still distrusted her.
"I'll have something brought to you," he told her and then forced her
head
up to face him. "Do NOT leave this apartment for any reason or I will
make
you live to regret it. Do you understand?"
She couldn't speak. His touch was sort circuiting her thought center,
so
she nodded her acceptance of his order.
After he had left, she went back inside the living area, sank back down
onto the couch where she'd been sitting and brought her hands up to rub
at
her face. Then she slump back along the soft cousins and stared at the
patterns on the ceiling above her as she thought about how badly she
has
screwed up her arrival.
For what seemed like an hour she sat there, and then remembered that
Kasha
still wore the saddle she'd arrived in, and quickly made her way to the
front door and out onto the dragon's ledge. Surely this counted as
being
in the apartment. After all he couldn't mean to make the dragon sleep
with
all her gear still handing from her sides.
It took her two trips to get all her things inside. On the first trip
she
had looked around to make sure no one was watching her as she retrieved
her sword and other weapons from the spots where she had them hidden.
She
didn't know why she didn't want anyone to know about them, but she knew
Jerram would become even more suspicious of her then he already was if
he
saw them. She wondered what he would think of her if she told him that
they... No.. best not to think about it. There was nothing she could do
and didn't need the heartache to confuse her mind from the business at
hand. That life for her was over unless she could do what she came here
to
do.
Once she had everything inside, she decided she needed a bath to take
away
the feeling of griminess from her travels. If she was going to play the
part of young niece.. then she had better look the part. So off to the
bathing room she went.
She must have been more upset and tired then she thought for she didn't
see then man who was standing out on the green next to a sleeping
dragon
watching her. Nor did she see the look of anger on his face when he saw
the sword she had been trying so hard to hide. As she walked back
inside
he stood there glaring ,trying to decide what his next move would be.
The bathing room was nice a big room. Bigger then her own rooms at
home.
She let out a long sigh when she saw the tub was deep and wide with a
small head rest chipped into the stone at one end, and figured it was
there to rest your head if you chose to just lay there and float.
Floating
in warm water sounded real good about now, but she didn't want to take
to
long, for she didn't know when Jerram would come back and didn't want
to
be caught in the tub by him.
.........
She was tired. Even after the bath she had just taken. Her eyes went to
the darkly colored bruises blossoming on her arms where Jerram had
grabbed
her and she winced as she ran her fingers over the ones on her left
arm.
She thought back to the man who's touch had made her body melt and
shiver,
who's gentleness had made her whimper. That man would never had hurt
her
nor left bruises such as these... Even though this man was that man..
he
wasn't... Her line of though was doing nothing but confusing her, and
maybe that's why she missed the signs.
She all but tripped over the bags in the middle of the room before she
noticed them. The same bags she had just brought inside a bit ago. They
had been gone through by someone who was looking for something, and Fig
knew she was in trouble. She would have to come up with something to
tell
Jerram, for she was sure it had been him who had searched through her
things. Something that would satisfy him. But nothing would come to
mind.
She entered the kitchen area trying to figure out what type of things
he
would ask her about why she was loaded down with weapons when she
realized
she was not alone in the room. Turning quickly, hand going to the knife
on
her hip, Fig was surprised to find Jerram sitting in one of her chairs,
leaning back at her table with his back against the wall. Her defense
movement had not gone unnoticed by the trained Swordsmaster. Nor had
the
addition of the blade she now carried.
"Who are you?" he demanded in a soft tone that did not fool her for a
moment. "And what are you really doing here in Jasra?"
Dropping her hand away from the knife hilt, she stood there looking
back
at the eyes that refused to let her look away. Her mouth going dry as
she
tried to come up with another lie to give him.
"You know who I am.. The letter and your talk with Trap's dragon Diemis
told you who I was," she replied in a forced tone. Her heart was racing
and she knew he was just this close from losing it. But she couldn't
tell
him the truth.. Not yet. Not until she knew she could trust him.
But then he wasn't in the mood to give her that time. The sound of the
front chair legs hitting the floor sounded like a cannon going off in
the
room. She flinched but could not move as he advanced towards her.
Besides
which, she knew he'd be on her in a second if she'd tried to flee.
And then her feet did move as he advanced, backwards until she was
stopped
by the hard stone wall. "Please.. Don't hurt me again.. I told you.."
