Chapter 21
The hatching of Segrith's clutch brought a small triumph for Northfork when Kyssel, the child of one of the support staff, and unsuccessful at the previous hatching, became K'sel, Rider of Brown Jahath. Tragen and Kaili were there for him of course as well as his parents, and the whole Hold was proud.
The other small triumph, for Kaili, was overhearing the two one-time renegades discussing the success of 'our candidate'. Kaili was nobody's fool; and she knew well from what had been said – and left unsaid – that Porrg and Finver felt more settled at a Hold where the Lady had a Ruathan accent; and where they were around runnerbeasts too. And Tragen had taken the time to chat to them and explain that in his long experience a man who has a system at the races is generally a man who is out of pocket.
"Any creature, human or animal, handled badly will behave badly" he added "You've stolen once; I don't know all the circumstances that made you think that a good alternative to honest and honourable behaviour. If I take you on with a fresh start, we'll put that behind you, and I'll expect you to come to me if you're in financial or other difficulties. That's part of my duties to sort out. If you're in difficulties through your own profligacy, I'll arrange you extra work to pay off any loans I make you: and I'll be fardling cross if you do it more than once, for I'm happy to give instruction into how to handle your finances if you've no clue. And if you fail to take me up on that, you've but little excuse. If you've a weakness for betting, I'll have a man to watch each of you so you only bet what you can afford to lose."
Porrg shook his head in emphatic denial.
"'Tisn't that, sorr, we were in partnership carryin' small goods with a couple o' pack ponies, around cotholds; and one was lamed when a Blood's hunter kicked it; and we thought we could recoup our losses on a race and bet more than we had, thinkin' t'pay it off, but the fardlin' creature fell over! Then we had t'pay the bookies we'd given notes to, so we nicked it off the Blood that lamed our beast, for we thought it fair so we did!"
"Did you not think to claim compensation from him fair and square?" demanded Tragen, disapprovingly.
"That one, sorr? Sorra a jot, for he's av had us whipped and thrown out laughing, and his feyther thinkin' the sunn and both moons shone out o' his sorry fundament!"
"And what is the name of this Blood?" asked Tragen, wondering how much they might be exaggerating.
"Teffer of Pars; his feyther is Tefan" said Porrg.
Tragen sniffed and expressive sniff; no exaggeration there then.
"Hm, well, compensation is going to be hard to get now; Tefan's been deposed and Teffer is scrubbing necessaries from now until the end of time or the fall of the moons whichever comes first; for the kidnapping and threatening of his little half sister. I'll talk to Bargen; he should at least get the sentence against you wiped out" said Tragen "I've no time for people who think they're above the law, and nor has Lord Bargen. Leave it in my hands."
"Thank you sorr!" Porrg was surprised and impressed!
Whether Tragen could get anything done or not mattered less than that he was prepared to try.
Porrg and Finver were ready to walk through fire for their new Holder!
oOoOo
Vorinia had taken no lasting damage from Tarso's attack; she must lie up to rest for a few days then was permitted back to her normal routine.
Soon she was riding out with Jado, for both Kaili and Tragen were romantics at heart. Vorinia was pleased though that they could make their rides useful; for they rode about the cots beHolden to Tragen to check whether the exigencies of winter had caused any damage and making a note of any such to report back.
It was pleasant to ride together, often in companionable silence; though there was rain and the thaws made some passes impassable for a while, the warm sunshine between the rain was good after the long cold.
Jado too was making a detailed note of all the places where the rushing water of the thaw had damaged pathways; Tragen was scrupulous about keeping his roads in good repair, with broken rock well trampled down and flattened with a heavy, steel-clad skybroom wood roller dragged over it by a team of six puncherons all with heavy wherhide over-shoes to protect their delicate under hooves from the loose stones until the surface was completed. Tragen hired his road rolling team out around too; it eas a steady source of revenue from the Holds who kept roads up as being important to trade. Lords Bargen and Deckter now paid Tragen to cover the stretch of road that ran over the south side of the High Moor; last turn it had required but little, this turn there were three or four places where the breaks were bad, as reported by L'kar, pleased and proud to have so important a duty.
