He proceeded to launch into a detailed description of the buildings, the awnings, and the planned expansions. Xhinna was impressed. “You’ve thought of everything.”
“Not just me,” he said, “Danirry’s been an immense help, and it was Colfet who suggested the mass production.” He poured a mug of klah, passed it to her, and filled one for himself. “So, what about this new problem you’ve found?”
“An old problem,” Xhinna said, “and one that we hadn’t properly considered.”
“How warm do the eggs need to be kept?” R’ney guessed. He pursed his lips. “We could build bonfires, but the effort would be immense.”
“Can we afford to be wrong?”
“Either way?” R’ney asked. “Too hot and we’ll surely cook the eggs, not hatch them.”
“We’ve got to keep them warm, probably as warm as a dragon,” Xhinna said.
“So have a dragon sleep on the eggs,” he said.
Xhinna shook her head. “The eggs are too fragile.”
“Sleep beside them, then.”
“That’d warm only one side,” she said, frowning. She thought for a moment. “Maybe if we put the rider on the other side and had them switch regularly?”
“If Kisorth lays as many as Coranth, we’d need eighteen dragons and riders,” R’ney said. “We’ve got a dozen.”
“Have the weyrlings sleep with them, as well—that would give us three dozen.”
“But the grown dragons would have to fly the weyrlings there and back each day,” R’ney protested. “That’s a lot of additional work.”
A rustling of branches announced the arrival of Bekka and J’riz, each bearing a basket of steaming warm rolls.
With a grin, Bekka said, “Stop talking, eat!” She tossed a roll to Xhinna, who caught it and then flipped it from hand to hand until it was cool enough to grab and butter.
“If this works,” R’ney added darkly.
“It’s got to,” Xhinna said, glancing meaningfully at him, willing him not to mention Taria’s experiment. The brown rider nodded.
“We could set up some tents,” J’riz suggested. “We could move our healer classes under them on the sands until Kisorth clutches.”
“That’s a good idea,” Xhinna agreed. The tents were nothing more than sewn sails thrown over a smattering of rough-hewn wood. Colfet had shown them how to make quick wooden pins; with a wooden hammer, some rope, and pegs, they could erect fair-sized coverings in thirty minutes.
“We’ll do that first thing,” Bekka said. “That’ll give us some shade.”
“We don’t have enough to cover a whole Hatching Ground from the rain,” R’ney said to Xhinna.
“Well, that’ll be your problem,” Xhinna told him. “You and Danirry figure something out.”
“Danirry will be with the Skies today,” R’ney reminded her.
“Fine, get them to set up the tents,” Bekka said.
“I’ll talk with X’lerin,” Xhinna said. The others glanced at her. “I think it’s time Jirana and I went back to Crom.”
“For Candidates?” Bekka asked, surprised. When Xhinna nodded, she said, “But we don’t know how many we’ll need!”
“We can get more when Kisorth clutches,” Xhinna said, “but we can start with eighteen now.”
“That’s a lot of extra mouths to feed,” Bekka said.
“But a lot of extra hands for work,” R’ney countered.
“And we’re going to be needing the hands—and the warm bodies, soon enough,” Xhinna said. “I’d rather get them in small batches and let them get used to our ways than have to bring in a whole wing’s worth in one go.”
“And when will you be doing this?” R’ney asked.
“It’s probably better to bring them back by light,” Xhinna said, pursing her lips in thought. “I’d like to leave after breakfast, I think.”
“If you’re getting eighteen, you’ll be making a lot of trips. Tazith can only handle eight at best,” Bekka objected.
“I’ll see if X’lerin will let me bring V’lex, as well,” Xhinna said and was amused to see the startled reactions of the others. “And perhaps J’per.”
“I won’t be able to do this when I’ve Impressed Laspanth,” Jirana said as she clambered up Tazith’s foreleg early the next day.
“What?”
“Well, she’ll need me full time and I won’t be able to do this mind stuff,” Jirana said. “That’s only because of Laspanth, you see.”
“No,” Xhinna said as she clambered up after the dark-haired girl. “Not at all.”
“That’s all right,” Jirana said, patting Xhinna’s knee before reaching for her riding straps and tying on. Xhinna had rigged her harness to secure Jirana and six others.
Sarinth says they’re ready, Tazith told her as she looked up at the blue and green hovering in the air above.
“Ready?” Xhinna asked the girl in front of her. Jirana nodded.
Let’s go, Xhinna thought to Tazith. He leapt into the air, took two beats, sent the word to the two other dragons, and the three of them jumped between.
When they returned, three hours later by Sky Weyr time and six hours later by their own time, Xhinna was exhausted and could barely manage to keep the gabbling girls surrounding her from falling off before they landed on the soft-packed sand of the beach.
Jirana leapt off easily and raced to help Bekka and J’riz arrange a group of weyrling riders to handle the excited, frightened, shocked girls down from both their first ride on a dragon and their first time between.
Fortunately, the girls had not had to navigate the painful echo of the time-trapped D’gan and Fiona—that seemed to be heard only going forward through time, not coming back.
The first six were quickly joined by another nine girls, as well as three scrawny boys. Tazith had selected them, with some help from Jirana, who had seemed more eager to sleep than to talk.
“It’s because I’m in this time too much,” the girl had explained when Xhinna had tried to rouse her. “It’s like Fiona and T’mar—too many of them in the same time. It’s hard.”
“But they only noticed it after they Impressed.”
“They’re not me,” Jirana had said stubbornly.
Now, back once more in her “proper time,” as she called it, Jirana perked up and was bouncing up and down on the sand as she described her exploits to her older brother. J’riz, to her surprise and annoyance, merely ruffled her hair and congratulated her—gone were the days when she could drive him into flights of jealousy. Xhinna noted the exchange with a smile, thinking that the little trader girl had far too much attention showered on her, and that a little brotherly indifference would help to settle her head back on her shoulders. Jirana craned her neck back over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out at Xhinna; how the child had guessed Xhinna’s thoughts she couldn’t say, although she wouldn’t have been surprised if Tazith had something to do with it—the blue seemed to be besotted with the child.
As if in confirmation, Tazith rumbled in agreement, adding, Of course. Xhinna craned her head up to catch the blue dragon looking down at her, his eyes whirling a soft green in the mid-afternoon light. She beckoned, and he lowered his head for her to scratch his eye ridges.
The nervous girls and boys stayed huddled together. Xhinna started to move toward them, but stopped when Bekka charged ahead of her and into the group of newcomers like a dragon through a flock of wherries.