"A bunch of lies or half truths," he counted and brought one hand up,
using the back of his fingers to caress the underside of her chin. She
couldn't move. For a second his hard green eyes watched his hand, and
then
slowly raised them to look into hers as his fingers moved to circle her
neck. His other hand moved to the knife on her hip. Pulled it from it's
casing, glanced at it for a second before throwing it across the room.
"I want the truth darling," his voice still deadly low. "It would be so
easy to just snap your neck and put an end to any trouble you might
cause
The Warrenlady before you have the chance... but I'll give you
one-more-chance to tell me the truth.. You would do well to be *very*
truthful because I'm at the end of my limits with patience and I'm
about
to explode. You do NOT want to be the one to push me over the edge."
Fig believed him.
"I'm not here to cause trouble for her, I swear," she promised, knowing
he
wouldn't leave it alone until he knew the truth. She could only pray
that
he would keep what she was about to tell him to himself. "I'm here to
protect her."
"Lord Darden?"
"He sent me here, which is where I wanted to come.. but he didn't know
that or why," she told him. "He found myself and Kasha near death and
nursed us back to health. Then he trained me at first as a way to get
my
body back into shape.. but I was good at what he was teaching me.. What
he
didn't know was that I'd already learned from the best teacher around.
Someone I'd grown up with and called Uncle. So he taught me more and
more
until he decided I was ready..."
"Ready for what?" Jerram pushed when she went quiet. His fingers
tighten
for a brief second causing her to gasp. Then he release her and
grabbing
her arm forced her back to the table and into a seat.
"We're going to sit here until I think you've told me the whole truth,
and
I will know if you are lying to me darling.. So think twice before you
do."
She looked up at him, eyes taking in ever line of the face that was so
familiar to her. A face she had grown up loving, just as she had grown
in
love with him as she became an adult. It had taken her a long time to
convince him she wasn't to young for him. And she had to fight the
ghost
of a woman he had once loved and lost. But in the end.. she had won his
heart. She looked into the eyes of the man she would one day love...
and
knew he had to know the truth. This was not something she could do
alone.
With him by her side, just as he had always been.. but not in the way
she
could remember so well.. maybe together they could save the world she
had
known.
"My real name is Kayara. But Wisp and Trap call me Fig. As in figment
of
the imagination," she said finally, her body slumping in the chair as
if
giving in to his demands.. or maybe as if feeling like a load was about
to
be taken off her shoulders. She only prayed she was doing the right
thing.
Who knew if he would believe her or not.
"That's a start," his voice still cold, making her remember that this
was
not the man she loved. Not yet anyway.
"Lord Daren is family.. but he is not my father," she told him. "He is
my
Uncle.. my Great Uncle since you want the truth... Even if he does not
know that fact... yet."
"You're *great Uncle*," he was quick on the up take, she'd give him
that.
"How can that be.. Tara and Ansel are his only..."
"Kin.. In this time and place that is true," she announced, and saw the
confusion in his eyes. "Look... I'm going to need some time to explain
all
this to you.. and in the end you might still want to .. Snap my neck..
but
please... listen to what I have to say first even if it sounds
unbelievable.. a lot of lives depend on it.. lives of people I love.
Like
you." The last line slid out so quietly she hadn't realized she's said
it
allowed. Or that the man across the table had heard her.
He grabbed one of the other chairs ad turned it around, slamming it to
the
grown before straddling it. His arms came down heavily on the table
before
him. "Start explaining."
"How much do you know about time shifts?"
Jerram glared at her and narrowed his eyes. "I know the old stories
about
people traveling time, but I only know two people who've done it, Hsina
and that assassin who came after her." He looked even more closely at
her. "And don't tell me you're from that 'Assyria' place, you don't
have
the look to go along with the story."
"No.." she shook her head. Were I'm from is a lot stranger and you'll
find
it hard to believe, she thought to herself, then said aloud. "I'm not
from
'Assyria'."
She asked if she could get a drink of water for her mouth was dry and
she
expected to do quite a bit of talking before he was through with her.
He
nodded his head and watched as she got up and went to the cabinet to
pull
down two glasses.
"Want some?" and he nodded his head again. She could feel his eyes
following her as she moved around the kitchen area and then as she
retook
the seat across from him. He thanked her for the water (wishing it were
something a bit stronger) and took a sip.
Suddenly Jerram's head shot up and his eyes bore into hers for the
moment
making her afraid. "You said you name was Kayara.... Kay... Tara... "
"They are my parents..." she finally admitted as her eyes watched his
to
see what his reaction to her confession would be. "Or they will be in
the
future. That's the reason I came back in time... to prevent something
that
will happen that can change the course of time and change the future
that
I come from."
