Chap. 224 Grafton

Chap. 224 Grafton

"Good morning, Francie!! And who is your friend?"

This is Grafton? K'ndar thought. The tiny, wizened man in the chair in a small office was NOT what he was expecting. For some reason, he'd expected a male Hariko, but with Oscoral's build.

It was hard to see him in the darkened room. There wasn't so much as a window to admit the brilliant morning sunshine.

His eyes adjusted to the low level. Why would the headman of Landing be forced into such a tiny office? Without so much as a desk, never mind a slate board!

Hariko's slate boards had been one of the most important items in all of Kahrain Steppe Weyr. Children and adults-to include the Weyrleaders-learned early on that one touched Hariko's boards at their peril. Messing with her boards, his Weyrlingmaster had warned, was 'a dandy way to lose weight and discover the joys of sleeping on the beach'. But in this darkened room, boards would have been useless.

"Good morning, sir! This is K'ndar, he's here to meet you."

"Ah, K'ndar! Welcome to Landing! I trust you find your quarters to your liking? 2001 Belior, correct?"

"Thank you sir, and yes, my quarters are fine."

"Enough room for Raventh?"

Unnerved that the man knew his dragon's name, he said, "Yes sir. He's quite happy with it. The one problem I'll have is my fire lizard. He knows how to open doors using the wave plates. He's fascinated by the toilet, though, and if he learns how to flush it..."

"He'll be flushing it all day and night. A switch that only a primate with opposable thumbs can operate will be installed today. The wave switches for the bay door were repaired, I trust?"

"Yes, sir, two repairers fixed them," K'ndar said. Something was odd about the man. For one thing, he was staring at a blank wall, not at him and Francie. Maybe there was a tiny datalink screen embedded in the wall? He didn't want to move closer to the man to look for it, that would be rude. How was it this man knows him so well? Was there a camera in his quarters? Was the datalink recording his movements?

"Orlon's dependable as the sunrise. His brother, not so much. If Orlon didn't ride herd on his lazy brother, we'd have sent him packing long ago. Orlon's so valuable to Landing that his parasitic twin, as it were, is worth the price. "Such men just exist'". That's from the Lakota Sioux, lad. Do you know who they were?"

He is very strange, this man, and yet likable. You trusted him without knowing why.

"I'm sorry, sir, but no. I've never heard of them. Are they Northerners? From a small cothold?"

The man turned his head upwards and laughed.

"No, K'ndar, no, they were an indigenous tribe living in ancient America, on Earth. A truly noble people and by far the finest horsemen who ever straddled a horse. You're a horseman, I know, as well as a dragonrider."

"Um...yes, sir. From before I could walk."

"I could hear it in your footsteps, I thought, there's a man who's a horseman. It's been a long time since I've ridden, K'ndar. So, what can I do for you?"

"Excuse me, Grafton, but, where's Fafhrd?" Francie said.

"He's out hunting. He's met up with your trio, Francie, and they've fed. He'll be back shortly, and then I can more easily conduct business."

As if on cue, a bronze fire lizard whirled into the room. He immediately noticed Siskin and hovered just in front of K'ndar, his eyes glowing a brilliant orange. Siskin, perched on his shoulder, astonished K'ndar by whimpering..and then cowering. Had he been able to, he'd have curled his tail under his belly. Siskin?

The bronze is VERY dominant. He's like a Weyrleader's bronze, very very alpha. Raventh said.

Will he attack Siskin?

I doubt it. There's no need, really. Siskin has no intentions of challenging Fafhrd.

The bronze chittered softly and landed on Grafton's shoulder. He reached up to stroke the bronze's head. The bronze rubbed Grafton's hand, then turned to stare at K'ndar and Francie. Siskin stayed very still.

"I've had a packet of information created for you, K'ndar. You're also fully integrated with Landing's data system now. That data link Marsh gave you...that miserable little yob hacked it so that everything you did with it went through his without your knowing. I believe he thinks he can profit from your reputation for finding artifacts and wants to be in on it. He has no idea that I know this. Fool! As if the database doesn't log his every step? It has been rectified, K'ndar. After he finishes his morning chores, which, considering his character, will take half the day, Marsh will be informed that his work day has just started, what with all the digging he's going to be doing. The excavation team already has plans for him. Hopefully he'll neglect to wear gloves and develop blisters on his soft little hands. I doubt he has the ability to realize actions have consequences. By the way, he also must apologize to you. Do let me know if he does," Grafton said.

"I wasn't impressed by Marsh, sir, and I think I'd rather wander about like a headless wherry before I request his aid," K'ndar said, growing pissed. He wasn't sure what hacking entailed, but just the fact that it had been done sounding like it was an invasion of privacy.

