Chap. 172 Return to the Island
The four dragons swirled at a great height over the northern tip of the island, assessing it's overall shape. B'rost and F'mart looked for their landing spots.
"I see my target," B'rost called, and put Rath into a shallow dive until he hovered over the top of the pinnacle. Having pinged Raventh as to its exact configuration, the blue had no problems landing. B'rost dismounted, and within moments had found a suitable boulder on which to secure his rappel line. Having done that, he then unloaded his equipment: gloves, a camera, collection bags, a face mask and a pitchfork.
Rath reports safe on target and B'rost dismounted. Kenth is just now landing on the beach and will post guard in moments. Raventh said.
"You're going to find the floor covered in bird nests, and it's kind of stinky in there," K'ndar had advised.
"No problem," B'rost said, "I've cleaned out enough chicken and wherry pens to know how to clean one. It's the dust that will get to me, so I'll wear something around my nose and mouth," he said.
K'ndar, having gone without much sleep the night before, was tired beyond belief. Still he was ready. He nodded with a smile. "And the pitchfork is for?"
"Uncovering whatever might lie beneath the top layer. It's called overburden, and geologists deal with it all the time. Usually I use a pick and shovel to move rock, but this time I think a pitchfork will do the job," B'rost had said.
"Be careful, you don't want to disturb the forensic (he'd just learned the concept) layout of the bones, if there are any left."
"I KNOW what I'm doing, K'ndar. It's like searching for fossils, you don't want to disturb the configuration of the find. Please, trust me. I know you already do, thank you so much for choosing me, for giving me a chance. Trust me. I won't screw it up," B'rost had pleaded.
F'mart had begged for guard. "Please, let me beat his arse. I've not had a good fight in months," he said.
K'ndar had laughed. "I guess it's up to the crazy man. Maybe he'll submit without a fight," he said.
"With my luck, you're right," F'mart sighed, forlorn.
Raventh and Careth, the two browns, separated into search formation. Once on the agreed station, D'mitran and Careth hovered, waiting for K'ndar to reach his point.
Rath reports that B'rost is ready to rappel.
Careth reports he is ready to search.
Tell them I am on station and ready to search. Let's go.
He flashed the signal to D'mitran to proceed and Raventh began a slow steady flight southward.
"I'll take the windward side, the eastern coast side, sir, you take the lee side, westward side," K'ndar had said, having had a chance to better assess the geographical attributes of the island. "If Meteorology is correct, we have about an hour and a half, maybe two, before the rain hits. Hopefully it will be enough time for B'rost to gather all his data," K'ndar had instructed.
He'd felt so very odd, giving the orders to his Wingleader. But D'mitran, who'd enthusiastically joined the team without a moment's hesitation, was wise enough to let K'ndar be the leader. We all had to learn, and this is excellent training, he'd thought. Whether K'ndar likes it or not, he does have leadership qualities.
D'mitran unlimbered his datalink and set it to record. This would be a bit dicey, handling it, but Landing wanted a recording, and he'd made it so that they had a live link, the connection being made through the Yokohama and back down to Landing. Someone at Landing was watching, as were the computers, he knew, so, "lads, let's watch ourselves and what we do," he'd advised.
The island was very old, the remnants of a volcanic outpouring that had then been colonized by coral reefs, then uplifted. It was a mishmash of coral and metamorphic rock and heavily vegetated. It was riddled with caves.
You could hide a wing of people here and no one would be the wiser, K'ndar thought, no wonder the thermal imaging thing didn't see anybody. Of course, it was one man, alone, in this jungle of green and rock. No, wait. Two.
They'd flown for about ten minutes. K'ndar thrilled at seeing D'mitran in the sky four or five kilometers abreast of him. Just like when we fought Thread, he thought, flying in a formation with other dragons was always a thrill.
The island was larger than he'd expected. They reached the far southern end of the roughly oval shaped island. Below them was a large, sandy beach, exposed to the sea, with a small cove filled with rocks. The tide pools glittered in the sunlight below them. They flew out over the sea and turned around. Below them, the tide pools formed showed that, at least at this time of low tide, the cove was probably too shallow for a seagoing vessel but suitable for a small boat.
D'mitran reports a shipwreck on his side.
!!!!
It is in bad shape. Exposed, no sand. It looks to have been heavily scavenged.
Part of him wanted to hurry over to see it, but no, K'ndar, you are in charge of this, stay the course. Exploring may come later.
D'mitran is descending to get a better recording
Tell him take the time to get it right, then resume his course
K'ndar maintained course, scanning the ground below them as they headed north. There was a definite trail below him, inland from the rocks that formed the sea's edge on this eastern coast. The trail, while covered by tree and palm canopy, was easily seen.
B'rost reports that he has successfully entered the cave and you're right, it stinks. But the uncovering is going easily. F'mart reports all quiet on the beach. D'mitran has finished recording the wreck and has resumed search on his course. Raventh said, then continued,
This is fun, but it's busy. My mind is full of three other dragons. It must be confusing to be a bronze or a wingleader in full formation.
I agree. Thank you, you are doing a great job keeping me informed. It's so much easier than having to shout.
Yes.
They continued flying. He turned to see D'mitran on Careth far back on his left, the brown dutifully flying a 'search' and D'mitran scanning with eyes and datalink. That datalink, he thought, will make searching far easier, although I doubt there's much to see or find on this island.
I smell human. I smell dead fish. I smell …pig? It smells like pig.
Huh. Human and fish, he could understand, but pig?
Don't take this the wrong way, but sometimes dirty humans smell like pigs.
OH, that's a new one! K'ndar laughed, I hope it's not me that you learned that from.
Definitely NOT! Raventh laughed.
B'rost has found them. More bones. Oh. It is sad.
What is sad?
Two skeletons. An adult. And a tiny one, like a hatchling. A tiny human. Like a newly hatched dragon.
A…baby?
A 'baby' human. Very small. Smaller than Siskin.
Oh my.
No more markings on the wall.
Oh. B'rost is crying.
CRYING?
He says, 'chains'. Chains. That's all he can say. Chains.
Chains? He was seized with the need to rush to the pinnacle. But no. B'rost had been assigned to do the recovery. He was to do a recon of the island. Let each dragonrider do the task he'd been assigned, to include myself, K'ndar thought.
Careth smells what I smell. !!!
What? What?
D'mitran reports a clearing, with signs of human habitation. There is a young human. He is staring at Careth. Now he is jumping up and down, calling for help.
D'mitran whistled the signal for "Converge on my position". Without resentment, K'ndar immediately turned west and they flew to where Careth was hovering.
Below them was a clearing in front of a large cave. A human was waving at them, its hair so long and matted it covered the person's body. They heard it shouting "Dragons! Help me! Help me PLEASE!!"
"K'ndar, do you see him?" D'mitran called.
"I do!"
"That clearing…," he called
"HELP ME!!! PLEASE!" the human yelled, frantic, fearful. It sounded like a boy.
"…it's too small for Careth, I think."
"Aye," K'ndar said.
It's not too small for me, Raventh said.
Are you sure?
If I can go in straight down and leap straight up, I can fit. Ready?
Um……… But Raventh was already lowering, controlling his descent with fierce concentration.
"On the ground! Get out of his way! We're coming down, don't be under him!" K'ndar yelled.
"What?? Hurry! He'll be here any minute!"
"GET OUT FROM UNDER MY DRAGON DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
The boy lurched to the entrance of the cave.
As delicately as an insect, Raventh landed in the only space in the clearing large enough for him to fit. His wingtips were a scant meter from the trees.
This is scary.
It's okay. I have clearance above me, as long as Careth clears the way for me to leap.
D'mitran was overhead, filming all the while.
The clearing was of the utmost squalor K'ndar had ever seen in his life. The stench was nauseating. There was filth and refuse everywhere. Something struck him about the clearing, but he had so much on his mind that it was filed away for future review.
The trees and palms were menacing forms, crowding in. This was tight quarters for a dragon, he thought, thank the stars Raventh is 'small'.
The boy came scuttling out of the cave, in utter terror.
"Help me, please, get me out of here, please!"
K'ndar looked at the boy. He was so utterly filthy K'ndar could not tell what age he was. He was completely naked. His dreadlocks reached to his waist.
"Come on, grab the harness and step on his knee. Then climb…"
"I can't…"
K'ndar reached down, a bit irritated that the boy seemingly couldn’t climb up?
Then he saw the reason for the strange gait.
The boy's ankles were chained together, no more than a shoulder width apart.
He reached down, grabbed the boy's outstretched hands, and gave a mighty tug. The boy came up so easily he almost went over Raventh's back. Instead, he fell sideways, his ribs lodging him between the ridges on Raventh's back. No way would he be able to straddle.
"Oh, are you okay?"
"I'm okay! Hurry, he's sure to have seen you, HURRY!" the boy cried.
"Now listen. Feel the harness straps. Hold on to them as tightly as you can, because Raventh is going to jump straight up. Can you do that?"
"I will. I have to. He'll kill me for sure," the boy gasped.
Clear my sky, Careth Raventh called to D'mitran's brown.
"Boy, hold on tight," K'ndar ordered.
With a mighty leap, Raventh jumped skyward, his wingtips just barely clearing the tree limbs that seemed to be trying to grab them.
Then they were safe in the sky, hovering.
Well done, Raventh. My compliments Careth said.
Whew. I can smell him even with the wind in my face Raventh said.
It was true. The boy stank.
"Thank you, thank you, oh thank you," he was saying.
"Can you hold on like that?"
"Yes, I'll be fine, just please, get me out of here, take me anywhere off this island," he said.
Hmmm. Now what to do? He'd not expected to do a rescue.
"D'mitran? Your advice?" he called. Now he was glad he'd recruited D'mitran. There was no shame in his asking for advice on this, his first "action". That was why he'd wanted his wingleader to begin with.
"K'ndar, take the rescue to the beach. I'll continue with this leg of the scan. What in the world is wrong with his legs?"
"They're chained," he called back.
"WHAT?"
Kenth reports a man with a spear is approaching his position. B'rost is still in the cave, he is beginning to exit. He is having some trouble with the gear and the bags.
Kenth says the man threw the spear at him. He knocked it away! Now he is furious.
Tell F'mart to engage at will.
"D'mitran!"
"I heard. Continue with taking the rescue to the beach, I'm heading to the beach NOW," and Careth burst forward at full speed.
With a bit of relief, K'ndar turned Raventh towards the beach.
Kenth reports F'mart is fighting the man.
I do NOT want to miss this, he thought, and urged Raventh to hurry.
No. The boy is having trouble holding on. He weighs nothing and hasn't much strength.
Tell D'mitran that I have to go slowly.
F'mart is…Kenth says he sounds like us when we've caught prey. He is beating the man and shouting and laughing.
Yeah, that sounds like F'mart, alright.
By the time they'd reached it, the fun was over.
F'mart stood on the beach, hands on hips and a grin wrapped three times around his head. The man who'd attacked K'ndar yesterday…was it only yesterday? was laying on the ground, groaning.
"You've broken me head, you bastard, you've broken me," he was crying.
"Ah, you wuss, you weren't no fun at all. Think I'm afraid of your big talk and pointy spear? Shaff... tell you what, get up, I'll let you have first go at me, again, aye? I'm just getting warmed up," he laughed.
Raventh landed gently, and the boy slid off with nerveless fingers. He landed on unsteady legs, almost falling over.
"Thank you, please, don't leave me here, please," the boy cried. K'ndar dismounted, and didn't know what to do first. Help B'rost?
D'mitran called from overhead, "B'rost, what can we do?"
K'ndar felt overwhelmed with all the sudden decisions he needed to make.
The blue rider had climbed back up to the top of the pinnacle.
"It's okay, now, I'm alright, just had a bigger load than I expected, and this bloody pitchfork, good tool but not for climbing! I'll be coming down in a minute," B'rost called.
Within moments, Rath landed and B'rost dismounted.
These humans. They stink Rath said.
They took a good long look at the man. He got to his feet but made no attempt to move towards the dragonmen.
"Your name and Hold?"
The man glared at them, then he snapped his fingers at the boy. The boy stayed a good distance from him, knowing he was safe, now.
"Your name and Hold?" K'ndar asked, relishing the phrases of power.
"Tol' you yesterday, you pig, I am Lord Holder of all the Islands. This is my Hold. You are trespassers. I will kill you all," he snarled.
"Sheesh, he stinks worse than a boar hog," B'rost said, "and that's doing a disservice to a hog."
"You, you're a whelp, you are," the man spat at B'rost. Rath rumbled, and stepped forward. The man stepped back.
"Aye, maybe so, but, shards, I missed seeing the fight. Maybe F'mart should teach you manners?" B'rost said, enjoying the taunt.
"Oh, YES! Only this time, I'll keep one of my hands behind my back, that way it'll make the fun last," F'mart shouted!"
"No! You, boy, get them!" he shouted at the boy, standing next to K'ndar.
The boy spat on him. The man screeched and lunged for him-and Siskin was in his face, all four clawed feet out in preparation to shred the man's face. The man fell backwards, his arms up in protection. Siskin got in one good claw before K'ndar called him back.
"Siskin, to me," K'ndar called, and Siskin reluctantly obeyed. "Last chance, scum.Your name and Hold."
"I am Lord Holder of all the Islands," the man said.
"No, you aren't, you're nothing but a murderous raider," the boy snapped.
He turned to K'ndar.
"His name is Shipfish," the boy said.
18 April 2020
17 April 2020
Chap. 171 The Plan
Chap. 171 The Plan
K'ndar looked across the table at M'rvin, his Weyrleader. B'rant, the Weyrlingmaster, had tried to excuse himself from the meeting, but K'ndar held up his hand.
"No, sir, please, I value your advice as much as M'rvin's. Please. I asked you both to poke holes in my plan, so please, feel free."
B'rant smiled. "You always were one to think things through, K'ndar. Sometimes I found you a little TOO circumspect. Your skyhooting off to the island without any plan other than wanderlust surprised me. Your candor in telling us how you screwed up…several times, to include burning off your eyebrows, tells me that you've one, learned the value of planning ahead and two, admitting mistakes."
K'ndar rolled his eyes.
M'rvin said, "Other than a few questions, I really can't see any real problems with your plan," he said.
K'ndar, still smiling, nodded in thanks.
His fingertips steepled, the Weyrleader looked past K'ndar to a map of Pern on the wall behind him, then turned his eyes onto K'ndar's. They looked mixed, a part pleased, a part troubled.
"This is an excellent opportunity for you to practice leadership skills, K'ndar, and I'm grateful Landing is charging you with it. Once my wingleaders begin to retire, I'm going to need replacements," he said.
B'rant grinned. "Not to mention yourself, sir…"
M'rvin laughed. "Aye, but K'ndar is no threat to me, mate. He's a brown rider," he said, grinning.
"Trust me, sir, I don't want your job. Not ever. You never get a minute to yourself," K'ndar said. He relished this interchange. He felt as if he was no longer a junior rider, he was being accepted by his seniors as one of them. It gave him a heady feeling. He checked it. You're still just a colt, K'ndar, you're not even close to being these men's equal.
"Alright, then, tell me again, why you chose who you did to go with you," M'rvin said.
"Well, sir, Lord Lytol said he didn't see the need for an entire wing to go, and that's wise, as I haven't re-conned the island, I only know where a maximum number of four dragons can land safely. That, and I doubt I could 'manage' more than three others. I KNOW D'mitran, he's been my wingleader and even chose me while on Search. Plus, I know he's always been able to keep a cool head when things got crazy, no matter if it was an unexpected twist in threadfall or someone hunting a certain dragonrider at Toric's gather. Finally, he's willing to check ME should I need it, and sometimes, I do."
