Chap. 239 Impromptu Dismount

Chap. 239 Impromptu Dismount

"That was fun, K'ndar, it was fun to go home and see Mum and our cousins! They're so little but Natana can ride just as good as you and me. Her pony is so cute!!" Glyena said, as K'ndar released the buckles holding her into the harness. "I got on her and she took off with me and I said no I don't think so! Then she was the perfect ride. But I'll always love Jordan the most. Did you want to ride Jordan or are you going to go back to Landing?"

"I'm just going to drop you off, Gly, then I'm heading back to Landing. I have another trip to make but it's getting late, it will have to wait until tomorrow."

"You're not going to spend the night here?" she said, disappointed. "You can stay with us, we have room."

"No, thank you, sis."

He reached up to help her off of Raventh's back. She waved her hand and said, "No, watch this!"

Before he could grasp what she was about to do, she leaped from Raventh's back.

Raventh, startled at her leap, jumped forward. The forward edge of his wing caught the girl in the head, knocking her to the ground.

"Glyena!" K'ndar shouted, and Siskin bolted.

I hit her. I hit her, I didn't know she was going to do that!

He grabbed her and helped her regain her feet. She was crying and put her hand to her head.

"Owwwwww."

"Glyena, are you okay? You shouldn't do that, you shouldn't jump off a dragon, ever!"

He was a maelstrom of dismay and aggravation, why did she do that?

The girl stopped crying and fumbled at the straps of her backpack. It had fallen sideways and she had landed on it.

"Help me get this off my arm..oh no! My binocular!"

Tell her I'm sorry, she startled me.

"Raventh didn't mean to hit you, you shouldn't ever jump off a dragon, Glyena!"

The girl was still digging through her backpack. She finally retrieved her binocular and looked through them.

"They're okay," she sighed in relief. She tucked them back in the pack.

He took her arm. "Glyena. You scared me. You scared Raventh, he thinks he's hurt you."

She rubbed her head and wiped the tears off her cheeks.

"I didn't know his wing bone was that hard," she said. She turned and met Raventh's concerned gaze, his eyes whirling an unhappy orange.

"I'm okay, Raventh, you didn't mean it," she said, patting the dragon on the cheek.

"Look, Glyena, we don't need two of us with a bump on the head," he said, angrily.

"I know, don't be mad!"

"I'm angry, but it's because you're hurt, and that hurts me."

"Okay, you're right. I'm sorry, it was just a little bonk on the head, it doesn't hurt hardly at all now," she said.

"What in the world made you do that?"

"There's a boy who jumps off his horse like that. I thought it looked like fun," she said. She hiccuped.

"Don't. Just don't ever do that again, not to a horse, not to a dragon," he ordered.

"K'ndar of Landing. K'ndar of Landing" he heard his datalink sound.

It was his turn to dig through his backpack. Glyena was shocked.

"You have a datalink?" she asked.

"Yes, and it's a pain in the arse, sometimes," he said, "I still don't know how to use it."

He pulled it out.

"K'ndar of Landing, K'ndar of Landing."

He fiddled with it, trying to get it to respond. Shards, he hissed under his breath, I hate this thing.

"K'ndar of Landing. K'ndar of Landing."

"Here, give it to me," Glyena said, snatching it from his hand.

"Glyena..."

"K'ndar of Landing. K'ndar of Landing."

She touched it and the datalink shut up.

Even more aggravated, he took it back.

"Talk!" she ordered. He looked at the screen, trying to remember which one of the myriad icons he needed to touch.

"Which one.."

She reached up, pointing at the screen. "I already answered it. Go on, talk to it!"

Glaring at her, he said to the link, "Who calls?"

"There you are, K'ndar. D'nis here. Where are you?"

Now what!! I'm still on leave, he thought, resentfully, but he bit the retort off before it left his mouth.

"I've just landed at Kahrain," he said.

"Oh, perfect! I'm here, too!" D'nis said, "You're in the bowl?"

"Yes sir," he said.

"I'll be down there in a minute. I'm up in the Weyrmaster's office," D'nis said, and signed off.

Glyena looked at the datalink in his hands.

"That wasn't polite, Glyena," he said, testily. "You don't just grab things," he said.

"Well, you were just dinking around with it! You gotta answer it!" she said.

Obviously, this young girl was far more technologically savvy than he was.

He gritted his teeth and said,"I know. I'm still getting used to using it."

"Why didn't you tell me you have a datalink? I can call you with mine. You can call me, just turn it on, see that spot there on the screen? Tap that and say "Glyena of Kahrain" and then I answer it. You've had it all this time?"

His irritation with the whole thing flooded his mind. He scowled, feeling his face flushing with embarrassment and frustration. "Yes. I have to have it for my job, but I really don't care for it, Gly! It's," he sighed in defeat, his irritation draining away. She might tease him for being a total idiot with the thing, but she was still his baby sister.

"It's smarter than I am. It starts blaring at me and I try to get it to answer and it just won't. I tap all over and it just keeps blathering. Then just as I get it to obey the caller stops calling. Then he calls again, and I'm trying to get the shaffing thing to answer. The sharding thing makes me feel stupid, everyone else seems to have no problems with theirs and I'm a dumbarse."

She patted his arm. "No, you're not, K'ndar, you're just old. Old people don't understand these things. Not like us kids," she said.

"Old? Old?" he repeated, insulted. Old? I'm not an elder. I'm...how dare this little kid say I'm old?

Well, you are older than her Raventh observed.

Oh, thank you so much for your help he thought, in a scathing tone.

You're welcome Raventh said.

Sarcasm is lost on dragons, his Weyrlingmaster had said.

No shit.

She giggled, puncturing what was left of his ego. "Here. Don't move, I'm going to teach you, it won't take but a minute. Okay? It's easy, K'ndar, even little kids can use them."

"Yeah. So I see," he said.

_________________________________________________________________________

"I've just signed out of the Weyr," D'nis said.

K'ndar nodded.He tucked the datalink back into his pack, not at all sure that he’d remember how to use it, even after Glyena’s patient teaching.

"If you're going to return to Landing, would you be willing to transport some of my gear? I've two crates more than I thought I'd have. Corvuth can handle the weight, of course, as can Raventh, but four crates just won't balance with my harness, and if you help me, I don't have to make two trips," D'nis said.

"Of course," K'ndar said, feeling better at being able to do something competently.

"Why did you sign out?" Glyena asked. She looked worried.

D'nis regarded her with a gentle eye.

"I've been selected as Councilman Weyrleader for Southern, lassie," he said.

The girl sobered. She felt a tremor of trepidation in her soul.

"Whoa," she said, "that's, um, that's...congratulations, I think?"

He grinned. "I'm not so certain of it myself."

"Will you, you're going to leave the Weyr?"

"Yes, in fact, I'm hoping to leave here shortly."

Glyena shook her head, her eyes sad. That means M'rvin will really be Weyrleader, she thought.

Yes, D'nis was retired. Corvuth hadn't flown Mirth, how could he be Weyrleader? But D'nis had always been the backbone of the entire Weyr. Everyone but M'rvin knew it.

I'm just a kid. I can't do a thing about it. I'll just have to live with it, like Mum used to say.

"I'll miss you, Councilman," she said, in resignation.

K'ndar felt a surge of pride in his sister. She could be a pain, it was true, but she had learned courtesy and protocol.

D'nis nodded. "I'll miss you too, Glyena. But I will be coming back from time to time. Part of my job entails I visit the Weyrs of Southern. Maybe I'll bring your brother with me, if he's up to it?"

K'ndar shrugged. "Depends on what my boss says, sir," he said.