He looked closely at her, and then saw why she had looked so familiar.
She
had Tara's face and eyes, but the shape of the mouth and chin reminded
him
of a more feminine version of Kay. And she had the color and curls of
Kay's, just longer. Still, her story was almost too fantastic to be
believed. But, then again, so was the Scepter of Ythfaru...and he'd
learned how real that was, the hard way. Not to mention sorcery and
other
nasty things.
"Okay, say I believe you," he told her, looking skeptical. "What is
this
'event' that you've come back to change? Would have been nice if you
could
have come a couple days ago and let us know we were going to be
attacked."
"It doesn't work that way," she glared at him. "It's not like I have
some
sort of crystal ball that let's me see what's past and what's to
come... I
just know that something happens here that is causing rips in the time
line ahead and if I don't stop it then my time line will change and
life
as I know it will cease to be. If what happens here isn't stopped then
it
will cause all kinds of problems with the magic around us.... I've been
floating between two different possible lives in my time because of
magical shifts and the bad one is starting to win out. In that life the
Warren is gone and the waste creatures have taken over. People are
living
day by day with little hope and little food and only a few dragons are
left... In the other I had a family and a mate and we have a chi.. I
had a
good life. It was a wonderful life.. that's why I had to come here to
this
time... I have to stop what ever it is that happens here so I stop the
time rips and bring the two time lines back together."
Jerram sighed, turning toward the window and looking out over the gray
ocean waves. "Maybe you're too late," he said. "Our
wingleader...died...yesterday." He had to choke back a sob, and
realized
that this was the first time he's spoken of it aloud. "Maybe that's the
disaster you were supposed to stop."
"I'm sorry to hear about your Wingleader... It's never easy losing a
rider
and their dragon," Figs voice was soft when she spoke. She had lost a
few
friends herself and knew how hard it could be to deal with. After a
moments silence to show her respect, she went on.
"I'm not to late... At lease I don't think so, but why I'm here has
nothing to do with the Brave Wingleader who was lost.. and everything
to
do with someone else. Someone who's life could mean the difference
between
the life and death of this Warren and all the lands around it."
What she hadn't told him yet but knew she was going to have too was
that
the something that happened was the death of his beloved Warrenlady..
and
her own mother. Tara.. She had to explain to him the things happening
in
her time line and the difference between the two of them. Tara had to
live
to make the time line right.
"It's my mother... Tara. She will die soon if I can't stop what is
going
to happen.. and if she does... my life as I've know it will never be
the
same."
Jerram whirled around. "Tara may die anyway...she was stabbed by
Oga...yesterday! Or can you save her from that?" He watched the girl
intently, wondering if she might have something from the future that
could
help save Tara from her injuries. He looked at her expectantly.
She sadly shook her head. She hadn't known it was THAT battle. Her
parents
had told her stories about the time the sea people and the Warren had
had
a big battle and her mother had been hurt but had survived. They had
never
told her how serious her injuries had been. But the result of the
battle
had brought a new understanding between the two peoples, and in her
time
line they were great allies.
"You may not believe me, but she will be alright," Fig's voice was
soft.
"I remember my parents telling me stories about the battle between the
Landers and Sea People.. so she comes out of it alive if that is any
comfort to you."
He seemed to relax a little at her words and nodded his head slightly
as
if thankful for her words.
"In my world.. the timeline I grew up in.. I had a wonderful life," she
told him and her mind seem to slip back to her past as she told him
about
her life.
"My parents were both loving and strong. They taught me early in life
what
duty was, and made sure I grew up to show respect for all peoples
around
us, in the Warrens, the Landbound, and the people of the Sea. I learned
how to talk and *listen* to my father from the time I was born. His
deafness was never a problem it was always something that was just
there.
He was the best father a girl could have... He always let me do my own
thing, but trusted me to know the difference between right and wrong..
He
could also be very strict, and would call me if I acted in a way
unbecoming for the daughter of the Warrenlady. They both showed me a
world
filled with love and I never doubted their love for me or each other
for a
moment."
"When did you join with your dragon?" he asked, though she had the
feeling
it wasn't the question he had wanted to ask.