"D'mitran is definitely cool headed," M'rvin said. "Now, then, F'mart? Didn't F'mart and you butt heads during Weyrling school?"
"Not so much butt heads, sir, as I endured his taunts and antagonizing. I chose to ignore him, but he did make it easy to despise him. Oh, sure, there were times when I wanted to fight him. But, my Uncle Fland used to quote someone named Sunsu. He said, "He wins who knows when to fight and when not to fight," K'ndar said.
"Your uncle is a wise man, K'ndar," M'rvin said.
"F'mart butted heads with EVERYONE, even senior riders. That is, until he tried to outdrink a wing that had just come in from fighting Thread. Headstrong is a mild word for him, then, he was always pushing my limits. He was a pain in the arse, through and through," Brant added.
"Sir, in my experience, F'mart has…matured. He seems to either have grown up or grown out of the bullying phase. I've not had a chance to talk to him in a while, but, sir, I've seen him fight. I need some muscle, some thinking muscle there, and I think F'mart's just the man to provide it," K'ndar said, a small part of his mind amazed at the transformation from mouthy bully to steady, if hot headed at times, bronze rider.
That didn't happen often with bullies. SOMEONE had gotten through to him, and the Weyr was better for it.
"That, and his Kenth is BIG. This crazy man, he wasn't afraid of Raventh. I want him to be face to face with a dragon that is physically imposing and psychologically intimidating. And, if it comes down to fighting, I can't think of a better man to kick the man's arse. I don't ever want to go up against F'mart, he'll be walking off whistling while I'm still wondering where my head went," K'ndar said.
Both the men roared in laughter. F'mart was always willing to drop everything in order to fight. If he'd ever been beaten, it wasn't while he was at the weyr.
"I'm sure he'll jump at the chance. Just..well, don't let him kill the man. I'm sure Landing wants to know who the shaff he is. Although I suspect, given what he said to you, it will be No Name and No Hold,"
"Yes, sir, I agree."
M'rvin sobered.
"Now, finally…B'rost? Seriously, K'ndar? B'rost? He's…
"Flighty as a wherry, sir, yes. He runs hot and cold. He's given to rash and reckless behavior; he's impulsive and makes bad decisions at times."
"As we all know. He's still on probation, you know, we've not decided whether to re-admit him to Weyr rolls," M'rvin said.
K'ndar nodded. "I can understand your reticence in re-admitting him. He's the personification of what my Weyrlingmaster used to say, there are old riders and bold riders but…" he looked out of the corner of his eye at B'rant.
The other men finished in unison, "no old, bold riders."
"Ah," B'rant said, smiling, "You WERE listening."
"Yes sir. But there is no question that B'rost is brave, and willing to take risks on his blue Rath that, in my experience while on survey, paid off. Rath is extremely athletic and can extricate himself from dicey situations that my brown Raventh wouldn't be able to do," he said.
Yes I could. I can do anything Rath can do, only better Raventh protested.
No, you can't Arcturuth, M'rvin's bronze interjected.
Give him a break, Arcturuth, he's smaller than most browns. Raventh's pretty nimble on his wings Banarth, B'rant's bronze argued.
The three men looked at each other, wryly.
"Our dragons are arguing," B'rant said.
M'rvin laughed. "Okay, okay. This isn't so much about dragons, anyway, it's about the team. Is that all about B'rost? Did you choose him because he's a friend?" M'rvin asked.
"No, sir. Quite honestly, I wanted one of the women to go, I wanted sinala on her green to go. But I'm thinking that, if there's fighting involved, while I know she can handle herself, still…sometimes, it needs to be all men. This time."
The two others nodded. That was wise. "Don't let the girls know, though. They'll be insulted."
"I know. I chose B'rost because he's small. And he's a geologist…one that knows how to rappel. I have done it once or twice, but this cave, where I found the skeleton, and the statement on the wall, it's small and hard to get into. I intend to send B'rost in with a couple collection sacks, to collect any bones, which I neglected to do. They've already lent me a camera, so he can take photos of the markings on the wall," K'ndar said.
"So he'll be going in by himself?"
"Yes, sir. There's not much room in that cave, for more than one person to work. Oh, and it's covered with bird and wherry nests. He can do it, I'm certain. I know, I know, he's a wild card, sir, but he'll listen to me. He always has. Sometimes I wished he wouldn't lean on me as much as he did in school, but it paid off, and maybe, this time, he'll see that this might be his only chance to restore himself in your eyes as worthy of being re-admitted to the Weyr. I think being abandoned and on his own scared some sense into him," K'ndar said. He'd not thought that part through, but he realized it was probably true.
"What about the crazy man? Is he to be taken into custody?" M'rvin asked. "I don't know what sort of holding facility Landing has, but I can tell you, I don't want him HERE. Nor would Lord Dorn want him. I really can't think of just WHO has custodial jurisdiction of the islands."
"They didn't direct me to take him. They just want more information of the person who claimed to be killed by dolphins. That is so unheard of, so disturbing, they want as much information as they can. As for the crazy man, I believe they're content to leave him on the island, and mark it as inhabited and off limits," K'ndar said.
"It seems to me that you've thought things thoroughly," B'rant said, testing. "You've given this a lot of thought, what?"
"Sir, I thought it while enroute, which didn't take much time, I admit, but it just sort of fell into place all at once," K'ndar said.
"So you've been justifying your choices right here and now? Thinking on the fly?"
K'ndar wondered and thought, well, it's true.
"Yes, sir."
"Ah. THAT'S the mark I was looking for. That's what we call empirical knowledge, and it's the mark of a leader, to be able to come up with solid reasons for choices from experience, without really thinking it through beforehand. I think your choices are sound, K'ndar," M'rvin said. "But…well, can you think of anything that you might have missed, or forgotten, before you put this plan into action?"
Actually, K'ndar thought, I thought I'd done a GOOD job planning, given the brief amount of thought I'd given it. But the doubt in M'rvin's voice mirrored the concern that had been in his eyes.
"Um…obviously, from your question, I have forgotten or missed SOMETHING, sir, and I am suddenly too scatterbrained to think of it," K'ndar said, feeling less confident.
B'rant said, gently, "Think slowly, K'ndar. THINK. How is it you have the time to actually take on this action?"
"Well, sir, I'm on a three day pass, you know that," K'ndar said, just a little peeved.
M'rvin pounced.
"Aye…but are the others tasked for something else?" he said.
Oh.
"Oh. I didn't check the duty roster in Flight Ops," he said, feeling the heat of embarrassment rising on his cheeks.
"Correct. You don't KNOW if D'mitran or F'mart are available, you don't even know if B'rost is even here, to take on what is pretty much a scheme concocted by you."
"It was suggested, no, asked for by Council!" K'ndar protested, smarting from the stern tone of M'rvin's voice.
"Okay, yes, I neglected to go to Flight Ops. But I came to my leaders first," he said, heatedly.
"That is true, and it's why I am not going to hammer you too hard on the second part you 'missed'…that of assuming we are able to provide the support," M'rvin said, "If it hadn't been requested by council, it could be construed as 'going over MY head as Weyrleader'."
K'ndar's mouth went dry, and he gulped. The last person he wanted angry with him was his Weyrleader. His grand plan fell into pieces. And now he had pissed off his Weyrleader.
"I'm…I'm sorry, sir. I am so sorry, I didn't think. I was so excited, so honored to be asked by the Council to do this, I didn't come to you with it first." K'ndar said, feeling sheepish.
B'rant interrupted. "Sir, that's not quite fair. He DID come to us, yes, with a plan already hatched. I agree that he didn't ask you if he could. If it hadn't been direct from Council, you have all the right in the world to slam him. But you have to admit that, despite the roundabout way of laying it out for you, he DID bring it to your attention before recruiting," B'rant said.
M'rvin thought of that for a moment, then nodded.
"Agreed. Sometimes I forget what it was like to be a dragonrider without the chains of command weighing me down. I miss those days, sometimes."
"And, let's be frank, Landing DIDN'T coordinate with you first. I'm not going against Landing, but sometimes they are a little too ready to assign us tasks without seeing if the Weyr can actually satisfy the requirement. We're the closest Weyr to Landing, now, and I think they forget that there are others," B'rant said.
M'rvin looked rueful. "That's true. Sometimes I think they forget I have a weyr to run, despite my not having been in the job all that long."
"Sir, I think you're as good a Weyrleader as D'nis, and I thought he was the best," K'ndar said.
"Thank you, I like to think that. I try very hard, and I try to follow D'nis's lead. But never mind. I think your choice of a team is a good one, K'ndar, and don't take me too literally. I was never one to stand on rank rather than principle. I think you've learned something important in regards to policy and protocol. I'd rather have a dragonrider who strikes when the iron is hot rather than consider all the ways it can keep him from getting in trouble. And sometimes, the moment to act must be immediate."
He stretched his arms over his head, wanting to be out of the office on this lovely day. "You've got a lot to do before you sleep tonight, K'ndar, so I suggest you head to Ops now, check their boards for your team's availability for tomorrow. Should you need some equipment, let Ordnance know. I'd take some weapons, just in case. How are you with a sword?"
K'ndar felt as if he'd been on a bucking horse, one moment let down, the next uplifted. "Um, sir, I probably shouldn’t be allowed near one, I would probably cut my own leg off. But I'm fairly good with a dagger and I'm good with a bolo and a rope. The man had a fairly long spear but I didn't see any other weapons. I don't know if there are other people on the island, and if they're armed-which is why I wanted all men on the team, and F'mart in particular," he said.
"Take a net, then. I'll call up F'mart and D'mitran…and B'rost, for I know that they're all off duty tomorrow. We'll see if they want to play. After that, you must brief them, bring them all on board. THEN you need to plan your attack, and troubleshoot it. You've a long night ahead of you, and you still need to get some dinner and sleep," M'rvin said.
K'ndar nodded. "Now I KNOW I would never want your job," he said.
M'rvin laughed.
He left the Weyrleader's office feeling giddy.
Risal was waiting patiently outside, Siskin alongside her.
Oh by the egg. I forgot. I forgot all about bringing a guest! I don't have the time, he thought, what a cad I am! What was I thinking? What did I do that for? How do I tell her I'm suddenly too busy to talk with her? And I take her back tomorrow? Now I have to plan a trip to Landing BEFORE going to the Island? I better talk to her first.
"Risal, I am so sorry you've been waiting. I feel like a fool. I brought you here without knowing that my day tomorrow is going to be VERY busy, in fact I don't have any time to talk with you tonight. I am sorry," he said, shaking his head. This day had been very long and full of errors, and it still wasn't over.
"Oh, thank you, K'ndar, but it's okay. I've worked Flight Ops long enough to know a mission when I see it, and it takes precedent," Risal said.
"Yes, but, now I feel as if I led you on into coming here and now I'm abandoning you? You'll see me for what, half an hour and then I take you home tomorrow?"
"It's OKAY. First off, I don't HAVE to go back tomorrow. Just because I live with my family doesn't mean they treat me like a child. I live with them because I love them, I help my mum with weyrkeeping, her job keeps her so busy. But I'm grown, K'ndar. They know that. I didn't tell them I'd be back tomorrow, I just said I was going off with a dragonrider to Kahrain Steppe Weyr, and I'll be fine. And like I said, I knew the minute you came out of your Weyrleader's office that you're going to be busy tonight and tomorrow. It's okay. I want to walk around your weyr, just to see what it's like. I see that there's a dock, I hope…do you ever get dolphins here?"
"Oh, yes. You can call them by ringing the dolphin bell."
"Well, then, I'll ask them, I'll ask them about a 'shipfish' killing a human."
"That's a good idea, but BE POLITE. Be absolutely diplomatic and tactful. NO accusations. They are smarter than us. They are kind and gentle, but they're not fools. Even the suggestion that they'd kill a human is so far off their charts that they may be insulted. So don't accuse them. They are like dragons…they don't lie. So tell them a human said it, and you know that humans lie," he warned.
"I won't insult them. Now, if you would show me to where your dining hall is, and I can meet your headwoman, I'll take care of myself while you're gone," she said, sounding almost motherly.
K'ndar looked across the table at M'rvin, his Weyrleader. B'rant, the Weyrlingmaster, had tried to excuse himself from the meeting, but K'ndar held up his hand.
"No, sir, please, I value your advice as much as M'rvin's. Please. I asked you both to poke holes in my plan, so please, feel free."
B'rant smiled. "You always were one to think things through, K'ndar. Sometimes I found you a little TOO circumspect. Your skyhooting off to the island without any plan other than wanderlust surprised me. Your candor in telling us how you screwed up…several times, to include burning off your eyebrows, tells me that you've one, learned the value of planning ahead and two, admitting mistakes."
K'ndar rolled his eyes.
M'rvin said, "Other than a few questions, I really can't see any real problems with your plan," he said.
K'ndar, still smiling, nodded in thanks.
His fingertips steepled, the Weyrleader looked past K'ndar to a map of Pern on the wall behind him, then turned his eyes onto K'ndar's. They looked mixed, a part pleased, a part troubled.
"This is an excellent opportunity for you to practice leadership skills, K'ndar, and I'm grateful Landing is charging you with it. Once my wingleaders begin to retire, I'm going to need replacements," he said.
B'rant grinned. "Not to mention yourself, sir…"
M'rvin laughed. "Aye, but K'ndar is no threat to me, mate. He's a brown rider," he said, grinning.
"Trust me, sir, I don't want your job. Not ever. You never get a minute to yourself," K'ndar said. He relished this interchange. He felt as if he was no longer a junior rider, he was being accepted by his seniors as one of them. It gave him a heady feeling. He checked it. You're still just a colt, K'ndar, you're not even close to being these men's equal.
"Alright, then, tell me again, why you chose who you did to go with you," M'rvin said.
"Well, sir, Lord Lytol said he didn't see the need for an entire wing to go, and that's wise, as I haven't re-conned the island, I only know where a maximum number of four dragons can land safely. That, and I doubt I could 'manage' more than three others. I KNOW D'mitran, he's been my wingleader and even chose me while on Search. Plus, I know he's always been able to keep a cool head when things got crazy, no matter if it was an unexpected twist in threadfall or someone hunting a certain dragonrider at Toric's gather. Finally, he's willing to check ME should I need it, and sometimes, I do."
"D'mitran is definitely cool headed," M'rvin said. "Now, then, F'mart? Didn't F'mart and you butt heads during Weyrling school?"
"Not so much butt heads, sir, as I endured his taunts and antagonizing. I chose to ignore him, but he did make it easy to despise him. Oh, sure, there were times when I wanted to fight him. But, my Uncle Fland used to quote someone named Sunsu. He said, "He wins who knows when to fight and when not to fight," K'ndar said.
"Your uncle is a wise man, K'ndar," M'rvin said.
"F'mart butted heads with EVERYONE, even senior riders. That is, until he tried to outdrink a wing that had just come in from fighting Thread. Headstrong is a mild word for him, then, he was always pushing my limits. He was a pain in the arse, through and through," Brant added.
"Sir, in my experience, F'mart has…matured. He seems to either have grown up or grown out of the bullying phase. I've not had a chance to talk to him in a while, but, sir, I've seen him fight. I need some muscle, some thinking muscle there, and I think F'mart's just the man to provide it," K'ndar said, a small part of his mind amazed at the transformation from mouthy bully to steady, if hot headed at times, bronze rider.
That didn't happen often with bullies. SOMEONE had gotten through to him, and the Weyr was better for it.
"That, and his Kenth is BIG. This crazy man, he wasn't afraid of Raventh. I want him to be face to face with a dragon that is physically imposing and psychologically intimidating. And, if it comes down to fighting, I can't think of a better man to kick the man's arse. I don't ever want to go up against F'mart, he'll be walking off whistling while I'm still wondering where my head went," K'ndar said.
