DRAGON'S TREASON
CHAPTER 11: NEW HEIGHTS
Day 20, Month 10, Turn 100, 9th Interval
The next few months went by almost in a blur. With the return of the Weyrleaders, Asha could go back to her weyrling training full time—which was honestly such a relief. By her Kalianth's four month mark, her growth spurt had slowed down a bit, allowing her bronze brothers to catch up again. Regardless, Asha was content. Now that everything had settled down, she finally felt like she could breathe.
J'lor and Octavia had not been pleased in the slightest when they discovered their daughter's Impression—to a mutation, no less. Luckily for J'lan, they did not blame him for her foolhardy actions. Jiana and Ciarth were placed with the new weyrlings, as few as they were, but forbidden from beginning their training until Jiana turned twelve. They were to be heavily monitored, to find out just what Ciarth would be like. The new color also was named—adamant, for the hatchling was already so strong.
Last month, Asha's class—now the senior class of weyrlings—had begun their first flying lessons. The dragons were taught how to fly without their riders. It had been exciting and exhilarating, even if Asha could not join Kalianth in the air just yet. Her queen's happiness made it worthwhile.
Also last month, Octavia gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The babe was the spitting image of his mother, with a head covered with pale blond hair, and the same light green eyes. The healers said it was a miracle he hadn't come early, with all the traveling Octavia was forced to do. Unsurprisingly, Octavia also refused to hand her newborn son to a wet nurse. How she was able to care for both her baby and her dragon, Asha had no idea, but she knew one thing—that woman was a force of nature.
But peace had finally returned to Benden. With Sugol punished, there was nothing else to worry about, other than the first mutated dragon since Ruth, and the senior weyrling class taking to the skies for the first time. Which was today.
Kalianth sat patiently, as Y'gan examined her riding harness, to see if Asha had secured it properly. Despite the slowing down of her growth months ago, just weeks ago another growth spurt had kicked in, and once again, she surpassed her bronze brothers. Kalianth truly looked like a queen now. She might not be as robust as Vanth, but she was still built sturdier than her mother, even with her lean, wiry muscle. She was a magnificent creature—that most could agree on.
"Perfect," Y'gan said, nodding approvingly. He gave Kalianth a pat on the shoulder before stepping back, turning towards Asha. "You've got in down pat. Granted, you've had two months to practice, but with Kalianth's growth rate, you've also had to make new harnesses almost every two weeks. Good work, Asha. I'd say you're ready to take to the skies."
"...Wait, like right now?" she asked, slightly surprised.
"Of course right now," the Weyrlingmaster snorted. "It'd be rude to not let our queen be the first to fly with her rider."
Still, Asha found herself hesitating. She glanced around, looking towards her friends. V'rin gave her two thumbs up, while Phoebe nodded encouragingly. She turned around to face Kalianth, who watched her, eyes blue-green.
"Well, we are supposed to lead by example," she said to the young queen. "Are you ready, Kali?"
The gold rumbled. I have been ready for a long time. Let's show them how it's done.
With that, Kalianth laid down, allowing Asha to climb up and hoist herself onto her dragon's back. It felt strange, being all the way up here. She would have to get used to it, seeing as Kalianth still was nowhere close to maturity. She strapped herself in, trying to ignore how all eyes were on her.
Are you ready? Kalianth asked.
I've never been more ready in my life. Let's go, Kali.
She let out a rumble of approval, heaving herself up onto her feet. Kalianth walked a few feet away, distancing herself from the others as to avoid accidentally hurting someone. Then she unfurled her wings, crouched, and launched herself into the air. The rush of wind tore at Asha's hair, threatening to undo her braid. And the next thing she knew, they were in the sky.
Kalianth flapped her wings, soaring higher, and let out a triumphant bugle. Asha couldn't help but laugh, but it was carried away by the wind. Keeping her grip on Kali's neck ridge, she looked down at the Weyr below, as it grew smaller and smaller the higher they went. The autumn air grew crisper, colder, to the point where they could see their breath, but Asha's fleece-lined jacket, gloves, and scarf kept her warm. The wind whipped around them, tugging at her hair and clothes, but she didn't care.
