Thanks divergary and thejadegecko for your reviews! Only one chapter today, but it's longish :). Enjoy!
CHAPTER 11
Aeneth laid her clutch a week later. Once the Weyrwoman and junior queen riders had examined Aeneth and determined that she was in fact pregnant, the Weyrleaders went to work finding her a place to lay her eggs. The solution lay in Feilon Hold's pottery compound next to their stables. After some negotiation, the Lord Holder gave the Weyr the run of the place. Sand from the Hatching Ground was carted in to fill the enclosed space between the three stone kilns. Firelizard eggs survived in sand filled pots on a hearth, so dragon eggs could easily live in the oven-like heat emanating from the kilns. It was just a matter of keeping the fires hot throughout the duration of the eggs' stay. Within a month or so, Aeneth's eggs would be hard enough to be moved safely.
On the morning Esmeth's clutch was due to hatch, the green dragon eggs had been incubating in their unorthodox nest for five days. Teri stood at the entrance to the compound, the heat from the kilns causing perspiration to bead on her face. She smiled wistfully, thinking of her days in Keroon as a potter's apprentice. The last time she had been near a kiln, she had believed pottery was her key to finding fulfillment in life. She had never expected to come to the Weyr, much less impress a dragon. Teri's hands itched to work with clay again, but there was no time for it. The past weeks had been a whirlwind, leaving her dizzy and barely able to comprehend what had happened. If she hadn't touched the eggs herself, the leathery shells yielding slightly beneath her fingers, she wouldn't have believed it, even after receiving Aeneth's visualizations of the clutch. They were small—less than half the size of gold queens' eggs—mottled brown lumps. Humble vessels for majestic beasts. Despite her doubts, Teri found herself fiercely hoping for the dragonets maturing beneath the shells. Their very existence was a miracle. She hoped they would continue to reshape history.
N'hal sent her back to the Weyr, volunteering to watch Aeneth with Rinth. "It's your first Hatching since you impressed," he said to her. "You should go. You'll find out who the new weyrlings are that you'll be training with."
Once Aeneth had laid her first egg, J'den had given Teri permission to train with the upcoming weyrling class. No doubt he wanted Aeneth sterilized as soon as possible. The new hatchlings wouldn't be old enough to chew phosphine for half a turn, but in the mean time, she was assigned to a stricter routine for flight training. The exercise would be good for Aeneth. They would train three days a week, leaving the green the rest of the time to sit over her clutch.
Teri made her way up to her weyr, a new dress Jana had given her folded over one arm. Her mind was still in the pottery compound with Aeneth and the eggs.
"Hello Teri," said I'an's voice as she entered.
"I'an!" Teri said, hiding the dress behind her back. "I didn't think you'd be here."
"I wasn't assigned to fly in any Lord or Craftmaster. Hanoth and I have just had the day off. I thought I'd get ready early so we could go down to the Hatching Ground together." I'an's foot falls drew closer. "What do you have there?"
"Just something that Jana gave me to wear to the Hatching." Teri tried to fight a blush, kicking herself mentally. She didn't know why she had reacted so strangely.
"Good. I was afraid I'd have to call in another favor in the storerooms to find you something suitable."
"What are you talking about? My normal clothes are perfectly suitable!" Teri said hotly.
"Says the girl who has never seen them."
Teri made a face. "I'm the one wearing them, so I don't know why you care so much." She cocked her head. "What's that dripping sound?"
"Oh, I just got out of a bath."
Teri couldn't hold back the heat that flooded her face this time. "Are you wearing anything?"
"No." I'an cackled wickedly. "I wish you could see your face right now," he crowed.
"I'an! Put some clothes on!"
"Why? You can't see me."
"It's the principle," Teri said, flustered. "I'm not going to talk to you while you're naked."
"You were talking to me earlier."
"Just go get dressed!"
"Fine." I'an's laugh receded as he went into the other room. "You get changed too."
