Death was promised the moment their dragons cracked their shells, Jurille overheard Koru patiently explaining to one group of weyrlings.
She was right, Jurille reflected, carrying a pitcher of klah to the table where Reema and Urlyra sat talking with several green and blue riders. Death lurked ever at the edges of every rider's mind during a Pass. Even queenriders, who by and large lived to see old age, lived with the dread of death by Threadscore. But it was the price to be paid for riding a dragon, and one they all willingly embraced.
Pilana had chosen to mourn in private, and Brinda circulated among the weyrfolk, offering words of comfort. Reema and Urlyra spent most of their time consoling J'kil's Wing, while B'ton spoke at length with K'laid, his Wingsecond. The Weyr was there, supporting each other in this as all other unfortunate events. The only thing that really prickled Jurille was not being able to answer of 'how'. She knew B'ton had requested the bronzepair remain Weyrbound, at least until Redell had been captured. Pilana had known of no reason for J'kil to leave, nor had a cursory search of his weyr produced any answers. Jurille couldn't even definitely point to Redell as the agent of death, although to rule him out would be equally foolhardy.
She refilled the riders' cups, eavesdropping unabashedly.
"What are we going to do tomorrow?" One red eyed greenrider asked.
"Same thing we always do, fight Thread." Replied another rider.
"No, I mean who is going to lead us?"
"K'laid with lead you this Fall. After that, we will either look at getting a new leader or second for the Wing." Urlyra explained as Reema thanked Jurille for the refill.
"Has anyone suggested why they left?" Jurille asked the other in a soft aside. Reema shook her head. "Valtree found a portrait of a man and woman wearing miners knot at the bottom of his clothes press. She's passed the inquiry onto the Masterminer. If nothing else it can at least eliminate a theory." Reema felt Jurille's frustration as deeply as her own. The not knowing was maddening.
Outside in the Bowl, Char stood feeding Vaeth bits of a sausage she had snagged before the grief and confusion had driven her out of the Lower Caverns.
Lybae appeared carrying two plates, her dragonet trotting alongside.
"Hey, Char," she called, and held out a plate to her.
"Oh, thank you, thank you." Char took the plate gratefully. "I hope Tress didn't make you leave the others to bring me this."
"Nope! Arseth wanted to see Vaeth." Both riders glanced to watch the green gamboling playfully around the halfgrown blue. Char grinned sheepishly, selecting a spot to sit down on the ground. Lybae followed suit.
"Don't tell Thelil, but she got accepted to Harper Hall." Lybae grinned conspiratorially.
"Really? That's wonderful!" Char beamed.
"I know! Valtree wants to hold a surprise celebration to announce it, so she asked me and Clakessa to arrange it. Can you keep Thelil busy while we decorate the Teaching weyr?" Lybae asked between bites, as the two dragons played touch nose, a variation of tag.
"I'd like that." Char agreed, as Arseth launched into a tackle, to catch Vaeth and win the game.
Joith banked slightly, catching an updraft. Pern spread out beneath vibrant bronze wings like a verdant velvet blanket . There were very few holdings out here, not that far from the mountains, but the occasional cleared feild broke the monotony with patchwork browns and loamy black soil in the the spring time carpet of new green.
L'stur was grateful for this long search, for part of him still felt responsible for the Weyr, and the untimely death of a good friend. It was a beautiful spring day, and the sun was warm on his back as Joith listened at his leisurely pace for the gentle mind touch of sleeping whers.
They had been searching for almost three hours when Joith informed him that the skys were not unoccupied.
Renth and K'lo of Benden. Joith warned as L'stur sheilded his eyes enough to make out the bluepair. The Benden pair changed course to intercept.
"Tell them we are searching for watchwhers." L'stur frowned, not seeking confrontation.
They don't care. Renth asks only if we know if Hapith and Yudnov are safe. Joith sounded as startled as L'stur. The bronzerider hesitated, then Joith added, Renth says Yudnov is K'lo's weyrmate.
"Take us down." L'stur whispered, and both dragons spiraled down. He wasn't sure what compelled him, but he had to look the bluerider in the eyes. Both riders unlatched their helmets as they slid off their dragons and met halfway between the dragons in the knee deep blooming grasses.
"Please, L'stur - don't tell me where they are. Just- just, tell me she and Hapith are alright. They're safe, right?" K'lo begged. It was the man's agony at not knowing that decided L'stur.
"She's alive and well, as is little Hapith." L'stur assured him, and K'lo let out a sob of relief.
"We couldn't- we couldn't hear them for so long, then a sevenday ago, Renth heard a distant echo. There are no secrets with dragons, we dared not contact her, not after what C'seld did to Thukem." K'lo explained in an agonized rush.
"What did C'seld do to Thukem?"
"You hadn't heard...?" K'lo's expression turned bleak. "C'seld told the women who paired with greens that training them to fight was a waste of Weyr resources, and Thukem challenged him, citing the Ballad of Xhinna. C'seld flew into a rage, screaming they wanted to see Pern fall to Thread- he -he tried to throttle her before the other bronzeriders pulled him off."
