Chapter 25
Never Been Done Before!
I NEEDED A WALK. Whenever something was bothering me, I took a walk to relax and clear my mind. And what, you may ask, was at the top of my worry list this evening? Only the latest of my precognitive dreams … the one from my dragon blood coma. Every vision to date had presaged significant events that I would somehow be involved in. But I could make no sense of this one. A ring of faces, bronzes and their riders, closing in around me, pouncing as I stumbled and fell. What could it mean?
Night was descending over Benden as I emerged from my quarters. The skies were clear, the first stars of evening flickering into existence. The soft snoring behind me was proof that Tarnaa and Goldie were already fast asleep. It was a beautiful evening. All seemed at peace … until the sound of someone crying shattered my reverie.
My heart always ached when I heard that sound, filling me with the desire to comfort the one who wept. But now that I was a woman, the ache was even stronger, the desire to comfort so much greater. There'd been no injuries or deaths that I knew of in the latest Threadfall. What, then, could be wrong? Looking about for the source of the weeping, I spotted Brekke and F'nor across the bowl just as she pushed away from him and ran back to her quarters.
Don't be sad, Lifemate, I overheard Wirenth remark.
I wish there was something we could do, Canth rumbled, nuzzling his rider.
I staggered backwards, sudden dread nearly stopping my heart. At times like this, being able to hear all dragons was a terrible burden. F'nor and Brekke loved each other deeply. Wirenth was alive and whole once more, restored to her lifemate. What could have happened to upset them so? I ran to intercept F'lar's half-brother as he and Canth turned toward their own weyr.
"F'nor, what …"
"There's nothing you can do," he muttered, leading Canth away.
The pained look in his eyes and on his face crushed my heart. It was several long minutes before I was able to overcome the shock of witnessing such gut-wrenching anguish.
Maybe, dragonrider, I thought, turning toward Brekke's weyr. Then again, …
Wailing sobs spilled from the opening, my heart aching all the more. Feeling very much the intruder, I tiptoed inside. Brekke was kneeling beside her dragon, hands on Wirenth's neck, her queen nuzzling her, humming assurances. Berd buzzed around above them, trilling distress. As I approached, Wirenth looked up, but, to her credit, remained silent as I knelt beside my friend and adopted sister.
"Brekke?" I whispered, my hand gently touching her heaving shoulder.
"Please, just leave me alone," she said between sobs, Berd trilling forlornly somewhere above us. "There's nothing you can do."
F'nor had said the same thing. By my ancestors, what was going on here?
"Brekke," I said, slowly turning her to face me, "you told me to consider myself your sister. If ever I needed someone to talk to, to share a secret with, or just a shoulder to cry on, I was to come find you or bespeak Wirenth. Remember?"
She nodded, not looking up.
"As your sister and friend, is it not my right to extend the same to you?"
Brekke looked up then, her face awash in tears, the look in her eyes a terrifying mirror of the grief that I had seen only moments before in F'nor's. I gasped, my mind making such a staggering intuitive leap, it rocked me back on my heels.
"Spirits of my ancestors!" I hissed, my hands covering my mouth. "Sister, what have I done to you?"
Brekke's tear-stained face turned puzzled.
"Wirenth must be close to mating!" I exclaimed, looking up at the queen. "You love F'nor, but only the bronzes are allowed to fly the queens! Oh, Shards, Brekke!"
Scorch the flesh and sear the skin, it had been so obvious! By calling Wirenth from between, I had set in motion a chain of events that could very well destroy not only the love Brekke and F'nor had for each other but their very lives as well!
Brekke's eyes found mine. With another sob, mine or hers I wasn't sure, we embraced, crying as one.
But, then, "NO!" I exclaimed, pulling back suddenly. "I won't let this happen to you! Canth must fly Wirenth!"
"He's not allowed," Brekke argued, shaking her head.
"Why?" I demanded, suddenly furious. "Just because he's a brown?"
"Only the bronzes are permitted to fly the queens," Benden's Weyrwoman announced as she entered.
"Lessa, Canth is as big as most bronzes I've seen!" I raged, leaping to my feet to confront her. "With his maturity and experience, I'd wager he could fly the wings off every bronze here!"
"Dana," Lessa sighed, shaking her head. "I appreciate how you feel, truly, but this is how it has been since the days of the first dragons and riders. Canth will have to remain behind. I'm sorry."
"Sorry?!" I exploded, my face livid as I spun Benden's Weyrwoman around to face me. "You've just condemned both dragons and riders to a slow, agonizing death, and you're sorry? Damn it, Lessa, where's the harm in letting him try?"
"You forget yourself, dragonrider," she hissed, shaking free of my grasp. "I am Weyrwoman here. Canth stays."
With that, Lessa turned and stormed out.
"Dana," Brekke quietly spoke, laying a hand on my arm. "Dear sister, thank you. At least you tried."
"This isn't over yet," I growled, pacing back and forth, seething with rage. Whirling suddenly to face Brekke, my eyes searching hers, I asked, "How much do you love F'nor?"
She opened her mouth to say something but hesitated, uncertain where this was leading.
"Enough to risk your Weyrwoman's wrath?" I asked into the silence.
"But … she is yours as well!" Brekke sputtered.
"Ah, ha!" I exclaimed, seizing her hand and hurrying out of her weyr. "That's where you're wrong, sister."
