"There's Lytol! Stand still, Ruth. We've still got your tail to clean."
/ must give a proper greeting to my friends, Ruth replied, pulling his tail out of Jaxom's grasp to sit up on his haunches and warble to the second group of dragonriders appearing over the Cove.
"He may not be clean," Sharra said with some acer- bity as she began to wring her long hair dry, "but I am."
I am clean enough. My friends will want to swim, too.
"Don't count on another swim, Ruth. It's going to be a busy day!"
"Jaxom, did you get a chance to eat anything yet?" Sharra asked. When he shook his head, she grabbed his hand. "C'mon, quickly, the back way, before some- one catches us."
He paused long enough on the shore to collect his flying gear, then they both ran up the old path to the kitchen entrance of Cove Hold. Sharra breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief to discover the place empty. Ordering him to sit, she poured a cup of klah, and served him slices of fruit and warm cereal from the pot on the back of the warming hearth.
They both heard the calls and exclamations from the new arrivals, Robinton's deep baritone dominating as he called greetings from the porch.
Jaxom half-rose from his bench, gulping down an- other mouthful, but Sharra pushed him back.
"They'll find you soon enough. Eat!"
"Ruth is on the beach," Lytol's voice was audible suddenly, "but I don't see Jaxom anywhere..."
"I know he's about..." Robinton began.
A bronze arrow whizzed into the kitchen, cluttered and zipped away.
"He's through that door, Lytol, in the kitchen," Robinton said with a laugh.
"I could almost agree with Lessa," Jaxom said in a mutter of disgust. He scraped a huge spoonful out of his bowl, cramming it into his mouth. He had to rise, catching the overflow at the comers of his mouth as Lytol came striding in.
"Sorry, sir," Jaxom mumbled through his food. "Had no breakfast!"
Lytol stood, his eyes so intent that Jaxom grinned in nervous embarrassment. He wondered if Lytol could already know of his excursion that morning.
"You look a great deal better than when I last saw you, lad. Good day to you, Sharra." His greeting was absent-minded courtesy as he crossed the remaining distance to clasp Jaxom's arm strongly in his. A smile pulled at his lips before he stepped back. "You're tanned, you look fit. Now what is this trouble you cre- ated today?"
"Create it? Me? No, sir." Jaxom couldn't help grin- ning now. Lytol was delighted, not annoyed. "That mountain's been there a long time. I didn't create it But I did want to see it, close up, first!"
"Jaxom!" The Harper's bellow was impossible to ig- nore.
"Sir?"
"Come here, Jaxom!"
In the hours that followed, Jaxom was grateful that Sharra had thought to feed him breakfast. He didn't get much time for more food. The moment he entered the main Hall, questions were thrown at him by the Weyrleaders and Craftmasters assembled. Piemur had been very busy during Fall because Master Robinton had already completed a sketch of the southeastern face of the mountain to show the incredulous visitors, j and a rough, small-scale map of this section of South- j em. From the almost rhythmic way Menolly described their jaunt, Jaxom decided she had already repeated the account many times.
What Jaxom remembered most of that session was feeling sorry that the Master Harper was unable to see the mountain first hand. But, if Jaxom had waited until Master Oldive permitted the Harper to fly between...
"I know you've just flown Fall, Jaxom, but if you'd just give Mnementh the visualization..." F'lar began.
N'ton burst out laughing, pointing to Jaxom. "The look on your face, lad. F'lar, he's got to lead us! Give him that!"
So Jaxom got back into slightly damp flying gear and roused Ruth from his sandy baking. Ruth was pleased enough with the honor of leading the bronzes of Pern, but Jaxom could barely contain behind a com- posed expression the thrill he was experiencing. Jaxom and the white dragon, leading the most important peo- ple on Pem.
He could have asked Ruth to jump directly to the southeastern side of the Two-Faced Mountain, his private designation. Somehow he wanted everyone to experience the full impact of those two sides—the benign and beautiful.
