Moreta

by Anne McCaffrey

  Capiam looked around him again, to identify faces no longer obscured by kerchiefs. On the upper tier, to his left, he saw Lord Shadder and his lady, Levalla, K’dren and M’gent beyond, sitting next to Master Balfor, who had declined the honor of becoming Masterherdsman. Some said he felt keenly responsible that Moreta had died helping his Hold.

  Desdra’s hand tugged at his and he followed her gaze to see Alessan entering the Hatching Ground with Lady Nerilka. They were a striking pair, Alessan a half head taller than his consort, but, even at this distance, Capiam could see that Alessan was pale. He walked steadily, if slowly, his arm linked through Nerilka’s. Tuero was on his right side, Dag and little Fergal a respectful pace, for once, behind their Lords Holder. Capiam had been surprised by Alessan’s choice of wife, but Desdra said that Rill would support Alessan and he needed that.

  Master Tirone arrived, with Lord Tolocamp and his ridiculous little wife. Capiam wasn’t certain if the emergence of Lord Tolocamp from his self-imposed isolation was a tribute to the occasion or would be a trial, but he had made the effort today. As Nerilka had noted to Capiam, the man had never known he had a daughter missing. When told that Nerilka had become Alessan’s wife, Tolocamp had remarked about Ruatha swallowing up his women, and that if Nerilka preferred Ruathan hospitality to his, that was the end of her in his eyes.

  Lord Ratoshigan arrived, alone as always, mincing across the hot sands to the fast-filling tiers. The dragon hum was swelling now, more confident, less mournful. Other Lords Holder and Mastercraftsmen scurried to the tiers. S’ligar supported Falga, who still walked lame though she rode every Fall; B’lerion walked by himself, quickly, and took a place without glancing about. Amid the journeymen, small holders, apprentices, folk from all the Weyrs, Capiam saw few wearing a Telgar badge—but many displaying Keroon.

  The hum became excited as the dragons, gripped by a sense of occasion, sang their welcome. One of the eggs began to rock, and a hush of expectancy fell over the visitors while the dragon’s song became ecstatic.

  Sh’gall escorted the candidates in their white robes, the four girls leading. Sh’gall fussily motioned for the boys to walk on while he deferentially led the girls to the queen egg. Capiam rapidly counted the boys: thirty-two. Not as much choice as usual but then . . .

  Capiam thought Oklina looked stunning. He remembered her as so shy and diffident in the bustling, lusty family that had once cramped Ruatha Hold as to be unremarkable. She had certainly bloomed. Then he noticed B’lerion watching her intently. He, too, had changed dramatically since Moreta died. There, the phrase had come out, hurtful though it was. Tears stung his eyes again. Desdra’s hand renewed its clasp on his. Did she always know when sorrow overcame him?

  People stirred and pointed as the first egg continued to rock and cracks became visible. The humming reached a new pitch of excitement, and Capiam felt his breath quickening. Another egg became agitated . . . and a third. One didn’t know where to look first. The hum became more than vibration: It became a sound enveloping everyone in the Hatching Ground, almost visible about the eggs. They responded by frantic rolling and pitching.

  The first one broke, and a moist dragon head appeared, crooning piteously as the dragonet shook itself free of the shell. It was a bronze! A sigh of relief rose from every throat. For a bronze to hatch first was a good sign! Pern needed every one it could discover. The little beast staggered directly toward a tallish boy with a shock of light-brown hair. That was also a good sign, that the dragonet knew whom he wanted. The boy didn’t quite believe his good fortune and looked in appeal to his immediate neighbors. One of them pushed him toward the dragonet. The boy no longer resisted and ran, to kneel in the sand beside the little bronze and stroke his head.

  Capiam had tears in eyes again, but they were joyful ones. The miracle of Impression had occurred and spread its anodyne, dispensing sorrow. While he was blotting his face, a second dragonet, a blue, found his rider. The hum of the mature dragons was joined by the crooning trill of hatchlings and the excited exclamations from the newly chosen riders.

  Suddenly a fresh flurry signaled activity about the queen egg, which rocked, Capiam thought, more imperatively than the others. In fact, three good wobbles and the egg cracked neatly in half, the fragments falling away from the little queen who seemed to spring from the shards. Another excellent omen! Two of the girls wavered in their stance but in Capiam’s mind there was never any question of which girl the little queen chose.

