Gone Away, Gone Ahead - 33. Wingleader

Threadfall morning again. D’gar hadn’t slept well. His brain had refused to switch off and he’d spent most of the hours of darkness thinking through the various tactics that might be suitable for today’s Fall, depending on weather conditions. When the grey light of dawn started to filter under the curtain, it was a relief to know that the night was finally over.

His stomach was no worse than usual, thankfully. He’d have liked to just get a cup of klah served in his weyr, but R’feem had always insisted on the Wing having breakfast together prior to Threadfall and it wasn’t something he wanted to change. He dressed, noticing again the extra weight of the Wingleader’s knots on his shoulder. Later on, at some point, he’d have to surprise H’rek with the news. But first he’d need to attend all of those interminable post-Fall meetings R’feem always moaned about, so it would probably be much later than he’d normally manage to get away afterwards.

Herebeth was in a cheerful mood. We lead the Wing today. I am looking forward to it.

Me too. That wasn’t entirely a lie. He knew he was capable of doing a good job and that R’feem wouldn’t have handed over if he’d not had full confidence in his abilities. His main worry was about making mistakes that affected the rest of the Wing; of putting other riders and their dragons in unnecessary danger.

He got to the dining hall before most of the others. Not really surprising. The sun still wasn’t above the rim of the Bowl and Fall wasn’t due to start until mid-morning. Before that, he’d need to go to the Wingleaders’ meeting to find out all the latest information, then pass it on to his Wingseconds and decide how they were going to handle this one.

Drudges were just starting to bring out the breakfast dishes. The clatter of plates and the rumble of the wheels on their trollies echoed around the empty space. He waited until they’d finished before pouring a cup of klah with plenty of sweetener and filling a bowl with his usual porridge, which looked as unappetising as ever.

‘You’re up early.’ F’nor joined him, grabbing a couple of eggs and a few sweet rolls from the table.

He gave a quick smile. ‘Couldn’t sleep for thinking. Thought I might as well get breakfast while it wasn’t too busy.’

‘I heard the news. Congratulations.’

‘I’d rather R’feem hadn’t been injured.’

‘Of course. Still, only way a brown’s going to get a chance to lead a Wing, isn’t it?’

D’gar had almost forgotten those odd customs at Benden. ‘Not from our point of view, although I’d have probably had to wait until I was a lot older. Brown dragons can do most things as well as bronzes.’

‘Except catch a queen.’

‘Check your records and you’ll find they’ve even done that a few times over the Turns.’

‘Really? Is that so?’ He looked mildly surprised. ‘Not that I’d ever want to set Canth against Mnementh, though and I’d definitely discourage him from going after Prideth.’

‘I can see the reason for that.’

He grinned. ‘Mind if I join you to eat this.’

‘Fine, if you don’t mind sitting with us old timers.’ D’gar led the way to the usual table.

F’nor tucked in to his food. He must be one of those lucky folk whose appetite was unaffected by nerves. ‘Just thought I should warn you that some of the more hidebound traditionalists aren’t going to be too happy about your promotion, even if it is only temporary.’

‘I suspected as much. Still, nothing they can really do about it.’ He stirred his porridge and wondered if it he could face a spoonful. Maybe not yet.

‘You might do best not to annoy them. F’lar’s on your side, but he has enough trouble keeping them all in line that he doesn’t need any more aggravation.’

‘I understand that. I’m not planning on saying very much at any of the meetings, anyway. You can learn more by listening.’ He had a sip of klah. The warmth of it always helped settle his stomach.

‘True. By the way, how did Gr’lon get on with your lads yesterday?’

‘Pretty well. He’d not be a liability in Fall. Someone should give him a chance to prove it.’

‘We’ll try to find a space for him.’

‘Well, if you can’t, we certainly will.’

F’nor smiled. ‘Are you poaching our riders?’

‘I’d rather not see a good pair sit on the sidelines. He’s not keen on being sent south as his weyrmate’s based here.’ That reminded him of the other matter he wanted to discuss. ‘I heard some unsettling news about what’s going on in Southern that I think you should know about.’

‘Don’t tell me it’s Kylara again.’

‘Not her exactly, more who she’s taken up with. F’drun. Apparently he’s started pushing folk around and one of them is that young lad from your Wing, C’vash.’

F’nor raised an eyebrow. ‘How did you find this out?’

