Author's Note: Presenting for your reading enjoyment Chapter Six, in which our young friends go between for the first time. As always, please share your thoughts/reactions to the chapter. There might be a bit of a delay before the next chapter, as I'm going on vacation next week, but I'll try to do some writing while I'm at the beach so I have some chapters to post when I get home!

Chapter Six: Between

6.18.199

6th Interval

They took up nearly half of one of the smaller tables in the dining caverns, grouped around one end with full plates in front of them. No one was really eating though. Occasionally someone would pick up a piece of bread or stir half-heartedly at the crisp greens, but it was all for show. The Weyrlings anxiously awaiting the unknown couldn't stomach food at all, and the adult riders who knew what they were facing the next day were similarly disinclined to eat.

"The last class, they lost five the first day alone, and another three later on. When there're only twenty-four dragons in a clutch…those odds aren't very good."

"Thank you, L'tad, for those very reassuring statistics," P'lack said in a strangled voice. His face was pale as a sheet beneath the dusting of freckles, and Carima had a feeling that her face looked the same.

They could all do the math. Approximately 1/3 of all Weyrlings never made it out of training, and the majority of the casualties occurred when they attempted to go between for the first time: the exact task they would be facing the next morning. Even if an individual managed to make it through unscathed, the chances of losing a close friend were unbearably high.

Th'ron let out a tiny, unhappy sigh and fiddled with his now-cold mug of klah. "What's it like? I mean, I know what between is like, but how is it different to go for the first time on your own dragon?" He directed these questions to C'rin and K'say, the only full riders at the table.

C'rin mulled over his words before answering. "It's…different than just being transported. The sensation is the same, of course, but there's so much more to it. You have to hold that visualization more clearly in your head than you've ever done in practice. Your dragon has to know every detail of where he's going and be able to concentrate on it completely. Together, you have to be sure of your destination and completely confident in the outcome or else you'll lose control as soon as you go between. There was a boy in my class, rode a little green, and they were confident as can be. Volunteered to go first and just never came back. It took a while for us to realize they never would, and then the dragons started keening…" He trailed off, lost in the potency of the memory. His eyes went out of focus and Carima knew Shelth was giving his rider what comfort he could.

"It's not all bad though," K'say offered hopefully. "We only lost two in my class, and both of the riders were brainless wherries. As long as you stay confident and focused, you should have no trouble. And the relief and excitement of finally being able to go between is well worth the effort. Pretty soon you'll be able to blink in a moment to anywhere on Pern. Just think of that when you start feeling nervous.

He was trying to help, but Carima didn't feel like K'say's encouragement was very useful. There was nowhere else on Pern she would ever want to go…Telgar had always been her home. She would much rather stick to flying straight and not risk her life, or that of her precious green, in such a dangerous adventure.

Going between is important. We need it to be able to flame Thread. I will not lose us between. Our friends will also succeed. It's what we're meant to do.

Are you gossiping with the others? Carima questioned affectionately. She could imagine the dragons gathered together in the common room, discussing the following day's events just as their riders were.

Of course. What else do we have to do when our riders go where we can't go? There was a hint of bitterness in Mayath's voice. She had been petitioning Carima since she was practically out of the shell to be allowed to go to the dining caverns and try human food in a human environment, but Carima had refused to let her when she was small for fear of giving her indigestion. Now she was far too big to fit. Mayath didn't have the best of memories most of the time, but she always seemed to carry that resentment when Carima retreated to the dining caverns for meals.

We'll be done soon, Carima promised. We'll all want to get a lot of sleep before tomorrow.

No need to chance things because they'd stayed up talking away the night, Carima thought negatively. Despite her dragon's confidence, she still felt as if she might throw up if she tried to speak.

They were all showing their nerves in different ways. L'tad was even more pessimistic than usual, reciting all the gruesome betweening incidents he could remember, including the hideous story known by every Weyrling of the pair who ended up embedded in the stony Weyr walls. P'lack talked more than ever, dominating the conversation with questions and speculations, while P'larn stuck even closer to his more verbose brother. Th'ron seemed to have shrunk into himself, the inches he'd picked up over a full turn of Weyrling training melting away until he looked just like the small, scared boy he used to be. Mariko was as silent as Carima, but she was in constant motion, tearing up her napkin, fiddling with her hands, or inspecting her nails. The nervous energy probably hid her keen mind running in frantic circles, trying to remember every lesson they'd ever had about going between.