Teri shook her head and crossed the weyr to her trunk. It was strange to be in the weyr without Aeneth. Her couch was oddly empty. Teri could hear I'an singing indistinctly from the other room. It was a lilting melody she didn't recognize, his faint drawl more pronounced. She ducked behind the curtain he had hung for her to make a dressing room beside her trunk. She undressed quickly and folded her clothes.
The smooth fabric of the dress slid through her fingers as she searched for the arm and neck holes. She slipped the dress on over head, the hem of the skirt dropping around her ankles. She secured the sash around her waist and pulled her hair free from the neckline. The dress fit perfectly, snug in the bodice and waist, then flaring gently over her hips. It was blue, Jana had said, which seemed fitting. Its fabric felt like water against her skin. The sleeves hugged her arms to the elbow and widened so that the loose fabric fell halfway to her wrists. She smoothed the skirt over her thighs, a pleased smile lingering on her lips.
I'an cleared his throat outside the curtain. "Are you ready, Teri?"
"Coming." Teri picked up her cane and stepped out from behind the curtain. She let her hair swing in front of her face, feeling suddenly self-conscious.
"You look beautiful," I'an said. "I mean it. I wish you could see for yourself."
Teri smiled shyly. "Thank you."
"Here, I have something for you." He placed a slender stem in Teri's hand, a full head of petals nodding against her palm.
Teri held the blossom to her nose. Its sweet fragrance filled her nostrils, musky and rich like ripe summer fruit. "It's lovely," she sighed.
"Allow me." I'an brushed Teri's hair back from her face and tucked the flower behind her ear. "Perfect. A pretty flower for a pretty girl. Ready?"
"Ready."
Teri felt the dragons' humming deep in her chest as they made their way down to the Hatching Ground. Excitement was contagious in the buzz of raised voices around them. Teri drew close to I'an in the press of people, his arm wrapping protectively around her. For once, she didn't mind his solicitous touch. He was taller than she had imagined. She guessed that the top of her head was level with his chin. The air grew warmer as they entered the Hatching Ground, heat emanating from both the sand and the crowd of people pouring into the terraced galleries of the cavern.
I'an guided her up the risers, whispering a commentary on all the people they passed. "There's the Lord of Benden and his new Lady, sitting with the Masterweaver. They're looking at you, Teri."
"What do you mean?" Teri noticed that the excited chatter quieted around them as they passed.
"You're the blind dragonrider, the rider of the green dragon who clutched," I'an said. "You're famous."
"Being well known for my blindness hasn't really turned out well for me," Teri said wryly.
"Not everyone is as close-minded as J'den," I'an replied.
They found seats near the top of the galleries. The stone bench was warm, vibrating with the dragons' humming. Wren dropped onto Teri's shoulder, adding his higher-pitched thrum to the crescendo that filled the cavern.
"It's getting close," I'an said in her ear.
Teri's heartbeat quickened until it matched the subtle pulse of the dragons. She thought of Aeneth in the sand-filled pottery compound. She wondered if the dragons of the Weyr would thrum in anticipation over her scattering of half-sized eggs as well. Then a crack sounded through the cavern, followed by a gasp from nearly every throat. The Hatching had begun.
A bronze hatched first, I'an informed her, followed by a succession of two greens, a brown, and another bronze. Teri was unable to hold back a grin, the creels of the hungry hatchlings transporting her back to the confusion and fear of her own impression. Deprived of candidate training, Teri had not known what to do on the hot sands. She had been so confused and disoriented that she would have wandered off the sand, if Wren hadn't herded her towards Aeneth's egg.
"Thank you," she whispered, reaching up to scratch Wren's head knob. The firelizard nuzzled her hand in pleasure.
The rest of the eggs hatched so quickly that I'an barely had time to breathe as he narrated the events. His arm had rested over her shoulders nearly the entire time. She found his warmth and closeness comforting, yet slightly unsettling at the same time. Her heart fluttered and stomach tightened—not unpleasantly—each time his breath warmed her ear as he spoke.
Like the collective gasp that signaled the first egg cracking, a soft sigh circled through the audience as the last hatchling—a brown—impressed. The sounds of the hatchlings quieted as the successful candidates were ushered into the Weyr and murmurs and excited chatter began around them.
