Chap. 114 Hazed

Chap. 114  Hazed

T'ovar left the team at the dining hall. "Tomorrow's a rest day, lads, so I'll see you day after tomorrow," he said. He seemed to be in a hurry.

It was packed full of fishermen, seamen, and families.  K'ndar was still astonished at how old and cramped the Hold was. There was hardly an empty seat in the dining hall. They'd found a spot at the far end, at a table that had seen better days. The hall was bursting at the seams with people. It was small and noisy. 

D'mitran had noticed it, too.

"Where do they put all these folks?" he asked, aloud, though it was meant for himself.

"I don't know. I would think that the seamen would stay aboard their ship, but that's not what T'ovar said," D'nis added. "They've all got quarters, like we do at home."

K'ndar toyed with his food. He wasn't really interested in it. Was it a left over from his illness earlier that day? He was dreading having to spend another night in their assigned sleeping quarters.

They and their dragons had been assigned to a large cavern that was full of ships in various stages of disrepair. It was dank and dark, with a constant wind whistling through it. They had been given grimy cots to sleep on. It was, they'd been told, the only place large enough to accommodate their dragons.

But something didn't feel right about that. Something felt as if a game was being played, and they were the target. The man who'd shown them where they would be sleeping seemed to be smirking, but they dismissed it. 

K'ndar looked at his teammates.

"Maybe it's just me, and I know I'm full of complaints today, but I'm sorry, this food isn't…isn't the best. It's cold, it was cold the moment I picked it up.  And I haven't had a decent night's sleep since we got here. I'm cold all the time and there's one bast of a draft in there," he said.

The two nodded their heads. 

"I didn't think I'd be so cold here, but I am, too," D'mitran said.

Just then a quartet of teenagers brought their meals over to the long table they were sitting at. The kids ignored them. They were used to strangers in the Hold. 

They started talking amongst themselves, in a strong local accent that told them as residents. 

They'd been talking for several minutes before the team realized the kids were talking about THEM.

Of course, K'ndar's seasickness was the first thing they laughed about. D'mitran and D'nis watched his reaction. I'm over it, K'ndar thought, these are kids, let it go. Thus, he kept his attention on trying to find something edible on his plate. 

But then, they heard something infuriating.

"Did you go see their dragons?"

"I did, but didn't go near 'em. They're huge."

"I haven't seen 'em! Where are they?"

"In the cannibalization cavern, the one with all the broke ships that are being used for parts."

"Wow, that place is freezing, even in summer," said one, laughing.

"I bet they get icicles on their noses at night," another snickered.

They laughed.

"Why…why didn't they put them up in one of the smaller caverns, where it's not so cold? Some of them even have thermal heat, like our houses have," one said, sympathetically. 

"Ah, it was Arturo's idea, he don't like dragons or their riders, he says, so he figgered he'd teach them a lesson. He were laughing about it, when I saw him," said the first. 

"Does Lord Oterel know? Or Lady Bronwen?" 

"I don't think so. They'd not stand for it. Not for a moment.  I think it were all kept quiet. Maybe it's like the initiation some crews have to go through. I was always afraid the ship I would finally sign on to would have that sort of thing, but I'm on a good ship. They don't do things like that."

"My cousin did, though. Before he changed ships, he were hazed something awful, just because he was the newest and the youngest. They never let up on him. They thought it were funny, but my cousin, he hated every minute of it," said another.

 "The crew did things like cut the ropes on his hammock almost through, so they'd break when he'd climb in. Or threw a handful of fish guts in it when he were on watch. The minute he was offered a position on another ship, he jumped on it. He was still doing the dirty jobs, he said, but at least he weren't being hazed."

"But these are dragonriders, they…they're just passing through, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. I dunno much about it. I ain't even seen them, aren't they from High Reaches?"

"No, I heard they're from Southern. Don't know why they'd come all the way HERE."

"The High Reaches riders, they know all about Arturo," the first one said.

"Aye, everyone knows what a sod Arturo can be. I don't want him knowing anything about ME 'cept I'm just some dumb kid on a fisher boat. I stay away from him. He's just mean, pure through."

The three dragonriders looked at each other. The same thought ran through their heads.

They were being hazed. 

"Y'know," D'nis said, softly, "dragons can go between anywhere."

K'ndar and D'mitran looked at him.

"They don't NEED to be stabled in a freezer."

K'ndar looked at him. 

"I would much rather be sleeping in my own bed, and commute, like Francie does. She lives at Landing, but works at…" he said.

D'mitran shushed him before he could say the name of their weyr in case the kids overheard.

"The food's much better there, too. Not this slop," K'ndar said.

As one, the three stood up to return their still full plates.

"No matter what time of night it is, Oscoral's (their night shift baker) always has something hot to eat," D'mitran said. 

The kids didn't even notice them about to depart. 

"I feel sorry for them," one said, "None of them ever done me a wrong turn. I know how I'd feel if I were being hazed, like being stuck in that old cavern. It's wet and cold in there all the time."

"D'ya think we should tell the dragon riders? Maybe they'd give us a ride?" said the sympathetic one.

"And have Arturo find out who snitched? Not on your life, mate, not on your life."

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They didn't even bother to tell T'ovar. Only Rahman knew that the three boarded their dragons and went home.