“Huh? I don’t know. I don’t know anything …”
“Kahrain is the name we dolphins know of that place from the Ancients,” the Tillek said.
“Kahrain Hold it will be then,” Readis said, wondering if a man’s heart could burst from his chest. “But I really don’t have much of a Hold there right now, only the caves and the pools where I can do healing. And I’d need to learn much more healing to be a good dolphineer …”
“That has been promised you,” the Tillek said, and ducked down into the water, rising again to blow out of her hole.
“Why? Why me? You said there were other dolphineers …” Readis said, almost accusing her of gentle treachery.
“There are!” T’lion said, bursting with the news. “Because Gaddie wants to help, too, and T’gellan has given his permission for me to spend my free time with you and the dolphins. I’ve copied another set of medical stuff for you, too, Readis …”
Readis began to shiver suddenly, though the sun was warm and the breeze mild.
“He is cold and needs hot food,” the Tillek said. “We will retire and return when he has been cared for.” She either did not hear or did not care to acknowledge the outraged “Well, I never” from Ara-mina, for she went on: “You swim strong and well, Dolphineer Readis. You will be Tillek and Thea to all in your hold.” Then she disappeared below the side of the longboat. Stunned by all that had just happened, Readis stared at the space she had been occupying until he saw her long body gracefully arch out of and then back in the water, many dolphins following her away from the ships.
Readis was then bundled up the rope ladder and into Master Idarolan’s cabin, and given hot soup and hot klah and made much of by his mother, attentions that he endured out of gratitude for the day and for her forgiveness. His father handed him a new shirt and muttered something about other things that had been brought along that he would possibly need. Then, with Aramina still anxiously hovering over him, he was ushered back out to the deck. There everyone else on this extraordinary voyage had wineglasses, which were being topped up by Master Idarolan’s seamen.
“Now, lad, I’ve some cargo destined for your new Hold,” Master Idarolan said, handing Readis a full glass. “I know the Tillek wants to talk to you further …”
“I think I’d like to talk to you first,” Readis said, including his father and mother with a glance in their direction. “I didn’t know anyone knew where I was.”
“We have for the past three sevendays,” Jayge said, laying an arm across his son’s shoulders. When he saw Readis glance suspiciously toward the sea, he added, “No, the dolphins didn’t tell on you.”
“I’ve been on daily sweeps trying to find you, and then I saw the seaside caves and I figured that they were so perfect for you and dolphins, you had to be there,” T’lion said, looking very pleased with himself. “Only, what with one thing and another, Gaddie and I didn’t get a chance to check the place out. Made yourself right comfortable, didn’t you?”
“I got by fine,” Readis said, a remark calculated to take the anxious expression off his mother’s face and, at the same time, prove to his father that he’d coped well.
“Then,” Master Idarolan said, beaming at all impartially, “I was approached by no less than the Tillek herself. The dolphins at Paradise River were upset when you didn’t return.”
“I got questioned by the Eastern pod,” T’lion put in. “And so did Master Persellan—who forgave me, by the way!”
“That’s a relief,” Readis said.
“And the Tillek asked me when would dolphineers come back to the sea to work with her pods,” Idarolan went on. “So naturally I informed Lord Oterel …” He gestured to the Lord Holder.
“And I asked T’bor of High Reaches and he …” Oterel said, turning to the Masterharper.
“Didn’t know anything about dolphin pods, and while I knew a little from Menolly here,” Sebell said, “I conferred with Alemi, who told me of your disappearance, Readis, and why. I also spoke to …”
“Us,” Lessa said, picking up the tale in her turn, “and I remembered something that Master Robinton had told me about these creatures.” She turned to D’ram.
“And I remembered all the tapes which Aivas had shown of the early days when there were dolphineers,” the old Weyrleader said, and then shrugged. “So the Tillek went to Paradise River Hold and spoke to your parents.”
“She asked us,” Jayge said, looking slightly embarrassed while Aramina ducked her head and nervously twitched the hem of her tunic, one of her Gather tunics, Readis now noticed, “if we objected to your becoming a dolphineer.”
Readis waited.
“It is an honor to be asked,” his mother said softly, hesitantly, before raising her head to look him straight in the eye. “I was once asked to accept an honor”—she shot Lessa a quick glance—“and could not. I cannot stand in your way, Readis.”
“Thank you, Mother,” he murmured, his throat blocked with the surge of relief and happiness.
“You’re in for a lot more training before you can become a Craftmaster, young Readis,” Master Idarolan said, “but you’ve made a fine start. Ahemm …” He cleared his throat. “However, the Tillek plans to instruct you herself, which is why she has come all the way down from her natural habitat.”
“She will?” Readis closed his mouth as soon as he realized that it had dropped open in surprise.
“She has insisted,” Sebell said with a wry grin. “She is the living repository of all delphinic history, tradition, and knowledge.”
“She speaks the best of any dolphin I’ve ever heard,” Readis said.
“She claims it’s because she has had to repeat the Words and the History every spring to all the new dolphins wishing to take the Test. I gather that’s swimming across the Great Subsidence whirlpool.”
Readis nodded and then asked softly, “I wouldn’t have to do that, would I? I mean, I’m a good enough swimmer but …”
Sebell wasn’t the only one to chuckle. “She’ll set her own test, and you should know that you’ve already passed the critical entrance examination.”
“I did?”
“You did. That’s why she brought you to us.”
“You’d have all just gone home?” Readis was astonished.
“No, we’d’ve gone in and brought you back home, lad,” Alemi said, “and no blame.”
“Oh!”
“Listen!” Menolly said, holding up one hand. “Listen!”
“To what?” Idarolan asked, but now Sebell held up his hand, too, and they fell silent. Even the sailors in the rigging and on deck stopped what they were doing, as the odd but melodious sound reached their ears,
“Music, but where is it coming from?” Sebell said, glancing around the ship.
“I’ve heard that before,” Aramina murmured to Jayge, and leaned close to him. “Only it’s not—quite—the same.”
“It’s not so lonely a sound,” Menolly said as she swung slowly to face the sea. That’s when those on deck saw the wedge of leaping dolphins coming alongside. Suddenly Menolly jumped back in surprise as a loud squee was clearly heard.
“The big one’s back, Master,” one of the seamen in the rigging said, pointing. He, too, involuntarily flinched away as the Tillek reared high from the sea.
“Readis,” she said plainly before she fell back into the water.
“Coming,” he said, and started toward the rail. Then he paused, startled by his own compliance, and not sure he could just leave the eminent company on the Dawn Sisters’ deck. “Do I just go?”