Mwahahaha! I know I'm evil for having a cliffhanger then not updating for a few days, but I've been uber-tired, so I apologise and update now!
Pern ain't mine.
"Will he be all right?" he heard someone ask.
"He should be. I'm more worried about his brother," a crisp voice answered.
With an enormous effort, M'kai forced his eyes open, and found himself staring into a pair of startled blue eyes.
"He's awake!" the owner of the eyes squeaked, and scuttled out of view. M'kai, staring at what he vaguely recognised as the ceiling of his weyr, wondered where they had gone, but a woman bent over him and he forgot about the eyes.
"Bronze rider M'kai?" she asked. It was her voice he had heard before. "I am Journeywoman Helida, from the Healer Hall. Do you remember what happened?"
M'kai tried to think back, but it was like looking through fog. Suddenly the mist parted to reveal something important. "Tyrith!" he cried, trying to sit up. "Tyrith's been hurt!"
Helida pushed him back down again, and M'kai was appalled at how easily she did so. "Tyrith has been treated, and is healing nicely. He'll recover, but not soon. You won't be able to ride him for at least a month."
"But he'll fly again?" M'kai asked anxiously. He couldn't bear to be earthbound forever!
"Yes, he'll fly again," Helida said reassuringly.
Then something she had said before registered. "Did something happen to D'ron? I heard you say 'I'm more worried about his brother', and the last thing I remember was D'ron catching me."
Her face fell. "I wasn't planning to tell you this until you were much stronger, but when you and Tyrith were hurt, D'ron was injured trying to save you. You both fell from Jarrath, and though the bushes you fell into cushioned your landings, you cracked three ribs and bruised yourself all over. D'ron, however, fractured his skull and broke his leg so badly that he'll probably walk with a limp for the rest of his life," she explained gently.
M'kai stared at her in shock. "Never walk properly again?" he whispered. "And it's all my fault! If I had been paying closer attention to what I was doing instead of worrying about my wing, none of this would have happened, and D'ron and Tyrith wouldn't have been hurt!"
He turned his face away from her, trying to hide his tears. "It's all my fault!" he muttered angrily.
x
"Helida told me that you think it's your fault that Tyrith and D'ron were injured," Drianne said.
M'kai continued staring at the ceiling, and refused to answer. His anger at himself had turned to bitterness, and he would talk to no one, not even Kirsty, who was nearly frantic with worry over her lover.
"From what Jarrath told Brekke, Tyrith was distracted when you got a mouthful of char because of what he did, and D'ron's fall was through no fault of yours. You were unconscious at the time; how could you be responsible?"
"He wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for me," M'kai choked, a lump in his throat. "And Tyrith wouldn't have been hit if I hadn't had my mouth gaping open like a halfwit at a Gather."
"Do you think that no one's ever swallowed char before? Even the great F'lar's done that one; Lessa told me about it. Don't beat yourself up because you're not perfect, M'kai. Nobody is, so don't expect it of yourself."
"It's still my fault," M'kai said stubbornly. "I made him fall. J'nin told me what happened. He was trying to save me from falling, and he slipped and went over too."
"Fine!" Drianne snapped, her patience running out. "If you want to believe that the accidents were your fault, go ahead! No one else is placing any blame on anyone, so you can keep it all for yourself without the risk of someone contradicting you. I hope you're happy with yourself, Mordekai of Fer Hold! You are worrying several people half to death and slowing Tyrith's recovery with this senseless obsession with guilt, so you'd better get over it soon. For all our sakes." She stood up, sniffed at him, and turned to leave.
"Now that's not fair…" he began, pushing himself up, only to fall back with a cry. His ribs were still healing, and together with the bruises made moving rather painful.
"Oh, M'kai, I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "I meant to provoke you into snapping out of this black mood you've been in, but I went too far. I didn't mean to physically hurt you."
"Ah, so emotional hurt's all right?" he said dryly, beating back the pain.
"Well, I…" she began, then realised he was joking. "All right, M'kai, I'll admit I was wrong, but only if you do."
"Agreed," he said warmly. "Now, where are D'ron and Tyrith? And is Jarrath all right?"
"Jarrath's physically fine, but he's worried sick over D'ron," Drianne explained. "Tyrith's just outside."
"Let's go see him then," M'kai said. "Give me a hand, will you?"
"Helida said that you're not to move for at least another sevenday," Drianne said with a frown. "And you just demonstrated that you aren't capable of getting up, let alone walking."
"That's why I asked for help. Who cares if I can't walk? I'll crawl if I have to! I just need to see Tyrith," M'kai pleaded.
"Well… all right," Drianne said, relenting before his pleading expression. "But just to Tyrith."
She helped him sit up, then pulled him to his feet and placed his arm over her shoulder. M'kai bit his lip so hard that he nearly drew blood to prevent himself fainting, and gave Drianne a nod. Together, they slowly shuffled towards the entrance of M'kai's weyr.
On the ground outside, under the shelter M'kai had designed to give Tyrith a bit of protection from the elements, lay his bronze, deeply asleep. Tyrith's wing was heavily swathed in bandages from the shoulder down, and M'kai's eyes filled with tears to see it.
"Oh, my dearest Tyrith!" he sobbed, burying his face in the dragon's soft hide, ignoring the stabbing pain from his ribs.
M'kai? came a sleepy voice. Is that you?
Yes, Tyrith, it's me, he responded, overjoyed to hear his voice. How are you feeling?
I feel no pain, but I cannot feel my wing at all, Tyrith replied. Brekke and others often come to change the bandages and put on fresh numbweed, and I have many visitors.
Can you speak to Jarrath and ask him how D'ron is? M'kai asked anxiously, worried for his brother.
Tyrith listened for a moment, then said, Jarrath says that D'ron still sleeps, but Jarrath is worried. D'ron has not woken up for three days.
"Three days!" M'kai exclaimed aloud. "We've been asleep for three days?"
"Actually, five, but D'ron briefly woke up three days ago to ask about you before he passed out again," Drianne explained. "I had Camanth listen in," she added when she noticed M'kai's enquiring look.
M'kai sat for a moment, his head bowed, then his head came up and he focused on Drianne. "I need to see D'ron. Don't say anything about me not being strong enough, or the deal we made. I need to see my brother." His voice was flat, and brooked no argument.
Drianne hesitated, then said softly, "Of course. I understand the importance of family."
She heaved him to his feet again and held him while he swayed, then they set off for D'ron's weyr. Luckily, it was fairly close, but even so, they had to make three stops so M'kai could catch his breath and hug his ribs. He felt like they were going to crumble into a thousand pieces, but he had to see D'ron.
As they approached the entrance of D'ron's weyr, Helida came through the beaded curtain that served as D'ron's front door. She frowned when she saw M'kai, and put her hands on her hips.
"And what are you doing out of bed?" she demanded.
"I needed to see Tyrith and D'ron," he gasped, pushing himself off Drianne so he was standing on his own.
Helida opened her mouth to argue, but after taking a look at his determined face, shut it again. "All right," she said reluctantly. "But only for a minute."
M'kai gave her a nod of gratitude and pushed his way past her into D'ron's weyr. The windows were all shuttered, so for a moment he had difficulty seeing anything. When his eyes had adjusted to the gloom however, he could just make out a figure lying in the bed.
M'kai stumbled over to the bed to drop to his knees beside it. He went to touch D'ron's face, but stopped as his fingers encountered bandages. He felt around a little more, and realised that his entire head was covered in them.
"Oh, D'ron!" M'kai sobbed. "What have I done to you?" He then put his face on the bed, and cried his heart out.
Ah, angst! Please review; I need something to look forward to after uni!