Search the Forgotten - Chapter Two      When I woke the next day, I could remember nothing of my dreams of the previous night but I had an uneasy feeling as if I must have had a frightening nightmare shortly before waking.  I also had a splitting headache.  After I'd dressed, I left my room and met Orin in the hallway.  He showed me where I could wash up and afterwards, we had a brief though filling breakfast before we left to call on livery master Wadgene Balbin.  He was grey haired and looked to be about forty-five or so.  He was obviously as fit as anyone in his line of work should be.      Orin insisted that we give the man's horses a look over and since I needed the little man, (that I suspected might be a thief), to guide me to the wizard Arthester Jalivay somewhere in the Ylan mountains, I really didn't have that much choice.      We went around back where the horses were corralled.  There were plenty of browns in varying shades and some black horses too.  There was an old horse that seemed to like to follow Wadgene Balbin around rather like a loyal dog might.      Most of the horses all looked fine to me but I didn't have the funds to buy even the old nag that Mister Balbin had.  In fact, I had already decided that I would use my funds for some supplies and then just walk out to the wizard's place.  I wasn't worried about how long my journey might take.      Then Orin asked Wadgene Balbin about Pany and the man told him that Pany was fine. Orin ran off to a barn, I presume to check on Pany.  I looked back at the horses in the corral.  One of the blacks was looking at me.  He was a big and beautiful animal.  I leaned on the fence and watched him.  The black pounded the ground with one hoof as if issuing me a challenge.  Mister Balbin must have noticed where my gaze rested.      "He's a strong one," Wadgene Balbin said.  "He'll carry you far and he's well trained."      "He'll be expensive then," I commented a little wistfully.  I thought the horse looked familiar and as soon as I did, my head ached.  Perhaps I was ensorcelled.  The headaches and my attempts at recalling anything from my past must be connected.      "Well, he is a retired war horse," Wadgene said.  "Or so I was told when I got him.  I've bred him with a few of my mares.  Most of the blacks in here are his progeny.  And most will probably be sold to the army or maybe the city guard.  If I was going to sell him, he would be expensive."      "Hey," said someone to my right who I hadn't noticed had arrived.  I glanced at him.  It was Skylar, Orin's friend from the previous night.  He now wore pants and a leather jerkin that were a dark green, the studs on them, a dull grey.  He had a bow and full quiver slung across his back and a long sword at his side.      "Skylar," I said.  "I hadn't expected to see you this morn."      The trim blond man smiled.  "I've paid my bills and I'm going to . . . ."      "What are you doing here?" Orin exclaimed as he came running over.      "Well, like I was telling Arif here," Skylar started.      "If you think you're coming along with us you've another think coming!" Orin said rather angrily.  "You had your chance to join us last night."      "If you'd let me finish," Skylar said.  "You might change your mind."  He smiled again.  I got the feeling that his smile has probably won over many women.      "Talk then," Orin said.  He stood rather defiantly in a wide footed, arms folded stance.      "As I was trying to say," Skylar said, "I've paid off my bills and it turns out I've got a little bit more money left over than I thought I'd have.  I can lend you two golds if you need them."      "Two golds!" Orin and I exclaimed at almost the same instant.      Orin pointed at me and said, "You owe me an ale."  Then, before I could reply to that, he turned back to Skylar and said, "Two golds.  You're such a generous friend."      "You are generous, Skylar," I said, amazed that anyone would bother to help out a stranger with such a large loan.      "Well, as Orin pointed out last night, it was essentially free money," Skylar said.  "So, how much do you have to spend on a horse?"      "Counting your very generous contribution," I said, "I've a total of two golds.  I have 60 silvers, 98 ¼ coppers of my own, but I'll need to buy supplies and a saddle and . . . ."      "I get the idea," Skylar muttered.       "Well, for two golds I can let you have Red," Wadgene Balbin said.  He pointed to a horse in the far corner of the corral.  "He's over there."      I looked where Wadgene indicated and saw a reddish brown horse.  He was as tall as the black, former war horse.  The livery man let out a short shrill whistle followed by a longer one and Red looked in our direction.  Then the horse ran over excitedly and nuzzled Mister Balbin.  The man took something out of his pocket and gave it to the horse who ate whatever it was very quickly.  If that run from the far corner was any indication, he was definitely spirited.      "Here," Wadgene Balbin said.  He handed me several whitish lumps.  "Red is a smart horse but he's got a craving for sweets.  I give him sugar when I can.      I smiled.  I seemed to recall that . . . a headache struck me sharply between the eyes and I winced.  I grasped the fence and held on.      "Arif?" Orin asked.      "What's wrong, Arif," Skylar added.      I could hear the concern in their voices but I had to wait for the dagger of pain I felt piercing my forehead to weaken.  It did become an annoying throb rather quickly.  Once again I felt this was no ordinary headache.  "I'm fine," I said straightening up.  I smiled as the headache dulled but persisted.      Red came over and nudged me in the shoulder and I was reminded of the sugar lumps.  I gave him one and he did make it disappear with a quick munch.  I gave him a pat on his neck and he gave me another nudge.  I gave him the last piece of sugar and smiled.      "Looks like you've made a new friend," Wadgene Balbin said.      "Are you sure it wasn't the sugar?" I asked, looking at the man.      He chuckled when the horse nudged me again.  "Maybe," Wadgene said.  "But, he's never taken to anyone like he seems to have taken to you before."      I gave the horse a scratch between the ears and then backed away.  Red snorted in protest when he couldn't nudge me again.      "I and some of my boys put the horses through what training we can," Wadgene said.  "None of my sons could get near Red, so what training he's had has been from me."  A gleam came into the grey haired man's eyes.  "He's a smart horse . . . when he wants to be."  He whistled three notes of different lengths and Red backed up a step and stood up on his hind legs and kicked out with his fore hooves.  He dropped back down.  Wadgene Balbin then reached into his pocket and gave Red a piece of sugar.      The livery man turned toward me.  "Come with me," he said before walking away.      Orin, Skylar and I followed him into a large equipment shed.  Wadgene Balbin then led us over to one side and pointed out the saddle and other equipment he used when he was training or riding Red.  The equipment was not new, but it wasn't falling apart either.  For example; despite its used look, the saddle was well cared for.  As I looked over the pieces, a headache grew again and I had to stop before the pain became too great.  I stood up and as casually as I could manage I leaned on a wooden post.      ". . . let you have these pieces for less than you'd pay for new," Wadgene was saying.  I must have missed part of what he said because of my headache.  Thankfully, it was fading again.      "How much?" I asked, somewhat dreading the answer.  I was rapidly going through my available funds and I was beginning to regret my extravagant sword purchase.      "Thirty silvers even," Wadgene Balbin said.      "Well, that is at least twenty silvers less than you'd pay if you bought all new equipment," Orin said.      I looked at the dwarf and then glanced at Skylar who nodded briefly.  "Very well," I said.  "The equipment is in very good condition.  I'll take this, and the horse."  I smiled.  It was probably a more charitable smile than I intended since my headache had also all but disappeared.      I asked Wadgene about his whistled commands that he'd used with Red and the man taught them to me as we sorted through the gear and readied it for my upcoming journey.  Afterward, we only had to buy some foodstuffs and a few other things and once we had our supplies and prepared our riding beasts, we headed toward the city's northeast gate.  Skylar was riding a brown horse he called Bruny.  Orin's beloved Pany was a rather small breed of pony with light brown hair.  It was apparently sized just right for him.      We passed through the gate with no incident and I must admit that I did breathe a sigh of relief.  I had no idea what to expect.  I imagined the city guards stopping us.  They might have been after Orin for . . . something.  Or even Skylar.  I mean, what did I really know about these two anyway?      Skylar was friendly enough to loan me two golds.  Most people . . . well actually, most people probably wouldn't have too many golds that they could loan that much.  But even if they had it, would everyone be as willing to loan the money to a stranger?      Then there's Orin.  A possible thief.  A pretty good swordsman based on the fight I helped him with the other night.  And he readily volunteered to guide me to this Arthester Jalivay person to see if the man could help me with my memory problem.  True, he was grateful for my helping him.  Maybe this was just his way to pay off a debt.      At this point, I didn't have too many options.  I was grateful myself for their aid and company.      The land near the gate's exit had been cleared of trees for some distance, which seemed to make sense to me.  I waited for a headache but it didn't start.  The road just outside the gate was a continuation of the brick road from inside the gate for only a short distance.  Then it changed to what looked like crushed rock or something, possibly pounded down.  