We have met Thread, Ruth told him, sounding elated. I am flaming well. I am to do V sweeps while Canth and Tiroth pass east and west. We are high. The fire lizards flame well, too. Over there! Berd. You are closest! Meer, get it to your offside. Talla! Help him. I come, I come. Down. I come. I flame! I protect my friend!
Brekke caught Jaxom's eyes, smiling at him. «He delivers a running comment so we all know how well he fights!» Her eyes lost their focus on him and then she blinked. «Sometimes I see the Fall through three sets of dragon eyes. I don't know where I'm looking! It goes well!»
Later, Jaxom could not have said what he ate or drank. When Ruth's monologue resumed, Jaxom paid strict attention to what his dragon said, looking now and again at Brekke whose face reflected the intense concentration of listening to three dragons and four fire lizards. Suddenly Ruth's commentary stopped and Jaxom gasped.
«It's all right. They don't pursue Thread through the Fall,» Brekke said. «Just enough to insure our safety. Benden flies Thread tomorrow evening over Nerat. F'nor and Canth ought not overtire themselves today.»
Jaxom rose so abruptly that his bench clattered to the floor. He mumbled an apology, righted it and then strode out the door in the direction of the beach. As he reached the sands, he kept peering westward and barely discerned the distant film of Thread. Another shudder gripped him and he had to smooth the hair down on the back of his neck. The cove before him, generally calm with leisurely waves, was roiled with the activity of fish diving, lifting their bodies above the surface and crashing awkwardly down again as if in the throes of pain.
«What's the matter with them?» he asked Sharra, who had joined him.
«The fish are having a good feed off Thread. They generally manage to clean up the cove in time for our dragons to bathe when they return. There! There they all are! Just popped back!»
It was a good Fall! Ruth was jubilant, then rebellious. But we are not to follow it. Canth and Tiroth said that once across the big river there is nothing but stony waste and it is stupid to waste flame above what cannot be hurt by Thread. Ooooh!
Sharra and Jaxom laughed as the little white dragon emitted a trail of flame, almost singeing his muzzle because he was at the wrong flight angle. He corrected instantly, continuing his downward glide on the correct plane.
Even as the big dragons landed, the waters had calmed. Ruth was full of boast that he'd not needed to replenish his fire once, that he now knew how much to take to last the Fall. Canth turned his head toward the little white in an attitude of amused tolerance.
Tiroth snorted and, relieved of his firesack, nodded once toward D'ram then waded into the water. Abruptly the air was full of fire lizards, hovering eagerly above Tiroth. The old bronze threw his head skyward, snorted again and, with a loud sigh, rolled over in the water. The fire lizards descended, dropping mouthsful of sand on him before attacking his hide with all four feet. Tiroth's eyes, lidded once against the water, gleamed just beneath the surface in an eerie submarine rainbow.
Canth bellowed and half the fair left Tiroth to minister to him as he splashed about. Ruth watched this pre emption of his friends, blinked, gave himself a bit of a shake and meekly took to the water at some distance from the bronze and brown. Four fire lizards, the banded ones, detached themselves from the big dragons and began to scrub the little white.
«Here, I'll help you, Jaxom,» Sharra said.
Scrubbing a dragon's hide free of firestone stink is a tiring job under any circumstances and, although he only had to do one side of Ruth, Jaxom had to grit his teeth to finish.
«I told you not to overdo, Jaxom,» Sharra said, her voice sharp as she straightened from scrubbing the fork of Ruth's tail and noticed Jaxom leaning against the dragon's rump. She gestured imperiously toward the beach. «Get out! I'll bring you some food. You're whiter than he is!»
«I'm never going to get myself fit if I don't try!»
«Stop muttering at me under your breath…»
«And don't tell me you're doing it for my own good…»
«No, for mine! I don't want to have to nurse you through a relapse!»
She glared at him so fiercely that he gathered himself erect and stalked out of the water. Though it wasn't far to his informal bed under the trees, his legs were leaden as he dragged them through the water. He lay down, heaving a sigh of relief, and closed his eyes.
When he opened them again someone was shaking him, and he discovered Brekke peering at him quizzically. «How do you feel now?»
«I was dreaming?»
«Hmmm. Bad ones again?»
«No, curious ones. Only nothing was in focus.» Jaxom shook his head to clear the miasma of nightmare. He realized that it was midday. Ruth was asleep snoring, at his left. On the far right, he could see D'ram resting against Tiroth's front legs. There was no sign of F'nor or Canth.
«You're probably hungry,» Brekke said, holding out the plate of food and the mug she'd brought.
«How long did I sleep?» Jaxom was disgusted with himself. He stretched his shoulders, feeling muscles stiff from the exercise of scrubbing a dragon.
«Several hours. Did you good.»
«I dream an awful lot lately. Aftereffect of the fire head?»
Brekke blinked, then frowned thoughtfully. «Come to think of it, I've been dreaming rather more than usual myself. Too much sun perhaps.»
At that point, Tiroth woke, bellowed, struggled to his feet, sprinkled his rider with sand. Brekke gasped and rose quickly, her eyes on the old bronze as he shook his body free of sand and extended his wings.
«Brekke, I must go!» D'ram shouted. «Did you hear?»
«Yes, I heard. Do go quickly!» she called back, raising her hand in farewell.
Whatever had roused Tiroth excited the fire lizards who began wheeling, diving, chittering raucously. Ruth raised his head, looked at them sleepily, then laid his head back on the sand, unmoved by the excitement. Brekke turned to regard the white dragon, with a curious frown.
«What's wrong, Brekke?»
«The bronzes at Ista Weyr are blooding their kills.»
«Oh, Shards and Shells!» Jaxom's initial surprise melded into disappointed disgust with his weakness. He'd hoped to be allowed to attend that mating flight. He'd wanted to cheer G'dened and Barnath on.
«I'll know,» Brekke said soothingly. «Canth will be there as well as Tiroth. They'll tell me all. Now, you eat!»
As Jaxom obeyed, still cursing his unfortunate condition, he noticed that Brekke was staring at Ruth again.
«What's the matter with Ruth?»
«Ruth? Nothing. Poor dear, he was so proud to fly Thread for you, and he's too tired to care about any thing else right now.»
She rose and as she left him Berd and Grail landed on her shoulders, murmuring softly as she disappeared into the shady forest.
CHAPTER XIV
IN THE DARK of the early morning Robinton was awakened by Silvina.
«Master Robinton, word has come from Ista Weyr. The bronzes are blooding their kill. Caylith will fly soon. You're wanted there.»
«Oh, yes, thank you, Silvina.» He blinked against the light from the glow baskets she was unshielding. «You didn't by any chance bring me…» He saw the steaming mug by his bed. «Oh, good woman! My undying thanks!»
«That's what you always say,» Silvina replied, chuckling as she left him to proceed with his wake up routine.
He dressed quickly to avoid the predawn chill. Zair took his accustomed shoulder perch, squeaking softly as Robinton paced down the corridor.
With a glow torch to cast some light in the dark lower hall, Silvina awaited him at the massive iron doors. She whirled the release wheel and the great bar lifted from ceiling and floor. He gave the yank required to open the huge door and wondered at the sudden stitch in his side. Then Silvina passed him his gitar, stoutly encased against the bitter cold of between.