"Shall we go down to the feast?" I'an asked, cutting through the ecstatic conversation of two miners whose young friend had impressed. His hand moved to the middle of her back.
"Yes, I'm starving!" Teri stood, tucking her cane under her elbow. I'an placed her hand in the crook of his elbow and led her down the tiers. This time, Teri caught some of the whispers as they passed.
"That's the girl. I've heard her dragon laid nine eggs."
"She's the blind dragonrider."
"I wonder if she fights Thread."
"I told you," I'an said as they reached the sand. "Everyone's talking about you."
"I noticed," she replied dryly. "At this point though, I just want to get something to eat."
A lively melody filtered from the dining cavern as they followed the stream of guests and riders from the Hatching Grounds. Not all of the Weyr had attended the Hatching. Most of the weyrlings had been assigned to help in the kitchens to prepare and serve food.
Teri began to recognize more of the voices around them as they entered the cavern, the music growing louder in the enclosed space.
"There you are!" said Jana's voice, falling in on Teri's other side. "I've been looking for you everywhere. You look fantastic, Teri. Don't I have great taste? Anyways, it's good to see you both finally acting like weyrmates. I was beginning to think you didn't like each other."
"It's a Hatching," I'an quipped. "We get along for special occasions."
Teri elbowed I'an in the ribs, reaping a yelp from the brownrider for her efforts. "Come on, let's find a seat. I could eat a whole wherry."
The feast began with a toast to the new riders and hatchlings, a gravelly voice that I'an named as the Masterharper Turyn doing the honors. Then the cavern filled with the sound of benches and chairs scraping as everyone sat and the meal began in earnest. The kitchen had put out their greatest effort on the food, aromatic slices of roasted wherry, fresh loaves of herbed bread that released clouds of steam into Teri's face as she cracked one open, tubers that were flavorful and seasoned in ways their daily fare never was. Teri ate heartily, protesting when Faire heaped more meat on her plate.
"You're too skinny," the older healer muttered. "That dress you're wearing looks ready to fall off your bony shoulders."
As the feast progressed, the conversation was lively and amusing, everyone feeling at ease in the celebration. Teri met two bronze riders from I'an's wing who sat across from them—E'mond and T'shel. The two baited I'an mercilessly and she laughed harder than she had in a long time.
After a while, the feast slowed and wine and klah were poured as dirty plates were cleared away. Teri felt briefly sorry for the weyrlings who were serving, unable as they were to truly appreciate the celebration. E'mond launched into an account of T'shel's escapades in weyrling training. Teri sipped her klah quietly and listened to the pleasant rhythm of E'mond's baritone voice. She joined in as the rest of the table erupted in laughter at his description of how T'shel had fed his bronze Gerlith so much that the fat little dragon had gotten stuck in one of the back passages in to the training ground.
"You could hear the little beast's squeals across the entire Weyr!" E'mond's laughter nearly drowned out the lively dance reel a quartet of Harpers had struck up across the cavern.
"Before my fellow rider here succeeds in humiliating me completely," T'shel said in an exasperated voice, "would any of you like to dance?"
Jana piped up immediately and Teri grinned into her mug. She would undoubtedly hear everything about the dance the next morning in the infirmary.
"Ah, trust T'shel to ruin our fun." E'mond sighed. "Faire, would you join me for a dance?"
"No, I'm too old for that kind of thing," said Faire, chuckling.
"I'an, may I steal your lovely weyrmate?"
Teri was sitting close enough to I'an to feel his shrug.
"The girl has a mind of her own," he drawled. "You should ask her."
"Teri?" asked E'mond hopefully. "Would you like to dance?"
Teri set down her mug and shook her head quickly. "I don't know how."
"It's nothing. Just stay on your feet and I'll do the rest. Come on," he cajoled as she hesitated. "A man can only handle so much rejection. If you say no, I'll have to ask I'an, to be polite, and he dances like a drunken watch wher."
"Now that, I'd give my knots to see," Teri said, laughing over I'an's protestations, "but since there's no chance of that happening, I'll dance with you and spare everyone else the pain." She stood, E'mond taking her hand and leading her out onto the dance floor.
