Threadfall - 32. The Same But Different

‘Care to make a bet on the winner of Luduth’s first mating flight at Fort Weyr?’ T’garrin sat along the bench, boots off because of the heat. His slate lay on the table beside him.

J’rud had already got himself a klah and sprawled opposite. ‘Hear that?’ he said to D’gar. ‘I got the same greeting just now. No, “nice to see you”. Or “how’s it been?”’ He caught sight of D’gar’s face. ‘Everything all right?’

‘No, not really. I need a klah.’ Actually, he could do with something stronger but it was only just past breakfast and that wasn’t a good habit to be getting into. He went over to the kettle and was immediately grabbed by Agarra, who’d been waiting by the kitchen door. ‘Look at you. All pale and thin.’ She pulled him into a genuinely welcoming hug. ‘Didn’t they feed you properly at Telgar?’

‘Not at first.’

J’rud joined them. ‘And even when we did get enough food, it wasn’t a patch on the cooking here.’

‘What did I tell you.’ Agarra beamed. ‘You get yourself settled and I’ll bring you a little treat over.’

‘Mum…’ It was no use protesting.

‘You too,’ she said to J’rud. ‘Redfruit tarts, isn’t it?’

‘Please.’ J’rud led him back to ‘C’ Wing’s table and found a place slightly further from T’garrin. He wouldn’t think it rude; he was already talking to a couple of riders from ‘G’ Wing who’d come over to place a bet. ‘So, what’s happened?’ he asked, once they were settled.

’S’brin’s been sharing our weyr with M’rell. I just lost my temper with him down by the feeding grounds. Herebeth ripped a live wherry in half.’

J’rud winced. ‘Nasty.’

‘The thing is, I don’t blame M’rell. He was a mess when we left. He needed someone to help him through that. But after Toth flew Zemianth…’

J’rud’s eyes widened. ‘Oh! When you said “sharing a weyr”, I didn’t think you meant sharing…like that. Anyway, I always thought M’rell didn’t fly that way.’

‘That’s what I thought, too.’ M’rell wasn’t his usual self at the moment. Being with S’brin probably felt safe. No strings friendship, with sex and booze thrown in. ‘P’rin was right.’

‘Eh?’

‘Back at Telgar. The day I told you it was over. He said I was a fool.’

J’rud didn’t reply, but he reached out to cover D’gar’s hand with his own. ‘You aren’t. You’re a good man.’

‘Thanks.’ D’gar stared into his klah. ‘I never thought S’brin would do something like that. I mean, mating flights are fair game. And I’m glad he’s been looking after M’rell. But…’

‘I’m sorry to say this, but in many ways S’brin is a typical green rider. He’s impulsive. And although I’m sure he loves you, it doesn’t mean he’s not going to have sex with someone else if the opportunity arises.’

J’rud was probably right. One of the main differences between Hold and Weyr was that generally, weyrfolk didn’t stick to one partner throughout their life. Take his own mother, for example. Her behaviour would be considered scandalous in a Hold. However, when couples decided to become weyrmates, it usually meant they agreed to remain faithful to that one person, for as long as both were comfortable with the arrangement. Apart from mating flights, of course. ‘Am I being unreasonable, do you think?’

‘No. Not at all. I reckon I’d feel the same. But then, I’m not a typical green rider.’ J’rud entwined his fingers with D’gar’s. It felt comfortable and somehow reassuring. ‘So, what did he say?’

‘Not a great deal. Oh, he did say “sorry”. Then I said I’d get my stuff and leave them to it. I’ll go and ask Naraina if there’s a spare weyr for me and Herebeth a bit later.’

J’rud picked up on that right away. ‘No need for that. Herebeth and Zurinth get on fine and so do we. You can share our weyr.’

‘I’m not intending to leave S’brin, you know.’ He thought it fair to warn J’rud it wouldn’t be a permanent arrangement.