Both the men roared in laughter. F'mart was always willing to drop everything in order to fight. If he'd ever been beaten, it wasn't while he was at the weyr.
"I'm sure he'll jump at the chance. Just..well, don't let him kill the man. I'm sure Landing wants to know who the shaff he is. Although I suspect, given what he said to you, it will be No Name and No Hold,"
"Yes, sir, I agree."
M'rvin sobered.
"Now, finally…B'rost? Seriously, K'ndar? B'rost? He's…
"Flighty as a wherry, sir, yes. He runs hot and cold. He's given to rash and reckless behavior; he's impulsive and makes bad decisions at times."
"As we all know. He's still on probation, you know, we've not decided whether to re-admit him to Weyr rolls," M'rvin said.
K'ndar nodded. "I can understand your reticence in re-admitting him. He's the personification of what my Weyrlingmaster used to say, there are old riders and bold riders but…" he looked out of the corner of his eye at B'rant.
The other men finished in unison, "no old, bold riders."
"Ah," B'rant said, smiling, "You WERE listening."
"Yes sir. But there is no question that B'rost is brave, and willing to take risks on his blue Rath that, in my experience while on survey, paid off. Rath is extremely athletic and can extricate himself from dicey situations that my brown Raventh wouldn't be able to do," he said.
Yes I could. I can do anything Rath can do, only better Raventh protested.
No, you can't Arcturuth, M'rvin's bronze interjected.
Give him a break, Arcturuth, he's smaller than most browns. Raventh's pretty nimble on his wings Banarth, B'rant's bronze argued.
The three men looked at each other, wryly.
"Our dragons are arguing," B'rant said.
M'rvin laughed. "Okay, okay. This isn't so much about dragons, anyway, it's about the team. Is that all about B'rost? Did you choose him because he's a friend?" M'rvin asked.
"No, sir. Quite honestly, I wanted one of the women to go, I wanted sinala on her green to go. But I'm thinking that, if there's fighting involved, while I know she can handle herself, still…sometimes, it needs to be all men. This time."
The two others nodded. That was wise. "Don't let the girls know, though. They'll be insulted."
"I know. I chose B'rost because he's small. And he's a geologist…one that knows how to rappel. I have done it once or twice, but this cave, where I found the skeleton, and the statement on the wall, it's small and hard to get into. I intend to send B'rost in with a couple collection sacks, to collect any bones, which I neglected to do. They've already lent me a camera, so he can take photos of the markings on the wall," K'ndar said.
"So he'll be going in by himself?"
"Yes, sir. There's not much room in that cave, for more than one person to work. Oh, and it's covered with bird and wherry nests. He can do it, I'm certain. I know, I know, he's a wild card, sir, but he'll listen to me. He always has. Sometimes I wished he wouldn't lean on me as much as he did in school, but it paid off, and maybe, this time, he'll see that this might be his only chance to restore himself in your eyes as worthy of being re-admitted to the Weyr. I think being abandoned and on his own scared some sense into him," K'ndar said. He'd not thought that part through, but he realized it was probably true.
"What about the crazy man? Is he to be taken into custody?" M'rvin asked. "I don't know what sort of holding facility Landing has, but I can tell you, I don't want him HERE. Nor would Lord Dorn want him. I really can't think of just WHO has custodial jurisdiction of the islands."
"They didn't direct me to take him. They just want more information of the person who claimed to be killed by dolphins. That is so unheard of, so disturbing, they want as much information as they can. As for the crazy man, I believe they're content to leave him on the island, and mark it as inhabited and off limits," K'ndar said.
"It seems to me that you've thought things thoroughly," B'rant said, testing. "You've given this a lot of thought, what?"
"Sir, I thought it while enroute, which didn't take much time, I admit, but it just sort of fell into place all at once," K'ndar said.
"So you've been justifying your choices right here and now? Thinking on the fly?"
K'ndar wondered and thought, well, it's true.
"Yes, sir."
"Ah. THAT'S the mark I was looking for. That's what we call empirical knowledge, and it's the mark of a leader, to be able to come up with solid reasons for choices from experience, without really thinking it through beforehand. I think your choices are sound, K'ndar," M'rvin said. "But…well, can you think of anything that you might have missed, or forgotten, before you put this plan into action?"
Actually, K'ndar thought, I thought I'd done a GOOD job planning, given the brief amount of thought I'd given it. But the doubt in M'rvin's voice mirrored the concern that had been in his eyes.
"Um…obviously, from your question, I have forgotten or missed SOMETHING, sir, and I am suddenly too scatterbrained to think of it," K'ndar said, feeling less confident.
B'rant said, gently, "Think slowly, K'ndar. THINK. How is it you have the time to actually take on this action?"
"Well, sir, I'm on a three day pass, you know that," K'ndar said, just a little peeved.
M'rvin pounced.
"Aye…but are the others tasked for something else?" he said.
Oh.
"Oh. I didn't check the duty roster in Flight Ops," he said, feeling the heat of embarrassment rising on his cheeks.
"Correct. You don't KNOW if D'mitran or F'mart are available, you don't even know if B'rost is even here, to take on what is pretty much a scheme concocted by you."
"It was suggested, no, asked for by Council!" K'ndar protested, smarting from the stern tone of M'rvin's voice.
"Okay, yes, I neglected to go to Flight Ops. But I came to my leaders first," he said, heatedly.
"That is true, and it's why I am not going to hammer you too hard on the second part you 'missed'…that of assuming we are able to provide the support," M'rvin said, "If it hadn't been requested by council, it could be construed as 'going over MY head as Weyrleader'."
K'ndar's mouth went dry, and he gulped. The last person he wanted angry with him was his Weyrleader. His grand plan fell into pieces. And now he had pissed off his Weyrleader.
"I'm…I'm sorry, sir. I am so sorry, I didn't think. I was so excited, so honored to be asked by the Council to do this, I didn't come to you with it first." K'ndar said, feeling sheepish.
B'rant interrupted. "Sir, that's not quite fair. He DID come to us, yes, with a plan already hatched. I agree that he didn't ask you if he could. If it hadn't been direct from Council, you have all the right in the world to slam him. But you have to admit that, despite the roundabout way of laying it out for you, he DID bring it to your attention before recruiting," B'rant said.
M'rvin thought of that for a moment, then nodded.
"Agreed. Sometimes I forget what it was like to be a dragonrider without the chains of command weighing me down. I miss those days, sometimes."
"And, let's be frank, Landing DIDN'T coordinate with you first. I'm not going against Landing, but sometimes they are a little too ready to assign us tasks without seeing if the Weyr can actually satisfy the requirement. We're the closest Weyr to Landing, now, and I think they forget that there are others," B'rant said.
M'rvin looked rueful. "That's true. Sometimes I think they forget I have a weyr to run, despite my not having been in the job all that long."
"Sir, I think you're as good a Weyrleader as D'nis, and I thought he was the best," K'ndar said.
"Thank you, I like to think that. I try very hard, and I try to follow D'nis's lead. But never mind. I think your choice of a team is a good one, K'ndar, and don't take me too literally. I was never one to stand on rank rather than principle. I think you've learned something important in regards to policy and protocol. I'd rather have a dragonrider who strikes when the iron is hot rather than consider all the ways it can keep him from getting in trouble. And sometimes, the moment to act must be immediate."
He stretched his arms over his head, wanting to be out of the office on this lovely day. "You've got a lot to do before you sleep tonight, K'ndar, so I suggest you head to Ops now, check their boards for your team's availability for tomorrow. Should you need some equipment, let Ordnance know. I'd take some weapons, just in case. How are you with a sword?"
K'ndar felt as if he'd been on a bucking horse, one moment let down, the next uplifted. "Um, sir, I probably shouldn’t be allowed near one, I would probably cut my own leg off. But I'm fairly good with a dagger and I'm good with a bolo and a rope. The man had a fairly long spear but I didn't see any other weapons. I don't know if there are other people on the island, and if they're armed-which is why I wanted all men on the team, and F'mart in particular," he said.
"Take a net, then. I'll call up F'mart and D'mitran…and B'rost, for I know that they're all off duty tomorrow. We'll see if they want to play. After that, you must brief them, bring them all on board. THEN you need to plan your attack, and troubleshoot it. You've a long night ahead of you, and you still need to get some dinner and sleep," M'rvin said.
K'ndar nodded. "Now I KNOW I would never want your job," he said.
M'rvin laughed.
He left the Weyrleader's office feeling giddy.
Risal was waiting patiently outside, Siskin alongside her.
Oh by the egg. I forgot. I forgot all about bringing a guest! I don't have the time, he thought, what a cad I am! What was I thinking? What did I do that for? How do I tell her I'm suddenly too busy to talk with her? And I take her back tomorrow? Now I have to plan a trip to Landing BEFORE going to the Island? I better talk to her first.
"Risal, I am so sorry you've been waiting. I feel like a fool. I brought you here without knowing that my day tomorrow is going to be VERY busy, in fact I don't have any time to talk with you tonight. I am sorry," he said, shaking his head. This day had been very long and full of errors, and it still wasn't over.
"Oh, thank you, K'ndar, but it's okay. I've worked Flight Ops long enough to know a mission when I see it, and it takes precedent," Risal said.
"Yes, but, now I feel as if I led you on into coming here and now I'm abandoning you? You'll see me for what, half an hour and then I take you home tomorrow?"
"It's OKAY. First off, I don't HAVE to go back tomorrow. Just because I live with my family doesn't mean they treat me like a child. I live with them because I love them, I help my mum with weyrkeeping, her job keeps her so busy. But I'm grown, K'ndar. They know that. I didn't tell them I'd be back tomorrow, I just said I was going off with a dragonrider to Kahrain Steppe Weyr, and I'll be fine. And like I said, I knew the minute you came out of your Weyrleader's office that you're going to be busy tonight and tomorrow. It's okay. I want to walk around your weyr, just to see what it's like. I see that there's a dock, I hope…do you ever get dolphins here?"
"Oh, yes. You can call them by ringing the dolphin bell."
"Well, then, I'll ask them, I'll ask them about a 'shipfish' killing a human."
"That's a good idea, but BE POLITE. Be absolutely diplomatic and tactful. NO accusations. They are smarter than us. They are kind and gentle, but they're not fools. Even the suggestion that they'd kill a human is so far off their charts that they may be insulted. So don't accuse them. They are like dragons…they don't lie. So tell them a human said it, and you know that humans lie," he warned.
"I won't insult them. Now, if you would show me to where your dining hall is, and I can meet your headwoman, I'll take care of myself while you're gone," she said, sounding almost motherly.
14 April 2020
Chap. 170 Change of Plans
Chap. 170 Change of plans
Risal was waiting for him outside the Council's 'chamber'.
He'd been sweating.
"Are you okay?" the girl asked, noting how odd he looked.
"Yes, I'm fine," he said.
"They didn't give you a hard time, did they?"
K'ndar shook his head as they walked out of the main building.
"No, in fact they were very interested in what I had to report. It's just, well, they're the COUNCIL, you know? They are the leaders of the planet, as far as I'm concerned. I'm just a brown dragon rider, and not a very experienced one at that. But I have to say, I was just so honored to meet them, they treated me well. Lytol-well, he looks so old, so…tired. He's like Robinton, to me, someone so 'high' up that I felt like a Weyrling all over again," he said.
"I know the feeling. Lytol has all the right in the world to retire, he's earned it. He's been through so much, but he just keeps on voluntarily coming in. The sea voyages take a lot out of him, but he won't go dragonback," she said.
"I know why, too. My uncle Fland lost his dragon, too. I can't imagine losing Raventh and continuing to live. I'm not that brave. It must feel like having your heart shredded into little bits," he said, and the idea of losing his brown dragon chilled him, despite the warm day.
I would immediately go between if you died first Raventh said,his tone worried.
I'd find a way to go with you K'ndar responded.
She could see the fear in his eyes at the thought, though she had no idea he'd been talking to Raventh.
"I understand, I think I do. It makes me glad, sort of, that I never was Searched. I mean, I'd love to have the freedom that you do, but I don't think I could deal with losing someone like that," she said.
They both sat down in the shade of a klah tree. The scent of its bark brought back memories of his help with harvest. Funny, it feels like years ago, rather than a couple months, he thought.
"I can't leave just yet, they want to discuss what they want to do, if anything, and then call me back in," he said.
"Sounds like they have something in mind. We have several permanent dragon riders here, but they're all tasked out, at the moment," she said.
The sunlight was broken up by the leaves of the tree, dappling the ground with shifting, bright spheres of light as the leaves moved with the breeze. The sight and sound were almost soporific. Or is I'm just tired? he thought.
He looked up at underside of the tree, grateful for the shade.
"This is something I can really appreciate, now that Thread is gone," he said.
"What do you mean?"
"Look at this tree, it's only been a few years and now it's getting big. When we had Threadfall, this tree would never have been allowed to stand."
"Yes, but…Landing has the grubs everywhere here, thread never stood a chance. It was so interesting seeing the grubs come up from the ground eating the Thread," she said. "There's nothing about that in DeeArr's book about that. And Landing folks have been planting trees and flowers, a lot," she said.
"They didn't do much exploring of Southern," K'ndar explained, "remember, they all packed up and moved North after just a few years."
She pulled her copy out of her backpack and leafed through it, idly. She didn't want to read, she wanted to talk to K'ndar.
"Well, now what? Are you going back home to your weyr, after the Council calls you back in?" she asked, hoping he'd say no.
He shook off his reverie.
"I don't think so. It's been an awfully long day for me, and I think I'd just as soon check on Raventh and Siskin, get some dinner and then find something to do with myself until it's time to go to bed," he said, "I know where the bunkroom for traveling dragonriders is, I'll stay there," he said. He considered looking up Francie for a nice chat about horses and fire lizards, but he WAS tired…and yet he wanted to talk to Risal.
"Who is Siskin, and would you, um, like to sit and just talk? I mean, about books, or what you've done, that sort of thing?"
He stopped, realizing that that was exactly what he wanted to do.
"I'd like that, I would. As for who is Siskin, he's been so very patient with me today," he said, and in he called the blue fire lizard in his mind.
Siskin arrived, wheedling and chipping, scolding him for abandoning him while he was inside Landing.
"Oh, he's beautiful! Can I pet him?" she asked, enchanted.
"Um, don't take this the wrong way, but…no. Not because of me, because fire lizards are even more bound to their owner, than any dragon. He won't hurt you, because you've never attempted to hurt me, but like most fire lizards, he's very possessive of me and isn't friendly, not like a dog or a cat."
She nodded. "It's okay, I understand. There's several people who have them here, one is named Francie, she trains her THREE fire lizards to do tricks," she said.
He smiled. "I know her very well, she was originally signed into my weyr, her husband works here," he said.
"I know," she said, "I've met him, too, of course. Can I meet your dragon?"
"Of course," he said, "but only after the Council calls me back in."
A young woman chose that moment to come out of the building. "K'ndar?"
"Yes?"
"Council would like to speak to you. Hi, Risal, how are you?" the girl said.
"I'm great!"
They immediately began to chat with each other.
"Excuse me," K'ndar said, and re-entered the building.
He wasn't so scared, this time.
The two women were still catching up when he came back out.
"Well?"
"They want me to take a team of dragonriders back to the island. Tomorrow, first thing. I get to pick the team, like I was a wingleader or something!"
"Oh, who will that be?"
"Um………" It would have to be riders who could handle a crazy man. The first man to come to mind was F'mart. And D'mitran. Maybe B'rost?
Suddenly he realized he WOULD have to go back to his Weyr. Disappointment flooded him…duty call AGAIN? He wanted to talk to her…well, for hours, but apparently that would have to wait.
So take her with you. She said she's never been anywhere Raventh said.
Wow.
You are a smart dragon, you know that?
