"I can certainly spare any time you need today," the younger bronze rider replied with cheerful com- pliance.
"Brekke will be right along." Then the wing second led the way across the Bowl, unnaturally silent except for the moans and mutters that issued in muffled echoes from Ramoth in the Hatching Ground. On his ledge, Mnementh swung his great head constantly so that every portion of the rim was scrutinized.
No sooner had the men entered the weyr than they were assaulted by four hysterical fire-lizards that had to be petted and reassured that no dragon would flame them—a fear which seemed to be common and persistent.
"What is this large darkness that I get from Zair's images?" Robinton asked when he had caressed his little bronze into a semblance of order. Zair shivered frequently and, whenever the Harper's gentle strokes lapsed, the bronze pushed imperiously at the negli- gent hand.
Meanwhile Berd and Grail were perched on F'nor's shoulders, stroking his cheeks, their eyes bright yellow with anxiety and still whirling at a frantic rate. "When they're calmer, Brekke and I will try to sort the whole thing out. I get the impression that they are remem- bering something."
"Not something like the Red Star?" N'ton asked.
At his unfortunate reference, Tris, who had been lying quietly on his forearm, began to bat his wings and the others squealed in fright. "I'm sorry. Calm down, Tris."
"No, not something like that," F'nor said. "Just something... something they remembered."
"We do know that they communicate instantly with one another and apparently broadcast anything seen that is strongly felt or experienced," Robinton said, picking his words as he vocalized his thoughts. "So this could be evidence of a mass reaction. But picked up from which fire-lizard or fire-lizards? How- ever, Grail and Berd, and certainly that little creature of Meron's, could not have known through one of their own kind that the... you know what... was dangerous to them. So how did they know to the point of hysterics? How could it be something they remembered?"
"Runner beasts seem to know when to avoid treach- erous ground..." N'ton offered.
"Instinct." Robinton pondered. "Could be instinct." Then he shook his head. "No, avoiding treacherous ground is not the same use of an instinctive fear: that's a generality. The... R-E-D-S-T-A-R," he spelled letter by letter, "is a specific. Ah, well!"
"Fire-lizards are basically gifted with the same skills as dragons. Dragons, however, have no memo- ries to speak of."
"Which, let us fervently hope," F'nor said, raising his eyes toward the ceiling, "wipes out what happened today in record time."
"Lessa does not suffer that gift," Robinton said with a heavy sigh.
"She's not stupid either, Masterharper," N'ton said, adroitly reaffirming his respect for the man by the use of his title. "Nor is F'lar. Just worried. They'll both come round and appreciate your intervention today." Then N'ton cleared his throat and looked the Masterharper squarely in the eyes. "Do you know who took the egg?"
"I had heard that something was being planned. I knew, which would have been obvious to anyone counting Turns, that the Southern men and dragons are slowing.with age, and desperate. I've had only the experience of Zair wanting to mate..." Robinton paused, remembering that astounding revival of de- sires he had thought himself well past, shrugged and met the understanding twinkle in N'ton's eyes. "So I can appreciate the pressures that randy brown and bronze dragons can exert on their riders. Even a will- ing green, young enough to be flown, would help..." He looked questioningly at the two dragonriders.
"Not after today," F'nor said emphatically. "If they'd approached one of the Weyrs... D'ram for instance," he glanced at N'ton for corroboration, "perhaps a green would have gone, if only to prevent something disastrous. But to attempt to solve their problems by kidnapping a queen egg?" F'nor frowned. "How much do you know, Robinton, about what goes on down in the Southern Weyr? I know I gave you all the maps I'd made when I was timing it in the South."
"Frankly, I know more about happenings in the
Hold. I did get a message from Piemur recently that the dragonriders had been more private than is their custom. They don't mix much with holders, following the pattern of their own Time, but a certain amount of coming and going into the Weyr was permitted. That ceased abruptly and then no holders were al- lowed near the Weyr. Not for any reason. Nor was there much flying done. Piemur says the dragons would be seen midair and then they'd pop between. No circling, no cruising. Just going between." "Timing it," P'nor said thoughtfully. Zair squeaked piteously and Robinton soothed him. Again the fire-lizard inserted in his mind the image of dragons flaming fire-lizards: the black nothingness, and a glimpse of an egg.
