Chapter 22
When the humming started, the candidates scrambled rapidly into their white tunics, the girls wearing longer ones than the boys, no difference made for Green or Queen candidates.
To Jessenia's surprise, young S'tend was waiting to fly her over to the Hatching Cavern; and he blushed fierily at her amazement.
"I – I owe you my life…and I guess Dath would like to get to know your Green if you Impress, 'cos he owes you his life too!" he stumbled over the words.
Jessenia murmured something about how it had been a privilege to help a dragon and his Rider; and wondered - if she SHOULD Impress – how to quietly cool S'tend's youthful ardour that showed so plainly in his eyes. He might be older than she by a turn or two, but to Jessenia's estimation, he was, in many ways, scarcely any older than her littlest brother Harri!
Jessenia noted that J'ton claimed Leealla and M'ren took Dessa. The others were taken by various volunteer riders. Roban rode with his friend F'shar of course; exchanging a 'thumbs up' with the diminutive Weyrbred lad Sheradan, whom he had befriended, the son of V'sheren's older sister Sherri, and only a week within age! S'sher himself took his grandson, V'sheren feeling that he must not show favouritism himself to any of his candidates, even his nephew.
oOoOo
The sands were painfully hot on the bare feet of the candidates; but they were all so excited that such minor discomforts were scarcely noticed! Brightly clad visitors were filing into the tiers, brought from far and wide by the dragons who came and went with such precision that there was never an accident. A seabred lad was greeted by a loud yodel from his family in the tiers; and Roban, Carya and Jessenia picked out the voice of Lenner in the shout from the acrobats and Ranyer's family. A man with startlingly red face hair was busy taking bets on the colours of the dragonets, and as J'ton left Leealla on the sands, the young Brown Rider called up,
"D're, you scoundrel, we're wise to your talents here, you know! And we need our marks for our own Childhold!"
The bearded dragonrider chuckled unrepentantly.
"Sure, and can ye blame me fer thryin' wit' some o' the innocents here?" he said in his odd Ruathan accent, that Jessenia as a traveller was probably the only candidate to recognise.
What his talents were, Jessenia could only guess; perhaps he could sense the dragon colours as she sensed Thread. The dark blue that intertwined with the bronze to indicate his dragon colour in the complex triangular knot showed that he was from High Reaches Weyr which was hardly difficult to deduce in any case if he was in any way involved in THEIR childhold!
He must be a good man, though his rakish looks made him look a very dangerous person to know!
oOoOo
There was very little time to speculate. The eggs were rocking wildly.
One cracked loudly, making several of the nervous candidates jump! The dragonet that tumbled out, delightfully ugly in his ungainly immaturity, was a Bronze! A Bronze was a good omen as the first egg to hatch and a ragged cheer broke out around the cavern. Dragonmen could be superstitious, and this was always thought to be a propitious sign. Jessenia heard little Sheradan whisper wistfully,
"I don't suppose there'll be a Bronze three generations running!"
"Won't be, if you don't go and see," said Roban, laconically, taking his friend's arm and steering him closer to the bawling dragonet, the little creature ignoring two bigger boys who seemed confident that they had the right to have first attempt at Impression.
The little creature altered direction towards the two small boys; and Sheradan paused, awed. But it was Roban's knees the little creature butted; and the acrobat boy looked in wonder into the rainbow eyes.
"His name is Vangoth, and he's HUNGRY!" he said.
"Well done, R'ban!" his friend was generous in his disappointment. "Quick, take him to feed him!" and R'ban, bemused with joy, led his new friend towards the caven exit where meat was waiting for the hatchlings.
Jessenia realised she was crying! Her brother at least was a Dragonrider!
oOoOo
Other eggs were hatching all around, now; but all eyes were drawn to the Queen egg as it exploded suddenly in flying shards!
Silaya gulped.
"Ooh…. She's so BIG!" she said.
"She's beautiful!" said Jessenia, softly. "Go forward, idiot!"
Nilis had strode forward, determined to be the first to meet the little Queen's eyes.
"She'll make up her own mind," said gentle Lailla. "You can't force Impression, Nilis!"
Nilis thought otherwise; and pulled the wedge-shaped Golden head towards her, to force eye contact. Jessenia had to giggle at the look of baffled fury on the mischief-maker's face as the little Queen contemptuously flicked her head away from the grasp, throwing Nilis several yards in the process, and depositing her hard on her posterior on the hot sands!
"Shehereth doesn't like her much, does she?" she giggled to Silaya.
Silaya shot her a look.
"You know her name?" she said.
"Of course I know her name – can't you hear her screaming it and looking for her mate?" said Jessenia.
"IDIOT!" said Silaya, "of COURSE I can't – because it's YOU she wants, you dimglow!"
