The sound of dragons bugling woke M'kai at dawn, and being by nature an early riser, he took this as an invitation to get up and move about. The night's sleep seemed to have fully restored him, and he decided to go exploring and discover the secrets of his new home.
By the time the sun had fully risen and there were others awake, M'kai had been through the Lower Caverns, the Hatching Ground and a few of the old rooms hidden at the back of the Weyr. He resolved to look through the others at the first opportunity, then headed back to his quarters, for he could sense the newly-awakened Tyrith's hunger.
"I'm coming, Tyrith, I'm coming!" he called as his long legs ate up the steps.
Good, came a disgruntled reply. There's a man here who's collecting all your things. Dioanth says that he is a friend. Otherwise I would have called you.
Thank you, Tyrith. B'kennor is indeed a friend, M'kai replied, coming to a halt at the head of the stairs. "Need a hand, B'kennor?" he called as he entered the room.
B'kennor jumped. "I was just getting your things. You're being moved into your own weyr. You're still in the sickroom at the moment," he called over his shoulder. He then stuck his tongue out at M'kai, to pay him back for the scare.
"I'll give you a hand," said M'kai, coming over and picking up a stack of shirts. "I didn't bring this much stuff with me, did I?" he asked.
B'kennor shook his head. "The Harper Hall watch-dragon arrived this morning with most of it. Seems Diara organised through Menolly for it to be brought to you. She sent your gitar and pipe collection, too."
The boys loaded everything into two big baskets, and with Dioanth's help, they were lifted up three levels to a cave similar to B'kennor's. It was divided into two sections; sleeping quarters for Tyrith, with a stone couch that would accommodate a fully-grown dragon, and living quarters for M'kai, complete with a pool of steaming hot water in the back.
"It's brilliant!" M'kai whispered in astonishment as he surveyed his new home.
"You'll get used to it," said B'kennor with a smile for M'kai's awestruck face.
"Not for a while, I hope!" he replied with a grin.
x
Ramoth's rider is at the bottom of the steps, Tyrith suddenly announced.
Thanks, Tyrith, M'kai replied silently.
"Apparently Lessa is coming, so I'd better go and see what she wants," he told B'kennor. "You definitely don't keep the most important woman on Pern waiting!"
"Especially not when she has a temper like hers!" B'kennor laughed.
"I heard that, B'kennor," Lessa called as she came up the stairs.
"Oops!" he murmured to M'kai, who stifled a laugh.
"Exactly," she said as she came into view. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him, though there was a twinkle in her eye. "Off with you! I need to speak to the Weyrsinger."
"Weyrwoman," B'kennor said with a small bow. "See you around, M'kai," he called over his shoulder as he descended the stairs two at a time.
Lessa watched him, and when she was sure he was out of sight, allowed herself a small chuckle. "He has certainly brightened this place up since he arrived. Too many of the people I meet have no sense of humour."
"The Harper Hall was nowhere near as interesting once he left," M'kai said with a straight face.
They both laughed, then as the laughter died away, Lessa remembered why she had come up. "What I came up to speak to you about is your duties as Weyrsinger. Every morning, except when Fall is expected, you will hold class in the Weyrling Hall and teach the youngsters of the Lower Caverns how to read, write and reckon, and all the other lessons harpers teach the young. You will be expected to entertain when we have guests, which I must warn you is often, and we may ask you to play at dinner occasionally. You have our permission to train anyone you think able to play with you, but you aren't allowed to recruit for the Harper Hall!" she said, wagging a finger under his nose.
M'kai pretended to be offended. "As if I would, Weyrwoman!" he exclaimed mock indignantly.
The corners of her mouth twitched again, but she continued. "All these duties, of course, will be suspended during Fall when, for the moment, you will fill firestone sacks with the other weyrlings, but later fly. Patrols and the suchlike also take priority. And you are to address me as Lessa, not Weyrwoman. Any questions?"
"Just one. How soon is breakfast?" he asked. Now that his curiosity had been temporarily satisfied, he was starving! Tyrith's hunger wasn't helping, and he could feel faint shadows of hunger somewhere else too.
Lessa laughed again. "As soon as you go down and get some from the kitchens. You can get meat for Tyrith from the weyrling master, who'll probably be rousing the other weyrlings at the moment."
"Thank you, Lessa," he said cheerfully. "I'd better go and get something for both of us. Would you care to join us for breakfast?"
"No thanks. F'lar's expecting me. You two run along," she said, the corners of her mouth twitching again.
"Once we're fed, we'll have to find out where those hunger echoes are coming from, because they're driving me mad!" she heard M'kai say to Tyrith as they bounded down the stairs.
"'Hunger echoes'?" Lessa repeated, puzzled. "What does he mean by that?"
From the bowl below, she could 'hear' dragons waking and talking to their riders, while from where she knew the weyrlings slept, she could sense feelings of hunger, love and impatience amongst the stirring dragonets.
He can hear them too? she thought in astonishment. We'll have to investigate this.
Already turning the puzzle over in her mind, Lessa began the walk back to her weyr, where her beloved weyrmate and breakfast awaited her.
x
M'kai soon found his way to the weyrling barracks where, sure enough, the others were being unceremoniously hauled from their beds to start the new day.
"Morning, everyone!" M'kai called cheerfully, which produced a chorus of groans.
"It isn't morning yet!" T'car groaned from somewhere towards the back of the dorm.