After that the road was just dried dirt by the time we reached the wood to the northeast of the city.      It was about a quarter hour after entering the wood when we came to the fork.  Skylar directed us to take the road to the left.  He said it would straighten out somewhat after a curve and then head pretty much north.  The road, he said, would end at a crossroad but he wanted us to await him there.  When he rejoined us, we would head north, off the road and through the forest.  It was the most direct route to the foot of the Ylan Mountains and therefore faster.  Skylar then rode off down the right fork in the road.      "Just like him," Orin said.  "Ride off without an explanation."      Orin and I took the left fork in the road and just let our mounts carry us along at a leisurely pace.  At the moment, I saw no reason to rush.  I also didn't know if Orin's mount could carry him far at a gallop.  I asked him about this.      "Oh, Pany is fast enough over the short distance," Orin replied.  "But he can't keep up a fast pace for very long.  You might find it surprising to learn that Pany's breed is fantastic at a steady trot over long distances though."      "Well, I would be surprised if I could recall enough to find that surprising," I said.  I glanced down at him.  "Does that make sense?"      "I'm not sure," Orin said.  He returned my look with a grin.  "I'll have to see if I can figure it out."  We chuckled and rode on.      The trees were not thick here and I suspected that they were thinned out periodically, at least near the road.  But if they did that to lessen the hiding places for road bandits, they didn't do that good a job.  As we rode, I could easily pick out suitable places where ambushers could hide.  Three could hide off to the right there where a tall bush was allowed to grow near a tree.  On the left there was a tree thick enough that two could hide behind it and one archer could lay prone on a thick branch and could easily get a bead on us or anyone else riding through here.  A short distance away there were stands of trees on either side of the road where more bandits could wait for an easy ambush.      I wondered at my thoughts on these tactics that were going through my mind.  Could I have been a bandit, abandoned by my comrades in that alley for some reason?  I hoped not.  Maybe I was an army tactician.  If I was, I was a young army tactician.      We rode through the curve in the road and I found that I had not guided the horse with the reins, but with leg and knee pressure.  The horse had obeyed the command well and I believe this horse probably received better training than Wadgene Balbin had let on, whistled commands aside.  Perhaps this was a horse he might have sold to the city guard or the army.  But, why didn't I use the reins?  I wondered about my background again.  I could control a horse with knee and leg pressure.  Just what kind of training did I have?      A headache started growing again and I thought it best to drop my line of thinking before the headache grew too much.  I thought how nice the trees looked and how pleasant the occasional chirp or twitter of bird song was that we heard.  The headache faded quickly and I thought this would be something to remember for the next time a headache struck.      I looked at Orin, and came up with an idea that I hoped would take my mind off myself.  "Orin," I said, "tell me about yourself, please."      "Why?" the little man asked.  He didn't look up at me.  Orin just kept his eyes on the road ahead of us and I thought that he might not have liked the question.      I looked back at the road.  "I really know nothing about you and . . . I, uh, want to get my mind off my problem."      "Well, there's nothing much to tell," Orin said.  "I grew up in Ezantias in the province of Ezan."      "What province are we in now?" I asked.      "Elotos," Orin said.  "Now, as I was saying, I grew up in Ezantias but as soon as I could, I left and wandered the countryside.  I'd take . . . odd jobs now and then to fund my travels and I can say that I've been all over the land from one end to the other."      He chuckled and I wondered at what.  Perhaps he'd just made a private joke or something.  Well, having someone as well traveled as Orin said he was could prove a valuable asset in my own journey to recover my memory.      "Now, once we've gotten you straightened out, we should take a trip to the other side of the Ylan Mountains to Ulen province.  I know a place there that has the best fishing you could possibly imagine.  It's at the eastern shore of Lake Ulis.  I remember this one time I caught the biggest mountain stickleback you've ever seen.  Mmm, that fish cooked up good."      "I think I'd like that," I said.  Some small insect buzzed near my head and I waved it away.      "They have a legend there about a giant mountain stickleback that everybody up there calls Zed," Orin said.  "I intend to catch that fish.  But if the legends are true, I'll need help eating it."      I glanced at him and he smiled at me.  I found myself returning his smile with one of my own.  