The light was almost gone from the sky by the time Sarla climbed down from the last of the boulders, and she was very tired. She could see light coming from all the windows and the big main doors of the Hold, and began making her way toward them. She hoped no one had been hurt in the earth shake. She clung to the wooden dragon Tabby had given her; no one could tell her he wasn't real now. She was so tired… she blinked in surprise as a dragon landed by the main doors – Graith! She began to run, her weariness forgotten in the relief of getting home.
Dralina was sick with worry. No one had seen Sarla all day, and then the earth shake had caused a rockfall in the very tunnel she had been exploring when she saw… whatever it was that she saw. Several men had begun shifting the rocks, but it appeared that the entire tunnel had collapsed. Dralina had sent Sudina's fire lizard to the Weyr to inform M'rel; she now waited outside for him to arrive, her face haggard. She could just make out Graith's dark form circling to land.
M'rel was off of his dragon before his wings were furled. "What's happened?" M'rel demanded. His face was anxious; Graith's eyes whirled yellow. "Where is she? Is she all right?"
"There was a rock fall in the tunnel she keeps exploring," Dralina said, her voice trembling. She would have wept, but her eyes were sore from weeping. "We don't know that she was in there, but no one's seen her since this morning, and we haven't found her yet." M'rel sagged, leaning back against Graith, his face twisted in anguish and fear for his daughter. Suddenly Graith rumbled in surprise, turning his head to stare along the outer wall of the Hold.
"What is it, Graith?" The faceted eyes were whirling faster than ever.
She is coming, he said, sounding surprised. M'rel turned to follow the dragon's gaze, straining to see through the dusk. "What? Who? Who's coming?"
Sarla is coming!
"Sarla?!" M'rel gasped. Dralina gasped at him. "Sarla?! SARLA!"
"DRALINA! FATHER!" Now they could see the small figure running toward them. M'rel ran to meet Sarla, scooping her up; Dralina caught up with him and hugged her, laughing and crying and scolding all at once.
"Sarla, where have you been? What are you doing out here? I've been so worried about you – there was a rockfall in that tunnel you keep going down – "
"I know, I know!" Sarla interrupted, still gasping for breath. "The tunnel collapsed and I had to go out through the hole in the wall!"
"What hole? What hole?"
"There was a place where the outside wall was fallen. I think it was from that rockfall that other time… you know…" She hurried on in her excitement. "I had to climb down a lot of boulders! And then walk all the way back here around the outside!"
"You'll have to show us sometime," M'rel said, laughing. "I'm just so glad you're all right! You really had us scared!"
"Gracious, yes!" exclaimed Dralina. "Sarla, you had me scared to death! Oh, I'm so angry with you – but oh, you're all right!"
Sarla squirmed out of her father's grasp and threw her arms around Dralina. "I'm so sorry I scared you! But I was scared myself, too!"
Dralina began hurrying her toward the entrance. "Oh, never mind me, let's get you inside and get you something to eat! Oof, what's that you're digging into me?" Sarla held out the dragon as they reached the light. Dralina stopped to get a better look. "Where in the world did you get this?"
Sarla didn't know what to say. Dralina stared at her, then pulled her into the kitchen and sat her down in front of the fire. "I'll just be a moment, Sarla… here, have some klah while I go get the stew." Sarla obediently began sipping the klah… she suddenly felt very sleepy. Dralina returned with the stew, then left to make sure everyone knew that Sarla had been found. Sudina found her with her head down on the table, fast asleep, clinging tightly to a beautifully carved wooden dragon.
Sarla awoke slowly, aware that she had been allowed to sleep late for the second time in less than a sevenday. She was stiff all over. As she stretched out in bed she bumped into something hard. Startled, she sat up, searching under the furs to see what it was. Her hand found the wooden dragon, and she gasped, suddenly awake, as she remembered the events of the day before. Tabby was gone – no one else had ever even seen him – but he had found Nirella, he wasn't lonely or scared anymore. And he had given her, Sarla, his greatest treasure – his mother's carved dragon. Sarla felt like crying. No one would ever believe what had happened.
She got up and slowly got dressed. She was going to have to face everyone again. Maybe the other children would already be at their lessons and wouldn't bother her until after she got something to eat. She walked down the hall, still carrying the wooden dragon; she was half afraid it, too, would disappear. No one was in the Dining Hall, so she got herself some klah and bread from the hearth. She wondered how late it was; she could hear the women in the kitchens.
