Chapter 1
Ferry, Anslas and Kitiara had cheered themselves hoarse when Tyrin became T'rin by Impressing Blue Renpeth!
Things were just quieting down, disappointed candidates filing disconsolately out, when Kit suddenly froze, a look of horror on her face. Then she burst into wracking sobs.
Anslas and Ferry turned and stared! It was loyal Anslas who put an arm around her first; then Ferry took her hand.
"What is it? He queried."
Kit sobbed and snuffled; and finally got out the words,
"He isn't coming back!" and dissolved into a fresh storm of sobbing. The boys exchanged uneasy glances over her head. Dealing with hysterical young girls filled them with horror!
R'gar had started over to them as soon as he was able, though keeping a backward glance out for his weyrlings. He dropped to one knee beside the little girl.
"What's all this?" he asked gently.
"Tyrin! He's T'rin now!" hiccoughed Kitiara. Anslas and Ferry shared another look and R'gar looked confused. Ferry explained,
"I think, sir, " he said "She's not happy because Ty, er T'rin won't be returning to the Harper Hall" he added "She's got a bit of a pash on him."
"I LOVE him!" declared Kitiara tearfully. Ferry pulled a face; and R'gar's mouth twitched.
"She could come to the Weyr as a candidate!" suggested Anslas. "she might get a Green, too, so they…" he broke off, blushing crimson.
"No." said R'gar, firmly, as Kit opened her eyes and looked hopeful. Her face fell.
"Why not?" she pouted.
"Several good reasons, young one" grunted R'gar; but he gave her shoulder a kindly pat, belying his gruff tone. "A fine figure you'd cut, swapping careers after, I make no doubt, badgering your father to get you an apprenticeship. Dragons have no time for the inconstant."
Two big fat tears fled from the corners of Kitiara's big blue eyes. R'gar sighed.
"Child, you are very young. Even if you Impressed now, I'd be doubtful that you'd be old enough when she first rose. Far better to work hard towards your journeyman's knots as" he added cunningly "T'rin would want you to do. If it is the real thing, it will not fade. T'rin won't drop his old friends, though he'll be too busy to think of anything but Renpeth for a little while!"
Ferry added tactlessly,
"Besides, T'rin never has thought of you that way. He'd be like to leave the Weyr if you had a proddy Green in case. Because it would be like flying his sister Sh'rilla."
Kitiara promptly dissolved again and R'gar gave Ferry a speaking look. The boy shrugged apologetically."
"Well, it's the truth!" he said.
R'gar sighed.
"Well, young Kit, perhaps it is kinder to tell you that nothing T'rin wrote to us in his letters ever suggested that he thinks of you in any way but as a younger, well, er, brother" he told her. "you are both, in any case, over young to be worrying about such things."
"Sir, how old was T'lana?" asked Kit, accusingly.
"Some few turns older than you." R'gar declared authoritatively, hoping he had guessed the child's age aright. Again he felt grateful that his mercurial little weyrmate was happy to take on the training of female candidates and weyrlings. Adolescent girls were strange and worrying creatures, and the less he had to do with them, the happier R'gar was!
oOoOo
T'rin himself gave no thought at first to his erstwhile companions; he was far too lost in Renpeth's rainbow regard, interrupted only by the happy trillings of his white firelizard Prism.. When he realised of a sudden that they would be returning without him his pangs of guilt centred less on Kitiara than on the Masterharper and on the boy Felimmy, one of T'rin's young pupils, whose truculence he had so recently broken through. T'rin felt a deep regret that he had not brought the boy along to the hatching, though leaving him behind had been with the best of motives, not to have the boy accused of being teacher's pet. The young Journeyman fervently hoped that his protégé would not revert to his sullen ways, perhaps feeling that T'rin had deserted him.
As it happened, Ferry made a good job of breaking the news of T'rin's Impression to Felimmy. He was a perceptive boy beneath his rather overenthusiastic exterior, and had noted how the younger boy's attitude had changed since T'rin – Tyrin as he was then – had taken him on his mission to Sunnyvale Hold. Ferry had sought out the lad almost as soon as R'gar had taken the harper apprentices back to the Harper Hall, waiting only long enough to tell Master Robinton that he had lost another journeyman to the dragonmen!