‘One of our wingriders came back yesterday and told me. It concerns me, too, as his weyrmate’s in my Wing.’ He wondered if he should tell F’nor any of the other information he’d found out about F’drun, but then some of the wingriders began to arrive and the moment passed. F’nor, having finished his own breakfast, refilled his klah, then left as the tables began to fill up.

D’gar ate his porridge mechanically, knowing that he should get some food inside his stomach; it was a good four hour Fall today and he’d need the energy.

B’lin came over to sit with him. ‘How’s it going?’

‘Not so badly, so far.’ He wondered if B’lin was feeling the same way as M’rell. ‘Listen, I hope you aren’t upset that R’feem chose me to lead while he’s out of action.’

‘Not in the slightest. Rather you than me. Not that I don’t think I could lead a Fall, it’s all the other stuff. Meetings and politics. Not really my cup of klah.’

‘Thanks. Think you could manage the admin for the time being?’ He didn’t really want to turn it over as he’d just got it nicely organised, but he recognised the need to delegate responsibility, if only to get some free time.

‘Sure. I’ll pick it up later, at our meeting.’

‘I’ll have Herebeth bespeak Ondiath when we’re ready.’ Absently, he wondered if the Wingleaders’ meetings were announced the same way, or if that was another way that Benden diverged from the normal practice.

Most of the Wing had already congratulated him the previous evening, so they got on with their breakfast. M’rell came down late - he’d had too much to drink the night before, which was normal for him - and took care to sit as far as possible from D’gar.

B’lin evidently noticed. ‘Your friend seems upset.’

‘He’s always wanted to be Wingsecond. He wasn’t entirely happy when I got the job rather than him and he likes it even less that I didn’t automatically promote him.’

‘I can see his point.’

‘Me too. But I needed someone with prior experience and V’vil is the only man who’s got that. I’ll have a word with M’rell later, try and talk it through.’

‘I take it you’ll put him in my section.’

D’gar nodded. ‘It’ll cause less friction that way.’ He realised that while he’d been talking, he’d managed to finish up his porridge and that it wasn’t sitting too uneasily on his stomach. He’d just got himself a refill of klah when Herebeth sent a message. Mnementh asks for you to be in the council room in ten minutes.

Tell him I have the message. Well, this was it. Time to face the Benden Wingleaders. As he was leaving, he passed R’feem in the doorway.

‘Just off to the meeting,’ he said.

R’feem nodded. ‘Sit with W’lir and try not to let them get to you. Most of them are fine, once you get used to their ways.’

D’gar made his way to the council room. It wouldn’t do to be late for his first meeting. F’lar was already there, as would be expected of the Weyrleader and two of the other Benden Wingleaders were just getting settled. He recognised S’lel and K’net. K’net gave him a quick smile, probably understanding how he must be feeling as the newest and youngest among them and gestured to the seat next to his.

D’gar sat down. ‘Thanks.’ He took a sip of klah, then studied the map that had been pinned up, showing the terrain they’d be covering today. It was almost the same area as the first Fall they’d fought after arriving at Benden. Hard to comprehend how much had happened since then.

A few more arrived, W’lir among them. He took the seat on D’gar’s other side and leaned close. ‘This shouldn’t take too long,’ he said quietly. ‘Looks fairly straightforward today. You’ll do fine.’

‘Let’s hope so.’ He didn’t want to fall into the mistake of being overconfident.

Once everyone was settled, F’lar spoke. ‘I’ve just had the first weather reports. Partial cloud over most of the area, although it’s fairly high and looks as if it might clear later. Winds are light and from a westerly direction. We’ll have an update closer to Fall, but it’s looking as if we’re not going to get wet this time around.’

There were a few chuckles around the table. ‘About time we had some decent weather this season,’ W’lir commented. ‘Don’t think my wherhide’s had a chance to dry out since we got here and Araeth says he’s never felt so well-washed.’

‘You’ll be pleased to hear that summer does get to Benden eventually,’ F’lar said lightly, evidently noting the black looks W’lir’s comments had provoked from some of his Wingleaders. ‘So, back to business. You’re on sweep duty today, S’lan. And K’net, your Wing’s on clean-up afterwards. I’m sure I don’t have to explain how vital it is not to let any burrows spread in the vineyards or I’ll have Lord Raid on my back again.’

‘So long as the lower levels don’t miss too much we should be fine,’ K’net commented. ‘Who’s flying which positions today?’

