Chap. 152 The Gatha at Ruatha's Lizard Show

Chap. 152 The Gatha at Ruatha's Lizard show

The air was redolent with the scent of roasting meat and fresh baked pies. The lanes between booths were crowded with people, their accents telling K'ndar they were from all over the planet.

They stopped in front of a magician, a young man semi-circled by children and adults.

"Pick a card, any card," he said, flourishing a spread hand of cards. A young boy hesitantly pulled a card from the spread deck in his hand.

"Like this?" the boy cried, showing the card to the man. The magician laughed and accepted the card. "No, laddie, next time, DON'T let me see the card, aye? But show it to everyone else. Just not me," he said, as he shuffled the deck. "Now let's try again," he said.

The child pulled a card from the proffered deck and showed it to the crowd behind him.

"The five of hammers," K'ndar thought.

"Now put it back into the deck, lad, anywhere, I'm not going to watch," the magician said, closing his eyes. He shuffled the deck after the card had been replaced and compacted it. Making a dramatic show of running his free hand over the back of the deck, he pulled out…the five of hammers.

"Is this your card?" he asked. The boy cried yes, yes! and the crowd clapped.

"How did he do that?" Glyena asked.

"I don't know, Glyena," K'ndar said, just as amazed. Something whispered in his mind, don't ever play cards with this man.

"Come on, let's see more!" she said, tugging on his arm.

They heard children laughing, and K'ndar caught a glimpse of a fire lizard hovering in the air.

It was Francie's lizard show. She was in costume, of course. He could see she'd added several tricks to her performance.

Her three fire lizards wore bells with Landing's colors and their names on them. They were lined up perpendicular to a slalom course of tall, regularly spaced pegs.

"Now, children, Keeso, Sisi and Coora are going to race each other on the pole bending race, just like we do on horseback. Ready to see them race?" she asked.

"Yes!" the children cried.

"Okay then…are you ready, my lizards?"

Coora and Keeso chittered. Sisi looked grumpy.

"Ready, set…go!" Francie cried. Coora and Keeso flew through slalom course. Sisi didn't budge from her platform.

Keeso, having completed first, landed atop the winner's platform. Francie slipped her a treat as she turned to the other green.

"What? Sisi! Why didn't you race?"

Sisi snorted.

Francie cocked her head as if hearing a tiny voice.

"What? You're HUNGRY?"

Sisi nodded.

The children watched, enthralled.

"Mebbe give her a treat!" one cried.

"But she didn't race!" another child protested, "She just sat there!"

"Now, Sisi, you must race, the WINNER of the race gets a treat. Do you understand?" Francie said to the green.
Sisi raised her wings and shook them.

"Does she understand you?" a child asked, enchanted.

"Yes, she does, fire lizards are very intelligent," Francie said.

"Now then, we're going to try this again. Line up, and this time you must race, Sisi," Francie admonished.

Turning to the children, she said, "You know what? I might need your help. I'm going to count to three, on three, I want you all to shout, "go!" Can you do that?"

One child cried, "Go!"

"Not yet, not yet, lassie!" a man cried, laughing along with the rest of the crowd.

"You hafta wait 'til she says "three"," chided the girls' older brother. The girl blushed.

The laughter quieted.

"Okay, now, the winner is the one who flies the course twice and lands here first. So, are you all ready to help?"

The kids all shouted, Yes!

Francie, working hard to keep from grinning, called, "One---two…THREE!"

The children shouted "GO!"

Coora and Keeso dutifully flew through the slalom course.

Sisi arrowed straight past the course, turned at the end and flew back even faster to land on the winner's platform. She raised her wings in triumph as the others returned.

The adults in the crowd roared, the children shouting "She cheated! Ma'am, she didn't go through the course, she just flew right past!"

Francie put her hands on her hips. "Sisi?"

Sisi wheedled.

"What do you mean, where's your treat? Yes, I KNOW you got here first but you didn't go through the course! That wasn't fair."

Sisi popped up into the air, then flew the course by herself. She then returned to the winner's platform and looked expectantly for her treat.

"What am I going to do with you, you naughty little green?"

Sisi popped into the air, chortling at her cleverness.

Francie looked at the crowd.

"Well, now I'm perplexed, children. What should I do? Does Sisi deserve a treat?"

The children were dumbfounded. They chattered to each other and called out solutions.

"No! She didn't do it right!"

"Make 'em race again!"

"But…Keeso and Coora are tired now," Francie said, "and Sisi didn't race fairly."

"Hold the green back, like a handicap," a man yelled.

"That's a good idea," Francie said, smiling at the man. She'd planned on saying it herself but it was always better when a member of the audience brought it up.

"Okay, we're going to try this one more time," she said to her fire lizards.

She held onto Sisi, and said, "Okay, children, you know what to do, now. One. Two. Three!"

The children shouted "Go!"

Coora and Keeso flew through the course. Francie released Sisi, who flew straight up. She vanished, going between and just as suddenly, reappeared and landed on the platform.

The crowd could not contain themselves. They roared, K'ndar and Glyena with them.

So clever, Francie, so clever, K'ndar thought.

