Excerpts From The Journal Of Delina Uth Katan: Year of the Red Moon Day 137 For a day and a night now, I have stoked the fires, the one remaining egg of poor Queen Argonnas placed as near to the fireplace as I felt was safe. Though the flames from the burning wood are not nearly as hot as would have been the breath of Argonnas, I have enhanced them all I could with my magic. Only time will tell if my efforts have been successful. Day 139 The first stirrings have begun within the egg, and my heart both swells with joy and trembles with fear. What if I am not up to the challenge of being a surrogate mother for the newborn? Perhaps I should inform the Elders of my endeavors, and seek their council on what to do. No. Though I shall surely be punished if I remain silent, I dare not inform them at this point. They would surely send another to take the egg from me, and I swore to Argonnas that I would see to its' well being! For now, I will keep the news of Argonnas' death to myself, and when the time is right, I will inform the Council of Elders. Day 144 Today, I was visited by the astral form of Beralore Trenval, the Second to the Leader of the Council of Elders, Jamorim Knightly. Beralore Trenval is no more than a weasel in Human skin. The only reason he has made it to the rank of Second is his conniving, underhanded tactics when dealing with others. If there is any foul play in the area, it is most likely the work of Trenval. The Council is aware of many members' suspicions concerning Trenval, but none have been able as yet to prove anything against him, and so he remains. Berafore's visit was, of course, prompted by rumors of two Humans possibly wandering too close to Argonnas' cave. Since they had not been heard from for several days, Jamorim sent Trenval to ask if I had heard or seen anything, being the great Wyrms' Watcher. I, of course, did not inform the weasel of my knowledge of the demise of the foolish Humans' responsible for Queen Argonnas' death. And I did not dare tell that foul man of the Queen's passing, for I am sure that he would push the Council to have me reassigned immediately, most likely to some desolate region far from where I could be of any trouble to him. Though he showed no signs of it, I know he did not believe my story, and I fear he may go out of his way to find me out. Tomorrow, I will return to Argonnas' lair and use my magics to either conceal the cave completely from prying vermin such as Trenval, or to collapse the ceiling, effectively creating a tomb for Argonnas and her unborn child. No, if I do that, Trenval will surely find me out! I will only conceal the cave for now. Even as powerful as I believe him to be, Trenval's magics are no match for the magic I wield with the Staff of the Ancients. He will fail to locate the Queen's lair. Day 150 It has been two weeks since I first took charge of the egg. The hatchling continues to move inside it, and each day sees more aggressiveness from within. I feel the time is close when I will bear witness to a most glorious sight. ---------------------------------- This is picture 9 of 10 in the series. Look for number 10 tomorrow. Full Series and Story Text can be viewed at: http://wraith3d-creations.tripod.com/index.html Credits for items used will be posted after last entry of series...