Whew! Here in the UK we don't experience the really dreadful wildfires that ravage other countries, although they do occur, of course. But now he's offered help for one natural disaster, will H'ric be called upon whenever something occurs?

5.7.198 - 6.7.198

It seemed only a heartbeat later that H'ric woke, but the light showed him it was afternoon. He leaned up on one elbow, cautiously, but he no longer had a headache, although his body ached and pained.

- you are awake

- yes I am awake. How do you feel? I felt your muscles stretch

- they will mend and I will mend

H'ric climbed out of his makeshift bed and noticed another had been drawn close during the night. Someone had slept by his side, and from the faint perfume in the bedding, he did not think it had been B'rnel.

Sharama came across the hall and studied him.

"You feel well enough to move around? There's food in the smaller hall, and water to drink, or perhaps some klah?"

"Klah would be welcome. Are these riders?" He gestured to the pallets in the hall, and Sharama shook his head.

"Most of them are ordinary folk who were fighting on the ground."

"We saw Dobreth - rider V'nel - come down early?"

"Yes. The rider is fine, but Dobreth, his brown, has a badly mangled wing. For now, the beastmaster from the Hold is assisting with the injured dragons."

H'ric spent a moment walking around the hall with Sharama, commending those who had fought on the ground, receiving their murmured thanks for the efforts of the dragons. He came into the smaller hall to see Jiverny with the Lady Holder. Jiverny came across at once and he embraced her, and allowed her to pour klah and put food in front of him.

"It doesn't seem possible it was such a short time," H'ric said to her. "It seemed to stretch for hours, up there."

"Yes, and I think that is how it will seem in the Pass," she replied. "You concentrated so fiercely on the fight, and then were surprised the real world moved so slowly. I watched you and the others - you were reaping the benefits of C'lin's teaching, up there."

H'ric nodded. "I could feel myself ordering it as he would have done. But the updrafts and thermals were fierce, much more fierce than anything we will encounter fighting Thread, I'm sure, although contrary winds would have the same effect, I suppose."

"You could exercise in the hot weather, to catch and tame the thermals, as the wherries do?"

"A good thought, one I'll bear in mind."

He greeted the Lord Holder, who looked as tired and drawn as H'ric felt himself to be.

"Thank you for coming, Weyrleaders, but - I didn't send a signal - "

"There was a boy we met a Turn or so ago, Galanath could speak to him, and in his fright the boy broadcast his terror and Galanath picked up on it." H'ric looked around the hall. "Is Dawan here, lady?"

"Chandra and his family are outside helping with the beasts," Jiverny replied.

"Did they lose everything?"

"Yes, I think so, apart from the packs they could carry into those caves. The packs can be retrieved, but wagons and draybeasts are gone, either burned or scattered."

"I will see to their recompense," Lord Cantin said at once. "If he had not called - the fire was well on its way down into the open fields, and from there it would have seared all the plains between here and Lemos!"

"Did Lemos burn?"

"Some of it," Lord Cantin said. "They share some of our forests, but a lot of their land is hardwood, orchards, and open fields. They have a large lake and river to use against fire, and well drilled teams."

The three of them walked back into the main hall and then H'ric went out into the open air. He had worn helmet, gloves, and goggles in the fight, items which had protected his skin and eyes, but he still breathed shallowly after inhaling the heated burning air above the fires.

Chandra was helping oil the dragons after they had evidently found a lake big enough to use for bathing. The big rangy trader came across at once to greet them.

"Thank you, Weyrleader."

"Thank your son, rather. We managed to get a sighting of the two mountain peaks and could find your cave more easily. Did you know of it beforehand?"

Chandra nodded. "I know of quite a few caverns and caves to shelter in, and that one has been used for many generations of trappers and hunters, I would think, and more especially during a Pass."

H'ric walked slowly around the injured dragons. Dobreth was the worst, he thought, but several others would not be flying for quite some months. Lord Cantin would not be able to feed or house them all; they would have to devise a way to get them to Telgar Weyr to recover.

A small figure darted out of the stables and Dawan was there in front of him. H'ric went down on one knee and gathered the boy into his arms.

"All right now, Dawan?"

"I was so frightened, and then I heard Galanath and I called and called."

"You certainly did that," H'ric said with a smile. "You roused the entire Weyr and we came at once."