Jessenia stared at the girl open mouthed; then turned to the questing Queen.
"Shehereth? Do you want ME?" she asked, tentatively.
"Yes I do, and I want something to eat!" the ungainly little Queen informed her.
Jessenia stumbled forward to wrap her arms about the golden neck.
"We'll find you something nice, soonest, darling!" she said. "Come with me, V'sheren has meat!"
It was imperative; Shehereth's hunger pangs growled hard at Jessenia's own insides!
V'sheren was grinning in amazed delight.
"Well I thought there might be a Queen for you when you were older – but well done, J'enia. If you plan to contract?" he added hastily.
J'enia nodded.
"Oh yes, Shehereth and I will have to fly with the main Fighting Wings, not the Queen's wing to take full advantage of my Thread sense," she said. "I need to contract. Thank you for choosing a grown up one, not my child's nickname! Isn't she beautiful?"
"She is," said V'sheren, seriously, "and you have almost three turns before she is sexually mature so your youth is less at issue, you know."
"Seared crispy bits! I'll have to find a Bronze Rider!" J'enia blinked in shock. "No, chew it hard, dearest," she addes as Shehereth tried to gobble the meat without chewing. She projected thoughts of chewing to emphasise this unaccustomed skill, and the young Queen quickly complied.
"Is that so terrible a thought, finding a Bronze Rider?" laughed V'sheren.
"Well, I suppose not… it's just that Bronze Riders are such important people," said J'enia.
"So are Queenriders," laughed V'sheren, "and for that matter, your brother's a Bronze Rider too!"
"It hadn't sunk in," said J'enia. "That's enough, I think – you mustn't overeat," she added to Shehereth, glancing at V'sheren for confirmation.
The Weyrlingmaster nodded.
"Off you hop to your new quarters and sleep it off," he said.
J'enia nodded. She was rather tired!
L'issa was there to take her; and Lealla and Carya with their Green dragonets!
"I AM glad it was you," the older Queenrider hugged the younger, "and that my other friends Impressed too!"
C'rya and L'alla grinned soppily; and J'enia was quickly introduced to Mayith and Kath.
"I'll wake you lot for the feast," said L'issa, "but it'll be a couple of hours before that; you take a nap!"
And the three young weyrwomen were glad to do so!
oOoOo
When the girls awoke, they discovered that four other girls had also Impressed Green dragons.
J'enia was most pleased for N'eena, not strictly a girl, but now able to be B'tin's weyrmate more fully, and planning on moving into his weyr as soon as her Terith could fly, and B'tin had undertaken enlargements! L'neta was overjoyed that J'enia had persuaded her to stand for the Greens as well as the Queen; she adored grass-green Djerith!
V'sheren might have been a little surprised by the other two, but J'enia was not. B'noria had always had a strong spirit and was well worthy of Jorkith; and M'el had overcome adversity and had the compassion that would make her an excellent Rider of Floreth. J'enia was only surprised that they had not been joined by Telara and Luaysa; but there would be another clutch soon.
"Fourteen Greens in all," said B'noria, who was good at picking up information, "and six of them to girls – almost half!"
"Did you see if Sheradan Impressed? My brother's friend?" asked J'enia.
B'noria grinned.
"And S'sher almost bursting with pride over it too!" she said. "He has the other Bronze – Sh'dan is a Bronze Rider."
J'enia was delighted.
"Oh Rob – er, R'ban will be so pleased!" she said. "C'mon, girls, all our kin will be waiting to meet our friends!"
Igen liked to regulate its visitors, and give its new Riders a short while to rest and adjust before enduring the effusive congratulations of their families; and few families had as much to celebrate as the acrobat family Lee! S'sher had become almost unbending, congratulating Fordel in a shared moment of proud grandparenthood. J'enia and R'ban were hugged by Dukkar and Tanni, and thumped on the shoulders by their brothers, uncle and cousins alike, including C'rya's family! It seemed natural to draw orphaned L'alla in with the extended family group; and the celebrations were joyous!
oOoOo
Further down the table, B'noria was introducing her friend M'el to her parents; M'el's own mother was not in evidence.
J'enia leaned over to V'sheren, attached loosely, like J'ton, to her own family group, because Sh'dan and R'ban were sitting together.
"M'el's mother isn't here – is there a problem?" the youngest Queenrider asked.
V'sheren's face shadowed.
"The silly bovine wouldn't come; said the girl had got her husband into trouble telling lies. As there was other evidence of malfeasance – in addition to the fact that children do NOT in general lie about such things – the stupid creature evidently has her head in a watch-wher's kennel. B'tin – he went to collect her as he has a daughter himself – was furious. Poor kid might as well be orphaned; I'm glad B'noria's people seem decent types and look likely to be kindly to her. For all that the Weyr is now her family, it's not easy, I shouldn't think, to be disowned, especially for something that's not your fault!"
