Chap. 67 The Lizard Express

Chap. 67 The Lizard Express

K'ndar made a final inspection of the two braided horsehair necklaces he'd been working on.

He'd  found that, as a dragon rider, he didn't have the time that he had when he was a Weyrling. This pair had taken much longer to make.

This, he thought, was from several different reasons: he spent much of his free time reading, or training Siskin, or maintaining his riding equipment and of course,Raventh. Thus he'd not spent much time on what had proved to be a lucrative hobby, braiding horse hair.

The necklaces were almost perfect. Better, he reflected, than the first pair he'd sold.

Now it was time to test the delivery system.

He took a small piece of paper from his notebook and wrote:

Lizard, Siskin brings you two horsehair necklaces as part of our contract.  When are you going to be in the area next? 

Hmmm. How to transport it? Did he just allow Siskin to carry it or attach it somehow?

Ahh. Perhaps just wrap them around the fire lizard?

He called Siskin and visualized himself wrapping the necklaces around the blue's chest.

Siskin protested.

He doesn't like the idea. He thinks it will interfere with his wings

I didn't think of that. I'm not sure how to have him take him to Lizard.

How do others do it?

I'm not sure. I've never seen them transport it, but I know people have. 

He won't drop them. Now I know that fire lizards will bring prey to the nest before their eggs hatch, so that the nestlings don't eat each other.

That's smart. By the way, did you know Zeta is in egg?

Raventh was quiet for a moment.

Not anymore!

REALLY!

She laid a big clutch a week ago. The eggs hatched this morning.  

Oh, my, I don't think Lindea knew it would be that soon. I hope..I hope the hatchlings didn't kill each other.

No. 

Do you know where she had her nest?

On the Hatching Sands. She probably thought Mirth would protect them.

That was very, very smart of Zeta. So, the hatchlings didn't kill each other?

No. The children knew about the nest. They kept it secret. Now every one of the eggs has hatched and impressed on a child. 

Oh. That was going to be interesting. 

I'll have to tell Lindea. Soon as I send the necklaces, he thought.

He envisioned Siskin carrying the necklaces and the note to Lizard.

He understands. He remembers the special dragonstones on the wagon.

Duh, he thought, I'd forgotten that, even though I had the same one set up in the beach weyr.

He touched the fire lizards forefeet with the necklaces and the rolled up message. The little blue took them willingly. They'd made 'carry this' a game. 

"Alright, Siskin, carry these to Lizard. Give them to Lizard. Remember the wagon dragonstones. Ready?"

Siskin's eyes whirled. "Go, there's a good lad!"

The blue, necklaces in his grasp, leaped into the air and vanished.

I'm going to go to talk to Lindea. If he comes back before I do, tell him to find me.

I will. 

He went to the dining hall. Lindea hadn't come in yet, but Hariko was there.

"Ah, K'ndar, maybe you can tell me what's going on," she said, dusting flour off her capable hands.

"What do you mean?"

"At dawn, a dozen kids came in, all wanting raw meat. Said it was a secret, but I know kids…something's up," she said, "especially when it's a rest day and they're up and about so early."

"Raventh told me Zeta's eggs hatched. We thought she'd hidden her nest on the beach but Raventh said she was on the Hatching Sands, right under Mirth's nose, I bet!"

"Clever of her. That makes a lot of sense. Lindea should be coming in any minute," the headwoman said, "and there she is now. Good morning, Lindea," she said.

"K'ndar!" Lindea said, "I haven't seen Zeta this morning. I knew she laid eggs last week but I've no idea where…I see sand but she was pretty cagey about where it was. She told me the eggs were about to hatch, but…"

K'ndar grinned. "She's a smart little queen, she is. Raventh told me she laid them…on the Hatching Sands!"

"Oh, that little sneak! Why didn't I think of that?"

"He told me they all hatched this morning, and that all the little ones survived."

"I didn't have meat for them!"

"Nor did you want to, you didn't want them all impressing on YOU. Not to worry. The kids in the weyr found her nest…and apparently impressed them all."

"Aye, he's right, a whole handful of kids were here this morning, demanding raw meat. Asking, not demanding," Hariko said, laughing. "How a dozen kids could keep a secret like that…but they did, and now there's 12 families who suddenly have a fire lizard in the family."

"Hmmm. This is going to be like giving away puppies," she said, ruefully. "I wonder how the parents are going to react when their kids show up with a fire lizard. They're going to know it was my queen's hatch."

__________________________________________________________________________

Siskin returns. He is with a bronze fire lizard. I think it's Lizard's.

At last! I was beginning to worry! K'ndar said. He was fairly confident that his blue fire lizard was old enough, now, to be able to travel, but this was the first time he'd been gone so long.

Siskin flew into the weyr, chirping excitedly. 

K'dar put down his book. The fire lizard was flitting about his weyr. A bronze appeared just behind him.

The bronze whirled in agitated circles over his head, chittering angrily.

What is he angry about?

He couldn't find the beach weyr. He found us only by following Siskin.  He thought we were gone.I told him to find me if he doesn't see dragonstones

"Siskin! good lad!" he said, and then, to the bronze, "I'm sorry."  He'd forgotten that the hurricane had also destroyed the special dragonstones he'd made so that Lizard's fire lizards could find them. He tried to push a picture of the hurricane flattening the beach weyr, but that didn't work.

He doesn't understand. He wants the dragonstones.

"I'll replace them, okay?"

The bronze hurrumphed and then perched on Siskin's ledge. He was wearing a fabric harness with a pocket on it.

"I'm going to open the harness pocket," he said to the bronze, suddenly aware he hadn't the faintest idea what the bronze's name was. 

The bronze wheeped. 

"Are you hungry? I"ve got a meatroll here," he said. The bronze looked at it, then ignored it. 

Either he had already fed, or the meatroll didn't appeal to him. Siskin, though, thought it was delicious. 

The pocket held a piece of paper, wrapped around three and a half marks!

The note said,

Hello, K'ndar! Your timing was perfect. I am at Toric's Hold's Market. It's big, very big. Your blue delivered the necklaces and I sold them almost immediately. As contracted, I have deducted my 10% commission.

I've been doing a lot of traveling. I will be at Singing Waters Hold in two weeks, after their Market. Lord Dorn has requested I testify as a witness at a trial he is holding. 

I like using paper to communicate. If you can, please get a notebook for me. I will pay you for it.  Send it via your blue lizard. The harness my bronze is wearing is yours. It should fit your blue with a bit of rearranging the straps.  Smaller items don't need to be put in the pockets, the lizards can carry them easily. Thank you, Lizard.

K'ndar was pleased with the money and the harness. He carefully removed it from the bronze. It was cleverly made, but he thought, I can make improvements to it, I can see that right away.

He turned the paper over…might as well get as much use as possible out of it! and wrote, "Thank you, Lizard! I think I can get you a notebook for free. The Landing print shop usually gives them away as they're considered 'scrap'. If not, don't worry, I can afford a notebook now!  Lindea's gold laid a batch of eggs that hatched this morning. The kids in the Weyr impressed them all. Thank you for the harness.  K'ndar.

Folding the paper into a small square, he offered it to the bronze. The fire lizard took the square in his forepaws. 

"Okay, my little friend, take this back to Lizard. I'll make sure the dragonstones are replaced."

The bronze made an odd sound. Then he flew into the air and disappeared. 

If he hadn't known better, he'd have sworn the bronze said, "You'd better!"