Wirenth was closer to flying than anyone realized. Her frenzied cries the next morning were proof of that, startling the entire weyr out of a sound sleep. Hurriedly throwing on a bathing robe, I dashed out of my quarters just in time to see her bring down a second kill. Her one good eye was an intense agitated red, and she seemed to almost be glowing.
Goldie appeared, buzzing about my head, clearly agitated by what was going on.
Lifemate, what is happening? Tarnaa wondered, nudging my shoulder as she came up beside me.
"Wirenth bloods her kill!" I exclaimed, spotting the bronzes ranged along the rim of the crater, their own eyes feverishly red with anticipation. "Brekke!"
I sprinted across the Weyr bowl, Goldie winging along ahead of me. Bronze riders were crammed shoulder-to-shoulder in the room when I finally got there. Brekke was standing in the middle: her eyes wild; incoherent guttural sounds coming from her, her face contorted by the fury of the mating drive.
Shoving my way through the sea of bodies, I eased up beside her. Then, slowly, deliberately, I led her over to the bed. As we settled back on the rushes, she continued to cry out, thrashing about in deft mimicry of what must be happening to her lifemate. Goldie and Berd circled above, trilling their distress.
Lifemate, are you alright? Tarnaa asked. I can't reach you.
Small wonder. The room was filled to bursting with those caught up in the mating drive.
Yes, my heart, I assured her. Stay where you are. You'll be safe there.
Suddenly, Brekke fixed her gaze on those around her, screaming at them in unholy fury. It could only mean one thing. Wirenth had just taken wing. The gathered riders drew closer. Goldie joined us on the bed, landing on my shoulder, twining her tail lovingly about my neck as she nuzzled my cheek.
Honored ancestors, I silently prayed, a tear sliding down my cheek as I held my sister close, please let this work.
Brekke cried out, her face a contorted mask of contempt, the riders inching a bit closer. Looking up at their approach, I gasped. The image before me was just like the one from my fever dream!
And then, in the blink of an eye, I was high above Pern, the warmth of Rukbat's light lending strength to my wings.
Wait a second! My wings?!
Yes, my wings, I rejoiced, feeling the rush of wind over my hide as I soared along.
Casually, almost contemptuously, I glanced behind me. The pursuing bronzes were there, wings beating frantically as they struggled to close the gap.
Damn Prideth's rider to eternal Threadscoring, I silently cursed.
It would not be easy evading those rutting bronzes, blind in one eye because of that wanton woman's complete disregard of her Weyr training and traditions.
The memories were still fresh, burned like Threadscore into my mind. Prideth, in heat, rising during my own mating flight, trying to steal my bronzes away.
A shudder ran through me. How could these be my memories?
The ensuing struggle, the flash of talons, the searing pain in my face as they ripped through my eye. The final battle, the pain and despair, the cold of between. I didn't hate Prideth. The whole incident had been her rider's fault. Only her rider's.
I shuddered again, realizing with growing alarm that the line between Dana and Wirenth was starting to blur. I had to end this.
Catch me, you hope? I rumbled, facing forward again. I think not!
Rolling inverted, I beat my wings hard, pulling quickly through a midair reversal, sometimes called a Split-S, heading straight for the pursuing bronzes. They scattered, caught off-guard by the sudden maneuver.
I/Wirenth led the bronzes a merry dance. Time and again they howled in frustration as I/she let them draw tantalizingly close only to suddenly veer out of reach. All the while, I/she kept an eye out for one specific dragon, the only one who truly deserved the honor of this flight. But there was no sign of him.
Oh, Canth, my love, where are you?
Spirits of my ancestors! Were those my thoughts… or Wirenth's?
An hour passed … then two … and still the flight went on. Many of the bronzes had already abandoned the chase, though some were still in pursuit. Yet, not one had proven clever enough to catch me/Wirenth.
The line blurred further.
None of you are worthy enough, I growled, sniffing in disgust.
Wings beating powerfully, I climbed higher into the skies, pulling away from the trailing dragons with each downstroke. One by one, strength and endurance finally spent, the remaining bronzes fell away, ending their pursuit.
Oh, my love …
Lost in thought, distracted by sorrow, a shadow passed over me unseen. Then something slammed into me, fouling one wing as it did. Howling in rage, I turned to see who would dare, but something tangled my tail while talons grasped my other wing.
Falling out of control toward the hard earth far below, I turned to see who it could be and felt something twine about my neck. The eyes that met mine were those I feared I would never see.
Canth!
Entwined, we fell. From some hidden wellspring of strength, Canth spread his massive wings to check our fall. Fearing our plummeting descent, I did the same. And then…
And then, my consciousness exploded back into my own body with such violence that it sent me reeling, every fiber of my being throbbing, hands flailing wildly as they sought out some kind of sturdy support. Hands not my own came to my rescue. I was vaguely aware of being half carried, half led out of the chamber, Goldie trilling in alarm somewhere nearby. For an instant, I was left standing alone. It was long enough.
"Whoa, take it easy," someone called out, sweeping me up with strong arms as I nearly fell on my face.
Lifemate? came Tarnaa's nervous query as my mysterious companion gently set me down in a nearby chair.
"Here, have her drink this," Lessa's familiar voice broke through my confusion.
Dazedly, I felt a cup being pressed into my violently trembling hands. Strong yet gentle hands lingered, helping me raise the drink to my lips. I took a few tentative sips as Goldie backwinged to my shoulder.