"Did you both get that picture, too, from your friends?" he asked though their startled expression made the question unnecessary.
Robinton pressed Zair for a clearer image, a view of where the egg was, and received nothing but the impression of flame and fear.
"I wish they'd a bit more sense," Robinton said, forcing down his irritation. Tantalizing to be so close, thwarted by the limited scope of fire-lizard vision.
"They're still upset," F'nor said. "I'll try, with Grail and Berd later on. I wonder if Menolly's getting the same reaction from hers. You might ask her when you've got back to the Harpercrafthall, Master Robin- ton. With ten, she might get that much more clarity."
Robinton agreed as he rose, but thought of one last thing. "N'ton, weren't you among the bronzes who went to Southern Weyr, to see if the egg had been taken there?"
"I was. The Weyr was deserted. Not even an old dragon left behind. Completely deserted." "Yes, that would follow, wouldn't it?"
When Jaxom and Menolly, on Ruth, entered the air above Fort Hold, Ruth called his name to the watch dragon and was almost smothered by fire- lizards. They so impeded his progress that he dropped a few lengths before he could get them to give him wing room. The moment he landed, the fire-lizards swarmed over him and his riders, keening with anxi- ety.
Menolly called out reassurances as fire-lizards clung to her clothing, got tangled in her hair. Jaxom found two trying to sit on his head, several had tails wrapped around his neck and three were beating their wings frantically to remain at eye level with him.
"What's got into them?"
"They're terrified! Dragons breathing fire at them," Menolly cried. "But no one's doing that to you, you silly chinches. You only have to stay away from the Weyrs for a bit."
Other harpers, attracted by the commotion, came to their rescue, either taking the fire-lizards bodily from Jaxom and Menolly, or sternly recalling the ones that looked to them personally. When Jaxom started to shoo them away from Ruth, the dragon told him not to bother—he, Ruth, would calm them down him- self shortly. They were frightened because they re- membered being chased by dragon fire. Since the harpers were all now clamoring for news from Benden, Jaxom decided to let Ruth handle the fire- lizards.
The Harpers had received some pretty distorted images from the fire-lizards returning, terrified, to the Harpercrafthall: Benden full of immense bronze drag- ons, breathing fire, ready to fight; Ramoth acting like a blood-maddened watchwher, and curious images of the queen egg solitary in the sand. But what made the Harpers extremely apprehensive was the vision of dragons flaming at fire-lizards.
"Benden dragons did not flame any fire-lizards,"
Jaxom and Menolly both said.
"But all the fire-lizards must stay away from Benden unless they're sent to either Brekke or Mir- rim," Menolly added firmly. "And we're to mark all those that look to harpers with harper colors."
Jaxom and Menolly were ushered into the Harper- hall and given wine and hot soup. Neither of them got to eat it hot because no sooner were they served than some of the Hold people arrived, soliciting the news. Menolly recounted the major portion of the happen- ing, being the trained Harper. Jaxom's respect for the girl increased greatly as he listened to her flowing voice evoke the emotions appropriate to each part of her narrative, without distorting what he kn
ew to have happened. One of the senior Harpers, soothing the blue fire-lizard in the crook of his arm, kept nodding his head as if approving her use of Harper tricks.
When Menolly stopped speaking, a respectful mur- mur of thanks was heard throughout the room. Then the listeners became the speakers, dissecting the news, wondering who had returned the egg and how—and why, which Was still the biggest question. How were the Weyrs going to protect themselves? Were the main Holds in any danger? Who knew to what lengths the Oldtimers might go if they'd steal a Benden egg. Now, there'd been some mysterious occurrences—insignifi- cant in themselves but in total highly suspicious— which the Harpers felt ought to be reported to Benden Weyr. Those mysterious shortages at the iron mines, for instance. And what about those young girls who were carried off and no one could trace where? Could the Oldtimers be looking for more than dragon eggs?
