Chapter 21

S'am walked over, joining her friends as they finished bathing and oiling their dragonets. C'sey had joined the group, and everyone was discussing the new rift in the Weyrling class.

"This isn't good for morale. Surely he sees that." C'sey said, his tone indicating that this was a point he had made before.

J'on shook his head. "I don't think he cares about morale. All he cares about are his ideals, and his blind enough to the real world that it won't matter that this whole episode might set the class as a whole back. I bet he'll perform well and will be completely unconcerned as to how anyone else does, even those in his inner circle."

"But what kind of leader does that make him?" C'tien asked, bewildered, his white-blonde hair standing up on his head in soft spikes that reminded S'am of dandelion fluff.

"A bad one," C'sey said, with a voice as hard as his eyes, "I don't care what color dragon he rides or how well he does. A leader that doesn't think of the other people with him is no leader at all."

S'am touched his shoulder lightly. "That's why I'll never worry about following you into Threadfall. Don't worry about it, I'm sure L'ary has it all under control."

C'sey nodded sharply, and J'on stood there looking troubled. Rheannon hadn't spoken a word, just watched Myranth playing with a thoughtful expression on her face. When she spoke, it seemed like even the dragonets quieted down to listen.

"Maybe this is part of a test as Weyrlings. How we deal with each other. I don't think L'ary's gonna step in and save us, unless J'rome does something to actually endanger another Weyrling. So I think, sometime soon, we're going to have to figure out what we're going to do with him." Then she glanced around, smiling slightly. "I don't think that day is today, however, and I know I'm feeling hungry. How about the rest of you?"

There was a chorus of assents at that, and everyone worked on rounding up the drooping dragonets. R'ver and Illitra joined their motley group, and the crowd of them marched off to the dining caverns.

On the way, they heard a voice near the Weyrlingmaster's quarters.

"I don't care where he is! I need transport away from this Weyr now!" The voice was high-pitched and near hysterical with pain, and S'am glanced around the corner, seeing one of the unsuccessful girls from candidate class standing at the door to Weyrlingmaster L'ary's quarters, shouting at a drudge. The drudge, used to the ways of distraught failed candidates, shrugged her shoulders and moved away, carrying a basket of laundry, saying, "Then I'm sorry, miss, you'll have to wait until he gets back. And no, I don't know when that will be."

R'ver sighed, muttered that he'd catch up, and then rushed over to comfort the girl, who had begun to cry. "There, there, what's the matter? You don't want to stay in the Weyr and the bronzer that brought you here isn't interested in you anymore? Not to fret, I'll have you situated with some transport in no time! Unless there's some way I can convince you to stay…" His tenor voice drifted off down the hall as he led the girl away from the gawking group and towards the Weyrbowl, his hands on her shoulders.

S'am shook her head. "I'd bet ten marks that he's going to be the next Weyrlingmaster, after L'ary retires from the position."

C'sey laughed. "I'd take you on that, but I don't have ten marks on me, and I know you don't either."

"We'll have ten marks by the time the change happens." S'am smiled.

"Fine, you're on!"

"Assuming you two can remember the bet when the time comes…" J'on said, a twinkle in his eyes.

"Well, we have you here as a witness, so there!" S'am said triumphantly, sure of her victory.

Rheannon, Illitra, and C'tien just laughed, and the small mob got moving again towards the dining cavern. Once there, all were served with a delicious meal of roasted wherry and greens, with mashed tubers in butter. S'am noticed as she sat down that her stomach was still a little bit upset, so she took the meal slowly and hoped that it was just hunger knotting up her insides. After all, there was nothing to be afraid of. J'rome was just a bully, and would get his in the end.

The talk around the table was about J'rome, with illitra giving the group all of the details of j'rome's and J'dann's childhoods. The fact that J'rome was J'dann's milk-brother was discussed. Illitra told them about how J'dann's mother had been too sick to nurse him herself, so they had to find a substitute. J'dann's mother had gotten better, but had died in childbirth a turn later. J'dann and J'rome had been thick as thieves back then, and many folk from Keroon had said that it was J'rome's influence that had turned J'dann, but as far back as Illitra could remember the two had always been a pair of bad eggs. And Shihanna was only a little bit better, being J'dann's cousin who had been fostered at Keroon. She had stayed away from the rougher boys, but had been doted on by Gregg so much that she had quickly become spoiled and willful. All hoped that her Impression would improve her attitude.

S'am was just finishing up her crusty butter roll when J'dann himself came into the dining cavern. The talk around the table died, and she watched as he grabbed his food, and then headed over to the table where J'rome and his cronies sat. J'rome wouldn't even look at him, and all of the others scooted down the benches away from him when he sat. S'am watched as he ate a few bites in silence, and then stood up, looking for a new place to sit. S'am waved him over, despite Illitra's soft cursing.

"Thank you." J'dann said simply as he joined the new group. Talk resumed. The new Weyrlings talked about their dragonets, a subject that it seemed no one had tired of yet, and what they thought all of the new duties would be, and where they all hoped to get weyrs once they had graduated. J'dann joined in the conversation after a few minutes, and talk bubbled up happily around the small group.

Another small bunch of brown and blue weyrlings came in shortly afterwards, and S'am, Rheannon, C'sey and J'on headed out, since they were all done with their meals. Their seats were filled before they had left the dining hall, and they all laughed about that. The group headed back to the barracks, figuring they'd make an early night of it so they could be fresh for the next day with their dragonets.

As S'am settled down to sleep, she noticed that her stomach was still upset. She sighed, closed her eyes, and drifted off.