  Capiam turned to embrace Desdra in celebration. Clinging together, they watched Oklina lift shining eyes, her gaze instinctively finding B’lerion in the mass of faces confronting her.

  “Her name is Hannath!”

  Dragondex

  CRAFTMASTERS AND MASTERCRAFTSMEN IN ORDER OF FOUNDING THE MAJOR HOLDS AS BOUND TO WEYRS

  Fort Weyr

  symbol:

  color: brown

  Weyrleader: Sh’gall; dragon bronze Kadith

  Weyrwoman: Moreta; dragon queen Orlith

  Wingleader: S’peren; dragon bronze Clioth

  Fort Hold (oldest hold), Lord Holder Tolocamp

  Ruatha Hold (next oldest), Lord Holder Alessan

  Southern Boll Hold, Lord Holder Ratoshigan

  Benden Weyr

  symbol:

  color: red

  Weyrleader: K’dren; dragon bronze Kuzuth

  Weyrwoman: Levalla; dragon queen Oribeth

  Wingleader: M’gent; dragon bronze Ith

  High Reaches Weyr

  symbol:

  color: blue

  Weyrleader: S’ligar; dragon bronze Gianarth

  Weyrwoman: Falga; dragon queen Tamianth

  Wingleader: B’lerion; dragon bronze Nabeth

  Tillek Hold, Lord Holder Diatis

  Igen Weyr

  symbol:

  color: yellow

  Weyrleader: L’bol; dragon bronze Timenth

  Weyrwoman: Dalova; dragon queen Perforth

  Ista Weyr

  symbol:

  color: orange

  Weyrleader: F’gal; dragon bronze Sanaith

  Weyrwoman: Wimmia; dragon queen Torenth

  Wingleader: T’lonneg; dragon bronze Jalerth

  Wingleader: D’say; dragon bronze Kritith

  Ista Hold, Lord Holder Fitatric

  Nerat Hold, Lord Holder Grain

  Telgar Weyr

  symbol:

  symbol:

  color: white

  Weyrleader: M’tani; dragon bronze Hogarth

  Weyrwoman: Miridan; dragon queen Sutanith

  Wingleader: T’grel; dragon bronze Raylinth

  PERNESE OATHS

  By the Egg

  By the first Egg

  By the Egg of Faranth

  Great Faranth

  Scorch it

  Shards

  By the shards of my dragon’s Egg

  Shells

  By the Shell

  Through Fall, Fog, and Fire

  SOME TERMS OF INTEREST

  agenothree: a common chemical on Pern, HNO3. Agenothree fuels the flamethrowers used by groundcrews to burn Thread, and traditionally carried by riders of the queens’ wings.

  Beior: Pern’s larger moon

  between: an area of nothingness and sensory deprivation between here and there

  Dawn Sisters: a trio of stars visible from Pern; also called Day Sisters

  Day Sisters: a trio of stars visible from Pern; also called Dawn Sisters

  deadglow: a numbskull, stupid. Derived from “glow.”

  Dragon: the winged, fire-breathing creature that protects Pern from Thread. Dragons were originally developed by the early colonists of Pern, before they lost the ability to manipulate DNA. A dragon is hatched from an egg, and becomes empathically and telepathically bound to its rider for the duration of its life.

  Green: Female (20-24 meters). The smallest and most numerous of the dragons. Light, highly maneuverable and agile, the greens are the sprinters of dragonkind. They breathe short burst
s of flame. Greens are rendered sterile through a sex-linked disability triggered by chronic use of firestone.

  Blue: Male (24-30 meters). The workhorse of the dragons. Medium-sized, the blues are as tough as the greens but not as maneuverable. They have more stamina under pressure and are capable of sustaining flame longer.

  Brown: Male (30-40 meters). Larger than greens and blues, some well-grown browns are as big as smaller bronzes and could actually mate with the queens if they so dared. The browns are the real wheel-horses of the dragons, reasonably agile and strong enough to go a whole Fall without faltering. They are more intelligent than blues or greens, with greater powers of concentration. Browns and their riders sometimes act as Weyrlingmasters, training the young dragons and riders.