From the expressions on the riders' faces as they set- tled briefly on the ridge, he could see that he had achieved the desired effect. He allowed them time to sight the Barrier Range, glistening in the sun, ragged white teeth on the horizon. He gestured seaward where neither morning mists nor Thread now obscured the tail of volcanoes snaking northeasterly out into the sea, smoke just curling from the curve of the world in that direction.
At his request, Ruth soared across the inlet as he had done before, climbing high before he gave the co- ordinates of the next jump between. They came out above the broad expanse of the southeastern side of Two-Face, as dramatic an approach as anyone could have wished.
Mnementh suddenly surged into the fore and, as Ruth relayed to Jaxom, said that they should land. Politely, Ruth and Jaxom circled as the great bronze settled near the intersection of some of the regular lines, as far as possible from the three secondary cones. One by one the great bronze dragons of Pem settled in the grassy sward, their riders and passengers striding through the tall waving grasses to join F'lar, who had hunkered down to dig with his belt knife into the edge of one of those curious lines.
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"Covered with Turns of blow dirt and old grasses," he said, giving up his attempt.
"Volcanoes often blow out quantities of ash," T'bor of the High Reaches said. He would know since quite a few old volcanoes were in Tiliek which was beholden to the High Reaches Weyr. "If all those mountains blew at once, there'd be half a length of ash before you'd reach anything."
For a split second, Jaxom thought they were being threatened with ash. Sunlight was blotted out and a Chittering, fluttering mass swooped down, almost touch- ing Mnementh's head before the hundred fire-lizards lifted up again.
Amid shouts of consternation and surprise, Jaxom heard Ruth's announcement.
They are happy. Men have returned to them!
"Ask them about the three mountains, Ruth? Do they remember the mountains blowing up?"
There was no doubt they did. Suddenly there wasn't an unhanded fire-lizard in the sky.
They remember the mountains, Ruth said. They re- member fire in the air and fire crawling on the ground. They are afraid of the mountains. Men were afraid of the mountains.
Menolly came running up to Jaxom, her face con- torted with concern- "Did Ruth ask those fire-lizards about the mountains? Beauty and the others just had a fit. About those blasted mountains."
F'lar came striding up to them. "Menolly? What was all that fuss with the fire-lizards? I didn't see any banded ones. Were they all Southern ones?"
"Of course men were here. They're not telling us anything we didn't know. But for them to say they re- membered?" F'lar was scornful. "I could accept your finding D'ram in the Cove with their aid... but that was only a matter of twenty-five Turns in the past. But..." For want of appropriate expression of his skepticism, F'lar merely gestured at the dead volcanoes and the long-covered traces of a settlement.
"Two points, F'lar," Menolly said, boldly contradict- ing the Benden Weyrleader, "no fire-lizard in this time knew the Red Star, but they were, nonetheless, all afraid of it. They also..." Menolly paused, and Jaxom was certain she had been about to bring up the fire-lizard dreams about Ramoth's egg. He hastily in- terrupted.
"Fire-lizards must be able to remember, F'lar. Ever since I've been in the Cove, I've been troubled with dreams. At first I thought it was leftovers from fire- head fever. The other night I found out that Sharra and Piemur have had similar nightmares... about the mountain. This side of it, not the one facing the Cove."
"Ruth always sleeps with fire-lizards at night, F'lar," Menolly said, pressing their case. "He could be relaying those dreams to Jaxom! And our fire-lizards to us!"
F'lar nodded, as if granting them
this possibility.
"And last night your dreams were more vivid than ever?"
"Yes, sir!"
F'lar began to chuckle, looking from Menolly to Jaxom. "So this morning you decided to see if there was any substance to the dreams?"
"Yes, sir!"
"All right, Jaxom." F'lar thumped him good- naturedly on the back. "I suppose I can't blame you. I'd have done the same thing given the opportunity. Now, what do you... and those precious fire-lizards of yours... suggest we do now?"