Siskin chipped and Raventh chuckled.
"Um…I would love to sit and talk for hours, but duty calls. But-would you like a dragon ride to MY Weyr? Hariko always has plenty of room for visitors. I will bring you back here tomorrow morning."
Surprise lit up her face.
"Oh, YES! I'll have to tell my parents, but yes, I'd like that. I won't be twenty minutes, okay? I'll just throw some things in my backpack and I'll meet you in the dragon meadow?"
"That will work," K'ndar said, "I'll have Raventh harnessed and waiting."
Risal hugged her friend and ran off.
The friend's eyebrows shot off her forehead, and she smirked.
"Fast off the mark, aren't you?" she snarked.
"That's what SHE said," K'ndar laughed.
Risal was waiting for him outside the Council's 'chamber'.
He'd been sweating.
"Are you okay?" the girl asked, noting how odd he looked.
"Yes, I'm fine," he said.
"They didn't give you a hard time, did they?"
K'ndar shook his head as they walked out of the main building.
"No, in fact they were very interested in what I had to report. It's just, well, they're the COUNCIL, you know? They are the leaders of the planet, as far as I'm concerned. I'm just a brown dragon rider, and not a very experienced one at that. But I have to say, I was just so honored to meet them, they treated me well. Lytol-well, he looks so old, so…tired. He's like Robinton, to me, someone so 'high' up that I felt like a Weyrling all over again," he said.
"I know the feeling. Lytol has all the right in the world to retire, he's earned it. He's been through so much, but he just keeps on voluntarily coming in. The sea voyages take a lot out of him, but he won't go dragonback," she said.
"I know why, too. My uncle Fland lost his dragon, too. I can't imagine losing Raventh and continuing to live. I'm not that brave. It must feel like having your heart shredded into little bits," he said, and the idea of losing his brown dragon chilled him, despite the warm day.
I would immediately go between if you died first Raventh said,his tone worried.
I'd find a way to go with you K'ndar responded.
She could see the fear in his eyes at the thought, though she had no idea he'd been talking to Raventh.
"I understand, I think I do. It makes me glad, sort of, that I never was Searched. I mean, I'd love to have the freedom that you do, but I don't think I could deal with losing someone like that," she said.
They both sat down in the shade of a klah tree. The scent of its bark brought back memories of his help with harvest. Funny, it feels like years ago, rather than a couple months, he thought.
"I can't leave just yet, they want to discuss what they want to do, if anything, and then call me back in," he said.
"Sounds like they have something in mind. We have several permanent dragon riders here, but they're all tasked out, at the moment," she said.
The sunlight was broken up by the leaves of the tree, dappling the ground with shifting, bright spheres of light as the leaves moved with the breeze. The sight and sound were almost soporific. Or is I'm just tired? he thought.
He looked up at underside of the tree, grateful for the shade.
"This is something I can really appreciate, now that Thread is gone," he said.
"What do you mean?"
"Look at this tree, it's only been a few years and now it's getting big. When we had Threadfall, this tree would never have been allowed to stand."
"Yes, but…Landing has the grubs everywhere here, thread never stood a chance. It was so interesting seeing the grubs come up from the ground eating the Thread," she said. "There's nothing about that in DeeArr's book about that. And Landing folks have been planting trees and flowers, a lot," she said.
"They didn't do much exploring of Southern," K'ndar explained, "remember, they all packed up and moved North after just a few years."
She pulled her copy out of her backpack and leafed through it, idly. She didn't want to read, she wanted to talk to K'ndar.
"Well, now what? Are you going back home to your weyr, after the Council calls you back in?" she asked, hoping he'd say no.
He shook off his reverie.
"I don't think so. It's been an awfully long day for me, and I think I'd just as soon check on Raventh and Siskin, get some dinner and then find something to do with myself until it's time to go to bed," he said, "I know where the bunkroom for traveling dragonriders is, I'll stay there," he said. He considered looking up Francie for a nice chat about horses and fire lizards, but he WAS tired…and yet he wanted to talk to Risal.
"Who is Siskin, and would you, um, like to sit and just talk? I mean, about books, or what you've done, that sort of thing?"
He stopped, realizing that that was exactly what he wanted to do.
"I'd like that, I would. As for who is Siskin, he's been so very patient with me today," he said, and in he called the blue fire lizard in his mind.
Siskin arrived, wheedling and chipping, scolding him for abandoning him while he was inside Landing.
"Oh, he's beautiful! Can I pet him?" she asked, enchanted.
"Um, don't take this the wrong way, but…no. Not because of me, because fire lizards are even more bound to their owner, than any dragon. He won't hurt you, because you've never attempted to hurt me, but like most fire lizards, he's very possessive of me and isn't friendly, not like a dog or a cat."
She nodded. "It's okay, I understand. There's several people who have them here, one is named Francie, she trains her THREE fire lizards to do tricks," she said.
He smiled. "I know her very well, she was originally signed into my weyr, her husband works here," he said.
"I know," she said, "I've met him, too, of course. Can I meet your dragon?"
"Of course," he said, "but only after the Council calls me back in."
A young woman chose that moment to come out of the building. "K'ndar?"
"Yes?"
"Council would like to speak to you. Hi, Risal, how are you?" the girl said.
"I'm great!"
They immediately began to chat with each other.
"Excuse me," K'ndar said, and re-entered the building.
He wasn't so scared, this time.
The two women were still catching up when he came back out.
"Well?"
"They want me to take a team of dragonriders back to the island. Tomorrow, first thing. I get to pick the team, like I was a wingleader or something!"
"Oh, who will that be?"
"Um………" It would have to be riders who could handle a crazy man. The first man to come to mind was F'mart. And D'mitran. Maybe B'rost?
Suddenly he realized he WOULD have to go back to his Weyr. Disappointment flooded him…duty call AGAIN? He wanted to talk to her…well, for hours, but apparently that would have to wait.
So take her with you. She said she's never been anywhere Raventh said.
Wow.
You are a smart dragon, you know that?
Siskin chipped and Raventh chuckled.
"Um…I would love to sit and talk for hours, but duty calls. But-would you like a dragon ride to MY Weyr? Hariko always has plenty of room for visitors. I will bring you back here tomorrow morning."
Surprise lit up her face.
"Oh, YES! I'll have to tell my parents, but yes, I'd like that. I won't be twenty minutes, okay? I'll just throw some things in my backpack and I'll meet you in the dragon meadow?"
"That will work," K'ndar said, "I'll have Raventh harnessed and waiting."
Risal hugged her friend and ran off.
The friend's eyebrows shot off her forehead, and she smirked.
"Fast off the mark, aren't you?" she snarked.
"That's what SHE said," K'ndar laughed.
11 April 2020
Chap. 169 Scatterbrained
Chap. 169 Scatterbrained
They appeared over the dragon meadow near Landing's main building.
K'ndar was confused. He'd expected to come out over their own Weyr.
As Raventh leveled his wings to land in the dragon meadow, he said,
We have to report in to Flight Ops, correct? And you did tell Ops you were going to return to report on what we found.
I have lost my mind, K'ndar thought, dismayed. Of COURSE one was supposed to report into Flight Ops, if one had checked out of it.
Yes, you're right, and I don't know what's become of my common sense. Thank you.
You're welcome.
And thank you, too, for knocking that spear away. Once again, you've saved me from being hurt.
He was dangerous. I saw his body language. I knew he had bad intentions.
I think I should report it. Him being there, and the dead man in the cave, and whoever heard of a dolphin killing a human? There's something strange there.
K'ndar made his way to Flight Ops, wondering why this excursion of his had turned out so poorly. I'm whole and unharmed, he thought, but I made mistakes. Too many! It's like I've never been anywhere on my own! I should just go home after this and stay there.
It's alright. You had that girl in the office on your mind.
No, I didn't.
Yes, you did. Do you think I've not been in your mind all my life to not know what you're thinking?
I…I don't remember consciously thinking of her. I was so excited to be exploring a new place.
Maybe not, but she was there. She was standing on the edge of your mind, just…watching. Like Siskin does.
Siskin does that?
His blue fire lizard chipped. He didn't need that affirmative translated.
He gave the fire lizard an affectionate scratching on the head.
Okay, I guess you're right.
Of course I am right Raventh said, smugly.
He walked into Flight Ops, anxious to see the girl again, only to see the bald spot on the top of a older man's head peering at him like a giant eye.
Disappointed, K'ndar just stared for a moment at the man, who was apparently engrossed in the forms in front of him. He glanced up at the flight board. There was his and Raventh's name, with expected return date of two days from now.
After several moments without any sort of acknowledgement from the clerk, K'ndar cleared his throat. The man looked up from his charts with an irritated expression.
"Yes?" he said after a moment, rolling his eyes in exasperation.
"Um, where is that young lass, she was here earlier today?"
"She's off duty. Why?"
"Well, I..I'm reporting in, earlier than expected," K'ndar said, disappointed.
"Name?" the man snapped.
"K'ndar, rider of brown Raventh," he said.
The man got up, found K'ndar's name on the board, erased it and sat back down.
K'ndar waited for some sort of question, wasn't the man supposed to ask him about his flight?
But the man had already dismissed K'ndar from his mind.
That chart must be so interesting, K'ndar thought, so as to make this old man rude.
The man must have heard, as he looked up over his glasses and said, "Is there anything else? Because if not, leave," he snapped.
Yeah, rude.
"Well, I don't know. Maybe you can tell me, maybe you are too busy, but I found the uninhabited island to be inhabited," he said.
"That's not unusual, so what?"
"So.. what? So…oh, never mind," K'ndar said, suddenly pissed. This was a quiet day, there wasn't another soul in the office and this man was clearly uninterested in doing what K'ndar thought would be an integral part of his job. Pattis would never have left it at just 'so what'. Imagine, me finding something good to say about Pattis! But she was an improvement over this withered sour grape.
He turned and walked out…and almost bumped into the girl.
"Um, hello," he said, flustered.
"Hello! I thought you were going to be gone all weekend?" she said, clearly delighted to see him.
"I was, but…well, I came back early, the man inside treated me like I was interrupting, and I'm not sure what I should do about what I learned today," he said, wondering if he sounded childish.
"Oh, him," the girl said, shaking her head in dismissal, "His name is Howel. He's such a pain in the arse, he doesn't like anyone and would much rather the whole world just leave him alone," she said. She hoped Howel overheard her, but she knew from prior experience that, if he did, he didn't care one way or another.
"Sounds like Pattis, the woman at my weyr's flight ops," he said.
"Pattis..Pattis. I think…I think this man was partners with her, a long time ago. The name is familiar. Rumor is they scrapped so much they were told they either split up or leave, Landing was tired of their fighting," she said, ruefully, "so we got him. Pattis ended up at your weyr?"
"Yes, and until just now, I thought we got a bad deal. Now I think we got the better part of a bad deal," he said.
She laughed. "Sorry. I have to say, he's fairly good at his job, otherwise he would have been banished a long time ago. He doesn't like anyone and will tell you so," she said.
"Were you going in to, um, work?" K'ndar said, hoping not. He wanted to talk to her without her work being the reason.
"No, I left a book in the office. Do you mind? I'm just going to go in and get it. Don't leave, please? I'd like to talk to you," she said.
"I'll be right here," K'ndar said, "Would you like to get a mug of klah?"
"Yes, we have the best here, at Landing, it comes from up north, just a minute, I'll be right out," and she ducked inside Flight Ops.
You bet I'll wait, he thought.
See? You're all scatterbrained again. You were going to tell someone about the man at the island, Raventh said.
Sheesh. I feel like a young colt you have to keep reminding to stay on task. Thanks
She came out with a book in her hand.
"Okay, let's go to the dining hall, we'll get some klah and something to eat? Have you had anything to eat?" she asked.
His stomach reared up on its hind legs and bellowed in aggrieved tones.
"No, and I'll explain it when I've put something in my stomach. It thinks my throat's been cut," he said, grinning.
Her name was Risal.
The book in her hand was "The Natural History of Pern", by DR Plank.
He was amazed that someone else would be interested in the same things he was, that someone being a very intriguing girl.
"I have that book, too. It was the first book I ever purchased," he said, enchanted.
"I've not finished it. I would love to see some of the places DeeArrPlank wrote about," she said, sighing.
"Um…I could take you to some of them, maybe, someday," he said, suddenly aghast that his mouth had just taken over, without him willing it. Where had it come from, just from a mug of klah and a solaced stomach?
She looked at him with an unfathomable expression.
"Fast off the mark, are you?" she asked.
He blushed.
"Um, no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so…"
She laughed, and it tickled him to the marrow, despite his feeling embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, that didn't come out the way I intended," she said, "you don't look dangerous. I'd love to see some of the places, the animals, the forests, all that DeeArr writes about. But I'm like so many other people on Pern, those of us who aren't dragonriders just stay home. We don't go far from our nest. Unless you're a seaman, I guess, I know some people are born on ships," she said.
"They are, in fact, a friend of mine was. Born on a ship. But she (he felt a twinge of betrayal to Lindea, but she'd never expressed any interest in him other than as a friend).. well, it doesn't matter. You were born here at Landing, then?" he asked.
"Actually, no, I was born at Lemos. I was five when my parents moved here to work as techs. I still live with them and my siblings. It's an amazing place to live, I meet new people all the time, every day there is something new to learn, and the staff is like one great big family. As a kid, you didn't ever do something mischievous, because everyone knew whose kid you were and if they saw you being bad, first they busted you, and then told your parents, who busted you again. But there are downsides to it, because Mum and Dad are working here, we don't GO anywhere. For instance, you, did you go to a lot of different places?"
He shook his head.
"No, I was steppe bred. My family has a cothold on the other side of the mountains, right at the edge of the steppe. The only place I ever remembered going to was driving cattle as our tithe to Lord Dorn's Hold. That was it. I used to ride my horse out onto the steppe, alone, I'd be gone for a week, sometimes, but otherwise, I never went anywhere until I was impressed and moved to my Weyr. But now…it's nice, I can go anywhere I want, whenever I want, as long as I'm not on duty. Like this three day pass I'm on, this morning (had it been just this morning?) I decided to go see an island. Oh!"
"Oh?" she twisted her head at his sudden change in demeanor.
"Yes, I stopped at Ops a while ago to say I'd returned, and tell what I found at the island, but that man, Howel? He didn't even bother to listen."
"What did you find?"
"You said it was uninhabited, but it's not. There's a crazy man living there, he tried to spear me. Raventh saved me. And there's a cave there, you showed me a reference point on a pinnacle? It has a cave almost at the top. I climbed into it to keep from being rained on, and found the skull of a dead man, and he'd marked off the number of days he'd been there," he said. "He scratched them into the rock wall, there were 35 marks," he said.
She gasped. "The thermal imaging never showed that!" she protested.
"I didn't really get a good look at the island, but I bet it's full of caves. You said the imager? can't see through rock," he said.
"No, it can't see through rock," she said. She shook her head. "This makes me feel stupid, and I was so proud of being able to show off to a dragonrider," she said, mournfully. "Guess you think I'm incompetent now."
"Oh, no, not at all. That would be stupid. There's hundreds of islands, you showed me that, you can't look at every one, can you? That would take a lot of time," he said, filing away the idea that a girl would want to impress HIM? I'll look at that amazing feeling later.
"I know, I just feel…well, like I let you down. A good Flight Ops is supposed to give dragonriders absolutely flawless information. At least, that's how I go about my work."
"You take pride in your work, I can see that. But don't feel bad, You can't know everything…like me, I found out palm leaves don't burn. But coconut fiber does..." and, ruefully, pointed to what remained of his eyebrows. He had no idea if there was anything left.
She giggled. "I WONDERED why you didn't have any eyebrows…but I wasn't going to say anything," she said.
