Dragon Song

by Anne McCaffrey

  "Nonsense. Already Yanus prizes you above fish! Or so Alemi said."

  "Was he angry?"

  "Who? Yanus?"

  "No, Alemi."

  "Why? I'd say he was better pleased than Yanus to hear you were safe and scorchless at Benden. More important; did you see any signs of fire lizard clutches?"

  "No."

  Tgellan sighed, stripping off his wide riding helm and opening the heavy wherhide jacket. "How we need the silly creatures."

  "Are they that useful?"

  Tgellan gave him a long look, "Possibly not. Lessa thinks them a real nuisance; but they look, and act, like dragons. And they give those narrow-minded, hidebound, insensitive Lord Holders just that necessary glimpse of what it is to ride a dragon. That is going to make life ... and progress . . . easier for us in the Weyrs."

  Elgion rather hoped that this had been made plain to Yanus; and he was going to tactfully suggest that he was ready to go back to the Sea Hold when the bronze rider was called away to check a dragon's wing injury.

  Elgion found the additional delay instructive. He decided he would put his observations to good use in getting back into Yanus's favor-for he had an opportunity to see Weyr life as unsung in Saga and Ballad.

  An injured dragon cried as piteously as a child until his wounds were salved with numbweed. A dragon also cried distressingly if his rider was injured. Elgion watched the touching sight of a green dragon, crooning anxiously at her rider as he leaned against her forearm, while the weyrwomen dressed his Threadscored arm.

  Elgion saw the weyrlings bathing and oiling their young beasts, the Weyr's several fire lizards assisting. He saw the youngsters of the Weyr refilling firestone sacks for the next Fall, and couldn't fail to notice that they made less work of the onerous chore than Sea Hold lads would have done. He even ventured to peer into the Hatching Ground where golden Ramoth lay curled protectively around her eggs. He ducked out of sight; hoping she hadn't seen him.

  Time passed so quickly that Elgion was surprised to hear the kitchen women calling everyone in to eat. He hovered at the entrance, wondering what to do when Tgellan grabbed him by the arm and propelled him to an empty table.

  "G'sel, come over here with that bronze nuisance of yours. I want the Half-Circle Harper to see him. G'sel has one of the original clutch F’nor discovered in Southern," Tgellan said in an undertone as they watched the stocky young man weaving his way through the tables towards them, balancing a bronze fire lizard on his forearm.

  This is Rill, Harper," G'sel said, extending his arm to Elgion. "Be, be courteous; he's a Harper."

  With great dignity the fire lizard extended his wings, executing what Elgion construed to be a bow, while the jeweled eyes regarded him intently. Not knowing how one saluted a fire lizard, Elgion tentatively extended his hand.

  "Scratch his eye ridges," G'sel suggested. "They all love that."

  To Elgion's delight and amazement, the fire lizard accepted the caress, and as Elgion's stroking eased an itch, Rill's eyelids began to close in sensuous pleasure.

  "He's another convert," said Tgellan, laughing and pulling out his chair. The noise roused the fire lizard from somnolence and his hissed softly at Tgellan. They're bold creatures, too, you'll notice, Harper, with no respect for degree."

  This was evidently an old jibe, for G'sel, seating himself, paid it no heed, but coaxed Rill to step onto a padded shoulder rest so he could eat the dinner now being served.

  "How much do they understand?" Elgion asked, taking the chair opposite G'sel so he could see Rill better.

  To hear Mirrim talk about her three, everything,"

  Tgellan snorted with good-natured derision.

  "I can ask Rill to carry a message to any place he's already been. Or, to a person he knows at another Hold or Weyr I've taken him to. He follows me no matter where I go. Even during Threadfall." At Tgellan's snort, G'sel added, "I told you to watch today, Tgellan. Rill was with us."

  "Yes, so tell Elgion how long it takes Rill to come back from delivering a message."

  "All right; all right," said G'sel with a laugh as he stroked Rill affectionately. "And when you've one of your own, Tgellan..."

  "Possibly, possibly," the bronze rider said easily. "Unless Elgion here finds us another clutch, we'll just have to stay jealous of you."

  Tgellan changed the subject then to ask about Half-Circle Hold, general questions that did not embarrass or compromise Elgion. Tgellan evidently knew Yanus's reputation.

