Gone Away, Gone Ahead - 17. Prideth Rises

He was running into the infirmary, trying to get through all the people crowding around the entrance. Pushing them aside. There were angry protests as he elbowed them out of the way, but he ignored them. There was no time to waste.

Suddenly he slipped, losing his balance. He fell heavily to the floor, realising as he did that it was slick with blood. He struggled to get back to his feet, but kept falling. A lake of blood now lapped all around him. Pale hands reached up from the ground, dragging him further down. There was the taste of iron in his mouth, the sensation of drowning, then -

H’rek shook him gently. ‘Are you all right?’

D’gar took a gasp of air. Already, the images were fading. All that remained was a sense of urgency and the feeling of failure. ‘I didn’t get there in time,’ he said, still hazy with sleep.

‘What?’

He shook off the last vestiges of the dream. It had been a dream, then. He must have woken H’rek. ‘Sorry, I… Did I wake you up?’

‘You were thrashing around and muttering, so, yes.’ H’rek sounded slightly irritable, as everyone did when they were pulled from deep slumber.

‘Sorry,’ he said again. ‘It was a bad dream.’ He’d not had one so vivid since he came to Benden, he realised. The events of the previous day must have triggered it.

‘What was it about?’

It was hard to remember, exactly. ‘Blood. Death. The usual stuff.’

‘Usual?’

‘I used to get them all the time.’

‘Do you want to talk about it?’

‘Not really.’

‘My auntie always said that if you tell someone about a bad dream, it loses its power.’ H’rek pulled back the furs. ‘I’ll go and get you some water.’

‘Thanks.’ He heard H’rek’s bare feet pattering across the floor, the easy breathing of sleeping dragons just the other side of the curtain. This was reality, not the nightmare place of his dream. And yet, he felt if he dropped back into sleep too soon, he’d be back there again. That was the normal pattern, anyway.

H’rek returned with a cup of cool water. He took a drink, staring off into the semi-darkness.

‘Do you feel like telling me about it now?’

H’rek was being persistent. Probably didn’t want to get rudely awakened again and who could blame him for that. ‘It’s not your problem,’ D’gar said.

‘Of course it is. We’re here for each other. I care about you.’

He had a point, there. ‘I’ve never told anyone before.’

‘Perhaps you should, then. So, blood, death. The usual stuff…’

He had another sip of water, then without thinking about it too deeply, found a place to start. ’It’s the same dream I always have,’ he said. ‘I’m trying to get into the infirmary, but everyone’s getting in the way. There’s always a big pool of blood. This time I was drowning in it, I think.’

‘Sounds horrible.’ H’rek put an arm round his shoulders. ‘It’s probably because of what happened yesterday. And F’drun trying to drown you. Your mind gets everything scrambled up in dreams.’

‘No,’ he said. ‘I know what it’s about.’ He’d not told H’rek much, really, trying to keep the worst from him. ‘Remember you asked about my weyrmate; what happened to him?’

‘Yes. You said he was dead. You didn’t want to talk about it.’

‘I still don’t, really but that’s what the dream’s about, you see.’ He shut his eyes briefly as his mind dredged up the memories he kept locked away most of the time. ‘It was a bad Fall; worse than the one we just had. Six deaths, lots of injuries. There were a few hit in our Wing. I was blanking it out, trying to concentrate.’ Trying to stay alive, same as everyone else. ’S’brin was over on the other leg of the vee. I couldn’t see him; couldn’t see more than about three dragons away, with all the cloud. About three-quarters of the way through Herebeth said Zemianth had gone back to the Weyr. I thought they’d been swapped out, you know?’

H’rek nodded, encouraging him to continue.

‘Only, once it was over, I knew something wasn’t right. That’s when Herebeth told me Zemianth had gone between. I still didn’t know if S’brin was alive - dragonless - or if… well.’ He had to stop and take a deep breath.

‘All right?’ H’rek rubbed his back gently.

D’gar suddenly realised that his self-indulgence might be upsetting H’rek. ‘I shouldn’t go on like this. You lost someone in Fall as well.’

‘Yes, but not like you did. R’gan was one of my clutchmates, not really a friend. S’brin was your weyrmate. There’s a world of difference. And you’ve been haunted by this for a while, haven’t you?'