"I am no fire-lizard, F'lar, but I would dig," the Mastersmith said, striding up to them. His face was aglow with perspiration, his hands grass and dirt- stained. "We must dig beneath the grass and soil. We must find out how they managed to make lines straight as rules that last Turn after Turn. Why did they build in mounds, if that's what those things are. Dig, that's what we must do" He pivoted slowly, staring about him at the desultory digging efforts of some of the dragon- riders. "Fascinating. Utterly fascina|:ing!" The Smith beamed. "With your permission, I will ask Masterminer Nicat for some of his craftmasters. We will need skilled diggers. Also I promised Robinton that I would return immediately and tell him what I have seen with my own eyes."
"I'd like to go back, too, F'lar," Menolly said. "Mas- ter Robinton is in a swivet. Zair's been here twice. He must be impatient."
"I'll take them back, F'lar," Jaxom said. Suddenly he was as possessed by an irrational desire to leave as he had been eager to come that morning.
F'lar would not permit Ruth to carry weight again, not after the morning's excursion and Threadfall. He sent Master Fandarel and Menolly back to Cove Hold with F'lessan and Golanth, with instructions to the young bronze rider to take the Mastersmith wherever he wished to go. If he was surprised at Jaxom's wish to return, he gave no sign.
He and Ruth were away before the Smith and Menolly had mounted Golanth. They returned to a Cove delightfully empty of people. The warm, sultry air, after the cooler, clear atmosphere of the Plateau, was like an enveloping blanket, enervating Jaxom. He took advantage of his unremarked return and let Ruth take them to his clearing. It was cooler there and, when Ruth had settled himself, Jaxom gratefully curled up in the dragon's forearms. He was asleep in two breaths.
A touch on his shoulder roused him. His* flying jacket had fallen from his shoulder and he felt chilly.
"I said I'd wake him, Mirrim," he heard Sharra say, her tone one of annoyance.
"Does it matter? Here, Jaxom, I've brought you some klah! Master Robinton wants to talk to you. You've slept all afternoon. We couldn't figure out where you'd got to."
Jaxom muttered under his breath, wishing with all his heart that Mirrim would go away. He resented her implication that he hadn't any right to sleep in the afternoon.
"Come on, Jaxom. I know you're awake."
"You're wrong. I'm half asleep." Jaxom indulged in a massive yawn before he opened his eyes. "Go away, Mirrim. Tell Master Robinton I'll be in directly."
"He wants you now!"
"He'll get me a lot sooner if you go tell him I'm coming. Now, get out of here!"
Mirrim gave him one more long hard look, brushed past Sharra and stomped up the stairs to the kitchen.
"You are my true friend, Sharra," Jaxom said. "Mir- rim irritates me so! Menolly told me that once Path had flown, she'd improve. I haven't noticed any sign."
Sharra was peering at Ruth, who was still fast asleep, not even an eyelid twitching.
"I know what you're going to ask..." Jaxom said with a laugh, holding up a hand to forestall her words. "No, nary a dream."
"Nary a fire-lizard either." She smiled at him, shak- ing her head and retying her hair thong. "You were smart to come here and rest. There's none up at the Hall. Fire-lizards popping in and out, from Cove to the plateau, nearly hysterical! No one can make any sense out of what ours say or the Southern ones tell them. And it's not as if some of the Southern ones hadn't known we were here."
"And Master Robinton thinks Ruth can sort it all out?"
"He just might." She regarded the sleeping white dragon thoughtfully. "Poor darling, he's exhausted with all he's done today." Her rich voice was a tender croon and Jaxom could have wished her words included him. She saw him looking at her and flushed a little. "I'm so glad we got there first!"
"So'ml!"
"Jaxom!"
At Mirrim's shout, she moved back hastily.
"Scorch her!"
He grabbed Sharra's hand and ran with her toward the Hold, nor did he relinquish her hand when they entered the main Hall.