Jado was part of the mending team; he helped his brother Kren with the big, powerful, gentle puncherons: and they were gone several days to get it repaired before the Nabol Spring Gather.
Tragen and Kaili took the other fosterlings to Nabol; Vorinia felt it was a trifle far for her as yet. Master Taivin concurred! The girl did however volunteer to care for Kaitra, if a drudge would help with such things as picking the child up and feeding her; and Kaili was happy to accept the offer.
Kaitra was happy enough to be passed from hand to hand, but if her parents were to be away for a sevenday or more it was less likely that she would get upset if she were with her darling 'Ninni' as she now managed to render Vorinia's name.
Vorinia was actually quite looking forward to having Kaitra all to herself for a few days.
She must face the possibility that with all the muscles pulled in her back and hips that she may never carry a child of her own to term; and in case of that possibility she and Jado had decided that they would adopt, as Jado and Kren had been adopted. Vorinia would never have described herself as maternal, but Kaitra's sweet baby scent and soft loving arms tugged at her in a way that opened up what maternal part of her there was.
oOoOo
Since Jado had helped so much with the road mending, Tragen told the youth that he might go to the Gather as his fosterling or remain with Vorinia.
Jado snorted.
"No contest, boss" he said "Anyone can go to a Gather; there's only one Rinni."
A mobile child of just one turn old made a very effective chaperone; but did not prevent the stealing of kisses!
"I'd like to be doing this with our own child" said Jado, as they held Kaitra's hands to take her still unsteady steps across flower-strewn meadows.
"I – I believe I would too" Vorinia blushed "Jado, I've flirted plenty but I never…" she left the sentence hanging.
"Nor me" said Jado cheerfully "Only I never did the flirting, because I blush too easily. I expect we'll be fine making it up as we go alone; young stallions manage to cover mares without technical assistance from a Harper's scroll of instructions."
Vorinia laughed.
How different Jado was now she was getting to know him to the tongue-tied, even half simple boy he appeared at first! His shyness hid a ready wit and a distinctly off the wall way of looking at things.
"Dealing with beasts certainly helps explain the details of things" she said "I had no IDEA how it worked before I came here! Just promise me you won't chase me across a field waving it!"
"So long as you promise not to get me all in the right mood and then wander off to eat grass!"
They both chuckled at the memory of a young three turn old stallion attempting to cover a mare who seemed bored by the whole proceedings and took what seemed to be a wicked delight in frustrating her mate.
"People usually do it face to face anyway" said Jado "I know, for I've found people in the hayloft before. It's no more dignified than for runners though" he added, sounding uncertain as he looked at her.
"I should think if we love each other, dignity doesn't matter" said Vorinia "Are you still fussing about my Rank?"
"Yes" said Jado shortly, running a hand through his short flaxen locks.
"Well if we're to be Weyrfolk it won't count; and if neither of us Impress you'll Rank too for being my husband and helping me Hold" said Vorinia "And we get Lambo's Field licked into an egalitarian camaraderie like Northfork."
"You make it sound very easy" said Jado hopefully.
"It is. All we have to do is trust in each other, love each other and stay friends too. Everything else falls into place around that."
Jado grinned.
"Yes; trust and friends especially. If – if you Impress and I don't, I'll still love you and be there for you whoever flies your dragon, or if you got a Queen and I got a lower colour; because that's not cheating, it's just the way it is."
Vorinia nodded.
"And if you Impress and I don't, you'll be involved in your dragon rising for a female; same thing" she said. "And I can find work drudging at the Weyr to stay with you, even as you'd be valuable with the animals if it were the other way round."
"Part of me's tempted not to risk it" said Jado abruptly.
"I know. But if we're chosen, we have to be there to be chosen. It's one of those duty things; and the chance of something wonderful. If I do Impress a Green dragon and you have a Blue or a Brown – or even a Bronze, like M'gol and his J'nara…."
He nodded.
"Worth the risk; because we can be sensible. It's nice to be able to talk about things even faintly forbidden subjects" he said sincerely.
"Only forbidden because most people can't handle their own feelings over such subjects and prefer not to explore their own darker corners like jealousy" replied Vorinia "Why haylofts?"
"Dunno. Relative privacy perhaps? I'd have thought the hay was ticklesome myself" shrugged Jado.
