Chap. 236 The Selection

Chap. 236 The Selection

Raventh was sprawled out in the sunlight, allowing K'ndar to oil him. The dragon's eyes were closed in bliss.

"When you're done, can I use that oil pot?" a voice said below and behind him.

He looked down from his perch between Raventh's wings to see Francie. Siskin chipped and launched from his shoulder to join her three fire lizards swirling over her head.

"Hi, Francie, of course. I'm almost done. Every time I oil this big beast," he patted Raventh's neck fondly, "I'm grateful all over again that he's "small for a brown". I'd hate to have to oil a gold," he said.

She laughed. "I know. It's why I'm grateful that Motanith is 'just a green'. She's a quick job compared to the bigger dragons."

He paused, taking a look at his work.

Did I miss any spots?

Raventh?

I was asleep.

I know. Did I miss any spots?

Raventh was quiet for several moments.

I don't think so.

He climbed down gently from his perch on Raventh's back.

Francie nodded. She sat down on a large rock. He looked himself over. "Did I get any on me?"

She looked at him with a judging eye. "Turn around. If you did, it's going to be on your butt."

He obligingly turned, reflecting on how being a dragonrider made one ask strange questions of others, such as this one. Only another dragonrider would understand.

"Nope. You're clean. Oh, there's a small patch of oil on the back of your right calf, but otherwise, good job, hardly a spot on you."

"It took me years to learn how to oil him without getting most of it on me," he said, grinning.

She laughed in agreement.

"I'll do Motanith this afternoon," she said. "Right now, I'm beat."

"Why?"

"I've been cleaning and packing all week, and finally everything's been moved into our new quarters. Luckily my work has gotten slim, and Raylan's too, due to Selection and Petitions being focused on," she said.

"You moved? I told you I'd be willing to help you move," K'ndar gasped, feeling guilty. "I'd promised. I feel as if I've broken it."

She wagged a hand at him. "Nah, it's not that way. It's okay, K'ndar. I didn't tell you! You were tied up with taskings and transport, then had your head conked. And it was a spur of the moment notification from Grafton. We'd been told that the new quarters wouldn't be available until after Turnover. But the renovation teams got cracking on the quarters a lot faster than they'd planned. It's nice, K'ndar, not that the old quarters were bad, but the newly opened building has a bay a wee bit smaller than yours but perfect for my Motanith. Rather than wait we decided to just go ahead and move while work was slow, being that it was everything was focused on Selection and Petitioning. Now we relax and enjoy Turnover. Are you staying here?"

He shook his head. "No, I'd planned on staying at Kahrain and commute to Singing Waters for Turnover festivities, then take my sister Glyena to visit family at our cothold. How about you?"

He glanced at the four fire lizards winking in and out of between as they played.

"We're going to fly out to one of the small islands off Ista. It's completely uninhabited, and has a beautiful rain forest end to end. The snorkeling is fabulous, I'm told."

"Snorkeling?"

"Swimming underwater to see the fish and the coral reefs. You breathe through a tube that sticks up just above the surface. The dolphins say the reef is swarming with fish and the coral is even better. Then we'll camp on the beach, count the stars, cook some fresh fish, that sort of thing."

"If it weren't for the swimming part, I'd be interested in seeing it."

"You don't swim? Pity. But even so, the rain forest is wonderful. Ista's got rain forest, but there's been people in it for two thousand years. This island has nobody permanently living there. The trees are full of birds and flowers. It was in the perfect spot to avoid Threadfall, I don't know if it was ever scored. You'd like it, K'ndar, even without swimming."

"I'll have to check it out. I'm done here, want to have some lunch?"

"I would. How's your head feeling?"

He reached up, unconsciously, to feel the small patch of bandage covering the wound. It was a huge improvement over the whole head one he'd worn for two days.

"Better. The bandages were worse than the wound. But I can feel the big bald spot where they shaved my head. Did Lefsa tell you?"

"Raylan told me all about it, then later it was on the daily datalink post. Lefsa was so upset, she was afraid you'd be angry with her."

He shook his head as he gathered his equipment.

"Like it was her fault? Pffft. But Francie, this is the third time I've had a run in with a criminal at Landing. I'm beginning to think I've a target on my back. Maybe I made a mistake accepting this job."

"No, no, don't be like that. Please. You know that old saying about bad eggs, well, every place is bound to have a few. But please, don't think it's always going to be like this. Maybe you just had a stretch of bad luck, but I'm betting its run its course. Honestly, you've done Landing a favor in flushing them out," she said.

