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CHAPTER 7

Teri was sitting with Aeneth on the dragons' shelf when I'an returned to the weyr. She groaned as she heard his approaching footsteps echoing in the hallway. Hanoth rumbled pleasantly on his couch across the room. Teri curled into a tight ball and huddled closer against Aeneth's warmth. She had no desire to talk with the brownrider. Her anger at both I'an and R'meri still simmered beneath her skin, but it had lessened earlier in the evening. She knew that if she was irritated, it would flare up all over again. More emotions were the last thing she wanted to deal with. She just needed to cool off and sleep.

You can't stay here all night, you know, said Aeneth.

Why not? Teri asked. Don't you like me?

I do, but this is where I sleep.

I don't take up that much room. Teri pressed her cheek against Aeneth's bumpy hide.

I might squash you.

True, Teri conceded. I'll go back in once I'an goes to bed.

Why not now? Aeneth asked. She let out a massive sigh. I'm sleepy.

I'an's in the room.

So?

I don't want to talk to him.

You're strange.

Well, you picked me, Teri said with a smile, stroking Aeneth's side.

Aeneth curled her tail around her rider's feet, her thoughts unraveling slowly as her consciousness sank into sleep. Teri let the dragon go, wishing she could escape the waking world as easily. Her smile faded as she listened to the noises of I'an moving around in the other room. She continued to run her fingers over Aeneth's hide, exploring every wrinkle and ridge. The sound of I'an's bare feet grew louder as he entered the outer room.

Teri stiffened. Although she was on Aeneth's far side, hidden from view, she was afraid he might notice her presence. There was a thud, followed by a soft curse from I'an and the rustling of a glowbasket being uncovered.

Teri mentally prodded Aeneth awake. What's going on? Can you show me?

The green's mind grudgingly stirred just enough to produce a blurry silhouette of a man leaning his head against the neck of a large, dragonish lump. The image lasted barely more than a moment, but it stamped itself indelibly into Teri's mind. She felt vaguely contrite for intruding on their intimate moment.

"She's here?" I'an's murmur was barely audible. "Teri? Are you there?" he asked in a louder voice.

Hanoth asked me where you were, said Aeneth.

You betrayed me!

I wouldn't have answered him if you hadn't woken me, Aeneth replied.

Fine. Teri sighed. She couldn't get out of it now. "I'm here, I'an." She uncurled herself and stood, reaching for her cane.

"There you are," he said. "Can you change a dressing for me? I have an old Threadscore that reopened tonight."

"You didn't go to the infirmary?"

"No." He let out a soft, self-deprecating chuckle. "I didn't want to take the chance of running into your friend again."

"You mean R'meri? The one you assaulted?" She couldn't keep a snappish bite from her voice. Her anger simmered, waiting for an outlet.

"Right. That one."

"Fine." Teri stepped around Aeneth's couch and into the inner room. "Where do you want to do this?"

"I have bandages and ointment on the table." I'an's footsteps caught up with her quickly. His hand found the small of her back to help her into a chair, but she pulled away from him, sitting on her own. She reached over the table top and located everything before turning towards him.

"Where is this dressing?" she asked.

"My arm. It's the same score you dressed earlier. Here." He lifted her hand to the loosely bound bandage. Her fingers came away sticky with blood.

"Dragonriders," she muttered to herself.

"It's reopened once before," I'an said. "I strained it when Aeneth rose."

Teri's fingers slipped, dropping a soiled binding. Her face went hot.

"Thank you for doing this, Teri," I'an said after a moment.

"That's all you're going to say?" Teri asked. She pulled the bandage carefully away from his wound, keeping a hand by the spot for reference.

"Am I missing something?"

"Don't you think you should at least apologize?" R'meri had wounded her far more than I'an, but the red-haired rider was far away in his weyr and Teri wanted some satisfaction.

"For what?" I'an asked.

Teri stopped in the middle of cleaning his skin with a damp cloth. He couldn't be serious. "What else? For butting in earlier and picking a fight with R'meri."

"You want me to apologize for that?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course! You attacked my friend!" The word burned her as it left her mouth. She had believed R'meri was her friend, but it was all a lie.

"Some friend," I'an scoffed. "He was hurting you and I stopped him. Shouldn't you thank me?"

Teri threw her hands in the air, exasperated. How dare he act like he was her protector, as if they meant something to each other? "I didn't ask you to interfere! I told you to go away!"

"I was just helping you."

"I don't want your help," Teri snapped, throwing down the used cloth. "I don't want anyone's help. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Why can't you just swallow your pride and accept help when it's offered?" I'an said. "It's not an insult."

"It is when no one lets you do anything without supervision." Teri snatched up the clean dressing and began to tie I'an's arm with fierce, short movements.

"Teri—"

"Just shut up. I'm tired of everyone doubting me. I'm not a child, I'm a dragonrider. Why can't everyone just leave me be!" She tied off the end of the bandage and crossed her arms over her chest. "There's your dressing. Can I go to bed now, or did you need something else?"

The bell signaling a change of watch tolled in the silence as Teri waited.

I'an exhaled. "I guess there's just one little thing," he began, his voice flat.

"What?" Teri lifted her chin defiantly.

"You—missed. You wrapped the wrong part of my arm."

The warmth drained slowly from Teri's face. "Oh."

"The scores are higher up. I thought I should tell you, but it didn't seem like you wanted any help."