"Was I asleep an afternoon or a whole day?" Jaxom asked her in an undertone as he saw maps, charts, sketches and diagrams pinned on the walls and propped up on tables.
The Harper, his back to them, was bending over the long dining table. Piemur was occupied in sketching something; Menolly was looking at whatever absorbed the Harper, and Mirrim stood at one side, bored and irritated. Fire-lizards peered down from the crossbeams. Every now and then, one would flick out of the room and another would swoop in the window to take its place. An aroma of roasting fish filled the air as a sea breeze began to clear away the day's heat.
"Brekke's going to be furious with us," Jaxom said to Sharra.
"With us? Why? We're keeping him completely oc- cupied at a sedentary task."
"Stop mumbling, Sharra. Jaxom, come over here and add your mark to what the others have told me," Robinton said, skewing his body about to frown at them.
"Sir, Piemur, Menolly and Sharra have done a lot more exploring than I have."
"Yes, but they don't have Ruth and his way with fire-lizards. Can he help us sort out their conflicting and confusing images?"
"I'm certainly willing to help. Master Robinton," Jaxom said, "but I think you might be asking more of Ruth and those fire-lizards than they can dp."
Master Robinton straightened up. "If you'd ex- plain?"
"Granted that the fire-lizards seem to share violent mutual experiences like..." Jaxom pointed in the di- rection of the Red Star, "and Canth's fall, and now, of course, the mountain. But these are all momentous events... not everyday routine."
"You did locate D'ram here in the Cove," Robinton said.
"And lucky at that. If I'd asked about men first, we'd never have got an answer," Jaxom replied with a grin.
"There was scarcely more detail to go on in your first venture."
"Sir?" Jaxom stared in stunned amazement because the Harper's drawl had been so deceptively mild, with just a slight emphasis on "first," yet the implication had been unmistakable; somehow the Harper knew Jaxom had rescued the egg. Jaxom shot an accusing glance at Menolly, whose expression was slightly per- plexed as if the Harper's subtle reference surprised her, too.
"Come to think of it, I had much the same informa- tion from Zair," Master Robinton continued smoothly, "but not the wit to interpret it as cleverly as you did. My compliments, however belated," he inclined his head and went on as swiftly as if this were just some passing matter, "on the way you handled the feat. Now, if you and Ruth can turn your fine perceptions to today's problem, we can save ourselves endless hours of vain effort. As before, Jaxom, time is against us. This Plateau," Robinton tapped the sketches before him, "cannot remain a secret. It is the heritage of everyone on Pern—"
"But it's in the east. Master Robinton, which is to be dragonrider land," Mirrim said, her tone almost bel- ligerent.
"Of course it is, my dear child," the Harper said soothingly. "Now if Ruth could charm the fire-lizards enough to focus their memories..."
"I'll certainly try, Master Robinton," Jaxom said when the Harper regarded him. expectantly, "but you know how they are about..." and he pointed sky- ward. "They're nearly as incoherent about the erup- tion."
"As Sharra put it, the dream eye is unfocused," Menolly said, grinning at her friend.
"My point exactly," the Harper said, bringing the flat of his hand down hard on the table. "If Jaxom, through Ruth, can sharpen the focus, maybe those of us with fire-liza
rds can get distinct and helpful images from their minds, instead of this confusion of per- spective."
"Why?" Jaxom asked. "We know the mountain erupted. We know the settlement had to be abandoned, that the survivors came north..."
"There's a lot we don't know, and we might find some answers, perhaps even some equipment left
.373. behind, just as the enlarging viewer was left in those deserted rooms at Benden Weyr. Look how that instru- ment has improved our understanding of our world and the heavens above us. Maybe even some models of those fascinating machines the old Records mention." He pulled the sketches over the map. "There are a lot of mounds, great and small, long and short. Some would have been for sleeping, storage, general living: some quite likely workhalls..."
Anne McCaffrey - Pern06 White Dragon Page 39