Date:         Thu, 7 Nov 1996 23:53:56 -0600
From: RainiMadden <rainim@CONCENTRIC.NET>
Subject:      INT: Lancomb's Adventure

RESERVED:       Lancomb,
                Aderyn, and
                Sanchez (Chris V.)
                Lyriss and
                Mathen (Raini M.)

     "Over here!" the sixteen-year-old Mathen whispered as he sneaked
around the side of the barn. The wind was really up this morning, and
Mathen's unruly, curly blonde hair blew into his eyes as he glanced back
at his older sister Lyriss. His brown eyes were almost twinkling with
excitement.
     Dubious of the rumor that Mathen had told her, but wanting to have
fun with him as long as she could, Lyriss asked, "Are you sure?"
     "He's inside. Really!" Mathen told her. "I overheard the men talkin'
at the cave tour. Help me open these double doors!"
     Lyriss slipped the latch board out of the holding rings. As she
dragged the board away, the wind caught the doors and flung them open,
slamming them against the barn walls. She was facing away from the
opening when the final boom was followed by a deep-throated, low,
rumbling groan.
     As she turned, she caught a motionless Mathen gaping at the opening.
When she turned all the way around, the wind whipped her dark red hair
over her face so she only glimpsed the rather large creature in front of
her. She almost didn't want to, but she drew her hair back which
uncovered her blue eyes, large as saucers from astonishment.
     "What eez 'dis?!?!" this lanky man wearing a sombrero demanded.
     "I..." was all Lyriss could squeak out. She only glanced at the
hawk-nosed man as her eyes began to travel from the tip of a huge,
smoking snout, up the scaled nose to one clear, yellow eye that was
staring at her, the other eye being on the other side of the creature's
head and not visible to Lyriss. She cleared her throat. "I'm here to see
the dra...dra..."
     The man with the hat walked over to one of the doors and started to
close it. "Well, now you've seem 'im. Go away!"
     "Don't you talk to my sister that way!" Mathen said as he came out
of his trance. "We've got a very good reason for being here!"
     Lyriss stepped over to her little brother and said, "It's okay,
Mathen. We're...uh...we'd better go."
     "No!" he demanded. "We came here to ask the dragon to fly us to the
Kyreeter Island to get the medicine for you and we're gonna ask him."
     "He's...uh...I'll be all right, Mathen...let's go," Lyriss said as
she pulled on her little brother's arm.