A hot flush set Teri's cheeks tingling. "I'll fix it then," she muttered. Her anger morphed to cold shame that slid down her back, leaving a slime trail of perspiration along her spine. If only she could disappear, slip between and reappear back in her own weyr, in the infirmary, or anywhere else.

I'an guided Teri's hand to his arm and sat still as she retied the bandage.

"Thank you," he said when she was done. Without another word, he stood, leaving Teri alone at the table.

Teri spent a restless night, her mind backtracking fruitlessly over her conversations with I'an and R'meri. She slept badly, her sole consolation being that I'an was already gone when she awoke the next morning. Holding her sheets up to her nose, she listened for a few moments to make sure the other room was empty. The only sounds she could hear were the normal morning noises of the Weyr filtering in through the opening to the dragons' shelf. She sighed and slipped out of bed, throwing on her clothes for the day.

Teri walked straight to the infirmary, not even stopping when she heard R'meri's voice calling her name hesitantly as she passed the dining cavern. She ignored him, the pain of his betrayal still stinging.

"There you are!" Jana's voice greeted her as soon as she stepped into the infirmary. The older woman accosted her, seizing her elbow and rushing her to a stool. "I've been waiting for you all morning."

"Am I late?" Teri asked, confused. She hadn't gotten lost on her way from I'an's weyr that morning. It had taken the better part of a week, but she now felt confident navigating the walk down to the infirmary. "I thought it was only eight hours."

"I know it is. I've only been here for an hour, but it was awful. Faire's assigned me to scrubbing the necessaries. Don't worry, I washed my hands," Jana added at Teri's grimace. "And on top of that, I've been dying to know what's inside your mystery package."

"What mystery package?"

"Here!" A small, soft bundle was pressed into Teri's hand. "I'an left it for you earlier this morning."

"What? Why would I'an leave something for me here?" She flushed as she remembered her embarrassment from the night before. Had he left her some prank to get revenge? She hoped a grown dragonrider wouldn't stoop to such pettiness.

"That's what I've been wondering," Jana said. Her voice dropped into a conspiratorial whisper—which would still be audible from across the room. "Did anything happen last night?"

"No," Teri replied firmly. "Nothing of the sort you're thinking of." She turned the bundle over in her fingers. It was so light; she wondered if anything was under the wrappings. "Are you sure it was I'an who left this?"

"You think I would confuse I'an with someone else? Come on, Teri, just open it!"

Teri's hands trembled as she untied the wrappings and ran her fingers over the contents. They felt like scrap pieces of knotted cord. "What is this?" she asked, bemused.

"They're knots," Jana said in surprise. "This set's for a healer, and this," Jana guided Teri's fingers to a cord tied in a simple loop, "is for a greenrider. It even designates Benden Weyr."

Teri closed her hand around the cords, her eyes suddenly stinging.

"Where's your wherhide?" Jana said in excitement. "I want to sew these on!"

Teri's voice squeezed out hoarsely from her tight throat. "It's up in my weyr. We'll have to do it later." She opened her hand slowly and ran a fingertip down each short length of cord. He had remembered. She couldn't believe it. Her rash words from the evening before echoed in her ears and she bit back a groan. She was such a fool. "I guess he really is a decent fellow," she murmured to herself guiltily.

"Evidence that rumors aren't always true," Jana said.

"What rumors?"

"Well," Jana began with relish that set Teri smiling against her will. Gossip was the healer woman's specialty. "No one knows where he came from. He showed up on the Weyr's doorstep a holdless waif some turns ago. He was fifteen turns old, so maybe not quite a waif. Anyways, one of the women in the kitchen took pity on him and brought him into the Weyr. Then one day he was Searched out and impressed. There were some rumors as to what kind of life he led while he was holdless, but I like to say that he's an heir of some ancient Bloodline, fleeing the ambition of a murderous usurper."

Teri snorted. "That's ridiculous, Jana."

"Then it will never do any real damage like other rumors. Besides, I think it matches his rakish good looks." Jana heaved a dramatic sigh. "It's too bad you can't appreciate them."

"I'll leave the appreciating to you," Teri said with a wry smile.

"Jana!" Faire called from the back room. "I asked you to scrub the necessary, not flood it!"

"Oh!" Jana sent her stool clattering as she stood. "I've got to go!"

"Teri," called Faire again, "I need you back here too."

"Coming!" Teri gently rewrapped the knots and tucked them into her waistband. I'an would have to wait until her duties were done. She entered the back room, inhaling the familiar smells of numbweed and sandsoap.

"N'hal's gone today," said Faire, "so you'll assist me to check up on all the patients."

"Where is he?" Teri asked, rolling up her tunic sleeves.

"A small holding outside of Pell Hold."

"What happened?"

"They were attacked last night," Faire replied grimly. "The house was burned and three people were killed. N'hal is overseeing the care of the survivors."

"Shells, that's terrible." Teri covered her mouth with cold fingers. Her voice shook as she continued, "Was it a bandit attack?"

"I don't know what else could have happened. There have been several attacks in the area, most by the same group, it seems. They're a holdless gang led by a man named Dathan."

Teri lowered her head mutely, trying not to think about Aren's death. "I've been hearing about attacks on traders and some of our tithe caravans, but never a holding."

"This is the first time I've heard of it as well. The times are hard and people are desperate." Faire cleared her throat. "Come on, we've got beds to check."