Chap. 80 The price war

Chap. 80 The price war

The Weyr was busy today. Most of the wings were out on Search. Mirth, the Weyrwoman's gold dragon, had laid an unusually large clutch, of which everyone was proud and reassured. Some said that there were at least three queen eggs.

But the pool of eligible candidates seemed to have shrunk. Now the wings were out doing more Searches for possible candidates.

K'ndar and Francie, however, were not. They had been assigned sweep duty, that of patrolling a sector for message banners from cotholds, or the evidence of raiders, and this time, checking on the status of fruit trees. When the fruits came ripe, much of the Weyr would be out, harvesting.

A 'transport requested" banner was flying at a small crafthold.

Siskin began to warble.

K'ndar touched his mind and saw a picture of a green fire lizard perched on a woman's shoulder. Ah, it was Terylin's crafthall!

Knowing he was going to be in the vicinity, he'd brought the blue stones and the larger blue rock. 

They landed and Francie, being the senior rider, approached the hall.

"Hello, the hall! Dragonriders here!" 

But it was unnecessary. Some of the hall's children had seen them land and alerted the adults.

"Do I have time to go see a friend of mine?" K'ndar asked.

"Of course," Francie said. Her three fire lizards suddenly took wing, joined by Siskin.

"Someone here has a fire lizard!" she said, as they arrowed away.

"Aye, my friend, Terilyn has a green. Almost as talented as your lizards!"

A man,strutting with self importance, came out of the Hall. 

Francie introduced herself. "You, sir, are the one requesting transport?"

"I am," he said, "that, and I have an order for a cask of vinegar for Hariko, your headwoman. I'll have that rolled out here in just a moment." They went into the foyer of the crafthall.

K'ndar 'called' Siskin, where are you?

The blue came back, chittering happily, and led him to Terylin's home.

It was nicely situated in amongst the trees. Outside were several ovens, all of them in use at the moment.

Terylin came out, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Hello, K'ndar! What a nice surprise! What brings you here?"

"We're on sweep, ma'am, we have business here, but..since I'm so junior, I'm merely the..the dragon holder," he laughed. He dug around in his jacket. "I brought you some interesting stones and a rock," he continued.

He handed her the large blue one first.

"Oh, my. This is a beauty. Do you know what it is?"

"No ma'am, but the minute I saw it, I thought of you."

"That's coincidental, because I've been wanting this specific rock for a long time and was just wondering if it even existed on Southern. It's called 'azurite'. WHERE did you get it?"

"A long, long way out on the steppe. We've been surveying it. I can get more of this, if you want."

She twisted it, examining it, already thinking of how to use it. "If I recall correctly, it doesn't stay dark blue like this when it's heated….but I can still use it as a glaze. May I buy this?"

"No, ma'am. I'm giving it to you. There's plenty more of it out there. And these…" he pulled the pretty, blue green rocks out of his pocket.

She looked at them for some time. "I think…I think this is what is called turquoise. I don't think I can use them as a glaze or in pottery at all, but…I can think of some interesting uses."

"I'm going to try to weave them into a necklace, but again, I know where to get more, so here."

He poured the rest into her hands.

She handed half of them back.

"No, you keep some. Okay? Let's both work with them and see what we come up with! There's a market in a few weeks at Singing Waters. Will you be able to come to that?"

"Ma'am, yes. Yes! You cannot believe how wonderful life has become, now that I don't have to fly thread every few days. It's even made a difference in my dragon. Now that he no longer has to eat firestone, it seems as if his mind has, well, sharpened. He's more able to retain things, he's just smarter, and most especially, his memory is much better."

And handsome. Don't forget handsome. Me and Motanith are covered with fire lizards right now. Siskin knows just where to scratch…oh, that feels good.

K'ndar laughed. "Raventh wants you to know that he's handsome. Too. And, as is usual, I'm learning, fire lizards just adore dragons."

Francie wants you. There is a…disagreement

?

"Sorry, ma'am, but apparently something is going on at the main hall."

"I'd bet it's Torn. If you're here on business, he's probably going to try something. He can be arrogant-and greedy," she warned.

It was. Francie was outside of the Hall, talking to Torn. Behind him was a cask, all roped for transport.

"This," Francie was saying, "is new to me. Let me get this straight. You've been supplying my Weyr with vinegar for ages, and now you want money? Do you think I HAVE money?"

"Not my problem, girlie. It's a new world, now." Torn was saying, smugly.

K'ndar spoke up. "You address her as Dragonrider, sir. Not "girlie"." 

Torn looked at him. "You, you're just a lad."

"And a dragonrider."

"Aye, but what use are you to us now? There's no more thread! Now, you're merely…"

"Merely?"

"Oh, I guess merely isn't the word. You're just dragonriders now. You must learn that up til now, we crafters have coddled you, like babies, because of a service that only you provided. Everyone else..Holders and fishermen, crafters, miners, we've had to pay for things like this vinegar here. Now that you're like us, it's only fair you pay for the things we crafters do for you."

"I see. Despite the fact that our headwoman has contracted with you for years for your, I must admit, most excellent vinegar, without question of money."

"It IS the best vinegar, that it is," Torn said, folding his hands. 

Raventh, contact Mirth. Tell her to tell Siena that we are having problems with a crafter, Torn. He wants money for vinegar.

Motanith has already done so. Siena is on her way. What is vinegar?

Uh…I'll tell you later. It is something humans eat.

Mirth appeared in the sky. She landed beside Raventh and Motanith. 

She is unhappy,having to leave her eggs. 

How soon before they hatch?