  Bronze: Male (35-45 meters). The leaders of the dragons. All bronzes compete to mate with the gold queens; the rider whose dragon succeeds becomes Weyrleader. Bronzes are generally trained for leadership and assume Wingleader and Wingsecond positions along with browns. Bronzes and their riders often act as Weynlingmasters, training the young dragons and riders.

  Gold: Queen, full female (40-45 meters). The bearer of the young, the queen is traditionally mated by whichever bronze can catch her. Although browns can mate with queens—and- sometimes do, in the case of junior queens—this is unusual and not encouraged. The queen is fertile and bears eggs which she oversees until they hatch. Clutch sizes -range from ten to forty; generally, the larger clutches occur during a Pass. The senior queen, usually the dragon of the oldest queen rider, is the most prestigious dragon and is responsible for all the dragons in the Weyr and for the propagation of her species.

  fellis: a flowering tree

  fellis juice: a juice made from the fruit of the fellis tree; a soporific

  firestone: a rock bearing phosphorous that, when eaten by a dragon, is digested to produce phosphine gas, which ignites on contact with air

  glow: a light-source that can be carried in a hand-basket

  harper: Harpers are the teachers and entertainers of Pern. They educate the young in hall, hold, Weyr, and cot; they guide the elders in the practice of their traditional duties. The Masterharper of Pern is responsible for the training of harpers, the appointment of trained harpers to Weyr, hold, hail, and cot, and the discipline of harpers. The Masterharper acts as judge, arbitrator, and mediator in disputes between Lords Holder and between Weyr and hold or hall, but any harper can be called in to mediate if necessary.

  Headwoman: Selected by the Weyrwoman to run the Lower Caverns, the Headwoman supervises the general domestic machinery of the Weyr and the individual weyrs of the riders. Among her duties are the care of the young; the supervision of food collection, storage, and preparation; weyr maintenance; and nursing, under the aegis of the Weyr healer(s).

  High Reaches: mountains on the northern continent of Pern (see map)

  hold: A hold is where the “normal” folk of Pern live. Holds were initially caverns in rocky cliffs where Thread could gain no foothold; they began as places of refuge. They grew to become centers of government, and the Lord Holder became the man to whom everyone looked for guidance, both during and after the Pass of the Red Star.

  Impression: the joining of minds of a dragon and his or her rider-to-be. At the moment of hatching, the dragon, not the rider, chooses his partner and telepathically communicates this choice to the chosen rider.

  Interval: the period of time between Passes; generally two hundred Turns

  klah: a hot, stimulating drink made from tree bark and tasting faintly of cinnamon

  Long Interval: a period of time, generally twice the length of an Interval, during which no Thread falls and Dragonmen decrease in number. The last Long Interval is thought to herald the end of Threads.

  looks to: is Impressed by

  month: four sevendays

  numbweed: a medicinal cream that, when smeared on a wound, kills all sensation; used as an anesthetic

  Oldtimer: a member of one of the five Weyrs that Lessa brought forward four hundred Turns in time. Used as a derogative term to refer to one who has moved to Southern Weyr.

  Pass: a period of time during which the Red Star is close enough to drop Thread on Pern. A Pass generally lasts fifty Turns and occurs approximately every two hundred Turns. A Pass commences when the Red Star can be seen at dawn through the eye rock of the Star Stones.

  Pern: third of the star Rukbat’s five planets. It has two natural satellites.

  Red Star: Pern’s stepsister planet. The Red Star has an erratic orbit.

  Rukbat: a yellow star in the Sagittarian Sector, Rukbat has five planets and two asteroid belts.

  runnerbeast: also called “runner.” An equine adapted to Pernese conditions from fetuses brought with the colonists. Quite a few distinct variations were bred: heavy-duty cart and plow animals; comfortable, placid riding beasts; lean racing types.

  sevenday: the equivalent of a week on Pern

  Star Stones: Stonehenge-type stones set on the rim of every Weyr. When the Red Star can be seen at Dawn through the eye rock, a Pass is imminent.

  Thread: mycorrhizoid spores from the Red Star, which descend on Pern and burrow into it, devouring all organic material they encounter.

  Timor: Pern’s smaller moon

  Tunnel-snakes: Tunnel-snakes are a minor danger and an annoyance on Pern. Of the myriad types of tunnel-snakes, two are the most insidious: the type that lives in tunnels, and the type that makes tunnels by burrowing in the sand on beaches. The latter has a great appetite for fire-lizard eggs.