D’gar sipped the water again. ‘Yes.’ The dreams were the worst, but every now and then images would flash into his waking mind too, as clear and sharp as if they had just happened.

‘Go on, then.’

’The infirmary was packed. Noisy. That smell. I couldn’t find him, at first. I was going from bed to bed, getting more and more frantic.’ Just as H’rek had done after the last Fall. ‘I found him on the floor.’ He could still see the scene in all its gory impact. ‘Once they knew they couldn’t save him, they’d just left him there and moved on. There was… blood everywhere.’ It had been unreal at first. Although the evidence was lying in front of him, he’d struggled to make sense of it. How could S’brin, who’d been full of life just that morning, have gone? ‘We’d been so certain we were going to be the lucky ones. We were going to survive to the end, grow old happily. It seemed… impossible. Yet there he was. Just… not there any more.’ He stopped. Tears were welling up. He’d not cried, back then. Just felt numb.

‘I think I know what you mean. I didn’t really get on with R’gan, but it’s hard to believe I won’t ever see him again.’

D’gar wiped his face. H’rek had obviously been shaken by some of the sights he’d seen in the infirmary. There was no need to give him nightmares as well by going into any more detail. ‘Still, he’s the first one of your clutchmates to die. I can remember what that was like.’

‘You’ve seen a lot worse, though. I’m starting to understand why people think you folk are callous. It’s the only way you can deal with it, isn’t it? Keep it at a distance. Make light of things.’

‘Yes, I suppose it is.’ He often thought that when he’d dropped S’brin’s body between he’d left a part of himself there, too. And brought back a portion of that endless, cold blackness to lodge in his heart. Except H’rek had gone a little way towards thawing it.

‘Do you want to talk any more?’

‘Not right now. I think I’ll be all right.’

‘If you’re sure.’

‘We both need to get some sleep. It’s almost certain Prideth is going to rise some time today, so best get all the rest we can before the Weyr goes crazy.’

He didn’t dream again; at least, nothing that he remembered. Whether that was because he’d finally talked about it, or because H’rek had been there to listen and offer sympathy, he wasn’t sure.

H’rek was still enjoying the novelty of being able to have hot drinks delivered straight to their weyr and ordered two mugs of klah, which they drank in bed.

‘Shall I get some breakfast sent up as well?’ he asked.

‘You can if you want. I’d best go down and eat with the Wing, though.’ F’nor had been right that it would take a long while to come to a decision on how to deal with the brawl. R’feem hadn’t returned for some time and when he told the riders involved they’d be bagging up firestone for the next sevenday, there had been a few groans. Then he’d added that they had also been banned from leaving the Weyr on non-essential trips for a month. The same conditions had been imposed on the Benden riders, but in their case it would just mean missing out on a couple of Gathers. For anyone who had transferred from another Weyr it meant they would be unable to visit friends and relatives on their rest days too.

He fetched some food and went to join R’feem and B’lin. ‘How’s things?’

‘As expected. Plenty of sore heads this morning.’ R’feem said. He leaned closer and added quietly, ‘One or two of them haven’t taken well to being confined to the Weyr. Knew that was going to cause resentment.’

‘Their fault for fighting,’ B’lin said.

D’gar felt he needed to defend their actions. ‘If you or I had been there and something had started up, we’d have been just as likely to get involved.’

‘We weren’t though.’ he replied, through a mouthful of toast. ‘And not everyone in the baths joined in, so the ones who did have only themselves to blame.’

‘Least of our problems today,’ R’feem said. ‘Prideth’s still sleeping, but she’ll most likely rise when she wakes up. A couple of our greens look like they might be triggered into rising early too.’

That was to be expected. ‘Who?’

‘Zurinth and Greth.’

‘Great. Still, it’s two more days before the next Fall. They should be recovered by then.’ Although the mass mating flights that followed a gold’s rising often caused more injuries than were usual, due simply to the numbers taking part.

R’feem made a face.’Some of our blues and browns will probably give chase as well.’

‘Ondiath is definitely interested,’ B’lin said. ‘Not going to be able to keep him out of this one, I’m afraid.’

‘I’ll be off to Fort as soon as I’ve finished here. Piroth won’t be happy, but there it is. V’vil’s coming with me as he’s not welcome back at High Reaches.’

Talk of High Reaches reminded D’gar of the other bronze rider who shouldn’t be staying around. ‘What about F’drun?’