Francie shook her head.

Sisi crowed, proud of herself. Treat?

"Okay, I give up. Sisi, you go sit on your platform. No treats for cheats. We'll go on to something else," she said, as Coora and Keeso returned to their platforms.

"That were right clever of her, ma'am, she's smarter than she looks," a woman called out.

Francie nodded her head in agreement.

"They're like kids, you know," she said.

Chap. 151.3 Business before Pleasure

Chap. 151 Business before pleasure

"Oh, look at his horses!" Glyena cried, as they approached Lizard's caravan. She went running to them.
"Glyena! Stop!" K'ndar cried.

She stopped, turning in wonder.

"Why?"

How to explain the concept of security to a child?

"That caravan? It's Lizard's home, just like your room at our weyr. It's not polite to just barge in," K'ndar said.

"But it's OUTSIDE, K'ndar," Glyena protested.

"That's how Lizard lives. It might be on wheels, but that's his home. He's a trader, he and Uncle Sandriss were partners for several years, and he's my friend, too. But he's still a private person. He's had problems with thieves and raiders, and so he has a guardian dog. I've met the dog, but he's probably on duty right now, and I honestly don't know how he'd react to us, approaching the caravan without Lizard being here."

"How do you know your friend isn't in the caravan?"

"I don't. But he has fire lizards, and they usually come out to meet Siskin when I'm in the vicinity. That hasn't happened, so I am guessing Lizard is out doing business right now. What I usually do is walk to within calling distance, like this."

He strode across the meadow and then stopped, looking for the dog. "Then, just like you'd do at home, at someone's weyr, I call "Hello, the caravan! Hello?"

There was no response. But Crunch, the guardian dog appeared from beneath the caravan and stood at attention, looking hard at K'ndar.

"Oh, there's the dog! He's big. What's his name?"

"That's another thing. I know his name, but I won't call it out. He's on duty, and he knows it. I'll just stand here for a moment, let him get my scent."

"Why does he have a guardian dog?"

"Last time he was here on Northern, someone burned down his wagon because he wouldn't fall for the conman's tricks. In the past, he was stabbed and cut up by thieves. Sandriss saved his life. He shouldn't need to worry about that here, but he travels alone, with valuable things to trade, and thieves know it."

They looked at the dog. Crunch analyzed their scent, carried to him on the breeze, and began to wag his tail.

"He's wagging his tail, K'ndar, that means we can up there now!"

"It means he knows who I am. It doesn't mean I'm allowed any closer."

"Oh, come on, K'ndar! He's friendly! Look at him wagging!"

"Glyena, it doesn't. It means he won't attack, but, I don't know if he would if I tried to enter the caravan. I'll send Siskin to find Lizard, then he'll know we're here," he said.

"Will he be a long time? Because I want to do the Gather!"

"I know. If he's not here in a few minutes, we'll go do the Gather. Or, I can come back by myself after we've gone through the aisles. I have some business to do with him, and you might want to consider having him sell your bridle for you."

"And the horse races, I don't want to miss those," she said.

"Me neither. They start this afternoon. We'll watch them," he said.

"I wish…I wish Greta had been honest, I was so excited thinking I was going to be a jockey again. That was so much fun," Glyena said.

"I know. Greta's leaving like that, it surprised me, too. But, maybe she had reasons she didn't want to or couldn't explain. She did pay up, so let's just leave it at that, shall we?"

At that moment, Siskin cheeped and took wing. K'ndar turned to see Lizard approaching, at the same moment as his fire lizards zipped up to meet Siskin. The trader waved in greeting, and whistled. Crunch launched, running past K'ndar and Glyena to greet Lizard, tail wagging so hard it beat his sides.

"Ah, there he is!" K'ndar said.

"Good lad," Lizard said, scrubbing the dog's neck, "now go greet our guests." The dog spun and raced to K'ndar, and sat at parade rest, his eyes dancing.

"NOW we can say hello to the dog, Gly." He knelt down to meet the dog at its level. "Hello, Crunch! This is Glyena, my sister," K'ndar said, thinking it seemed to have doubled in size since the last time he'd seen it.

The dog sniffed Glyena's legs, then suddenly collapsed, tail pounding the grass, as he begged for a belly rub.

Glyena fell on him, laughing, shocking both Lizard and K'ndar. But the dog was wriggling with joy, his jaws wide open in a doggy laugh. His teeth were formidable and close to Glyena's face.

"Sheesh. Look at those teeth," K'ndar thought, but the dog was plainly enjoying being mauled by a child.

"Well!" Lizard said, coming up to K'ndar's side, "So much for the guardian! Look at this lout, he's goofy." The dog's eyes were scrunched shut, his tongue lolling in ecstasy. "His breeders told me he'd be good around kids. He's a good judge of character, he is," he said.

Glyena looked up at him, a huge smile on her face as she vigorously scrubbed the dog's belly. "He is so sweet!" she cried.

"Obviously, little miss, he approves of you," he said, laughing.
______________________________________________________________________
"I'm glad you didn't tell me where you got your, um, cargo, K'ndar," Lizard said, pointing a surreptitious thumb at Glyena. She was chatting with his horses, but was still in earshot. It was never a good idea to discuss business around children.

