Thanks for the reviews of the story - I hope there are enough dragons for everyone.
Saska came out of the guest house to find K'var waiting for her.
"What's this about you going to Honshu? Has Myryn released you?"
"I don't work for the Weyrwoman," Saska replied.
"Don't work for her? I thought you'd been brought here to help her?"
Saska wondered if that was the excuse Myryn was using for her non co operation.
"No, I'm here because the High Council thought my science background might help," she said, careful to keep her voice neutral.
"But it doesn't? You haven't made any reports yet?"
"No, not yet, because I haven't any idea why dragons are smaller. I thought it might be diet, but they feed as they always have. Then I thought it might be exercise - not racing around after Thread - but I've seen your fitness regime. So I need some more information."
"And you think it might be at other Weyrs?"
Saska gave an impatient snort.
"Well it certainly isn't here! If these are the usual records for a Weyr, I've seen better stuff in an online catalogue!"
"What's an online catalogue?"
"Oh - just something you look at before you buy something. I don't think it applies on Pern, because you just order what you want from the various Craft Halls, or you buy it at a market - a Gather?"
"Yes. Each Weyr and Hold has its own workers. Cloth, pottery, wood, metal, that sort of thing. But as you say, there's always something interesting and sometimes unique at a Gather."
"I need to go to Honshu to compare some notes I've been making, and since S'lul has invited me, and there's a Gather, I think I might go and join the party."
K'var frowned at her.
"Lateth says you never speak to him any more."
"I try and speak to all the dragons," Saska replied. "They don't answer me. I hear them buzzing in my mind, but I can't distinguish any words. Modeth says that he's not a dragon of this Weyr, and so he can speak freely to me."
K'var stared at her, and then ran his hands through his hair again, making it curl wildly.
"I don't understand that, but I've time on my hands - I think I might go to Honshu."
"Don't you answer to the Weyrwoman?"
"In a way, but I have much more independence than most of the dragon riders."
Saska studied him.
"I didn't ask before, but have you been Weyrlingmaster for long?"
"About five Turns, since my predecessor retired, but I trained to it almost from Impression when it became clear Lateth was good at visualising the training points."
"If Wyeneth rose, would Lateth try and mate with her?"
"Yes, I suppose he might, but Granoth is too clever for most of the bronzes - he's flown Wyeneth since she first took wing."
"You told me you care for newly Impressed riders, so you don't have as much to do with training the dragon-ship captains?"
"I organise their ordinary flights and exercises to strengthen them when they're in training here, but then they can move to live in other Weyrs. You wouldn't think it would take physical strength to move a ship, but we've always found a relationship between the physical and mental strengths."
"That's a good point - I'll work on that as well."
"When will you make your final report?"
"I don't know. I'm hoping to have some interim things to report on before too long."
K'var made an odd gesture, almost a bow.
"Will I be allowed to dance with you, Saska?"
"Of course. Is that Modeth - my goodness! He's huge!"
The bronze dragon winging down to the central landing square was indeed the largest dragon Saska had yet seen. She had been out and about amongst the dragons and their riders, questioning, and observing the training, but Modeth was half again as large as Granoth, who set up a warbling call as the bronze from Southern landed.
S'lul dismounted and went across to the Admin building to speak to the Weyrleaders, and Modeth preened as the weyrlings and the other children came out to look at him.
"Conceited beast," K'var muttered, but with a touch of envy.
"How did he get that large?"
"Modeth is an oddity, no other dragon is as large, not even in the northern continental Weyrs. He says it's all the fish he eats. That's really something, to see him fishing out over the ocean like a bird."
The other bronze rider emerged from the Admin building, P'dar walking with him, and they came over to where Saska and K'var were waiting. S'lul, Saska decided, was indecently handsome, with waved brown hair, strong features, and a smile that definitely reached his blue eyes.
He gave her a little bow, but greeted K'var as an equal.
"Weyrlingmaster."
"Ship-captain."
P'dar smiled at her.
"I hear you're going to dance your feet off at Honshu, m'dear."
"That might figure in my plans," Saska admitted with a smile for him.
"Good. You've been working very hard, for little result, Myryn tells me."
"Oh, this is only preliminary," Saska replied. "My work before this took three years - Turns - before I came to one result. I hope this will take less time, and perhaps the records at Honshu will help."
"They might do so," P'dar agreed. "They have very good star charts there, I remember that from when I used to visit. Have a good time, m'dear."
S'lul nodded to her.
"Are you ready?"
"I'll just put on my flying suit."
The two men watched her slip into the shiny suit and zip it up, and S'lul walked with her to Modeth who peered at her, lowering his massive head which overtopped her.
"You aren't afraid of dragon flight?" S'lul asked as K'var went to collect Lateth.
"No, I don't think so. I came here on Lateth, and I've had short flights on him further into the Weyr's holdings."
"Up you get, then, take those straps and buckle them on. Your bag - lace this strap through the handle - I hope there's a pretty dress in there!"
"I did put one in, yes, and my dancing sandals."
"Hmm. And a few other things from the weight."
"I might make a few notes here and there."
S'lul grinned at her and mounted to his seat, indicated she should hold on, and then Modeth rose from the ground with a jerk that shook her from side to side, rose into the air and they were between, and in an instant of time, barely time to count, they were bursting out into sunlight again.
"You timed it!" Saska shouted. "Honshu is way behind Respite, it should still be night!"
S'lul turned his head and laughed at her as Modeth began his descent. Saska stared down at the hold and its environs; there were fields of crops, large circles of open ground with cottages attached, similar in build to those at Respite, road ways, and vehicles moving on them. She could see the glitter of electric fencing, then Modeth was landing with a skitter of his clawed feet and a flipping of his wings, flinging up his head to answer the challenge of the watch dragon.
"Welcome to Honshu," S'lul said with a grin. "I get more time with you, this way around. Don't worry, timing is allowed in this era."
He helped her down, and Saska shook her head in mock anger, then turned as someone came running up.
"I didn't expect you back so soon, love," the woman called out, and Saska stared at her and then at S'lul.
"My weyrmate Pru," he said by way of explanation. "She wanted to come to the Gather as well."
The woman laughed and hugged him, greeted Saska, and led her to guest quarters.
"S'lul says there's a problem at Respite," Pru said as they entered the stone caverns. "Something about Myryn stopping the dragons speaking to you? You're the only Terrvertian who can speak to dragons?"
"I don't think I am," Saska replied as she shed her flight suit and tucked her bag away. "But I'm the only one who could distinguish the words Laroth was saying. My parents think as many metasynthed people settled Terrvert as did Pern, but we didn't have any dragons to communicate with - what's that?"
She had caught a glimpse of something zipping through the room, and Pru smiled.
"It's Ting, S'lul's fire lizard. I don't think there are any fire lizards at Respite?"
"I've never seen one."
Pru held up a hand, and to Saska's astonishment a small golden creature popped into the room and landed on Pru's hand, twined a tail around her wrist and peered at Saska, eyes whirling in blue and green.