Chap. 2 Kandar is Searched

“Mum! Mum! Dragons! The yard is full of dragons! They’re benormous!”

The child caught Daryat by the hand, dragging her out of the kitchen.

“What are you going on about, child?”

“Look, Mum! They’re so pretty!”

The girl turned and ran, still shouting.

Daryat followed to see a blue and a brown dragon furling their wings.

Two men in riding gear were talking to Mardriss, her eldest son. In

the paddocks nearest the dragons, a herd of horses came galloping up,

curious to get a closer look.

The trio came up to her.

“Good morning, madam----?”

“Good morning, sir, I am Daryat. Welcome! Can I get you some klah? It’s fresh.”

“That would be nice, ma’am. I am D’mitran, riding brown Careth. This is

C’val on blue Rastabenth. We’re here on a Search.”

Daryat’s face lit up.  ”Glyena! Go fetch a jug of klah and some mugs,

won’t you? Be careful, don’t run with the jug.”

“Yes’m!” the child ran, shouting orders to no one in particular.

“Do you remember me, ma'am? I am C’val, I came to your hold last

Fall to tell you that your son, Kandar, would be late coming home after

his horse fell with him.”

“Yes”, she said, smiling, “I remember, very well. That was kind of you.”

“If we may, ma’am, we should like to speak with your older children.

We are Searching for candidates for a hatching. Most especially, I

would like to speak to Kandar.”

“You, um, he is with my husband, Hanliss. They’re in the horse barn.”

Glyena came back with a loaded tray, almost but not quite running.

“Here! Here! Have some klah! Can I pet your dragons?”

The men smiled at the child, who despite her care, still managed to

slop some of the klah as she poured it into the mugs. The men waited

patiently, then took them and drank.

“Ahhhh, that’s the best I’ve ever tasted,” D’mitran said, rubbing his belly.

“Mum taught me to make it!” Glyena beamed.

“You have mastered it, little miss. It is excellent.”

“Can I pet your dragons?”

Daryat looked at her with an expectant look. “Glyena???”

“MAY I pet your dragons?” Glyena asked.

“Honey, they’re busy.” Daryat said, worried now for the child. She

looked at the riders, quizzically.

“They won’t hurt her, ma'am, but they are much bigger than she is.

They can be clumsy.”

“Go get Kandar. Maybe he can take you to pet the dragons.”

But Hanliss, Fland and Kandar, having heard Glyena shout, were on their way.

The moment Kandar saw the dragons, he knew, without a doubt, why they

were there. His heart leaped in his chest. At last!!

Glyena ran to him, catching his hand and pleading, “Kandar, Kandar, I

want to pet the dragons! Mum said it was okay!”

“I most certainly did not say exactly that, my girl,” Daryat said,

laughing despite her worries.

“It’s okay, ma’am. I’ve met Kandar, I am sure he’ll keep an eye on

her,” C’val said.

She met Kandar’s eye, and with a point of her chin, motioned for him

to take the child.

Kandar was reluctant, wanting to stay and argue his case, but instinct

told him his mother was his best ally.  Nor could he refuse Glyena,

who was tugging him towards the dragons. She had his heart wrapped

around her little finger, and they both knew it.

Hanliss, his face purple with rage, stabbed a finger in D’mitran’s face.

 “What are you doing here?”

Slowly and deliberately, D’mitran pushed the hand aside.

“Holder Hanliss, The Weyr's queen has a clutch warming on the

sands, and we are Searching for candidates.”

“There’s none here for you.”

“If you recall, sir, C’val met you and your son, Kandar, last Fall.”

Hanliss turned to the blue rider.

“Ah, yes. How could I forget.  You were late. You cost me a good bull.”

C’val gasped. “That’s not true, Hanliss.”

“You were late!”

C’val bristled, preparing to argue.

Careth says that D’mitran can handle this, Rastabenth said.

C’val stepped back, seething but obedient.  Hanliss re-directed his

anger at D’mitran.

“There’s no one here for you. You are not welcome here. Go.”