  Turn: a Pernese year

  watchdragon: the dragon whose rider has pulled watch duty on the Weyr roster. A watch is generally four hours long. Essentially Weyrs are military camps. Sentries are part of that ethos. During a Pass, they watch for any chance erratic Fall of Thread, for anyone entering or leaving the Weyr.

  watchwher: the ungainly, malodorous product of an attempt to breed larger, more useful animals from the genetic material of the fire-lizard, an indigenous Pernese life form. Watchwhers are nocturnal, exceedingly vicious when aroused, and highly protective of those they recognize as friends. A watchwher is conditioned to know the people of its hold, hail, or cot, and to give warning of intruders of any sort; used as a watchdog, it is generally chained to the front entrance of the hold, hail, or cot. Watchwhers can communicate with dragons, but as they tend to be very trivial and rather stupid, dragons are not fond of touching their minds.

  Weyr: a home of dragons and their riders weyr: a dragon’s den

  Weyrleader: generally the rider of the bronze dragon who has mated with the senior queen dragon of the Weyr during her mating flight. The Weyrleader is in charge of the fighting wings of the Weyr, responsible for their conduct during Falls, and for the training and discipline of all riders. During an Interval, he is responsible for the continuance of all Thread-fighting tactics, for keeping alive the fighting abilities of dragons and riders. His rank symbol is a dragon.

  weyrling: an inexperienced dragonrider under the tutelage of the Weyrlingmaster. His rank symbol is an inverted stripe.

  Weyrlingmaster. usually an aging rider with good skills and the ability to discipline and inspire the young. Responsible for the training of young riders and their dragons.

  Weyrsinger the harper for the dragonriders, usually himself a dragonrider

  Weyrwoman: The rider of a dragon queen and coleader, with the Weyrleader, of the Weyr. She is responsible for the conduct of the queens’ wing during Fall, under the Weyrleader’s orders; for the care of dragons, riders, and all Weyrfolk; and for the peace and tranquillity of the Weyr during a Pass and during Intervals. She appoints all subordinates, insures that all tithes are delivered or collected, and mediates all disputes except honor contests among riders. She is responsible for the training, fostering, and disposition of the Weyr’s children and nonrider personnel, overseeing with the Weyrleader the training of weyrlings under the Weyrlingmaster. As any dragon will obey a queen, even against the wishes of his
or her rider, the Weyrwomen are in fact the most powerful people on Pern. Weyrwomen have autonomy in their own Weyr, but will act in concert with other Weyrwomen when necessary for the good of the Weyrs. Her rank symbol is a dragon.

  Each Weyr has from two to five queens, the larger numbers occurring during a Pass. In the event of the death or voluntary retirement of a Weyrwoman, the position will be assumed by the oldest of the other queenriders in the Weyr. Although candidates for Impression generally come from nearby holds and halls, the Search for a queen candidate may extend throughout the continent.

  weyrwoman: a female dragonrider. Her rank symbol is a gold star.

  wherries: a type of fowl roughly resembling the domestic turkey of Earth, but about the size of an ostrich

  Wingleader: the dragonrider in command of a Weyr’s fighting wing, subordinate to the Weyrleader. His rank symbol is double bars.

  Wingsecond: the dragonrider second in command to the Wingleader. His rank symbol is a single bar.

  withies: water plants resembling the reeds of Earth

  THE PEOPLE OF PERN

  A’dan: rider, at Fort Weyr; dragon green T’grath

  Alessan: Lord Holder of Ruatha Hold

  A’murry: rider, at Igen Weyr; dragon green Granth

  Baid: cropholder, at Ruatha Hold

  Balfor: Master, at Keroon Beasthold

  Barly: (deceased) Healer, at High Reaches Weyr

  Berchar: Masterhealer, at Fort Weyr

  Bessel: a man at Beastmasterhold

  Bessera: weyrwoman, at High Reaches Weyr; dragon queen Odioth

  B’greal: weyrling, at Fort Weyr

  B’lerion: wingleader, at High Reaches Weyr; dragon bronze Nabeth

  Boranda: Healer, at Healer Hold

  Bregard: Healer, at Peyton Hold