Dawan stood away, swallowing, obviously still on the edge of nervous tears, and then he squared his shoulders and bowed.

"Thank you for saving my family, Weyrleader."

H'ric bowed in response.

"The pleasure is all mine, trader boy, although I think - perhaps - your father will be willing to allow you to join us very soon?"

Dawan looked up at Chandra who nodded.

"We were in fact on our way to Benden, Weyrleader, to bring the boy. Alas that the choice trading items I had in my wagons were destroyed, I would have enjoyed bargaining you down on them!"

H'ric laughed, a hand on Dawan's shoulder, and they walked on together to look to the other dragons, and speak to the riders, H'ric gathering their impressions of the fire and the fighting, noting which riders made concise reports, and who still showed lingering fear and dismay at the fighting.

B'rnel came across from where he had been tending to Galanath.

"Weyrleader."

"Is Galanath all right?"

B'rnel nodded.

"Through Tweneth, I felt the muscles strain in his shoulders and wings. He can do some stretching exercises like the others, but he must rest."

H'ric looked around the crowded area, and B'rnel pointed into the mountains to the north.

"M'dor is supervising the preparation of Telgar Weyr," he said. "I think we can devise some sort of lifting for the injured dragons up to that place. The Weyrlingmasters said it might be best not to risk going between for a while?"

"Probably wise," H'ric admitted. "Yes, Telgar Weyr would be ideal."

B'rnel looked worried, shaking his head.

"Will Galanath be fit to rise if Haveneth does? You know in past Turns she always rises about the eighth month?"

"I'll deal with that one when I reach it," H'ric replied, walking across to his dragon. Galanath lifted one lid from one eye and rumbled deep in his throat, and H'ric examined his wings and shoulder muscles.

"Cold packs?" he asked B'rnel.

"I had the young riders go into the eternal snows and bring back bags of the stuff," B'rnel said with a smile. "Sufficient to pack around muscles for a while. Lord Cantin has a deep cool cellar system, and we've filled barrels with snow for him, to provide water for the Hold. I see no break in the weather at all at the moment!"

"It's unusual."

"Probably due to that thing - " B'rnel pointed at the Red Star which was glowing faintly in the eastern sky, just visible.

"Probably. The records show the weather changes for the worse when it approaches."

H'ric and B'rnel walked around the resting dragons, speaking to their riders and the beast handlers from the Hold who were helping out.

"Just bigger than herdbeasts, see," one handler pointed out as he helped smooth a light cover of numbweed over an injury. "Burns like these - annoying - but they'll heal in proper time."

"No going between," B'rnel agreed ruefully.

The handler paused and studied the dragons.

"They do say, in the old tales, that a dragon can carry anything it thinks it can carry," he said thoughtfully. "A canvas sling, say, and two dragons?"

"To the Weyr? Yes, we'll experiment with that - I hope the Holder has plenty of canvas and sacking!"

The handler laughed, and the two riders walked on.

"He seems easy with dragons," B'rnel said, glancing back. "I wonder if we could coax him to the Weyr?"

"I'm never averse to having more help," H'ric agreed. "I'll broach it to Lord Cantin."

B'rnel walked on for a moment, and then glanced at his friend.

"Would you have responded like this if the fire had been anywhere else, or Dawan had not been involved?" he asked bluntly.

H'ric stared at him, frowning, thinking about that.

"My instinct says that of course I would have brought the dragons to help any threatened Hold," he said at last. "You mean because of that disastrous conclave at the beginning of the Turn?"

"That's exactly what I mean," B'rnel replied grimly. "I won't forget that in a hurry."

"Nor will I," H'ric said on a sigh and a shake of the head. "That was a disaster in more ways than one, but at least it showed me clearly the way the Lord Holders and Craft Masters are thinking."

"They still maintain the others Weyrs suicided? Of course I can see their twisted logic, but all the same - it doesn't seem possible - all those dragons - surely some memory of it would have remained at Benden?"

"That's the one thing that makes me sure it never happened," H'ric replied. "There's no mention of it. The records at the end of the last Pass record all the dragons and their riders at Benden at that point. Then there's just a note - more of a marginal addition in a different hand - to say they found the other Weyrs abandoned, but no explanation, and no mention of the Benden dragons mourning the passing of their kind."