This was what she'd been waiting for—freedom. There was nothing to hold her back here, up in the vast expanse of the sky, with only clouds slowing them down. Kalianth's elation bled into her mind, their joy becoming one tidal wave of emotion.
I've been wanting to share this with you for so long, Kalianth said. Soon, we'll be able to go anywhere we want. I want to see Pern. I want to see what you have seen.
Soon, she both promised and agreed, reaching out to pat the young queen's neck. We'll visit my parents first. They have to meet you. Maybe Kirana and Quiyeth will join us. I'd… like to show them that we're friends now.
Kalianth hummed in agreement, as she slowly turned back around to head back to the Weyr. I am sure Quiyeth's own will agree. If not, he can coerce her.
That earned another laugh. I'm sure you're right.
Although reluctant, Kalianth landed back in the Weyr Bowl, where their fellow weyrlings awaited. The young queen carefully lowered herself on the ground. Asha began to unstrap herself from the harness, and slid down Kalianth's leg, landing on her feet.
"Excellent work!" Y'gan exclaimed, nodding proudly. "Your form was beautiful. Who wants to go next?"
A bunch of hands shot up. Asha loosened her scarf, watching as Y'gan picked the next contender. They were well into the autumn season, winter slowly approaching. As Benden Weyr was in the mountains, it got colder up here much more quickly. More and more dragons could be seen basking in the sun. Octavia said they were due snow any day now. Kalianth was eager to see snow in person, instead of just in her rider's memories.
The rest of the lesson went by with everyone taking their first flights. V'rin and Erith had sped off so fast, they disappeared into the misty clouds for a minute, before reappearing. Phoebe and Azurith had been slower, but only out of caution. Anais and Winonath, along with Laia and Tallulath, were very nervous, and didn't go very far. M'rek and Galarth showed off, which was unsurprising. Regardless, it was fun to watch everyone take to the skies, no longer trapped on the ground.
But once it was over, Asha decided to go see the Headwoman. Kalianth chose to go sunbathing with Quiyeth, Azurith, and Erith. After parting with her friends, she went into the caves, heading below. Heaters and fires alike warmed the caverns, though the tunnels remained chilly. Nevertheless, she was not expecting to find Remma tending to an injured C'zar.
She stepped into the Headwoman's office, ready to ask if she needed any assistance, only to cut herself off and stop short. C'zar sat in a chair in front of Remma's desk, shirtless, with a horrible looking gash ripped through his shoulder. Medical supplies sat on her desk, as she carefully worked on stitching up the wound. J'lan sat to the side, in another chair, arms crossed over his chest. Both men looked rugged, like they had been sparring. Well, that would explain the wound.
"...Do I even want to know what happened?" Asha asked, breaking the silence.
All eyes immediately turned to her, as she gave her friends a flat, unamused look.
Yezmuth says that his own is a 'dumb bitch', as the old book J'lan is reading, that he shared with Yezmuth's own, said.
...Asha wasn't sure what that meant, but she'd take Yezmuth's word for it.
"Hello, Asha," Remma greeted, giving her a gentle smile. "I think the boys should answer that."
J'lan sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead. "C'zar got a little too into sparring."
"I got too into it?" the brownrider scoffed. "You're the one that cut me!"
"It was an accident."
"C'zar, sit still," Remma scolded, smacking him on the arm. "Do you need more numbweed?"
"No," he grumbled, pouting.
"He's lucky it was just his shoulder," J'lan sighed.
C'zar rolled his eyes. "You're just trying to show off. Like all the other bronzeriders, since Kalianth showed off she can fly with Asha now."
"...I am not," J'lan said flatly.
"J'lan, show off?" Asha scoffed. "The only show offs I know are you and M'rek."
C'zar grinned. "Guilty as charged."
"Remind me why I'm friends with you again," J'lan deadpanned.
"Because you love me!"
J'lan rolled his eyes. "That's debatable."
"Hold still," Remma scolded again, smacking C'zar on the wrist this time.
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" C'zar stammered, tucking in his chin and finally hushing.
"...I was going to ask if you needed any help, Remma, but it looks like you have this covered," Asha said dryly.
"Well, you can take J'lan out of here, before he makes C'zar fidget anymore," the Headwoman chuckled.
"If you wanted me to leave, you could have just said so," J'lan muttered, standing up. "I was meaning to speak with Asha anyway."