‘I understand. Although it might be for longer than you think. You’ve probably lost count, but Zurinth’s due to rise again in around two sevendays. Maybe sooner now she’ll be getting some sun on her hide again.’

That meant Zemianth was almost due as well. Perhaps this situation would last for more than just a few days? Well, if it did, it did. He wasn’t going to worry himself about it. Not this time.

After Agarra had brought them several delicious looking cakes and pastries, J’rud helped him move his things. They sat and ate at the table in his weyr, then D’gar helped J’rud re-hang the tapestries he’d taken with him to Telgar. Herebeth joined Zurinth at some point, having eaten his fill, too.

The wherries taste better here, he said, sleepily.

So do the cakes.

J’rud beamed as he looked around his weyr. ‘Home at last. Hopefully we won’t get seconded again for a long time.’

‘If ever. Once the Pass ends there shouldn’t be any need.’ D’gar leaned back in the chair and shut his eyes. It was still a few hours before lunch. Maybe he and J’rud could find a way to pass the time? He was sure J’rud wouldn’t be averse.

Piroth’s rider would like to see you in his weyr. As soon as possible, he said. Herebeth sounded grumpy. Well, he’d been dozing off.

‘Shells!’ D’gar swore. ‘Why now?’

‘What is it?’ J’rud asked.

‘R’feem wants to see me. Think he’s had word of what happened at Telgar?’

‘It wasn’t your fault,’ J’rud said. ‘Someone had to do something.’

‘Could you, er, drop me off? Herebeth’s sleeping off his meal.’

‘Of course. And if you need any backup, you know where I am.’

He slid off Zurinth on R’feem’s weyr ledge. This wasn’t at all how he’d envisioned spending his first morning back at Fort Weyr. He knocked and waited for R’feem to call him through to the main room.

R’feem looked up as he pushed aside the curtain. D’gar stood in front of the table, feeling much as he’d used to when summoned to see N’teren.

‘Sit down, lad. No need to be formal.’

It didn’t sound as if he was angry. D’gar sat and waited.

‘Seems like you had an eventful time at Telgar,’ R’feem said.

D’gar couldn’t deny it. ‘Well, yes.’

‘I’ve chatted with some of those who returned earlier. Everyone’s been saying what a good job you did.’

‘Really?’ He wondered if that included T’mudra.

‘Yes. Don’t sound so surprised. I’ve told you before not to underestimate yourself.’

‘You’re not… annoyed?’

‘Why should I be? Things were wrong. You got the riders organised. Showed good leadership skills. That’s what secondment’s about, although not usually in such an extreme manner.’ R’feem steepled his hands. ‘Anyway, that’s done now. I’m not sure if you’ve heard yet, but we’ve had some changes in the Wing.’

‘Aren and A’kindry gone. Plus some new wingmates.’

‘Yes. I wish the Weyrleader could have left A’ren with me at least until you got back. We were a brown pair down already, plus I’d intended him to supervise them as you’d gone off. And M’rell was in no fit state…’

‘He seems better now. I saw him at the feeding grounds. With S’brin…’ He tailed off.

‘So you know about that as well?’

D’gar nodded.

‘What can I say?’

‘Nothing. Still, at least M’rell seems to be coping with his loss.’

‘And you?’ R’feem looked at him keenly.

‘We’re staying with J’rud for the time being. Herebeth flew Zurinth while we were away.’

‘Good, good. You could do worse than J’rud. Very sensible, for a green.’

‘It’s not going to be permanent.’ D’gar thought he should point that out. ‘I didn’t want S’brin to abandon M’rell right away. Not after what he’s been through.’

R’feem raised his eyebrows. ‘Some wouldn’t be as forgiving.’

‘Well, I am. S’brin’s my weyrmate, after all.’

‘Hmm.’ He paused for a moment. ‘So, we have a couple of new pairs, as I said. A bronze and a blue. We’ll need another green, too, but they’re in short supply at the moment. I’grast and N’dru have been teaching them up until now and they aren’t doing badly, but I think P’ton could do with a friend closer to his own age. He’s almost as quiet as A’ren.’