"I think I'm going to go to bed," Carima suddenly announced. She couldn't stand it a second longer, sitting and wondering if it would be the last time the group of friends ever gathered together. She would only make herself sick with worry if she stayed. She needed to be with Mayath now.

Before anyone could answer she bolted from the caverns. She made it halfway to her shared weyr before she had to stop and let out a thin trickle of vomit. She'd hardly eaten anything in the past sevenday, it seemed, so there was little to come up.

K'say found her there and helped pull back her unruly curls, gently rubbing her back as he did so. "It's no shame to be scared," he said when she was finished. They sat on the hard floor and leaned against the wall. Their arms brushed against each other and Carima enjoyed the comfort of human touch. Weyrling training prohibited any sexual relationships, and it had been a long time since she'd been that close to someone, even if it was an entirely innocent encounter.

"I'm not ashamed," Carima replied quietly. "I just don't like to worry the others. It's always been easier to be the strong one and forget about my own fears or weaknesses. If they see me breaking down, it might make things worse for them."

"Regardless of what you do, they will either survive or fail on their own. There's nothing you can do to help."

"And that's the hardest part!" Carima cried out, knocking her fist against the wall in frustration. "I can teach them how to read maps and do their figures and learn coordinates. I can put in extra practice time when they're not completing the firestone toss. I can even cover for them if they show up to class late. But I can't do anything now. We could all come back, or we could all be lost, and it's not up to me. This time it's just about what Mayath and I can do. And it scares me."

"I'm scared too. It's been a long time since I've known so many Weyrlings in one class. I don't want to lose any of you." He cocked his head and a ghost of a smile crossed his face. "Cirinth says you and Mayath will come home safe because he doesn't want to lose his Little One. Faranth forbid you disappoint him!"

"We won't," Carima replied with a hint of a grin. They sat there for a moment longer and it was only when a passerby gave them a strange look that she realized how odd they must look, sequestered together in the shadows. If T'rut found her in such a compromising position with a male rider, no matter how harmless the encounter actually was…

"I should really get back to Mayath," she said firmly, standing up decisively. "Thank you, K'say."

"My pleasure," the young bluerider answered, watching her affectionately. "I'll see you tomorrow night for dinner."

Carima nodded and continued down the path to the weyr. Mayath was waiting for her to arrive, eyes spinning slowly in the dark weyr. For the first time in months, Carima avoided her bed and curled up next to Mayath on her couch. The heat from the green's body would keep Carima warm, and the comfort of physical connection would lull her to sleep and make the long hours until morning melt away.

She was asleep in seconds.

6.19.199

6th Interval

"All right, everyone. I want you all to listen to me very carefully. Today's the day you're going between for the first time, and I want to make it perfectly clear that some of you will not be coming back. Going between is extremely dangerous, and I've never yet had a class where we didn't lose at least one pair. However, I have every confidence in you today. You've all mastered your visualizations and the proper protocol for going between. You're ready for the next step, and I'm very proud of you."

Carima was shocked. The taciturn, grouchy Weyrlingmaster actually seemed to be showing emotion. There was a rough quality to his voice that was different than his usual gruffness, as if he was struggling to hold back his feelings. Of course, it didn't mean he felt that way about her, but it was nice to know that T'rut wasn't a complete tunnelsnake all the time.

"Now, I need a volunteer. Who wants to go first?"

The day they'd flown for the first time with their dragons, there had nearly been a brawl over who went first. The bronzeriders all felt like they should be first, never mind any riders of the other colors who might have wanted to go. T'rut had neatly solved the dilemma by picking one of the calmer blueriders to start things off, but the day had been filled with excitement and anticipation.