Well, she wasn't about to complain about that.
Now that their time as interim Weyrleaders were over, there weren't many opportunities for them to talk, outside of mealtimes. J'lan was busy with his duties as Weyrsecond. He no longer had to lead his own Wing, but he had other responsibilities. Asha wasn't nearly as busy as before, now that everything had settled down, but she treasured every moment she got to spend with J'lan.
She gave a slight shrug. "If you need anything, you know how to find me," Asha said to Remma, before leaving the office, J'lan following after her.
"...So, what really happened?" Asha asked, glancing up at him as they walked down the tunnel.
"A green rose to mate," J'lan answered dryly. "C'zar was distracted for a moment, and I got annoyed. I hit him a little harder than I should have." He gave a slight shrug. "Yezmuth didn't even go after her, so he should've paid attention."
"What if your roles were reversed? What if it was a queen that rose?" Asha teased lightly.
J'lan snorted. "I would expect him to smack me even harder."
"You're pretty serious about us being able to defend ourselves," Asha noted.
"J'lor is as well," he said. "We just don't want to lose anymore lives. We'll never be able to replace who we've lost to conflict with the Holds."
Asha remained quiet. She knew he wasn't just talking about the Bitra attack now. He spoke of Briasa… of his father… of others she probably did not know about.
"But enough about that," J'lan said, as they stepped out into a larger cavern. "You had your first flight today. How was it?"
Asha managed a smile. "It was amazing—everything I've ever hoped for. Kalianth and I were so in sync. I can't wait to fly again. I felt so… free."
J'lan gave a wry smile. "Flying has that effect. I still remember the first time I rode Romanoth. It was exhilarating. Just wait until you learn how to go between. You'll be able to go even farther."
"I want to visit my parents eventually," Asha said. "I want them to meet Kalianth. I want them to see how far we've come."
He nodded. "I'm sure they'll be proud of you."
She let out a bitter laugh. "You don't know them as well as I do."
An awkward silence fell.
After a moment, J'lan cleared his throat. "There is… someplace I would like to show you sometime. Not now, obviously, but when we are both free. It would be good exercise for both of our dragons. Romanoth doesn't get out nearly enough, and even then, we mostly go between."
Oh. That sounded interesting. "That sounds good to me," Asha said, giving him a smile. "Kali's dying to get out more anyway."
J'lan smiled; really, he should do that more. "Well, it's settled then. I know the weyrlings' schedule, so I'll just let you know when I have some free time."
"Great! I look forward to it."
As she had taken to doing, Asha decided to check up on Jiana, after she had finished up some paperwork that was due to give to Octavia. It was the least she could do, with how restricted she was as a weyrling. Around this time of day, Ciarth was being examined by the dragonhealers, so after she handed in the paperwork, Asha headed to the Weyr's clinic, which was established in a large cavern off of the Bowl.
She walked into the clinic. There weren't many dragons here—unlike a few months ago. There were minor injuries being treated, and a healthy blue that must have been getting his annual check-up. But regardless, the emptiness was a welcome change from before.
"Oh, hello, Weyrwoman!" one of the healers greeted her, hurrying over. "You're here to see Jiana and Ciarth, I take it?"
She nodded. "Yes. I know how they dislike these examinations."
The dragonhealer winced. "Yes, I… do pity them." She turned around. "This way, please."
Asha followed her further into the cavern, passing the blue and his rider, who nodded respectfully to her. Since she had run the Weyr in Octavia's absence, she had gained respect from the older riders. She didn't know what she had done to prove herself, but she had. If some dragonriders hadn't believed in her potential before, they did now.
They found Jiana sitting in a chair that must have been brought over, while Ciarth laid on a cot. Another healer was examining him, currently measuring his wingspan. The adamant dragonet was smaller than a bronze, but larger than a brown. He did lean closer to a bronze's size, even at only three months old. His eyes whirled bright orange, signaling his agitation towards his situation. She couldn't blame him. Even Kalianth had not been fond of her check-ups.
"Jiana, Weyrwoman Asha has come to see you and Ciarth," the dragonhealer said, drawing the young girl's attention from her bondmate.
She looked up. "Oh, hello…" Jiana sounded… dejected.