Felimmy had looked wary at the approach of an older boy; Ferry had recently been made Senior Apprentice and sported the rank tassel hung from his apprentice knot with pride. Felimmy, not unnaturally, half expected trouble; though he recognised Ferry as one of Journeyman Tyrin's friends, and so hoped merely to be given a message from his tutor.
"Felimmy?" asked Ferry.
Felimmy nodded, his face closed.
"I think I'm correct in believing you to be one of Journeyman Tyrin's special students?" Ferry asked. Felimmy looked even more wary.
"I'd not say that, exactly" he denied.
Ferry grinned.
"Let's just say for argument's sake that I know he likes you. So he'd want you to be one of the first to hear the news."
"He likes me?" Felimmy's mouth dropped open. Ferry laughed.
"He told me you're a bit like him – something of a loner. 'Cept that we kinda don't let him be that much of a loner any more" he was busy re-assessing the younger boy who was flushing with pleasure at the revelation that his admired teacher liked him. Evidently for all his tough crust, Felimmy was more sensitive than Ferry had realised. He was even more glad that he had come to bring the lad T'rin's news.
"What's the news?" Felimmy asked the question casually, trying to hide the curiosity that overcame his wonder.
Ferry grinned again.
"You know we went to see the hatching of his sister's eggs – her dragon's eggs, that is –" clarified Ferry.
Felimmy nodded.
Ferry went on,
"Well, she had this feeling, so she bullied him into a white tunic – her being his big sister, you understand, and accustomed to bossing him about, be he never so many times a journeyman, and then, well, there was Renpeth!" he grinned.
"He's Impressed? Oh WOW! What colour?" Felimmy's eyes shone with joy for T'rin.
Ferry chuckled.
"What else? Harper blue!" he laughed.
Felimmy was aware over the next few days that the masters and journeymen were watching him narrowly; and he resented it.
Did they think that he would let Tyrin – T'rin – down by backsliding? If they did, he was fardling well going to prove them wrong.
Felimmy took his courage in both hands to search out Ferry and the others to ask their help in ridding him of the bad habits his self-taught father had instilled in him; and was overwhelmed to find them pleased to help and ready to welcome him to their circle! The conversations he had had with Tyrin came back to him, as to how the Harper Hall was now his family. It was true, he felt!
oOoOo
Meanwhile, Master Robinton was very pleased with Kitiara. When her father had broached to him the idea of her apprenticeship – a real apprenticeship not just learning some musical skills with the other 'girl apprentices' of the Blood – he had been frankly dubious. He appreciated that the girl had been fired with enthusiasm after meeting young Tyrin and his good hearted scallywag band of friends; but Robinton had been concerned lest she had been led onward by a crush on the young Harper boy. However, she had been working hard for the eighteen months that she had been in the Harper Hall, and although her feelings towards Tyrin had been evident it had not affected her work. Robinton thought there was every chance he might be able to persuade her father to leave her long enough to make Journeyman before he married her off; and her skills would enhance any small Hold where she became mistress. Things had, however, changed dramatically with T'rin's Impression. Robinton was sorry to lose such a promising young Journeyman as T'rin, as he had been with L'gal; but if the dragons needed them, there was no more to be said. And besides, High Reaches was a forward thinking, not to say radical, Weyr; it would be good to maintain contact and relations through his journeymen. However, with this development, Robinton, still equivocal over Kitiara's motives, had wondered whether the girl would throw up her Turn-and-a-half's training to follow her young hero; and the Masterharper waited cynically for her to ask permission to speak to her father about becoming a candidate after she returned subdued from the Hatching. Yet the request had not come; and the little girl applied herself seriously to her studies! T'rin's group of self-helpers remained intact without their erstwhile leader: and seemed to have been joined by the previous problem-boy Felimmy! Robinton was very pleased and praised Kitiara for her decision to stay, making the youngster flush to the roots of her incandescent hair both with pleasure at the compliment and embarrassment at the thought of how close she had come to letting the Masterharper down in her desire to stay close to T'rin.