"Five Weyrs - a thousand dragons or more - surely a multiple suicide would have driven the Benden dragons mad?"

H'ric nodded. "I would have thought so myself. No, wherever they are, for whatever cause they went, it was more urgent than remaining during this Interval. Let us just hope they reappear in time."

The two riders walked on, thinking of that conclave, called by the Lord Holder of Fort to reinforce his own position. Ably and subtly backed by the Masterharper, he had effectively halted all help to Benden Weyr. No extra tithes would be granted unless Thread actually appeared; no drudges or handlers would be sent to the empty Weyrs even to prepare them as staging posts for any fall of Thread in the future. H'ric considered he had behaved with great restraint, when he had longed to draw his knife on the man and challenge him. His only consolation had been that Benden, reluctantly backed by Lemos and Bitra, had denounced Fort's Lord Holder in no uncertain terms. Given that Lord Runanan had been raised as a fosterling at Fort, H'ric had been heartened by that. Lord Holder Cantin of Telgar had also declared he would support Benden Weyr in whatever way possible. The Craft Masters had seemed to H'ric to be sitting the fence; none of them spoke one way or the other, but he was reluctant to test them by any demands.

"Well, brooding on it won't get the work done," H'ric said at last, staring out into the afternoon light. He could still smell the aftermath of the fires, a certain smoky haze in the air, the subtle smell of charred wood. "What about the burned out forests? Can the Lord Holder make use of it, d'you think?"

"Charcoal for Turns to come, free for the picking," B'rnel replied. "Speaking of picking - here comes M'dor. Let's hope he has good news."

Cirith circled and landed, and M'dor climbed down and came across, stripping off helmet and gloves.

"Greetings, Weyrleader - you took no hurt?"

"No, none."

"And Galanath? Tirith says he strained some muscles?"

"A little, I think, but it will mend in good time."

H'ric had not imagined the emotion on M'dor's face, nor did he need Galanath's cross comment to know the bronze rider was automatically thinking of the next mating flight, and the possibility of taking on Benden Weyr. It was what all the bronze riders would think about, he knew it, and knew they would not expect any change in his behaviour to them.

"Telgar Weyr is ready for any wounded you need to send, Weyrleader," M'dor said formally. "Alissia has plenty of help there, and I've sent riders to Ista to fetch sand for the weyrs. Also, we've ventured up to the wild hay meadows and begun to harvest them, and culled wherries for food and hides. I know that trader had wild wher hides, but I could never be comfortable wearing a garment made of that."

H'ric shrugged. "I doubt if it will persist - perhaps just an opportunistic kill - but if dragon riders don't want to wear it, I doubt if anyone else could afford it or want to wear it. But wherries - yes, we can always use those leathery hides."

At dinner that evening in the Hall, H'ric sat with the Lord Holder and listened to his harper singing the duty songs as a nod to the riders present, and then launch into some of the new material coming out of Harper Hall. H'ric had to admit the man was probably a far better Harper than Yorus, but the trend and subtle message of the songs had him frowning.

Lord Cantin saw it and leaned across.

"Since that conclave, I've listened with new ears, Weyrleader, but I wanted you to hear it as well. It's not my imagination, is it, that those songs are not celebrating the saviours of Pern as they ought?"

H'ric shrugged as he took a sip of the wine in his goblet.

"They certainly will not reinforce the message," he said in answer. "If that's a sample of what's coming out of Harper Hall, I'll be holding onto Yorus for the term of his natural life, I can assure you of that."

"Did the Masterharper ask for him back again?"

"Yes. I said he showed a certain aptitude for dragon handling, and politely declined. The Masterharper then asked if I needed any additional harpers. I turned him down."

Lord Cantin shook his head. "I don't know how he managed to get elected. I've heard rumours it was all a little underhand."

H'ric nodded. "I've heard that as well, and the Masterhealer intimated as much."

"At least you had his support at conclave! Did you expect it?"

"Yes. He's concerned about me, not just as Weyrleader, but me, myself, as a person."

"I'm glad of that. Now - less of the singing, Harper Ollison, let's have some dance music! Move the tables, everyone, we deserve an excuse to tread on each other's toes!"

Laughing, he led the way onto the cleared floor with Jiverny and H'ric watched them dance from his own place, wondering, as all the bronze riders were wondering, if Galanath would be up to the task of mating Haveneth this Turn.