The healer excused herself to return to her work. Asha stepped closer, as the healer measuring Ciarth finished, standing up straight and jotting numbers down in his journal. Ciarth tried to shift, flapping his wings irritably, before furling them and laying back down, his eyes still very much orange. The dragonhealer excused himself, probably deciding to give them privacy for their conversation.
"Are you all right, Jiana?" Asha asked, frowning.
The girl gave a shrug. "I just… don't like all these tests they have to do on Ciarth. I get that he's the first adamant dragon ever and we know more about science today than we did back when Ruth was born, but still… Ciarth doesn't like being poked and prodded."
"I don't think any dragon would," Asha said. "Have they figured out anything about Ciarth's position in the hierarchy?"
Jiana made a face. "Dad thinks he's between bronzes and browns, because of how big he is. But I don't know. What does that mean about me?"
...Of course this would come up.
Jiana was ten years old. She didn't know any better. She probably expecting all the stereotypes and sayings about dragons and their riders to be true. She probably thought that maybe, someday, she would Impress a queen and become a weyrwoman like her mother.
That was obviously not the case now. Not only was her dragon a new color, but he was male. Asha knew Jiana adored him, but it still left many questions unanswered. Women Impressing male dragons rarely happened. Browns and blues preferred men, and bronzes only ever chose men.
But Asha knew that gender really did not matter to most of the dragons. How could it, when a brown chose her feminine sister, and a blue chose one of her best friends. It was true that golds and bronzes did have a strict preference, but they were the only ones.
"It doesn't mean anything," Asha told her gently. "Ciarth chose you for a reason. Dragons don't make mistakes. They know us well—sometimes even better than we know ourselves. You're just a kid, Jiana. Don't worry about this right now. You'll have plenty of time for that later."
Jiana glanced down at her hands. "I thought… I thought I'd be like you and my mom."
Asha fought the urge to wince. "Being a weyrwoman isn't for everyone, Jiana… It's difficult work. It's all right if your strengths lie elsewhere. Maybe… you're more suited to be a Weyrleader."
It probably would sound scandalous to anyone else. Weyrleaders had ever only been men. It was how things had always been.
But times were changing in Pern. Perhaps this change was long overdue. Perhaps the new adamants would bring forth that change. Regardless, Asha found it intriguing. She wanted to see what Jiana and Ciarth would bring to the Weyr. It would be a long time before they were ready to graduate, but the day would come eventually.
Jiana clearly did not expect that suggestion, looking up at her with wide eyes. "A Weyrleader? Me?" She glanced over at Ciarth. "Do you think that's possible?"
Ciarth must have said something to her, because she frowned thoughtfully.
"I dunno… it would be cool. I never thought of it even as an option." Jiana looked back up at Asha. "I always thought Dad's work was more interesting than Mom's. Protecting the Weyr and stuff… Ciarth likes the sound of that, too."
Asha smiled. "Well, just keep doing your best, and maybe you'll get there someday." Maybe not here in Benden, but somewhere else. By the time they graduated, their leadership situation would be well established, whatever the outcome would be, for better or worse.
"We'll keep that in mind," Jiana said, giving a small smile. "Thanks, Asha. If anybody has to replace my mom, I hope it's you."
Jays, her over even Kasa? At least Kasa had no real interest in becoming Senior Weyrwoman and was fully supporting her taking over the position, if it came to that. Honestly, Asha hoped it wouldn't—at least not so soon after Kalianth reached full maturity. Octavia was a fine Weyrwoman. It wasn't her fault that the lack of Thread was hurting her queen's cycles. Of course, many blamed it on the 'curse'.
"Well, we'll see," Asha said dryly. "I'll leave you two to finish up the examination. If you need anything, you know how to contact me."
Jiana nodded. "See you later."
She left the dragon infirmary then, heading off to find Kalianth.
Day 21, Month 10, Turn 100, 9th Interval
"It's that time of year again," J'lor said, handing out flyers to each of the members of the council. "The annual Harvest Gather. It will be a month from now, which gives us plenty of time to prepare. It won't be until the twenty-fourth of next month. Like always, we will be joining all the holders and outholders to celebrate and have fun. We also need to be on the lookout for candidates, as usual."
