Chapter 13
On request the Weyr sent a number of very young riders to mingle with the young woodcrafters; the woodcrafters of the weyr were among them. T'fer, the Weyrwoodcrafter in H'llon's shoes did not yet have an adult dragon, nor were V'lie and D'lin on dragons old enough to go Between, but H'llon took time off from Printcrafting to provide lifts, bringing also Tahnee, now a Printcrafter Journeyman, to visit her friend Margand as well. K'star, an unofficial woodcrafter, and his weyrmate M'ander, brought the rest of the woodcrafters who were not Impressed, Radall, Serelis and Diccon; though Serelis was a candidate now!
Isimy formally apologised to Diccon in front of all the Hall for the Hall's failure to care for him and his mother. Diccon grinned at him.
"It wasn't YOUR fault, Master!" he said "And I had a splendid foster father in Marek and then I got to go to the Weyr so it worked out just fine!"
Isimy had to smile at so tactless a reassurance!
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The crafter children were inclined to stare unkindly on Radall at first; until he picked up some tools to demonstrate where a lad several turns his senior was going wrong.
"I could teach jointcrafting for you for a couple of sevendays while your journeyman's away if you like" offered the legless boy to Isimy, who was supervising the class whilst trying to teach tool care to a group of seniors. "I'm not old enough to stand for Impression yet so I've free time and it's not like any of them are awf'ly far on, is it sir?"
There were waves of indignation and chagrin.
A boy the age of their youngest apprentices – and a cripple too – having the GALL to suggest teaching?
Isimy smiled.
"It's kind of you Radall. After all, you have been working with wood for longer than most of the apprentices here; but I understand you're expecting to go to Lemos to prove as a Journeyman soon."
"Master Bendarek says I mayn't have my Journeyman's knots until I'm fourteen, like Kispre, even though he's passed all my work as up to standard" said Radall "So I thought I might as well make myself useful in the meantime; I'm marking time right now and it's not much fun, because I really ought not to pursue projects that would lead to Mastery because T'fer says it's not very polite."
"Master Isimy thinks that his half-trained toe-rags that he's just now licking into shape won't take any notice of your talent because they're ashamed a boy so much younger than them should be so much better then they. Isn't that it, Master?" said V'lie bluntly.
"It is" said Isimy "I look over them looking in such a way and feel slightly ashamed that they are resentful of another's talent and ability."
"Well the offer's there, Master" said Radall. "How about a game of Weyr versus Craft goalball when you break to break the ice?"
His voice had a hard edge on it to anyone perspicacious enough to notice; he had seen some of the lads eyeing his wheeled chair with contempt; and had every intention of showing them just what he could do in it!
The game, which Master Isimy gladly sanctioned, did leave the Three Woods apprentices with considerably more respect for Radall; as did the two quiet fights Diccon and D'lin had with boys who made disparaging remarks.
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"Having our Radall visit won't do your lot any harm I guess" said Tahnee to Margand "You happy here?"
Margand nodded.
"I enjoy the challenge" he said "And Alaran has become a good friend. You look well too!"
Tahnee grinned.
"They put me to egg but fortunately there was no dragon for me; with the next clutch half our senior printers will be standing, and if they Impress I'll be snowed under with their work as well as mine!"
"You'll enjoy every minute" scoffed Margand. She grinned again.
"Yes I probably shall. Margand, do you still feel romantically inclined towards me? I'm not particularly romantically inclined anywhere myself still; and I'd rather just be friends, only it's nice to know where we stand."
Margand surveyed her seriously.
"I'd far rather have your friendship than spoil it with fumblings into sex that might lose something good between us" he said "I like you so much; you helped me to fit in, and gave me the tools to have the confidence to be ABLE to look on this place as a challenge not to despair. I think being friends is a good idea."
Tahnee smiled a swift, smile and kissed him on the cheek.
"And we're both FAR too busy for looove anyway" she said cheerily!
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It was probably inevitable that Radall had a run-in with Banessan.
"You cocky little snot!" the older boy said "You think you're something because you live in the Weyr – but you're only a cripple!"
"Nope, I think I'm something because I'm more a woodcrafter than you, you stupid oaf" said Radall "And I'm not a cripple because I don't let the lack of legs make me any less. I'm actually a sight harder than you 'cos I can do everything you can do without any legs which means if I had legs I'd so make you look even more stupid than you already do."
"If you weren't in that chair I'd give you what-for, you cheeky brat!" howled Banessan.
Radall swung out of the chair, standing as he was wont to do on his hands.
His wrists were very strong.
"You want to fight? I'll lose but I'll give you a run for your marks while we're scrapping as you're scared to fight me in my chair!"
"Scared? I'm not scared! I don't want to get into trouble for maiming a sharding cripple!"
Radall laughed.
"Oh I wouldn't sneak you up you little creep. C'mon – fight!" he swung his body at Banessan's legs.