‘He’s the bronze?’

R’feem nodded. ‘Neither of them have quite reached full growth yet, although I reckon he’ll be a useful addition to the Wing with some experience behind him. I think you’ll get on. If there’s a complete opposite to G’dol, he’s it. Anyway, you’ll meet him at lunch.’

‘Fine. When’s the next Fall? I’ve lost track.’

‘Two days. Maybe you could take him flying tomorrow?’

‘All right.’ D’gar wondered if there was anything else the Wingleader wanted.

‘Is it true?’ he asked. ‘That food was rationed when you first got there? I wondered if some exaggeration had gone on.’

‘No, it’s quite true. Both for us and the dragons. Firestone too. It made our job more difficult and dangerous.’

‘Well, good job someone spoke up. I’m glad to have you back with us safe and sound.’ R’feem smiled. ‘Now, get off and have a rest. Or whatever it was you were about to do when I disturbed you.’

He and J’rud almost missed lunch. They’d become so used to hearing the gong at Telgar they forgot it didn’t happen here at Fort. By the time they arrived, most of the Wing were there and some were already eating their puddings. J’rud put an arm around his shoulders as they walked in, presumably for S’brin’s benefit. D’gar found his usual place taken by P’ton, so he went to the other side, where A’ren used to sit. ‘Shove up,’ he told M’ta, making room for J’rud as well.

‘Nice to see you back,’ M’ta said. ‘Looks like there’ve been a few changes with you, too.’ He nodded towards J’rud.

‘Some.’

T’garrin leaned across. ‘Didn’t get much chance to speak earlier. Fancy a gamble on who’s going to catch Luduth?’

‘Is she about to rise soon?’

‘Looks like. The bronzes are getting interested, anyway. Margatta isn’t giving much away but everyone thinks it might be in the next sevenday or so.’

‘Give me a couple of days until I get up to date with the gossip. Then I’ll have more chance of guessing correctly.’ D’gar glanced across to P’ton. ‘I don’t think we’ve met,’ he said. ‘D’gar, of brown Herebeth.’

P’ton gave a shy smile. ‘I’ve heard about you,’ he said, very quietly.

‘All good, I hope. I was wondering if you’d like to fly with us tomorrow. Herebeth and I could do with familiarising ourselves with the territory again.’

‘If it’s not too much trouble.’

‘Not at all.’

‘Come and get your food.’ J’rud nudged him. ‘While there’s still some left.’

‘This isn’t Telgar. Always plenty to eat at Fort.’ But he went up, returning with a hearty plate of herdbeast pie and vegetables that hadn’t been cooked to a mush.

‘I hear they starved you all,’ N’rir said, forcing him to tell the story again in between mouthfuls.

‘Not totally. But our Wing was the last on the dining roster, so we had nothing but the leftovers.’

N’rir made a face. ‘And why were you last?’

‘That was down to the point system. Basically, at the beginning of each sevenday, every Wing started with a certain number of points. Various factors led to losing those points; green dragons killing a herdbeast and not eating it all, injuries, amount of firestone used…’

‘When us greens and blues started a shift mid-Fall, they checked and weighed the firestone before we could leave the Weyr. It caused unnecessary delays,’ J’rud added. ‘Sometimes the browns and bronzes were left on their own for far too long.’

‘Madness,’ N’rir said. ‘You must have let a lot of Thread through.’

D’gar nodded. ‘Then you lost points for that as well. At the end of each week they worked out the total points and if your Wing was lowest, you got to eat last. It was a crazy system.’

‘D’gar confronted the Wingleader about it,’ J’rud stated proudly. ‘Asked him all kinds of difficult questions. Very politely, mind. Then, after that first Fall everyone ended up telling their problems to him and he got it all organised. Went to see the Weyrleader and everything.’