"Was it…um, contaminated?" K'ndar said, appreciating his circumspection.

"No, no, not at all, in fact I made a decent amount of money on it, and here you are, minus my commission," Lizard said. He handed over 16 marks.

"Whoa," K'ndar said. He'd not expected the opals to bring that much.

"The man who bought it was insistent, he demanded to know where it came from. Was there more, he wants as much as you can provide, but what he left unsaid was that he'd much rather know where he can get more without having to go through me. We've dealt in the past, so he knows I'm being honest when I say I have no idea where it came from, and I don't know if I can get more. Apparently it was top quality," Lizard said, "when he saw it for the first time his eyes about jumped out of his head."

K'ndar stashed the money in the pouch around his neck. His mind raced. He'd planned on giving the opal that Greta had paid for her harness to Terylin. But now?

"I…I can get more, but, I'm hesitant to do so. There's, um, ethical issues."

Lizard scowling, snapped, "They weren't stolen, were they? Because if they were, K'ndar, we do no more business. Ever."

"No, no!! I wouldn't ever do that, Lizard, never! No, it was a fair and square..um, acquisition. I..I found them. I won't say where. I promised to not reveal, um…"

Lizard held up a hand. "I understand. I take it there were others involved. I shan't pry. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. The less I know about this sort of stuff, the safer I am. Just remember, should you ever come into possession of more, I will have no problems at all selling it."

"Selling what?" Glyena came up to them.

Flustered, K'ndar said, "Um, your bridle?"

"Oh, yeah, my bridle! Lizard, sir, I made this bridle and I was going to sell it here at the Gather but K'ndar said you are probably the best person ever ever to do trades and sell things so I would like to ask you if you would sell this for me?" she asked in her normal tsunami of words. She pulled the bridle out of her backpack.

Lizard solemnly took it from her and looked at it. At first it was a cursory one, then he began to appreciate it.

"This is very, very fine work, lassie. YOU made this?" he asked, genuinely impressed.

"Yes, sir," she said, proudly.

"You have a talent, lassie, a real talent. I can easily sell this. But I must ask you, do you understand what a 'contract' is?"

"Um…is it like, a promise?"

He nodded. "In a way, it is. I make my living selling things, trading things, bartering things. A contract is a promise between two people to do those sorts of things. Are you interested in selling it, or bartering for it? Is there something that you want that costs money?"

"Um…I don't know. I used to want a fire lizard and K'ndar told me you sell eggs, but now there's fire lizards at our weyr and if I want one all I hafta do is wait until Zeta lays another clutch and then my friend Lindea might let me have an egg but I don't know if Shirae would let one in the weyr and so right now I don't want one but if I …"


"Glyena! Just answer in less than a thousand words!" K'ndar said, exasperated but laughing, too.

Lizard laughed. "Yes, please, let's keep this simple, so that you can go and do the Gather," he said.

She took a deep breath. "I think right now I just want money," she said.

"Good choice. Now then, part of the contract is that you give me the bridle. I will make money on it in one way or another. When I do, I subtract 10 percent of the money it brings for my commission. That's what I charge to do the selling for you. It's what I charge your brother when he sells things through me, like the horsehair chokers he used to make. Do you understand?"

"I think so."

"Do the math, Glyena," K'ndar said, more to allow her to show off her skills.

"It means that..that you get part of the money before I get the rest."

"Yes. Now, it might take me a while to sell it. I will keep it until it's sold, do you agree to that?"
She turned and looked at K'ndar.

He nodded. "It's how I do business with him, and I and Uncle Sandriss will vouch for him," he assured her.

"Okay," she said, re-assured.

"When it's sold, I take my commission out and send the rest of the money to you. We can send it via fire lizard, mine to Siskin, that's the fastest way. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she said.

"Do you agree with the terms of the contract?"

"Yes," she said.

"Okay. Let's contract then," but without confidence. In all the years of trading, he'd never contracted with a child before. A promise made with an adult was made with a handshake, and at times, written down on a scrap of hide. But with a child? He couldn't remember! He glanced quickly at K'ndar with a big ? in his eyes.

She stuck out her left hand, pinky finger extended, waiting.

K'ndar, behind Glyena, waved his left hand over her head, pinky extended. Ah, Lizard thought, I knew it had something to do with fingers.

He took her hand and felt her small finger wrap around his. Something else. Something other than just this…

K'ndar mimed covering his heart with his right hand. Ah, that was it.

He placed his hand over his heart, and so did Glyena.

"Contract?" she said. He smiled. "Contract."

Chap. 150 The White Dragon

Chap. 150 The White Dragon

K'ndar wondered if he'd ever seen a more beautiful dragon.

They'd come out from between on the other side of the valley where Ruatha's Gather was being held.

The first thing he saw was the large meadow full of dragons and their riders. In the same manner of horsemen, the crowd of riders were examining other's dragons from all over the planet. 

In the middle of a large crowed was the famous Ruth. Even from height, he was unmistakable.

They landed on the edge of the large group of dragons.