The atmosphere couldn't have been different now. The riders were solemn and quiet, not speaking to their neighbors and watching T'rut anxiously. Even the young dragons were subdued, with no display of their normal high spirits. No one seemed particularly inclined to volunteer to go first. There was a slow but steady shuffling of feet as the young riders tried to disappear from the front of the group. If T'rut could see them, T'rut could pick them to go first.

"I'll go."

Carima bit back an involuntary gasp as a familiar voice rang out over the quiet bowl. Mariko stepped to the front of the group, looking tense but resolute.

"Very well. You and Caleyth will meet us in the air and then go between to the other end of the bowl before flying straight back. Make sure Caleyth checks her coordinates with Pelth before you go."

Mariko nodded before climbing up Caleyth's golden shoulder and onto her neck. The queen now dwarfed all of her clutchmates, though she would never be as large as some gold dragons, and she had retained her delicate pale coloring. With Linneth getting older, the hopes of populating the Weyr for the upcoming Pass rested on Caleyth.

Carima couldn't be entirely surprised that Mariko volunteered to go first. The other girl preferred to lead by example and actually do things, in contrast to Carima's explanations and verbal encouragement. One day Mariko would be Weyrwoman, and it was appropriate that she was acting as an example to the others.

That didn't mean Carima was glad she was going first. She didn't know what she would do if she lost the girl she'd lived with for an entire Turn and come to rely on for her easy company and constant support. Not to mention what losing a queen would do to all the dragons of the Weyr. Since her Impression of Mayath, a few of the older riders had died and their dragons had gone between. Every time the mournful keening of the dragons had haunted her sleep, and Mayath's hide had been tinged with gray for days. Losing any dragon was terrible, but losing a queen would be much worse.

Carima stood close to Mayath and they both watched Caleyth take off and climb until she was level with the indigo blue Pelth.

She will be fine, Mayath told Carima, but she held her breath anyway when Caleyth and Mariko abruptly disappeared.

1…

2…

3…

"Yes!" Carima pumped her fist in the air when a glittery golden figure appeared at the other end of the bowl. The Weyrlings let out a ragged cheer to release tension as the queen began flying back to the group.

"That was great," Carima said when Mariko had hopped off of Caleyth and bounced over. The two shared a hug, and Carima could feel the chill of between still lingering on her friend's skin. Caleyth too was excited and enthusiastically butted Mayath, sending her smaller sister sprawling.

Now that the first pair had emerged successfully, the other Weyrlings seemed to be more confident. The bronzeriders pushed their way to the front and commenced arguing over who would go next. Carima was somewhat surprised that Th'ron, normally so quiet and non-confrontational, managed to go second out of the whole group. She was completely unsurprised, however, that he was as successful as Mariko. The young bronzerider was one of the smartest people she knew, and always completed training exercises perfectly.

Once all the bronzes had gone, the browns naturally went next. P'lack had been near the front of the group and his Shirth bounded into the air eagerly. P'lack waved cheerfully to those on the ground and then they blinked between.

Carima was counting along with the rest, and when the mental numbers stretched to five, then six, then seven, her gut contracted. She knew without hearing Mayath say mournfully, Shirth is no more, that they were lost. The hair-raising sound of the dragons honoring their dead came from every corner of the Weyr, but above the general din a primal shriek pierced the gloom.

"P'lack!" P'larn collapsed on the ground, writhing and screaming as the realization that his twin was gone hit him. Tellineth hovered over his rider and a series of painful groans emitted from the brown as he tried to protect P'larn and mourn Shirth at the same time.

The shocked faces of the other Weyrlings blurred as Carima and Mariko rushed over to P'larn's fallen figure. Their dragons were close behind, and Carima knew Caleyth in particular would be putting aside her own pain to help the grieving pair.

"Move over, Tellineth, we need to get to P'larn if we want to help him," Carima shouted over the crying of the dragons. It took her pummeling the hard shoulder before the dun-colored dragon inched over enough to let the two girls through to P'larn. His face was covered in dirt except where a constant flow of tears streaked down in two trails.

"What will I do without him?" P'larn asked hysterically, his eyes wild and bloodshot. "He was always the leader. He took care of me. I can't live without him."

Tellineth bellowed at this statement and his eyes whirled red as he butted his rider in the shoulder. Every one of them heard his vehement statement, I am here, P'larn, and you will not leave me!