‘As you so rightly pointed out, the lower levels are the last line of defence, so I’m sure your Wing will do an excellent job there along with D’gar.’

R’gul gave a snort. ‘So we’re relying on an inexperienced brown rider to keep the vineyards intact.’

D’gar had intended to stay quiet at the meeting, but he couldn’t let the slight go. ‘I’ve fought Thread for five Turns. How many Falls have you ridden?’ It was an indubitable truth. Beside him, W’lir nodded and made an approving noise.

‘Thank you, R’gul. I’m glad you drew our attention to the fact we’ve a new Wingleader present today. I’m sure you’ll all give D’gar your full support and remember that although leading a Wing may be new to him, fighting Thread certainly isn’t. R’feem is fully confident in his ability and that’s good enough for me.’

R’gul subsided with a low mutter to his neighbour, S’lan. D’gar forced himself to appear unconcerned as the briefing continued. As W’lir had surmised, it didn’t go on for too long and at the end of it he had a clear picture of today’s tactics and his Wing’s role. On the way out, he called for Herebeth and returned to his weyr, asking his dragon to call for Ondiath and Bitath’s riders to join him there shortly.

B’lin and V’vil soon arrived and between them, they worked out the positions of the dragons within the formation and the shift order for the blues and greens.

‘Just the Queens’ Wing below us today, so let’s not give them too much work,’ D’gar told them. ‘The Weyrleader’s rightly concerned about burrows in the vineyards and we’re all partial to a drop of Benden white, so it’s in our interest to keep as much as we can from getting through.’

‘I’ll drink to that,’ B’lin quipped. He seemed in a good mood this morning.

‘Right then. If you want to form the Wing up and get them started chewing firestone, I’ll be with you shortly.’

B’lin left first on Ondiath. As V’vil waited for Bitath to land he said, ‘I appreciate you giving the job to me. Most folk would favour someone from their own Weyr.’

‘R’feem’s never done that and I’m not about to start. Besides, you’ve the experience.’ It hadn’t been V’vil’s fault he was demoted, just another example of F’drun’s bad attitude.

Once they’d gone, he sat for a few minutes to get his thoughts together, then set to gathering all that he needed for Fall. Only after he’d got the fighting straps on Herebeth and checked them for the second time, did he realise he’d been kept so busy this morning he’d not had time to feel sick. Well, that had to be a good thing.

Are we ready?

I reckon so. He mounted up and let Herebeth glide down to the Bowl, where the Wing - his Wing! - were assembling. Selecting a couple of sacks, he fed Herebeth several chunks and while he was working his way through them, took a walk round to check that all the dragons and riders were fit and ready to fight.

M’rell was still glowering so D’gar took the opportunity to take him to one side. ‘Just thought we should have a talk before Fall.’

‘What about? You obviously didn’t think I was good enough…’

‘No, that’s not it at all. I’m sure you’d be able to do the job, given some training, but V’vil’s done it before. I’m new to this, so I wanted two fully experienced Wingseconds there to support me.’

‘You could have said something to me beforehand.’ He sounded hurt.

‘I should have done. I’m sorry.’ There hadn’t really been time, but apologising never did any harm. ‘Don’t take it personally. I still think you and Toth are one of the best pairs in the Wing.’

M’rell didn’t say anything to that, although he looked slightly less sullen.

D’gar knew him well enough to lay the praise on more thickly. ‘I’m really glad you came back when you did. Let’s get up there and show these Benden riders how to fight Thread. All right?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Fly well.’ It was the traditional pre-Fall saying.

‘You too.’

Feeling slightly more happy that M’rell understood his reasons, he gave Herebeth more firestone and secured the sacks to his straps. All around the Bowl now, dragons of all colours were forming up. Their sense of anticipation to meet their old enemy fed through, as always to the riders. He watched his wing mates go through their habitual routines; T’garrin’s walk around his dragon, V’chal leaning against Lilith’s right foreleg as he surveyed the riders around him and worked out who he would be bedding later. D’gar caught his eye and looked away quickly before he got the wrong idea.

‘All good?’

He turned to see R’feem. ‘I reckon so.’

‘Piroth and I are on support duty today. Not much I can do to help, but at least he’ll do his bit if it’s needed.’