Distilled spirits, strong and biting! The shock brought the world around me into clearer focus. As Goldie head-caressed my cheek, crooning reassurances, I finally looked up to see who'd helped me.
"Never known two riders to react so strongly to a single mating flight," my handsome companion remarked, his gentle smile warming me in some indefinable manner.
"You're not of this weyr," I finally managed to say, feeling a warmth in my cheeks.
"I'm L'trel, bronze Fellth's rider from Southern," he introduced himself, moving over a bit as Tarnaa came up beside me. "And I owe you a great debt."
"Me?" I wondered, a bit confused as I reached out to stroke my lifemate's neck ridge.
"You asked K'van to go easy on me after that incident with Barnath," he quietly said.
"The weyrling!" I gasped, nearly dropping the cup I was holding.
"Feel up to some klah?" L'trel asked, holding up a steaming mug.
I nodded gratefully. While the strong spirits had cleared the fog, there was nothing like a good mug of klah to bring you awake.
I felt you with me, and yet, you weren't, Tarnaa rumbled, proffering an eye ridge for me to scratch. Where did you go, lifemate?
Somewhere wondrous and unexpected, my heart, I answered, scratching her eye ridge while taking a few careful sips of the steaming klah.
Looking up, I found L'trel had settled on a stool nearby. He was busy studying my face.
"Sorry," he blurted out, his own face reddening somewhat. "I didn't mean to stare."
"It's my eyes, isn't it?" I asked, taking another sip of klah.
He nodded, smiling shyly.
He thinks they are very beautiful, Dana, a strange dragon informed me.
L'trel's horrified expression, his face turning suddenly and thoroughly crimson, let me know it could only have been his dragon.
Well, you do, Fellth added.
They are beautiful, Tarnaa agreed.
Smiling, I reached over to give my lifemate a hug before placing a gentle hand on L'trel's arm.
"Thank you."
"I'd heard K'van and the others talking about them," he said, running his fingers through his gorgeous blonde hair, "but I never credit what I hear."
"Brekke!" I suddenly gasped, rising from my seat, Goldie squawking in alarm as she struggled to maintain her perch on my shoulder.
"It's alright," L'trel assured me, a gentle, supportive hand under my arm. "F'nor's with her. Can you believe it? A brown flew a queen!"
Relief so overwhelming and intense hit me so suddenly that I nearly fainted, tears pouring down my face. L'trel's steadying hand on my elbow was greatly appreciated. He urged me to sit, taking the klah from me before I could drop it.
"From what I've managed to overhear," he quietly told me, "none of the bronzes could keep up with her. Darting, swooping, diving, Wirenth flew the wings off 'em!"
She is very strong, Tarnaa commented. Canth was the only one clever enough to catch her.
I smiled at L'trel, tears continuing to fall as I chuckled softly.
"What I don't understand is how you were affected by it," he remarked, giving my hands a gentle, even affectionate, squeeze.
"Dana and her adopted sister may be more closely related familially than we suspected," Lessa cut in as she and F'lar approached. "Or perhaps it was Wirenth's blood that made her more sensitive."
Pulling over a nearby bench, the two Benden leaders joined us.
"What happened?" Lessa asked as F'lar handed his weyrmate a mug of klah.
"I'm not sure," I answered candidly, nodding thanks to L'trel as he handed me back my own. "Wirenth's blood-letting startled me out of my sleep. When I realized what she was doing, I ran here."
"Brekke was standing in the middle of the room," I continued, gesturing with my free hand, "the bronze riders crowding around her. I was afraid she might fall and hurt herself, so I helped her over to the bed. I sat with her, afraid she might slip. When I looked up, …"
The three riders were watching me intently, hanging on every word.
"Just before I came out of my dragon blood coma," I quietly explained, my eyes on the mist rising from my klah mug, "I had a dream."
"Another premonition?!" Lessa gasped.
I nodded.
"I was alone in a room," I said, not looking up. "Dragons and their riders had formed a ring around me. They were all watching me hungrily. While I was sitting with Brekke, I looked up for a moment, and the image I saw was just like the one from my dream!"
"Go on," F'lar said, leaning closer.
"I'm not sure what happened next," I confessed, feeling warmth in my face. "Suddenly, I wasn't in the room with Brekke anymore. I was flying high over Pern … as Wirenth!"
So that's where you went, Tarnaa quietly rumbled, nuzzling my arm.
"You mean, you were flying astride Wirenth," L'trel commented.
"No," I disagreed, shaking my head. "I was Wirenth. Golden hide, powerful wings, long sinuous neck. Body and soul, I was Brekke's dragon! When I looked back, I could see the bronzes following. So, I decided to test them. I dove at them, teased them, then swerved off. Stars, how they howled! Yet not one of them proved clever enough to catch me. None of them were worthy enough."
F'lar cleared his throat, but I didn't look up.
"In the end, I just started beating my wings harder and faster," I spoke quietly, my eyes never leaving the mug in my hand. "Soon, the bronzes were far behind."
"And then Canth appeared," Lessa quietly suggested.
I nodded.
"He caught me from above and behind," I whispered, my throat constricted by the memory. "He must have gone between to get above me then used his greater altitude to gain speed enough to overtake me. A clever move, really. My wings became fouled, our tails and necks entwined. Somehow, he found the strength to open his wings to break our fall. I remember doing the same, and then I … we … that is, … Ohhhh!"