"I hope you're right, " he said, grumpily, "this is getting just a bit tiresome."

She touched his arm, gently. "It's okay, K'ndar. Part of it is..if you'll forgive me, you're a respectful, soft spoken man, you listen a lot and say little. There's a type of human that thinks of that as a weakness and tries to take advantage of it. Trust me, it happens to women all the time. We should know better, but as Raimon proved, men..and I don't mean ALL men..but some decide that a woman who is quiet deserves the mistreatment he deals her.

But those types are not common here. You're well liked, even though you're relatively new. Elene, for instance, thinks the world of you. So...tough it out just a little longer? Things are going to ease up for us, tasking wise, now that we're getting not one but TWO new dragonriders."

"One is a new council member?"

"Two, K'ndar! You know that!"

"Um, forgive me, but no, I don't. Two dragonriders and one is a council member? Or two dragonriders are both council members? I thought Lytol was retiring for good, but he has no dragon? Is it just one Holder and two dragonriders? I'm confused."

"You haven't read today's datalink post? About the Selections?" Francie said, frowning.

"Um...no. Between caring for guest's dragons, trying to get the jaw fully documented and fighting off jealous partners, I've not taken the time," he said, defensively.

Francie looked sternly at him.

"K'ndar, you need to read the datalink posts Every Day. Every day! It's no different than reading the duty roster from a slate board, like at your home weyr. You have to, K'ndar, it's part of your job. Yes, we have two dragonriders as council members now. Come on, don't kid me, you know D'nis was selected to be on the council representing Southern Continent."

"Whoa," he said, stunned. It took several moments for the import to sink in. D'nis!

"I didn't know. Francie, I'm not kidding, I had no idea. He didn't mention it, even though he's been staying in my quarters here during Selection, it's been pretty much he's leaving as I'm coming in and vice versa. He's been so tied up with the Selection that I've hardly seen him, save for him helping me after I got clobbered. What do you mean, representing Southern? Two dragonriders from Southern?"

" K'ndar, I mean it. They didn't give you a datalink for you to ignore it. I see you don't have yours NOW. From now on, it goes with you as long as you're on duty, and you ARE on duty. You know full well that we dragonriders get time from work to care for our dragons, they're as much a member of the staff as Landing's saddle horses. I'll tell you, but K'ndar, you MUST read the posts. At least once a day. Okay? You don't want to miss a tasking, you don't want Raylan to get on your case," she said. "Never mind Grafton. Get on his bad side to your peril."

He knew an order when he heard it. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good lad. Now then, it was decided that, what with Southern's burgeoning population and expansion, it's only fair that both halves of Pern be represented by people from their home continent. So Lytol and K'ran are officially retired, although both are considered 'emeritus'. Northern has selected their three members, a Holder, a Crafter and a Weyrleader to represent Northern, and we've D'nis as Southern's Councilman Weyrleader, a Holder from Western Hold and the third is a Harper from Cove Hold. SHE is our first ever female councilman!" Francie said, beaming.

_________________________________________________________________________

"I know," D'nis protested, "I didn't tell you. I thought you'd .."

"I know, read my datalink," K'ndar said, imitating Francie,"But I hadn't. I will now. Congratulations!"

D'nis tossed his backpack onto the couch. "Thank you. I still am not sure how it happened, and I'm still not convinced it's what I want. But it certainly has changed my plans."

K'ndar sighed. "Klah? The rest of the wine you brought?"

"Wine. I'm still wrought up with all the things that have happened. How's your head?"

"It's good," K'ndar said, taking a bottle of wine out of the 'refrigerator'. What an amazing little box, keeping cold things cold. He popped the cork and poured what was left of the bottle into a goblet and handed it to D'nis.

I always feel a bit strange handling a liquid I don't dare drink. Unless I want to be sick, he thought.

D'nis sipped it. "Ah. at first, I wasn't sure if I liked Dorn's wine. But it grows on one," he said. "Ashmead. Strange name, but it fits, somehow."

K'ndar whipped up a mug of klah for himself and sat down on the couch. Through the 'window' he could see fog rolling in. It was nice, he thought, that it had a clear piece of the amazing substance the ancients had made them from. It wasn't glass, it was some other substance that he doubted current Pernese would ever be able to replicate. It kept the weather out. The first time Siskin had tried to fly out the window, he'd hit it nose first. It was, K'ndar reflected, quite possibly the first time he'd ever heard a fire lizard curse. Now the blue cautiously approached every window and touched it to see if it was open.