Banessan leaped back; but Radall swung after him, faster than the big boy could have anticipated, and grabbed Banessan's ankle, resting his body on the ground to do so.
Banessan went down; and Radall leaped on him. The bigger boy saw red; and they rolled around punching, grappling, and – in Radall's case – biting.
Inevitably Banessan managed to roll Radall down underneath him and raised a fist to smash into the boy's face.
Radall nutted him.
Half dazed Banessan drew back; then pulled himself up to his feet.
Radall was scared then, though he hid it. If the boy started kicking he was in trouble; but Banessan just stared at him.
In truth, Banessan had been lonely and rather bereft since Horslas had left, with no-one to boost his ideas of supremacy; and sanity had started to return to him without an admirer. And whatever else was wrong with Banessan, he did not lack courage; and it was fear and cowardice he despised more than anything else, not having the maturity to realise that fear and cowardice were not necessarily the same thing.
"Shells, you're fardling game" he said in a voice that came close to admiration. "Reckon you ARE hard all right; need a hand up?"
"Thanks; I can manage" said Radall "I make a POINT to manage. My parents told me, before they died, that I didn't have to be any different to anyone else; and I'm not. The chair's a convenience; it puts me higher as well as giving me speed. When you're only halfway up people, they talk to you like you're a little kid and it makes me want to maim them sometimes!"
"I guess that would" said Banessan. "How come you're so good at woodcraft?"
"When my parents died and I went to my aunt the silly wherry thought she ought to keep me in bed and treat me like a baby; she didn't really want me at all. My lack of legs embarrassed her and she could never actually LOOK at me. Some people still look away; outsiders mostly, not the Weyrfolk. You have the big ones to look at me; and look properly. My aunt thought I should have been smothered at birth; I heard her say so. And D're – he was Daire then – was collecting kids who weren't wanted to go to the Weyr because he had heard stories that nobody was turned away. So I went with him. And the Weyrfolk helped us all find our own strengths. And I apprenticed with H'llon, 'cos I found out that I love wood; and I've done it for close to three turns. And until H'llon figured out fitting skids to my chair I couldn't get around so easily in the snow – I get frostbite on my palms if I hand-walk – so I worked extra hard instead." Radall climbed back into his chair and shrugged. "I have a hand-cranked lathe, so I have to turn one handed; and I'm good enough to be passed to use the water-powered one too under supervision so apart from sawing timber in the pit I can do everything."
"Well! I guess if you can work extra time I can then too" said Banessan "You can't really teach; the little ones would try to muck about and they – the Masters I mean – wouldn't let you beat seven sirens out of them."
"I been teaching D'lin for T'fer you know" said Radall indignantly.
"Yeah, but little kids your age can be daft about accepting expertise in others their own age" said Banesson.
This was fairly rich since Banessan had been one of the ones muttering loudest about cheek; but Radall did not know that for sure!
He decided to pretend that he hadn't suspected it though.
"Oh well, it was a thought" he said.
Banessan had had his beliefs in his own superiority shaken; and he wanted to think. So he nodded curtly to Radall and strode off.
"Peculiar boy" said Radall to himself.
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The fight between the boys was not mentioned again by either of them; but the other apprentices noticed that Banessan treated Radall with a respect normally alien to the former bully's nature when they met at the noon meal; and wondered much.
Then after the meal, Banessan rose to his feet and raised his hand for permission to speak.
Isimy, wary, nodded permission.
"Master, if a journeyman supervised classes, could Apprentice Radall stay to help us with our jointcrafting until Journeyman Hagel returns?" he asked "To keep us from falling behind?"
Isimy was, to put it mildly astounded.
Such a query from any of the older boys would have astonished him – and from that particular boy it almost robbed him of speech! Fortunately the master recovered himself quickly and did not even gape.
"Radall, would you act as Journeyman's assistant with effective rank as senior apprentice?" the Master asked.
"Oh yes sir, if you would like me to!" said Radall cheerfully.
"Heh, it might make some of them pull their game up to see so little a boy so good" said Alaran in an undertone. "I'd almost suggest getting Kispre in too, only he ignores people he doesn't like which might not help."
"Kispre has more raw talent than Radall but Radall has a more outgoing nature" said Tahnee "He's irrepressible. He'll be fine!"
"Of course – YOU know them both" said Isimy "And pretty well at that, for being Elissa's fosterling."
Tahnee nodded. Kispre was like a little brother to her; and she had been keen to get to know Radall who Elissa had described as like a brother to HER.
And so Radall stayed, hastily accommodated in the room Alaran and Margand shared rather than putting him in with those of his own age!
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Radall was patient; it was something he had learned with his lack of legs. Journeyman Hagel was a very competent jointcrafter but a little inclined to give up on the slower ones; and it was to them that Radall was prepared to give infinite pains. The youngest apprentices thought it hilarious to receive information from a boy of their own age or younger; until Radall demonstrated how to execute several difficult joints with a speed that took their breath away.