Herebeth crunched his way through a large piece of stone beside them. ‘J’rud said they’d got him fetching and carrying, so at least he’ll be able to lend a hand. T’sum’s a good sort, too. His dragon’s recovering from a bad wing score.’

R’feem nodded. ‘Well, I’ll see you later. Fly well. I know you’ll do us proud.’ He gave D’gar his customary pat on the shoulder and strolled off toward the infirmary.

Is everyone nearly ready, he asked Herebeth.

I shall find out.

F’lar was helping Lessa to mount Ramoth. She looked shaky, D’gar thought, watching them for a short while. Hopefully nothing serious, although everyone was ill now and then and it had to be fairly bad for someone to miss Fall. Around her a motley assortment of recuperating dragons and riders made up a small Queens’ Wing. All of the youngsters still at Benden were on firestone duties, together with many of the riders whose dragons were unable to fight due to injury.

We are ready to fly, Herebeth responded.

Good. Then tell the riders to mount up and their dragons to assume take-off position. He climbed on board himself, fastening and checking the straps again before pulling on his gloves. To their left, S’lel’s Wing was preparing to fly. He signalled to S’lel, letting them go first. The downdraught from their wings stirred the air and sent tiny flurries of dust up from the landing area. Looks like the ground really is starting to dry up, he thought, as Herebeth relayed his instructions and he gave the signal for the Wing to ascend.

The came out of between in almost perfect formation. Below them stretched the seemingly endless lines of grapevines, the newly emerged leaves almost the exact same colour as Rioth’s hide. A group of men on ground crew duty stood outside their stone shelter, shielding their eyes against the sun as the dragons flew overhead. As predicted, the cloud had thinned and patches of blue sky were visible. The wind was light enough not to affect even the smaller dragons. All in all, you couldn’t wish for a better day to fight Thread.

Piyanth’s rider asks if we start on the southern edge of Fall.

Tell him yes. It had already been sorted out at the meeting, but there was no harm in double checking. Formations as agreed, given that weather’s looking fine. Ask Ondiath and Bitath to be ready to move into fighting formation. He scanned the north-eastern sky for the first signs of leading edge, although it was probably a little early yet. They always arrived at the Fall area in good time; even with F’lar’s maps, Fall sometimes began slightly earlier - or later - than predicted. Maybe it was something to do with the weather conditions far above the height a dragon could fly, he mused. While they waited, they flew the usual pattern, ensuring they would be in the right place when Thread was sighted. As they did, he watched the dragons in the Wing, noting how each were flying. It was clear enough today that he could see everyone. At the far end of the left hand chevron, Bitath’s bronze hide gleamed in the sun.

Sweep dragons report first sight of leading edge. It is patchy, they say.

Another mystery; why Thread sometimes fell evenly like rain, other times as clumps or in long filaments. Patchy Thread usually meant less of it, but the irregular nature meant dragons had to move in and out of formation more frequently and they would need to keep up a dialogue with those to either side to ensure everyone knew exactly who was taking which patch. Inform Ondiath and Bitath please and ask them to pass it on to their sections. He made a final check of his straps, tightening them fully so that no matter what aerobatic moves Herebeth pulled, he wouldn’t slip. Fighting formations on my signal. He checked either side, then gave the sign at the same time Herebeth issued the command. The Wing re-formed smoothly in just a few seconds. Even the two Benden dragons kept their positions perfectly. Part of his mind hoped that R’gul had been watching.

I see Thread. Herebeth’s eyes picked it out before he did. Then came Mnementh’s roar and the first flames high in the sky as another Fall began.

This Fall was definitely patchy, with plenty of clear space between each tangle of silvery Threads. However, most of the tangles were so large that a blue or green alone couldn’t flame the whole lot in one breath. It soon became obvious that the dragons in the sky above them were struggling, as several partially charred yet still viable bunches began to find their way through.

They cannot clear it efficiently, Herebeth said. This is not working well.

What else can we do? D’gar suddenly remembered he’d seen Thread fall like this before. It had been just a Turn or so after he’d joined R’feem’s Wing and he remembered how the Wingleader had dealt with the situation. You paired a blue or green with a brown or bronze and where you ran out of pairs due to having less browns and bronzes, you put what blues or greens were left together so they didn’t have to try and attack the tangles alone. He quickly ran through the permutations in his head, while Herebeth shrivelled one of the larger bunches with his fiery breath, then had him send the relevant information to the Wingseconds.