  "If you feel too isolated there, Harper, don't fail to fly the signal and we'll pop you up for an evening here."

  "Hatching's soon," G'sel suggested, grinning and giving Elgion a wink.

  "He'll be here for that certainly," Tgellan agreed.

  Then Rill creeled for a bite to eat while the bronze rider chided G'sel for turning the lizard into an importunate beggar. Elgion noticed Tgellan, himself, finding a titbit for the little bronze, however, and he, too, offered Rill some meat, which the creature daintily accepted from the knife.

  By the end of the meal Elgion was ready to brave Yanus's worst displeasure and wrath to find a fire lizard clutch and Impress a fire lizard of his own. That prospect made his inevitable return easier.

  "I'd better do you the honors, Elgion," Tgellan said, rising at last from the table.

  "And I'd also better get you back early. No sense aggravating Yanus more than necessary."

  Elgion wasn't certain how to take that remark or the wink that accompanied it, particularly as it was now full dark and for all he knew, the Hold doors were already barred for the night.

  Too late now to wish he'd gone back as soon as the dragonriders had returned from the Fall. But then he wouldn't have met Rill.

  They were aloft, Elgion reveling in the experience, craning his head to see as much as possible in the clear night air. He had only a glimpse of the Higher Benden Range hills before Tgellan asked Monarth to take them between.

  Suddenly, it was no longer full dark: the sun was a handspan above the glowing sea as they burst into the air above Half-Circle Harbor.

  "Told you I'd get you back early," Tgellan said, turning to grin at the Harper's startled exclamation. "We're not supposed to time it, but all in a good cause."

  Monarth circled down lazily so that everyone in the Sea Hold was gathered on the holdway when they landed. Yanus strode a few paces ahead of the others while Elgion searched the faces for Alemi's.

  Tgellan leaped from the bronze's shoulder and made a show of assisting Elgion as the entire Hold cheered loudly for their Harper's safe return.

  "I'm neither crippled or old," Elgion muttered under his breath, aware of Yanus's approach. "Don't overdo it"

  Tgellan laid his arm across Elgion's shoulders in a comradely fashion, beaming at the oncoming Sea Holder. "Not at all," he said out of the corner of his mouth. "The Weyr approves!"

  "Sea Holder, I am profoundly embarrassed at the inconvenience..."

  "No, Harper Elgion," Tgellan interrupted him, "any apologies are the Weyr's. You were adamant in wishing to return to Half-Circle immediately. But Lessa needed to have his report, Yanus, so we had to wait."

  Whatever Yanus had been about to say to his erring Harper was nearly blocked by Tgellan's obvious approval. The Sea Holder rocked a bit on his feet, blinking as he reorganized his thoughts.

  "Any fire lizard sign you discover must be made known to the Weyr as soon as possible" Tgellan continued blithely.

  'Then that tale is true?" Yanus asked in a grumble of disbelief. "Those... those creatures do exist?"

  "They do indeed, sir" Elgion replied warmly. "I have seen, touched and fed a bronze fire lizard; his name is Rill. He's about as big as my forearm ..."

  "You did? He is?" Alemi had pushed through the crowd, breathless from excitement and the exercise of hobbling as fast as he could down the holdway. "Then you did find something in the cave?"

  "The cave?" Elgion had forgotten all about his original destination that morning.

  "Wha
t cave?" demanded Tgellan. "The cave . . ." and Elgion gulped and then boldly embroidered on the lie Tgellan had begun, "I told Lessa about. Surely you were in the room then."

  "What cave?" demanded Yanus, stepping close to the younger men, his voice half-angry because he was being excluded from the conversation.

  "The cave that Alemi and I spotted on the shore near the Dragon Stones" Elgion said, trying to give the proper cues. "Alemi," Elgion had to address Tgellan now, "is the Sea Man who saw the fire lizards last spring near the Dragon Stones. Two-three days back, we sailed down the coast and saw the cave. That's where I think it's likely we'll find fire lizard eggs."

  "Well, then, since you're now safely in your Hold, Harper Elgion, I will leave you." Tgellan couldn't wait to get back to Monarth. And the cave.

  "You'll let us know if you find anything, won't you?" Elgion called after him and received only a wild arm gesture before the bronze rider swung himself up to Monarth's back.

  "We offered him no hospitality for his trouble in returning you," Yanus said, worried and somewhat aggrieved by the bronze rider's precipitous departure.