"Me too" agreed Vorinia "If you ask me, with all the other fosterlings away, we face the choice of your room or mine."
"Oh yours. I'll feel a far more daring conspirator invading the girls' dormitory" chuckled Jado, blushing hotly. "I – I need to be careful of your back."
"I've a hard mattress for it, stuffed with runnerbeast hair not wherry down and fowl feathers like everyone else" she explained.
"A second reason to come to you" Jado flushed again "For your safety…. This discussion is NOT comfortable."
Vorinia had herself coloured, and grinned at him.
At that moment Kaitra demanded information about why were clouds; and the moment passed while Vorinia tried to explain that clouds were full of rain waiting to happen in the proper place.
Then there was the important business of weaving a crown of flowers for a small person, of far greater moment than silly grown up talk!
oOoOo
Vorinia was looking upon bedtime with both nervousness and excitement; and Jado too admitted to being half scared as well as eager.
When he came to her, he kissed her, and said,
"Let's take this slowly, love; find out what we like with touching before we do the whole loss of dignity thing. I – I want to find out about you."
"And I about you" said Vorinia.
Their first innocent explorings may not have been extensive; but they were satisfying and loving and they fell asleep against each other, Vorinia with her back briaced against her strong young lover.
oOoOo
Vorinia knew there were herbs to prevent pregnancy, but had no idea what they were.
She asked Jado.
He blinked.
"I dunno" he said "I thought we were going to try for children if you could do so?"
"Do you think it's fair on a baby if we both have dragons to care for when she or he is no older than Kaitra is – as we might?" asked Vorinia gently. "If we wait for a child to be older, you'll be over age; it'll be easier to sort out when we have grown dragons or if we've not Impressed and decide to come away. Because if we haven't Impressed by the time you're over age we'll both come away regardless. I know you'd love me if I stayed to try again; but it would seem to me to be an indication that riding dragons was not meant to be for us. Once we KNOW what is happening in our lives, then it's time to try for a baby. Besides, I want you to myself for a while first."
Jado grinned.
"I can't say I disapprove of that, woman" he said, twinkling at her.
She poked him in the ribs.
"You do agree though?" she asked after the inevitable aftermath of a poking contest.
"Yes; yes I do agree, on thinking about it properly. Sorry love; I didn't think through before" he said.
"If an infant needs us, that's different – an exposed child in the childhold say"said Vorinia "But I won't have had the strain of pregnancy with such as an additional thing to cope with."
Jado nodded.
"Well, I know how to make a mare more likely to conceive with the right herbs" he said "But as a breeding stables, we never did the other way about!"
"Idiot" said Vorinia , lovingly.
oOoOo
On due consideration, Vorinia asked Tranora as the most down to earth person she knew besides Tragen and Kaili.
"Getting ahead of yourselves are you two?" said the headwoman tolerantly. "Well if you can't be good, at least you've the sense to be careful. I'll brew you some and write you out the recipe. Do you need any in a hurry?"
Vorinia flushed.
"Not yet, Tranora, but I like to be well prepared; does it have to be taken beforehand?" she asked.
"No; it acts as an abortifacient too. The egg never implants if you take it as a prophylactic" the Headwoman told her. "Be careful of your back; not too many bedroom acrobatics, mind. There's a couple of ways of doing things that'll put less strain on your back" and she proceeded to get graphic and earthy, leaving Vorinia both blushing furiously and decidedly aroused!
She also provided Vorinia with a bottle of vile-tasting stuff and instructions for taking it, labelling it 'Vorinia's medicine'.
"Just say it's for your health, dear" she said "The other girls will assume it's some tonic for your back. And it is for your health – if you got pregnant now, the baby wouldn't be likely to survive anyhow and nor might you."
That was a shock.
Vorinia was quick to pass on all Tranora had said to her to Jado – both that shockingly good reason to continue to wait before trying for a family and the more personally interesting parts.
Jado and she were both blushing and grinning inanely as she explained.
"It'll take a lot of practice you know" said Jado gravely "We may have to practise over and over and over to get it right."
"And then we'll have to keep in practice" said Vorinia equally gravely.
They looked into each other's gaze and burst out laughing!
Being together was such fun.