"Thank you for the ride, K'ndar, and I insist on repaying you for the favor," Terilyn said, after dismounting.

K'ndar grinned. "You'll have to work hard, then, because it was my pleasure," he said. 

"Well, I will, because otherwise I would have been stuck for transportation. I probably would have been able to find another dragon, but my rental agreement says I have about an hour to set up before the official opening of the Gather, and I wouldn't have made it without you…and Raventh." She patted Raventh's leg.

"How are you going to manage without a canopy?"

"I rented one. I contracted to rent one several months ago, when I decided I was going to come here for the Gather. Ruatha's gotten so big they decided to go in all the way, so they rent canopies, chairs, that sort of thing.  Someone has supposedly set it up and I HOPE my crates were delivered," she said. "It's fairly expensive to do it this way, but cheaper than sending my canopy  by ship. If it works out as agreed,  all I need do is set my wares out," she said.

He fought hard to keep his attention focused on her. He was itching to talk dragons with the many riders swirling around the meadow.

She could see it.

"Why don't I leave you, then, so I can set up in time?" she offered.

K'ndar was relieved. Then, in a big brother tone of voice, said, "Glyena, why don't you go help her. I'll catch up with you in a little while."

Glyena looked a bit disappointed, but the look in her brother's eye suggested she obey.

"I could use the help, Glyena, and once it's done, then you can have fun in the Gather, besides, nothing will really start, until the opening ceremony," Terylin said.

"Okay," Glyena said, resigned to her fate. K'ndar looked her in the eye.

"This is just another task, a little one, sis.  You will have plenty of time to run without heel ropes. Now go. I'll be there in a little while."

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Glyena helped Terilyn set up her booth.  She'd shipped two large crates, one held personal items along with a stool, a disassembled table and easels from which to hang the tapestries her partner had made. 

"No wheel?" Glyena said, "I remember the game Putzu played with it, the last time I was at a Gather, remember?"

Terilyn grinned. "That was fun, wasn't it?"

"It was! So why didn't you bring it this time?"

"Too heavy! It's one thing to cadge room on a wagon going to a Gather on Southern, but sending it by ship costs more than I can hope to make. That, and I didn't trust seamen to handle it with the care it demands. It's almost two hundred years old, they don't make them like that anymore. Instead," she said, opening the other crate, "I brought my pots, of course-they always sell, and I'm trying to make a go of these." 

Packed gently as eggs, the crate had dozens of courier bells nestled in amongst a rainbow of  pots. There were also harnesses for fire lizards, with badges, a few select ones already painted with the colors of the major Holds, Weyrs and Crafthalls. 

"Why are most of them unpainted?" Glyena asked, gently touching one of the bells.

"So that someone can order his or her particular pattern, or color scheme, a name, or as your weyr has done, numbers for each fire lizard," she said, a little worried about Glyena handling the bell. She'd packed plenty enough, taking into account the possibility of some breaking, but still…

Once someone pays for a bell, I'll paint it up for them."

"Maybe I shouldn't touch them,"Glyena said, withdrawing her hand, "Mum used to say I could be clumsy." 

Her words soothed Terilyn's worries. "Perhaps, and thank you for not touching them, but if you can braid leather like you did on the bridle, I wouldn't call you clumsy-just young."

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Siskin, perched on his shoulder, made whimpering noises.

It's Ruth. He wants to meet Ruth. I don't know how he does it, but Ruth attracts fire lizards.

How about you? Do you want to meet Ruth?

Maybe. Right now he's got a bunch of humans around him. As it is, he's got a dozen dragons already trying to chat with him. I see Motanith, she is here  Raventh said. 

I'm not surprised. In fact, I bet we'll see a lot of dragons we already know.

 Francie is here! he thought, I bet that she has going to have her fire lizard show. It will be a hit with the kids.

He joined the crowd of riders grouped around Ruth. Most were in deep conversation. He saw badges on several riders, indicating their weyrs. Most of them were from North, but a few, like him, were from the Southern Continent. 

The conversations swirled about him as thickly as the fire lizards. He began to eavesdrop, mostly because he didn't know a soul. Dragonriders were like any other specialty, a gathering within a Gathering.  He'd heard a lot of 'There-I-Was" gossip in his short career as a rider, but had never really done any himself. He was too introverted to boast. 

"Then he swooped almost straight down, me hangin' on for dear life, busted buckle flapping around fit to break my goggles."

"We came out between and for a minute I thought, what? But right there, it was right underneath us."

"She said what? That's insane!"

"He makes the best ale, my man, the best on Pern."

"Big. BIG. Biggest wherry I ever saw."

"Yeah, Benden is good wine, but…I still think Tillek's has more substance, you know?"

"She said I'll always have a scar, but scars show that you've lived, man, lived."

"Don't know about that, but white? I know, I know, he's more than proven himself, but I dunno. There's just something odd, about a white dragon."

"This is the tenth or twelfth time I've seen him."

"Too small for me, but…"

K'ndar moved gently through the crowd.  He just wanted to SEE the famous white dragon, Ruth, up close.

Then he was there.