"I should say not!" said J'enia, indignantly. "Well, we're her family now, too!"
oOoOo
J'enia also noted another of her new colleagues having a less than easy time with her parents. L'neta's mother was expressing disappointment, saying what a shame it was that her girlie had only Impressed a Green.
J'enia's eyes narrowed; and she got up abruptly.
"Excuse me," she said, to the woman next to L'neta, "it is an honour to Impress ANY dragon, and we are all proud of L'neta for being one of the first girls to prove to the people Beholden to Igen Weyr that some girls can do the job as well as men. To be amongst these first is an even higher honour than female Greenriders of subsequent clutches, you know; for she is living proof that the DRAGONS consider her capable and able to support the honour. I should have been proud to have Impressed a Green."
"And who are you – a failed candidate, I suppose?" sneered the woman.
J'enia flushed with embarrassment on L'neta's behalf.
"No, I am Impressed," she said, quietly.
"This is Queenrider J'enia, mother; a friend of mine," said L'neta, uncomfortably.
"And I came ready to stand for a Green dragon; for I know that malicious rumours about Greenriders being loose of morals are no more than that – malicious rumours," said J'enia, recalling L'neta's initial hostility to the idea of standing for a Green because of her misconceptions; and misconceptions tended to come from family.
L'neta's mother did not look at all happy; but she dared not rebuff an Impressed Gold Rider, however young and newly Impressed the girl might be – one of the four Queenriders at the Weyr. This chit would carry a lot of power!
"I'm sure my wife and I are glad to have our concerns quieted with explanation," said L'neta's father, "if the Weyr considers Impression of a Green dragon by a girl to be an honour, then we are proud of our Dragonrider daughter."
J'enia looked at him thoughtfully; and nodded to acknowledge his diplomacy. She was certain he too was disappointed and almost as shocked and repelled as his wife plainly was.
"We do," said Jessenia, "we are happy to have Greenrider weyrwomen."
The woman pricked up her ears at that.
"You account Lineta the status weyrwoman?" she asked.
"Dragonrider L'neta," J'enia emphasised the contraction, "IS a weyrwoman. We are colleagues," and she leaned over to kiss L'neta on the cheek.
L'neta shot the younger girl a grateful look.
"Djelith and I will do everything in our power to justify the trust put in us by G'narish in permitting girls to stand for Green dragons," she said, firmly caressing her little Green dragonet, who was showing signs of distress at her lifemate's own disquiet.
Shehereth too had come to see what her Rider was doing; and loomed protectively at L'neta's parents. The girl's mother went pale and drew back from so large a baby – her head alone was larger than J'enia's head and torso – looking menacing at her; and J'enia smiled.
"L'neta will NEVER have to worry about anyone hurting her in any way," she said. "Djelith will grow to be many times bigger than Shehereth is now. Quite a protector, I'd say, as a little thing like Shehereth is enough to make people nervous. Does Djelith itch, L'neta? You'd better find V'sheren and ask for some oil," she added.
L'neta nodded, glad of the excuse, though she was plainly explaining silently to the little Green that she knew she did not REALLY itch!
The girl was not the only Greenrider to be having trouble with parents; one of the lads was evidently a disappointment to his florid looking father.
J'enia pulled a face.
She did not know the boys as well as she knew the girls, though that would change as they worked together. She touched R'ban and Sh'dan lightly on the shoulder of each.
"YOUR problem to sort out, Bronze Riders," she said, indicating the source of the trouble.
V'sheren glanced over too.
"Oh dear – my business, really, he said, rising.
R'ban and Sh'dan exchanged looks.
"Should we try, sir?" asked R'ban.
V'sheren pulled a face.
"No… you're both too young to deal with a homophobic old caprine," he said. "I do WISH these parents would not take out their own prejudices and hang ups on the kids; it's one of the few things that makes sticking to the Weyrbred desirable," and he strode off.
oOoOo
When V'sheren returned, he sighed.
"I gave him the lecture, not all Green Riders are homosexual, that we practice sequestration for the little boys and any who ask for it. The boy isn't old enough to know his own sexuality, but that idiot father is going the right way about either inhibiting him entirely had be filled with self loathing if he IS homosexual, or to make a potentially wrong choice just to spite the old man. He'll probably talk to you boys – young K'tallen that is – and you can do good by making sure he know it doesn't matter what his sexuality is, so long as he is happy."
R'ban and Sh'dan nodded solemnly.
It was scary, but nice, to already have duties as the only two in the clutch to Impress Bronzes!