He waved at something in the air and I heard a buzz near my own ear and I waved it away.      "I'd like that, Orin," I said.  Another buzz near my ear and after I waved it away I glanced at him and noticed he was waving these annoying things away too.  "Are there always so many of these irritating things around here?" I asked.      "Yes," Orin said.  "Come on."      The dwarf took off at a gallop on his small steed and I didn't waste any time pondering whether or not I should follow his example.  Red carried me quickly along the road and we passed Orin and Pany within moments.  Despite Red's obvious enjoyment of the run, I urged him to slow down so that Orin could catch up with us.  Once he did, we kept our mounts at a trot so that hopefully the annoying bugs wouldn't find us again.      We rode on and it wasn't too much longer before we came to the curve in the road that Skylar had told us about.  It curved to the right and the road through the curve was wider than the straight-a-way.  I thought it odd and I asked Orin about it as we came out of the curve and followed the road north.      "The Ylanshian army had it widened," Orin said casually.  "Apparently they needed passing room in the curve.  Why?  I don't know."      I glanced at him and he smiled up at me.  I returned his smile and we rode on in companionable silence until we reached the east west crossroad.  To the north were trees that were evidently part of the forest we'd be crossing through.  Once again I found myself thinking that the trees were too close to the road at this intersection and that they afforded a very good hiding place for ambushers.       Suppose, I wondered to myself, that I was in charge of the security of roads somewhere and I had to think of such things.  Maybe I was a soldier in an army.  Or a tactician.      My head throbbed suddenly and I looked up at the leaves overhead.  I marveled at the sunlight shining down and I listened to the birdsong around us.  My growing headache faded.      "I don't suppose you have any idea how long Skylar might be?" I asked my diminutive friend.      "Nope," Orin replied.  "He could have gone to a number of places down that road.  If he went to Dar Fletcher's place he'd be back by now.  If he'd gone over to Bren Drukith's...no, he wouldn't go there."      There was a low sound, almost a rumbling, that got my attention for some reason.  I looked left and right to try to figure out where it was coming from.  It was getting louder.  Orin must also have heard it because he started looking around too.      "Horses!" he whispered harshly.  "This way!"      I followed him off the road and we hid behind some nearby trees and the indistinct rumble clearly became the sound of galloping horse hooves.  We could see the road and a lone rider quickly passed our position.      "Skye!" Orin hissed.  "I wonder where he's going in such a hurry?"      Four more riders rode passed in pursuit of Skylar and they might have seen us sitting our horses if they hadn't been so intent on their prey.      "I wonder if they know," I asked.  Orin and I glanced at each other and he shrugged.      "Maybe we should go ask them," he quipped.      We quickly returned to the road and sped after our friend's pursuers.  Red outpaced Orin's Pany and I found that I was gaining on the last man of the group.  Soon, I was riding beside him.  Without considering my actions, I drew my sword from its sheath and swung it at the rider.  He must have seen the motion because he glanced my way and flinched.  My blow would have missed him anyway, still, he fell off his horse.      No soldier, I found myself thinking.       I would have urged Red to move faster, but he'd already thought of it.  We caught up to the next horse and rider and I was pondering how I might remove him from the chase, when I saw him look ahead.  I looked and immediately saw what had gotten his attention.      The other two pursuers had halted and had Skylar bracketed between them.  I and the other man stopped our horses and the man to Skylar's left was shouting for Skylar to dismount.      "But Finnas!" Skylar said.  "It was your game!"      Finnas and the other man had brown hair and they wore similar dark clothing and scuffed, dull black boots.  They resembled each other enough that I thought they might be related.  Brothers maybe.      "Get off your horse, Skylar!" the man to Skylar's right said.      "Tell me how you did it!" Finnas ordered.      The man who rode up with me started to move his mount forward and I pointed my sword at him.  "I wouldn't just yet," I told him.  I noticed that he didn't have a sword with him, but he did have a bow in one hand and a quiver of arrows at his back.      Orin rode into the group and demanded to know what was going on.      "Your friend cheated me out of some money," Finnas said angrily.  He looked at Skylar.  "I want it back!"      "But I didn't cheat!" Skylar insisted with outstretched arms.      "Then how did you hit so many middle circles, one right after the other?" the man on Skylar's right asked.      