Menolly eased her way out of the center of the audience and beckoned Jaxom to follow her. "I'm talked dry," she said with a heavy sigh and led him down the corridor to the huge copyroom where moldy Records were transcribed before their messages were lost forever. Her lizards suddenly appeared and she signaled them to land on one of the tables. "You lot are about to wear the very latest design for fire- lizards!" She rummaged in the cabinet under the table. "Help me find white and yellow, Jaxom. This can is dried up." She chucked it into a bin in the corner. "And what is your design for fire-lizards?" "Hmmmm. Here's white. Harper blue with journey- man light blue, separated by white and framed by Fort Hold lattice yellow. That ought to label them ac- curately, don't you think?"
Jaxom agreed and found himself required to hold fire-lizard necks still. This assignment was rendered all the more difficult because the fire-lizards seemed to want to look him straight in the eye.
"If they're trying to tell me something, I'm not get- ting the message," Jaxom told Menolly as he pa- tiently endured the fifth soulful scrutiny.
"I suspect," Menolly said, speaking in disjointed phrases as she carefully applied her root colors, "what you've got—hold him still, Jaxom—is the only... dragon on Pern... that... they're not—hold him— scared silly of right now. Ruth doesn't... after all... chew firestone."
Jaxom sighed because he could see that Ruth's sud- den popularity was going to ruin his private plans. Much as he was loath to do so, he was going to have to time it because if the fire-lizards didn't know when they went they couldn't follow him! That reminded him of his original errand to the Harpercrafthall.
"I started out this morning to get Wansor's equa- tions from you...."
"Hmmm, yes." Menolly grinned at him over a squirming blue fire-lizard. "That seems like Turns ago. Well, we'll just patch the white on Uncle, and I'll give 'em to you. I've also got some winter-summer season charts you might as well have, seeing as you've been so cooperative. Piemur hasn't written out many yet."
A blue fire-lizard came zipping into the paint room, chirping with relief when it saw Jaxom.
It is the thick man's blue, Ruth said from outside. "I've only the one blue fire-lizard and we just did him, didn't we?" Menolly asked in surprise, glancing about the room at the others.
Ill
"It's Brand's. I'd better get back to Ruatha Hold. I should've gone back hours ago."
"Well, don't be a fool and meet yourself coming," she said with a laugh. "You've been on legitimate business this time."
Managing a light laugh, Jaxom caught the roll of charts she threw in his direction. She couldn't know what he had in mind. He was entirely too sensitive to her random remarks. Sign of a guilty conscience. "Then you'll alibi me to Lytol?"
"Anytime, Jaxom!" Back at Ruatha Hold, he had the whole tale to tell again with an audience as rapt, astonished, angered and relieved as the harpers and the Fort Holders. He found himself unconsciously using Menolly's turns of phrase and he wondered how long before she'd make a Ballad of the event.
He finished by directing everyone owning a fire- lizard to band the creature with Ruatha colors: brown with red squares, banded by white and black. He got that task organized when he noticed that Lytol was still seated in his heavy chair, one hand playing with the corner of his lower lip, his eyes fixed on some in- distinct point on the flagstones.
"Lytol?" The Lord Warder recalled himself to the present with an effort and frowned at Jaxom. Then he sighed. "I've always feared that the conflict might come to dragon against dragon."
"It's not come to that, Lytol," Jaxom said quietly and as persuasively as he could.
The man looked intently into Jaxom's eyes. "It could, lad. It so easily could. And I, and you, owe so much to Benden. Should I go there now?"
"Finder remained." Lytol nodded and Jaxom wondered if the Lord
Warder felt he'd been slighted. "Better for Finder to travel on dragonback." He passed his hand over his eyes and shook his head.