Teri recognized the tune from Gathers and festivals at Keroon, her feet following the beat easily. E'mond was an excellent lead, twirling her, drawing her in, and lifting her in the air effortlessly. She had never danced those particular steps before, but she found herself moving confidently. E'mond's sure hands held hers, moving to her back to pull her out of a spin, to her hip to signal a change in direction. All too quickly, the song ended with a flourish and E'mond dipped her backwards, one arm behind her waist to support her weight. Teri laughed delightedly, her blood still singing through her body to the music's beat.
"That was incredible," she breathed as he lifted her upright, the cavern breaking out into applause around them. "Thank you."
"The pleasure was mine," said E'mond. "You'd make a great dancer. You're incredibly light on your feet."
"Only because you did everything," Teri replied.
"On the contrary, I've never danced with anyone so sensitive to my leading."
A throat cleared behind Teri's right shoulder. "May I have this next dance?" I'an asked. "I need to defend my abilities against E'mond's slander."
"Oh no," E'mond groaned, passing Teri's hand reluctantly to I'an. "Watch out for your toes," he whispered to her.
"I heard that," I'an said dryly.
"As well you should!" E'mond exclaimed. "This girl is an excellent dancer. If you break her feet, you'll answer to me. I want to dance with her again tonight."
"Get out of here, you're taking up floor space!"
E'mond's laugh receded as a new song started, leaving Teri and I'an on the floor. Teri rested her fingers in the brownrider's hand lightly. They hadn't begun dancing yet, but her heart was already thudding in her ears.
"Since E'mond is so worried about your toes," I'an said, pulling her close, his free hand resting on the small of her back, "why don't you stand on mine?"
"What?" Teri asked, bemused.
"Here, lift your feet."
Teri obeyed, her foot coming down to rest on the toe of I'an's boot.
"Now the other one. There." With both of Teri's feet standing on his, I'an held her close and rocked slowly back and forth, lifting her foot with his whenever he took a step. "Now your toes are completely safe."
Teri swallowed hard against the tightness that was constricting her throat. She lowered her chin and blinked, hoping I'an wouldn't see the moisture gathering in her eyes. Aren used to dance with her like this. As a gangly young boy with curls that frizzed out into a halo around his head, he would dance at least once with his baby sister standing on his feet, until he got older and began to listen to his friends' teasing.
"What are you thinking about?" I'an murmured into her hair.
"Nothing," Teri said, smiling up at him. They were standing so close that she had to crane her neck back to keep from talking directly into his chest.
"My talent for dancing has left you speechless, hasn't it?"
Teri laughed. "Right. E'mond is no comparison." She turned her head and listened to the slow melody, trying to catch the harpers' lyrics.
"Wait till they play another fast song," I'an said. "Then you'll really be amazed."
"I like this song. This tune was popular in Keroon when I was younger, but the words were different."
"Will you sing them for me?"
Teri made a face.
"Come on," I'an said. "You've heard my caterwauling in the weyr. This is no harper who'll be listening to you. Please?"
"Fine," Teri said. "But if you laugh, I'll break your toes."
"Fair enough."
Teri listened for a moment to find the key, then began singing softly.
"You left me where we first found love
In the meadow by the trees
You told me that though you'd be far
Your heart would be ever close to me.
If you come back, my love, you'll find me waiting
Don't you come back, my love, if my heart you'll be breaking
Only come back, my love, if you've been waiting for me.
I'm still here where our love once bloomed
Where the sun goes down in the west
I told you that whatever I'll do
My thoughts of you will always be best.
If you come back, my love, you'll find me waiting
Don't you come back, my love, if my heart you'll be breaking
Only come back, my love, if you've been waiting for me.
Seasons have passed and the world turns on
And you're still gone from me
I'll wait for you until I can go too
And join you beyond between.
If you come back, my love, you'll find me waiting
Don't you come back, my love, if my heart you'll be breaking
Only come back, my love, if you've been waiting for me."
After the second verse, Teri picked up the harmony for the rest of the refrains, her voice weaving around the harpers' melody. The music faded slowly, a single gitar picking the last strains of the chorus.