Skylar looked at him and grinned rather smugly.  "Skill," he said simply.      "Skill shmill!" Finnas exclaimed.  "Give me back my money!"      "What happened?" Orin asked.      Finnas pointed an accusing finger at Skylar.  "He came over to my place this morning and wagered that he could beat me at my circles game again!"      "And I did," Skylar said.  He was still smiling.      "You cheated!" Finnas accused.      "I threw a dagger!  How could I have cheated?" Skylar asked, his smile waning slightly.      "We're not getting anywhere this way," the man I was pointing my sword at said.      I glanced his way slightly and nodded in agreement.  "You're right," I told him.  I sheathed my sword.  "Do you have any ideas on how we might settle this peaceably?"       The man thought for a moment, meanwhile I looked at the others and watched as Finnas and the other man both glared at Skylar.  Orin kept looking around nervously as he was apparently trying to keep everyone in sight.  Skylar didn't look the least bit worried.      "Limus," the man next to me said.       The man to Skylar's right looked our way.  "What, Fletch?"      "This game of Finnas'," Fletch said, "it's just a dagger throwing game?"      "Yeah," Limus said.      "How far from the target of circles does the thrower stand during this game?" Fletch asked.      Finnas and Limus exchanged a quick look.  "Fifteen paces," Limus said as Finnas returned his glare to Skylar.      Fletch looked around and pointed at a tree a little ways away.  "That should do."  He drew an arrow, nocked it and drew back on his bowstring.  He shot the arrow into the trunk of the tree, it's two grey and one white feathered end clearly visible.  "Skye," Fletch said, "throw a dagger and try to get it as close to that arrow as you can."      Skylar drew a dagger from his belt, took aim and threw.      "What?" Finnas exclaimed.  "That won't . . . ."      The dagger tumbled point over end, sliced off the white feather from the arrow, and stuck itself into the tree trunk.  Skylar was grinning widely and then he laughed.  "I like this game!" he said excitedly.  "Any wagers that I can slice off the grey feathers?"      "Well, I'm impressed," Orin said quietly.      "So am I," a man leading a horse said as he joined our impromptu gathering.  I glanced back and saw it was the man I'd caused to fall of his horse.  He walked over to where Orin still sat astride Pany.  "Orin," he said.      "Edan," Orin replied with a slight nod of his head.      "Finnas," Edan said, his brown eyes glaring at the other man.  "Even you have to acknowledge the fact that Skylar is skilled when it comes to throwing knives."      "Why thank you, Edan!" Skylar said, obviously surprised.  "I didn't know you cared."      "About you?  Hardly," Edan replied bluntly.  "But I know you're skilled and I wouldn't have taken you up on a wager that involved throwing knives."      "Oh," Skylar looked rather crestfallen.      "Finnas, let this be a lesson to you and don't make any more wagers with Skylar Dingledine," Edan said.      If looks could kill, the glare that came from Finnas toward Skylar would have dropped him instantly.  The man immediately rode back the way we'd come.      "You'd best stay away for a while, Skylar," Limus said.  "It'll take him at least a month to calm down."  Then he followed after Finnas.      "So, anybody want to take up the wager?" Skylar asked, smiling again.      Edan shook his head, got on his horse and rode after the other two.      "Sometimes I don't know why you're still alive, Skye," Fletch said.  He turned to me.  "Dar Fletcher," he said, holding out his hand in greeting.  "Everybody calls me Fletch."      "Arif," I said, still not able to recall my last name.  A headache threatened.  We shook hands.      "You know, I don't know why I'm still alive either," Skylar commented.  He rode over to the tree to retrieve his dagger.      "That makes three of us," Orin muttered.       The repartee between these friends helped my headache to fade.  I was grateful.       "Hey, Fletch!  You want the arrow back?" Skylar called from the wounded tree.      "You won't be able to remove it," Fletch said.  "But it shouldn't be left sticking out like that either."      Skylar pulled his dagger out of the tree, wiped it off on his pants and returned it to its sheath on his belt.  Then he took a stouter knife and cut the arrow's shaft near the tree's trunk.  That, he brought back and handed to Fletch.      "Thank you," Fletch said, taking the broken arrow shaft.  "Nice meeting you, Arif."  He glanced back at Skylar and Orin.  "Do try to stay out of trouble," he warned them before leaving us.  It sounded to me like that was not the first time he'd given them that warning.      "How much did you get?" Orin asked Skylar.      "Another gold," Skylar chuckled.      "Only one gold!" Orin exclaimed in disappointment.      Skylar chuckled.  "I didn't have time," he quipped.      Orin grinned.  "Finnas certainly isn't going to forgive you anytime soon."      Skylar shrugged, and Orin and I followed him north from the road.  