‘He’s my next job after breakfast.’ R’feem looked grim. ‘I see he’s not shown his face down here again.’

‘He’ll be in her weyr.’ B’lin shook his head. ‘Ryth was lying next to Prideth last time I looked.’

D’gar wondered if R’feem would be able to force F’drun to take Ryth away. He’d give anything to be a fly on the wall and hear that conversation. Come to think of it, he could be, if he knew which service shaft went from the kitchen to Kylara’s weyr. It wouldn’t be proper, exactly, but then neither was what F’drun presumably intended to do.

As it happened, he didn’t need to. By the time he’d cleared away his breakfast bowls, both F’drun and Kylara herself walked in to the dining hall. Kylara had a certain set to her face that made D’gar think she was looking for a fight and that whatever was going to be said would be done in front of an audience. H’rek had told him often enough how much she liked to be the centre of attention.

R’feem didn’t look at all happy. He preferred to have words in private, when it was necessary. He stood and made his way over to the pair.

‘This should be fun,’ B’lin hissed in D’gar’s ear. ‘Sometimes I’m glad not to be a bronze rider.’

Indeed, everyone in the dining hall - riders and weyrfolk alike - had turned in that direction, eager to see what might happen. D’gar felt sorry for R’feem. He couldn’t hear the first words R’feem spoke - the Wingleader was still attempting to be discreet and kept his voice low - but Kylara’s reply carried loud and clear through the cavern.

‘I don’t take orders from anyone, bronze rider. Prideth has become fond of Ryth and I’m not going to deny my dragon her choice of who gets to chase her.’

Beside her, F’drun looked smug. There was no doubt that the pair of them made a striking couple. Kylara was wearing red today, her dress tight and clinging, her blond hair falling in loose waves.

R’feem changed tactic and addressed his next remarks to F’drun. ‘You’ve the Turns and experience to know this isn’t proper behaviour. Benden haven’t announced an open flight, so none but Benden bronzes should be taking part.’

F’drun kept that smug expression on his face. ‘As the weyrwoman has just stated, if her dragon favours another bronze, then who are we to deny her. Besides, she’s only a junior queen.’

It was a fair point, although D’gar doubted Benden wanted their breeding lines sullied. Personally, he didn’t think Ryth stood much chance, but that wasn’t the issue. Mating flights weren’t always won by the largest dragon - Herebeth had proved that - and Prideth had the right to choose her mate. But it wasn’t just about the dragons, even though Kylara and F’drun were using that argument in support of their actions. If Ryth did catch Prideth, then although F’drun wouldn’t have any official change of status, the support of even a junior weyrwoman would lend him a certain degree of authority. It would certainly stir things up, which was obviously the intention of both parties. Even from this distance, D’gar could see a dangerous glint in Kylara’s eye. She was loving this.

‘Don’t think he’s going to stand down, do you?’ B’lin commented.

‘No. I doubt it.’ After all, F’drun had nothing to lose. They wouldn’t have him back at High Reaches - D’gar realised he should probably try to find out the exact reasons for that - and he’d lost his position in the Wing.

‘I can’t force you to leave, it’s true…’ R’feem began, but before he could complete whatever he had been about to say, the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman arrived. There was a collective drawing of breath from everyone in the dining hall as they waited to see how this was going to play out. Everyone knew there was no love lost between Lessa and Kylara.

The Weyrwoman radiated annoyance as she confronted Kylara, although she didn’t raise her voice. However, the dining hall had fallen so silent everyone could hear her words.

‘What’s this I’ve been hearing, Kylara? It’s bad enough that you’ve been dallying openly with this… piece of work, but now I hear you're intending to let his dragon chase Prideth.’ It was evident that the news had been passed along beforehand; probably the reason F’lar and Lessa had turned up when they did.

‘Prideth likes Ryth,’ Kylara said stubbornly, sticking to her line. ‘She should have her choice of bronzes, not just the ones you try and foist on us.’

‘What about T’bor?’

‘What about him? If Orth catches Prideth then I suppose I can just about tolerate bedding him but I know where my own preference lies.’ She smiled nastily and nestled closer to F’drun, linking arms with him.

‘Come on, Kylara. Be reasonable.’ F’lar sounded impatient. Not really surprising, under the circumstances. Mnementh would be all too aware that Prideth was close to rising. Both the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman needed to be well away before that happened.