  "He'd just eaten," Elgion replied, as the bronze dragon beat his way upward above the sunset-lit waters of the harbor.

  "So early."

  "Ah, he'd been fighting Thread. And he's wingleader, so he must be back at the Weyr."

  That did impress Yanus.

  Rider and dragon winked out, drawing a startled exclamation of delight from everyone. Alemi caught Elgion's eye, and the Harper had to suppress his grin: he'd share the full jest with Alemi later. Only would the joke be on himself if after all the half-truths Tgellan found fire lizard eggs ... or a piper ... in the cave?

  "Harper Elgion," said Yanus firmly, waving the rest of the holders away from them as he pointed to the Hold door. "Harper Elgion, I'd be grateful for a few words of explanation."

  "Indeed, sir, and I've much to report to you of happenings in the Weyr." Elgion respectfully followed the Sea Holder. He knew now how to deal with Yanus with no further recourse to evasions or lies.

  Chapter 10

  Then my feet took off and my legs went, too,

  So my body was obliged to follow

  Me with my hands and my mouth full of cress

  And my throat too dry to swallow.

  When Menolly roused, she was in a quiet dark place and something crooned comfortingly in her ear. She knew it was Beauty, but she wondered how she could be so warm all over. She moved, and her feet felt big, stuffed and very sore.

  She must have made some sound because she heard a soft movement and then the glow in the corner of the room was half-unshielded.

  "Are you comfortable? Are your feet painful?"

  The warmth beside Menolly's ear disappeared. Clever Beauty, Menolly thought with approval after an instants fear of discovery.

  Someone was bending over Menolly now, securing the sleeping furs about her shoulders; someone whose hands were gentle, soothing, who smelled of clean herbs and faintly of numbweed.

  'They only hurt a little," Menolly replied untruthfully because her feet had taken to throbbing so hard she was afraid the woman could hear them.

  Her soft murmur and her gentle hands denied Menolly's stoicism.

  "You must surely be hungry. You've slept all day."

  "I have?"

  "We gave you fellis juice. You'd run your feet to ribbons ..." There was a slight hesitation in the woman's voice. "They'll be fine in a sevenday. No serious cuts." The quiet voice held a ripple of amusement "Tgran is convinced you're the fastest . . . runner in Pern."

  "I'm not a runner. I'm just a girl."

  "Not, just a girl. I'll get you something to eat And then it's best if you sleep again."

  Alone, Menolly tried not to think of her throbbing feet and a body which felt stone-heavy, immobile. She worried for fear Beauty or some of the others would come and be discovered by the weyrwoman, and what would happen to Lazy with no one to make him hunt for himself and...

  "I'm Manora," the woman said as she returned with a bowl of steaming stew and a mug. "You realize that you're at Benden Weyr? Good. You may stay here, you know, as long as you wish."

  "I can?" A relief as intense as the pain in her feet flooded Menolly.

  "Yes, you can," and the firmness of that reply made that right inalienable.

  "Menolly is my name . . ." She hesitated because Manora was nodding. "How did you know?"

  Manora motioned for her to continue eating. "I've seen you at Half-Circle, you know, and the Harper asked the wingleader to keep search for you . .. after you disappeared. We won't discuss that now, Menolly, but I do assure you that you can stay at Benden."

  "Please don't tell them..."

  "As you wish. Finish your stew and take all the drink. You must sleep to heal."

  She left as noiselessly as she'd come, but Menolly was reassured. Manora was headwoman at Benden Weyr, and what she said was so.

  "The stew was delicious, thick with meat chunks and satisfying with herb flavors. She'd almost finished it when she heard a faint rustle and Beauty returned, piteously broadcasting hunger. With a sigh, Menolly pushed the bowl under the little queen's nose. Beauty licked it dry, then hummed softly and rubbed her face against Menolly's cheek.

  "Where are the others?" Menolly asked, worriedly.

  The little queen gave another hum and began to curl herself up in a ball by Menolly's shoulder. She wouldn't have been so relaxed if the others were in trouble, Menolly thought, as she sipped the fellis juice.

  "Beauty," Menolly whispered, nudging the queen, "if anyone comes, you go. You mustn't be seen here. Do you understand?"

  The queen rustled her wings irritably.