"Giggle all you like" said Radall "I earn four hundred marks a turn even at apprentice prices on what free pieces I make; in addition to earning my keep for work done for weyr and hall and so you lot enjoy yourselves giggling which earns nothing."
That went home.
The first-turners applied themselves assiduously thereafter!
The first-turners had split, by and large, into groups; the two girls had teamed up with Tirrer, Menisha's friend, and with his new friend Prin; they permitted Gotal to join them on sufferance, poking him when his braggadocio irritated them. Lushall had tired of helping Lirred and worked alone; so Lirred had drifted into a loose alliance with Kelat. Neither could be said to be friends with each other; but they had a shared dislike of the brighter sparks in the class. They also had a loose alliance with the one boy amongst the second-turners who was not part of Deaky's 'gang'; the lad was inclined to sneak and consequently got left out of anything the others got up to!
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Kemmern was the Journeyman – albeit only Acting – assigned to supervise while Radall taught. He was a solitary lad by nature, not inclined to seek out the company of youngsters: but he found a position helping to teach was comfortable enough as he did NOT court popularity. Kemmern was probably the most technically apt of the Three Woods apprentices, one reason he was Acting Journeyman; and he was sufficiently impressed by Radall, whose skill he had the knowledge to appreciate still more, to surreptitiously start working even harder, and to listen to Radall's tips to the younger ones!
Oddly, to the views of the Masters and Journeymen, Banessan was Radall's keenest pupil; and he shook the legless boy's hand with real gratitude when Radall explained a point the older boy had missed early on in his training, that had been responsible for his failure to make the grade for turns. Hagel had rushed through mitring and angles without a full explanation; and when he had asked if there were any questions, most of his pupils were too confused to know what to ask. Radall proceeded to collect up a mixed bag of boys who had equally missed the point, from Siffio up, and ran an extra class covering basic trigonometry to give them some background.
He had more attending than just those who could not measure a mitre once word got out that he knew the legendary mathematics! Suddenly the understanding of triangles was fashionable knowledge in Three Woods and the rule of the square on the hypotenuse was widely quoted instead of the boys merely relying on their five-four-three angles! Banessan even began the ambitious project of making a hexagonal table just to prove that he could! He was no great shakes at marquetry, but planned to cut six equilateral triangles from different veneers to cover the top, to demonstrate the grains of different woods.
Margand encouraged him.
ANY signs of enthusiasm in the sulky youth were to be considered hopeful!
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Kemmern had known enough to measure mitres; but drank in the new mathematics.
He went to see Isimy.
"Sir, if I confirm as Journeyman, I'd be willing to teach basic jointcraft now I've seen Radall figure out what people need to know; freeing Journeyman Hagel to teach cabinet making" he said "I work well enough under him"
Isimy looked at him shrewdly.
"You feel that Hagel would be happier too with the older ones?" he asked.
Kemmern nodded.
"I'd not have said, before I started working with Radall, that I liked little kids at all; I only really stood up for them with Rillen and your Lemos seniors because it had to be done, and with new brooms there was a point in doing it" he said "But they're enthusiastic and it is kind of encouraging"
Isimy smiled.
"There speaks a man who has discovered a vocation for teaching" he said "Very well; I'll consider having you work with the two junior classes and any…remedial….lads who need to repeat a turn on the subject. It's the mathematics that attracts you too, isn't it?"
Kemmern flushed.
"May I be frank sir? I don't want to disrespect Journeyman Hagel….."
"But you feel that whilst he understands angles well enough to use them he feels a lack of confidence in teaching the same and so he scamps it?" said Isimy.
Kemmern, still as red as a redfruit, nodded in relief.
"It's why Birgel made a better showing; he kind of absorbed it through the skin in his father's own workshop. He can do angles by rule of thumb almost. But I think it helps knowing WHY we do things."
Isimy nodded.
"I agree. And if that is your ambition I'd like you to go back to the Weyr when Radall returns to study mathematics further with Weyrwoman T'lana and with H'llon; they are possibly two of the pre-eminent mathematicians on Pern, with Starcraftmaster Wansor being the third."
"THANK you Master!" gasped Kemmern.
The boy had no interest in standing for Impression – dragons actually made him nervous, though he was not going to let THAT stand in his way – but spending time at the Weyr was an honour!
"I think you could do worse than to take Banessan as an assistant" said Isimy "He seems to have taken to the subject too."
Kemmern pulled a face.
"Well,,,, he's been something of a different boy since Radall taught us Trig" he said without much enthusiasm "I guess…. I guess encouraging the ones you don't like is also part of being a Journeyman?"
"It is indeed" said Isimy "And I'm proud of you that you worked that out for yourself. There are reasons Banessan has been a pain; it is OUR responsibility to improve him."
"Like having Murgen back next turn" Kemmern nodded "Very well, Master!"