‘Reasonable?’ Kylara was trying to sound imperious, but her agitation was showing. She was probably starting to be affected by Prideth’s mating lust too. ‘Was it reasonable to send me away to that dreadful place for four whole Turns?’

‘You know as well as I just why we needed you there,’ Lessa snapped.

‘And Prideth did very well in giving us another good sized clutch.’ F’lar was clearly trying to be the peacemaker here, while the two women glared at each other.

‘That’s all we are to you, aren’t we? A breeding machine.’ Kylara addressed her next comments directly to Lessa. ‘Don’t you ever consider I have feelings? Needs? Not every woman is as cold as you. I’m surprised F’lar doesn’t look elsewhere -‘

Her tirade was broken off as Lessa slapped her face; no mean feat as Kylara was considerably taller. F’lar stepped in to restrain her.

‘That’s just what I’d expect from you. If you can’t win an argument then you resort to violence.’ Kylara’s cheek was already reddening from the blow. ‘You’re upsetting Prideth. She’s close to waking, you know. Don’t think it’ll be long now before she’s blooding her kill.’

‘Come on, Lessa. We have to leave,’ F’lar said. ‘She’s not lying. Mnementh is getting restless.’

‘I know.’ Lessa shook away from him. ‘Don’t think you’ve heard the last of this. Either of you.’ She stared pointedly at F’drun before turning her gaze back to Kylara. ‘You’re a disgrace. If I’d known how you’d behave I’d never have let you near Ramoth’s eggs.’

‘But you did,’ Kylara said in a cold voice. ‘And Prideth chose me. Now, excuse me. My dragon needs me.’ She swept them aside, F’drun following in her wake.

F’lar shook his head sadly and spoke quietly to Lessa, before they too left.

There was an air of tension in the dining hall. Not just because of what they’d witnessed. The emotional storm of a queen about to rise was beginning to affect everyone to some extent. Added to the already strong feelings after yesterday’s Fall and the way that had boiled over, D’gar knew they were in for a bumpy ride. Normally, a gold flight lifted the mood of the Weyr. This felt different. Edgy.

‘Not a good start,’ B’lin said. ‘Maybe they should have tackled it before today?’

‘Maybe. Although if F’drun and Kylara want it to happen, it would be hard to stop them. Even if they’d sent him away, she could still call him back when it’s time.’ It wasn’t something that could be easily enforced; like a lot of Weyr customs, mating flight protocol relied on riders having the sense and decency to do the right thing.

‘Going to ruffle some feathers if he catches her, isn’t it? That’ll do wonders for our popularity.’

‘Better hope Ondiath doesn’t catch himself a Benden green later, then.’

‘You know as well as I that’ll be a free-for-all.’ B’lin grimaced. ‘He’ll be lucky to get a look in. Mind you, he’s flown Greth a few times before, so that might count for something. I reckon K’fol would prefer me rather than some stranger as well.’

R’feem came back over to them. ‘I’m going to have to leave now. Look after the Wing. Make sure everyone’s all right. Let me know as soon as the main event's over; Piroth wants to go after a green if he can’t chase a queen.’

‘Don’t worry. We’ll try to make sure everyone stays in one piece.’ D’gar watched him leave, then cast an eye over at the table currently occupied by most of the Benden bronze riders. As soon as their dragons started to blood their kills, they’d be off. He remembered that H’rek hadn’t experienced a gold flight yet. It wouldn’t be fair to leave him alone and yet he had just been given the responsibility of the Wing. ‘Er, B’lin? Reckon you could take first watch down here. I’d better be with H’rek when it all starts.’

‘No problem. We’ve all been through this before. We can spare you a while.’

‘Just get Ondiath to tell Herebeth if you need me.’

As he waited out in the Bowl for Herebeth he noticed J’rud, walking around aimlessly and kicking rocks. It was miserable for those green riders whose dragons were set off early in their cycles through the queen dragon’s mating lust. Until the gold was caught, their own dragons were unable to take flight, frustrated and aroused at the same time. He guessed Zurinth was hiding in her weyr, forced into submission by Prideth. There wasn’t much he could do to help. ‘Hopefully she’ll go off soon,’ he offered.

