AN- I just realized that the asterisk won't work on this text format, so when I tried to define something, it didn't show up. An Erolia is any hybrid of the Ryushnia.

DISCLAIMER: only the events, and Aalen are mine. Everything else is the bloody brilliant creation of Miss Sherwood Smith.

Chapter seven.

Roses are red, pansies are pink. The stuff ain't mine, no matter WHAT you think.

(Cept for Aalen and the charrie interaction)

'How could I have been so stupid!' Tyron berated himself mentally. 'All of the signs, the clues, I should have picked up on it earlier!' He started to mumble to himself again, but this time he woke up Connor.

"Oh, shut it, will you? I got enough of that mumbling when we were roommates... TYRON? Gods above, it's you!" Tyron turned just quick enough to be caught in a hug... though not a bone crushing one that Connor gave almost everyone; his time in here must have weakened him.

"Connor! You evil little bastard, why are you here? Wren is looking for you, and her wyrd. In fact, where is here?" Connor didn't look to pleased.

"She's doing WHAT?!? And how the HELL am I supposed to know?!" he shouted, waking up the rest of their "cage mates."

"Connor! Thank the GODS you're ok!" He was enveloped in a huge hug from Tess. Well, as much as one of Connor's size be enveloped by one of Tess's. He hugged her back, but was still a bit perturbed. His uneasy state was only increased by a comment from the corner of a cage.

"Ahh, the welcome is touching." came a sarcastic voice.

"Cousin." Connor inclined his head stiffly. He no longer truly hated his cousin, but in no way, shape, or form were they 'friendly'. "Now, what's all this about Wren finding her Wyrd?"

Wren cringed in anticipation for the boulder of ice, hurtling at them. It never came. Opening her eyes slowly, she shut them just in time to avoid them being inundated, along with the rest of her body, in the huge blob of water AN perhaps I didn't mention this before, but it just kinda slipped my mind blushes . The Erolia, unlike the Belrothol, was about 20/30 feet tall. With a rushing sound filing her ears, she was carried into the back wall of the cave and back out. After feeling the last of the water wash over her, she tried to sit up, but just flopped back down, to tired to really do anything. At her right, she heard someone splutter

"The fuck was that?!?!" and, against all intentions, dissolved into giggles.

"So, hawk, enjoy your little swim?" she called out after the feeling subsided. Everyone was giving her strange looks, and Hawk was giving her a death glare.

"Not particularly. Now I am hungry, cold, lost, pissed, and WET along with it. You know, my day just can't get much better. And don't you dare any of you say 'it could be raining' cause if you do, I will have to kill you... painfully!" After a few moments of silence, a peal of thunder rang around them, and a fork of lightning split the sky.

"Nice one, Hawk. How will you kill yourself today?" Mel's humorous voice answered the cry of frustration that came from Hawk.

"The people I know." Wren muttered to herself. Aalen raised an eyebrow. "Did I say that out loud? Whoops." She got up stiffly. "Woof. I don't think I can do much of anything without sleep now." she chuckled. "And all the more reason for you not to join me. This" she gestured around her. "Is my little trail of damage, and creatures like that seem to inhibit it quite frequently." she walked stiffly into the cave. "Enh."

"Damn! How can she keep DOING that?" a dark fist slammed down on a table on which rested a black basin filled with even darker liquid, making it seem like you were looking into void, which, you probably were. Around the basin were books spattered in different inks, but one lay open on the table, written in a dark brown ink, and was very clotted.

"Ah, I am glad that he kept spares of all of his books." a female voice chuckled, flipping through the books, calm again. "Wren, this will be one hell of a chase. I do hope you are ready for me when I come... as long as one of my creatures doesn't kill you! Which, is a very pleasing aspect." an evil laugh emerged form the dark face. "Soon, soon...."