"Out of the way, all of you!" T'rut's voice was constricted and fierce as his dragon landed and he shoved his way through the crowd. "Get ahold of yourself, boy," he said, gripping P'larn by the shoulders. "Let your dragon help you. I know none of us can understand what you're dealing with, but you can't shut him out."

Despite T'rut's harsh words Carima could tell that the Weyrlingmaster was grieving deeply at the loss of one of his charges. Somehow, having the Weyrlingmaster tell him what to do cut off P'larn's wailing and gave him a measure of control over himself. The Weyrlings watched silently as T'rut and Tellineth accompanied P'larn out of the bowl and back to the weyr they had until now shared with P'lack and Shirth.

They did not visualize correctly, Mayath told Carima sadly. They were very confident, and they did not double check with Pelth's rider. They got lost and could not find their way back.

Carima relayed this information to Mariko, whose eyes were watery. Carima could feel tears dripping down her own face, and when Th'ron and L'tad made their way through the crush the four of them came together in a messy hug.

"It wasn't supposed to happen this way," L'tad said brokenly. "I knew we'd lose some, but I didn't think it would be any of us. Not really."

"I know…you feel so invincible when you fly, but even one mistake can get you killed," Th'ron agreed.

After that they lapsed into silence. There was really nothing else to say. T'rut returned in about ten minutes. "The Weyrwoman is with P'larn," he announced, "but he won't be rejoining us. I need a volunteer to go next."

The Weyrlings exchanged panicked looks. After losing P'lack, absolutely no one wanted to go next. Even the dragons seemed nervous at the idea of attempting to go between. The loss of one of their own had revealed the danger of the exercise far more than any of T'rut's dry lectures.

Shirth would want us to go, Mayath said softly. No matter what happened to him, we must still go. We're meant to do it.

Mayath was right. "We'll go, sir," Carima said softly. Every head swiveled in her direction, but she looked straight ahead, focusing on the familiar face of the Weyrlingmaster. If she looked at any of her friends, she might lose her nerve. She didn't think she'd ever be able to muster the courage to finish the exercise unless she did it now.

"Very well," T'rut said with none of his normal antipathy. "When you get in the air, make sure you check your coordinates with me before you go between."

Once Carima was securely strapped into the harness, Mayath leapt skyward, though without her normal exuberance. Once they were hovering next to Pelth, Carima closed her eyes and recreated with exacting precision their targeted destination across the bowl. Once she was satisfied with the image, she shared it with Mayath and told the green to send it to Pelth.

Pelth says our image is clear. We can go between when we are ready.

"Then let's go," Carima said before she had time to regret the decision.

The world disappeared before she even had time to take a breath. The bitter cold penetrated through the thick leathers and chilled her to the bone. She couldn't feel Mayath between her legs or the harness straps or any part of her body; just the cold and the utter, echoing silence.

I am with you, came Mayath's voice, and then they burst into the sunlit bowl, exactly where they had visualized it, and Carima realized she was crying again.

"We did it," she said, reaching down to thump Mayath's shoulder as the green stroked smoothly back across the bowl to the waiting Weyrlings.

"Well done," T'rut called to them, and for once Carima felt like the Weyrlingmaster was actually proud of her.

Mariko and Th'ron met her with hugs when she jumped down, and the other Weyrlings offered their congratulations. They settled down to watch the rest of the class go, hoping that the worst was over.

It wasn't. By the end of the lesson they lost three other Weyrlings, two greens and a blue. It was horrible every time, the dawning realization that they wouldn't reappear and the dragons' lament echoing throughout the Weyr. All the dragons' hides were gray and dull by the end of the lesson and their eyes were laced with agitated red.

Carima leaned against Mayath's side as the last pair appeared at the other end of the bowl. We made it, she told the green softly.

Yes. I told you we would.

But not everyone made it…

No. It is sad, and we will not forget them, but we will continue to do what we must. Thread will be coming soon.

Yes.

Thread would be coming soon, and they would probably lose more friends in the coming days. For now, though, they had survived, and that was all they could ask for.