Its Eyes Were Jewels

Chapter 6


.

As way of disclaimer, I own none of Anne McCaffrey's characters nor do I own her world (though I sometimes wish I did), I'm simply borrowing them for the time being.

.


It took her a moment to get her breathing under control enough to investigate the cause of the stampede, and upon turning her head just slightly to the left her vision was filled with the largest creature she'd ever seen. So close up, its eye alone was nearly the size of her head. Its skin was blue and shining in the sunlight, with the dead wherry held in its jaws where it had lifted the thing up and away from her prone form. Protected her. It… protected me? Not it. He. Blue dragons were male and, suddenly, she realized that she was in the presence of a dragon.

She didn't know what to do, too awestruck by the sight to comprehend that there was a man agilely leaping from the creature's back. For a moment she forgot entirely that dragons and riders went hand in hand, but that hardly mattered. The creature was what mattered, so large that it could easily destroy her, but so inherently kind to humans that she trusted it would not. Dragons would never hurt a person, that's what her brother had always assured her even as her father told her horror stories of people with burn scars and claw gouges. She stared at the whirling orbs that seemed to look everywhere and nowhere at once, and took a deep, shaky breath.

Sorry, she heard vaguely even as a jovial voice sounded, "Well you might as well eat it! Waste not, want not!" She looked toward the man when she heard this, blinking dumbly as the large creature lurched just a little ways to the side, turning its head from the both of them to render flesh from bone and enjoy the meal it accidentally made for itself.

The man looked at her then, concern written on every inch of his face as he pulled his riding cap from his head and jogged toward her. She noted immediately the way his dark hair fell messily about his head, cascading into his bright eyes like a young boy who didn't care enough to bother with it by either cutting or tending it. He looked at her briefly, taking in the bruise darkening her cheek, the restlessness of her eyes, the pale, sickly tone of her skin, and at last the fresh blood seeping from beneath her tunic before gasping, "Are you well, child?"

It was the anxiety in his tone that broke her from her contemplation, and immediately she sighed, "It's been long since I've been a child, Blue Rider." She was already moving to sit up from her half fetal curl when she heard the rustle of frozen grass as the eating dragon shifted to gaze at her. Elrenia could not help but meet those eyes, not in the least bothered by the almost calculating stare.

Small one?

"I am not small," Elrenia said immediately to the man, taking offense at the insistence of her youth. First calling her a child, then small. She may not have been old, but she could tell by looking that she stood at least several inches taller than he did. If he thought she was a small child, then he was a babe! She narrowed stormy eyes at him, working herself into a fury, even as he stepped back just slightly and looked at her in confusion. Lowly, slowly, she repeated, "I am not small, Blue Rider."

"I… did not say that you were."

Elrenia's attention was attracted momentarily as the dragon moved again in her peripheral vision, inching closer to her and his rider with an almost awkward gait as it tilted its wedge shaped head. She wanted, with every bit of her soul, to stare at the fascinating creature forever, but it wasn't long before her eyes snapped back to the man as she heard, Small one? Are you well?

"I am not small!" she said again, finding the urge to hit him nearly overwhelming.

"I can see that," the rider practically snapped back, crossing his arms in a petulant manner as he glared back at the girl. "You aren't small!"

"Then stop saying that I am!"

"I've done no such thing!"

Glaring even harder for a moment, Elrenia shifted her eyes to the floor so she could see where she was putting her hands as she levered herself up. She bit her tongue so as to avoid letting out any sound that could possibly betray her discomfort, and forced out the words, "My respect, Blue Rider." She bowed briefly, carefully, completely oblivious to the fact that she could easily request help from the man standing before her as she kept her mind and mouth under firm control to avoid serving the man insult. Had it occurred to her, she probably wouldn't have asked for help anyway. He was enjoying teasing her when she wasn't indebted to him, and she didn't want to put up with the impudence were she to owe him her life. "I'll leave you and yours."

She turned and took several steps right before the words, Small one, you limp, sounded.

"I do not!" came the immediate denial, hands clenching into fists at her side as she resisted the urge to clobber the insolent youth. How old is he anyway? Seventeen? Eighteen at the very most, and he thinks that he can talk to just anyone this way? It was like dealing with a younger cousin, or her brother, both of whom enjoyed pointing out the way her width did not even remotely match her height. She was too tall to be so thin, and the thought that this man, this man who should have garnered every respect was mocking her over it made her blood boil.

It seemed what her father always used to tell her about dragonriders was correct. They were proud men, with heads far too big to be held up by their bodies. They assumed they deserved everything, and needed to give nothing back save the service of fighting thread. This, of course, was a formidable act, even her father couldn't deny that. But it didn't change the outrageous attitude. It didn't make the man any more relatable. It was the reason dragonmen lived in Weyrs, away from everyone else. They just couldn't fit in with regular, respectable Holders.