"Sarla! You're up!"
She jumped, nearly spilling her klah, and turned around. Sudina had looked out of the kitchen and seen her. She stood up as the Headwoman bustled over.
"You've had a good sleep! I'm so glad you weren't hurt in that shake yesterday! Where in the world did you get that?" She had spotted the wooden dragon on the table. "You were holding it so tight we couldn't get you to let go last night, even after you fell asleep! Did you find it back in those old tunnels?"
Put on the spot, Sarla wasn't sure whether to tell the truth or make something up, but Sudina's words helped her. "Yes, I – I found it," she said hastily. She hoped Sudina wouldn't be able to tell she was fibbing. After all, she had found it – in the chest that Tabby told her to open. She shivered and drank some more klah. "Where is everyone?"
Sudina laughed. "Don't you remember, this is a restday! And there's no Threadfall, so everyone's outside enjoying the sun. Why don't you go tell Dralina that you're up so she knows you're all right? You really had everyone worried yesterday, with those rockfalls in the tunnels you're always running off to. How in the world did you end up outside the Hold?"
Sarla quickly explained. "There was a place where the rocks had already fallen and the wall was gone. I was able to climb out that way when the roof fell in." She shivered again, remembering how scared she had been.
"Well, thank goodness you got out safely! Go on now, I think Dralina took her mending outside." She gave Sarla a little push toward the main doors and bustled back to the kitchen to tend to the roasts.
Sarla walked slowly through the doors and out into the bright sunshine. It was late in the morning; the shadows were getting short. Dralina was sitting just outside, smiling at the antics of some of the boys playing further out. Some of the other women had brought their handwork outside as well. She walked over to Dralina, quickening her step as her foster mother looked up and saw her coming. Dralina smiled. "Good morning, sleepyhead!" she teased. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm all right. I feel fine," Sarla said. "Just stiff from climbing down those rocks, I guess..."
Dralina stood and took her hand. "You've got some scratches here, too... What's that?" She grabbed Sarla's other hand, which held the dragon. "Oh, yes, that dragon! Where in the world did you get that, anyway?"
"I - I found it," Sarla said uncomfortably, avoiding her foster mother's eyes. Dralina gave her a sharp look.
"Why don't we go walk for a bit, Sarla?" Sarla nodded yes. Dralina set her workbasket on her chair, out of the dust, and they walked off together. Once they were out of earshot of anyone, Dralina began to speak, not looking at her. "Are you telling the truth, Sarla?" she asked sternly.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't pretend. Did you really just find a valuable carving like that in the back tunnels? Tell me the truth, now."
"I, I did find it. Sort of."
"Sarla!" Dralina's voice held a warning.
"You're not going to believe me."
Dralina stopped walking and turned to her foster daughter. "Tell me, Sarla."
Sarla took a deep breath and obeyed. "I was in the back tunnels and Tabby was there." Dralina inhaled sharply but said nothing. "He showed me where his room was, before – before the other rockfall. He let me open the chest, and the dragon was inside. He said I could have it!" she said defensively. "Then the ground started shaking, and the rocks were falling, and Tabby was crying, and then suddenly Nirella was there – his foster mother from, from before. And she said I could have the dragon too. And then I went out through the hole in the wall, and when I looked back they were gone." She started to cry. She had only known Tabby a little, but she missed him already. She was glad that he had found someone, but now he was gone. She had been a part of something special, and it was gone.
Dralina started walking again, stunned at what she had just heard. How to deal with this? It was hard enough dealing with the usual childish troubles, but a ghost? "Well," she said slowly, "I suppose you can keep the dragon, then."
Sarla gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Dralina... look, doesn't it look just like Graith?"
Dralina glanced down and forced a smile. "Why, yes, it does." She sobered up again. "Sarla, after what happened the other day, with the search, and now this – "
"Oh, please don't tell anyone!" Sarla pleaded in sudden fright. "It's bad enough already, I don't want them to know any more!"
"I won't tell anyone, I promise," Dralina assured her. "But I do think you should tell Tristio. He'll keep quiet about it. I think he deserves to know."
"All right," Sarla said, reluctant to tell even the harper what had really happened.
"Let's go now, Sarla," Dralina said gently. "It won't be any easier if you wait, and there's no one in Tristio's office right now." Sarla wanted to protest but couldn't speak. She allowed Dralina to lead her back to the Hold, and was surprised at how far they had come.