‘It wasn’t just me.’ D’gar didn’t like J’rud making out he was the lone hero, like in a ballad. ‘Five of us, one from each Weyr, went along and put our observations and thoughts forward. That led to all of us seconded riders being excluded from the system. We could eat what we wanted and so could our dragons. We weren’t rationed firestone any more. It made a huge difference to performance. But, of course, it highlighted the faults with the system. So R’mart decided to pick two Wings and exempt them, same as us, then assess their performance over four Falls.’ He stopped for a breath and J’rud picked up right away.

‘Which naturally proved D’gar was right. The Weyrwoman wasn’t so keen on ending it, but it was either that or have a rebellion on her hands. So they scrapped it, there and then.’

‘It would probably have been scrapped sooner or later anyway,’ D’gar added. ‘Just having us there complaining made them realise the pointlessness of the system.’

J’rud laughed. ‘Pointlessness! That’s good. No more points. Telgar’s a better place now.’

‘I’m impressed,’ M’ta said. ‘Don’t know if I’d have fancied taking on an entire Weyr.’

‘They needed our help,’ D’gar told him. ‘If we’d have all gone straight back to our own Weyrs they’d have been stuck. So we had a lot of bargaining power.’

‘Well done,’ N’rir said. ‘Mind you, I’m not surprised. If anyone was going to achieve something like that, it’d be you.’

‘You see,’ J’rud told him afterwards. ‘Everyone thinks you did a great job. Don’t underestimate yourself.’

‘R’feem said much the same.’

‘There you go, then.’

It felt strange being back at Fort, but not back in his own weyr. He lay awake thinking about his less than ideal homecoming, wondering how long it would be before life went back to normal. If, indeed, it ever would. There was no way M’rell and S’brin would become weyrmates. Once M’rell was over his understandable grief, his natural inclinations would reassert themselves. Unless, of course, he’d now discovered he was like R’feem, who didn’t mind which way he flew.

Then, what if S’brin decided he preferred not having a weyrmate at all? He could spend more time with the crazy greens…

‘I can almost hear your brain working,’ J’rud said, turning toward him. ‘Planning on overthrowing T’ron next?’

‘No. There’s nothing wrong with the way Fort Weyr’s being run.’

‘So, what is it?’

‘Thinking about S’brin,’ he admitted. ‘Wondering if he’ll still be my weyrmate after all this.’

J’rud sighed. ‘Look, I know you two have been together for Turns, but sometimes relationships that start early don’t always last as people grow up.’

‘If I had a mark for every time someone’s said that to me, I’d be richer than you.’

‘You love him.’ J’rud sounded sad as he admitted the fact.

‘Yes, I do. I can’t help it.’ He didn’t want to seem uncaring and he hoped J’rud could understand. ‘But that doesn’t mean I don’t have feelings for you as well. It’s just… different.’ Was it even possible to love two people at the same time?

‘It’s all right,’ J’rud said. ‘You don’t have to try and explain everything. But you should try and get some sleep. You’ve got to take that bronze pair flying tomorrow and I bet R’feem will find other stuff for you to do as well. Next thing, he’ll have you shadowing N’rir or I’grast, like A’ren used to.’

‘Seniority wise, it should be M’rell.’

‘Yes, but can you really see him organising anything? Sometimes he’s almost as scatty as a green.’

D’gar thought J’rud was going a bit far there. ‘I don’t want to tread on anyone’s toes.’

‘Says the man who persuaded a Weyrleader to change his mind. You are far too modest.’

The next morning, both he and J’rud woke early, still attuned to Telgar time. There was no point in trying to sleep again, so they put the spare hours to good use and even then arrived for breakfast on the early side.

He told P’ton to meet him mid-morning, so they both had time to let their food settle. He intended to fully test the bronze and his rider and it wouldn’t look good if the instructor ended up puking. As he waited for Herebeth, M’rell hurried over, alone. ‘Hey, D’gar. We should talk.’

‘What about?’

‘I don’t want you to think the worst of me. Well, any worse than you do already.’

