...Sadness For Everyone

                            By:

                         Fox Cutter

    Chapter 2

Elena wiped some blood from hir nose as we walked down the
hallway towards the room where Jadith was going to be meting
with us. Apparently the fold didn't abide by hir well, I
guess it's better then being dead, which is what would have
happened to a normal person.

But I guess being a vampire didn't qualify you as normal.

I had spent a few hours setting up a meting with Jadith
before we had returned to Prid. It was still light outside
and I didn't expect it would do Elena well to be exposed to
it.

When I had told hir this sie assured me that a little
sunlight was fine for hir. I just didn't want to take the
risk, the light of Prid's binary stars was a lot more then
sie was used to.

We entered a small room that was tucked into the corner
where two hallways meet. Maybe ten feet square it was just
made use of what would be empty space. The Marble Hall was
so large that a lot of small rooms like theses were needed.
From meetings with people or just a nap.

Jadith joined us a few minutes later, smiling a bit as she
saw me. "Fox, what brings you calling?" She asked.

I smiled back. "Dwight has given me a mission and I was
wondering if you would like to come along."

She shook her head with a slight sigh. "I would love to, but
I have meetings almost all day, every day, for the next
week. It was only luck that I could meet with you at all
today."

I frowned, running my hand over my chin. "I understand how
that can be, I've been there myself. Could you do a quick
favor for me then?" I waved a hand to Elena, "could you heal
hir ear?"

Jadith looked over the vixen as she took a step towards hir.
"I should be able to." She answered, then raised her hands
up to cup Elena's ears.

As soon as she touched she jumped back with a gasp, shaking
her hands like they've been burnt.

"Is there a problem?" Elena asked.

Jadith nodded. "You should be able to heal that yourself,"
she answered, flexing her hands slowly.

"Yes, I should." Elena explained, "but I can't. I am
prevented from healing it myself. My former master made sure
of that."

She nodded, moving back next to Elena. "I'm sorry for my
reaction. The touch of a living dead hurts a healer."

The vixen gave the elf a smile. "None needed. I have that
effect on people."

She nodded, reaching forward to take the stub of Elena's ear
again. I could see her winch as she made contact, but she
didn't show it in any other way. Slowly her fingers started
to glow, at the same time though it seemed like it was
fading out right were it should have been brightest.

I could see from the look on her face that this wasn't an
easy healing. She had a small trickle of blood slowing
rolling from the side of her eye, a second one following
from her nose.

This was normal for her, the blood on her face always came
when she healed someone. The fact that it seemed to be so
slow worried me though.

A minute had already past and Jadith was starting to show
some strain on her face. Finally she yanked her hands away,
leaving Elena with a new ear. Jadith wasn't so lucky, the
palms of her hands were bright red, a few blisters showing
around the edges.

"Are you ok?" I asked as I steeped over to her.

She nodded, sitting down in a chair. "Magical friction.
There was a lot of resistance to have your ear healed."

Elena twitched hir new ear a couple times, then reached up
to feel it. "Thank you, it's been far to long sense I could
show my name."

Jadith nodded to hir, trying to act like she knew what sie
was talking about. "So," She asked, looking to me. "What's
this assignment that Dwight is sending you on?"

"To confirm that the Plague was intentional." I answered.

She ahhed. "Why is she coming along?" She asked, motion to
Elena.

"Sie is coming because it's hir world. Sie's going to act as
a guide."

"I see," she said with a nod. "Then I think you should take
Ren along with you."

"Really?" I asked, "do you think he's up to it?"

She smiled. "Yes, he was first in our class. He also looks
up to you, so should haven't much trouble following your
orders."

I chuckled softly. "All right. Get him a Matrix chip as
well, we need to look like elves."

"What's a Matrix chip?" Elena asked, sitting down hirself.
Sie now had an ornate ear clip attached midway up hir left
ear. It had a couple hanging bits that swished though the
air as sie moved.

"A way to hide what someone looks like." I answered.

"An illusion?" Sie asked.

I nodded, "basically."

Sie shook hir head, crossing hir arms over hir chest. "It
won't do. People will see right though it. You have to have
something physical."

I turned to look at Jadith, "can we do that?"

