Charel gawked. There was no other word to describe the way her head swiveled back and forth as the entered the main gates of Telgar Hold.
"So pup, what do you think?" Reelon asked as they moved the herd through the main thoroughfare in the late afternoon.
Charel wrinkled her nose, unaware that Keslo and Old Larst were also listening.
"It's big, but it's also too crowded," she said, as Old Larst burst out laughing.
"Oh, she's your seed, Reelon~" He laughed, nudging his runner ahead to steer a wayward bull back in line.
"If it's any consolation," Keslo offered, slowing up his runner so he was riding along side of her, "I prefer the open range to the Holds myself."
"I'm sure it's a very nice Hold," Charel said, trying to defend her position. "And I think I might like to visit it during a Gather, but I'm not certain I'd like to be surrounded by all these people all of the time." She explained as the herd moved past holders returning from their daily tasks for the evening meal.
"You might consider getting used to the idea, pup. Halls are just as crowded." Reelon warned.
"They are?" Charel asked and mulled the idea over as they brought the herd into the large covered corral. Once the herd was settled and she drew water for the trough, she and Reelon joined the other drovers as they enjoyed a dinner with Telgar's nightwatch. One of the nightwatch wore a knot similar to a dragonrider's knot, but with a silver cord in place of the dragon's color. Keslo beckoned them over, pointing to the seats next to him, and opposite the not-dragonrider. The nightwatch not-dragonman glanced at her perplexed look.
"Something wrong lad?"
"I've never heard of a silver dragon," she replied, not seeing any point in correcting the older man. The nightwatch crew chuckled, and the not-rider smiled chagrined, recognizing his mistake.
"That's because I'm a wherhandler, lass." He explained, passing her a platter of sliced wherry. "But good eye. Most people aren't familiar with my knot, and assume I work for the Weyr."
"That's silly. No Weyr has the same colors as the Hold, and you are also wearing watch leathers." Charel said, and passed her father a basket of dinner rolls.
The wherhandler smiled faintly at that, then glanced at Reelon. "Your lass is sharp. Ever consider her for wherhandling?"
Reelon looked over at Charel, who was pinking at the not so subtle compliment.
"I rather thought she might like to decide that for herself." He replied, taking a long drink of the small ale poured into his cup. The wherhandler looked back at Charel.
"Would you like to meet my green?"
Jurille found Urlyra and Reema playing cribbage in the Council Room, not all that uncommon an occurrence, given that Thread was due the following afternoon. A half-eaten plate of tartlets and an almost empty pitcher of klah suggested that they had been going at it for some time.
Smiling at the competitive silence between the two Jurille helped herself to the last of the klah, now cold, and nibbled on a bogberry tartlet, as she studied the scoreboard. The red peg was two holes ahead of the blue peg, but both pegs were less than ten holes from the finish. If the players were careful and played their cards right, they could conceivably peg out without having to count their hands. With a fierce frown Reema discarded two cards. Urlyra, clearly loathing to part with her discards added her two cards to the crib. She then cut the deck for Reema, who turned up a five.
Wilth says Reema has a run from seven to ten, but Freeth says Urlyraa has two fives, an ace and a four. Graesth informed her unbidden. Jurille hid her smile behind her mug. Urlyra had already won, if she could keep Reema from pegging.
"Start." Reema stared at Urlyra. Urlyra laid down her four of dragons, face up. Reema made a face, and played her ten of hammers. Grinning Urlyra played her ace, and moved her peg even to Reema's. Scowling Reema played her nine of hammers. Blandly Urlyra played her five of dragons.
"Go." Grumbled Reema, as Urlyra took another point. With a sigh Reema played through her cards, finally collecting a solitary point, as Urlyra showed her entire hand.
"Fine, you win!" Reema threw her cards down and mock glared at Urlyra who gleefully shuffled the cards together.
"What was the wager?" Jurille asked curiously.
"Point, for tomorrow's Fall." Reema grimaced theatrically. Jurille chuckled appreciatively. When Graesth wasn't tethered to the Hatching Grounds flying point in the Queens Wing would be her duty. In her absence, Urlyra and Reema, being the same age, had been jockeying for the privilege.
"What are you hearing from the ground crews?" Jurille asked.
"About the father's obligation?" Urlyra asked, dealing each of them five cards as Reema added yellow pegs to the peg board. "Nothing much, mostly it's about the weather and the harvest, although Holder Ramis won't shut up about his prize winning runner." The queenriders laughed.
"Has anyone told him that a fast runner is that much a sweeter meal to our beasts of burden?" Reema asked with a wicked grin.
I resemble that remark. Wilth informed all three queenriders.
So do I. Graesth chimed in.
Not I. Slow ones are just as tasty and I don't have to work so hard to catch them. Freeth disagreed. Their riders snickered.
"Well, two out of three beasts of burden then." Jurille grinned, and started the count.
Another short chapter this week, so I could do a really good job on the next two chapters (had to break up the mega chapter I had into three smaller units). Next week, watchwhers and dragons, oh mai~
As always, please correct me if you catch something out of place.
Lastly, for those of you that have read Todd's ... er contibutions to the world of Pern, has he ever written about twin dragonets being hatched from the same egg?