Heya, here's more!

rainbowrose- Don't worry, I'll continue updating. I swear. You don't need to chain me to the keyboard…really you don't! *Makes a break for it and runs away*

Please see introduction for disclaimer regarding this work.

Chapter Twenty Three

Why I?

It was near dawn and the sun colored the desert horizon pink with its coming. It was a beautiful and inspiring sight, although one neither Yahla nor Darnik welcomed. With the rise of the sun the desert grew hot and unbearable for any unaccustomed living creature. It also signaled to the two travelers that it was time to stop and rest until the heat of the day departed again.

However, this time Yahla did not pull the sandflier over and prepare to stop for the day. Instead she kept the vehicle moving, though her foot eased slightly on the pedal. Darnik glanced at her with a frown. "Hey, what's up?" After over two weeks in the desert, he and Yahla had established somewhat of a routine, traveling by night and sleeping by day. They had also grown to have more than an uncertain tolerance for one another. Darnik had found himself dismissing his original species induced doubts about her and at some point begun to respect and admire the female. In return, the dragoness had begun to trust him more and occasionally would speak of her past to the human. He had been startled to learn her age, but after a point he found that reminders of her strangeness no longer disturbed him. He had the feeling that she was fond of him, even if she thought he was insane. She tolerated his odd sense of humor, and he had even managed to make her laugh once or twice.

The dragoness made a brief gesture to the landscape before them, and Darnik could almost make something out if he squinted. However, the rising sun had dazzled his eyes and he turned to his friend for further information. He seemed to find himself relying on Yahla's keen eyes often these days. She responded to his questioning look patiently, "'Tis an oasis. 'Twould be best to refill our supplies of water and food there while it is available."

"Are you sure we should?" he asked, remembering all the cautionary tales he'd heard of visitors to the desert dying of water they'd thought safe to drink. "In the desert only an oasis with polluted water is left unoccupied."

She turned to look at him strangely. "There be a village about it, Darnik."

"…Oh."

They neared the oasis soon enough, and Darnik had to cling to the rail as Yahla swerved to a stop and jumped down from the sandflier. Yahla drove like a bat out of hell, and as her familiarity with the sandflier's controls had grown her daring had grown. He followed behind her as her feet touched down on the sand and she headed off at a trot.

Yahla walked into the small settlement with Darnik at her side, drawing the usual assortment of odd looks from the locals. The tiny oasis housed over a dozen tents and sandstone buildings that ringed the pool. The inhabitants greeted them politely, apparently used to guests of all shapes and sizes. A few minutes later they were refilling the water tanks on their sandflier and packing newly purchased food away for later. The friendly villagers offered use of one of their tents if Yahla and Darnik wished to rest for the day. Since the sun was already clearing the horizon, they accepted and prepared to sleep out the heat.

Fou-Lu glanced down at the sick bed and its occupant. General Rhun lay there, so still and pale that the dragon had to resist the pull to check his pulse to see whether he still drew breath. He had lingered near death for almost a week, now. Fou-lu had pressed some of his life force on the human when he had first fallen, but he had only barely survived, and whether he would heal or die remained a question. Fou-Lu couldn't say with total honesty how he felt about the situation. Rhun was only a mortal, but he had become a friend and bore the blood of Mal-Heu. It had been that bloodline that originally encouraged Fou-Lu, slow to befriend or trust, to accept the friendship. A friend…But four mortal companions there have been in mine long life…and this Rhun be the last of them. Then again, wasn't that why he distanced himself from humans so? Overbid them an eon I will… Little wonder that of all the dragons, it e'er hath been only Yahla and I that dwelleth near or e'en with those of mortal kind.

One of the healer's assistants entered, carrying a platter on one arm. Fou-Lu had opted on lunchtime in which to check on his friend, and the healer had sent his assistant to see that their ruler didn't forget to eat. He had done that several days ago, and it had rather excessively worried the kitchen staff. In this time of crisis, the last thing any of his mortal servants wanted was for him to be unable to handle the situation due to malnourishment or simple ill health. He hadn't bothered informing them that he had no real need to eat.

More to placate the humans than anything else, Fou-Lu swiped a morsel from the tray and nibbled on an edge, waving the servant off when more was offered. He chewed, prepared to swallow…then the alarms went off in his head.

He spat out what he had chewed and lunged for the poisoner, who dropped the tray and sprinted for the door. The man didn't get far. The instant poison he himself had taken slew him before Fou-Lu could do more than reach the body, and see the mocking expression on its face.

He would not let it go at that. The dead body's soul, freed, escaped its mortal prison…but not his metaphysical hands.

He heard the ghost scream in rage at its predicament, but ignored it and ordered the specter, "Speak."

It was instinct that woke her, jolting her out of her dreams an instant before a heavy hand closed over her face. She struck out instantly, lashing out with a clawed hand to rake the human across the eyes. The man released her and she knocked the club he carried from his hand before he could recover. She rose quickly, whirling to dodge the attack of a second mortal. Her pregnancy slowed her movement and the human clipped her on the shoulder with his weapon, spinning her into the other side of the tent. She kept her feet under her this time, and was ready for the first man's attack when it came. She caught him in the face with the back of one of her wings, and as he stumbled, she raked the back of one leg with her clawed toes. The human fell, effectively hamstrung, and she ripped him open with her talons. The other human came at her while she was thus occupied, but she caught him in the face with an elbow and sent him to the ground with her following right hook.

Yahla stood quietly panting as the last man gurgled his life out on the floor, his windpipe collapsed in on itself from her last blow. It was daytime outside the tent, and the sweltering heat produced sweat that clung to her like a second skin. Tuning her ears to the world outside the awning, she heard the villagers going about their daily chores, but nothing suspicious. With a last glance at the door to the tent, she dragged the two dead men father back into the shadows and performed a rudimentary search of the two bodies. The search turned up nothing. As she could determine nothing of their origin and the dragoness slipped quietly out into the daylight.

Her pupils shrunk to pinpoints as the glaring sun hit them, and she stood blinking dumbly in the light before her vision reasserted itself. Then she moved toward the tent beside her own, where Darnik had been offered a place to rest. The tent flap was closed and there was no sound from inside. She nudged the flap open and slipped in, again forced to pause as her eyes readjusted to the poor lighting.

Darnik was inside, sound asleep and sprawled haphazardly across his bedding. From appearances he had suffered no attacks, and the dragon couldn't help but be mildly dismayed at confirmation that she had been the sole target. For what reason I?

Dismissing her thoughts for the time being, Yahla stepped over to her unconscious companion and shook him awake.

"What the fuck?!" the human demanded as he came awake suddenly and violently, groping around in the dim light for his spear. "Who…" He stopped as his eyes focused on the dragon standing over him. "What is it?" the windian asked again, reducing his volume at her signal.

She made no real response, motioning for him to stand and gather his things, "We quit this place. Now."