She paused for a second before nodding. "Yes, there are ear
pieces that can be attached to a normal ear. It will hold
for a while and won't be able to be pulled off."

"Good, do you have enough time to set up an appointment for
me and Ren to get these done?" I asked.

"I could spare the time," she answered with a slight smile

I nodded. "Great, you go do that, then tell me where to go
and when."

"It won't be until at least tomorrow." She answered, "Though
I can try and set something up early in the morning."

"That will just fine. I'll meet Ren there then will team
back up with Elena." I turned to look at hir, "Does that
sound good."

Sie smiled. "It sounds very good. Shall we meet at the bar
on Mydisia?"

"Sure, I'll take you back," I answered.

Sie shook hir head, standing up and walking towards the
door. "I can find my own way back." Sie said with a smile
before slipping out into the hallway.

Jadith looked at me. "Sie's going to be a handful," she
commented with a smile.

I nodded. "Sie volunteered hirself once sie heard the
rumors."

"Is sie necessary?" She asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. If sie is though, I'll be glad to
have hir along."

"Then I'll trust your judgment on this," she said.

"Glad to know someone does," I said with a slight chuckle.

"Oh," Jadith said as she stood up, "before I forget, I talk
to Naomi yesterday."

"What about?" I asked.

"The conversation had a tendency to swing around, but she
did mention that she's going to be having a brother and a
sister. Congratulations."

I blushed a bit, "thanks."

She patted me on the shoulder. "On both counts. She also
mention you got a second contract."

I smiled, still blushing "Yep, the buyer of the new ship
decided not to wait. As soon as we finish his first one we
have five more to construct for him."

"Five," She answered, "That's great."

There was something in her voice. "What's wrong?"

She sighed. "That accepting the contract is actually a
violation of Prid law."

I frowned. "What?" I said in a much stiffer tone of voice.
Jadith frowned as she heard it.

"I only found out about it yesterday, when I mentioned it to
Stew." She said, sounding almost like it was meant in her
own defense, "I double checked what he told me and he was
right. There are laws regarding ship building on Prid."

I shook my head. "I didn't know, what exactly are they?"

She sighed, "You can only build ships for you, or at most
two for other people at any one time. If you want to build
five more you can't do it as an individual. You have to be a
licensed ship yard."

"Oh shit." I muttered.

She patted my shoulder "It's not as bad as all that. The law
has provision for just this type of situation. We can get
you all the proper permits and licenses in a couple weeks.
You just have to delay beginning any more construction until
then."

"How much will it cost?" I asked, slipping my fingers under
my glasses to rub accost my eyes and the bridge of my nose.

She smiled. "Not as much as you think. There is a lot of
work to do to get it set up, but once it's done, it's done.
I've already gotten most of the forms prepared for you. I
bring them over tonight."

I raised an eyebrow. "You?"

She nodded. "I decided to accept Naomi's request to move in.
I may not be there as much as I wanted, but I'll be there
nights. That's when the doctors are most worried about her
anyway."

I gave her a quick hug. "Thanks!" I said with a smile.

She laughed, pushing back. "Your welcome." She said, then
check her watch. "If you'll excuse me though I have to get
to a meeting. I'll see you tonight," and with that she was
out the door.

I smiled, leaving the room as well, trying to think of a
name for my soon to be ship yards.

* * *

08/24/98:

"Your a bit late," Elena commented as Ren and I sat down at
hir both. Sir had just finished a drink, setting it on the
table to look at us. A pack was sitting on the table next to
her.

"Sorry, I didn't know how long it would take to make the
ears." I said, setting my own backpack down and pushing my
hair back so sie could see. Ren had showed up at my door
early in the morning, the whole appointment to get the ears
made took almost a dozen hours. First with the casting,
molding and other things. They had actually been glued to
are skin in such a way that it would be a month before they
could come off.

Sie reached over the table and squeezed the tip with a bit
of force, then frowned slightly. "As long as no one actually
feels them you'll do fine." She looked back at me. "Though I
would still prefer that you change the color of your eyes."

I shrugged. "I'm sorry, I don't have anything to actually do
that."

Sie nodded, then looked to Ren. "So you must be who Jadith
sent to help Fox."

He nodded, smiling a bit. "Yes."

