“And the rain would sink the ash into the soil, preparing the ground for new growth,” K’dan added, his eyebrows lifting in admiration.
“But we don’t have any firestone,” Bekka objected.
“Yet,” Xhinna agreed with a smile.
They had to wait two more days before they had enough food to allow Tazith the time to go between back to Eastern Weyr and collect the firestone needed. She wasn’t timing it because she was going to Eastern Weyr in the same time—three Turns in the past from that terrible day when the tunnel snakes had destroyed the clutches—and, because no one in the future had ever mentioned this trip, she knew that she would not and must not be discovered. She came in the dark of the night and only took four sacks, Tazith silencing the watch dragon with a quick thought. She ensured that the other sacks were disarranged so that the loss would not be apparent.
Afterward, Xhinna took her blue to the rocky promontory where they’d camped after the disastrous Hatching.
“You’re supposed to think of your second stomach,” Xhinna said. Tazith opened his jaws to let Xhinna toss a small stone into his mouth. The blue started chewing loudly, his molars crunching hard on the rock, splintering it.
Second stomach, Xhinna reminded him. She felt Tazith agree, his outer eyelids closing as he concentrated on his chewing. He swallowed. They waited. And waited.
“Do you need more?” Xhinna finally asked when nothing happened.
No, Tazith said, then urgently, Stand back!
Xhinna jumped aside as the blue opened his mouth and a short spurt of flame came out.
“You did it!” Xhinna cried, jumping up and down. “You did it, Tazith!”
More, Tazith said, opening his jaws. Now I need more.
Xhinna threw several more stones to him and he began chewing once more, thinking at the same time, It feels different, this.
That’s because you’ve never flamed before, Xhinna thought back.
I like it, Tazith said. Xhinna could feel the sense of power coursing through him and she moved around to his side to pat him on the neck, but when she reached up toward his eye ridges, he flinched away. I need to concentrate.
Sorry.
Tazith concentrated. This time he made a respectable flame, which Xhinna admired from her position just behind his head.
Try burning that, she said, directing his attention to a stubborn bit of grass growing up through the stone. Tazith turned and opened his jaws to flame once more. The grass shriveled, turned black, then crumbled to ash. Excellent!
With this I can set a fire? Tazith wondered.
Well, with a lot more firestone, Xhinna allowed, looking critically at the three sacks she’d left tied on her riding harness. Are you ready? Or do you want to try some more?
Let’s go there, then we can try, Tazith said. Xhinna nodded, seeing the sense in going to the plateau they intended to flame. She grabbed the sack of firestone she’d left on the ground and clambered up her dragon’s side to her mount on his neck.
I want to see if I can get firestone to you from here, Xhinna said after she’d tied on the fourth sack. Tazith turned his head back toward her, and Xhinna threw a small piece to him. It arced by his mouth and fell to the ground. Sorry.
Try again, Tazith told her calmly, with no rancor. This time Xhinna got it right in his mouth, and Tazith chewed the stone happily. Much better.
Are you ready? Xhinna asked, bringing up the image of the rain-spattered ground and the dark clouds that had scudded over their camp five days earlier.
Ready.
In a moment they were airborne, then between. They arrived right over the tree-crowded plateau, and Tazith dived, flaming. Xhinna cried with pure joy as her blue’s flames set the first tree alight. She guided him around to the center and they built an arc of flame. She fed him more firestone as he needed it, until the act became nearly instinctive. This was what she was meant to do, this was what she had been born for: to fly a blue, to flame, to sear!
She laughed with joy as the flames grew, even as the skies above opened with rain. Soon the entire plateau was alight, as tree after tree burst into flame and the fire spread—gradually the rain would soak the surrounding forest sufficiently to quench the firestorm, but by then, an area would have been cleared sufficient for their needs.
Come, Tazith, let’s go home, Xhinna said as she surveyed their handiwork. You’ve earned a rest.
I’m not tired, Tazith assured her even as Xhinna felt the weariness of their efforts overtaking both of them.
Not much!
“Well, it’s not much of a herd,” K’dan allowed as he helped release the last of the dozen herdbeasts they’d caught. The smell of burnt wood had been mostly washed away by the rains. Large patches of grass had been left untouched by the fires consuming the trees above, and in the areas that had been burned, new green shoots were already poking up out of the ground.
Tazith had labored mightily to move several fallen, blackened tree trunks to form a rude corral. K’dan and half the bronze riders had done their best to help, but it was quickly evident that one blue dragon could easily do the work of seven humans—and in half the time. Instead, the humans applied their tool-using skills to making the space secure enough to keep the beasts corralled for at least a day.
“Of course,” K’dan remarked as he straightened from chinking smaller branches into a gap, “this is pretty far from our camp. It makes for a bit of a trek.”
“It does,” Xhinna agreed. “Which is why you should bring back as much meat as the camp will need for the evening.”
“You’re not thinking of going now?” K’dan asked, eyes narrowed as he took in Tazith, lying where he’d collapsed from his last load.
“I can’t see things getting any better.” With a sour expression on her face, she added, “And we can’t guarantee that Tazith won’t get injured the way Coranth was.” She shook her head. “I’m afraid if we don’t go now, we’ll never be able to.”
K’dan moved closer to pitch his voice only for her. “We don’t know what happened to snare Fiona. What if you don’t come back?”
“What if I don’t go?” Xhinna asked.
K’dan met her eyes, shook his head, and spread his hands in surrender.
“I’ll be back,” Xhinna said.
“We’ll be waiting,” K’dan promised. He managed a small nod. “We’ll start a fire here so you’ll have warm food when you return.”
We’re going to get help, Xhinna said as the blue raised his head. Wearily, he rose to his feet and Xhinna climbed to her seat on his shoulders. Are you ready?
Yes, came the reply and, to match it, Tazith took a few lumbering steps and leapt into the sky. Where are we going?
Telgar, Xhinna said, calling the vision up in her mind even as she registered surprise that she hadn’t called it home.
The blue rumbled beneath her, and then they were between in the place of no sight, no sound, no feeling.