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.