Ruth. The white dragon. Festooned with adoring fire lizards, his eyes whirled a contented blue, which only accentuated his unusual color.

"Okay, Siskin, but don't be a nuisance," he said, and the blue whirred away to join the other fire lizards.

 The first thing that surprised K'ndar was how small Ruth was. 

Not much bigger than a good sized draft horse, he thought. But his color!

Ruth wasn't white, as in a piebald horse, nor was he albino. Ruth, as he'd matured, had changed to a deep ivory, with subtle undertones of all the dragon colors. They gave the ivory color a depth that looked almost iridescent.

"By the egg, he's beautiful," K'ndar said, aloud.

"You think so?" said the man next to him.

"I do. I know, there's some that think he's a freak, a mutation, but I don't care, to me, he's gorgeous," he sighed. 

"You're right about that, he garners a lot of comments, most of them unkind ones."

"To this day? That's strange. I don't understand some people, I'd heard that there were some that doubted he'd ever amount to anything, now the whole planet knows who he is and what he can do. Nasty comments about one's dragon? That's just bad manners, especially if they're coming from riders."

"You don't hear them very often, anymore, not after Aivas. You are…okay with Aivas?"

"Okay? I think it was the best thing that ever happened to Pern. No more Thread! 

Technology coming to us, making life better? I mean, come on! paper instead of hides! Solar panels providing electricity!  I have books, now, books! What's wrong with that? But-I know what you mean. Abominators would still have us walking around on our knuckles," he said, heated.

"Yes. Abominators, some are even dragonriders. Most who feel that way don't come here," the man said. 

"That's fine with me. If nothing else, Ruth, Aivas, Lord Jaxom, the weyrs-kicking the Red Star into a different orbit has meant I no longer have to fight Thread. I can have a LIFE, now. And it's been nothing but good for my dragon. Since he quit eating firestone, his memory, cognition, even his personality, has improved a thousand fold. He makes jokes, now. He wants to know more, more. Every day, he's 'why' 'how' 'what'. It's like his mind has opened and he works every day to stuff more in," he said. 

"I've found the very same thing! All that noise, about a dragon having only a three day long memory? That's nonsense, it was always nonsense. Fire lizards have memories generations long, dragons should have them, too," the man said.

"By the egg, he's well put together," K'ndar said, shaking his head in admiration, "'ll bet he's fun to ride." 

"He is that. Is this the first time you've ever seen him?"

"Yes. Now I wish I'd seen him earlier, but this just adds to my enjoyment of the Gather."

"Where are you from?"

"Kahrain Steppe Weyr, Southern," K'ndar said, appreciating Ruth's fine lines. Small and a mutation he might be, but in all other aspects he was virtually perfectly conformed.

"That's the newest one, on Southern's East coast?"

"Yes. Hurricane Weyr, as we sometimes call it," K'ndar laughed.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh, I heard about your hurricane. I've been down there, by the way. Nice, nice place."

K'ndar tore his eyes from Ruth and extended his hand.

"I'm K'ndar, rider of brown Raventh," he said.

"Pleased to meet you," the other man said, returning the hand shake, "I'm Jaxom, rider of white Ruth. Some call me Lord Jaxom-but I'm still a rider, first and foremost."

Chap. 149 Messages, messages

Chap. 149  Messages, messages

K'ndar, with Glyena's help, finished harnessing Raventh.

Siskin chirped, hearing the ringing of a courier bell. 

A green fire lizard flew to perch atop the brown dragon, next to Siskin.  Siskin warbled a warm greeting, and reached over to nibble her neck. She hissed and spat at him, backing him off in bewilderment. 

"Hullo, who're you?" K'ndar said, then recognized the bell on the lizard's harness.

"Hello, Putzu, where's your mum?" he asked the lizard.

Her eyes whirled an uncertain green. Then she cheeped and hopped onto his shoulder, shoving her chest out in a mute appeal to have him check the pouch.

"Good girl, Putzu. Let me get the pouch," he said. He wasn't used to handling other people's fire lizards, sometimes they were agreeable, sometimes aggressive. Putzu, however, knew K'ndar.  

He pulled out a message from Terilyn. Two marks were wrapped in the message.

Hello, K'ndar, I know this is short notice, but I am requesting transport to Ruatha's gather. I shipped a crateful of goods to sell earlier, but the dragon I was supposed to ride on is suddenly 'unavailable'! Would you be willing to give me a ride? If not, please let me know, and I'll try for other transport. Thank you, Terilyn

His thoughts scrambled for several seconds. Well, duh? Terilyn wasn't just an acquaintance, she was his friend.

Respond, K'ndar!

He dug through his backpack for a pencil. There was none—oh, yeah, he'd left it on his shelf in the weyr.

"Putzu. Wait. I will send a message back. Do you understand?" 

The green hmmphed. Of course she understood.

"Siskin! Would you please go to our weyr and bring me the pencil?"

Siskin brightened, glad at the opportunity to ease the ache of Putzu's rejection. I'll show you, girl! He whirred away.

"What's that? Who's it from?"

