Chapter 20
L'rilly came to see the girls in their living cavern.
"I need to get to know you all, so that I am already acquainted with whoever is fortunate enough to Impress, and be my colleague," said L'rilly.
"It's all right. L'rilly, we're all plotting together to hope for Greens if we are not marked for Gold," said Prisca. "After a couple of useless articles went home, we've ended up with a decent bunch who know about me, and are hoping you can help Telgar to fulfil its promise and duty as a Weyr."
"What she said," said Mendra. "And if I DO Impress a Blue, will you help me transfer to High Reaches please, if R'mart has a hissy fit at me?"
"I will, if it's what you really want; or I'll help you stay and dare to be different if you would like to try that," said L'rilly. "I am not afraid of R'mart."
"I try not to be," said Mendra. "And with Prisca's lead, I've defied him."
"You've come a long way, Prisca; T'lana is proud of you and so am I," said L'rilly. "I am so glad you can take the lead."
Prisca flushed.
"I grew up," she said, simply.
"Indeed you did," said L'rilly. "Well, High Reaches' loss is Telgar's gain; and frankly Telgar needs strong weyrwomen and Weyrwomen, whatever colour they fly. I wish you'd all tell me your names, and I'll try to remember them, and your personal ambitions and wishes."
The girls eagerly spoke to her; L'rilly was unlike any Gold Rider they had ever met, though that was generally limited to B'ella and Palla, as they had hardly met Lessa! However she was unlike any traditional idea of such as taught at Telgar, and Prisca smiled to herself that the girls and young women were rapidly coming as close to adoring L'rilly as she was herself learning to do.
"Tell me about St'mon," said L'rilly, bluntly, when she had assimilated who was who.
"He's cruel," said Mendra.
"He told lies that Denth had died," said Prisca, indignantly, "and that T'mon was insane because of it."
"Hmm, that MIGHT have been assumption and – well, yes, wishful thinking," said L'rilly, "I know, a dreadful thing to wish on your own son, but wishful to prove that he had been RIGHT. Those persons who have to be RIGHT all the time don't actually think of other people."
"He's a nasty piece of work, and Prisca reckoned his dragon is screaming inside and I don't say she's wrong," said Gwesara. L'rilly raised an eyebrow at Prisca.
"Can a dragon handle ignoble behaviour, even in the one they love above everything – perhaps even MORE in the one they love above everything – without being damaged? Like a dragonless man is damaged?" said Prisca.
"It's a thought," said L'rilly. "I can't help wondering if Salth overflew himself knowingly, just because it was a way out with honour to stop the poison of T'kul's thoughts."
The girls shuddered. The events that led to F'lar fighting a mad T'kul had reverberated around Pern!
"Can you do anything?" asked Prisca.
"I can do something, and hope that it will be ratified even if I get a private bawling out from R'mart," said L'rilly. "I plan to call him on his treatment of the boys, and tell him he's relieved of duty as Weyrlingmaster pending an investigation."
"He might try to hurt you!" said Gwesara.
"He can try," said L'rilly, grimly. "Now if the lad who was lurking here when I came in would like to come out into the open, and turns out to be Storadel, we shall be seeing how soon it takes me to fix a proper candidateship."
Storadel came forward.
"CAN you, Weyrwoman?"
"I don't know, Storadel," said L'rilly, "but what I can do is to sneak you onto the sands in a white tunic at the right time if not. It'll be FINE!" she added.
She withdrew to spend some time with B'ella; and to delicately insert a few original ideas into the ageing Weyrwoman's thoughts.
oOoOo
L'rilly had the opportunity to interfere with the candidates earlier than she might have expected; she was observing the training of the boys and girls both, and had the opportunity to see St'mon shake a small boy who was resisting being bullied by a larger lad and told him to do what his betters told him.
This was not something to pass up.
L'rilly strode forward.
"Brown Rider, I am amazed and confused," she said, "how can one candidate be better than another? That is entirely down to the choice of the dragons. I saw this big lout – who I sincerely hope NEVER Impresses unless he can mend his attitude – pushing this little one about. Dragonriders protect and serve, and do NOT bully. Except the likes of T'kul, who was rightly relieved of duty. This is not the first time I have seen you act inappropriately. You are relieved of duty henceforth as Weyrlingmaster; you aren't much good at teaching them anyway, I have listened to your lectures from outside the teaching cavern and they are far behind the standard they should have reached by now in their knowledge."
St'mon glared at her; but she was a Queenrider, and that was something that had to be taken into account.
"On whose authority do you relieve me – Gold Rider?" he asked.
"On my own," said L'rilly, "and on that of the senior Weyrwoman, to whom I have spoken regarding your behaviour."
St'mon goggled.
"I shall complain to R'mart," he said.
"Complain all you like," said L'rilly. "You cannot, of course, understand the close relationship a Bronze Rider has with the Senior Weyrwoman; or indeed the relation all Bronze Riders have with any Queenrider. It is based on their dragon's personal loyalties, but then, I don't think you really understand personal loyalties either, do you?" she added.
"I don't know what you mean, Weyrwoman," said St'mon between gritted teeth.