So Elrenia was walking away before she had the chance to do something she regretted. She wasn't one for violence, but she was well used to dealing with naughty children. He will not enjoy being treated like a naughty child, even if he was one. She was going to walk away, and pretend that nothing ever happened. She respected the good that the young man did well enough to try to spare him the embarrassment.

But she'd hardly turned and walked three paces when fingers closed around her wrist. She flinched violently, and had to abruptly abort the striking motion her hand had taken up upon turning. Light brown eyes were searching her face even as the man kept a hold of her wrist, bowing his head in apology for touching her without permission. "You…" he trailed off for a moment, looking Elrenia up and down almost curiously once more before saying, "My Lady, you're limping."

"I am not!" this came out just short of a shout.

"And you're pale," the man continued in the wake of her growing anger. "Are you well?"

"Quite!" she snapped irritably. She wasn't so angry as frightened by the touch now. She just wanted to leave. She wanted to walk away, and forget that the man existed, but he didn't seem pleased to allow her to do that. She didn't know his intentions, and all the muscles in her arms tensed as she resisted the urge to rip herself from his grip. She wanted away, not just from him, but from men entirely. She muttered, "I'd be pleased for you to release me!"

"We could fly you home," the young man offered kindly, but the girl tensed further.

The muscles in her shoulders bunched, as though debating whether she should attack or flee. Both hands clenched into fists, and her teeth clicked audibly as she forced her jaw shut. She did not want to think of home. Did not want memories conjured by this man who seemed to be getting an odd pleasure from taunting her one second, and trying to help her the next. He was cocky, she could see it in the way he held himself, and she didn't like that. She didn't like the way she couldn't tell whether he was smiling or frowning as his lips pulled into a thin line.

"My lady?"

He didn't have any right to act concerned when he kept insulting her every time she turned away. He didn't have any right to touch her, just because he thought she was limping. She wasn't. Limping indicated pain, and wounds, and unwellness! But she was fine. Just fine. She didn't need him to care. Didn't want him to care. She wanted him to go away, so she could get over to the rocks and just…

"My lady, are you—"

"I am well, Blue Rider!" this she did shout, ripping her wrist from his grip even as the motion made the gouges in her side sting, and almost threw her off balance. Her eyes widened just a fraction when she realized she had no way of controlling her descent, horrified that she was about to make a fool out of herself in front of the man-boy. But he moved forward to steady her. He reached out, and grabbed both of her arms before she could tip too far into a tumble, freezing as her eyes narrowed, and her lips issued the order, "Leave me."

She is not well.

"Koth does not believe that you are well, my lady," the man tried to soothe. He moved forward to grasp her shoulder, but withdrew at a second withering look.

She just glared the worst glare she could summon, whether the young man deserved her contempt or not. She supposed there was nothing wrong with him showing concern about someone, but she wasn't someone, and he should not have been showing concern about her. He needed to understand this, so she glowered at him. There was something different in Elrenia's eyes this time though. A sort of curiosity that spurred the quietly murmured, "Koth?"

Almost as if in response to the questioning tone, the blue dragon tilted his head, gaining her attention once more. He lowered his large head so that he was more or less at eyelevel with the girl, and stared with a curiosity that mimicked her tone of voice. Its eyes were jewels, swirling lavender and yellow as it inched ever closer to them. She wondered briefly if dragons ever got curious about things, but wasn't about to ask such a childish question to the young man. Instead she repeated the questioning, "Koth?" in case he hadn't heard her the first time.

"My dragon," the man explained, finally resting his hand on her. "His name is Koth."

"Yes," the girl said, interested in the explanation until he touched her. So instead of expressing further curiosity she flinched as the man closed his fingers carefully over his shoulder, and jerked from his grip again. "Well, tell Koth that I'm quite well. Thank you."

But you are not well, small one.

"I am not small!"

"My lady?" the man asked again. "Are you sure you're well?"

"Yes! I just said that I was!" she growled.

She just wanted to get to the rocks, and curl up, and die. The thought came so suddenly that it shocked her even as she was startled by the colors of the dragon's eyes shifting. They got more intense, if it were even possible, swirling madly as she heard, You cannot want to die. You are not well.

"I am well!" she snapped, throwing her hands into the air in frustration as the dragonrider settled a look on her that said, quite clearly, that he thought she was insane. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Quietly, almost hesitantly the man said, "You… are speaking to yourself."

And this startled the girl, made her take a self-conscious and painful step back as it was her turn to stare at him like he was out of his mind. She… wasn't speaking to herself. She was responding to him. They were having a conversation. Granted, it wasn't terribly coherent or polite, but it was still a conversation. And in order to illustrate this point she said, "In response to you, I am speaking."