"Glyena, it's not polite to ask what's in a message that was sent to someone else. It's the same as if I asked you what you wrote to Mum. But, just this once, it's from my potter friend, Terilyn. She's asking for a lift to the Gather, and we're going to do it."

"I wouldn't mind if you wanted to read my letters to Mum! Will there be room on Raventh? 

Will we be too heavy?"

Raventh snorted derisively.

"Not to worry. You'll have to sit close up to Terilyn, but Raventh can carry three of us," he assured her.

"Let's hurry, I want to go there and do EVERYTHING. And I have a lot of money, I can buy just about anything."

K'ndar shook his head, aghast. "Glyena. As much fun as we're going to have, you still have to be careful in crowds, like we'll see at Ruatha. There are vendors who will try to cheat you, trick you into paying more money than their things are worth. And there are thieves called picks, they can brush up against you, steal your pouch just as quick as can be, you don't even feel it. So don't go telling the world you have money. As far as anyone knows, you don't have a penny. Where is your pouch?"

"In my backpack," she said, and shrugging it off her shoulder, began to pull things out.

"See?" she held it out for him, shaking it so he could hear the coins.  

"Now hang it around your neck and just be quiet about it," he warned. 

"There are picks even at Ruatha?" she asked, as she tucked the pouch under her shirt. 

 Ruatha and Benden Weyr, combined, was the de facto capital of Pern. The concept of criminals being there was difficult to believe.

"They can be anywhere, Glyena," he said, "so if you take money out of the pouch, be discreet. Or let me handle the money."

She frowned. "But..will I have to be with you all the time? Because that might not be so fun," she asked.

He'd not thought that far.  He'd never been responsible for anyone save himself at a gather, or any sort of public gathering. 

He felt a large weight suddenly settle on his heart. Two years ago, he wouldn't have even considered the possibility that a person would cheat or harm a child. Now he knew better.

Still, he'd seen hordes of kids in the crowds, kids enjoying being with other kids without adults. There really was nothing to fear, letting children run without supervision. That was part of the fun, being able to mingle with other children, or wander the aisles of the bazaar, just looking, without fear. There were too many people at any Gather more than happy to tear a kidnapper to pieces, should one be so foolish as to try. Still, he was responsible for her. 

What would Mum do?

"What do you think Mum would say? Or Shirae?" he asked her.

She grinned. "She already has said it! Shirae said, girl, don't go away from the crowd with someone you don't know. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Be polite but distant. If someone scares you, run away!  If someone grabs you, fight! Scream! But I'll be okay, K'ndar,I won't be stupid, promise," she said. 

He was still doubtful. He'd have to thank Shirae, for having more foresight than him. Still, he knew his sister. She was a smart kid, having learned how to deal with people who weren't trustworthy or kind.

"Remember, there are going to be people who will try to take advantage of you. So…this is what I ask of you. If you see something you want to buy, you find me first. Okay? You don't own up to having any money. You just pretend to be a dumb kid without a penny to her name.  If the person selling it says that you have to buy it now or it's gone, well, it wasn't meant for you in the first place. If you promise to not do something stupid, then I think, if you want, you can go off on your own. If you have questions and can't find me, go to Terilyn's booth. And you can always run to Raventh, he will protect you, and he will call me if you need help," he said.

She is your dam's egg. I will keep her safe. 

K'ndar laughed.

She is my sister from a later clutch, but I know what you mean. And thank you.

Glyena looked with a ? on her face.

"Raventh said, you are to run to him if anything happens, you are one of Mum's 'eggs'  and he will  keep you safe."

"I'm an egg! I'm an egg!" she laughed, twirling around with her arms arcing over her head. 

 Then she turned serious.

"I promise," she said. Then she went to Raventh's head. "Lower your head, please, Raventh?"

Ravent contemplated her for a moment, his eyes whirling a puzzled green. Then he lowered his head to her level. K'ndar was amazed, as always, at how big it was in comparison to a human child, and still, how gentle he could be.

She kissed Raventh on the nose.

"I love you, Raventh," she said, "You are the bestest dragon ever."

His response was the goofiest noise K'ndar had ever heard.

After several moments, K'ndar saw something else in Glyena's backpack.

"What do you have in there?"

She pulled out a bridle and handed it to him.

"By the egg, this is beautiful," he said, turning it, amazed at the workmanship and quality.

"You made this?"

Glyena nodded. "I did. I want to sell it at the Gather."

He turned it in the light, inhaling the scent of good leather. It was top grade stuff, he realized,  gleaming in the morning sun. She'd braided keepers out of a lighter colored leather to make the entire bridle two toned, and the browband bore an intricate knotted pattern of the same color. The buckles were polished to a high luster.

"I didn't have enough leather to make the reins, though," she said. 

"This is beautiful work, Glyena. I am amazed, you have a true talent. It's gorgeous!  I have to warn you, though, I really am not sure if it's advisable for a kid to sell something at a Gather. I've only done it once, and almost got cheated."

"That's okay, I'll manage. You know how it is with us horsefolk, we'll always find a way," she said, with a confidence he didn't share.

Siskin arrived with the pencil, showing off to a patiently waiting Putzu.

"Thank you, Siskin, clever lad!"