He laughed, amazed at how easy it was to talk to her.
"Anyway, there were marks on the wall, it was obvious the man had made them. And words, possibly the last ones he ever wrote."
"What did they say?" she asked, hooked.
He looked at her with puzzlement. "They said, "Shipfish killed me".
"Shipfish? You mean dolphins?"
"Yes," he said.
"No way. I don't believe it. Dolphins don't kill humans. They HELP us," she protested.
"I know. I know! I've talked to dolphins, they're great people-well, they're not human but they are definitely people. I've even met Tillek."
She gasped, this time in admiration.
"Whoa. I've never seen a dolphin, not once, and you've met Tillek?"
He nodded. "Yes. She's very old, very wise, and they treat her like a queen dragon."
She shook her head. "Still….I don't believe it. In over 2500 years, not once has a dolphin ever been reported to hurt a human. They just…DON'T." She rested her chin on her fist, thinking.
She made a decision.
"Okay, K'ndar, this has to be reported upstairs. I'm sorry Howel was such a jerk, but…well, the Council has a pretty good idea that he's a jerk. I'm not going to gossip, though.. Can you, do you have time to go with me?"
"To..?"
"To the Council of Lord Holders. Lord Lytol. Remember, he was one of the three custodians of Aivas. He's here, now."
"Are you sure you need me?" K'ndar asked, suddenly abashed at going before the august body of the Council.
She stood up. "Of course, dragonrider. YOU were there, not I. They always want to hear it from the source. Come on, then, they shan't eat you."
"But..but…the COUNCIL?"
She grabbed his hand.
"No but's, dragonrider. They need to know this."
They appeared over the dragon meadow near Landing's main building.
K'ndar was confused. He'd expected to come out over their own Weyr.
As Raventh leveled his wings to land in the dragon meadow, he said,
We have to report in to Flight Ops, correct? And you did tell Ops you were going to return to report on what we found.
I have lost my mind, K'ndar thought, dismayed. Of COURSE one was supposed to report into Flight Ops, if one had checked out of it.
Yes, you're right, and I don't know what's become of my common sense. Thank you.
You're welcome.
And thank you, too, for knocking that spear away. Once again, you've saved me from being hurt.
He was dangerous. I saw his body language. I knew he had bad intentions.
I think I should report it. Him being there, and the dead man in the cave, and whoever heard of a dolphin killing a human? There's something strange there.
K'ndar made his way to Flight Ops, wondering why this excursion of his had turned out so poorly. I'm whole and unharmed, he thought, but I made mistakes. Too many! It's like I've never been anywhere on my own! I should just go home after this and stay there.
It's alright. You had that girl in the office on your mind.
No, I didn't.
Yes, you did. Do you think I've not been in your mind all my life to not know what you're thinking?
I…I don't remember consciously thinking of her. I was so excited to be exploring a new place.
Maybe not, but she was there. She was standing on the edge of your mind, just…watching. Like Siskin does.
Siskin does that?
His blue fire lizard chipped. He didn't need that affirmative translated.
He gave the fire lizard an affectionate scratching on the head.
Okay, I guess you're right.
Of course I am right Raventh said, smugly.
He walked into Flight Ops, anxious to see the girl again, only to see the bald spot on the top of a older man's head peering at him like a giant eye.
Disappointed, K'ndar just stared for a moment at the man, who was apparently engrossed in the forms in front of him. He glanced up at the flight board. There was his and Raventh's name, with expected return date of two days from now.
After several moments without any sort of acknowledgement from the clerk, K'ndar cleared his throat. The man looked up from his charts with an irritated expression.
"Yes?" he said after a moment, rolling his eyes in exasperation.
"Um, where is that young lass, she was here earlier today?"
"She's off duty. Why?"
"Well, I..I'm reporting in, earlier than expected," K'ndar said, disappointed.
"Name?" the man snapped.
"K'ndar, rider of brown Raventh," he said.
The man got up, found K'ndar's name on the board, erased it and sat back down.
K'ndar waited for some sort of question, wasn't the man supposed to ask him about his flight?
But the man had already dismissed K'ndar from his mind.
That chart must be so interesting, K'ndar thought, so as to make this old man rude.
The man must have heard, as he looked up over his glasses and said, "Is there anything else? Because if not, leave," he snapped.
Yeah, rude.
"Well, I don't know. Maybe you can tell me, maybe you are too busy, but I found the uninhabited island to be inhabited," he said.
"That's not unusual, so what?"
"So.. what? So…oh, never mind," K'ndar said, suddenly pissed. This was a quiet day, there wasn't another soul in the office and this man was clearly uninterested in doing what K'ndar thought would be an integral part of his job. Pattis would never have left it at just 'so what'. Imagine, me finding something good to say about Pattis! But she was an improvement over this withered sour grape.
He turned and walked out…and almost bumped into the girl.
"Um, hello," he said, flustered.
"Hello! I thought you were going to be gone all weekend?" she said, clearly delighted to see him.
"I was, but…well, I came back early, the man inside treated me like I was interrupting, and I'm not sure what I should do about what I learned today," he said, wondering if he sounded childish.
"Oh, him," the girl said, shaking her head in dismissal, "His name is Howel. He's such a pain in the arse, he doesn't like anyone and would much rather the whole world just leave him alone," she said. She hoped Howel overheard her, but she knew from prior experience that, if he did, he didn't care one way or another.
"Sounds like Pattis, the woman at my weyr's flight ops," he said.
"Pattis..Pattis. I think…I think this man was partners with her, a long time ago. The name is familiar. Rumor is they scrapped so much they were told they either split up or leave, Landing was tired of their fighting," she said, ruefully, "so we got him. Pattis ended up at your weyr?"
"Yes, and until just now, I thought we got a bad deal. Now I think we got the better part of a bad deal," he said.
She laughed. "Sorry. I have to say, he's fairly good at his job, otherwise he would have been banished a long time ago. He doesn't like anyone and will tell you so," she said.
"Were you going in to, um, work?" K'ndar said, hoping not. He wanted to talk to her without her work being the reason.
"No, I left a book in the office. Do you mind? I'm just going to go in and get it. Don't leave, please? I'd like to talk to you," she said.
"I'll be right here," K'ndar said, "Would you like to get a mug of klah?"
"Yes, we have the best here, at Landing, it comes from up north, just a minute, I'll be right out," and she ducked inside Flight Ops.
You bet I'll wait, he thought.
See? You're all scatterbrained again. You were going to tell someone about the man at the island, Raventh said.
Sheesh. I feel like a young colt you have to keep reminding to stay on task. Thanks
She came out with a book in her hand.
"Okay, let's go to the dining hall, we'll get some klah and something to eat? Have you had anything to eat?" she asked.
His stomach reared up on its hind legs and bellowed in aggrieved tones.
"No, and I'll explain it when I've put something in my stomach. It thinks my throat's been cut," he said, grinning.
Her name was Risal.
The book in her hand was "The Natural History of Pern", by DR Plank.
He was amazed that someone else would be interested in the same things he was, that someone being a very intriguing girl.
"I have that book, too. It was the first book I ever purchased," he said, enchanted.
"I've not finished it. I would love to see some of the places DeeArrPlank wrote about," she said, sighing.
"Um…I could take you to some of them, maybe, someday," he said, suddenly aghast that his mouth had just taken over, without him willing it. Where had it come from, just from a mug of klah and a solaced stomach?
She looked at him with an unfathomable expression.
"Fast off the mark, are you?" she asked.
He blushed.
"Um, no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so…"
She laughed, and it tickled him to the marrow, despite his feeling embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, that didn't come out the way I intended," she said, "you don't look dangerous. I'd love to see some of the places, the animals, the forests, all that DeeArr writes about. But I'm like so many other people on Pern, those of us who aren't dragonriders just stay home. We don't go far from our nest. Unless you're a seaman, I guess, I know some people are born on ships," she said.
"They are, in fact, a friend of mine was. Born on a ship. But she (he felt a twinge of betrayal to Lindea, but she'd never expressed any interest in him other than as a friend).. well, it doesn't matter. You were born here at Landing, then?" he asked.
"Actually, no, I was born at Lemos. I was five when my parents moved here to work as techs. I still live with them and my siblings. It's an amazing place to live, I meet new people all the time, every day there is something new to learn, and the staff is like one great big family. As a kid, you didn't ever do something mischievous, because everyone knew whose kid you were and if they saw you being bad, first they busted you, and then told your parents, who busted you again. But there are downsides to it, because Mum and Dad are working here, we don't GO anywhere. For instance, you, did you go to a lot of different places?"
He shook his head.
"No, I was steppe bred. My family has a cothold on the other side of the mountains, right at the edge of the steppe. The only place I ever remembered going to was driving cattle as our tithe to Lord Dorn's Hold. That was it. I used to ride my horse out onto the steppe, alone, I'd be gone for a week, sometimes, but otherwise, I never went anywhere until I was impressed and moved to my Weyr. But now…it's nice, I can go anywhere I want, whenever I want, as long as I'm not on duty. Like this three day pass I'm on, this morning (had it been just this morning?) I decided to go see an island. Oh!"
"Oh?" she twisted her head at his sudden change in demeanor.
"Yes, I stopped at Ops a while ago to say I'd returned, and tell what I found at the island, but that man, Howel? He didn't even bother to listen."
"What did you find?"
"You said it was uninhabited, but it's not. There's a crazy man living there, he tried to spear me. Raventh saved me. And there's a cave there, you showed me a reference point on a pinnacle? It has a cave almost at the top. I climbed into it to keep from being rained on, and found the skull of a dead man, and he'd marked off the number of days he'd been there," he said. "He scratched them into the rock wall, there were 35 marks," he said.
She gasped. "The thermal imaging never showed that!" she protested.
"I didn't really get a good look at the island, but I bet it's full of caves. You said the imager? can't see through rock," he said.
"No, it can't see through rock," she said. She shook her head. "This makes me feel stupid, and I was so proud of being able to show off to a dragonrider," she said, mournfully. "Guess you think I'm incompetent now."
"Oh, no, not at all. That would be stupid. There's hundreds of islands, you showed me that, you can't look at every one, can you? That would take a lot of time," he said, filing away the idea that a girl would want to impress HIM? I'll look at that amazing feeling later.
"I know, I just feel…well, like I let you down. A good Flight Ops is supposed to give dragonriders absolutely flawless information. At least, that's how I go about my work."
"You take pride in your work, I can see that. But don't feel bad, You can't know everything…like me, I found out palm leaves don't burn. But coconut fiber does..." and, ruefully, pointed to what remained of his eyebrows. He had no idea if there was anything left.
She giggled. "I WONDERED why you didn't have any eyebrows…but I wasn't going to say anything," she said.
He laughed, amazed at how easy it was to talk to her.
"Anyway, there were marks on the wall, it was obvious the man had made them. And words, possibly the last ones he ever wrote."
"What did they say?" she asked, hooked.
He looked at her with puzzlement. "They said, "Shipfish killed me".
"Shipfish? You mean dolphins?"
"Yes," he said.
"No way. I don't believe it. Dolphins don't kill humans. They HELP us," she protested.
"I know. I know! I've talked to dolphins, they're great people-well, they're not human but they are definitely people. I've even met Tillek."
She gasped, this time in admiration.
"Whoa. I've never seen a dolphin, not once, and you've met Tillek?"
He nodded. "Yes. She's very old, very wise, and they treat her like a queen dragon."
She shook her head. "Still….I don't believe it. In over 2500 years, not once has a dolphin ever been reported to hurt a human. They just…DON'T." She rested her chin on her fist, thinking.
She made a decision.
"Okay, K'ndar, this has to be reported upstairs. I'm sorry Howel was such a jerk, but…well, the Council has a pretty good idea that he's a jerk. I'm not going to gossip, though.. Can you, do you have time to go with me?"
"To..?"
"To the Council of Lord Holders. Lord Lytol. Remember, he was one of the three custodians of Aivas. He's here, now."
"Are you sure you need me?" K'ndar asked, suddenly abashed at going before the august body of the Council.
She stood up. "Of course, dragonrider. YOU were there, not I. They always want to hear it from the source. Come on, then, they shan't eat you."
"But..but…the COUNCIL?"
She grabbed his hand.
"No but's, dragonrider. They need to know this."
05 April 2020
Chap. 168 Lord Holder of all the Islands
Chap. 168 Lord Holder of all Islands
Just as he'd learned in meteorology, the tropical storm was over in minutes. The sky cleared and the sun came out. From his high point, he could see steam rising from the vegetation on the ridge. Soon everything would be dry…and humid.
Below him, Raventh rose and shook himself.
That felt good. It washed the salt from me
He was ready to leave the cave.
It would be easier, he realized, to climb UP from the cave to the top of the pillar rather than attempting to climb down.
Can you come up and get me from the top? Then we'll go down to the beach and I will harness you.
I can. That means we're not staying here?
I was foolish. We can go home, and tomorrow we can come back, this time I'll be better prepared.
Okay
Raventh gathered himself and launched, flying to perch atop the pinnacle. Siskin chirped and joined him.
K'ndar took one last look at the cavern. While waiting out the storm, he'd copied the tick marks and the statement scratched on the wall, and made careful sketches of the interior. Something was odd here. The unfortunate victim who apparently had died in the cave had been killed by a shipfish? That was the old fashioned term for dolphins, and he KNEW dolphins were harmless. He'd never heard of anyone ever being hurt by one. Frightened, perhaps, at first, but never intentionally harmed. And why would he have been way up here? He'd have to talk to a dolphineer.
Shouldering his backpack, he got down on hands and knees and gingerly backed out of the cave entrance, fishing blindly with one foot until he felt a solid spot for it. Backing out, he realized this was going to be a bit dicier than he'd expected. But he had patience, and time. By crabbing sideways, he cleared the cavern's mouth and began to climb the rest of the way up the pinnacle.
Raventh peered over the ledge, his eyes whirling a worried green.
Careful…
But K'ndar was too focused on being exactly that to respond.
Shortly, though, he was at the top of the pinnacle. Raventh moved aside, although there was plenty of room.
He stood up, brushing his knees off.
"Whew," he said, "I won't do that again."
Only then did it strike him that he should have dug around in the cavern to see if there was a clue as to who the skull had belonged to…and more, how he'd been killed by a dolphin and yet ended up in a tall volcanic pinnacle. Could it have been part of the tsunami? He bet that the islands had been inundated by tsunamis when the fireball hit the planet. That high up? But he'd seen a hurricane's storm surge, and had learned the resulting tsunamis had been MUCH higher. A person in water would have been saved by a dolphin, not injured by one.
He shook his head at the puzzle. He also felt sheepish at not having the foresight to collect more information. I really need to be re-trained,he thought.
I don't feel like ever climbing that again. But, I could rappel down, now couldn't I?
There were several large outcroppings, solid hunks of rock, that would serve as anchors for a rope.
You ready?
Wait. I want to make a cairn.
I won't forget this pinnacle.
Me neither…but someone else might want the coordinates.
He quickly built a cairn of the rocks atop the pinnacle.
Raventh made a knee, and K'ndar mounted. He'd ridden on the dragon's back without a harness before, but it could be risky.
You will be okay without the harness. I'll be careful. Hold on tight.
I will…..wait. Did you hear that?
He froze, straining his ears.
For long moments, all they heard was the cry of seabirds and the surf.
Just as he was about to think it was his imagination, he heard it again.
A voice.
"Aye, there, Scree, it'd be here, it would be. Smoke! I swear, I saw it, it were smoke, smelled like someone tried burning palm leaves. He he, what a fool!" it said.
It is a human, a male. He is coming along the path Siskin found.
Without prompting, Siskin suddenly launched. He flew high above the treetops, K'ndar watching closely. Then the fire lizard paused, and gently lowered until he was below the vegetation's level and out of K'ndar's sight.
