Dragonheart

“Not just the holds,” K’lior said, “but all the obvious watch-points where we might spot Thread or blackdust.”

“That’d take two, maybe three wings to manage!” M’valer objected.

K’lior nodded. “I think that we can rotate through the wings, but, yes, I would imagine that to do it properly, with appropriate relief, we would need at least a wing for each major Hold: Ruatha, Fort, and Southern Boll.”

“Surely you’d only need a single dragon for each?” M’kury suggested.

“At the Hold proper, yes,” K’lior replied. “But I want us to cover every hold minor and every major outcropping or vantage point.”

“Oh,” M’kury responded. “Yes, I could see how that would eat up — ”

“But not a whole wing, surely!” K’rall protested.

“Of course not,” K’lior agreed. “We would want to rotate dragon and rider, give them a chance to rest, eat, and change vantage points.”

“Why change?” M’valer wondered. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to keep them in the same place?”

“Only if your eyes don’t get tired of looking at the same place all the time,” V’ney drawled in response.

M’valer glanced at the younger rider for a moment, then snorted. “Well said!”

“So,” K’lior persisted, “we’ll need to send out practically a full Flight of dragons.” As expected, the riders perked up at K’lior’s use of the word, “Flight.”

K’lior nodded to H’nez. “I’d like you to oversee the first effort.” H’nez nodded, his expression veiled. K’lior could only guess at the many possible thoughts in the other’s head, but he didn’t doubt that surprise and a sense of entitlement were among them. “Will you be ready by first light?” K’lior asked.

“Of course,” H’nez responded automatically.

“Good,” K’lior replied, nodding decisively. “I don’t think we’ll ask you to stay out for more than three days, then we’ll rotate.”

“I’d like to have K’rall’s and M’valer’s wings with me,” H’nez declared.

“That was my thinking, too,” K’lior responded. “But I want you to leave the ill dragons behind — I don’t want to stress them any more than necessary.”

“But they’re only coughing!” H’nez declared, his irritation obvious. “I wouldn’t let sick riders stay in their beds; I see no reason — ”

K’lior cut across him, turning to K’rall and M’valer to ask, “Do either of you recall dragons coughing, in all your Turns at the Weyr?”

Mutely, K’rall and M’valer shook their heads. K’lior turned his gaze to H’nez. “Because this is something that rare, wingleader, I have decided that we will  keep the sick dragons in the Weyr.” He glanced at M’kury and added sardonically, “If it were only because they’d been out all night drinking beer or cavorting, I’d say differently.”

M’kury grinned.

“But,” K’lior continued, turning his gaze back to H’nez, “as dragons don’t get colds or hangovers, I think it’s best if we treat this carefully.”

“Especially given the losses at the other Weyrs,” Cisca added.

“And the fire-lizards,” M’kury added, his usually chipper expression replaced by a much more somber look.

“Yes,” K’lior agreed, “particularly because of the fire-lizards. It has been hard enough for our own weyrfolk to handle their loss. Seeing the dragons may help the holders and crafters cope with the loss of their own fire- lizards.”

“Or it could irritate them,” M’kury said bluntly. K’lior gave him a questioning look. “It could remind them that they lost their fire-lizards while we ” — he gestured to indicate the whole Weyr — “have kept our dragons.”

“They know that without the dragons all Pern would be Threaded!” H’nez declared with a contemptuous glare.

“I doubt they’ll be thinking that until Thread actually does fall,” Cisca put in. She saw some of the wingleaders — V’ney, T’mar, S’kan, and N’jian — nod in agreement. “Until then,” she continued, “the loss of their fire-lizards might increase their resentment toward dragonriders.”

“Are you saying that we shouldn’t go on patrol?” H’nez wondered.

“No,” Cisca replied, shaking her head, “I’m saying that we should remember it and behave accordingly.” She gave K’lior a private look that he had come to recognize as a warning that he was shortly going to have a message relayed by his Rineth from her Melirth.

Cisca wonders if maybe you should send different wingleaders out first,  Rineth told him an instant later. K’lior caught her eye and shook his head just enough for her to notice.

“The Weyrwoman’s right,” K’lior said out loud. “H’nez, I want you to take that consideration into account as you set up your patrols. Be sure to make a courtesy call at each hold, major and minor, and each crafthall.”

“But — ” H’nez protested only to have K’lior cut him off.

“It’s good manners,” K’lior said. “In fact, it makes good sense as we’ll want to be recognizable to their ground crews.” He paused. “In fact, H’nez, can you see to it that you identify the various ground crews, too?”

He pursed his lips for a moment as he considered that question himself. “Perhaps that’s too much,” he decided finally. “We can save that for the next Flight.”

“No, Weyrleader, we can do that,” H’nez declared, clearly upset that K’lior might think him incapable of the extra effort.

“Excellent,” K’lior replied. He looked around the table for any objections, then started on the next topic. “Now, there is one other thing the Weyrwoman wants to discuss with us.”

He gestured to Cisca, passing the discussion over to her.

“I’d like to ask Melanwy to care for Tannaz and Kelsanth full time,” Cisca said straight out. At the dismayed looks of the riders, she added, “At least until Kelsanth recovers.”

“Will she recover?” V’ney asked softly.

“We don’t know,” K’lior admitted after a moment’s silence.

“What about that herbal they used at Benden Weyr?” T’mar asked.

“It didn’t work; they lost their senior queen,” M’kury declared, obviously surprised that T’mar didn’t remember.

“We’ve more coughing,” M’valer added reluctantly.

“Has any dragon recovered from this?” S’kan wondered out loud.

“Not that we’ve heard,” Cisca replied. “Melanwy’s old enough that looking after Tannaz and her dragon will be enough for her by itself, so I’m going to ask Ellor to stand in as headwoman.”

“Ellor, the dessert cook?” H’nez asked. Cisca nodded and was surprised when the irritable dragonrider responded with, “Good choice. She’s capable.”

A murmur of agreement went around the table.

“Not that it’s our business, anyway,” K’rall pointed out. “Running the Weyr is the Weyrwoman’s job.”

“But it is a good choice,” V’ney observed, daring the older rider to disagree.

“Oh, it is, it is,” K’rall said quickly.

“Good,” K’lior said. He rose from his seat, extending a hand to Cisca, who took it and squeezed it in relief. “Now, it is late and H’nez’s flight will be leaving at first light, so I think we ” — he indicated himself and the Weyrwoman — “will bid you a good night.”

“Others,” Cisca chimed in with a grin to M’kury, “might want to carefully consider whether it would be wise to resume their activities.”

“No problem,” M’kury declared. “They’re both waiting for me in my quarters!”

SEVEN

Holder looks up to the skies