"Oh, yes it is, my beauties!" growled a male voice from somewhere in his vicinity. "It's a beautiful morning, and it's my job to make sure you lot get up to enjoy it! This morning, we'll be going over the equipment riders use, and this afternoon, I'm going to supervise the lot of you as you attempt to make your own!"
The groans were louder this time. He sounds like a runner-herder. Hope he doesn't mean it, M'kai thought as he moved deeper into the dorm, looking for the owner of the voice.
"And who are you, Mister Cheerful?" the voice exploded by his ear. "Think it's funny to be up and about before everyone else so you can be cheerful at them when they wake up?"
M'kai stared straight ahead and replied, "Yes, sir."
There was a chuckle by his ear, and M'kai allowed himself to relax, though he didn't let it show outwardly. Some teachers would pounce on something like that, and he didn't want to give him an opportunity.
"Nice to see at least one of you lot has a sense of humour. Didn't see one smile or hear one laugh yesterday. Now, which one are you?"
"I'm M'kai, sir. I wasn't in training yesterday because I was still in the healer's quarters. Tyrith was… a little enthusiastic when we met," M'kai explained. "Whenever I'm in training though, I'll be glad to provide all the smiles and laughs you ask for."
"Ah, so you're the one who got injured. I'm D'renin, the weyrling master here at Benden. I suppose you'll be wanting food for… Tyrith, did you say?"
"Yes please, sir," said M'kai, following him out of the dorm and over to the side of the lake. "Then I believe I have a class to teach."
D'renin stopped in mid-stride. "A class?" he asked.
"I'm the new Weyrsinger," M'kai explained. "Lessa told me that I teach in the morning, then join the other weyrlings in the afternoon."
"Hmm, well, I suppose I'll have to write out the morning lessons and give them to you to study," he said, frowning slightly. "What's Lessa thinking of, having such a young Weyrsinger? No offence," he hastily added, glancing over at M'kai to see his reaction.
"None taken," he replied cheerfully. "Despite my youth, I achieved the rank of Master Harper before I left the Hall."
D'renin chuckled. "A Master? At your age? I think you're pulling my leg, boy!"
"I assure you that I am not 'pulling your leg', Rider D'renin," M'kai said stiffly. It hurt to have someone doubt his word, he realised. No one had had cause to do so for a very long time.
"I'm sorry, lad. It's just that it's unlikely," D'renin explained.
"Well, the Master Harpers Sebell and Menolly will vouch for me if you ask them."
"There's meat here for the hatchlings. They'll feed from here for a few sevendays, then they'll be taught to hunt their own," D'renin said, indicating a row of large barrels as he changed the subject. "One of the chores the weyrlings do is keep the barrels topped up."
x
After Tyrith had eaten, M'kai got a cup of klah and wandered over to the Weyrling Hall. To his surprise, there was already someone there. A young girl was going through a pile of music and placing it in racks on the wall. She jumped and turned when she heard M'kai's soft footfall.
"Hello," she said breathlessly, obviously nervous. "I was just sorting this music." She indicated the racks, which M'kai could now see were labelled with instrument names.
"What's your name?" M'kai asked with a kind smile.
"I'm Norekke," she squeaked.
"You're F'nor and Brekke's daughter, aren't you?" he asked.
"Yes. How did you know that?" she asked, her eyes wide with amazement.
"You look just like your brother," he replied.
"Which one?" she asked.
"B'kennor," M'kai said with a small laugh. "I forgot that you have so many. He and I have been friends since we were at the Harper Hall."
"Are you the Mor he always tells me about?" she asked, her eyes widening again. "He said that his best friends were Mor and Drianne."
"Well, until a few days ago, I was Mor, but now I'm M'kai," M'kai said proudly.
"So you're the new Weyrsinger. I'm sorry I came and touched your music without your permission, but I used to sort it for the old Weyrsinger, and it became a habit. I miss him," she said sadly, the suggestion of a tear glistening in her eye.
"It sounds like you were very fond of him," M'kai remarked. "I hope we can get to know each other just as well." He smiled at her, and she shyly smiled back.
"Now, when do the other children normally finish breakfast?" he asked.
She listened for a moment, and smiled. "That sounds like them now," she laughed.
And indeed, it was. As soon as she stopped speaking, the hall was filled with the echoes of shouts and yells and the usual noise children create. It was so loud M'kai could barely hear himself think.
"ENOUGH!" he yelled over the noise. It brought the children to a halt, though the echoes continued for a few extra seconds. "Now, if everyone would please sit down, we'll begin."
M'kai gracefully folded his legs beneath him and sat on the carpet behind all the seats. The children stared at him, then one of the boys spoke up.
"We're supposed to sit in the chairs," he pointed out, as if to a child five Turns old.
"I know. Perhaps we will later, but first, I want to get to know you all," M'kai replied with a smile.
Norekke immediately sat beside him, and after the children looked at one another, they did too, forming a large circle.
"Good morning everyone. My name is M'kai, and I'm the new Weyrsinger. I hate people treating me formally, so you're not to call me sir, or Weyrsinger, or anything like that. Just M'kai. Now, what's your name?" he asked, pointing to a boy on the opposite side of the circle.
"I'm Tirrim, M'kai," he replied.
"Nice to meet you, Tirrim," M'kai said cheerfully. "And what's your name?"
Bye for now