The Masterharper never knew how close she came to dissolving into tears at him, however!
oOoOo
T'rin himself had little time to consider the significance of his Impression to his Harper friends. From the moment he was drawn into the joy of shared thoughts with Renpeth, there was nothing else for him. He walked out to the feeding area with his new soul mate as though he was walking on clouds. Renpeth was such a beautiful blue, a true Harper blue, and the most wonderful dragon in the world! Prism added her own joyous song to the song in T'rin's heart, enthusiastically 'helping' by bringing to T'rin the largest lumps of meat she could carry! As T'rin fed the little dragonet, careful not to overfeed, already as well versed in dragonet care as the other young Impressed he realised ruefully that he would have to get to know his new clutchmates from scratch as he had not been a candidate with them! Three of the Green riders he recognised as Weyrbred, some of the younger lads; also a fellow Blue rider, Senestrul as had been. S'trul had been a candidate with the young Tyrin before he had joined the Harper Hall, and at some eighteen turns had almost given up. It had been T'bor who had insisted that the boy should have another chance, for he was a calm and decisive young man. Tears of joy were running unheeded down S'trul's face as he gave T'rin a Thumbs Up! The only other Weyrbred boy T'rin recognised was V'ris, a turn or so younger than T'rin and who had Impressed one of the three Brown dragons.
T'rin also knew by reputation through letters from T'lan two of the green riders, the girls B'lova and J'nara. They were a most unlikely pair of friends, B'lova of the Blood, J'nara a one time drudge; but were utterly devoted to each other. B'lova was still somewhat bloody from the accident on the hatching grounds, but overjoyed to have Impressed Linith! Her family and J'nara's brother seemed pleased after initial upsets; and T'rin was glad. Though he had only been vaguely aware of the fracas, his Harper-trained senses had assimilated much of what was going on through his subconscious!
His attention was drawn to one of the other newly Impressed Green riders to whom R'gar was speaking.
"I'm puzzled as to how to contract Tass" the weyrlingmaster said.
"I thought you'd contract my full name sir" replied the young rider.
"Tass is not your full name?"
"Oh no, it's – it was – Tassarla."
R'gar blinked.
"You never mentioned that you were a girl" he sounded faintly reproachful, but T'rin detected a note of resignation in his foster father's voice and grinned to herself. The girl tossed her short locks.
"Was it relevant to the dragons?" she asked challengingly.
R'gar gave a crack of laughter.
"History repeats itself! No, T'arla, it's not relevant to the dragons!"
T'rin grinned across at this third girl to Impress; and she grinned back. She was a snub-nosed, merry-faced girl with black curls and dark eyes; and T'rin thought she looked nice.
Casting an eye around, he was pleased to see that many of the newly Impressed were older lads; he was also pleasantly surprised to see another Journeyman, with the knots of a miner and the biggest green dragon of the clutch. He and another lad sporting minercraft knots and with a newly Impressed Brown dragonet were hugging each other with evident affection; and the reason that a promising Journeyman should stand a-purpose as a candidate became clear. T'rin was later to learn in fact that B'lan and D'nor, as the new young Riders were called, had been advised by Masterminer Nicat to see how they fared in a Weyr, and preferably High Reaches at that; and had suggested that even if they did not Impress, doubtless 'that clever lass T'lan' would find them challenging jobs within their craft in a place their sexual preferences would cause them no trouble. Both were at the upper end of the permitted age range to stand as candidates, but T'bor had agreed to take them, albeit a little dubiously, and his decision had been vindicated. Green Leviath was as large as many Blues, and would – if she maintained her growth in proportion – require a Brown like Chereth to keep up with her for her mating flights. T'lana had every intention of adding Leviath to the Queens' Wing for her anticipated strength and stamina. Where other Greens attached to the Queens' Wing – those ridden by women for the most part – had to return to rest during a full length Fall, Leviath might be able to remain for the whole time. B'lan would not find himself the only male in the Queens' Wing when Leviath was old enough; new riders were customarily introduced to fighting Thread in this safer position, and T'mon and Denth flew there as a matter of course, the miniature Brown being as full of stamina as any Green and a deal nippier. There was no loss of face to fly the Queens' Wing, or Female Wing as it was starting to be called; it was so successful at mopping up Thread missed by the main Fighting Wings that many groundcrews had sent thanks for the increased efficiency!