"You don't? Dear me," said L'rilly, "how sad for you if you really do NOT know what I mean, a sad loss for you. But I think you're just trying to conceal from me what I already know – your disgraceful behaviour towards your own sons, and your more recent unforgiveable behaviour towards your nephew. You are a sham as a Rider, St'mon, because you break your oath in everything you say, think and do. And I am chewing you out in front of your boys deliberately, though normally I would consider that unacceptable, because it's time they knew what a poor excuse for a human being you are, let alone a dragonrider, and that you are the last person on Pern who should be in the position of being a role model. You are dismissed; and I don't want to see you again. D're will take over your class."
St'mon gave her a look of pure hated, and strode off, seething.
oOoOo
"What did you mean by relieving St'mon of duty, Weyrwoman?" yelled R'mart.
"Mean? I meant to try to preserve the few candidates you appear to have from either being pushed into being bullied or becoming nasty little bullies like St'mon and T'kul," said L'rilly. "I was in the High Reaches just after T'kul was thrown out, and believe me, I am WELL aware of the problems such a bullying authority figure can cause. I hope you aren't trying to emulate him? Surely not?" she smiled brightly.
"What gives you any knowledge and right to say how a Weyrlingmaster runs his classes?" demanded R'mart.
"Maybe the fact that I've helped the Weyrlingmistress at High Reaches when she's been heavily pregnant or nursing, and the fact that my weyrmate has helped the Weyrlingmaster there, who is an exemplary Weyrlingmaster who does NOT consider it normal or acceptable to have attrition and losses due to deaths in training. He hasn't lost anyone for more than 10 turns," said L'rilly.
R'mart paled.
"How can that be?" he demanded. "There are always foolish boys who make mistakes!"
"If they are well disciplined without being scared half Between they should not make mistakes – or at least, not fatal ones," said L'rilly, coldly. "You will see, as D're makes a difference to them. I hope he can catch them up; they are very far behind in their studies. I doubt one of them could assist mending a mainsail, and yet they have been here almost three weeks. It's preposterous!"
R'mart opened and shut his mouth several times.
He did not need L'rilly to remind him that F'lar of Benden had mentioned St'mon's inadequacies, and F'lar had essentially manoeuvred this blasted High Reaches Queenrider and her ridiculous looking weyrmate – whoever heard of a man growing hair on his face if he wasn't a freak – into coming here.
"We shall give it a trial period and see how it goes," he said curtly.
"So long as it is a fair trial period and at least two hatchings and the growth of those younglings to being blooded," said L'rilly.
"That could be decades!" said R'mart.
L'rilly looked surprised.
"Why, hardly!" she said. "Tamalenth rises every three turns, quite regularly, as any young Queen should. And she would have been due towards the end of the turn, but I fancy that, as any Queen will, she may rise early because of your paucity of dragons here. In the same way as a Queen rises more often when a Pass is due."
R'mart had forgotten how often nubile Queens should rise; and he bit off a comment about being as prolific as a Green as he recalled the received wisdom of his youth.
"Carry on not saying it, if you please, Weyrleader," said L'rilly, who might not have an 'inner ear' like her friend T'lana, but who was shrewd enough to follow the Telgar Weyrleader's thought processes.
"Well, I have said we shall give it a trial," snapped R'mart, wishing he could dismiss this self-possessed, well-born, experienced and insolent Queenrider as he might dismiss the Rider of a lower colour.
oOoOo
R'mart had to, in the usages of etiquette, offer D're the position of Wingleader; especially as D're already wore the knots of the same rank already. This meant demoting St'mon, who had more reason than ever to hate the incomers.
D're, being D're, went through the flight movements with his Wing; and discovered that they were entirely lost by the complexities he was drawing out.
"Don't try to tell me you do that at High Reaches, Wingleader, it's too complex," sneered St'mon.
"Sure, Brown Rider, and I shouldn't have t'be tellin' av you, since it should be obvious that if this is what I'm expectin' av you, that it's what I'm used to," said D're, "but if it's a liar yer callin' me, then ye'll maybe come out and say it direct, so I can knock yer teeth down yer t'roat for miscallin' a Bronze Rider's word."
"I never called you a liar," said St'mon.
"Sure, of course not, because ye're too much of a coward t'say it direct, are ye not?" said D're, equably. "Ye'll learn the pattern eventually, but since ye're all too hopeless t'manage what smokeless weyrlings at the Reaches can do, I've a simpler version here that ye can learn before we fly next. One ye have that, ye'll see how it makes defending against Thread easier, which with the stupidly small numbers ye have here really makes sense, if the lot av ye want t'avoid score."
"Bronze Rider, I for one am glad to learn any new patterns that give us that advantage," said St'adar. "It would be nice to fight Thread with a reduced chance of needing numbweed each time."
"Good. And as ye're Weyrlingmaster to the girrrls, I'm thinking ye might understand the explaining of patterns the better; and as yon gormless forkwit is both defeatist and out t'make trouble, I'll be havin' you for me wingsecond, not him," said D're.
"I'm only a Blue Rider, sir," said St'adar.