‘I don’t think badly of you. You were grieving. S’brin offered a shoulder to cry on, with benefits.’

‘Don’t you mind? You were angry at the feeding grounds. I’ve never seen you lose your temper like that.’

D’gar sighed. ‘Of course I mind. I wanted to come back and find everything just the same as it had been when I left. Not someone else moved in with my weyrmate.'

‘We thought you’d be away six months. That’s how long secondments are usually. We thought it would be over by then.’

M’rell was sometimes too honest for his own good. Just like S’brin, he didn’t always think before speaking. ‘And you really think I wouldn’t have found out, one way or another? You can’t keep secrets in a Weyr. Anyway, Zemianth actually seems to like Toth. He might even fly her next time, if she doesn’t decide to pick a bronze again.’

M’rell shook his head. ‘I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I’ve done enough of that already.’

D’gar shrugged, then started to climb up onto Herebeth. ‘It’s not your fault,’ he said, as he reached the neck ridge. There wasn’t anything more he could say, really. M’rell stepped back as Herebeth leaped aloft. During the short flight up to J’rud’s weyr, he considered the fact that last summer, when he and S’brin had that stupid argument, he’d been far more affected by it all.

You did not have Zurinth’s rider then, Herebeth contributed. He makes you happy as Zurinth makes me happy. What is the problem?

What was the problem? A lot of riders became weyrmates each Turn and almost as many split up. It wasn’t a permanent thing, like Holders getting married and then being forced to stay with that person for the rest of their life. As Zalna would have been, if she’d not been Searched, or that girl who’d trekked all the way from Ruatha. It was just he wasn’t ready to give up on a relationship which, most of the time, was everything he wanted. S’brin had made a real effort to control his proddiness since they’d got back together last Turn. If D’gar hadn’t been sent to Telgar, everything would have been fine. They’d have both given M’rell the support he’d needed. Sure, Toth might still have flown Zemianth (and Herebeth would almost certainly have flown Zurinth) but none of these other complications would have arisen.

Back in the weyr, he checked over Herebeth’s fighting straps as they would be getting some heavy use later. The strain from the weight of firestone sacks and the manoeuvres they pulled during Fall meant the leather needed to be replaced regularly. He’d have to make sure P’ton was aware of the necessity of checking before every flight. Your life might depend on the strength of those straps.

We’re flying with a young bronze this morning. Be ready to show him what we can do.

P’ton looked nervous when they flew to meet him. D’gar had left his jacket undone for the time being, as it was becoming hot already. Once they were high above the Weyr, the temperatures would soon fall, though.

‘Have you checked…’ D’gar realised he didn’t know the dragon’s name.

Charinth, Herebeth supplied.

‘Charinth’s straps.’

‘After the last Fall, I did.’

‘Well, check them again. Check every single time you’re about to fly. Now you’re in a Wing, there’s no Weyrlingmaster carrying out inspections. Every man is in charge of his own safety.’

‘Right.’

D’gar watched as the tall youth went round his dragon. He was certainly thorough. ‘Everything’s fine,’ he said at last.

‘Good. Now you’ve already flown a few Falls with the Wing, haven’t you?’

‘Six so far.’

‘Shadowing one of the Wingseconds, I expect.’

‘I’grast took me up a few times. I never expected it to be so confusing. You need to look everywhere at once.’

D’gar remembered his own experiences just after joining the Wing. ‘You’ll get used to it. In a couple of months, it will mostly become second nature. Just trust your dragon. He was hatched to do this.’

‘I just…’ P’ton scuffed his boot in the dust. ‘Don’t feel as if we’re much use to anyone right now. One of the greens yelled at me for getting in his way last Fall.’

‘Oh, they will. I had the same a few times. Look, don’t worry too much about it. Some of the older riders have forgotten how it is when you first join a Wing. That’s why R’feem asked me to give you a few pointers. I can still remember what it was like.’