Shards and shells, why wasn't the room any brighter? I was sure I was blushing so fiercely, the glow from my face could have matched the light from a glowbasket! My cheeks were certainly warm enough beneath the hands I'd placed over my face in embarrassment.
Will it be like that when I mate? Tarnaa wondered.
Better, I assured her, hugging her fiercely. Much, much better because we will be together to share it.
"First mating flight?" L'trel asked, his gentle smile at once disarming and comforting.
"Now, that's very interesting," Lessa mused, rubbing her chin. "I've talked to several of the bronze riders. Their stories pretty much coincide with what you've just told us. Some of them said they were closing in on Wirenth toward the end when she suddenly sped away, climbing high and fast, leaving them breathlessly behind, just as you described. Could the joining of your mind with hers have lent Wirenth the extra strength she needed?"
Sighing wearily, Lessa rose, glancing toward the curtain that obscured the sleeping chamber.
"Why?" she muttered, shaking her head. "What could have possessed F'nor to send Canth aloft? He knows the traditions."
"F'nor would never disobey you, Weyrwoman," I said, meeting her gaze. "You should know that."
"Then who sent Canth aloft?"
Without a sound, I rose from my seat to face her.
"You?!" Lessa exploded, her face livid. "You dare …"
"YES, I DARE," I roared back, my klah mug shattering against a nearby wall, Goldie squawking in alarm as she took wing, "because, lest everyone here has forgotten, above all else I am a dragon healer, sworn to the health and welfare of every single dragon and rider on the face of this planet! In my judgment, your decision to keep Canth from the mating flight placed both riders and their dragons in extreme danger, and that I could not allow!"
"Danger?!" Lessa spluttered, her expression incredulous. "What are you ranting about?"
"Have you been so blind that you could not see the breadth and depth of the love F'nor and Brekke have for each other?" I continued, eyes and wills locked with the Benden Weyrwoman. "By my revered ancestors, surely you haven't forgotten that it was Canth who was the first of the fighting dragons to come to Wirenth's rescue when she was battling Prideth?"
"Of course not," Lessa responded.
"And when F'nor and Canth went between to the Red Star, whose cry was it that guided them back to Pern?" I roared on, incensed to a point I hadn't thought possible. "Weyrwoman, theirs is not just a love between riders or dragons but a love so intertwined, what one feels, all share!"
"At the very least, F'nor and Brekke would have suffered from extreme depression," I said, my gaze sweeping the others in the room, "their states of mind directly affecting their dragons, rendering them a danger to themselves and others trying to battle Thread."
I paused for breath, allowing what I'd already said to sink in. The room was deathly quiet.
"What you don't know, Weyrwoman, is that I met with F'nor and Brekke late last night," I told her, my voice quieter but my anger still smoldering. "They both confided to me that they would rather take their dragons between than be separated from each other!"
No! Tarnaa exclaimed, horrified by such a thing.
Save for myself, every person gasped, F'lar and Lessa both turning pale.
My anger at last spent, my knees weak, I sank back down in the chair.
Are you well, Lifemate? my queen asked, her eyes whirling orange as she laid her head in my lap.
Yes, my heart, I assured her, stroking her head knobs.
"Had I done nothing," I sighed, looking at those around me, "you would have been faced with a tragedy of heart-rending proportions, one that not even all of my healing skills could have saved."
There wasn't a sound from anyone in the room, at least until Goldie showed up, landing on my shoulder and trilling in distress as she tried to find out why I'd been so angry. I smiled, hugging her fragile head to my cheek, crooning softly to her as I stroked her neck ridge.
A glass appeared before me, invitingly filled with Benden wine. Looking up, I found L'trel holding it out to me.
"Thought you might need this," he quietly said, shock and awe mirrored in his expression.
F'lar and Lessa were standing in front of me. Taking a generous sip of the Benden, I motioned for them to sit.
"Weyrwoman … Lessa," I haltingly spoke, "when Kitti Ping first created the dragons from their smaller cousins, they weren't much bigger than Ruth is today. Back then, the bronzes were probably the only dragons that could match the queen's strength and endurance during a mating flight. What started out as a simple fact of life somewhere along the way became tradition. But Kitti Ping knew that, as with all living creatures, her creations would continue to grow, to mature and evolve. They would become larger, stronger, faster, more intelligent, where only the fittest would survive. Yet there was always the chance that one member of the species might, on a rare occasion, excel beyond expectations."
"Canth," F'lar surmised.
"Yes, Weyrleader," I said, nodding. "Compared to other browns, he is certainly well above the norm. Were it not for the color of his hide, you might easily mistake him for a bronze. He is strong, mature, and intelligent. And my instincts told me he was up to the flight."
"So this whole mess was nothing more than you following your instincts?" Lessa wondered, her anger only slightly diminished.
"I've learned to trust them, Weyrwoman," I said, looking directly at her. "Time and again they have saved my life and those of countless others."
"But no brown has ever flown a queen before!" Lessa exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation.
"When Pern was threatened with extinction," I spoke to her, "who found the courage to travel to the past to bring the five missing weyrs forward to fight Thread? Surely, no one had ever done that before."
"Scared the blazes out of me when you did, too," F'lar said, taking Lessa's hand in his.
"No woman had ever Impressed a fighting dragon before until Path chose Mirrim," I continued. "No dragon or rider had ever been to the Red Star before until F'nor and Canth tried."
