Chap. 226 Unusual Cargo

Chap. 226 Unusual Cargo

This was a great idea! he said to Raventh. The dragon merely laughed as he swam.

Cove Hold was beautiful. The beach was soft, white sand, the cove itself a perfect half circle. It was situated just so, the surf a gentle lapping rather than the pounding one that sometimes hit Kahrain Steppe Weyr. The weather was perfect, with enough of an offshore breeze to temper the heat of the sun. It was, after all, on the northern coast of the continent, much closer to the equator than either Kahrain or Landing.

Raventh was out in the cove, fishing. He could see Siskin with him. Two other dragons were fishing, as Cove Hold was, essentially, a Hold created by and for dragonriders.

Palm trees, brought to Pern by the colonists, provided both shade as well as a soft undertone of wind to the gentle surf.

There was even a sturdy rack set up for dragon riders to hang their harnesses so that they didn't get wet. Leather was perfect for harness but it never cared for water.

Do I take a nap? Or do I go beach combing? he wondered.

Behind him was Robinton's Hall. It had been built for the Master Harper when he had been forced into retirement in order to recover from an attempt on his life. Robinton had been dead for many years, but his legacy lived on. He had become almost a mythical character for people,like K'ndar, who hadn't been born yet.

Now the Hall served almost the same purpose, that of a rehab site for Harpers who needed a warm site in which to recover from accidents or illnesses.

It had also become an auxiliary Hall for Harpers. At the moment, it was empty of patients, and full of a class of people in their twenties, learning to be Harpers.

What would become of them, he wondered. Before Aivas, with its technological wonders spurring advancement in Pern society, Harpers served a multitude of services. They were primarily teachers, passing on knowledge, history and information through music. He still could recall many songs he'd learned from the itinierant Harper who served his area, lyrics that told how to sew a garment, or harvest hay, or take cover from Thread. Harpers maintained demographic records: births and deaths, establishment of Holds, Halls and Weyrs, marriages, partnerships, divorces; economic things such as which area of Pern was best at growing crops or livestock; and served as liaisons and diplomats. Some even were rumored to act as spies. But now, with the technology of computers and the datalinks that could reach over the planet, what would become of Harpers? Already children were learning to access the database via a datalink rather than sitting at a Harper's knee, memorizing the songs.

He could hear a familiar one emanating from the Hall. The words came to him without his having to think of them. This one about shoeing horses. He'd always liked it, not only because it involved horses, but because it gave boys the chance to shout the chorus of "clang clang!" at the top of their lungs, the words calling to mind the farrier's hammering on a shoe to make it fit the hoof.

Walking with his thoughts, he passed a woman, sitting on the beach.

"G'day," he said, absently, not really seeing her.

"It is, isn't it? You're new at Landing, aren't you?" she said.

"I'm...I'm sorry, do I know you?" he said, caught short. He'd never seen her before in his life.

"Leana, rider of green Marith. I'm at Landing, just like you. My husband, G'aryk, rides brown Corth. Those are our dragons, out there fishing. Pleased to finally meet you!"

"Ah..ha." K'ndar said, surprised. "And you, ma'am. K'ndar, rider of brown Raventh. I've only been at Landing for a week, I've not had a chance to meet the other dragonriders, except for Francie. I've known her for a couple years," he said.

"Francie's a dear, isn't she? As is Raylan, her husband! I see your dragon out in the water, see the green to his right? That's my girl, Marith. She loves the sea," she said.

"So does Raventh. I tell him he must have been a dolphin in a former life. He's fascinated by dolphins."

Leana laughed. "Aren't all dragons? Marith was hoping to see one today, but they don't seem to be around. And I don't want to ring the dolphin bell for no reason."

K'ndar nodded. "I know. I've talked to dolphins, one of them is a friend of mine. They'd like it if we DID call them more often. They want to talk, share experiences, and I must say, they seem far more intelligent than even us humans. I don't think they realize that we humans have decided that the bell is to be used only in emergencies," he said.

"They ARE more intelligent than us. Their brains are far more convoluted and far larger than ours. Even more amazing, they can sleep without fear of drowning. One half of their brain sleeps, the other is wide awake."

"Is that a fact! I didn't know that! Are you a biologist, like me?" he asked. He sat down beside her.

