"You have returned!" A grin took my face as my happiness extinguished my surprise. "I asked the watchers to inform me when you came from the rock."         "They may not have dared to." Her voice sounded as if someone had choked her. "I saw them in the shadow watching me as I walked away from the wall. Not a 1 moved."          "I can understand that," I said drawing nearer to her and assessing what my medsens recorded of her condition. "You probably wore your dragon visage. Not many will meet that." I studied her face, her eyes. The odd anomalous readings which had registered before were no longer there. I had not studied them; there had been no time; I decided not to speak of them now. I could at times be of more aid to the rider by not informing her of all I knew of her state. She did know this and it irritated her at times. She never liked it. "You've got some serious bruises but nothing broken or bleeding. The energy levels are too low, though, rider. You need to eat and sleep."          She shook her head.          I felt a sinking dread. "You don't need to enter again?"          She shook her head.          She was frequently upon the completion of a complex or strenuous job too keyed yet awhile to rest however much she needed to. Usually, too, at these times she could not speak to me of what she had experienced or performed though I felt that if she could have she could have been eased. I don't know if she could, or ever had, spoken to other riders at such times or whether she was locked away inside herself irregardless of who accompanied her. I continued to try. There were times I thought my attempts did divert her and even if unpleasant were thus effective.