He began sending back.
Through Siskin's eyes, K'ndar saw a man walking towards their position. The vegetation covered him for most part.
Then the man came out of the jungle lining the ridge not far from where K'ndar had tried to light a fire.
"Aye, twas right here, Scree," he said, scanning the beach left and right.
"Rain must have put it out. Where did he go? Fires, they don't start themselves, do they? Nay, they don't. Someone is here," he said.
He was alone. Well, not quite…a large seawherry was perched on his shoulder.
K'ndar wondered what to do.
The man looked as if he'd been there for a very long time. His hair was in dreadlocks down to his waist. He carried a long metal spear with a wicked point. With the exception of a necklace of white pegs around his neck, the man was naked.
The man suddenly whooped and broke into a shuffling trot towards the pillar. The seawherry squawked, but didn't fly.
The seawherry..it has no wings.
What?
Oh, wait, it does have wings, but they..they've been cut off. What a dreadful thing to do!
"Scree, looky this! A harness! A leather harness! And in perfect condition!" the man yelled.
Oh SHIT, K'ndar thought.
"That's MINE," he yelled.
The man stopped, and looked around, puzzled.
The seawherry looked up at K'ndar and Raventh and hissed.
Siskin floated high above the man, unseen, then flew to the nearest palm tree and watched.
The man looked up.
"Hi! You! Who are you? What are you doing here on my island?" he cried.
"YOUR island?"
"MY island, and what's on the beach be mine. That be my harness now. You, stranger, you're trespassing," the man cried.
Not on my watch Raventh said, and without warning, launched. Only long hours on his back kept K'ndar from falling off.
The man bolted as Raventh plunged towards him. He landed with a thump that almost unseated K'ndar again. But that suited him perfectly, as he used the jolt to jump from the dragon's back and collect his harness.
The man stood off a ways, glowering.
"That be mine! Hands off, you!"
Raventh seemed to double in size, and his eyes whirled blood red. He never took them off the man.
"You are trespassing. Who are you?"
"Who are YOU? And what makes you think this is YOUR island?" K'ndar retorted, confused.
The man brandished his spear.
"I'm Lord Holder of All the Islands. You are trespassing. But now I think I will make you my drudge. I need transport and you will provide it or suffer the consequences," he said.
K'ndar laughed, despite being angry with himself for failing yet again to thoroughly reconnoiter what he thought was an uninhabited island. Were there more people here? I am in some deep trouble, he thought.
Not with me here. I won't let him hurt you. And Siskin is just itching to attack if need be
He began to harness Raventh.
The man approached. "I said, I am Lord Holder and you are bound, dragonman, to obey me. Drop that harness, it's mine," he snapped.
K'ndar methodically continued, hoping he didn't appear to be hurrying…although he was. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid, he thought.
No need to fear. I am RAVENTH
"I said, that's my harness now, and you must obey me," the man said.
K'ndar turned and said, "No. I am not trespassing on an island that is officially considered uninhabited, this is my harness, and I will be nobody's drudge, especially for someone like you," he snarled.
The man got closer. "You WILL. This is my island. I conquered it. Who told you it's not mine?"
K'ndar grinned, evilly. The only people known to be living on the islands were those who'd been purposefully marooned as punishment. He had a feeling his response would get a confirming reaction.
"Who told me? Aivas told me, that's who."
The man screeched, causing the mutilated seawherry to squawk again in agitation.
"Abomination! You're one of THOSE people!"
"I am," K'ndar said, "and you will probably want me gone because of it," he said, fumbling with the buckles in his nervousness. He didn't want to turn his back on the man, but had to in order to fish the buckle from under Raventh's belly.
The man, seeing this, took several steps towards them.
Raventh rumbled. The man stopped, and his voice suddenly changed.
"No, wait. Don't go," he said, sounding almost as if he were pleading.
K'ndar lost the end of the harness and tried to find it without taking his eyes off the man. Ah. There.
"I am leaving. You can have this island, I am sorry to have landed here," K'ndar said.
"No, please don't go. I…it's been a long time since I've talked to anyone," the man said, inching closer.
"I thought you said you have people here with you, right?" K'ndar asked, not really caring.
"I didn't say that, I said…"
"Well? How can you make me suffer the consequences by yourself?" He cinched the buckle and felt relief. Without being asked, Raventh made a knee.
The man was very close. "I'm NOT here by myself, I have Scree, here and…"
With blinding speed, he flung the spear at K'ndar.
It ricocheted past the man and landed far beyond him, buried almost completely in the sand.
RAVENTH!!!!!!!!!!! K'ndar cried joyously at Raventh's instinctive action. Once again, the dragon's telekinesis had saved his ass.
Get on NOW
The man screeched, whether in fury or puzzlement, wondering where his spear had gone.
K'ndar leaped to Raventh's back, not caring if he was in the right spot. Siskin appeared and clung to Raventh's neck. Raventh launched so violently K'ndar was thrown backwards, but he didn't care. They were safe in the air. Raventh's wings raised clouds of sand as he worked skyward. The man was screaming, shaking his fist.
"Don't you ever come back, you hear me? I'll make you suffer, I will. Get out of here!" he shrieked.
"My pleasure, arsehole," K'ndar shouted.
Then Raventh went between.
Just as he'd learned in meteorology, the tropical storm was over in minutes. The sky cleared and the sun came out. From his high point, he could see steam rising from the vegetation on the ridge. Soon everything would be dry…and humid.
Below him, Raventh rose and shook himself.
That felt good. It washed the salt from me
He was ready to leave the cave.
It would be easier, he realized, to climb UP from the cave to the top of the pillar rather than attempting to climb down.
Can you come up and get me from the top? Then we'll go down to the beach and I will harness you.
I can. That means we're not staying here?
I was foolish. We can go home, and tomorrow we can come back, this time I'll be better prepared.
Okay
Raventh gathered himself and launched, flying to perch atop the pinnacle. Siskin chirped and joined him.
K'ndar took one last look at the cavern. While waiting out the storm, he'd copied the tick marks and the statement scratched on the wall, and made careful sketches of the interior. Something was odd here. The unfortunate victim who apparently had died in the cave had been killed by a shipfish? That was the old fashioned term for dolphins, and he KNEW dolphins were harmless. He'd never heard of anyone ever being hurt by one. Frightened, perhaps, at first, but never intentionally harmed. And why would he have been way up here? He'd have to talk to a dolphineer.
Shouldering his backpack, he got down on hands and knees and gingerly backed out of the cave entrance, fishing blindly with one foot until he felt a solid spot for it. Backing out, he realized this was going to be a bit dicier than he'd expected. But he had patience, and time. By crabbing sideways, he cleared the cavern's mouth and began to climb the rest of the way up the pinnacle.
Raventh peered over the ledge, his eyes whirling a worried green.
Careful…
But K'ndar was too focused on being exactly that to respond.
Shortly, though, he was at the top of the pinnacle. Raventh moved aside, although there was plenty of room.
He stood up, brushing his knees off.
"Whew," he said, "I won't do that again."
Only then did it strike him that he should have dug around in the cavern to see if there was a clue as to who the skull had belonged to…and more, how he'd been killed by a dolphin and yet ended up in a tall volcanic pinnacle. Could it have been part of the tsunami? He bet that the islands had been inundated by tsunamis when the fireball hit the planet. That high up? But he'd seen a hurricane's storm surge, and had learned the resulting tsunamis had been MUCH higher. A person in water would have been saved by a dolphin, not injured by one.
He shook his head at the puzzle. He also felt sheepish at not having the foresight to collect more information. I really need to be re-trained,he thought.
I don't feel like ever climbing that again. But, I could rappel down, now couldn't I?
There were several large outcroppings, solid hunks of rock, that would serve as anchors for a rope.
You ready?
Wait. I want to make a cairn.
I won't forget this pinnacle.
Me neither…but someone else might want the coordinates.
He quickly built a cairn of the rocks atop the pinnacle.
Raventh made a knee, and K'ndar mounted. He'd ridden on the dragon's back without a harness before, but it could be risky.
You will be okay without the harness. I'll be careful. Hold on tight.
I will…..wait. Did you hear that?
He froze, straining his ears.
For long moments, all they heard was the cry of seabirds and the surf.
Just as he was about to think it was his imagination, he heard it again.
A voice.
"Aye, there, Scree, it'd be here, it would be. Smoke! I swear, I saw it, it were smoke, smelled like someone tried burning palm leaves. He he, what a fool!" it said.
It is a human, a male. He is coming along the path Siskin found.
Without prompting, Siskin suddenly launched. He flew high above the treetops, K'ndar watching closely. Then the fire lizard paused, and gently lowered until he was below the vegetation's level and out of K'ndar's sight.
He began sending back.
Through Siskin's eyes, K'ndar saw a man walking towards their position. The vegetation covered him for most part.
Then the man came out of the jungle lining the ridge not far from where K'ndar had tried to light a fire.
"Aye, twas right here, Scree," he said, scanning the beach left and right.
"Rain must have put it out. Where did he go? Fires, they don't start themselves, do they? Nay, they don't. Someone is here," he said.
He was alone. Well, not quite…a large seawherry was perched on his shoulder.
K'ndar wondered what to do.
The man looked as if he'd been there for a very long time. His hair was in dreadlocks down to his waist. He carried a long metal spear with a wicked point. With the exception of a necklace of white pegs around his neck, the man was naked.
The man suddenly whooped and broke into a shuffling trot towards the pillar. The seawherry squawked, but didn't fly.
The seawherry..it has no wings.
What?
Oh, wait, it does have wings, but they..they've been cut off. What a dreadful thing to do!
"Scree, looky this! A harness! A leather harness! And in perfect condition!" the man yelled.
Oh SHIT, K'ndar thought.
"That's MINE," he yelled.
The man stopped, and looked around, puzzled.
The seawherry looked up at K'ndar and Raventh and hissed.
Siskin floated high above the man, unseen, then flew to the nearest palm tree and watched.
The man looked up.
"Hi! You! Who are you? What are you doing here on my island?" he cried.
"YOUR island?"
"MY island, and what's on the beach be mine. That be my harness now. You, stranger, you're trespassing," the man cried.
Not on my watch Raventh said, and without warning, launched. Only long hours on his back kept K'ndar from falling off.
The man bolted as Raventh plunged towards him. He landed with a thump that almost unseated K'ndar again. But that suited him perfectly, as he used the jolt to jump from the dragon's back and collect his harness.
The man stood off a ways, glowering.
"That be mine! Hands off, you!"
Raventh seemed to double in size, and his eyes whirled blood red. He never took them off the man.
"You are trespassing. Who are you?"
"Who are YOU? And what makes you think this is YOUR island?" K'ndar retorted, confused.
The man brandished his spear.
"I'm Lord Holder of All the Islands. You are trespassing. But now I think I will make you my drudge. I need transport and you will provide it or suffer the consequences," he said.
K'ndar laughed, despite being angry with himself for failing yet again to thoroughly reconnoiter what he thought was an uninhabited island. Were there more people here? I am in some deep trouble, he thought.
Not with me here. I won't let him hurt you. And Siskin is just itching to attack if need be
He began to harness Raventh.
The man approached. "I said, I am Lord Holder and you are bound, dragonman, to obey me. Drop that harness, it's mine," he snapped.
K'ndar methodically continued, hoping he didn't appear to be hurrying…although he was. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid, he thought.
No need to fear. I am RAVENTH
"I said, that's my harness now, and you must obey me," the man said.
K'ndar turned and said, "No. I am not trespassing on an island that is officially considered uninhabited, this is my harness, and I will be nobody's drudge, especially for someone like you," he snarled.
The man got closer. "You WILL. This is my island. I conquered it. Who told you it's not mine?"
K'ndar grinned, evilly. The only people known to be living on the islands were those who'd been purposefully marooned as punishment. He had a feeling his response would get a confirming reaction.
"Who told me? Aivas told me, that's who."
The man screeched, causing the mutilated seawherry to squawk again in agitation.
"Abomination! You're one of THOSE people!"
"I am," K'ndar said, "and you will probably want me gone because of it," he said, fumbling with the buckles in his nervousness. He didn't want to turn his back on the man, but had to in order to fish the buckle from under Raventh's belly.
The man, seeing this, took several steps towards them.
Raventh rumbled. The man stopped, and his voice suddenly changed.
"No, wait. Don't go," he said, sounding almost as if he were pleading.
K'ndar lost the end of the harness and tried to find it without taking his eyes off the man. Ah. There.
"I am leaving. You can have this island, I am sorry to have landed here," K'ndar said.
"No, please don't go. I…it's been a long time since I've talked to anyone," the man said, inching closer.
"I thought you said you have people here with you, right?" K'ndar asked, not really caring.
"I didn't say that, I said…"
"Well? How can you make me suffer the consequences by yourself?" He cinched the buckle and felt relief. Without being asked, Raventh made a knee.
The man was very close. "I'm NOT here by myself, I have Scree, here and…"
With blinding speed, he flung the spear at K'ndar.
It ricocheted past the man and landed far beyond him, buried almost completely in the sand.
RAVENTH!!!!!!!!!!! K'ndar cried joyously at Raventh's instinctive action. Once again, the dragon's telekinesis had saved his ass.
Get on NOW
The man screeched, whether in fury or puzzlement, wondering where his spear had gone.
K'ndar leaped to Raventh's back, not caring if he was in the right spot. Siskin appeared and clung to Raventh's neck. Raventh launched so violently K'ndar was thrown backwards, but he didn't care. They were safe in the air. Raventh's wings raised clouds of sand as he worked skyward. The man was screaming, shaking his fist.
"Don't you ever come back, you hear me? I'll make you suffer, I will. Get out of here!" he shrieked.
"My pleasure, arsehole," K'ndar shouted.
Then Raventh went between.
03 April 2020
Chap. 167 Shelter from the storm
Chap. 167 Shelter from the storm
Do you want me to go catch you another fish? Raventh asked, trying hard not to laugh. How could a smart creature like a human not know a 'fish left alone is a fish that has flown"?
No. I feel stupid, honestly. This will be a lesson for me. I didn't think. I just didn't think. So go ahead and laugh, it's just us.
Raventh snorted.
Besides, I probably wouldn't have liked it raw, anyway. I don't see a way to make a fire.
You can't eat it…what did you say, raw?
Raw. Meaning, uncooked. We humans like to burn our meat before we eat it. We don't have teeth like dragons, we have to soften it up before we can chew it.
Dragons can. We can even chew firestone.
But not anymore, and it's done you so much good. You don't need oiling anymore, for instance.
That IS good. It made me itch.
He decided to go into the forest on the ridge, hoping to find fruit.
He went in the same spot he'd entered to look for firewood, but as he progressed, the undergrowth grew so thick as to keep him from going any further. Of course, he'd not thought to bring a machete.
"Siskin. Look for fruit? In the jungle?"
Siskin flew down from his perch high up on the rocky pinnacle. He twisted his head sideways, wondering what K'ndar wanted.
K'ndar visualized several types of fruit-their colors and their shapes, without realizing that none of them would grow here in the tropics.
Siskin chipped and whirred into the jungle.
He was gone a very long time. K'ndar was beginning to worry when the blue fire lizard materialized, having gone between rather than fly all the way back.
His mindset was mournful.
"Nothing?"
He saw nothing, nothing like you visualized. But…
K'ndar 'saw' a picture of a winding pathway through the jungle.
A path!!
"How far from here, Siskin?"
That was too complex for the blue. But if it was there, he might be able to find it.
Perhaps you should wait. Look at the sky to the east Raventh said.
