"You must tell this," said her Protector. "You must tell people about this person," said the girl's friends. "People must know and be warned," said those who a girl respects. And so, the girl found herself kneeling quietly by the center fire of Tahari-Oasis, the Masters and Mistresses of that camp gathered round her in support and her sisters near, her Protector watching her, giving her the strength to tell of the one who called himself Drago-Nem. The girl draws a deep breath, raises her eyes to her Protector and begins so softly that even those near her can barely hear.....

"There was a time when kate came to Austnet and was new to this place. She stumbled into a camp and was made welcome by the Masters and slaves there. One Master collared her, and the owner of the place cried, "Deceit!" Thus was a girl given to the camp and, knowing that the owner would take her for his own, thus did she beg for his collar. A girl became kate^DN^, owned by Drago-Nem. From the beginning, Drago-Nem talked of a real life relationship. He told kate^DN^ of his life and asked about hers. Drago-Nem said that he was in his last year of a surgical residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital in downtown Miami. He said he had graduated from the University of Miami School of Medicine after completing his undergraduate studies at New York University. He said he was divorced and had two children, a son, 3, and a daughter, 11. kate^DN^ shared her life with him and they grew close....or so she thought and he claimed.

"Arrangements were made for a real life meeting The two met and all was wonderfully well. Ralph....a name which will do as well as any other for the purposes of this tale....brought his books to study for his licensing boards. He asked kate^DN^ to marry him and move with her child to Miami. Much to kate^DN^'s surprise, her answer was yes.....and she was so happy. Real life friends told her she had the glow of a woman in love."

Tears well up in the girl's eyes. She pauses, staring into the fire for a moment and then continues...her voice louder now. "On the last day of his visit, Drago-Nem told kate^DN^ that he had a tumor in his brain, but that all would be well. There was every chance of recovery. As time went on, he continued to talk of a life together, to talk of when they would be married and spending their honeymoon in Naples where he claimed to have family, to talk of whether a girl should change her name, to tell a girl of the job offer with the big practice and the signing bonus he would receive, which was a good thing because he was having financial trouble." The girl sighs softly and shakes her head. It sounds so obvious now.

"Financial trouble.........a young doctor just starting out with all the bills of medical school and two children to support and a brain tumor. Finally Drago-Nem told the girl that the tumor was malignant; occipital melangioma, he called it. He also told her that it was inoperable and that he was undergoing chemotherapy; but the chemo wasn't working. And he began to talk of being too sick from the chemotherapy to work and of missing work and missing money from his weekend job paychecks and his inability to pay the large phone bill the two had amassed and how his phone was to be cut off and finally kate^DN^ offered to help. It was cleverly done and a girl was sucked in. She was so naive. Drago-Nem demurred at first. 'Oh no!' said he, 'I could not accept money from you. BUT, I will pay it back.' So kate^DN^, wanting only to help the one she loved, 'talked him into it.' Then his story began to change. He grew sicker and sicker. And money was needed for experimental drugs and other bills...and the money was sent." The girl hangs her head.

"Then came the time when Drago-Nem said that he was too sick to continue on irc, but that he wanted to go out, having had vengeance upon all those who had wronged him during his time here. He told his slave that his friend 'Tony' was going to help him. Twice he declared he was leaving irc and twice he returned immediately. The second time he came back, he took his collar from kate^DN^ and forbade her the use of the nick kate. He told the girl that he and 'Tony' and the slave he collared within a day of taking kate's collar were going to lure all his enemies into the camp and 'nuke' their computers." The girl's voice drops low with shame that she did not say anything to anyone. "That was how he kept the girl away. And then Drago-Nem claimed that he had left irc. He told kate^ that there was little or no hope for his survival and that he had turned the camp over to 'Tony' who was using the nick, Drago-Nem. He told her that there were two drugs that could possibly help him and gladly she sent the money for them.

The girl assumed a new nick, grace, and came back to irc because this was the place where she had spent most of her time with him. Each day, grace would talk to 'Tony' who would tell her about her Ralph and how badly he was failing. At the same time, she would talk to Ralph who would urge her to help 'Tony' become Drago-Nem and to tell no one that he was ill. The girl was confused and hurt, but stubbornly loyal.

"grace continued to come to irc and finally wandered into Tahari-Oasis. Here she was greeted by those who had made her feel welcome once before." The girl smiles softly at Master Pantheus and Mistress Opal. "Despite Drago-Nem's admonitions, grace shared her troubled heart with those she trusted. Soon she began to hear that Drago-Nem was the same man he had always been, but she would not believe it. He would not deceive her so or cause her such anguish. grace defended him boldly, but she was wrong." The girl's voice catches in her throat and her eyes search frantically until they light upon the one who soothes her soul. She calms and goes on in a low steady voice. "grace was blessed by a gift from the Priest-Kings in the form of the favor of an honorable Master who took her under his care and protection. He sheltered her from much of the rumor and innuendo and gathered information. Ralph continued to call and document his deterioration. All question of marriage was long since dropped as Ralph had decreed that he would not leave the girl a widow.