"Why didn't you petition the other Weyrs for intercession?" L'stur asked, appalled by C'seld's malfeasance.
K'lo rewarded him with a look of contempt. "After what happened to D'nae, how could any of us have any faith in the others Weyrs for intercession?" K'lo's cold words were a slap in the face of the former Weyrleader, and his breath hitched, shamed into momentary silence.
"I swear on my dragon, I did not know C'seld had gotten so out of formation. I am so sorry."
He said simply, looking apologetic. K'lo stared hard at him, then the tension drained from his shoulders.
"Renth says you really didn't know." K'lo looked down then back up. "I guess I can't be angry at you if no one told you. But now you know. What are you going to do about C'seld?"
"I don't know the details, but I know the queenriders are doing something." L'stur hedged.
"I asked what you are doing." K'lo pressed.
He cannot do anything. Our queens forbid us from flying to Benden. Joith interjected, sounding aggrieved. We would help if we could. We will help where we can. The bronze was so emphatic K'lo looked embassed.
"Forgive me, I overflew myself."
L'stur stepped closer, gripping the bluerider by the shoulder.
"No, K'lo, never apologize for doing the right thing, especially not to someone who should have known." Wordlessly K'lo nodded.
"Now, I cannot fly to your Weyr, but I can the Hold. Would you like to meet me there, with a letter for your weyrmate?"
Glanees and Redell were waiting in the Hatchery. Branth was brought in by two beefy guards, holdless men who had earned the right to carry swords in Redell's presence by their selfless loyalty to him. Barely able to move of his own accord due to the heavy chains wound around him, Branth fell to his knees before the WherLord and Lady.
"You know the charges that have brought you here." Redell stated.
"Y-yes, my lord." Brath's raspy voice was a bare whisper. Redell studied the pitiful wreck the man had been reduced to after a week in a cell with no light and no company, and found he derived no pleasure from the other's terror.
"And you have nothing to say in your defense?"
"I have done everything you have asked of me, my lord." Branth gasped out, daring not to hope.
"True. That is why I haven't already slit your throat myself. " Redell replied blandly. "My lady was in favor of turning you over to your victim's brothers. They are keen to skin you alive, and leave you tied to a rock as the sun rises." Redell personally disliked the Igen method of dealing with a rapist, but he did appreciate the detering effect it had on the holdless.
"While this is acceptable to me, I have taken your past service into consideration. There are plenty of others who would be willing to do the unpleasant tasks I ask of them, yet remain civil to all those under my protection." He paused. "I believe in second chances, so I offer you this opportunity. Prove you are redeemable." He took a step to one side, and for the first time, Branth could see a very small wher egg behind him on the heated sands. "If this egg hatches, and you manage to Impress its inhabitant, I will permit you to live, and remain in my service. But, if it fails to hatch, or you prove incapable of developing a bond with it, I will hand you over to the family of the girl you so terribly wronged." He shifted his glance to the guards.
"Unchain him. Guard the door. He is not to leave until I return." Redell turned to Glanees, who had not been in favor of this punishment at all, until Redell had explained his reasoning, and extended his hand to her. Graciously, she accepted and together they keft the Hatchery turned jail.
Joith dozed on the fireheights as L'stur purchased a mug of fresh klah from a holder near the entrance to the Hold. He wore his colors openly, and offered payment before the holder even had the opportunity to offer. Courtesy demanded the holder offer the cup for free, but L'stur had noticed the hostile looks he got when he landed, and chose instead to spread some goodwill and sixteenth Marks.
By the time K'lo joined him the older bronzerider had struck up a conversation with some of the Hold's children, and was answering their questions about dragons. K'lo smiled slightly as he neared, hearing the children asking if their Teaching Songs were true. The holder, seeing a second dragonrider, approached him with a fresh cup, and when he started to object, she told him it was already paid for by the bronzerider. K'lo accepted the drink with quiet gratitude. L'stur greeted him with a smile.
"Were you able to get in and out alright?" L'stur asked in a conversational tone once the holder shooed off the children.
"They're not paying attention. The bronzes are all waiting for Jentlth to rise." K'lo replied handed L'stur a message tube. "Please, tell Yudnov I-"
Jentlth rises.
The draconic announcement was so loud both dragonriders paused and looked Weyrward.
"Please, any bronze but Egoth..." K'lo muttered as L'stur half rose, his eyes tracking as his beloved Joith winging away from the fireheights.
"K'lo, may I impose upon you and Renth?"
Linguistic notes:
'I overflew myself' - Pernese idiom, meaning one overstepped their authority
A special thank you to everyone proofreading my chapters as they go. I read all of them, and with a little luck, next month I can go through and fix all of them. I'm sorry for being gone so long, I've moved from the Pacific Northwest to the American Southwest, its a bit of a change in environment, climate, living conditions and work. I won't stop writing, and with a little luck, I can get back to posting a chapter once a week. As soon as I finish this story, I'll finish Goldenfire, then return to Char and Vaeth's adventures in Wherleader.