He also knew that disobeying any request from Grafton would be something he'd NEVER do.
"I'll be sure to let you know, sir, should Marsh apologize."

"He has a week, K'ndar. Starting from yesterday."

"Aye, my lo...yes, sir," K'ndar caught himself. Grafton did that to you.

The bronze chittered again.

"Ah, thank you, Fafhrd," Grafton said to his bronze.

The man swiveled in his chair to face them.

It took K'ndar a full five seconds to recognize the savage, puckered scars that slashed across the man's face.

He'd seen such an injury only two or three times before. Only Threadscore looked like that.

Grafton was blind.

K'ndar suddenly realized that he was staring at the man's ruined face. He forced himself to drop his gaze, his stomach turning. He'd always been terrified of Thread, even when atop a flaming Raventh. That's impolite, K'ndar, he said to himself, but he's blind so he doesn't know I was staring.

"Threadscore, K'ndar. I was a child. We were holdless. We were caught out in a Threadfall. My father didn't make it," the man said. "I'm hard to look at, what?"

"I beg your pardon, sir, I didn't mean to...I'm so sorry, sir." K'ndar gulped, embarrassed, and, suddenly afraid. Is he reading my mind? Can he hear Raventh? Francie put a consoling hand on his shoulder.

No. He cannot hear me Raventh said, reassuring him.

"It's alright, K'ndar. It was a long time ago. In an odd way, it's made me stronger. I've learned...you take one sense away from a person, the others compensate by growing sharper."

"So I see, sir. You seem to know so much about me and I have only just met you."

Grafton laughed. The bronze fire lizard chortled, enjoying K'ndar's discomfort. Siskin made sure he drew none of the bronze's attention.

"They pay me well to keep tabs on everything going on here at Landing. I had a reputation by then of having a good memory. Council took me on and had patience with me. I had things fairly well in hand, and then, a wonderful lady named Francie gifted me with a fire lizard egg. So now, after many, many years of darkness, NOW, through Fafhrd's eyes, I can see. But my faculties remain the same," Grafton said.

"Sir..." something in Grafton's way made K'ndar want to unburden himself right away.

"Sir, begging your pardon, but you're scaring the squat out of me. I feel as if you've been watching me for my entire life!"

The man laughed.

"Ah, K'ndar, such candor...oh, delightful! There's a rhyme there! Such candor is refreshing, my friend. My memory had to work hard to compensate for my lack of sight. You notice no boards, unlike your Weyr's Hariko's office? It's all in here, K'ndar, here, in my mind," he tapped his skull. "The mind is an incredibly powerful organ, K'ndar. Never let it rest, always keep it working."

"Yes, sir. You know Hariko?" he asked, feeling a surge of pride in his former weyr's headwoman.

"A wonderful woman, she is. I love Hariko, despite her partnered status. Her weyrmate is a lucky man. Yes, I know Hariko. Next time you see her, tell her Grafton sends his love."

"On my honor, sir, I promise I will do that. Although she'll probably kiss me and tell me to send it on to you..." K'ndar said, beginning to feel comfortable and yet, the idea of kissing a man made him squirm.

"I won't turn down a kiss from Hariko, even if it's second hand, as long as it's on my cheek," he said.

Francie laughed. "I'll do the honors, Grafton." She walked over to the man, leaned down and kissed the man's cheek opposite his bronze fire lizard.

Grafton grinned. "Such a great way to start a day, with a kiss from a lovely lass. K'ndar, cancel your kiss, Francie does it far better."

K'ndar laughed.

"K'ndar, I think Grafton knows everyone on Pern," she said.

"Not quite, Francie, I don't know the children. Now then, on your way, K'ndar. I believe Raylan and Lefsa have you scheduled for a full day of training. Although I must say that your job will be much easier, now that Lefsa's staying here. She's a font of knowledge of her job and will be on hand to ease you into the flow," he said.

It was Francie's turn to gape. "She's...but just yesterday...is her husband..."

"She's asked to stay. Not husband, just mate, Francie, although HE insists they're married. He's far older than Lefsa, and I think...just my opinion, mind you! that he partnered her more out of desperation than passion. That may be part of the problem, he's always been...difficult, but...Grafton, you're gossiping. I don't interfere with marrieds. Never got there myself, no woman would have me, so I'm not sure of what will happen. Raylan's still working on whether to keep her in Biology or move her to another division. For the moment, though, K'ndar, you'd be well advised to pick her brains. She's sharp as a razor. I'm happy that you're on board with us, now, K'ndar. The moment I learned of you, so long ago, I urged Raylan to take you on if you were willing. Your expeditionary work has been stellar and I'm looking forward to seeing what new things you discover. Ha ha! Looking forward with Fafhrd's eyes, eh?"