The eastern sky had turned a menacing indigo blue with dark, towering clouds reaching almost to the stars. I am an utter fool, he thought, I've neglected everything I ever learned about exploring. Can't build a fire, let a wherry snatch my lunch, didn't bring anything sharper than my knife, and I've totally neglected to always keep an eye on the weather. How many times did B'rant say it? "It rains every day in the tropics." By the egg, those clouds are ugly.
Rain is coming. High winds. It's coming fast
I don't have time to make a shelter!
Get into the cave
Right. It would take some time, climbing that pinnacle, but he judged he had it, if he started right now.
He shouldered his backpack, then saw his harness on the ground.
The harness. He couldn't let it get wet.
He started to roll it up, then realized it would probably impede his progress.
I will come down and cover it.
What?
I can't fit in that cave, it's too small. Siskin and you can.
Yes, but...
I don't mind being rained on. It's safer down there, on the beach, then up here. I don't want to get hit by lightning.
DUH.
"K'ndar, you are a total buffoon. The minute the rain passes, you're going home and re-enroll in Weyrling class," he said out loud.
Raventh dropped from his pinnacle perch to the bare beach and covered his harness. He tucked his forefeet under his chest, wrapped his tail alongside, and pressed his wings close to his sides. How like a cat he looked when he did that, K'ndar thought.
K'ndar scratched under Raventh's jaw, his heart swelling with love for his dragon. The dragon half closed his eyes in blue whirling bliss.
You deserve someone with more brains than I have.
Maybe. But you do give the best scritches. So I'll keep you
K'ndar laughed.
Siskin, after scouting the cave, seemed to be happy with it, so K'ndar began to climb.
The rocks were sharp edged, and overgrown with vegetation that was treacherously deceptive in its anchoring.
After two or three tries at using the plants as a handhold, only to have them tear loose, he resorted to using just the solid rocks as hand and footholds. Should have worn my riding gloves, he thought, but had he thought to bring those? Of course not…
After ten minutes of tediously slow climbing-or it seemed that way, as the wind was rising quickly-he was at the lip of the cave. He crawled in on his hands and knees, the rocky floor grinding into his knees.
The opening was no wider than his outstretched arms and barely higher than the top of his head. But it opened up into a room of a few meters in width and length, narrowing to a tiny opening on the other side of the pillar. Siskin greeted him with a chirp.
He stood up and looked out to sea. The opening faced east, parallel to the water's edge. He'd beat the oncoming storm by moments.
The wind came first, howling, pushing the lagoon's water far up the beach, almost, but not quite reaching Raventh.
Then the sky opened up with an earsplitting crack of thunder. He clapped his hands to his ears.It sounded as if it were right overhead. The rain came slashing down in sheets.
Lightning stabbed down to the sea.
He was very grateful to be in the cave. The storm wasn't as bad as the hurricane had been, but then, he'd been far inland. Still, it was exciting to watch the power of the storm.
The wind thrashed the palms, bending them to a degree that would have snapped a wood tree in half. How can a tree sustain such pressure? But the palms were pliant, submitting to rather than fighting the wind. Their slotted leaves allowed the wind to pass through, with only the dead ones being ripped off.
When the wind pushed the rain into the cave, he retreated.
A meter or two from the opening of the cave, the bare floor gave way to a carpet of seabird nests.
Circular piles of flattened beach grass, dried palm ribs and individual blades, and dried seaweed carpeted the entire cavern almost to his knees. Here and there were eggs that hadn't hatched, or the skull of a bird that had died while nesting. The skulls and bones of fish were everywhere. The few boulders that poked up from the carpet were heavily layered with guano. It was pretty rank in the cave, but it beat being out in the storm.
He pulled his backpack off and rummaged around in it for the dried meat he'd thought to bring with him. Well, at least I thought this far ahead, he thought. A sliver of rock, halfway up the vertical wall and too narrow for a seabird to perch on was relatively guano free. He sat down on it and munched as the storm raged outside. He was dry, but Raventh was out there in the tempest.
Are you okay?
I'm fine. Don't worry. This will pass quickly
It got dark in the cave, so he pulled a glow out of his pack and set it next to him.
It lit up the wall of the cave across from him.
He looked idly…and then looked closer.
There were marks on the wall, about the length of his hand.
His lunch forgotten, he got up to look closer.
They were close to the floor of the cave, almost buried by the nearest nests.
The marks were a line of grouped tick marks, in sets of seven. They'd been etched into the only smooth part of the cave's wall. They were obviously a calendar, scratched with a knife? a rock? Someone had been keeping track of the days he'd been in the cave. He counted the groups quickly and came up with five, for a total of 35 days.
Under them, near the juncture of wall and floor, he saw the tops of letters peeking just above the top of a nest.
Using his boot to move the nest aside, he revealed them, scratched over and over to make them deep.
Shipfish killed me
He stared for long moments, wondering at their import.
He stepped backwards and felt something roll underneath his boot. He moved his foot to keep from stepping on it.
Next to his boot, something white, but much larger than the bird skulls gleamed dully in the glow's light.
Knowing, somehow, what it was, he gingerly swept the rest of the nest aside.
It was a skull. Human.
Do you want me to go catch you another fish? Raventh asked, trying hard not to laugh. How could a smart creature like a human not know a 'fish left alone is a fish that has flown"?
No. I feel stupid, honestly. This will be a lesson for me. I didn't think. I just didn't think. So go ahead and laugh, it's just us.
Raventh snorted.
Besides, I probably wouldn't have liked it raw, anyway. I don't see a way to make a fire.
You can't eat it…what did you say, raw?
Raw. Meaning, uncooked. We humans like to burn our meat before we eat it. We don't have teeth like dragons, we have to soften it up before we can chew it.
Dragons can. We can even chew firestone.
But not anymore, and it's done you so much good. You don't need oiling anymore, for instance.
That IS good. It made me itch.
He decided to go into the forest on the ridge, hoping to find fruit.
He went in the same spot he'd entered to look for firewood, but as he progressed, the undergrowth grew so thick as to keep him from going any further. Of course, he'd not thought to bring a machete.
"Siskin. Look for fruit? In the jungle?"
Siskin flew down from his perch high up on the rocky pinnacle. He twisted his head sideways, wondering what K'ndar wanted.
K'ndar visualized several types of fruit-their colors and their shapes, without realizing that none of them would grow here in the tropics.
Siskin chipped and whirred into the jungle.
He was gone a very long time. K'ndar was beginning to worry when the blue fire lizard materialized, having gone between rather than fly all the way back.
His mindset was mournful.
"Nothing?"
He saw nothing, nothing like you visualized. But…
K'ndar 'saw' a picture of a winding pathway through the jungle.
A path!!
"How far from here, Siskin?"
That was too complex for the blue. But if it was there, he might be able to find it.
Perhaps you should wait. Look at the sky to the east Raventh said.
The eastern sky had turned a menacing indigo blue with dark, towering clouds reaching almost to the stars. I am an utter fool, he thought, I've neglected everything I ever learned about exploring. Can't build a fire, let a wherry snatch my lunch, didn't bring anything sharper than my knife, and I've totally neglected to always keep an eye on the weather. How many times did B'rant say it? "It rains every day in the tropics." By the egg, those clouds are ugly.
Rain is coming. High winds. It's coming fast
I don't have time to make a shelter!
Get into the cave
Right. It would take some time, climbing that pinnacle, but he judged he had it, if he started right now.
He shouldered his backpack, then saw his harness on the ground.
The harness. He couldn't let it get wet.
He started to roll it up, then realized it would probably impede his progress.
I will come down and cover it.
What?
I can't fit in that cave, it's too small. Siskin and you can.
Yes, but...
I don't mind being rained on. It's safer down there, on the beach, then up here. I don't want to get hit by lightning.
DUH.
"K'ndar, you are a total buffoon. The minute the rain passes, you're going home and re-enroll in Weyrling class," he said out loud.
Raventh dropped from his pinnacle perch to the bare beach and covered his harness. He tucked his forefeet under his chest, wrapped his tail alongside, and pressed his wings close to his sides. How like a cat he looked when he did that, K'ndar thought.
K'ndar scratched under Raventh's jaw, his heart swelling with love for his dragon. The dragon half closed his eyes in blue whirling bliss.
You deserve someone with more brains than I have.
Maybe. But you do give the best scritches. So I'll keep you
K'ndar laughed.
Siskin, after scouting the cave, seemed to be happy with it, so K'ndar began to climb.
The rocks were sharp edged, and overgrown with vegetation that was treacherously deceptive in its anchoring.
After two or three tries at using the plants as a handhold, only to have them tear loose, he resorted to using just the solid rocks as hand and footholds. Should have worn my riding gloves, he thought, but had he thought to bring those? Of course not…
After ten minutes of tediously slow climbing-or it seemed that way, as the wind was rising quickly-he was at the lip of the cave. He crawled in on his hands and knees, the rocky floor grinding into his knees.
The opening was no wider than his outstretched arms and barely higher than the top of his head. But it opened up into a room of a few meters in width and length, narrowing to a tiny opening on the other side of the pillar. Siskin greeted him with a chirp.
He stood up and looked out to sea. The opening faced east, parallel to the water's edge. He'd beat the oncoming storm by moments.
The wind came first, howling, pushing the lagoon's water far up the beach, almost, but not quite reaching Raventh.
Then the sky opened up with an earsplitting crack of thunder. He clapped his hands to his ears.It sounded as if it were right overhead. The rain came slashing down in sheets.
Lightning stabbed down to the sea.
He was very grateful to be in the cave. The storm wasn't as bad as the hurricane had been, but then, he'd been far inland. Still, it was exciting to watch the power of the storm.
The wind thrashed the palms, bending them to a degree that would have snapped a wood tree in half. How can a tree sustain such pressure? But the palms were pliant, submitting to rather than fighting the wind. Their slotted leaves allowed the wind to pass through, with only the dead ones being ripped off.
When the wind pushed the rain into the cave, he retreated.
A meter or two from the opening of the cave, the bare floor gave way to a carpet of seabird nests.
Circular piles of flattened beach grass, dried palm ribs and individual blades, and dried seaweed carpeted the entire cavern almost to his knees. Here and there were eggs that hadn't hatched, or the skull of a bird that had died while nesting. The skulls and bones of fish were everywhere. The few boulders that poked up from the carpet were heavily layered with guano. It was pretty rank in the cave, but it beat being out in the storm.
He pulled his backpack off and rummaged around in it for the dried meat he'd thought to bring with him. Well, at least I thought this far ahead, he thought. A sliver of rock, halfway up the vertical wall and too narrow for a seabird to perch on was relatively guano free. He sat down on it and munched as the storm raged outside. He was dry, but Raventh was out there in the tempest.
Are you okay?
I'm fine. Don't worry. This will pass quickly
It got dark in the cave, so he pulled a glow out of his pack and set it next to him.
It lit up the wall of the cave across from him.
He looked idly…and then looked closer.
There were marks on the wall, about the length of his hand.
His lunch forgotten, he got up to look closer.
They were close to the floor of the cave, almost buried by the nearest nests.
The marks were a line of grouped tick marks, in sets of seven. They'd been etched into the only smooth part of the cave's wall. They were obviously a calendar, scratched with a knife? a rock? Someone had been keeping track of the days he'd been in the cave. He counted the groups quickly and came up with five, for a total of 35 days.
Under them, near the juncture of wall and floor, he saw the tops of letters peeking just above the top of a nest.
Using his boot to move the nest aside, he revealed them, scratched over and over to make them deep.
Shipfish killed me
He stared for long moments, wondering at their import.
He stepped backwards and felt something roll underneath his boot. He moved his foot to keep from stepping on it.
Next to his boot, something white, but much larger than the bird skulls gleamed dully in the glow's light.
Knowing, somehow, what it was, he gingerly swept the rest of the nest aside.
It was a skull. Human.
02 April 2020
Chap. 166 On the Beach
Chap. 166 On the beach
It was easier getting to the island than he'd expected. Raventh popped out of between within a kilometer of the island.
It looked lush, heavily vegetated inland with tangled limbs and dense shrubs. Thick groves of palm trees lined the water's edge. Much of the island was volcanic rock. Seabirds and seawherries circled over it, their cries accenting the solitude. There was a stretch of relatively open beach, about a kilometer or so long, that would do nicely.
A ridge of volcanic rock formed a wall inland of the water's edge. It was heavily vegetated. It had been formed by an outpouring of lava, flowing from somewhere inland until it hit the ocean, where it died in the seas' watery embrace. The palms started right at its base and were scattered here and there over the entire beach. At the other end of the ridge, a tall, rotund spire of rock offered a flat top, just perfect for landing. All together, the ridge created a private beach with a palisade to protect it from inland.
I'll land on that pinnacle Raventh said, everything other than the beach is heavily vegetated
That's smart. I'll send Siskin down to see if the beach is solid enough for you to land. Oh, wait. I see…it looks like a cave on the inland side. Circle around it.
Raventh obliged.
It's definitely a cave. It looks to be a steep climb up, almost vertical. I think it's too small for you to enter
Maybe. Once we land, have Siskin check it out.
This is fun, and we haven't even landed yet!
Once we do, I'd like to go fishing.
Bring me a small one?
I will.
Raventh backwinged and settled lightly atop the pinnacle. There was plenty of room for him.
K'ndar leaned over from his position on Raventh's back and visualized Siskin landing on the beach.
The blue fire lizard cheeped and plummeted to the beach.
He dug busily amongst dead palm fronds. The beach was almost covered with them.
He whickered.
He says it is solid underneath the leaves.
Would you please take me down there? I'll unharness you and you can go fishing then. Avoid the palms.
Raventh opened his wings and in a moment, landed atop the leaves.
A flock of seabirds roosting in the palms squawked and fled to sea. Smaller seabirds ran along the surfline until they were safely out of his reach.
Solid. No problem Raventh said.
K'ndar dismounted and stood, hands on hips, smelling the sea mixed with the earthy smell of dead leaves and sand.
This is nice, he thought, I'm glad we did this.
The palms were thick and large trunked, indicating great age. The beach was scattered with their leaves and coconuts, some sprouting, some still in their husks, some bobbing in the quiet surf. At his feet, amongst the leaves, seabird feathers, fish bones, seaweed, shells-the detritus of the ocean formed a thick mat. This was the strand, he hoped, remembering to always keep a mind out for Pern's complex tides. Insects buzzed above the mass and small inverterbrates crawled throughout it.
Siskin was busily hunting beneath the leaves. Small beach creatures fled from his efforts, but some weren't fast enough. He crunched happily.
It was obvious that no one had been there in a very long time, if ever. Oh, what to do first, he thought, happily.
Unharness me, so I can fish.
Sorry…
K'ndar unbuckled the dragon's harness. He could swim with it, but leather did not care for water, fresh or salt.
The brown dragon opened his wings and, catching the onshore breeze, leaped into it and headed to sea.
K'ndar walked to the edge of the water. Tiny fish fled from his shadow, darting in and out amongst the rock and bits of coral that littered the bottom. Siskin appeared and darted into the water and was soon diving after the fish. It was the first time K'ndar had ever seen how a dragon…be it a fire lizard or a full out dragon..swam.
You use your wings underwater!
Of course…how else would I swim?
I thought you'd be like me, like a dog, just moving all fours.
That's too much work. I can do it, yes, but if I want to go fast underwater, I just move like I'm flying. Watch Siskin. If I want to go slowly, I tuck my wings in. But I can also use my wings to make a big shade, and soon the fish come right to me. They like being out of the sun I think.
Okay, catch your fish. Good luck!
K'ndar wandered down the beach towards the outpoured end. The palms over his head rustled in the breeze, and he saw a coconut fall from one of them. It plunked into the water, its husk keeping it afloat. Ah. He remembered reading about how palms spread their seeds. They grew next to the water's edge, their nuts dropping into the sea where they could drift for years, until they reached a nice beach upon which to take root. In fact, here was one that had come from some other island? The husk had split and a shoot had taken root, and was about knee high.