oOoOo
Once Renpeth felt less hungry, T'rin felt like taking an interest in other important issues; like who had Impressed Bronze Dragonets. The young harper, hardened as he had been by years living Holdless and his own self imposed fitness regime since acquiring foster parents in the 'soft' Weyr, felt less exhausted by the whole Impression business than many of the other lads, especially the younger ones. Moreover, most had been too excited as the eggs hardened to sleep much during the last few nights! Their waking moments had all been carefully filled too by R'gar, who believed in finding work to prevent idle minds dreaming up creative mischief. Thus most wanted nothing more than to stumble with their new soul mates under sleeping furs, the exhaustion of hatching from their friends also washing over them. T'rin was aware of Renpeth's needs to rest, but his comparative fitness meant he could afford to be nosy too! He surveyed his clutchmates as they all trudged back to the weyrling barracks.
One of the young Bronze Riders, thought T'rin, could only be M'sell. T'lana had spoken in one of her frequent and chatty letters of how H'llon had dealt so successfully with the bullying of young Marsell, a small boy from a wealthy ranking background; and two boys laughing beside him with a Blue and a Green dragonet respectively must be two of the three former bullies who had seen the error of their prejudices and had warmed to the smaller lad when he insisted on sharing their punishment. They must, T'rin pondered, be good at heart; after all, Y'lara too had her opinions of the wealthy and thought nothing of vocalising them freely. Their innate instincts showed when all beckoned to a tired, disconsolate looking boy watching wistfully, for he had no dragon. They were not about to drop a friend just because he had not Impressed!
The other two Bronze Riders were older; one a freckle-faced lad about T'rin's own age who was also looking around, bright eyed and quizzical: he caught T'rin's glance and grinned. T'rin returned the grin; he would like to call this youth friend! T'rin heard R'gar call him M'san; and filed the name in his memory. The other young man was older, T'rin estimated, wearing apprentice knots of the Bakercraft Hall. He looked a pleasant type, and was helping some of the younger ones keep balance as they almost stumbled along.
T'rin was glad that for the most part he would not be stuck with a load of kids! Though he enjoyed teaching, to be back as a pupil in a class with juveniles did not fill him with glee!
Of the other Impressed, there was another boy T'rin recognised vaguely, though he was racking his brains as to why. When the boy turned and the Harper saw his Healercraft Hall knots, it fell into place; and he realised that he had seen the lad about the adjoining complexes that made up the Harper and Healer Halls. He was a chubby lad, much addicted, T'rin recalled, to bubbly pies. He was called….T'rin searched his Harper-trained memory….Jaykey! or it would now be J'key, of course, he corrected himself. J'key had a Blue dragon too, and turned on T'rin such a look of hero-worshipping recognition that the harper boy almost groaned. He managed to smile back, however; and said,
"Congratulations, J'key!"
J'key's face lit up even more, if that were possible in the light of his already huge grin over Impressing; and T'rin heard him murmur to another young weyrling
"He knew my name! he knew MY name!"
T'rin grinned ruefully. He had become used to being something of a role model; it was one of those irritating responsibilities one just had to live up to.
White Prism was also taking a deep interest in the other Impressed, 'her' dragon's clutchmates; and in the other firelizards. There were two other weyrlings with firelizards – B'lova's little blue Trell was in evidence fussing round her wounded human; and a little green was rapidly identified by T'rin as looking to the oldest Bronze Rider. T'rin grinned. A firelizard could either be very helpful to a baker, carrying spices for him; or a disastrous addition to the kitchen! T'rin found himself laying bets with himself over which the little creature was – and vowed to ask V'der, as the boy's name was, as soon as possible!
7