They hear us, Herebeth reported. They have both seen Fall like this before as well and know what you intend. They instruct their sections to pair up now.

Can you explain it to Piyanth too? And Mnementh. The Weyrleader’s dragon could then pass it through to the other Wingleaders.

I will try to explain.

He suddenly had a better idea. Lessa was one of those rare Weyrwomen who could hear all dragons, he’d been told. If Herebeth spoke directly to her, the information would be passed on far more swiftly and be less open to misunderstanding. Plus, the hidebound old fools would be more likely to comply with a Weyrwoman’s instructions. Scrap that. Tell it direct to Lessa.

He watched as his Wing re-formed itself. Inevitably, during the shuffle, some Thread got through. Couldn’t be helped. Some of the dragons in the Queens’ Wing were already pairing up, meaning Lessa must have got the message and they went between to intercept the falling bundles before they reached the ground.

Ramoth tells me to tell you Lessa has understood and that she thanks you.

From the Wingleader’s position, he had a clear picture of how well the dragons were coping. Messages were flashing to and fro, relayed by the Wingleaders’ and Wingseconds’ dragons. Within a few minutes, all of the Wings had re-structured themselves and were managing this unusual Fall far more effectively.

Herebeth paired up with Zath and they fought together through the first part of Fall. By the time it came to swap out, all of the replacements knew exactly what they were meant to be doing and which dragons they would be paired with. The shift change went very smoothly, all in all.

During the second half, he was with Lilith. They worked even better as a team. D’gar mentioned it to his dragon.

I like Lilith, he said. She is a very nimble green.

Lilith seemed almost flirtatious at times, when the dragons weren’t occupied with flaming Thread. D’gar found himself hoping fervently that Herebeth wouldn’t take it into his head to chase her the next time she rose.

Time had no meaning when you were busy fighting Thread. D’gar was only aware of its passing by the change in the sun’s position and his aching muscles. Eventually, the vineyards ended and after some twenty minutes of flying above rough grazing land, they finally reached the mountains, where Thread could continue to fall unhindered until the Fall ended. Herebeth called the dragons back to their standard formation and they returned to the Weyr, grubby and tired from their exertions.

Back on the ground, he made his usual checks, in case Herebeth had been scored and not felt the pain in the heat of the action. Then he went round the Wing, making sure everyone else was fine.

‘I’ve not seen a Fall like that for a couple of Turns,’ V’vil said. ‘Last time was over Pars Hold around forty-seven, I think.’

‘Yeah, we had a couple like that as well,’ B’lin said. ‘Difficult in some ways, but did you notice, there were a lot less injuries.’

D’gar hadn’t - he’d other things on his mind - but now that B’lin mentioned it he could see there were far fewer dragons than normal waiting for treatment over by the infirmary. ‘Must be due to the big bunches. Much easier to see and avoid.’ He carried on making his way round.

M’rell certainly seemed in a better mood. ‘That was well done,’ he said. ‘I don’t reckon R’feem could have changed us around any quicker.’

‘Thanks. Are you both fine?’

‘Tired. Think we got a bit out of shape, lounging around down south.’ He slapped Toth’s shoulder. ‘He’ll soon get into it again.’

V’chal was removing Lilith’s straps. He smiled broadly as D’gar approached. ‘Lilith thinks Herebeth’s a fine dragon, she just told me. You’re not so bad either.’

‘You fought well,’ D’gar said, trying to keep it professional.

V’chal threw one of the loops around his shoulders and pulled him in for a kiss. ‘There’s more than this for you later, if you’re interested,’ he whispered as he nuzzled D’gar’s neck. ‘I like it when you’re in charge.’

D’gar smiled back. ‘Better not, tempting though it is. H’rek wouldn’t be happy.’ He extricated himself from V’chal’s embrace just as R’feem turned up.

‘Well, I never got that sort of appreciation,’ the Wingleader commented. ‘I’m deeply hurt.’

‘Never know,’ V’chal winked at him. ‘Your luck might be in next time.’

‘What happened up there?’ he asked. ‘Not many injuries today, I noticed.’

‘It was a patchy Fall. Like that one we had over Hold Gar a while back.’

He nodded. ‘So you got them to pair up?’

‘Yes. I remembered how you’d fought it last time.’

‘Well done.’ He patted D’gar on the shoulder, as was his way. ‘Knew I could rely on you.’