It looked to him as if the island had originally been a volcanic cone, then had subsided or been overgrown by coral. Out to sea, he had seen a broken ring of coral partially surrounding the island. It served to absorb the strength of the surf, providing a lagoon of good size with quiet waters and rich habitat for fish. He'd read of this sort of formation in his Marine Biology of Pern, but wished, for just a few seconds, for a geologist to clarify it for him. But not B'rost, at least not right now. And Greta? Well, no.
He dug his guide book out of his backpack and began to walk the beach. I need three hands, no, four, he thought, wanting to take notes and read and study everything. Why didn't I bring a collection sack? Duh. Well, it would give him a reason to come back. Should I stay all three days here?
But he hadn't brought enough food, never mind water, unless he found a source for both. That's okay, I'll build a cairn atop the pinnacle, then I'll come back. But I should be good for at least a day and a night here.
Siskin flew to his shoulder, sated.
"That didn't take long, little one," he said, skritching the fire lizards head.
Siskin purred.
He'd walked the entire accessible length of beach and returned to the spot where he'd grounded Raventh's harness.
Raventh flew in and landed. He dropped a large fish.
Here's your noon meal!
Thank you. It's a big fish. Did you eat?
Of course. I think I'll go up to the pinnacle. The sun feels good. I might even take a nap, if Siskin comes with me.
It does. Don't you want to sleep on the beach?
SOMEONE has to keep watch
Oh. He felt embarrassed.
Raventh spread his wings and leaped skyward. Siskin joined him. The two settled atop the pinnacle. They both spread their wings to catch even more of the sun's rays. It looked so sweet, he thought…big dragon, little dragon, like brothers.
He wondered, am I missing something? He'd never worried about being alone when he would ride out on the steppe. The big carnivores-the whers and the big cats, didn't come near the family cothold on the edge of the steppe. Now he knew why-the habitat wasn't to their liking and there was plenty of game out in the wilderness. And his horse would always tell him if a predator was nearby.
But he'd not thought that to be the case on an island.
But …well, humans could be just as predatory as any lion or tiger, and far less trustworthy. There were no humans here, though. Save for one. Him.
Hunger pinged his stomach. Hello, K'ndar, remember me?
He stuffed his book and notebook into his backpack, and started on gutting and cleaning the fish.
From nowhere, a cloud of insects appeared, pestering him, buzzing in his ears and eyes. He found himself using one hand to work and one hand to chase them away. He took the entrails a long ways from him, hoping it would draw them away. All it did was give the flies two sources of food.
He heard a shrill screech overhead. Several seabirds and a seawherry had suddenly appeared, as if they knew what he was and what he had. He tossed the entrails away from him and as one, they dived on them, squabbling.
He walked back to his impromptu kitchen. The seabirds, having gobbled up the guts in seconds, landed and waddled after him. The seawherry landed, too, but merely watched from a safe distance.
The birds were very bold. He was almost stepping on them.
Siskin saw it from his perch and with a screech, attacked.
The seabirds fled, but the seawherry, a bit larger than Siskin, was unafraid. Siskin hissed at it, but it merely retreated, just a little. Siskin puffed up to make himself look big and dangerous. The wherry leaped into the air and circled. Satisfied, Siskin flew back up to the pinnacle to watch from between Raventh's front feet. The seawherry landed again, this time keeping a wary eye on the fire lizard above him.
K'ndar found a relatively fresh palm frond and laid the fish on it. I'll wrap it up in this, once the fire's going nicely, before it goes off in this heat.
There was plenty of dead palm leaves on the beach. Most of the vegetative detritus was wet or damp. Some of it fell apart in his hands. He gathered a pile of what seemed to be completely dry leaves and a few hunks of dried husk. Once he had a good sized pile of it, he looked around for tinder. Ah, wet or dry, the coconut husks had hair. He shaved off a large pile of the hair atop the leaves. I'll let this stuff burn down to coals, he thought, then roast this nice fish. Shouldn't take too long. Wish I'd brought some spices with me, but fresh fish is always good.
He looked judiciously at his pile of firewood, then squatting, struck a spark onto the tinder.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSHHHHHHH
He fell back, astonished at the explosion of flame. His face felt burnt. Coughing, he wondered if he'd been hurt. He sat up and rubbed his forehead. His fingers came back sooty.
WHAT HAPPENED? Raventh cried.
I…well, I tried to light a fire. Guess what, I think I burned my eyebrows off.
Eye…brows?
The hairy things above my eyes.
I always wondered what they were. They're hair? Not skin?
Not skin. Hair.
You humans are so strange
Shaff, that stuff burns FAST, he thought, glad that no one had seen his denouement. He picked himself up and examined the 'fire'.
The hunks of cocoanut husk had burnt so fast they were already going out.
As he watched, the flames dwindled and died.
I KNOW how to make a fire, he said, I've done it countless times.
He looked at a piece of palm trunk. It wasn't wood, he realized, it looked fibrous and spongy, like wet grass.
The flames had gone out. If he hadn't seen it, he would have doubted anything caught fire at all.
Shaff it…
He gathered more tinder and this time, was very careful to back off when he sparked it. Why worry, he thought, I don't have eyebrows anymore.
Again, the hair burnt with a sudden violence and tried to go out. He blew on it, and blew-and blew-and blew until finally one of the palm leaves sullenly took light. Within a few minutes, all the leaves were 'burning'. But not with a useful flame. The leaves put out an enormous amount of smudge and smoke. Coughing, he stepped upwind of it, thinking mournfully that he wasn't going to be able to cook the fish on it.
Wood. I need some wood, he thought. There was some driftwood on the beach, but he had learned long ago that driftwood was usually wet and seldom burned well. But there might be some in the trees on the ridge behind him.
He returned, empty handed, to where the palm leaves were still pouring out clouds of smoke. He was relieved to see the insects had disappeared.
So had the seawherry. With his fish.
It was easier getting to the island than he'd expected. Raventh popped out of between within a kilometer of the island.
It looked lush, heavily vegetated inland with tangled limbs and dense shrubs. Thick groves of palm trees lined the water's edge. Much of the island was volcanic rock. Seabirds and seawherries circled over it, their cries accenting the solitude. There was a stretch of relatively open beach, about a kilometer or so long, that would do nicely.
A ridge of volcanic rock formed a wall inland of the water's edge. It was heavily vegetated. It had been formed by an outpouring of lava, flowing from somewhere inland until it hit the ocean, where it died in the seas' watery embrace. The palms started right at its base and were scattered here and there over the entire beach. At the other end of the ridge, a tall, rotund spire of rock offered a flat top, just perfect for landing. All together, the ridge created a private beach with a palisade to protect it from inland.
I'll land on that pinnacle Raventh said, everything other than the beach is heavily vegetated
That's smart. I'll send Siskin down to see if the beach is solid enough for you to land. Oh, wait. I see…it looks like a cave on the inland side. Circle around it.
Raventh obliged.
It's definitely a cave. It looks to be a steep climb up, almost vertical. I think it's too small for you to enter
Maybe. Once we land, have Siskin check it out.
This is fun, and we haven't even landed yet!
Once we do, I'd like to go fishing.
Bring me a small one?
I will.
Raventh backwinged and settled lightly atop the pinnacle. There was plenty of room for him.
K'ndar leaned over from his position on Raventh's back and visualized Siskin landing on the beach.
The blue fire lizard cheeped and plummeted to the beach.
He dug busily amongst dead palm fronds. The beach was almost covered with them.
He whickered.
He says it is solid underneath the leaves.
Would you please take me down there? I'll unharness you and you can go fishing then. Avoid the palms.
Raventh opened his wings and in a moment, landed atop the leaves.
A flock of seabirds roosting in the palms squawked and fled to sea. Smaller seabirds ran along the surfline until they were safely out of his reach.
Solid. No problem Raventh said.
K'ndar dismounted and stood, hands on hips, smelling the sea mixed with the earthy smell of dead leaves and sand.
This is nice, he thought, I'm glad we did this.
The palms were thick and large trunked, indicating great age. The beach was scattered with their leaves and coconuts, some sprouting, some still in their husks, some bobbing in the quiet surf. At his feet, amongst the leaves, seabird feathers, fish bones, seaweed, shells-the detritus of the ocean formed a thick mat. This was the strand, he hoped, remembering to always keep a mind out for Pern's complex tides. Insects buzzed above the mass and small inverterbrates crawled throughout it.
Siskin was busily hunting beneath the leaves. Small beach creatures fled from his efforts, but some weren't fast enough. He crunched happily.
It was obvious that no one had been there in a very long time, if ever. Oh, what to do first, he thought, happily.
Unharness me, so I can fish.
Sorry…
K'ndar unbuckled the dragon's harness. He could swim with it, but leather did not care for water, fresh or salt.
The brown dragon opened his wings and, catching the onshore breeze, leaped into it and headed to sea.
K'ndar walked to the edge of the water. Tiny fish fled from his shadow, darting in and out amongst the rock and bits of coral that littered the bottom. Siskin appeared and darted into the water and was soon diving after the fish. It was the first time K'ndar had ever seen how a dragon…be it a fire lizard or a full out dragon..swam.
You use your wings underwater!
Of course…how else would I swim?
I thought you'd be like me, like a dog, just moving all fours.
That's too much work. I can do it, yes, but if I want to go fast underwater, I just move like I'm flying. Watch Siskin. If I want to go slowly, I tuck my wings in. But I can also use my wings to make a big shade, and soon the fish come right to me. They like being out of the sun I think.
Okay, catch your fish. Good luck!
K'ndar wandered down the beach towards the outpoured end. The palms over his head rustled in the breeze, and he saw a coconut fall from one of them. It plunked into the water, its husk keeping it afloat. Ah. He remembered reading about how palms spread their seeds. They grew next to the water's edge, their nuts dropping into the sea where they could drift for years, until they reached a nice beach upon which to take root. In fact, here was one that had come from some other island? The husk had split and a shoot had taken root, and was about knee high.
It looked to him as if the island had originally been a volcanic cone, then had subsided or been overgrown by coral. Out to sea, he had seen a broken ring of coral partially surrounding the island. It served to absorb the strength of the surf, providing a lagoon of good size with quiet waters and rich habitat for fish. He'd read of this sort of formation in his Marine Biology of Pern, but wished, for just a few seconds, for a geologist to clarify it for him. But not B'rost, at least not right now. And Greta? Well, no.
He dug his guide book out of his backpack and began to walk the beach. I need three hands, no, four, he thought, wanting to take notes and read and study everything. Why didn't I bring a collection sack? Duh. Well, it would give him a reason to come back. Should I stay all three days here?
But he hadn't brought enough food, never mind water, unless he found a source for both. That's okay, I'll build a cairn atop the pinnacle, then I'll come back. But I should be good for at least a day and a night here.
Siskin flew to his shoulder, sated.
"That didn't take long, little one," he said, skritching the fire lizards head.
Siskin purred.
He'd walked the entire accessible length of beach and returned to the spot where he'd grounded Raventh's harness.
Raventh flew in and landed. He dropped a large fish.
Here's your noon meal!
Thank you. It's a big fish. Did you eat?
Of course. I think I'll go up to the pinnacle. The sun feels good. I might even take a nap, if Siskin comes with me.
It does. Don't you want to sleep on the beach?
SOMEONE has to keep watch
Oh. He felt embarrassed.
Raventh spread his wings and leaped skyward. Siskin joined him. The two settled atop the pinnacle. They both spread their wings to catch even more of the sun's rays. It looked so sweet, he thought…big dragon, little dragon, like brothers.
He wondered, am I missing something? He'd never worried about being alone when he would ride out on the steppe. The big carnivores-the whers and the big cats, didn't come near the family cothold on the edge of the steppe. Now he knew why-the habitat wasn't to their liking and there was plenty of game out in the wilderness. And his horse would always tell him if a predator was nearby.
But he'd not thought that to be the case on an island.
But …well, humans could be just as predatory as any lion or tiger, and far less trustworthy. There were no humans here, though. Save for one. Him.
Hunger pinged his stomach. Hello, K'ndar, remember me?
He stuffed his book and notebook into his backpack, and started on gutting and cleaning the fish.
From nowhere, a cloud of insects appeared, pestering him, buzzing in his ears and eyes. He found himself using one hand to work and one hand to chase them away. He took the entrails a long ways from him, hoping it would draw them away. All it did was give the flies two sources of food.
He heard a shrill screech overhead. Several seabirds and a seawherry had suddenly appeared, as if they knew what he was and what he had. He tossed the entrails away from him and as one, they dived on them, squabbling.
He walked back to his impromptu kitchen. The seabirds, having gobbled up the guts in seconds, landed and waddled after him. The seawherry landed, too, but merely watched from a safe distance.
The birds were very bold. He was almost stepping on them.
Siskin saw it from his perch and with a screech, attacked.
The seabirds fled, but the seawherry, a bit larger than Siskin, was unafraid. Siskin hissed at it, but it merely retreated, just a little. Siskin puffed up to make himself look big and dangerous. The wherry leaped into the air and circled. Satisfied, Siskin flew back up to the pinnacle to watch from between Raventh's front feet. The seawherry landed again, this time keeping a wary eye on the fire lizard above him.
K'ndar found a relatively fresh palm frond and laid the fish on it. I'll wrap it up in this, once the fire's going nicely, before it goes off in this heat.
There was plenty of dead palm leaves on the beach. Most of the vegetative detritus was wet or damp. Some of it fell apart in his hands. He gathered a pile of what seemed to be completely dry leaves and a few hunks of dried husk. Once he had a good sized pile of it, he looked around for tinder. Ah, wet or dry, the coconut husks had hair. He shaved off a large pile of the hair atop the leaves. I'll let this stuff burn down to coals, he thought, then roast this nice fish. Shouldn't take too long. Wish I'd brought some spices with me, but fresh fish is always good.
He looked judiciously at his pile of firewood, then squatting, struck a spark onto the tinder.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSHHHHHHH
He fell back, astonished at the explosion of flame. His face felt burnt. Coughing, he wondered if he'd been hurt. He sat up and rubbed his forehead. His fingers came back sooty.
WHAT HAPPENED? Raventh cried.
I…well, I tried to light a fire. Guess what, I think I burned my eyebrows off.
Eye…brows?
The hairy things above my eyes.
I always wondered what they were. They're hair? Not skin?
Not skin. Hair.
You humans are so strange
Shaff, that stuff burns FAST, he thought, glad that no one had seen his denouement. He picked himself up and examined the 'fire'.
The hunks of cocoanut husk had burnt so fast they were already going out.
As he watched, the flames dwindled and died.
I KNOW how to make a fire, he said, I've done it countless times.
He looked at a piece of palm trunk. It wasn't wood, he realized, it looked fibrous and spongy, like wet grass.
The flames had gone out. If he hadn't seen it, he would have doubted anything caught fire at all.
Shaff it…
He gathered more tinder and this time, was very careful to back off when he sparked it. Why worry, he thought, I don't have eyebrows anymore.
Again, the hair burnt with a sudden violence and tried to go out. He blew on it, and blew-and blew-and blew until finally one of the palm leaves sullenly took light. Within a few minutes, all the leaves were 'burning'. But not with a useful flame. The leaves put out an enormous amount of smudge and smoke. Coughing, he stepped upwind of it, thinking mournfully that he wasn't going to be able to cook the fish on it.
Wood. I need some wood, he thought. There was some driftwood on the beach, but he had learned long ago that driftwood was usually wet and seldom burned well. But there might be some in the trees on the ridge behind him.
He returned, empty handed, to where the palm leaves were still pouring out clouds of smoke. He was relieved to see the insects had disappeared.
So had the seawherry. With his fish.
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