"What the hell are you doing?" Garian shrieked (like a girl, Connor was pleased to note) as Connor pushed on the cage doors, causing the whole thing to shudder and swing. The metal joints groaned, and Garian shrieked again. "Stop it damn you!" Connor grinned.

"What, are you scared?" Garian blushed and answered vehemently.

"NO!" Connor looked over at Tess, who did an admirable job keeping her face straight, but he saw the tiniest tugging at the corners of her lips. 'Oh, if only... I wonder what those lips would feel ...' Conner reined his thoughts up short. 'First, we get out. Then I can think of that.. If ever.'

"Look, cousin, if I do this, I may be able to break the lock on the door, meaning we can climb out of this hole on the rope that suspends us! While I don't expect you to help, quite the opposite actually, could you at least keep quiet enough to not alert every guard, magical and non magical alike, in the damn castle!" Garian squawked with indignation. Tess rolled her eyes and began to tear two strips from her skirt. She stuffed one in his mouth, and tied the other around it.

"I am sorry, Garian." Connor smiled and hugged her.

"Bloody brilliant. Could you help? Tyron looks like he is about to have a mental collapse, and Kial looks too sick for anything."

"I can't believe it! I know who it is, but she is to fuzzy for me to remember! The spell she cast on us must have some memory blocking charm. I can hardly remember what was happening to Wren when we landed here!" Tyron pounded his fist on the bottom of the cage, causing another shudder of the entirety. Garian let out another squawk. "Oh, do shut up! And, the worst part of it all is that there is a magical ward around this entire room. No magic, at ALL. I am so useless." he continued to rock back and forth. Shaking his head, Connor looked back at Tess. She nodded. Following Connor's example, she placed her shoulder against the bars of the cage, she shoved.

"Harder!"

"Hawk?" Wren grunted. "Hawk!" He started, waking up.

"Wha..?"

"Hawk, as much as I love your concern for me, I am not going to run away in the night, and I would very much like to be able to breathe correctly." Hawk looked down, and saw his arm was lying on her stomach. Embarrassed, he pulled his arm away. Mel gave a laugh-turned- strangled-cough when he looked at her.

"Enh. Anyway, it's early morning. I may as well - WE may as well get going." she corrected when they glared at her simultaneously. "But first, I NEED a bath while I can get one, and our clothes are still sopping. How about Hawk, you start a fire and cast a drying spell on everyone, and Mel, if you so desire, I have some spare hair ties... perhaps you would prefer if I put it up in a practical snood?" Mel snorted

"No snood is practical. Perhaps.. If you don't mind... you could cut my hair like yours?" Aalen gasped, and even Wren looked a bit apprehensive.

"Meliara! Your lovely hair?! Your one glory!" Aalen cried.

"Thank you, Aalendrianna. I liked to think of myself with more than ONE glory. Besides, maybe if I'm lucky, my hair will be like Wren's!" the subject blushed. 'I guess everyone heard that story.' Wren thought wistfully, fingering her hair, realizing it had grown past her shoulders in a week.

"If it as my lady desires, I will do her bidding. But, I will need you to come down to the hot spring with me so I may wash it and cut it while wet." Mel grimaced.

"Please stop with the formalities. It makes me feel old. And yes, it is as 'the lady' wishes." Chuckling, Wren picked up her sword and knife, as well as a drying rag she had thoughtfully packed as well.

Down in the hot spring located below the cave, Wren swam a little, and Mel relaxed in another. Wren had already trimmed her hair and Mel's as well. Wren decided to cut a bit more off then she intended, and now her hair was above her shoulders, instead of at them. She had pulled both her hair and the hair of Mel up, and stuffed the cut offs in her travel pack, making a full eight foot rope of thick braid, stripy and auburn intermittently. Suddenly, Wren stood up in the water, causing a tad of a splash, loud enough for Mel to hear, and sudden enough for her to care.

"What is it?" she asked, following Wren's suit and getting out of the pools.

"Men. Men in green, marching. I can hear them. One of them is ... DEGEBRI?!"