The forest trees in this area must have been thinned at one point in time.  There seemed to be plenty of room between the tree trunks to more than easily maneuver through, although the leaf filled branches overhead dimmed the sun's light.      My two friends took turns leading the way and I remained at the rear.  Around early afternoon, Skylar rode back to me.      "Eat some of this," he said, handing me some dried meat jerky.       "What is it?" I asked, curious as to the animal I was about to eat.      Skylar smiled.  "Lunch," he replied.  "Now."  He waited a beat, then said, "It used to be rabbit.  Do you like it?"      "It's good," I replied.  It was in fact, quite flavorful.  It had an unusual though pleasant aftertaste too.  "What's that seasoning?" I asked.      "Something my sister makes from an herb she grows," Skylar replied.  "I can make my own jerky of course.  And it tastes fine.  But if I let her do it, she uses that herb and it tastes like that."  He smiled.  He seemed to do that often.  "I let her make a good portion of my jerky."      "Do you travel a lot then?" I asked.  I got the impression that he had a need for a good supply of preserved and lightweight food.      "A bit," he said.  "Here." He handed me a small pouch of the jerky.  "We won't stop for some hours yet.  So if you get hungry, just nibble on that."  He brushed a wind blown lock of his hair back with one hand.  "There's a clearing I know where we can make camp for the night." His blue eyes seemed to sparkle.  "The rabbit hunting in the area is fairly decent too."      "Too bad I didn't pick up a bow and some arrows before we left town," I said.      "You hunt?" Skylar asked.      "I . . . ."  I faltered and a headache grew as I tried to remember if I'd ever hunted.  I watched the trees we passed and glanced ahead at Orin and Pany as they made their way among the trees.  The headache lessened.  "I don't know," I finally said.      "Hey, that's all right," Skylar said.  "If anybody can find out what's going with your memory problem, I'm sure Arthester Jalivay can."      "I hope you're right, Skylar," I said.  "This not knowing anything about my past is vexing and . . . ."  The headache came back and I winced.  I looked up at the leafy canopy and then I glanced to one side and counted the trees.  The headache faded slowly and then I realized that Skylar was calling my name.      "Uh, I'm fine," I said slowly.  "I keep getting a headache, usually when I'm trying to recall something."  I counted a few more trees.      "That's rough," Skylar said.  "Try not to remember anything until we get to Arthester's," he said.  But he smiled at me and I knew he was joking.      "Funny," I commented.  I took another bite of jerky and chewed.      Our ride through the forest was otherwise pleasant and as the day's light dimmed we reached the clearing that Skylar had told me about.  Orin and I set up our camp while Skylar went hunting.  We had small tents and we placed them near the fire pit that Orin dug.  The horses were picketed nearby.  After about two hours or so, we got hungry and made some supper from our supplies that we'd purchased in town.  It was a simple stew and biscuit meal.      Skylar came back, empty handed, around the time supper was ready.  We let him clean up.      My two companions decided to stay up a bit, but I wanted to turn in early.  I crawled into my little tent and wrapped my blanket around me.  It didn't seem too long before I fell asleep. - = - = -      "Arif!"      "Arif!"      Voices called out a name.  Hands shook me and darkness faded.      "It's about time you woke up!" Orin said as he stood up from beside me.      I had a splitting headache and I groaned as my wits returned.      "Were you having a nightmare?" Skylar asked.  He was peeking into my tent and I saw it was dark outside.      "I don't remember," I said.  I stared at my shaking hands and wondered just what had happened.  I gave them a shake to stop their trembling.      "You were yelling in your sleep and swinging your arms like you were fighting somebody," Orin said.  "Are you sure you don't remember what you were dreaming?"      I shook my head and winced at the headache.  I took a deep breath.       "Count to ten," Skylar suggested.      I counted.  The headache faded.  I sighed.      "I take it counting worked?" Skylar asked.      "Yeah," I said.  I glanced at him.  "Thanks."  He smiled, nodded once and left.  I lied back down again.      "Are you going to be all right?" Orin asked.      I shrugged.  "I suppose so," I said.  "I have no memory of whatever it was I might have been dreaming about."      "Well, try to get some sleep," Orin said.  "Odds are you won't have any more nightmares tonight."      Orin left and I settled my blanket around myself again.  I closed my eyes, hoping that my dwarven friend was right. - = - = - Return to top of page. Chapter Three     I...uhm...don't think I'm ready for email yet.    ;-) But that doesn't mean you can't try and send me a note! Copyright © 2002, 2003 B. J. Miller Jr. All Rights Reserved