"So what now, si...shards, D'nis, what do I call you now? Sir? D'nis? Councilman?"

D'nis shrugged. "In times like this, I'm D'nis. When I'm officiating, I'm Councilman. Or sir will do."

"Thank you."

"I'd like to ask a favor of you?"

"Of course, si...oh shards, D'nis, just settle for me calling you sir. Okay?"

"Whatever pleases you."

"What is the favor?"

"Are you staying here for Turnover?"

"No. I'd planned on going to Singing Waters for the festivities, than home to my cothold with my sister. And..I just remembered, I want to go to Nerat to drop off a gift for Harve."

"When had you planned on leaving?"

"First thing tomorrow morning," he said.

"Would you be willing to transport Lord Dorn to his Hold?"

"Certainly," he said.

"Thank you. That takes one decision off my plate," he said.

"How about you? Will you be staying here for Turnover? You're more than welcome to stay here in my quarters until you get your own."

"Hmmm. I've not decided yet. I'm not even certain if I'll be moving here or staying at Kahrain. On the one hand, I don't want to abandon Kahrain. It's home. But it's also having leadership issues with M'rvin. Ah, M'rvin, M'rvin. He's become more and more morose, more inclined to argue. He won't talk to a healer, I suspect he's slightly depressed but we have so many things that can cure that, will he take them? I don't know! I wouldn't be surprised if he resigns as weyrleader," he said.

"Oh, no. Is that..has that ever happened?"

"Of course, K'ndar, but not often if it's not as part of a queen's mating flight. And I don't see Mirth rising any time soon. Siena is so pissed off at M'rvin that Mirth is continually upset and with that, of course, it means she hasn't come into heat. Arcturuth says he tiptoes around Mirth, that upsets HIM, and it just turns into a vicious circle. Part of me is wondering if I shouldn't ask M'rvin to step down and return to being Weyrleader. But if Mirth comes into heat, Corvuth won't mate her-he's her sire! And now, being selected councilman, I can't do both jobs at the same time. So, at the moment, I'm considering moving here permanently, as you have done. I hope they have a building big enough for Corvuth."

"I wouldn't worry, sir. If there isn't, the mountain has plenty of caves for him to roost in."

"No doubt, but he wants to be near me. Nor do I want to be far from him. Do you like living in this building? Does Raventh?"

"Um, it took some getting use to, I'll admit that. But yes, I think I do. It has some conveniences that our weyr doesn't, like the kitchen, and the running water. But it doesn't have the sounds of the outdoors. I especially miss hearing..and seeing the ocean."

His mug empty, K'ndar took it into the kitchen and placed it in the sink. Such amenities...he'd gotten used to them very quickly.

He returned to the couch. "Sir, it's so strange, our world. You were the best of weyrleaders, but I remember Jenmay murdering her way to Weyrwoman, and M'rvin's causing problems..you'd think we'd come up with a better way of managing things for all three branches, like the Council Selection is done. People like Jenmay...how in the world could they be considered 'leaders'? We all hated her for her cruelty and obstinacy. She had my classmates terrified, especially poor B'rost."

"Aye. I agree. It IS an odd form of governance, choosing the weyrleaders based on which bronze can catch the gold. Add to it the Holders passing on their holdings to sons. Crafters, like Harpers, seem to be the only ones who choose their leaders on merit and ability. As much as I love my Corvuth, I wonder how we ever got to the point where we allowed a dragon to make the decision on who runs a weyr. Many people have held the position, and sometimes it turns out to be utter disaster. But, K'ndar, doing my historical research of the way things were run on Earth, I think our way is best. It's odd, but at least we don't have people like Fax running the planet. And trust me, Earth was MOSTLY run by people like Fax," he said.

K'ndar shivered, remembering the Harper's tales about the murdering, tyrannical despot Fax. He'd been dead long before K'ndar or even D'nis had been born, but every child learned of his tyranny...and were warned against it.

"So, in my humble opinion, we have three..no, four ways, if you count in the Council, of governance and for the moment, at least, it works. If you discount Aivas's rediscovery of the Charter, because that was lost for so long, it becomes five. Four mutually supportive ways of governing seems to have kept things going fairly well for over 2500 years, so I think it works."

D'nis looked wistfully at his empty goblet and stood up. "And now, K'ndar, I must head for bed. I thank you once again for your hospitality. I imagine you'll be leaving shortly after breakfast, so good Turnover to you."

"And you, sir."

The bronze rider grinned at him. "It's D'nis."