Dragonheart

“Tajen,” H’nez said, his eyes downcast and tear-streaked, “I grieve for your loss.”

“He was a great dragon, you were a great pair,” T’mar said when he approached. “I grieve for your loss.”

M’kury came forward then, but even though his mouth worked, he could make no words, instead reaching out beseechingly with one hand to Tajen, who took it. M’kury grabbed the stricken brown rider and embraced him in a tight hug. When finally they broke apart, M’kury found the words: “I grieve for your loss.”

“And I recognize your courage for remaining behind,” H’nez added into the silence.

“It wasn’t courage — ” Tajen protested. “I needed to set the right example for the weyrlings. No matter what may come: ‘Dragonmen must fly when Thread is in the sky!’ ”

He looked up at K’lior. “I don’t know what we’re going to do with the body, however.”

“I do,” Cisca replied. All eyes turned to her. She nodded to K’lior as she explained, “K’lior and I have talked about this already.”

“We’ll use slings and hoists to lift the body out of the weyr, and then dragons will bring it between, ” K’lior explained.

“It’s too dark to do it tonight,” M’kury observed, idly patting the brown dragon’s body.

“No, we’ll do it first thing in the morning,” Cisca replied. She looked at Tajen. “Would you like us to keep watch with you?”

Tajen thought it over and shook his head.

“I’ll stay,” Xhinna said quietly. Fiona thought she looked surprised by her own words.

Tajen glanced at her, then said, “Thank you.”

As the others shuffled out, Fiona managed to get Xhinna aside.

“That was awfully kind of you,” Fiona said to her.

“You don’t mind, do you?” Xhinna asked.

“No, Talenth and I will be fine,” Fiona replied firmly.

“It’s just that,” Xhinna explained, “of everyone here, I might be the only one who knows how he feels right now.”

Fiona looked at her blankly.

“Outcast, alone,” Xhinna murmured as if to herself.

“You’re not alone,” Fiona declared stoutly.

Xhinna flushed, saying, “Before I met you, I mean.”

“Should I send up some blankets?” Fiona asked, glancing toward Tajen’s quarters. Xhinna smiled at her and shook her head. “I doubt I’ll sleep tonight.”

Fiona shucked off the sweater she’d put on earlier and handed it to Xhinna. “Then you’ll need this.”

Xhinna took it gratefully.

“We’ll be up at first light,” K’lior promised.

“I’ll have the kitchens send up something warming,” Cisca added.

As they made their way down the stairs to the Weyr Bowl, she said to Fiona, “You were right about her.”

“Pardon?”

“Your Xhinna is a good person,” K’lior said, glancing back at Cisca. The Weyrwoman nodded.

When she rose and dressed in the morning, Fiona found Talenth awake and waiting for her on her ledge. The dragon was peering curiously upward. Fiona looked up but could see nothing in the foggy morning mist; only the sounds she heard told her that the men were working to winch Salith out of his weyr.

They’re taking Salith away,  Fiona informed her dragon.

When I die, will you go with me?  Talenth asked.

“It won’t be for a long, long while,” Fiona replied firmly, needing to say the words out loud. After a long moment of reflection, she added, “And yes, I’ll go with you.”

Good,  Talenth responded feelingly. I’d be lonely without you.

“Right now, though, we’ve got other things to do,” Fiona declared. “I’m going to be practicing this morning.”

Practicing what?

“We’re going to practice first aid,” Fiona said.

Me, too?  Talenth asked, her eyes whirling anxiously.

I think we can include you, too,  Fiona told her. Talenth nudged her affectionately. “I need to get some breakfast.”

With a wave, Fiona leapt from the ledge to the ground below, flexing her knees to absorb the impact, and then walked briskly off. She found the Kitchen Cavern more crowded than usual for this time of the morning and was glad to hear Cisca call her to the Weyrleader’s table.

“Xhinna was up all night with Tajen,” Cisca told her as Fiona sat and a weyrfolk laid a plate and mug in front of her. She cocked an eyebrow toward K’lior, who threw up his hands and glanced pointedly at H’nez. With a snort, Cisca turned back to Fiona and said, “K’lior and I were talking last night: we think Xhinna should be a candidate at the next Hatching.”

Fiona gave her a surprised look, and then her face broke out into a wide grin.

“I wouldn’t say anything to her about it yet,” K’lior warned. “We have more important things to deal with today.”

“Yes, today we have our drill,” Cisca said.

“And I have mine,” K’lior said, wiping his mouth and rising from his chair. With a nod to Fiona and smile for Cisca, he departed, trailed by P’der, his wingsecond, as well as T’mar and M’kury.

“Ellor is with Tajen,” Cisca said to Fiona. “Salith was taken between  this morning.”

“I heard them working,” Fiona replied, eyeing a breadroll without much enthusiasm. Cisca followed her gaze, grabbed the breadroll, and dropped it on Fiona’s plate.

“Eat,” the Weyrwoman ordered, grabbing a roll for herself. She leaned closer to Fiona and said quietly, “We must set the example.”

The words rang a chord in Fiona; they were similar to words her father had used with her some Turns back when she had protested against visiting the elderly and sick of Fort Hold . “We are the model all others look to,” Lord Bemin had said to her. “Some of these old ones looked after you when you were little; it’s only fair to return the favor.”

Fiona nibbled her lips nervously, then reached for the butter and spread it on her roll.

“Fresh today,” Cisca said as she saw Fiona’s look of delight at the taste of the butter and bread in her mouth. “Ellor had some of the kitchen up early to churn the butter specially.”

“It’s good,” Fiona agreed, craning her neck around to see if she could spot Ellor and tell her directly. Then she remembered Cisca’s words, that Ellor was with Tajen. “Did she make the butter for him?”

“She had an idea that he’d appreciate a good meal,” Cisca said, wiping a stray crumb from her lip. “I know that he hasn’t eaten well since Salith took ill.” She shook her head sadly, then turned her gaze back to Fiona. “So, today we are going to drill on injuries — what do you know about first aid for dragons?”

“Nothing,” Fiona replied in surprise. “Don’t fellis and numbweed work on them as well as us?”

“They do,” Cisca replied. “And when dealing with Threadscoring, the Records say that numbweed is ‘most efficacious in relieving a dragon’s pain’ but caution that fellis juice is ‘best administered to the rider.’ ”

“Why is that?” Fiona wondered aloud.

Cisca shrugged. “I imagine that more than anything, it’s because it’d take such a large amount of fellis to have any effect on a dragon.” She frowned thoughtfully before adding, “And I suppose it’s not too good for an injured dragon to be drugged into sleep — except in the worst of cases.”

“But why give fellis to the rider?”

“Because,” Cisca replied, giving Fiona a mischievous grin, “you may have noticed that riders and dragons are linked.”

Fiona nodded.

“And so,” Cisca continued, “I imagine that calming the rider has a calming effect on the dragon, too.”