"And no man had ever Impressed a queen before until you and Tarnaa found each other," Lessa finished, a slight quirk of a smile turning up the corner of her lips.
"Weyrwoman, nothing is ever done the first time until someone finds the courage to try," I said, mustering all the fervor I could.
"No one's ever had the audacity to stand toe-to-toe with Benden's Weyrwoman in an argument before, either," F'nor remarked as he and Brekke emerged from the sleeping chamber.
Tears poured from my eyes as I looked at the two of them, so radiant in their happiness. I ran to them, embracing them both.
"Dana … sister …" Brekke wept, hugging me tightly, "thank you!"
"Told you he could do it," I said, smiling at them, my own happy tears falling freely.
"Well, you two certainly didn't make it easy for us," F'nor laughed, picking us both up in a bear hug. "Stars above, what a flight!"
"You think you're surprised!" I chuckled, my face ablush once more.
"How did you do that?" Brekke asked, meeting my gaze. "Wirenth and I could feel you with us … a light, a warmth that filled us with such strength. It was as if you had become Wirenth!"
Brekke's happy expression instantly turned worried as she felt me stiffen, tearful eyes becoming fearful, uncertain.
"What is it?" she asked, her expression mirroring F'nor's concern.
"I …" I stammered, hands trembling as I recalled, "I think I almost did."
"Did what?" L'trel prodded when I hesitated.
"Become Wirenth," I croaked, nearly choking on the terror that threatened to overwhelm me.
"I don't understand," Brekke responded, shaking her head.
A brown rocket whizzed by, blurring about my head. Bolter's worried keening filled the air, his eyes yellow with fear. Goldie joined him, sending uneasy ripples through the gathered riders.
"Dana?" Ryeena called out, skidding to a stop in front of us. "Sylene says you're frightened. Your eyes! What happened?"
"Oh, Ryeena," I sobbed, hugging her tightly, an anchor against my violent trembling. "I'm scared!"
Don't cry, Lifemate, Tarnaa trilled, twining her neck around the two of us, radiating love like a beacon. You are safe now.
"What happened?" Ryeena asked, pulling back a bit so she could look at me.
"Somehow," I managed to say, fighting back sobs that threatened to explode from me, "somehow my consciousness projected itself into Wirenth's body. At first, it felt so wonderful. I've never felt such power, such strength, such grace."
"Then why are you frightened?" Brekke wondered, taking one of my trembling hands in hers, F'nor taking the other.
"Because," I wept, looking at each of them in turn, barely controlling my sobbing, "the longer I stayed Wirenth, the more her thoughts, feelings, and emotions became mine. Spirits of my ancestors, Brekke, I was becoming your dragon!"
"But you didn't," she quietly said, hugging me to her. "Look. Tarnaa's still here. So it must still be you in there." And she tapped my forehead for emphasis.
Looking up, I met Tarnaa's worried eyes, her unfettered adoration pouring into me. Sobbing, I hugged her around the neck, weeping against her soft dragon flesh.
In that tender interlude, I finally managed to recall what had happened. At the very moment of Canth's and Wirenth's joining, in one searingly lucid moment, I had been so terrified of never seeing Tarnaa again that I had savagely and ruthlessly torn my consciousness away from the mating pair. Like a spring stretched to its limits and then released, my mind had snapped back into my body. Stars, no wonder I'd been so stunned and disoriented!
"Oh, my heart," I wept, caressing her golden hide, "I thought I was going to lose you!"
Nothing will take you from me, Lifemate, she softly hummed, nuzzling my tear-stained face. Ever.
"She's right, Dana," Lessa quietly spoke, resting a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Dragons can't lie."
Patting my golden lifemate affectionately, I turned to face Ramoth's rider.
"Weyrwoman," I haltingly began, wiping tears from my cheeks, "about Canth …"
She held up a hand to forestall any further comment.
"Someone once told me," Lessa said, glancing over at Ryeena, "that the right path isn't always the easiest one."
Pride in my young friend from Misty Hold brought fresh tears to my eyes as I smiled at her.
"It was easy to follow tradition," Lessa sighed, looking around her. "We had done it this way for so long, we had grown comfortable with it. But by following the easy path, we had lost track of reason and instinct along the way."
You knew Canth could do it, Ramoth injected.
"Should've trusted my instincts the way you did, Dana," Lessa chuckled. "They were screaming at me to allow Canth to fly. I just couldn't bring myself to go against tradition."
"I'm not saying tradition doesn't have its place, Weyrwoman," I remarked. "Just once in a while, an exception may need to be made."
Lessa turned to F'nor and Brekke, a sad sort of smile on her lips.
"We'll have our apartments cleared out by nightfall," she sighed, giving them both a hug. "You'll be able to move in first thing in the morning."
"But why would you need to move at all?" I asked, suddenly uneasy. "You two are the Weyrleaders!"
"The rider whose dragon flies the queen becomes Weyrleader," F'lar explained, nodding to his half-brother. "The queen's rider becomes Weyrwoman."
"Spirits of my ancestors, no!" I gasped, hand flying to my mouth.
"If it's all the same with you," F'nor interrupted, giving Brekke a hug, "we'd rather leave Pern in far more capable and experienced hands."
"Lessa, we never wanted the Weyr," Brekke said, returning her lover's embrace. "All F'nor and I ever wanted was each other. But Benden, even Pern, needs the two of you as Weyrleader and Weyrwoman."