"I joined with Kasha when I was 15. I wasn't suppose to be on the sands
then, but she came to find me in the med center where I was after
falling
off a cliff side when the rock I stepped on gave out from under me... I
had my first mating flight when I was 18.. and Kasha has only let one
male
fly her in the last five years... which makes me 23," she told him,
then
added, " Now why don't you ask me what you really want to ask me?"
"Tell me about the second timeline?" he said and she felt he was
avoiding
the real question, but she let it pass.
Fig shivered. She really didn't want to talk about the other time line,
but knew she had to so Jerram would get the whole picture of what she
was
fighting.
"In that time line... Mother is.. dead.." she had to swallow a lump and
take a sip of the water in the glass on the table in front of her
before
she could go on. "This thing... I'm here to prevent... is what killed
her... After that Father fell into a deep despair and lost his will to
live. He began to drink and stopped taking care of himself and barley
took
care of Sabbith his dragon...then one day the magic shifted and Kay was
so
drunk that he couldn't hear Sabbith calling him when the magic wavered
and
when he did finally come too.. it was to late.. Sabbith was gone and
Kay
got even worse..."
She heard a gasp and turned to find the color had drained from Jerram's
face. She knew just how he felt. She had felt the same way the first
time
she had found herself in the second timeline and learned of Sabbith's
death... and seen for herself how far her father had fallen.
"Something I don't understand, though," he told her. "You say you grew
up
in one...timeline...where Tara lived...and she and Kay were good,
loving
parents. And then you talk about this other timeline, where Tara is
dead
and Kay ends up...well, losing his mind. How can you have experienced
both? How can you know all of this?"
"I haven't told you the worse of it," she told him with a deep sigh.
"Nothing was the same there... the Warren was gone and what people who
were left were hiding out in caves to avoid the wraiths and other waste
creatures.. We'd lost all connection to the Sea People and couldn't
even
try to get to any of the other Warrens for help because it was unsafe
to
travel...
"But that doesn't explain how *you* know of the two time lines," Jerram
repeated, and got up to search the cabinets to see if he could find
something stronger then the water in his glass. He had a feeling he was
going to need it.
"I seem to be the catalyst between the two different times," she shook
her
head a bit as if trying to figure out how to explain when she wasn't
very
sure of. "I'm the only one who seems to travel between the two and knew
the difference. In the bad line I ran into an old wise man who tried to
explain it to me, but I couldn't decide if he was half crazy or all the
way gone by the time he was finished, but he told me that only I could
*set* the timeline.. to repair the rips, and meld them together. He
told
me that I had to go back in time and make sure Tara lived.. she's the
key
to all of this.. if she lives all the world is right... if she dies..
then
life as we know it will cease to be and the waste creatures will win."
"And could you travel between these...these timelines, whenever you
wanted?" Jerram asked. "Or would you be in one, and then just suddenly
wake up in the morning and find yourself in the other?" He sighed,
taking
down the bottle he'd been looking for along with two glasses. "I'm
sorry,
this is...difficult. Our healer Balagon would probably tell me I'm
still
in a state of shock after what...what happened yesterday. And if I told
him what you're telling me now, he'd probably tell me I should be put
away
for my own good." He set the glasses down and poured two drinks. He
tossed his off at a gulp and stared evenly at her, waiting to hear
more.
She took what appeared to be a challenge and downed her own drink,
thinking of how many times they had done this same thing together..
"It was more like the second way..." she said and held out the glass
for a
refill. While he poured it she went on. "I never knew when the shift
was
going to take place. I would be talking to someone and turn to look at
something and when I'd turn back... I'd be in the other time. The old
wizard who told me about the rip in time told me where I could find the
rip to get me here.. in this timeline and what I needed to do when I
got
here. What he forgot to tell me or maybe he didn't know was that Kasha
and
I would both suffer from a black out.. and that's how we were injured
when
Wisp found us... He doesn't know who I am by the way.. or why I'm
here."
"So who does know?" Jerram asked, downing his own second drink and then
forcing himself to put the glass aside. "Am I the only one you've told
all this to?" He'd assumed, after hearing her tale, that Wisp at least
knew. If anyone could figure out something like this, it would be Wisp
or
perhaps Trap. As for Jerram himself, he felt like he was getting in way
over his head.
*** Submitted by: *****
Barbara aka:
Fig & Kasha
John aka:
Jerram & Seydor
Jasra Warren
Summary: Fig fills Jerram in on the reason she has shown up in Jasra.
And
has asked him not to tell anyone who she is...
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