"Jays, man, I don't actually care, so long as you keep your wits between your ears, not down in your arse like him," said D're.
St'mon was spoiling for a fight, and D're had no intention of bothering to postpone it with diplomacy.
The protocols of Telgar might be strict, but St'mon really WAS spoiling for a fight, and this was too much. He took a swing at D're.
The Bronze Rider blocked it effortlessly, and grabbed St'mon's wrist to use the man's own wild momentum to put him down flat on his face.
St'mon could not believe it; with a roar of impotent rage he sprang to his feet and charged D're again. Somehow he ended up somersaulting over D're's head and crashed to the ground on his backside.
"Sure, St'mon, and isn't it just that I'm smarter, stronger, and faster than you, as well as more av a man than you could ever be, which is why ye'll be takin' av me orders and behavin' yerself when flyin' in me wing, or ye can ask t'transfer out, so ye may, and glad I'll be t'see the back of you," said D're.
"Please, Bronze Rider, if he goes, we'll only be left with Blue and Green Riders," ventured another Blue Rider.
"And ef ye can learn the patterns I show ye, we'll still be a stronger wing than the others," said D're. "Well, St'mon, will ye be takin' me orders, or run crying t'the Weyrleader like a little girrrl complaining that I beat on you as yer reason t'transfer? If ye want a more face savin' excuse ye can say ye do not like t'be worrrkin' under someone as has supplanted ye."
"I shall make a request for a transfer," growled St'mon, "and when you get this wing killed with your craziness, I'll be ready to form a new wing."
He stalked off.
"Right, me bhoys," said D're, "Let's be seein' how much the sensible ones av ye can learn t'be puttin' that fool in his place."
The other Riders were not perhaps willing, but D're's calm clear explanations, and sensible questions from St'adar, and T'renth, the other Blue Rider ready to speak up, they started to feel quite excited.
K'stol and M'kor came in just as D're was winding up the briefing and suggesting mounting up to fly through the evolutions they had just walked through.
"What are these patterns that St'mon reckons are too difficult to fly, Bronze Rider?" asked K'stol.
"Why, Bronze Riders, me name's D're, t'be sure, and colleagues should be on no ceremony, should they?" said D're, passing K'stol the bound book of flight patterns every High Reaches Wingleader was given now as a matter of course.
K'stol held it for M'kor to peruse too.
"Complex," remarked M'kor, "but scarcely impossible – providing everyone knows their place and keeps to it, and respect and obey their Wingleader, as any might expect. What is this 'Protective Wing' in the end section?"
"Oh, it is the wing that flies highest and covers Turnover," said D're, "Not a luxury you have here, with so few dragons, to fly two flights of ninety dragons each and swap in the other two flights half way through Fall, to prevent injury from tiredness. The Protective Wing also covers the weyrlings being blooded and bringing in firestone, to prevent losses to bad judgement while they are still learning that judgement. They're the bravest and the best in the Protective Wing."
"Hmmph, I'd say so," said M'kor. "A novel idea, but I can see the point of it. Losing Weyrlings is always a tragedy."
"Is it true that High Reaches don't lose weyrlings as a rule?" asked K'stol.
"It is, f'sure; because training should be hard without bein' harsh, and every lesson learned so well a lad can fly in his sleep if need be," said D're. "As one who Impressed in the tiers, I had a lot to catch up, but at least I was older than the rest of them – I was a few months out of age – I was not at a silly age. R'gar went through everything with me on his own time t'make sure I caught up."
The other Bronze Riders exchanged a look.
"Can't see St'mon ever doing that," grunted M'kor. "May we borrow this to look at?"
"Sure ye may!" said D're. "You may wish to copy the pattern I've drawn up on the board too, simplified while me bhoys here get used to the idea."
"As if parchment grew on trees, eh?" said K'stol. "It's easy to see you're used to H'llon and his paper!"
"Oh, I've plenty of paper, K'stol," said D're, who had met the man when he visited H'llon; D're had picked the gold firelizard egg for Prisca to send back with him too. "Here!" and he passed them leaves.
The two Bronze Riders hastily started taking notes, asking question.
"St'adar, T'renth, perhaps you will answer the questions to show you've understood perfectly," said D're.
"Good practice, that," approved K'stol, though M'kor looked startled.
The two Blue Riders proceeded to demonstrate that they had absorbed the lesson as they answered the queries of the other Wingleaders.
"I'd like to get my wing mounted up to observe you fly these evolutions," said M'kor, "if it's all the same to you."
"We'd be happy," said D're, "Though it won't be as smooth as if we were well practised, of course."
"Understood," said M'kor with a curt nod.
"If you will permit my wing to watch also, I would be grateful," said K'stol.
"Certainly," said D're. "Well, me bhoys, ye're on yer mettle t'show what we can do to these others, and I hope ye'll find it more exhileratin' than nervewracking!"
"Unlikely, sir, but we won't let you down," said T'renth.
"We need something like this to make our low numbers more effective," said St'adar. "No wonder our dragons report that the High Reaches dragons are passing on jocular remarks when they hand over to us, even after a long Fall!"
"Efficiency; it helps," said D're.