He wrote on the back side of the message. 

Terilyn: I'll be there within minutes of Putzu's return. I will NOT accept this money. No. But I have a favor to ask of you-my sister is coming with me, and will discuss it in depth when we meet.

He tucked the message and the marks into Putzu's pouch.

"Good girl, Putzu, you're the best green lizard ever. Return to your Mum," he said. 

She wheeped, took wing, and vanished.

Siskin looked dejected. He reached up and coaxed the lizard down from his perch.

He remembered mating her. But she isn't in heat today Raventh said.

Rubbing the lizard's neck, he said, "It's okay, little one. She was on duty, you understand? Like when you wear a bell, it means you're On Duty. It was nothing personal. She had a job to do. She was busy. Okay?"

Siskin brightened, then returned to his perch on Raventh's neck.

"Does he really understand all that?" Glyena asked. 

"Enough, I think. Much of it comes from the emotions I put into the words. The concepts, I am not so sure of…but he's smart. He's like Raventh, always wanting to learn more," he said. 

He heard courier bells. Putzu? Coming back so quickly?

A pair of fire lizards, a bronze and a gold, appeared. 

They were Lizard's. The gold landed on Raventh near Siskin. The bronze hovered in front of K'ndar, his eyes whirling. He chipped and indicated his pouch had a message, then settled on his left arm.  

Siskin sidled up to the gold, flirting. The gold hissed and snapped at him. She was a Mated Gold, thank you very much, and didn't have time for a blue.

Siskin's head dropped. Rejected TWICE in one morning!

"Do you get messages all the time?" Glyena asked.

He shook his head, ruefully. "No, this is the first time I've ever had this happen, two almost at once."

The message was on a tiny scrap of paper. 

Hello, K,  Hope this finds you well. If you're going to Ruatha's Gather, my caravan will be near the racecourse. I have some goods to deliver to you. If I'm not there, remember, Crunch will be on watch. L

"What…." Glyena started, then stopped.

"A knee, Raventh? Climb up, Glyena, we're on our way. And if you're willing, I know someone who will sell your bridle," he said.

Chap. 148 Telekinesis

Chap. 148  Telekinesis

K'ndar lay in his bunk, grateful to be done with sweep duty. He felt refreshed from his shower. Tomorrow, he and his sister Glyena were going to the Gather at Ruatha Hold. He was excited, having never been there, but still knew so much about it. Ruatha was historical. Ruatha had the best horse races in the world. And Ruatha was home to Lord Jaxom, and Ruth, the white dragon.

How would Siskin react when he met Ruth? For it was known across the planet, that fire lizards were attracted to Ruth like no other dragon.

He wondered if he'd be able to sleep, as he was still hyped from the day he'd had. 

 Rescuing the two females from the air, seeing the weyrlings and fire lizard kids in action-incredible. Being shot at by raiders, that was a new one. He'd never been shot at before, and only now had the time to process it.

It had been thrilling, but there was a darker side to the shooting that he was only now able to process. He could have been seriously injured, even killed. Certainly the shooters had every intention of hurting and killing him. Kenth, F'mart's dragon was out of action until the leg he'd sustained an arrow wound in had healed, as well as the hole in his wing. That tissue took more time to heal, as there was no meat to it, merely tissue. 

But what puzzled him most was the action of the crossbow bolt that one of the raiders had fired at him. 

I will never, ever second guess a bowman ever again, he resolved. I thought he was out of bolts. 

He replayed it again. The bowman fired. He saw the bolt coming at him, so fast, unbelievably fast, then without any sort of interruption to its vector, knocked sideways. What could have done that?

By me Raventh said.

You? How?

I saw what happened to Kenth. He was hurt by a bolt. So when I saw one coming at us I pushed it away so it wouldn't hurt us.

Thank you. It was aimed right at us, we would have been hurt.

I know. 

How did you do that? 

I can't explain it. I just thought at it to go a different way.

Have you always been able to do that?

I didn't know until I did it. Afterwards I asked Arcturuth and Careth, and all the dragons, and they knew about it too, but haven't used it. I know that other dragons have done it, like Golanth, at Honshu. 

Is it like telepathy, which is how we talk to each other?

I can't describe it. The words come from my mind, but the push comes from somewhere else in my head. I think. I only did it that once.

So, you didn't plan on doing it?

No. I was scared, I didn't have time to go between to avoid it, so it was instinct! That's the word. Instinct made it work. Now I know what it feels like. I think I can do it again, without being afraid.

He had to see it in action.

He got up and uncovered a glow. Raventh was curled up on his couch, one which had seemed to have shrunk, as Raventh grew into maturity. Behind him, the curtain to the dragon's weyr was pulled aside, as it was a very warm night. 

Raventh's eyes whirled a bright blue in the dark. K'ndar touched his dragon's head, stroking it, his hands instinctively scratching behind the ears. How in the world had he managed to live without this bravehearted friend, this brother, this partner for life?

I love you, Raventh. Thank you, for everything you've done for me. 

Raventh purred in his head.

Siskin awoke, and stretched, wondering why K'ndar was up and awake at this late hour. He sat up, fascinated by the actions of his human and dragon.