"No, actually, I'm was working in the computer shop, inputting 'data'. But I've been promoted to Acquisition! That's how I knew who you are. You are, well, the story has become thoroughly skewed, but you witnessed Shawn's um...denoument. That was a good thing. He was an evil, conniving scoundrel."

"Thank you for not turning me into some sort of hero. Congratulations on your promotion!"

"You're welcome. I'm glad to get out of Data. It was okay, but I got so tired of sitting down. I need to get up and walk. A lot. And Marith was always resentful that I spent so much time in the office," she said.

"That was the first problem I've had crop up this week..Raventh was pretty pissy today. He's usually easy going, but he was upset that I'd neglected him. And I haven't," he protested, "it's just..."

"Just that you can't do your office work on his back in flight, right?"

"Yes! In fact, he insisted on flying here rather than going between, just to get the kinks out of his wings. And I needed it, too. I wanted to hike the forest south of the dragon meadow but-you know it is with dragons."

Leana laughed. "I'll have Marith explain things to him. And Corth can, too. Now that they've met, I hope they'll be able to keep each other entertained. Where did they quarter you?"

"Grafton put me in one of the larger buildings, it's on 200th and Belior." He felt a bit of pride in his newly acquired skill in navigating Landing's odd grid like layout. "It's a larger building than most of the quarters, with a bay large enough for Raventh."

"Hmmm. We're way out in the boonies, on Timor, up near the foot of the lava flow. Is there a building in your area large enough for TWO dragons? Because right now, we're in two separate buildings, which, while they have room for A dragon, there's none for two, so we're forced to be in two buildings..and they're not even next to each other."

His pride was short lived. "I have no idea. But they've excavated that whole section where I am, and it's right on the dragon meadow. Francie is already planning on moving there, she's on...um, Eridani. So I'm thinking there's more large buildings."

Leana nodded. "I'll ask Grafton. It would be so much better if our two dragons were weyr'ed together, and we could live in just one building. Oh, here comes the ship. I hope G'aryk sees it, we're here to transport a load of fish and a passenger to Landing."

The sun, behind them, cast its light on the bright sails of a ship coming into the small wharf that served Cove.

"I'm no seaman, but that sure looks like a brand new ship," he said.

"I think it is. It's the Serengeti, out of Nerat."

Nerat! I hope...I wonder if Harve might be on her?

____________________________________________________________________

He was.

K'ndar watched as the crew bustled on the deck, moving cargo quickly and efficiently. The ship was tied up parallel to the floating dock.

He heard a familiar voice calling his name.

"K'ndar! K'ndar! Over here!" a tall young man hailed him from the deck of the ship.

He walked to the side of the ship. He could feel the dock moving gently with the swell.

"Harve!! Look at you, you've doubled in height!"

"And weight...but K'ndar, come aboard!"

"Harve...No. I'm not setting foot on a ship. Remember, I'm the one who got seasick on the dock at Tillek Sea Hold."

The ship's crew froze for a moment, then erupted in scathing laughter.

A very big man-K'ndar remembered meeting him at Nerat-roared, "Avast, you louts. That dragonrider is FAMILY, got it? No one laughs at the man who rescued our Harve, eh?"

A small woman suddenly appeared at the man's side.

"Hear me now, you yobs. Anyone who even thinks of laughing at K'ndar will be fed nothing but fish bait for the rest of the season. Understand?"

The silence was broken only by the sound of the squeal of blocks as the cargo was transferred to the dock. Harve was smirking.

After several seconds, one voice called, "Move on, you louts, think this is a rest day?"

The crew resumed moving cargo. There were snide looks, but not a soul said a word about K'ndar. The Captain might rule the ship, but the Cook ruled the crew's stomach.

"Cap'n, permission to leave the deck?" Harve called.

"Aye, laddie, I know why," the Captain said. "K'ndar, you're looking well!"

"I am, Captain, thank you!" he called back, wishing he remembered the man's name.

Harve didn't bother with the gangway, which was full of crew moving smaller loads. He leaped gracefully over the taffrail and landed on the dock.

He had grown. He was a hair taller than K'ndar, now. He gave K'ndar a big hug.

"By the egg, Harve, you look good. And happy. And your legs..."

"Straight as a sky broom mast, K'ndar! All I have to remind me is scars. What do you think of my new ship? Isn't she a dandy?"