Sie looked him up and down. "You'll do." Sie said, sliding
out of the booth. "Come along. I think we should leave now."

We both left the booth after hir, walking accost the bar. I
slid my backpack over my shoulder as we did so. Ren only had
came with the clothing on his back, refusing to take
anything else along.

"Are the pair of you armed?" Elena asked as we left the
room.

I nodded, "A bit more the necessary myself, but Oriana
insisted I take more then a single gun."

Sie looked me up and down. "Two still seems minimal."

I grinned. "Three actually, I have some extra rounds in my
backpack." I said, "also a few other toys."

Sie frowned, deep enough this time that it pulled at the
scar that ran down her muzzle. "I see, how about you?" Sie
directed the question to Ren.

He nodded. "I have weapons."

Sie let out a snort. "I can't see where," sie came to a stop
at the end of the hallway. "Here is the fold."

I smiled. "So I feel," I said, taking a step forward.
Pulling out my controller I punched in the number Dwight had
given me, hoping that it would land us close to where we
needed to go. As I hit the open button the fold exploding
around us, sending a blast wave of hot air into our faces
before pulling back, starting to suck the air in.

"Did you open a fold into space?" Ren asked, blocking his
face with an arm, he had to raise his voice from the low
howling that the suction was causing.

I shook my head. Reaching out to fell it. "No," I said as
the fold start to swell outwards in small surges, almost as
if it was trying to reach us. "There world has a deep fold
on it." I said, looking down at the portal controller.

"It must be on Crete," Elena said, hir eyes focused on the
red center of the portal as it twisted and boiled, the winds
whipping at hir fur and the dangling parts of her ear clip.

There was a sudden blast of thunder and wind that threw us
all to the ground. The portal doubled in size, lightning
trailing around it's edges now, skittering along the floor
and walls, almost like it was seeking us out.

"Hell's hungry!" Elena cried, moving away from the portal. A
look of fear showing over hir face.

The damn thing did look like some sort of giant mouth. I
jabbed the close button on the controller, but to no avail.
The deep fold was putting to much force into it for the
control to be of use.

Reaching out with my mind I tried to get a feel for it. As a
natural I wasn't very strong, but I've always been told I
had amazing control. I was hoping I could control this mess.
Reaching out with my hand I closed me eyes. I could feel the
source of the fold, I could almost see how the power was
being feed into it. Reaching out with my mind I tried to
synch that close.

The portal suddenly vanished, snapping back as a massive
headache in the front of my skull. It felt like I had been
hit just above the eyes, I fell back onto my hands, shaking
my head.

"That was ugly," Ren observed.

"That would be why the spell was so complex," I muttered,
trying to sort out the feelings I had gotten from the fold.

"It's a festering wound on our world," Elena said, standing
up and looking to were the portal had been.

I stood up myself, my headache starting to just side away as
fast as it had come. "I think I can get around it." I said.
"Not to the fold Dwight had given us, but it won't be the
deep fold either."

Elena nodded. "Good, I would not like to go where the fold
leads."

I frowned a bit, reaching forward carefully and open the
fold myself. I directed it more then normal as it opened,
working it around the problem fold. "Ok," I said. "You two
go first. I can't let this go by itself without it drifting
back."

"Are you sure?" Ren asked.

"Yes." I answered, "Just go, I'll be right behind."

Ren nodded as Elena stepped through. He followed hir a few
seconds later. Then I moved closer to the portal, crouching
down a bit and leaping through just as I let go of my
control for it.

It snapped closed almost on my feet as I came out of it. I
was prevent from smacking my face on a large rock wall that
had appeared in front of my by the grace of someone grabbing
my pack and pulling me to the ground.

Shaking my head, I stood up, looking at my companions. There
faces were only partially light in the twilight around us.

"That was easy," I commented, rubbing my shoulder where I
had jarred it when landing.

Elena frowned, adjusting hir pack a bit. "Not as easy as I
would have hoped. There are guards coming."

Before I could say anything more the guards had arrived.

   To Be Continued...

-----

This story is (c) 1998 by Fox Cutter, hardcopy reprints
limited to one a person, all other rights reserved. This
story may not be distributed for a fee except by permission
of the author, and this copyright notice may not be removed.
Elena is (c) 1998 by Chris Bradford.