  "Beauty, you mustn't be seen." Menolly spoke as sternly as she could, and the queen opened one eye, which whirled slowly. "Oh dear, won't you understand?" The queen gave a soft reassuring croon and then closed both lids.

  The fellis juice was already melting Menolly's limbs into weightlessness. The dreadful throb of her feet eased. As her eyes relentlessly closed, Menolly had one last thought: how had Beauty known where she was?

  When Menolly woke, it was to hear faint sounds of children laughing, an infectious laughter that made her grin and wonder what caused such happiness. Beauty was gone but the space where she'd lain by Menolly's head was warm to the touch. The curtain across the cubicle parted and a figure was silhouetted against the light beyond.

  "What's the matter with you all of a sudden, Reppa?" the girl said softly to someone Menolly couldn't see. "Oh, all right I'm well rid of you for now." She turned and saw Menolly looking at her. "How do you feel today?" As she adjusted the glow for full light, Menolly saw a girl about her own age, dark hair tied primly back from a face that was sad, tired and oddly mature. Then she smiled, and the impression of maturity dissolved. "Did you really run across Nerat?"

  "I really didn't, although my feet feel as if they had."

  "Imagine it! And you holdbred and out during a Fall!" "There was a grudging respect in her voice.

  "I was running for shelter," Menolly felt obliged to say.

  "Speaking of running, Manora couldn't come to see you herself right now so you're in my charge. She's told me exactly what to do," and the girl grimaced with such feeling that Menolly had a swift vision of Manora delivering her precise and careful instructions, "and I've had a lot of experience..." An expression of pain and anxiety crossed her face.

  "Are you Manora's fosterling?" asked Menolly politely.

  The expression deepened for a moment, and then the girl erased all expression from her face, drawing her shoulders up with pride. "No, I'm Brekke's. My name is Mirrim. I used to be in the Southern Weyr."

  She made the statement as if that should make all plain to Menolly.

  "You mean, in the Southern Continent?"

  "Yes," and Mirrim sounded irritated.

  "I didn't know anyone lived there." The words were no sooner out of her mouth than Menolly remembered some snippet of info
rmation overheard in conversations between Petiron and her father.

  "Where have you been all your life?" demanded Mirrim, exasperated.

  "In Half-Circle Sea Hold," Menolly replied meekly because she didn't wish to offend the girl.

  Mirrim stared at her.

  "Haven't you ever heard of it?" It was Menolly's turn to be condescending. "We have the biggest dock cavern on Pern."

  Mirrim caught her eye, and then both girls began to laugh, the moment in which their friendship began.

  "Look, let me help you to the necessary, you must be bursting . . ." and Mirrim bristly threw back the sleeping fur. "You just lean on me."

  Menolly had to because her feet were incredibly sore, even with Mirrim supporting most of her weight Fortunately the necessary was no more than a few steps beyond the sleeping cubicle. By the time Menolly crawled back into her bed, she was shaking all over.

  "Stay on your stomach, Menolly; it'll be easier to change your bandages," Mirrim said. "I haven't had to do many feet, it's true; but if you don't have to see what's going on, that makes it easier. Everyone at Southern said my hands are gentle, and I'll drown your feet in numbweed. Or would you want some more fellis juice? Manora said you could,"

  Menolly shook her head.

  "Brekke ..." and here Mirrim's voice faltered briefly, "Brekke taught me how to change sticky bandages because I... Oh, dearie me, your feet look just like raw meat Ooops, that's not the right thing to say, but they do. They will be all right, Manora said," and there was such confidence in that statement that Menolly preferred to believe it, too. "Now Threadscore . . . that's nasty. You've just lost all the skin on your feet, that's all, but I expect you feel that's quite enough. Sorry. Caught you there. Anyway, you'll not even have scars once the new skin grows, and it' s really amazing how quickly skin does grow. Or so I've observed. Now Threadscore, that's nasty for healing. Never quite fades. Lucky for you Tgran's Branth spotted you running. Dragons are very longsighted, you know. There, now, this should help..."

  Menolly gasped involuntarily as Mirrim slathered cool numbweed on her right foot. She'd been biting her lips against the pain while Mirrim, with very gentle hands indeed, had removed the blood-caked bandages but the relief from pain was almost a shock. If she'd only lost the skin from her feet, why did they hurt so much more than her hand had?