“That’s why you’ve been asking me!” X’lerin exclaimed.
K’dan nodded. He glanced over to Xhinna. “And Xhinna tried to go forward to Telgar—”
“And nearly died for her pains!” X’lerin put in.
“But none of the Records ever mention something like this,” K’dan said, “at least as far as I recall.”
X’lerin nodded. “In that, you are our master.”
K’dan’s lips twitched even as he shook his head in disagreement.
“Anyway,” he said, gesturing to the drawing on the sand, “I was thinking that perhaps between has a shape to it.”
“A shape?”
“Well, perhaps not a ‘shape’ so much as something that defines it,” K’dan said. “That between is a way through both space and time, so I thought that time and space have a meaning in between.”
“I don’t understand,” X’lerin said. Beside him, Xhinna nodded vigorously in agreement.
“I don’t know if it can be put into words,” K’dan said, pointing again to the drawing, “which is why I tried to draw it.”
“And this drawing shows?”
K’dan pointed with the stick to the part of the drawing farthest from them. “Let’s say that that line represents where Fiona and everyone else went. Our ‘present’ if you will.”
“About three Turns from now,” X’lerin said by way of agreement.
“A bit more, I think,” K’dan said. “I’ve checked with Colfet. He’s been looking at the stars and he thinks we’re back in the summer three Turns before the Third Pass.”
He pointed to a spot on the drawing. “That dotted line represents the time when D’gan and the old Telgars jumped between.”
“And that other line?” X’lerin said, pointing to the line that ran from some point in the future to the top line of the drawing, the “present” line.
“That’s the line representing Fiona’s jump between times,” K’dan said. He pointed at the big hole where the two lines met. “And that hole is the knot that formed when they crossed paths.”
“And?” X’lerin prompted.
“We know from Xhinna that the knot was still there when she tried to jump,” K’dan said. “And we know from your arrival that the knot doesn’t prevent people from jumping back in time, only from jumping forward.”
“Or we were just lucky,” X’lerin said.
“Did you feel like you were stuck, unable to move?” Xhinna asked him, a shiver going down her spine as the memory of that horrible moment flowed once again in her mind.
“No,” X’lerin said. “As I told you, it was like a normal jump between times.”
“Nothing like when you were caught going forward with Fiona,” K’dan observed.
“No, not at all,” X’lerin said. “You know how relieved we were.” He pursed his lips tightly and turned to Xhinna. “We were all afraid.”
“Shh!” K’dan snapped. X’lerin gave him a surprised look. “You’re referring to the message Xhinna sent but hasn’t written yet.”
“Yes,” X’lerin admitted, his shoulders slumping.
“I can leave that message when I go in Search,” Xhinna said.
K’dan raised his stick and drew a new line close to them. “I think you’d be safest if you went back in time from here and then came forward once more.” He drew connecting lines from the “now” position to some place back in time and then back again.
“Yes,” Xhinna said, frowning at the drawing. “That could work.”
“It would be safest if you didn’t change times at all,” X’lerin protested.
“Safest, but we’re going to have to time it at some point,” K’dan said. X’lerin raised an eyebrow. “Weyrleader, in the next three Turns, we’re going to need firestone and the only place we can get that is back in time.”
“At the Igen mine?” Xhinna asked.
“Yes,” K’dan agreed. “It’s the only place that’s large enough where our presence might be kept a secret.”
“And we need to keep it a secret because no one back in time knew about us,” X’lerin guessed.
“Perhaps because we didn’t go back in time?” Xhinna suggested.
“If we didn’t go back in time, then we don’t get firestone,” X’lerin reminded her. “And we’ll need it if we have to stay here until we’re beyond the time of the knot between.”
“And if you go back in time, maybe some of those who were missing after the Plague could be saved,” K’dan added.
“But, K’dan, aren’t they already dead?”
“Not if you rescued them!”
“I should come with you. You’re weyrbred—you won’t know what to say,” Jepara said when Xhinna explained her plans to her gold riders. Xhinna couldn’t hide her surprise at the other’s offer. Jepara pressed on, “As a Lord Holder’s daughter, it’s my right.”
“We don’t know if this will work,” Xhinna told her, shaking her head. “If we fail—” Her words trailed off as she heard Taria gasp. She nodded toward her, then continued, “If we fail, we don’t need to lose two dragons—yours would not survive your loss.”
“Two?” Jepara repeated in confusion. And then she caught Xhinna’s meaning and her eyes turned involuntarily toward where her Sarurth lay sleeping. “Well, then who’s going to take over if you don’t come back?”
Taria hissed, too angry to form words.
“Just as long as it’s not you,” Meeya chimed in.
“No one’s asking you, Meeyu,” Jepara snarled back. “Shouldn’t you be milking milchbeasts for your kin?”
Meeya glared at her, but before she could respond, Xhinna intervened, “That’s enough!” She cut her glare between Jepara, Taria, and Meeya.
“Bekka will take over—”
“Me?” Bekka cried in protest.
“—until I get back,” Xhinna continued, ignoring the interjection. “It won’t be long—this whole conversation has probably dragged on longer than the trip will take.”
“You need to take me.”
Everyone turned toward the sound of the small voice. It was Jirana. Seeing her, Jepara snorted derisively.
“I have to go, to show you the way, to help with Laspanth.”
“Laspanth?” Xhinna asked.
“My queen,” Jirana replied, sounding sleepy. “The green queen.”
“Sweetie, you should get to bed,” Xhinna told her in a kindly voice. “You sound all worn out.”
“She sounds addled,” Jepara said. She turned back to Xhinna. “But she’s right in a way. There are eighteen eggs on the beach. How are you going to carry enough Candidates on one tiny blue?”
Xhinna ignored the jab implied in “tiny” and started to answer when Jirana responded dreamily: “Only five are needed. Five will hatch: three greens and two blues.”
Xhinna shook her head, stood up from where she sat, and moved toward Jirana. “Come on, little one, I’m taking you to your mother.”
When Xhinna picked her up, the little girl shook and her eyes opened wide. “Xhinna?” She seemed surprised. “Did I really say all that? About a queen and five hatchlings?”
“What, don’t you remember?” Jepara called.
“It was like a dream,” Jirana said, “I thought maybe I was just sleeping.”
“Let’s get you to your mother,” Xhinna repeated, not surprised to find that Taria had joined her.
Taria leaned closer to Xhinna and said for her ears alone, “Was that the Sight?”