"Where would Benden – or all of Pern, for that matter – be if not for the two of you?" F'nor asked, laying a hand on his half-brother's shoulder.
"By now a ravaged, lifeless cinder," Manora said as she appeared from the Bowl entrance, "consumed and decimated by Thread." Smiling as she gave each of them a warm hug, she added, "If it hadn't been for the two of you, all that the Ancients had sought to create on this world would have vanished forever!"
"Please, Lessa?" Brekke quietly begged, taking her hand as she sank to a knee. "Be Benden's Weyrwoman."
"F'lar?" F'nor spoke, extending his hand to him. "Still Weyrleader?"
"And what of you, dragon healer?" F'lar asked, turning to me. "Where do your loyalties lie?"
Smiling as I gave F'nor and Brekke a hug, I answered, "Where they will always remain, Weyrleader, with my friends!"
Stepping over beside Tarnaa, one hand on her neck, Goldie ensconced on my shoulder, I added, "I will always remember that it was from Benden that my lifemate came, but as a healer, my first duty must be to my craft and Hall."
"Well, you certainly proved that today," Lessa commented, one corner of her lips curled up in a smile.
"Weyrwoman, it was my gift that called Wirenth from between," I quietly spoke, eyes downcast. "By that act, I became responsible for all the pain and suffering F'nor and Brekke have endured. As a healer and their friend, I had to do something to help."
Don't be sad, Lifemate, Tarnaa gently hummed, easing her head under my arm, her eyes a loving violet, Goldie trilling reassuringly as she headstroked my cheek.
"I can only hope that one day you find it in your heart to forgive me for what I did," I sighed, hugging my two winged friends to me.
"Dana, …" Lessa spoke, gently taking my hands in hers.
"Weyrwoman," I answered, sniffling back a tear.
"After all you have done for the Dragonriders of Pern," she said, smiling warmly, "I could hardly stay angry with you for long. Of course, I forgive you."
"Thank you," I quietly answered, a tear of joy sliding down my cheek.
"Do you want F'lar and I to remain Weyrleader and Weyrwoman here at Benden?"
"I want only what is best for Pern," I replied, glancing from her to F'lar. "Who better to lead Benden Weyr than the two who were ultimately responsible for saving this world from annihilation?"
All the gathered dragonriders nodded agreement.
Turning his weyrmate to him, F'lar gently lifted Lessa's chin.
"Guess we won't have to move after all," he chuckled, wrapping her in a warm embrace.
Cheers and applause filled the little weyr apartment; all of the dragonriders gathering around F'lar and Lessa to offer their support. Soon, their attention shifted to F'nor and Brekke, congratulations and good wishes filling the air.
"Care to wager how many eggs will be in Wirenth's upcoming clutch, dragon healer?" Lessa asked, grinning broadly.
"Weyrwoman!" I exclaimed, feigning shock and dismay. "Surely you're not one of those who counts their dragons before they're shelled, are you?"
That got a laugh out of everyone.
"Still," I said, facing Brekke and F'nor, "I've a feeling there'll be more eggs in Wirenth's clutch than anyone expects."
F'nor and Brekke both smiled, their eyes atwinkle.
"Now, I'm no Bitran," I added, grinning wolfishly, "but I will wager you this. There'll be two queen eggs …"
"Two?!" someone sputtered.
"And …" I continued, grinning broadly at F'nor and Brekke, "I wager the first three to hatch will all be bronzes!"
"Queens and bronzes?!" another rider guffawed, several others joining in his laughter. "From a brown?"
F'nor bristled at the slight to his lifemate, taking a step forward, but Brekke quickly laid a restraining hand on his arm even as my own pressed against his chest.
"Yes," I growled, turning to face the insulting riders. "Need I remind you, bronze riders, that poor, unloved, misbegotten brown …"
Never unloved, Wirenth silently crooned, her thoughts overflowing with adoration for her mate.
"… outflew, outlasted, and outsmarted the lot of you to fly Wirenth!"
Some of the riders turned away, shifting their feet absently, embarrassed by that reminder.
"Canth may be only a brown, but he is without a doubt the largest and most magnificent brown on all of Pern!" I carried on, absolutely the biggest grin possible on my face as I looked at F'nor. "And today, for one day at least, he proved himself better than any bronze."
Outside, Canth thundered smugly in agreement.
Stepping over to the first of the snickering riders, I asked, "Care to make a little side bet on the outcome, K'rath?"
"What did you have in mind?" he wondered, a smirk curling his lips.
"One hundred marks to the winner," I replied without batting an eyelash.
Somewhere in the room, someone whistled in astonishment.
"And the loser?"
"One sevenday in each and every Weyr, mucking out the weyrling barracks … alone."
Murmurs of disbelief echoed in the little apartment.
"Well?" I demanded, looking at the rider.
K'rath hesitated a moment, his expression reflecting the calculations he was doing in his head, weighing the odds and so on.
"Done!" he finally said, extending his hand.
I took the hand, pumping it twice in the traditional manner, sealing the deal.
"A strong wager," F'lar remarked, his eyebrows rising in surprise.
"A strong flight, Weyrleader," I replied, blushing furiously as I took F'nor's and Brekke's hands. "But their love for each other, both dragons and riders, was, by far, the strongest thing of all and well worth the risk in order to preserve it. I am certain no one will be disappointed with the clutch… no matter who ends up mucking out the barracks!"