A while, I think…but not very much longer. A couple days, I think.

THREE. The Queen has spoken

The dragons respectfully moved aside for Mirth, giving their queen plenty of room. She needed it…she had grown very large. Her eyes were orange.

Siena approached the crafter. Mirth had filled her in on most of the situation.

"Weyrwoman Siena, rider of gold Mirth of Kahrain Steppe Weyr. You, sir?"

Torn looked up at her. "Torn. Crafthall Master."

"What crafts?"

"No special one. We have a potter, a cheesecrafter, farmers, woodworkers. Oh, and I make cider and vinegar."

"The problem is?" she asked, in her silky smooth voice. K'ndar and Francie had learned, early on, that when she spoke in that specific tone of voice, one had better be wary. Siena was no pushover. It was a voice that said, tread warily, fool.

"Am I to understand that now you are wanting money for the things you've provided freely in the past?"

Torn folded his arms.

"Aye. Like I told this girl, here, it's a new world now. Time you dragonriders started paying for things like the rest of us."

"I see." Siena pursed her lips, looking at him.

"How much, may I ask, do you charge Lord Dorn, your Lord Holder?"

"Ahhhhhhhh, " he said, quibbling.

"Nothing, correct?"

"Well, he IS my Lord Holder, I'm here on his…I'm on his.."

"His land."

"Yes."

"How much, then, for a person who's not your landlord?"

"I charge a mark for this size cask."

"I see. I would guess there's no chance we can barter?"

"Nay. I have to make a living, gir…ma'am."

Siena sighed. Part of her mind had been dreading this, but she knew it was inevitable, now. She'd come prepared.

"Alright then, a mark it is."

Francie and K'ndar were aghast. She was giving up! She looked at them with a quick glance that said, shut up, I know what I'm doing. 

She opened her pouch and removing a mark, handed it to Torn.

Looking triumphant, he pocketed it.

He had the manners to say, "Thank you."

"Have one of your men take it to the brown dragon over there," she said, and turned to walk off.

He called one of his men, who trundled the cask towards Raventh. 

Torn said, "By the way, Ma'am, I could use some transport to Singing Waters. I need to meet with Lord Dorn, you know? I won't be but about half an hour, maybe an hour. Which dragon do I ride?"

Siena turned back. K'ndar and Francie rejoiced. She'd baited the trap, and the man had taken it, without hesitation.

"Which dragon? Don't you have one of your own?"

"Of course not. I'm a crafter, not a dragon rider." 

"I see. You're much too old to impress one, so, I'm sorry, there is no dragon available for your transport."

Torn scowled. "What do you mean? There's three dragons right there. I've an appointment with Lord Dorn today. He's not a man I want to keep waiting." 

"Well, then," Siena said,almost hissing, "I suggest you get on your fastest horse and gallop, because you aren't riding any dragon of MY weyr. Not now, not ever."

"But…but..you've always provided transport!"

"FREE  transport. FREE of charge, Torn."

Siena turned, gathering up a smirking Francie and K'ndar with her glance. They followed her.

Torn followed, aghast.

"Ma'am, I'm serious, I need transport to Lord Dorn's hold immediately."

Siena kept walking, K'ndar and Francie just behind her.

"Ma'am!"

She and the others turned as one.

"You're serious, are you?"

"Yes!"

"So am I. You charge my weyr for vinegar, something never before done and without any sort of negotiation, now you have the audacity to expect my riders to freely provide you transport? You're wasting my time, Torn. That horse isn't going to get you there any faster with you standing here. Good day," and she continued walking, smiling.

Torn looked torn. And defeated. While greedy, he wasn't stupid.

"How…how much for transport to and from Singing Waters hold?"

Siena stopped, looking at the sky, making it a dramatic show. She'd already composed what she was about to say. She turned around. 

"My queen dragon is busy with eggs. Having to come here to settle this matter has already unsettled her. Raventh, the brown, is already burdened. That leaves only the green. Greens are seldom used for transport as they're small. She, by the way, is NOT my dragon. 

My dragonriders, as you note, are no longer confined to fighting Thread at the cost of inability to pursue other means of making money. You crafters never paid money for our protection of your halls, your homes, your lands. You never complained when they were in the sky, getting scored, sometimes dying, so that you didn't lose everything to thread. Now that we are no longer constrained by having to fight Thread all our lives, all dragonriders have the choice-as YOU have always had-to live as they choose.

So transport remains solely up to the rider to choose whether or not to provide." 

She looked at Francie. There was a wickedly happy glint in her eye. She was enjoying this.

"Are you willing to transport this man to and from Singing Waters?"

Francie made a show of pondering the question. She'd already decided.

"Please, dragonrider, I need transport."

"Oh, now it's 'dragonrider', not "girlie"?"

Torn actually flushed. Maybe he did have a decent bone inside his head.

"I…I apologize."

Francie,  said,  "I charge two marks for transport."

"TWO MARKS?" Torn shouted.

"One mark to the Hold, one mark back here. Got to make a living, you know," she said, in her best Siena tone as possible.

Siena smiled. Good girl, she thought,quick as her green.

Torn began to swell up…then deflated.

"Aye. Tis fair."

He pulled two marks from his pocket and handed them to Francie.

"Nay, sir. It goes to my Weyrwoman. She paid for the vinegar out of her own pocket. And she provides room and board for me and my dragon."

He reluctantly handed them to Siena.

"Don't keep my dragon rider waiting too long, Torn. She's got other transports to do," Siena said, icily, and resumed her walk to her dragon.

Francie looked at K'ndar. They both smirked.