Why, when you fought that night — ”
“I think that’s more than they wanted, K’rall,” Fiona interrupted him calmly.
The bronze rider started in embarrassment and nodded his head. “I might have said too much.”
“No,” Nuella told him staunchly, “I think you said just the right amount.”
K’rall gave her a brisk nod of acknowledgment: the one reserved for equals among dragonriders. Zenor noticed and stiffened in response, afraid to ask further and glancing nervously toward Nuella.
Nuella laughed; she had caught enough of his emotions through the movements of his hands and the stiffness of his body. To Zenor she said apologetically, “It sounds like I’ll continue to give you worry, love.”
“I won’t complain,” Zenor vowed.
“Much,” Nuella corrected him with another laugh. Zenor joined in loudly.
“I think we should visit the Smithcrafthall tomorrow,” Fiona said as they entered her quarters. “While it’s light.”
T’mar groaned and Zenor looked at him questioningly. “The heat in daytime can be excruciating,” T’mar explained.
“I hear it gets better in winter,” Fiona said, not wanting them to be too alarmed.
“I like the heat,” Nuella said. “And you say you keep watch-wher hours? Work in the dark and sleep in the light? I can see how that would work.”
Zenor absorbed her remark with a thoughtful look, which was quickly replaced by one of excitement as he asked, “Do we know if Terregar or Silstra survived the Plague?”
“I don’t,” Nuella said.
“I don’t know who they are,” Fiona said with a shrug.
“I thought you were an expert on all things Kindan,” Nuella teased her. “She’s Kindan’s oldest sister.”
“I still remember their wedding,” Zenor said wistfully. “It was nighttime and Dask flew over holding a basket of glows, looking like a flying star.”
“A flying star,” Nuella repeated. “Something to think about for our wedding.”
“Our wedding?” Zenor echoed faintly, his face going white.
“I think it would be a good to have one before we have children, don’t you?” Nuella continued, enjoying the strangled noises that he made in response.
“Actually,” K’rall interposed uncomfortably, “you might want to reconsider weddings. At least with dragonriders, because of the mating flight, riders tend to partner impermanently.”
Zenor’s objection was a loud and immediate, “No!”
“No?” Nuella repeated.
“I mean, no, I am not going to accept anything less than a permanent pairing,” Zenor told her. “That is, if you want.”
“Are you proposing?” Nuella asked, her face blossoming with a glowing look.
“No.”
“What?” Nuella’s exclamation was both outraged and unyielding.
“I will propose,” Zenor said, temporizing, “but I want to do it at the right moment.”
“And
Zenor stopped and turned to grab Nuella by the shoulders. “When I have something worthy to offer you.”
“You are worthy,” Nuella assured him, gently removing his hands from her shoulders and gesturing for him to continue walking. “But if you must wait, don’t wait too long.”
“Certainly!” Zenor agreed emphatically. A moment later, however, when he was certain that Nuella wouldn’t notice, he shot an appealing glance to T’mar and K’rall, who responded with nods which affirmed that they would help him however they could. Zenor let out a sigh of relief, which he covered by feigning a yawn. “We should rest; we’ll have a busy day tomorrow.”
SIXTEEN
Good earth,
Fresh soil,
Hardy ground,
Less toil.
Igen Weyr, Morning, AL 498.8.14
“It’ll be hot,” T’mar cautioned as Zenor mulishly repeated his demand that they visit the wherhold site before setting off for the Smithcrafthall.
“I understand,” Zenor said. “But I want to see what’s there.”
“You might not find anything in a short search,” K’rall said.
“But if we had a sample to bring with us, we’d have a much stronger argument,” Zenor said.
The two wingleaders nodded reluctantly. T’mar asked K’rall, “Will you take him, or do you want to lead the ice party?”
“I’ll take him,” K’rall decided. “I’ll take S’gan and D’teril — they’ve recovered well enough to fly and their dragons need to stretch their wings.”
“Take some of the older weyrlings, too,” T’mar suggested.
K’rall gave the bronze rider a thoughtful look. “Who would you suggest?”
“Y’gos or T’del,” T’mar replied instantly. “They’re both steady riders and their browns should be up to the heat.”
“Hmm,” K’rall murmured. “Should I be concerned about Harith and the heat?”
D’teril’s Harith had scored a wingtip in the Fall over Ruatha.
“Fiona says he’s fully recovered,” T’mar replied, adding, “I checked them out the other day and they seem more than anxious to get back in the air.”
K’rall smiled sympathetically. “Well, I’ll keep an eye on him,” he decided. “Wouldn’t be the first time a blue flew too early!”
“No, it wouldn’t,” T’mar agreed with a grin. Blue riders were eager fliers, and often their dragons became so overcome by their riders’ enthusiasm that they overexerted themselves and strained their muscles.
“Fiona and Nuella have decided that they’ll go to the old wherhold this evening,” Zenor said, glancing out from the shade of the Dining Cavern to the roiling heat in the Weyr Bowl, “so it would be good to have some news to send with them.”
Four dragons — two blues and two browns — launched themselves from their weyrs into the hot air over the Weyr, reveling in the currents that swiftly lifted them up over the Star Stones. K’rall’s Seyorth landed nimbly in front of K’rall, who gestured to Zenor. “We’re ready.”
Zenor smiled in delight as K’rall helped him climb up the bronze dragon’s huge front leg to a riding position on Seyorth’s neck. K’rall followed a moment later and, sketching a salute to T’mar, urged his great bronze skyward.
T’mar had a moment to enjoy the view of the small wing of five dragons before they veered away from the Star Stones and winked
He heard footsteps behind him and turned in time to see the envious look on Terin’s face as she gazed at the space where the dragons had been.
“There’s a group of weyrlings going to cut those reeds for you later,” T’mar said. “Perhaps you’d like to go with them.”
Terin nodded eagerly.
As the chill of