"No," the man said quietly. "You aren't. I've not once called you 'small'," he explained, physically wavering between stepping toward her again and moving as far away as possible. The hesitation had him shifting from foot to foot, swaying slightly toward and away from her. As though she both drew and repelled him, which was probably the case. "Clearly you aren't small. You're taller than I am. But… you keep insisting that you aren't."

"Because I'm not," Elrenia couldn't help but insert, voice not nearly as fierce as it had been.

"Agreed!"

"Then… what's the problem." Now she found herself confused. Her anger fizzled away, morphed into discomfiture, and she didn't know what to do with her hands. "W-we both agree that I am not small, s-so…"

"Yes," the man breathed in relief, feeling that she was beginning to understand, oblivious to the fact that she was just growing more and more confused. "But why were you just insisting on this as though I'd insulted you?"

"You kept calling me small!" The anger was back.

"I've not!"

"'Small one,' you said," she mimicked in the deepest voice she could muster. "'Small one, are you well? Are you hurt?' But I am not small!"

"You're not!" he agreed rather emphatically. "And I've done no such thing!"

"But you did!" she shouted with less anger and more hysteria. He seemed sincerely convinced that she was making the whole thing up, and for a moment it almost felt as though she had. If she really thought about it, she couldn't help but think that the… voice calling her small did not quite match his, even though it had to be him. He was the only other person in the area, unless there was someone hiding behind the rocks. And even as she turned to make sure there was no one playing any tricks, she knew that even if there was they could not sound so close from so far away. "You were calling me small!" What if she had imagined the whole thing? Did it mean she was losing her mind? "You were calling me small! I-I wouldn't make this up!" But it seemed she was trying to convince herself more than him now, and he wasn't even paying attention to her.

He was looking at her, yes. Staring straight into her face, but it was almost as though he was staring through her. As though she didn't exist. She wanted to take offense, but the far off look on his face was oddly intriguing. It was as though he was in an entirely different plain. As though she could walk away and he would never notice. But as she moved forward to try to boldly shake him out of it he blinked, and with eyes barely focused on her he said, "Koth was speaking to you."

"Pardon?"

"He… Koth says that he was speaking to you," the boy spoke with a sort of awe in his voice. "He apologizes for causing trouble," came out with more confidence. "He won't speak to you anymore."

"Koth?" she murmured, and looked back at the lavender gems, tilting her own head to match the tilt of the blue wedge. The creature shifted his position again, agitated, and started to lean forward. Toward her. Part of her wanted to scream and run, but fascination kept her firmly in place as the blue moved close enough to nudge her stomach gently with his nose. It was amazing that such a large creature could be so gentle.

"He apologizes," the rider said quietly.

At the same moment the girl breathed, "I… he… he was speaking? T-to me?" There was nothing at all special about her. Surely nothing to garner the attention of a dragon. Especially not a fighting dragon, which this one was judging by the firestone sack hanging from his side. For a moment she felt like she couldn't breathe, and then she repeated, "He was speaking to me."

"Yes."

"And…" at this she looked almost shyly between the dragon and his rider. "And he… will not do it anymore? He… won't speak to me again?"

"No," the man assured, "He won't."

Not unless you would like me to, small one, a smooth, almost supple voice sounded. This time, confident in the knowledge that it was Blue Koth speaking to her, she was not nearly as insulted. She couldn't help but suppose that, in his eyes, she was quite small.

Still she could not quite wrap her mind around the idea, and repeated, "You… were speaking to me?" raising a hand to hesitantly touch the creatures snout.

Yes.

"But…" And perhaps this is why it confused her. "I… cannot hear dragons."

Dragons can be heard by whomever they want to be heard by, the creature explained matter-of-factly, almost as though it was something she should have known by instinct.

"And you… wanted me to hear you?"

Yes.

"My lady?" the blue rider spoke again, regaining the girl's hesitant attention. Her heart, it seemed, was beating in her throat. She didn't know how to handle the situation all of a sudden. Ashamed that she'd been so angry, and so rude to the man who'd done nothing but show concern for her. Worried that he was angry about it. Confused, flattered, and frightened that the great creature was taking an interest in her. "My lady," he repeated a little more urgently. "Are you well?"

"I…"

Small one?

"I-I…"

"If you are not…"

Small one, what troubles you?

"I-I-I…"

Come with us, small one. We will take you to a safe place.

"Koth has bespoken Gold Ramoth," the rider said suddenly. "We will take you to Benden Weyr. He says that you must speak with the Weyrwoman."

"Benden?"

The man moved back toward his beast, waving a beckoning hand mildly as he said, "If you please, my lady." He was quick getting onto the blue, a sort of urgency to his movements that Elrenia didn't understand. Had she bothered looking toward the south, past the rocks she was meant to be hiding in, she would have seen the source of his haste—the leading edge of Fall, obvious in the distance if not by the darkening of the sky, then by the bursts of fire from the dragons therein. "My lady!"