J’rud looked up briefly. ‘I hate it when this happens. Last time, Zurinth strained a wing and I got hit in the face. There’s at least six greens from here that are ready to go and a couple from Telgar and Ista as well, so I’m told. It’s going to be mayhem.’

D’gar didn’t know what to say. The waiting around, worrying about what might happen must be almost as bad as when there was Threadfall late in the day. ‘Maybe you should go and have a drink,’ he suggested.

‘Don’t think so. I’d rather be sober. Drink and dragonlust’s never a good mix.’

‘I suppose so. Let’s hope one of our lot catches her, eh?’

Herebeth was just coming in to land when J’rud caught his arm. ‘You don’t think Herebeth…?’

‘It’s only a couple of sevendays since he flew Rioth.’

‘Of course.’ J’rud’s face fell.

D’gar felt so sorry for him he pulled him into a hug. ‘Try not to worry. Do you want a lift back to your weyr?’

‘No, I think I’ll stay here with the others. Least I’m in the right place, then.’

A bronze dragon swooped down from his weyr ledge at that moment, heading for the feeding grounds. Another followed swiftly after. Ryth emerged from Prideth’s weyr and took off, his powerful wings sending a downdraught over them both as he flew just above their heads. Herebeth hissed, mantling his own wings, still uneasy at the other dragon’s presence.

‘I’d better go. Be back soon.’ D’gar wondered how much of a run Prideth would give her suitors; how long the flight would last. He climbed aboard and Herebeth ferried him back to their weyr. H’rek was standing next to Rioth, watching the spectacle as several huge bronze dragons and a smaller, stockier one made their kills. Their hides shone as weak sunlight broke through the clouds.

D’gar slid down next to him. ‘Impressive, isn’t it?’

‘Did I just see you with your arms around J’rud?’

Might have known he’d spot that. ‘He’s stressed. When several greens rise together, it can get rough. Both for the dragons and their riders. He and Zurinth got hurt the last time.’ Once again, he was thankful Rioth was well out of this.

‘Ah. And was that Ryth who just flew past?’

‘Right again.’ He summarised what had just happened down in the dining hall.

‘Can’t they do anything about him?’

‘Not really. He’s got quite a bit of competition, though.’

‘I should say. Think there are about seven of them down there. The herdbeasts are going crazy.’

‘Look at it this way. We’ll all be eating well for the next few days. The bronzes and Prideth will leave the carcasses alone once they’ve drained the blood.’

A piercing shriek rent the air. Prideth had emerged from her weyr. She reared up onto her hind legs, tail lashing ferociously. Beside her, Kylara stood with her golden hair gleaming almost as brightly as her dragon’s hide. Prideth called again, drawing all eyes to her. Dragons peered from their own weyrs. Lower Cavern workers poured out to watch from a safe distance as the queen looked this way and that, sniffing the air before spreading her wings wide and springing gracefully aloft. As she passed D’gar felt the unmistakeable shiver of dragonlust; not quite as intense as when your own dragon flew to mate but strong nevertheless.

‘Oh.’ H’rek was obviously feeling the same. ‘Is this what you meant about a gold flight?’

‘Mmm.’ Prideth had reached the feeding grounds, screaming as she scattered the bronzes and plucked a beast from the flock in a single, lethal move. As she sucked the blood from its throat, her colour intensified. Down in the Bowl, the bronze riders had surrounded Kylara, observing her in the same manner that their dragons regarded Prideth; attracted, yet not daring to get too close.

‘She looks so much in control,’ H’rek said, awe in his voice. ‘How can she do that?’

‘Some riders get less caught up in it than others, at least until the chase starts.’

Prideth killed a second beast; the bronzes staying at a good distance. One or two of them flew up to perch in disused weyr openings, watching her with intent. Waves of dragonlust radiated from her, rippling throughout the Weyr, touching everyone. Outside the dining cavern, people were starting to pair off, hurrying away to find a more private spot. D’gar reached for H’rek at the same moment he also decided they needed to get closer. He found himself pressed against Rioth as H’rek kissed him with mad urgency. There was another defiant shriek from Prideth. Although she was at the other end of the Bowl, it seemed to be sounding inside his head, so that he lost all sense of anything apart from want and need and touch. In his mind’s eye he still saw Prideth, glowing as if the sun itself had fallen from the sky, Kylara standing proud and aloof. Then a gleaming array of dragons above the Weyr, gold ascending and bronze in heated pursuit.