J'ray not only carefully looked over the green dragons in his wing that evening at practice, but he asked Oeth to do so, as well. None of them are proddy, his dragon reassured him. Can we fly now?

J'ray gave the signal, and all of the dragons moved into formation. With a last cursory glance at his wing, he gave the signal to launch upward. After another signal, they went between to a spot high above a grove of fruit trees some distance from Ista Hold.

"All right," J'ray called out, Oeth relaying his message to the other dragons to be passed on to their riders. "Fly!" he called out, signaling again

The dragons went into a dizzying display of swoops and turns, demonstrating how they would protect the fruit grove when Thread started falling again. From Oeth's back, J'ray enjoyed the cool rush of air on his face as his dragon picked up speed, but the critical portion of his mind made notes about where his wing's flying could improve. B'fit, so lazily cheerful on the ground, was flying like a madman, with far more speed than J'ray would have thought capable of Merth. B'fit needed to be careful, though, because he was flying dangerously close to M'len's air space.

I will tell Merth to be more careful, offered Oeth.

Go ahead, then, J'ray replied.

After a short pause, Oeth said, He promises.

When the sun started to set, J'ray halted the wing. "F'sal, you're flying too low. I know it's not a problem right now, but you have to imagine the queen's wing below you. S'per, remind Fisith to keep her head up for the same reason. If the Weyrleader agrees, we'll practice with another wing tomorrow. B'fit, old man..."

"Yeah, yeah, Oeth told us. Mind our own air space."

"All right then. Let's head back."

"Can we get some of those redfruits first?" asked B'fit, staring at the largest tree, longingly.

"Seriously?"

"Won't take but a second," B'fit said, with a wink. He climbed onto Merth, fastened his straps, and the two flew straight up to the tree. Merth slowed enough that he seemed to hover in the air as they came within arm's reach of the redfruit tree, and B'fit, with great aplomb, snagged one right off the branch.

The whole wing, including a reluctantly laughing J'ray, applauded the pair's skill before they blinked between back to their own weyrs. J'bie, the youngest bluerider in J'ray's wing, tagged along behind B'fit as they checked their straps and put their flying gear away, asking him questions about how he had mastered his trick.

Sakora opened the door to the Weyrleader's office when J'ray knocked. N'mon, the gray-haired Weyrleader smiled at J'ray over her shoulder and motioned for him to enter. "I'll leave you two to speak in private," Sakora said, closing the close behind her, with an impish smile.

"Sit down," N'mon said, genially. "I saw your wing leaving today. They looked good. Are they flying as well?"

"It's hard to be objective," J'ray admitted. "I always see room for improvement. I've been accused by B'fit of being too hard on them all at times."

N'mon chuckled. "In that case, I would think that you are being just hard enough. I would like to see your drills, though. Would you object to me showing up to watch some time?"

"Not at all. In fact, the reason that I came to talk to you is that I think we are ready to start drilling with the other wings. Would you want to share a practice with us?"

N'mon grinned broadly. "Are you still training over the western redfruit grove?" At J'ray's nod, N'mon added, "See you there, then. Right after noon, so don't eat too much to fly fast!"

J'ray said nothing to his wing that evening about their plans, and Oeth seemed more than happy to keep the secret from the other dragons when he asked, as well. To J'ray's surprise, however, N'mon did not arrive alone the next day; Sakora and Loya were both on their golden dragons when J'ray and his wing assembled above the fruit grove, as well as two of the female greenriders. All of the women were suited up to fly, and Sakora and Loya had flamethrowers with them.

The queens are happy that they were invited to join us, Oeth reported, delight in his voice. J'ray did not bother pointing out that he had not been the one to think of issuing the invitation; it must have been N'mon's idea. He hoped that the presence of the two queen dragons would urge his wing to execute their drills even better than their previous practices—and not make their riders too nervous to perform well.

I always try my best, Oeth said, following his thoughts.

I know. Let's show the Weyrleader you're the best right now, all right?

With Oeth's happy consent ringing in his head, J'ray watched for N'mon to signal the beginning of the drill. The riders excitedly fed their dragons firestone from the sacks that N'mon and the queens had brought along, the Weyrwomen helping to distribute it while giggling over the silliness of doing weyrlings' work. Then the wings went between to the same configurations in which they had arrived in the air. At another signal, they began to swoop and perform a series of aerial maneuvers that J'ray had memorized from the Records. Oeth made an exultant figure-eight, and J'ray felt a surge of adrenaline flood his veins.

J'ray was just about to ask Oeth to give the command for the wing's landing when Oeth said urgently, Jusuth says J'bie wants to grab some leaves from that tree on the cliffside! He's unbuckling his straps—

Stop the little fool! J'ray saw the bluerider swoop down, around and below the queens, and realized that he was too late. He pictured the coordinates where he wanted his dragon to go and felt the cold of between instantaneously. He popped back into the warm air just above the cliff's level and saw J'bie reaching out to grab a handful of leaves from one of the highest trees right below him, when suddenly the boy tumbled loose from his seat on Jusuth.

Under him! J'ray told his dragon, and he noted the queens, N'mon's bronze, and the browns

from his wing gathering below them both, ready to catch J'bie if J'ray and Oeth couldn't. If only we could get a little lower, J'ray wished, and a little to the right. Oeth pulled the location from J'ray's mind and took him there, blinking between and back, leaving J'ray with a startled sensation that time had somehow stopped or gone backwards a few seconds in the time it took to go between.

Finding himself below the falling bluerider, J'ray lifted his upper body as far off his dragon as his straps would allow; with a bellow of triumph, he felt J'bie drop heavily into his arms. He managed to get the bluerider over Oeth's back, his arms holding the young man's body in place. Suddenly, Oeth let out a piercing scream of pain, and they started their own descent, entirely too fast. J'ray heard himself scream as well as Oeth's pain flooded through him.

My wing! screamed Oeth, his link with J'ray seeming to falter momentarily and then returning like a searing burn in his brain.

"STAY WITH ME!" Later, J'ray wasn't sure if he screamed out loud or not. All he could remember was Oeth's pain and how his mind's openness to his dragon's suffering made him feel like his own left shoulder-blade was being ripped out of his skin. Oeth, you MUST stay with me! he begged.

It hurts! He heard Oeth and felt a quick burst of relief through the terror and pain. But I will try not to leave you!

J'ray was aware of a hard landing, but his thoughts were too full of Oeth's pain to become aware of his own. "Stay! Stay with me! If you go between, we will all die! You, me, J'bie, and Jusuth!" The screams tore from his throat, and he fought the urge to pass out. I have to stay with Oeth. I will stay with Oeth!

"Get some numbweed and some fellis juice, immediately!" The last thing he heard was a woman's voice, and then he passed out.