They mounted their dragons and ascended above the Weyr. D’gar fastened his jacket and pulled his straps a notch tighter, as he would before Fall. He started off with some easy, gentle moves, being sure to take into account the bronze’s larger wingspan. P’ton followed instructions well and the pair flew with a good degree of precision. Tell Charinth we will now try some more difficult manoeuvres.

Herebeth passed on the message and then they started to really fly. D’gar almost whooped with joy. They hadn’t done much of this purely aerobatic flying while at Telgar and he’d almost forgotten the exhilaration of it. Charinth matched Herebeth as well as he could, although there were some moves he didn’t expect the bronze to be able to follow. Then, so P’ton didn’t feel disheartened, he put in some others Herebeth found hard, but the bronze, with his superior power, managed easily. They came to rest on a plateau, high in the Fort mountain range, while the dragons recovered from their exertions.

‘Well done,’ D’gar said. ‘Very tidy flying.’

P’ton beamed. ‘You really think so?’

‘I wouldn’t say that if I didn’t.’

‘Only, M’nan was always saying we were clumsy…’

D’gar cursed inwardly. ‘It’s common for bronze dragons to be clumsy until they reach their full growth. Don’t worry about it.’

‘I don’t think he liked us much,’ P’ton said glumly. ‘He was always finding fault and putting me on extra duties.’

‘Let me guess. The midden?’

P’ton nodded.

‘Same here. M’nan was only assistant then, but he was just getting a feel for power. R’feem told me N’teren advised him against picking me. S’brin too. But he liked the way we flew. Must have been the same for you, too.’

’S’brin? Oh, he’s the one who’s with that other brown rider. I can’t recall his name, but Toth’s his dragon. Were you in the same clutch, then?

’S’brin and I were. M’rell’s Toth was from the one before.’ He didn’t bother to correct P’ton’s misconception. ‘Anyway, just carry on doing what you’re doing. In another month or so, you’ll find Fall much less confusing.’

P’ton was fairly talkative when they got back, telling stories of his clutchmates and some of the events in the barracks. He was in the midst of asking about mating flights when J’rud turned up and went to get himself a mug of klah, fetching D’gar a refill too.

‘Is that your weyrmate?’

‘Not exactly. But Herebeth flew Zurinth last time.’

‘Charinth hasn’t been interested enough to chase anyone yet.’

‘He will, sooner or later. It’ll take you by surprise, most probably.’

‘I’m hoping it won’t be when Luduth rises.’

J’rud returned at this point. ‘Bronzes usually have a few practice runs with greens first before they’ll chase a queen.’

‘It’s not always the case, though.’ D’gar took the mug. ‘Gold flights are less common, so it’s more likely they’ll get the opportunity to chase a green first. But you never know.’

‘I’m just hoping Zurinth picks her moment before Luduth goes off.’ J’rud sat next to D’gar. ‘Don’t really want to end up in one of those mass flights.’

D’gar hadn’t even really thought about it. ‘Shells! Think she might?’

‘It all depends on Luduth. Once she’s a few days off rising, the greens will know.’

‘“Gold ascending, greens must wait, for the queen to choose her mate.”’ P’ton quoted. ‘No one told me why it happens, though.’

J’rud nudged D’gar. ‘Bet he was another one like you, always asking questions.’ He turned to P’ton. ‘Golds are top of the tree. They want their pick of the bronzes. If a green rose beforehand, some of them might chase her instead. So the queen’s mating lust suppresses them. At the same time, it brings a few more greens forward by a couple of days. As soon as the queen’s caught, they all take off together. Some of the losing bronzes get a consolation prize, catching one of the greens instead.’

‘The Wingleaders hate it,’ D’gar added. ‘With so many dragons in the air at once there are often injuries.’

‘Most green riders aren’t too fond of it, either. It’s not just the dragons who sometimes get hurt.’

P’ton looked worried. ‘So, how will I know if Charinth’s going to chase?’