"You will be there, won't you?" Brekke asked, hugging me tightly.
"Not even a planet-wide Threadfall would keep me from that happy moment, Sis!" I answered, grinning broadly as I returned her embrace.
Time passed, and when the moment finally came for Wirenth to clutch, she ended up laying an astonishing 39 eggs!
"Stars above!" Lessa whispered, staring in awe at the overwhelming number.
Brekke couldn't praise her beloved lifemate enough, and F'nor was all agrin with smug satisfaction! To top it all off, when Wirenth finally deigned to let anyone near the clutch, we discovered that she had, indeed, laid two massive queen eggs, putting an end to speculation on that part of my outlandish wager.
Hatching Day came all too soon, the tiers packed to bursting with Holders, Crafters, and Weyrfolk alike, all come to see what sort of hatchlings a brown-queen mating flight would produce. Having been an intimate part of most of it, I had no doubts about the outcome.
The gathered dragons began to hum, and, as they did, the eggs responded, rocking slowly at first and then with some urgency. Late-comers began racing across the sands to the tiers, hurrying to get the best view they could of the coming event.
Suddenly, the humming stopped, the Hatching Ground echoing with a collective gasp from the crowd. Faintly, a crackling sound could be heard. People in the tiers pointed excitedly as fissures could clearly be seen in one of the larger eggs. With a final resounding 'CRACK!', the shell burst open, and out of the shards emerged …
"A bronze!" the crowd gasped.
High above the sands on his viewing perch, Canth let loose a thunderous howl of pride and delight, Wirenth rumbling smugly along with him!
Then came the next surprise. To my own utter delight, the little bronze headed straight for Holder Gerrald's son, Bellar. The stunned delight on his face sent tears of joy cascading down my own as Gerrald's son Impressed the little bronze.
"When this is over, I must send word to his family," I managed to say around sniffles. "They'll be so proud!"
"Whoo hoo!" Ryeena called out, waving to her cousin. "Way to go, B'lar!"
Sitting on my right, Brekke gave my hand a grateful squeeze, her own tears falling freely. On my left, tears were also in F'nor's eyes, a proud and happy smile on his face.
"You can still back out of our bet," K'rath whispered from behind us.
"Worried?" I called back over my shoulder.
K'rath snorted but remained silent.
"But, Dana, what if you lose?" Brekke asked, giving my hand another squeeze.
"The bet means nothing, Sis," I sighed, gesturing at the activities on the Hatching Ground. "I won the moment Canth flew Wirenth!"
A second egg rocked violently, the shell fracturing into numerous pieces. To the accompaniment of many gasps and exclamations of disbelief, a second bronze emerged from the shards. Several lads rushed forward to right the hatchling as it overbalanced on its weak legs and fell. Crooning with delight, the little bronze nuzzled the smallest of the boys, Impression happening in the same instant.
At the same time, F'nor and Brekke seized me in a fierce embrace. Hardly surprising, for the small boy who had just Impressed was their son, Tillen, now bronze rider T'len.
"Only one to go," F'nor whispered, squeezing my hand as he planted a gentle kiss in my hair.
The third egg of Wirenth's clutch convulsed, splitting neatly in half. Every eye in the Hatching Ground turned my way as a third bronze staggered free of its shell. F'nor and Brekke threw their arms around me, hugging me tightly. On the sands, Wirenth bugled her elation, Canth echoing her cry from his viewing ledge above.
"Dana," K'rath mumbled, his voice sullen.
"Oh, don't worry about the bet," I said, turning to pat him on the knee. "A couple of spare marks will be just fine."
Sighing in relief, K'rath handed over the marks, his hand lingering on mine as he squeezed it gratefully.
In the end, a surprising number of the eggs hatched bronzes, more than anyone expected. Ramoth was beside herself with delight, having laid the egg Wirenth had hatched from. Even Mnementh seemed smug in that knowledge. But there was still one more surprise in store, one that I had had a hand in bringing about.
The day before the Hatching, I had made a rather surprising request. With the help of some of the local holders, many of whom had been at the Hatching the day Tarnaa and I had Impressed, three Benden dragons and riders were sent out to search for a very unusual guest. That same afternoon, a young woman was brought to my weyr, pale as death, her face tear-soaked.
"In there," T'gellan ordered, giving her a shove to get her feet moving.
"My thanks, T'gellan," I called after him. Turning to the woman, I asked, "What is your name?"
Tarnaa and Goldie instantly recognized our guest, hissing ominously the moment they laid eyes on her.
"Please, gold rider, my name is Mercina," she answered, dropping to her knees in fright. "Why have I been brought here?"
"To see justice done," I told her, pulling up a seat. "As I recall, your last visit to Benden Weyr very nearly cost you your life. Do you remember?"
Gulping loudly, the woman nodded.
"You were the one on the Hatching Ground that day who tried to Impress the queen, the one the Masterhealer had tried to refuse?"
If Mercina's face could have gotten any whiter, it did.
"Much has happened to both of us since that day," I sighed. "Look at my eyes."
The woman did … and gasped.
"The rider with the dragon eyes!" she whispered, backing away. "The masterhealer who called Wirenth from between! The one they say who changed into …"
"Into the woman you see before you," I finished for her.
Stark terror seized Mercina, her body trembling violently, her eyes so wide they seemed to dwarf her slender features.