J'lor finished distributing the flyers and returned to standing behind the war table beside Octavia. The months had been kind to them as well. J'lor had taken to growing a beard, but it wasn't very thick yet. Octavia was beginning to slim out, having begun J'lan's training regime after she had the baby. Still, it was obvious she wasn't meant to be thin, and there was nothing wrong with that.
"Should we really be Searching for candidates?" one of the council members, the wingleader of the Fifth Wing, inquired. "Our last clutch hatched three months ago. We won't be having another for years. Is it really fair to make the candidates wait that long?"
"C'rel, with all due respect, that was the way of the Weyrs back during the days of Thread," Octavia said, folding her arms over her chest. "Candidates had to wait months, if not years, to bond with their perfect match. Some never even Impressed. We cannot forget our roots."
He went rigid, but nodded. "That is true. Unfortunately, today's generation is an impatient lot."
C'rel of Brown Meliuth was one of the older dragonriders of Benden, and one of the few brownriders to ascend to being a wingleader. He was in his early sixties, but still looked good for his age. He didn't have a strand of silver in his brown hair, but his brown eyes had this hardness to them. It was honestly surprising he hadn't retired yet, at his age. But he and Meliuth were still going strong.
In the few times she had dealt with him, mostly here in the council room, Asha found him extremely distasteful. It didn't help that he was friends with O'man. He also was C'zar's father—not that the two even acknowledged each other. C'rel was the prime example of the stereotypical dragonrider in the most negative way. From what Asha had heard, C'zar was only one of his many children.
"There is nothing wrong with us," Asha retorted stiffly, narrowing her eyes. "The holders are just suspicious of us, after what happened with Bitra. We have to remember that both sides suffered tragedy that day."
"Agreed," Octavia said, her voice growing quiet. "It may be years until our next clutch, but we must be ready for it when it comes. I do not want the next hatching to end up like Vanth's, with many hatchlings going between, whether the eggs belong to Serelath, Myrlith, Vanth, or even Kalianth."
"None of us want such a tragedy, Octavia," O'man said dryly, speaking up in his weaselly voice. "It truly was saddening to see so many of the dragonets perish. I still remember the keening."
"So we can all agree on Searching for more candidates," J'lor said. "Good. Wingleaders, speak with your Search riders and see who is willing to work during the Gather. I don't want anyone to feel forced into it, if they rather enjoy the day." He paused, glancing over at his brother. "J'lan, your report on our Weyr defense progress."
"We're steadily improving," J'lan responded, clasping his hands together behind his back. "Everyone's combat training is going well. We still need to discuss how to improve the Weyr's natural defenses. The odds are still in our favor, but if the cannon can be invented, who knows what else they can come up with."
...That was very fair. There was only so much they could do by teaching weyrfolk how to fight.
J'lor frowned thoughtfully. "Good point. That is something we'll definitely have to discuss. I'd like to believe we don't be attacked again, and that that was a one time occurrence… but we can't be too careful. We have lives to protect."
"It would help if we had better technology," J'lan said. "Unfortunately, we lost everything when the Southern Continent was destroyed."
...Wait, what? This was the first she had heard of this.
"What do you mean?" she asked, before anyone else could speak.
The Weyrleaders exchanged looks. Finally, Octavia turned to her.
"Eighty years ago, the Southern Continent was destroyed when all of the volcanoes erupted," the Weyrwoman answered. "The Weyrleaders of the time went south a year later to see if the land would be inhabitable, but they deemed it ruined forever. We've considered flying south, now that it's been decades, but we just haven't had the time. Most holders have even forgotten the Southern Continent exists. Some people even consider it a myth. But here in Benden, we still have maps and coordinates from the exploration of the Southern Continent and all the settlements that were born there."
Asha remained quiet, nodding to acknowledge Octavia's words. Well, if the Weyrleaders didn't have time to spare themselves, or any free riders to send out to investigate, there were plenty of weyrlings who didn't have training every moment of the day.
...What do you think, Kali?
There was a pause.
I think we should go south. I want to see this Southern Continent myself. Surely the land would have recovered now.
That's what I'm thinking. We should ask the others if they want to come along. In the meantime, I need to do all the research on the Southern Continent that I can. I don't know much, other than that's where our ancestors lived when they first landed on Pern.
