Chapter 10

The dragons had been humming steadily for about an hour when Traceigh pulled herself away from her work and towards the Hatching grounds. Ellah, Caesey's mother and Traceigh's right hand, joined her just before she reached the cavern. Ellah was braiding her shoulder-length dark chestnut hair at the last minute while she walked. They both entered together, and found the seats being held for them by R'ard.

"J'im said he was on his way, Speketh should be dropping him off shortly," R'ard stated as Traceigh and Ellah took their seats. J'im was Caesey's father, and bronze Speketh frequently worked with R'ard and Gartanth during Fall.

Suddenly the dark-skinned man, colored much like his son, appeared beside them and sat down heavily. "O'yin was doing rounds of the Healer's ward when the humming started, and I wanted to change into my best! So, I've been scrambling for the last half hour. My apologies, ladies." He flashed a quick grin, his black mustache quirking up at the corners, and gave them a half-bow from where he was seated. "Thank Faranth for our dragons, otherwise I never would've made it in time!"

"If there were no dragons, we wouldn't even need to be here in the first place!" Ellah said, laughing.

"I wonder where we would be and what we would be doing if there were no dragons." R'ard mused as the chuckling died down.

"Who knows? We'd all be eaten by Thread, I guess." Traceigh said, smoothing her skirts. She, too, had dressed in her finest gown. "I have a feeling about this one, you know. I think it's finally the kids' time to shine."

"You said that about the last Hatching, too," R'ard teased, "I'm just glad I didn't get sucked into betting on that one!"

Traceigh pushed at R'ard's arm lightly, sticking her tongue out at him. "How did I know you'd bring that up?"

"Because we've all known each other for over sixteen turns now, and we've had conversations like this before?" J'im offered, trying not to laugh and to look helpful instead.

Traceigh snorted, and Ellah mused, "Has it really been that many turns since we all met? It's amazing how fast the time has passed. Part of me is still surprised to be attending these things, instead of checking in on Caesey running around in breechcloths with the other weyrbrats."

There were nods all around as the parents considered the time that had passed. They had all watched the two kids grow up, running and jumping, playing and exploring all around Ista Weyr. The sheer amount of trouble those two had managed to find was staggering, but they had always kept each other safe. From sneaking bubbly pies from parties to going sailing on a small skiff and getting lost just out of sight of the island, the pair had always kept their parents wondering what trouble they would get into next. And even though all four of the parents had found most of their time taken up by all of their duties, they had watched the kids, amazed at their growth and strong friendship. It had even been Gartanth and Speketh that had found the 'brats after they had landed not a half-hour flight down the coast, while others had swept the ocean itself. They had been making a crude shelter and catching some finger-fish for dinner, looking completely unrepentant about their escapade, and delighted that they'd get to fly a-dragonback back to the Weyr. Traceigh shook her head. That little scamp was now practically a woman grown.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if she Impressed that queen? Then maybe she could be Weyrwoman. Maybe that would tame her. Traceigh eyed the great golden egg sitting perched between Perinath's great forepaws. The egg shivered, and Perinath watched it, her head swinging up and down the line of eggs. All of them were moving to some degree or other, but the gold egg seemed bound and determined to be the first to crack.

The seats filled up, and the humming swelled until it became less of a sound heard by one's ears and more something felt in one's belly.

Suddenly, Perinath's great golden head swung towards the opening to the Hatching grounds, where all of the white-robed candidates were lining up. Traceigh could see Caesey, but Seriam was hidden by the shoulders of the taller candidates. The humming stopped dead, and the whole cavern was filled with silence as the candidates all filed in. Suddenly Traceigh spotted Seriam in the middle of the line, standing in between a dark-haired girl and an almost white-haired girl, her head barely reaching their shoulders.

R'ard leaned over and whispered in Traceigh's ear, "I have a feeling about this one too."

"You said that last time." She whispered back.

The first egg split wide open.