The two riders turned as one to look pointedly at Kandar with Glyena, who was gently

scratching under Rastabenth’s jaw. The dragon's eyes whirled in pleasure.  If

dragons could purr, he was.

“Holder Hanliss, we have a right to Search in our Weyrlands.”

“No! They’re mine! You will not take any of my children. I…I love them.”

Kandar snorted derisively. Hanliss was many things, but a loving

father had never been one of them. Anger roiled his mind. He won’t

even let me have my own life?

No. He was not going to let his father cheat him of the only chance he

might have to get out of there. He tried to walk to the others.

 Glyena pulled on his arm. “No, Kandar. Let Mardriss handle this.”

Perplexed, he looked down at her pretty face. There was wisdom in her

eyes that belied her young age.

“It will be okay. I know. Beliebe me.”

“I can’t let anyone go,” Hanliss said, his hands on his hips and his

face thrust forward. “It’s just a few of us. Mardriss is my heir and

Kandar has work to do. He needs to stay here.”

Kandar pulled. Glyena held on.

“Beliebe me,” she insisted.

D’mitran crossed his arms and looked hard at Hanliss.

“Holder Hanliss, you enjoy the protection from Thread that we provide,

and in return, you are obligated to allow us to search for riders to

provide it. You surely must know that honor and tradition dictates

that the Holder supports the Weyr. We’ve fought Thread in this sector

in the past. C’val wasn’t late.  He didn’t catch that clump of Thread

because that large pasture, the one with a herd of about 30 head of cattle in it?

It’s not on any map. It’s so well camouflaged it’s only visible from

dragon-back. You’re not hiding a herd from your Lord Holder, are

you??”

Hanliss exploded. “Who told you? Daryat, you bitch!”

He spun around, fist raised. She jumped back in alarm.

Vice-like hands grabbed his upper arms, forcing them behind him almost

to the breaking point. Pinned, Hanliss was roughly turned around to

face the furious faces of Fland and the riders. Kandar tore free of Glyena's grasp and ran to the fray.

Mardriss’s voice behind Hanliss's ear hissed, cold as between.“I told them. Me.

If you ever hit anyone again, you will answer to me.”

“And me.” Fland said.

“I hear there’s always a deep, dark spot in the mines for someone who

cheats his Lord Holder,” D’mitran said.

Hanliss, his face a jumble of anger and fear, fought the iron grip. It

did not weaken.

“My brother is 18. He is old enough to make decisions for himself,”

Mardriss growled.

He released Hanliss. The man shook his arms, then made a backhanded

motion towards Kandar.

“Ah, go on, take him. He’s stupid, he’s no use to me. I don’t want him

back, you hear? You keep him. I disinherit him right here and now.” He

stomped back to the barns.

Mardriss and Kandar’s eyes met. Mardriss smiled and nodded slightly.

No words were needed between them.

Daryat stepped forward, tears in her eyes.

“Kandar has been dreaming of dragons his entire life. He’s a smart,

kind boy. I hope you give him a chance to get out of,” she looked

around her, "here.”

“May I keep him until tomorrow?” Mardriss asked, “I could use his help

driving our tithe herd to the Lord Holder’s.”

D’mitran nodded and turned to Kandar. “Have your things packed, and

we’ll pick you up at the Hold after the drive.”

Kandar nodded.  His heart was so far up in his throat he couldn’t

speak.  Instead, he leaned down to hug his mother. She held him

tightly, loving him. Pushing him back to arm’s length, she looked up

into his eyes, as if to memorize his face. Then she released him to

his future.

He followed the riders back to their dragons, where Glyena was

standing, hands on hips.

“See?” Glyena said, triumphantly, “Tol’ you so.”

Kandar knelt down and kissed her softly on the cheek. “You’re the

bestest sister I could ever have. If I get a dragon, if, mind you, I

will give you a ride.”

She looked him straight in the eye. She made a fist and stuck out the pinky like a hook.  “Promise?”

Rastabenth, wanting more chin scratches, dropped his blue head and

snuffled her hair.

Kandar hooked her pinky with his. They put their hands on their hearts.

“Promise.”  Kandar said.