Crimson's eyes glowed bright red with infravision as she walked down the great stone corridors. She had yet to find a single soul, although over twenty inhabit the place.. or did.

She came across the living quarters of the temple guards. The room was in shambles, the wooden furniture.. or the pieces that were left of it, were charred black. She delicately ran a finger down the wood.. it was still burning hot. She took a deep breath, inhaling a sulfurous, smokey odor.

"Phish tagnik'zun.." she whispered in drow, the words meaning red dragons. She immediately drew the folds of her piwafwi cloak around her, becomming invisble to the untrained eye.. but it would have really no use against such highly magical creatures. She hurried out the door, pausing a moment to notice the shinning mithril armor melted to the floor, and ran off to a more.. unknown corridor.

Crimson carefully taped a stone block that made up part of the outer walls of the temple. With a creaking sound, the door to the High Priest's private cavern opened slowly. Tears filled her eyes as she noticed not a single thing had changed since Aslynth's death, the same books and parchment remained scattered about. Remained. She sighed with relief, atleast those foul beasts did not find there way in here. She glanced over the bookshelf, pulling out a small leather-bound book titled "Justice". She quickly stepped aside before the bookshelf swung out at her.

She noticed the inside of Aslynth's horde was still brightly lit by torches. "Of course" she thought to herself, "George was tending to her belongings.." A sickening feeling ran down her body, the tiny psuedo-dragon was all she had left of Aslynth.. and he appeared to be deceased along with the rest of the inhabitants. She was about to go on a rampage driven by anger until she heard a single coin fall from its gigantic mound. She looked up at the stack it fell from, nearly twenty feet high, and pushed it over.

Down tumbled a tiny red-brown dragon, it's invisibility spell broken as it tried to fly in desperation. Crimson's tears of saddness turned to tears of joy as she pull off her cloak, revealing herself to George.

"I thought you dead!" she cried out.

"It.. it.. is too dangerous to be here. Leave! Hurry! They will come back!" said George's distressed voice inside her head.

"Red dragons? Why are there here in this holy place!" she snarled.

"The Cult of Tiamat.." his voice whispered.

"We are leaving.." she paused as she saw his confused expression, "..Yes.. We.. me and You.. gather what you need and I will summon a gate out."

He looked devastated at such a demand. He lived in this temple from the day he hatched, only leaving temporarly to play courier for Aslynth. He knew he really had no choice in the situation, Crimson would drag him out by the tail if she had to..

"Hurry up George!"

The words seemed to break his stillness, and he stuffed a few things in his pouch and hurried by her side.

"You can be my companion now Gegoryphizm.." she said using his full name, something he hadn't heard in a long time, "..Come with me to Sosaria, there you will not be alone any longer."

She summoned a gate, one that would take them to the far corners of Faerun, from there they could fly the rest of the way. He looked at the gate wearily, until it began to fade. Crimson snapped a finger infront of his face, but he remained in a daze. Before the gate disapated, she scooped him up in her arms and jumped through, landing in an elven settlement she knew well.

*********************************************

They now stood in the place where Crimson lived in briefly before traveling to Sosaria. She hadn't visited to place for years, and since it was close enough to the outskirts of the world, she decided that it was time to come say hello.

The elves greeted her with a heavy-heart, and let their condolences of the loss of Aslynth be known. The gold dragoness was a Guardian to the people of the village, and they in turn helped make Crimson's transition to the surface easier. They spoke for awhile, trading tales of their adventures of the years past and after many rounds of mead, Crimson, with an invisible George in tow, left the small elven settlement.

*********************************************

The flight was a long one, and Crimson gazed apon her lair with a happiness she had never felt before. She showed George what was safe for him to touch and what was trapped with dangerous magic and he should avoid. He seemed distant.. but he would adjust she thought.

"Now George, I am not here very often anymore.. consider the place your own." she said.

He replied by blowing out a puff of smoke in the shape of a rose.

"How cute" she laughed softly. "I dont suppose you would like to show my mate your tricks?"

He shook his head no. It didnt surprise her at all. Normally, pseudo-dragon's only showed themselves to one being only, but Aslynth bid him to make himself known to her adopted daughter, and he did so.. reluctantly.

He ploped himself down on Crimson's favorite pile of coins. He felt around the pile, trying to make it more suitable to his form. An expression of surprise dawned on his face when he came across the small box he had given her a month or so prior.

"You have yet to open this box.." his voice whispered inside her head.

She nodded at him and replied, "I am not ready."

He merely looked at her curiously.

"You wouldn't understand." she sighed and began to page through her runebook.

"I will be back" she said as she focused on a rune and said the words of recall.

*********************************************

Once again, she stood on the sandstone steps, a feeling of nervousness fell over her. How was she supposed to tell Ian that a tiny dragon that only she could see would most likely be following her everywhere without him thinking her crazy. With a sigh, she went to pull the door open, but found the door already being opened from the inside.

Out he stepped, a frown apon his face. "Where have you been?"

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She stared at the floor in disbelief.. she had forgotten to tell him that she was leaving.

"Mela? Are you ok?" he whispered in her ear.

"Im sorry I couldnt tell you ahead of time.. I was at Q'wellen's funeral.. and..had a bad feeling.. I went to the Temple.. and I.. I was right.. the place was destroyed." she said.

He wraped his arms around her in a loving embrace and gently kissed her forehead.
"You are here now and that is all that matters."

"Maybe I wont tell him yet.." she thought to herself.