"Mercy, my lady!" she cried, prostrating herself before me. "Truly, I meant no harm!"
Sliding out of my seat, I sat on the floor in front of her.
"Tell me what happened after you left here," I quietly beseeched her, slowly lifting her to a sitting position.
Thunderstruck, Mercina stared at me. Clearly, she had expected instant, searing death, but not this. Smiling kindly, I motioned for her to begin.
"My lady, you have no idea all that I have endured because of my one shameless moment of arrogance," she murmured, hands worrying in her lap, her eyes downcast.
"Then, please, tell me so I might understand," I said, giving her hands a reassuring squeeze.
And Mercina did … in exacting, heartbreaking detail. I was struck dumb by all that she told me. Her misfortunes had started the moment word reached her hold. She had been threatened, beaten, thrown out of her home, cruelly ostracized by family and friends alike. And all because she had dared to try to Impress a dragon.
"Yours was not an act of malice," I muttered, shaking my head in disgust, "but of desperate longing. In truth, who on Pern would not have done the same given the chance?"
Wordlessly, I rose to my feet then helped my visitor to hers.
"Mercina, please forgive me," I begged her, squeezing her hands. "I am truly sorry for what has happened to you because of me."
I waved Tarnaa over.
"Here," I said, taking Mercina's hand.
As I was about to place it on my lifemate's eye ridge, Tarnaa pulled back.
No, she growled, rumbling menacingly.
"My lady," Mercina spoke, smiling slightly, "it's okay. I understand."
"Well, it's not okay with me," I countered, turning to my dragon. "Search my heart, Tarnaa. Am I angry with her?"
No, she grunted.
"Search her heart, lifemate," I went on, gesturing toward Mercina. "Then tell me she deserved what happened to her."
Tarnaa whuffled Mercina up and down, her eyes slowly shading from angry red through uncertain orange to a neutral greeny blue.
You are right, lifemate, Tarnaa finally hummed, her eyes on my guest. I'm sorry.
Once more, I took Mercina's hand. This time, Tarnaa didn't move when I placed Mercina's hand on my lifemate's eye ridge.
At first, Mercina didn't move, her hand trembling. Then, with a very audible gulp, she began scratching Tarnaa's eye ridge. In moments, my dragon was humming contentedly, her eyes fully lidded with pleasure. Mercina sighed with relief.
I am sorry, Tarnaa hummed, nuzzling Mercina's face. Forgive me.
"My lady?" Mercina asked, clearly surprised by the display.
"She's just apologizing," I chuckled, patting my lifemate's neck. "Now that that's taken care of, will you allow me to make amends as well?"
"How?"
Without a word, I reached over on my bed and handed Mercina the white Candidate's tunic that was lying there.
For the longest time, Mercina stood there, dumbfounded, staring in utter disbelief at first the tunic then at me. Slowly, she took it, her hands trembling with awe.
The morning of the Hatching, she was near fainting as I led her out onto the Sands to join the other girls. Several of those in the tiers recognized who she was and began to taunt, heckle, and boo her. But Tarnaa's deafening roar of displeasure as she hovered above Mercina and I brought instant silence to the Hatching Ground.
With one last smile and a gentle squeeze of her hands, I made my way up into the tiers to watch the Hatching unfold.
I wasn't disappointed. Canth's and Wirenth's clutch was all I had hoped it would be and more. Seeing Holder Gerrald's son, Bellar, Impress the first bronze to hatch was a thrill. But nothing could match the leap of joy in my heart when the second queen to hatch moved unerringly to Mercina, the little queen's choice of lifemate startling everyone.
"Why?" Mercina asked, hugging her new lifemate as I came down to congratulate her. "After what I did to you, why?"
"As I told you … to see justice done," I quietly told her, giving the new queen a gentle scratch on her eye ridge. "You see, in all my travels around Pern, I never met a non-rider who didn't secretly long to Impress a dragon. The difference is, on that particular day, you alone out of all those in the tiers dared to do something about it. That took a great deal of courage and determination, worthy qualities in any dragonrider. If dreaming about Impressing a dragon is a crime, then we'd have to punish nearly everyone on Pern!"
"You can say that again!" B'lar exclaimed, giving his bronze Zidith a hug. "Stars know I got my backside smacked more than once when I was caught daydreaming about it when I should've been working."
"You should never have had to endure the hardships you did because of what happened that day, Mercina," I said. "Even then, I sensed a goodness in you, an aura that identified you as a mate to dragonkind. I just felt you deserved a second chance."
"I … I …" she stammered, finally bursting into sobs as she hugged her lifemate.
Turning to the visitors gathered in the tiers, I shouted, "Spread the word through every Hold, Hall, Craft, and Weyr. Tell all whom you meet that it was I who presented Mercina as a Hatching candidate."
"Having Impressed a queen," Lessa added, joining us on the sands, "she has proven beyond doubt her worth to dragonkind and restored her honor and that of her family."
"So spread the word to all who would listen," F'lar called loudly, smiling as he came up beside Mercina, "that she has earned the master dragon healer's favor … and that of Benden Weyr!"
"Count on us, Masterhealer, Weyrleaders," Lord Larad of Telgar shouted, raising a fist in the air. "The word will be spread!"
"Aye!" many others answered, mirroring the raised fist.
Bowing gratefully to them, F'lar, Lessa, and I turned and helped the latest queen rider lead her dragon out to the Weyr bowl to feed.