"Then came another crisis; Ralph's disability claim had not yet been processed, he was unable to work and he had no money for his insurance premium. The girl learned of this through 'Tony' who was still playing Drago-Nem. 'Tony' claimed that he could raise part of the money, and when the girl offered the rest, 'Tony' assured her that he would pay her back for his dear friend, his brother. Ralph's phone calls grew less coherent and he bemoaned his increasing forgetfulness....a minor symptom of the onslaught of his cancer. Ralph had described for the girl in gruesome detail the increasing incapacitation he would suffer....the cancer would eat away at his brain. There would be paralysis, loss of the senses, brain damage, horrific pain, coma, death. He claimed to be on an intermittent morphine drip. Finally at the same time the insurance crisis arose, Ralph asked grace to marry him so that they would be joined as husband and wife when he died." The girl shakes her head ruefully. "The morning that Ralph called to make sure the money for his 'insurance premium' would reach him by a certain time, he called grace "Wife" over and over and over. The girl wondered why he had changed his mind and spoke to many about it The consensus was that she should not consider it. She even spoke to 'Tony' who very earnestly told her that Ralph was so badly off that he would probably forget he had asked. Lo and behold, Ralph did indeed forget. All this time, the girl's friends and her Protector tried to make her see what was obvious to most others, but she would not believe that anyone would hurt another so. "

"Not long ago grace ran into the Mistress who had been Drago-Nem's friend, and being encouraged by her Protector, she approached the woman and they talked and the house of cards that was Drago-Nem fell. The Drago-Nem on-line was indeed Ralph. There was no 'Tony". Ralph had represented to the Mistress that he was going to marry her and had gone so far as to ask another Master here to stand with him at the wedding He had told the Mistress that he had accepted the big practice's offer and had admitting privileges at several Miami area hospitals." Anger creeps into the girl's tone and her eyes harden. "The girl began an investigation of her own and learned that Ralph does not have admitting privileges at any of the hospitals he had named nor is he licensed to practice medicine in the State of Florida. She learned that he did not attend The University of Miami's School of Medicine or New York University. If you ask her, grace will provide the telephone numbers to verify this information. Thus slave and the Mistress confronted Drago-Nem last week. When faced with the facts, he admitted that he had lied, but claimed to love the two. When alone with the slave, he claimed that he didn't really love the Mistress and that it was the slave with whom he had shared the truth of his illness. He begged her to stay with him as he did not want to die alone. With the support of her Protector and her friends, grace steeled her heart and did not listen to his words of woe. Drago-Nem promised to repay the girl by today. He has not. grace does not expect to be repaid. Her eyes are now open. And that is the tale of Drago-Nem."

The girl starts to rise, then settles back on her heels once more. "A moment further of your time, Masters, Mistresses, sisters...." She smiles softly, looking at each person gathered round her. "grace is blessed and she would share her gratitude with each of you who have so patiently seen her through this troubled time. She lost a good deal of money, and for a time, her heart. But in the end, the girl is much the richer for the truth and the real love and companionship she has found here. And to Drago-Nem, who called out, "Deceit!" when kate was collared by another, she offers only pity for he will never know love or honor and his cry of "Deceit!" shall follow him always.

"Be well and joyous. This girl is grace, protected by her beloved Master Asallai."

Some months later......

Once again the girl finds herself by the fires of Tahari-Oasis. Time has passed since the initial telling of her tale. There is a collar about her neck marking her as the property of Master Loch`lin to whom she is completely devoted. The slave draws a deep breath and begins:

"There are those who believe that the telling of this tale is wrong.....some because Drago-Nem has denied the truth of it, others because it speaks ill of a Master. To those who believe the tale false, there is little a girl can say. Documents exist proving the transfer of monies. Those who knew Drago-Nem in that time knew he claimed to be a doctor in the Miami area. All one needs to do is ask about him." The girl looks down, closing her eyes for a moment. Her hand caresses the steel collar about her neck as if gathering will from it.

The slave seeks the right words. "Honor and dishonor are found in a man's actions. This girl tells of one man's deeds. They speak for themselves." The girl looks up at the many slaves who hear this tale, her eyes sparkling, "Sisters, be cautioned, not just by the actions of the man, but especially by your sister's naivete and willingness to believe only what she wished to believe. A girl prays you take her lesson to heart and grow from it as she has.

"This girl is grace{Loch}, now owned by Master Loch`lin." The girl glows with the inner peace of one who has found her place in these worlds. "Be well and joyous."