The young woman blinked, stared at the extended hand, and had to seriously consider what she was meant to do with it. It didn't occur to her for a moment that she was meant to climb onto the dragon until a large blue foreleg extended toward her. And then she took a step away instead of toward. The thought of stepping on the beautiful creature in her clunky, soiled boots put a sour taste in her mouth, made her nervous.

The tone that spoke, "My lady," was quickly growing exasperated. "Please, step up and take my hand, we need to leave."

"B-but what if I hurt him?"

Hair was blown from her face as the dragon let out a snort of air, accompanied by his rider's burst of laughter. You cannot hurt me small one, the creature assured, eyes shifting from lavender to an opalescent blue just for a moment. You could never hurt me. Climb now.

"He'll be fine," the rider assured, extending his hand further almost as if to entice her. And she finally took the proffered appendage, wincing as her wounded side stretched with the movement of stepping on the creature, and her feet screamed in agony. The rider was quick to realize that Elrenia was in pain, and immediately took charge, reaching down to grab and pull her from under the shoulders until he could reach and pull her the rest of the way up from her waist. She was pale as he settled her in front of him, as though all of the blood drained from her face in the seconds it took to pull her up. "My lady?" he murmured quietly, even as he balanced her and started removing his wherhide jacket.

"I'm fine," she assured quietly.

"Your leg is hurt?"

"I fell yesterday evening while traveling in the dark," she explained, startled to find the man's riding jacket placed over her shoulders. She tried to shrug it off, but he held it firmly in place. "Blue rider, please—"

"We'll be going between. I'd wager you never have been before, and you're not dressed for it," he explained. "You're hardly dressed for the cold of the fields here. Were you tending the wherries?"

"They're not mine."

"What are you doing here then?"

"Traveling. I received permission to travel from the Holder of these fields."

"And you're dressed lightly because… you like to freeze to death during threadfall?"

"Of course not," the girl murmured right before the man wrapped his arm around her waist, settling her properly in her seat before him as he coaxed her arms through the sleeves of the jacket. She tensed against him, fighting off the urge to struggle since she knew that a fall from the dragons back would only exacerbate previously exacerbated wounds.

"Do not be frightened, dear," he murmured kindly, patting her waist with his hand once she was wearing the garment. He shifted to grip her carefully. "I will not let you fall."

That is not what I'm frightened of, the thought came unbidden.

Then what frightens you, small one?

The girl wanted to glare at the dragon, but found herself hard pressed not to scream in terror as he lunged toward the sky and in three impressive wing beats was airborne. They soared high, gaining significant altitude in very little time, and finally the rider spoke, "I am H'val, rider of Blue Koth." His tone was pleasant enough, proud even, if not a little worried.

She considered not saying anything at all, but felt it was only proper to introduce herself. The only thing she said was, "Elrenia," though. No mention of sire or Hold. She gave no title, rank, or craft. Just her given name, and the man didn't ask for anything more. They just flew in silence for several minutes, the girl mesmerized by the sight of Kelby's Hold appearing in the distance. Amazed by the beauty of the grass and trees from the air.

"We are about to go between," was the way H'val broke the silence. "I'll advise you take a deep breath, and hold it for three long counts, Elrenia." She nodded carefully, and tensed further as she leaned back into his body, the warmth of his jacket doing nothing to ward of the cold of the air around them. "This is your first time dragonback, yes?"

"It is."

"Well, I assure you we are perfectly safe."

"I am not afraid."

She is not afraid.

Elrenia was shocked to hear Koth back her up, and judging by the brief, and seemingly unconscious tightening of his arm, so was H'val. He cleared his throat almost nervously, and stammered, "Y-yes, well… three counts, a-and we'll be above Benden. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

And she was enveloped in an impenetrable darkness. There was nothing in this darkness. No air. None in the area around her, or in her lungs. There was no current at all, no wind to push the cold that was seeping into her bones, and wounds, and mind, filling her with a numbness that both terrified and relieved her. It was the most intense cold she'd ever felt, the burn of cold melding with the burn of utter nothingness. There was no dragon between her legs, no rider at her back. Nothing. And just as she gave up hope, just as she settled on the fact that she was dead, and there was nothing she could do change it, the world faded back into place and there were dragons everywhere.

.


I'm just going to say now that no, Elrenia cannot hear all dragons.

This is, however, my understanding of how people such as Robinton could be spoken to by some dragons - they liked him.

I don't recall ever getting a true explanation as to his little talent there (I believe this was not an isolated incident either. Sharra could hear Ruth, I recall, but only Ruth), so this is my interpretation.

Just thought you guys should know that.