K'ndar could smell new wood, new canvas, new cordage.

"She IS nice, but you know me, Harve, I don't know squat about ships."

"It's alright, K'ndar. She's built by my uncle, the Captain. He's the same man who built We're Here.

He used the same plans, but put in a lot of improvements. This is her first real mission, we've been sea trialing her all spring and summer. Guess who got to name her?"

"You?"

Harve swelled with pride. "And christen her with a bottle of Nerat's best fruit juice!. I've been studying, and learned that most of my ancient kin came from Earth on the Bahrain, from places called Kenya and Tanzania. Serengeti was the last place on earth that had wildlife. They had lions, K'ndar, just like ours!"

________________________________________________________________________

G'aryk, Leana's husband, greeted him.

"I'm G'aryk, rider of brown Corth. I see you've met my weyrmate, Leana."

"I have, and she and you already know I'm at Landing now."

G'aryk was tall and angular. He had the air of a leader, as if he were a bronze rider.

As if hearing his thought, G'aryk said, "I like Landing. It's different from Igen Weyr, that's where we're both from. Ever been to Igen?"

K'ndar shook his head. "No, I haven't. It's all desert, yes?"

"Parts of it, yes. Pretty desolate in some places, but I didn't mind. Still, I have to admit, Southern is far...better? It's warm here, agreed, but there's plenty of room for us dragonriders."

"True."

"I would like to sit and chat, but Leana and I are here on task. She's ferrying a passenger back to Landing, do you know Rahman?"

"I do! He's one of my mentors, he gave me books when I was still a Weyrling, for which I will forever be grateful. Is he back from Western, building the new telescope?"

"He is. He's riding behind Leana on Marith. I've got a load of fresh fish to transport back to Landing, but we have a problem. There's a big crate that was not on the manifest, and it's to be sent to Landing. It's too big for a green. I imagine you're off duty, but would you be willing to transport it with your brown?"

"Certainly," he said, without hesitation, "what is it, more fish?"

"No. In fact the crew of the ship pulled it out of the sea. They say it's a giant skull."

K'ndar was instantly intrigued.

"Wow. Yes, I insist, I am sure Raventh can handle the load. Did they say...what kind of skull?"

"No, but it's huge. It's probably not a good idea to open its crate here, but I'm sure it can be identified once we get it back to Landing."

Harve came up.

G'aryk said, "Harve, is it? K'ndar has agreed to take that huge crate."

"I was going to ask you, K'ndar. It's got a whacking great skull in it, top AND jaw. I have no idea what it is, it's certainly not a dolphin. It's got teeth as long as your forearm, and sharper than razors."

"Whew," G'aryk said, "how did you manage to get it?"

"It was tangled in one of our nets. All the fish escaped, right out through the holes the teeth cut in the net."

K'ndar was thinking.

"Is it long and narrow?" he asked, itching to look at it RIGHT NOW.

"Aye, it's at least two meters long, maybe more. Sends chills up your spine, just looking at it."

"I think I know what it is. A mosar. But I'll have to examine it in depth when we get to Landing."

"Mosar?"

"Yes. The Ancients called it a 'shark', but it's not the shark that used to exist in Earth's oceans. Believe it or not, it's distantly related to tunnel snakes, but a snake out of the darkest nightmare you can imagine," he said.

"How do you know this?" G'aryk asked.

He laughed. "Experience! We were working on the southern coastline of Southern. Raventh saw this 'thing' swimming just under the surface. We flew out over it, wanting to get a closer look and boy, didn't we get one! This monster leaped from the sea, completely clearing it and bit Raventh on the tail.

All I saw was a wall of teeth. If the mosar had gotten a good purchase on Raventh, we'd have been dead!

Raventh wasn't hurt too badly, although he'll always have the scars on his tail. But scared? You bet your arse we were scared. Spitless. The dolphins told me the thing's name, mosar. They thought it hilarious that a mosar could bite a dragon. I think that every dolphin on Pern knew about it within fifteen minutes. Every dolphin I talked to teased me about it until I met the Tillek, and she ordered that no dolphin tease me about it, ever again. Dolphins are the masters of the sea, but even they're afraid of mosars. Something with teeth like that, that can jump right out of the water? It's probably the most dangerous animal in the sea."