I'an's chest rose and fell against Teri's ear as he exhaled quietly, their slow rocking and turning coming to a stop. "That was beautiful, Teri."
"My mother taught it to me," she murmured, her face warm with pleasure.
"She must have been a wonderful singer."
Another fast paced song began, a pipe trilling over the syncopated rhythms of a high tambor drum. They reluctantly broke apart, the moment dissipating like smoke in a breeze.
"Are you thirsty?" I'an asked, clearing his throat. "Why don't we take a break for wine?"
Teri grinned. "Aren't you going to amaze me by dancing to a fast song?"
I'an chuckled nervously. "I'll save that for another time. I can't use up all my tricks in one night, you know."
"All right," Teri said, laughing. "Lead the way, brownrider."
Teri sat at their table to wait while I'an went to find some wine. Faire was gone, as well as T'shel. No doubt Jana was still dancing, with a handsome new rider for each song, if she had it her way. She hoped E'mond would come back so she could dance with him again. The fast steps and quick spins of a dance with E'mond would help her clear her head and shake off the odd feeling in her gut left after dancing with I'an.
"Forgive me if I seem forward," said a deep, gravelly voice, "approaching you without being introduced, but my curiosity got the better of me. My name is Turyn. May I join you, my dear?"
Teri started slightly, recognizing his voice a peculiar accent from the toast he had made at the beginning of the feast. "Yes, Masterharper," she said, flushing. "It would be my pleasure."
"The pleasure is all mine, to sit with the lovely dragonrider in Harper blue. If this color didn't suit you so well, I ought to think you would wear green, to match your dragon."
"Thank you," Teri said, unsure of what to say. Her palms were sweating and she dried them unconsciously on the skirt of her dress.
The Masterharper clicked in his throat, as if remembering himself. "I'm an old fool. Here I am, prattling about the color of your wardrobe when I'm sitting with the rider of the only green dragon to have laid eggs in the whole history of Pern. Teri, is it? Tell me about yourself, my dear."
Teri uncrossed her legs and shifted her weight nervously. "What do you want to know?"
"I'm a harper, so I love a good tale. Tell me your story."
Teri scrambled to gather her thoughts. "I come from Keroon." As she launched into her narrative, her trepidation faded away. The Masterharper was a good listener. He put her at ease with encouraging comments and she began to trust him. Gaining confidence, she told him of her childhood illness, her flight from Keroon, Aren's death, her impression and time at the Weyr, ending finally with Aeneth's clutch of eggs. She fell silent, her nerves returning slightly as she waited for the Masterharper to respond.
"Remarkable," he breathed after a moment. "And there will be candidates to stand when the eggs hatch?"
"They are dragon eggs," Teri said. "I don't see why they shouldn't."
"That's the spirit, my dear," the Masterharper said, a smile unmistakable in his voice. "You are quite the young lady. You and that brownrider I'an do make quite the pair."
"You know I'an?" Teri asked.
"Why yes," the Masterharper said. "He has quite a remarkable story as well."
Teri nodded. "From holdless boy to dragonrider."
"Not just holdless," said Turyn, "but part of a bandit gang as well."
"What?" Teri frowned, sure she must have misunderstood his accent.
"A bandit gang," Turyn repeated. "You do know about this, am I correct? He agreed to help Lord Ragon's militia track down that troublesome crew of Dathan's. I am told he is quite the woodsman."
Teri's hands were cold and clammy as she clutched fistfuls of her skirt. Her mind reeled. She had heard the Masterharper correctly, there was no doubt. He continued to talk, but she didn't hear him. She had trusted I'an, and he had lied to her.
The harper quartet finished a particularly complex composition. As applause burst out around the cavern, Teri made some excuse and took her leave of the Masterharper. Her hand shook as she gripped her cane and stood. The introductory notes of another song beginning grated on her ears, the chatter of conversation around her making her head pound. She needed to get away, to find a quiet place. Her feet carried her automatically down the now familiar path to their weyr, the sounds of the celebration fading in the empty stone hallway.