‘Unfortunately, the first couple of times, you probably won’t. He’ll make up his mind on the spur of the moment. Just as a pointer, though, Herebeth used to start looking at green dragons and telling me he liked them before he chased them. Charinth might do the same.’

P’ton looked glum. ‘I saw it happen to some of my clutchmates. We had to practically carry one or two of them to the flight cave. They couldn’t even walk.’

‘It can get you like that,’ J’rud agreed. ‘Everyone has to go through it. It’s part of having a dragon. Best not to worry too much.’ He sipped his klah. ‘Want to hear some gossip?’

‘Go on, then.’

‘Apparently Z’los has got very cosy with Margatta while we were away.’

‘And she’s not thrown anything at him yet?’

‘No. She obviously doesn’t know him well enough. But she’s also been favouring Sh’viel. Now, both of their dragons are experienced bronzes, so I reckon it’s going to be between those two.’

P’ton looked interested. ‘Does that really work? Riders having an influence over what dragons do?’

‘Sometimes,’ J’rud said. ‘Although, things can go wrong in a mating flight. The queen - and her rider - might favour a certain bronze, but then he’ll get outmanoeuvred by another one. Zurinth likes Herebeth and wants him to catch her. I’m not averse to being caught by his rider…’ He leaned against D’gar. ‘But if there are a lot of other dragons involved, then it might not happen. Just one of those things.’

D’gar rode his first Fall back at Fort with no issues. He’d asked R’feem about pairing with Zurinth and R’feem was happy to comply. He was sensible enough to recognise that when a pair of dragons liked each other, they usually did a good job of fighting together.

He’d thought S’brin might try to speak to him when they left the baths afterwards. He’d definitely been looking over a few times. But he didn’t, just trudged off with none of his usual post-Fall exuberance.

Before their meeting, T’garrin was taking more bets. It was looking very likely that Luduth would rise before the next Fall.

‘Just what we need,’ R’feem said. ‘I’m taking Piroth out for the day when it happens. It’s not worth the risk. Besides, he caught a green four months ago, so it’s not as if he’s particularly interested.’

I’grast agreed. ‘I’ll join you, then.’

D’gar wondered if Tiriorth had ever chased a gold. Some bronzes just didn’t and I’grast made no bones about his own preferences for male bed partners. ‘If Zurinth’s going to rise at the same time, I’ll have to stay here,’ he told the Wingleader. ‘Herebeth wants to chase her again.’

‘And Jalolth has his mind set on a mating flight, too,’ N’rir put in. ‘It’s been a while for him, but he’s got his eye on Kayrilth, from “F” Wing. She’s due any day.’

‘Well, before it happens, find out who’s going to be involved from the Wing. We’ll need to make contingency plans for possible injuries.’ R’feem sighed. ‘I hate these things.’

By evening, quite a few of the green riders were reporting their dragons were restless and twitchy. Luduth’s golden hide gleamed faintly, but noticeably. Groups of weyrfolk went out of their way to look at her and make their own predictions as to whether she’d go off the next morning, or leave it until later in the day, after soaking up more sunshine.

J’rud looked worried at dinner. ‘It’s definitely going to happen tomorrow. Normally, Zurinth would have taken another few days, but I can feel her building up to it.’

D’gar felt sorry for him. At least he had the choice to take Herebeth away, if he really wanted to. The green riders were stuck here to cope as best they could. ‘I’ll look after you.’

J’rud smiled weakly. ‘If you can. I’ve not been in one of these before but old J’kil has. He told us some horror stories.’

‘Older riders love doing that. It might not be as bad as you fear.’

N’rir made his way around the table, making notes as he spoke to each rider in turn. As he reached J’rud and D’gar he raised an eyebrow. ‘Is Zurinth going to be up there?’

‘Afraid so,’ J’rud said.

‘Herebeth too,’ D’gar offered.

‘Shards.’ N’rir checked his list. ‘That’s nine from the Wing. Just going to have to keep all of our fingers crossed.’