Date: Sat, 9 Nov 1996 07:27:44 -0600 From: RainiMadden Subject: INT: Lancomb's Adventure Reserved: Chris Vaughan: Lancomb Aderyn Sanchez Raini Madden: Lyriss Mathen As Lyriss looked at the piece of gold in her hand, a tear fell on it. "I...I'm sorry, sir, but I can't take this," she whispered. "Why not?" Sanchez stopped mid-stride and asked. "Eet's real." "Oh, I don't doubt that it is," she said. "It's just that..." "Gold isn't going to get her anything," Mathen explained. "That island isn't on any map. It's s'posed to be near China...that's all we know. Only dragons know how to get there. Only dragons live there." Lyriss walked up and stroked the bare spot on the dragon's tail. "Is there any way we can put this golden scale back?" The large head lifted and the neck bent back to look at Lyriss. He blinked at her. "Why would you want to put it back?" "Because you're so beautiful. It belongs here," she answered and stroked the bare spot again. "Sorry, keeds," Sanchez explained, "once eet's pulled off, eet can't be put back." Lyriss walked up to Sanchez and pressed the gold scale into the thin man's hand. "Then, you use it to help your magnificent friend." "Lyriss," Mathen said, "I'm sorry. I thought..." She took the sixteen-year-old into her arms and hugged him. "It's all right, Mathen. It was just a silly saying that Gramma used to have." The dragon watched as the pair headed for the open door that Sanchez held for them. "What saying was that?" the creature asked. Lyriss answered, "She used to say, 'If you're good and you wish really hard, you can find a way beyond the edge of the world where dragons live on Kyreeter Isle.'" Then, the eighteen-year-old smiled sadly, "Before she died, she told me that I needed to find a way there...that there would be a cure there...but, if you don't know about it, then I guess it was just a myth. I'm sorry we bothered you." Mathen stood tall. "I swear we won't tell anyone that you're here, Mr. Dragon." A little smile played on the young man's lips, "I'm glad I got to meet you though." "Yes," Lyriss added as she paused and then put her hand on the dragon's forearm again. "I'm glad I got to meet you, too."