She could sense Kalianth's satisfaction. That sounds like an excellent plan. I am so glad I can finally fly.
It'll be safer to just fly there instead of going between anyway, since we may not be able to find pictures to give us a location. But we'll still have to plan this out carefully. I don't know how far away it is, and how long it will take us to fly there.
Of course. I am good with whatever you decide, Asha.
Lunchtime arrived. Asha gathered with her friends like always. Every now and then, J'lan and C'zar would join them for a meal, but today they ate with J'lor and Octavia. Sometimes, Kirana joined them as well, but she also chose to eat with her own friends instead. The refectory was abuzz about the Harvest Gather, which was understandable. Asha had only been to it once or twice, as a child, so she was excited about being able to go.
"Soooo… I'm thinking about asking Kirana to the Gather."
"Of course you are," Phoebe said dryly, with a roll of her eyes.
"Hey!" V'rin pouted. "I like her. Is that a problem?"
"Better you than somebody else," Asha said. "You make her happy, so I don't care. Just be prepared to be grilled by T'kan next time we see him."
That made him grimace. "Did you have to remind me?"
Asha smirked. "Yes."
He sighed dejectedly, before turning his attention to Phoebe. "What about you, Pheebs? Do you have anyone in mind?"
Phoebe gave him a withering look. "Why do you always have to ask me this? I'm content the way I am. Seriously."
The blond eyed her suspiciously. "Are you sure?"
She rolled his eyes again. "Yes, I'm sure."
"Well, if you say so…" V'rin gave a slight shrug, before finally turning on her. "What about you, Asha? You finally gonna make a move on J'lan? Or have you actually been interested in C'zar this entire time?"
She nearly choked on her drink. "What?!"
"I mean, I'm just saying." V'rin gave another shrug, leaning back in his seat. "It's cool if C'zar is your type-"
"For the love of—they're just my friends!" Asha pressed a hand to her forehead. "Will you ever stop this matchmaking crap?"
"Not until my friends are happily not single," V'rin declared adamantly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You're worse than my sister," Phoebe muttered.
Asha sighed. "Look… we can do something fun that doesn't involve matchmaking." She looked at V'rin, and then at Phoebe, forcing herself to push aside her annoyance. "Kalianth and I… want to explore the Southern Continent. We want to find out what happened there."
V'rin's eyes grew wide as saucers. Even Phoebe looked a little surprised.
"Octavia said that eighty years ago, the continent was overrun by lava when all the volcanoes erupted," Asha continued. "I may not know a lot about volcanoes… but I don't know if that even makes sense."
Phoebe and V'rin exchanged looks, then returned their gazes to her.
"So you want to see if that's true," Phoebe said. "How are we supposed to do that?"
"We'll have to fly down there."
"Uh… isn't that too far to fly?" V'rin asked. "Maybe we should wait to go between."
"We may risk going back in time if we rely on pictures from books to go between," Asha said, shaking her head. "I'm sure there is a way to do it. We'll just have to plan carefully."
"I don't know about this," Phoebe said slowly, giving a frown. "We could potentially put our dragons in harm's way by flying for such a long period of time. And we have no idea what's waiting for us down south."
Of course, there was that element of danger. But Asha didn't want to let fear hold her back anymore. She had let it control her as a child. She didn't want to go back to that.
"Yeah," V'rin said, sounding very skeptical. "Our dragons are still pretty small… Erith and Azurith don't have the same stamina as Kalianth. They never will. I'm not sure how long we could last flying over the ocean, even if we took the shortest path."
That was fair.
Blues and greens weren't built to stay in the skies for long. And Azurith and Erith weren't full grown, which meant they had even less stamina than the adults. It would be much easier for them to simply go between. But they couldn't do that, not until they had a clear image of the Southern Continent. They hadn't begun lessons on going between yet, but Asha knew the basics just from the few times she had experienced it. But she couldn't risk her friends…
Maybe they would have to go alone for now—until it was deemed safe.
Regardless, she could do nothing now. She had to research and plan first. And probably should ask Octavia for permission in the first place.
"Well, it was just a thought," Asha said, giving a slight shrug. "We can talk more about it when I've done some research about the south."
And with that, she changed the subject, not wanting to worry her friends any further.