It is my pleasure. I love you too.

Want to try pushing something?

Why not? 

What should we use?

I don't know. Something small? 

K'ndar thought of what he had in his weyr. Not much-dragonriders didn't have room to accumulate much stuff. He looked up at Siskin's shelf, where his notebooks were. Ah. A pencil.

He placed a pencil on the floor in front of Raventh's couch. 

Try that.

Raventh tried. Nothing happened.

Are you trying to push it?

I am, but I don't know where in my head to make it come out.

What does that mean?

I don't know how to make it work.

He tried again. Nothing.

Maybe I didn't make the bolt move. Maybe it was the wind. 

No, you DID. There was no wind. Nothing else that can explain that bolt shot at me, and then being knocked sideways.

Maybe throw it at me?

That's a good idea.

K'ndar picked up the pencil. 

Let me uncover a few more glows, maybe that will help.

I can see it just fine. Dragons can see in the dark, even better than in the daylight. 

I know, but humans can't.

That is sad. I'm sorry you can't see in the dark. There is so much you humans can't do. You can't fly, you don't have fangs or claws, you can't go between, how is it you managed to come to Pern?

That is something I have no words to explain. It's too technical. But it's okay. We manage, especially when we have dragons to help.  Okay. Ready?

Ready.

He backed up as far as his room would allow and threw the pencil at Raventh.

It went flying.

Yayyyyyyyyy! You did it!!

I did. It was moving. Do it again, so I can feel where the push comes from.

K'ndar threw it again.

This time the pencil bounced off something invisible, and went flying through the opening to the dragon ledge outside, vanishing in the dark.

"Shards! My pencil! I'll never find it in the dark!" he shouted.

Siskin chittered and launched out of the weyr.

K'ndar went to the ledge and peered over, but it was far too dark, even with both moons out, to see the floor of the weyr's bowl.  

But Siskin returned after a few moments of searching, the pencil in his talons.

"GOOD lad! Siskin, you are the BEST fire lizard EVER!"

Siskin flew around their weyr in a victory lap, cheeping.

"Good lad! So clever! May I have the pencil?" Siskin enthusiastically dropped it into K'ndar's palm.

He felt a pressure and the pencil bounced out of his hand onto the floor.

I did it. It had to be moving. 

Let's try it again. Try to keep it in the weyr, this time.

For the next several minutes, he tossed the pencil at Raventh. 

Each time the dragon got better at pushing it away. 

I can feel where the push comes from. Put it down and let's see if I can move it when it's not moving.

He placed the pencil on the floor. Siskin watched, intently. Could fire lizards do it too?

I don't know. Let me try to push it first, then I'll try to tell Siskin what to do.

Raventh focused on the pencil. 

It shot away, this time, further into the room rather than out the dragon doorway.

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY, you did it!

I did. Move it back. I think I can move it where I want it to go, without pushing too hard. 

He placed the pencil near the dragon's feet. 

The pencil moved, just a little. Then, as if it was gaining courage, it began to move here, there, sideways, further and further, but slower, and with what seemed more finesse.

It's easy. Easier. I don't have to push hard, just think it where I want it to go.

 

K'ndar shook his head in amazement. He remembered hearing of F'lessan's Golanth being moved by other dragons, but had never thought that HIS dragon could do something similar.

We all can, I think. I don't know why we seldom use it. But now I know I can do it. It's fun. It must be the same feeling as you humans with your hands.

We can't move anything with our minds. Just our hands. 

I want to practice some more, but let's see if Siskin can do it.

Think he'll understand?

I have to think to him in pictures, and emotions, but he does understand your words. 

I know, but you're better at talking to him than I am. 

Siskin suddenly froze, listening intently to Raventh.

Put the pencil on the floor.

K'ndar did so.

Siskin landed on the floor of the weyr, looking at the pencil with uncertainty. 

It moved.

"YAY Siskin!"

No, I did that. I was showing him what I wanted.

The little blue looked at Raventh, then K'ndar, and cheeped uncertainly.

"You are so clever, you can do it, Siskin," he said, "just like Raventh."

Siskin's eyes whirled an uncertain green, then he focused on the pencil. 

It moved. It rolled here and there, with a finesse even Raventh hadn't mastered.

That was HIM. Siskin did it, it's easy for him, he just didn't know what we wanted.

"SISKIN! Good lad! You are the best!"

I think all dragons and fire lizards can do it

That's incredible.

"Hey, you, K'ndar!" yelled his next door neighbor from further down the inner corridor, "What in the world are you doing? It's late, you twit, I can't sleep for all your shouting!"

Abashed, K'ndar called out, "Sorry, sorry. Won't happen again".

Now I know where the push comes from. It's in my head, just like talking. And like going between.

Can you PULL it?

I don't think so. It's a push. But…I'll practice. Maybe…maybe it will be the same as pulling with my talons. But we have to be quiet, now. The neighbors are upset.

I know. I need to get some sleep, anyway.  I'll help with practicing. But for now…thank you. You saved my life, pushing that bolt aside.

Of course. We are family, you, me, Siskin. It's what brothers do.