"You're not well, Lytol. A cup of wine?" "No, I'll be all right, lad." Lytol pushed himself vigorously to his feet. "I don't suppose in all the fuss that you remembered what you went to the Harper- crafthall for?"
Much relieved to hear Lytol sound like himself, Jaxom lightly announced that he had not only Wansor's equations but some charts to work with. From then until the evening meal, Jaxom wished he'd not been so thoughtful because Lytol had him instruct-
' ing Brand and himself in accurately timing Thread- fall.
Teaching someone else a method is a very good way to make it easier to do yourself, as Jaxom found later that night when he worked some private equa- tions of his own, poring over the rough map he had of the Southern Continent. There was too much activity all over Pern for him to go to an alternate "when" with any safety. And since he was going to time it, he might just as well go back at least twelve Turns, be- fore anyone had started using the Southern Continent at all. He knew just where firestone could be mined so there'd be no problem supplying Ruth. The night stars were halfway to morning before he felt he could find his way to the then he wanted to find.
Just before daybreak, he was awakened by the sound of Ruth's whimpering. He struggled from his furs and stumbled barefoot on the cold stones, blink- ing sleep from his eyes. Ruth's forelegs were churning and his wing elbows twitched with whatever dream disturbed him. Fire-lizards burrowed about him; most of them did not wear Ruathan colors. He shooed the creatures away and Ruth, sighing, dropped into a deeper, quiet sleep.
Chapter VI
Ruatha Hold and Southern Hold, 15.5.27-15.6.2
THE HOLD DAY began by sending out fire-lizards with messages to all the smaller holds and craftcot- tages, ordering that every fire-lizard be appropriately marked and individually warned about approaching any Weyr. Some of the nearby holders had ridden in during the morning for reassurances about the garbled accounts the fire-lizards had given. So Lytol, Jaxom and -Brand were kept busy all day. The next day, Thread was due to fall, and it fell at precisely the mo- ment Lytol had calculated. This gave him great pleas- ure and reassured the more nervous holders.
Jaxom good-naturedly took his place with the flamethrower crew, not that any Thread escaped the Fort Weyr dragons. It amused Jaxom to think that at the next Threadfall, he too might be above ground on a fire-breathing Ruth. *
The third day after the egg was stolen, Ruth was famished and wanted to hunt. But the fire-lizards came in such droves to accompany him that he killed only once and ate the beast up, bones and hide.
/ will not kill for them, Ruth told Jaxom so fiercely that he wondered if Ruth might eventually flame the fire-lizards.
"What's the matter? I thought you liked them!"
Jaxom met his dragon on the grassy slope and ca- ressed him soothingly.
They remember me doing something I do not re- member doing. I did not do it. Ruth's eyes whirled with red sparks.
"What do they remember you doing?"
/ haven't done U. And there was a tinge of fearful uncertainty to Ruth's mental tone. / know I haven't done it. I couldn't do such a thing. I am a dragon. I am Ruth. I am of Benden! His last words
sounded in a despairing tone.
"What do they remember you doing, Ruth? You've got to tell me."
Ruth ducked his head, as if he wished he could hide, but he turned back to Jaxom, his eyes wheeling piteously. / wouldn't take Ramoth's egg. 1 know I didn't take Ramoth's egg. I was there by the lake all the time with you. I remember that. You remember that. They know where I was. But somehow they re- member that I took Ramoth's egg too.
Jaxom clung to Ruth's neck to keep from falling. Then he took several very deep breaths.
"Show me the images they've been giving you, Ruth!"
And Ruth did, the projections growing more clear and vivid as Ruth calmed in response to his rider's encouragement.
That's what they remember, he said finally with a deep sigh of relief.
Jaxom told himself to think logically so he said out loud, "Fire-lizards can only tell what they've seen. You say they remember. Do you know when they re- member seeing you take Ramoth's egg?"
Anne McCaffrey - Pern06 White Dragon Page 12
