[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Wingleader's command, he brought it down and told Golanth to go between.
BENDEN WEYR-3.27.31
They did it!
Ramoth jubilantly told her rider. Then she added in a slightly critical tone,
Not as neat a landing as could be but, under the circumstances, it was well
done. I don't think that five dragons were needed to lift Golanth. Just
Mnementh and I could have done it.
Most certainly, Lessa agreed but she herself was smiling with relief.
But the Monacan riders needed the practice and so many offered, that it might
well require five to control each other.
She had never seen the ebullient F'lessan so despairing as the moment he
finally realized that Golanth would never again be able to fly Thread. And, by
that disability, he could no longer be Wingleader.
She thought back to the day when she and F'lar had been overjoyed, the magical
moment when F'lessan had Impressed Golanth at the first Hatching he'd been old
enough to stand as candidate. The pair had been unusually well matched and
had, almost without visible effort, succeeded in all the training and tests.
At sixteen, he'd impudently encouraged Golanth to fly a female when the mating
flight of a junior queen had been opened to all bronze dragons. The same Turn
had seen the birth of his first child. Two Turns later he had been made
Wingleader of a newly formed wing-Benden was at near capacity as a Weyr, so
F'lar could take a chance on a new young rider assuming a full wing.
The Honshu attack had been a near thing, even though both F'lessan and Golanth
had survived. Riders often had trouble accepting such severe, and limiting,
injuries to themselves or their dragons. The ones who were not strong enough
in character and resilience to deal with the reality would just go between.
That had been the most important factor to the Benden Weyrleaders: that
F'lessan, once he understood the severity of Golanth's crippling, would not
suicide. Keita had dismissed that fear instantly. F'lessan did not have that
sort of personality. Then there was Tai to comfort him. Frankly, Lessa had not
foreseen F'lessan making such an attachment but the combination had lasted
well past mating, and Zaranth was as supportive of the bronze as her rider was
of the man. Ramoth had kept an ear open for Golanth and Zaranth every moment
of the crucial period. So, Lessa thought privately, had F'lar and Mnementh.
Lessa could now be doubly grateful for F'lessan's keen interest in Honshu and
she'd been much relieved to know that he and Tai had begun to pick up the
sky-watching during the convalescence. F'lessan was too important-not just as
their only living issue, but to Pern.
How he had given heart at that Weyrleaders meeting! When she herself had
despaired of finding a solution to what the dragonriders could do After, her
one child had supplied a direction.
She gave herself a little shake, reliving that moment of cold terror when
Ramoth had gone, without her rider, to aid Golanth and
Zaranth.
"That moment is nearly a month ago," F'lar said, coming from behind to bend
and embrace her. "I know you wanted to be there, but
Zaranth is a Monaco dragon and having the support of her Weyr is as important
as learning how to give Golanth just enough lift to get airborne. It's not as
if we aren't getting plenty of practice in telekinesis lifting those telescope
components for Erragon." He hugged her. "A fine control you and Ramoth have."
"And Mnementh's potential is seemingly unlimited," she said, returning a
sincere compliment as she leaned against him, accepting the strength he always
shared with her. "So many new things to learn in this new dimension of
dragonkind."
F'lar gave a dry chuckle. "It's no wonder it's too much for some people to
absorb."
Page 230
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"We've not had more trouble with Abominators, have we?" Alarmed, she turned in
his arms to see that he wasn't hiding anything from her.
"Fortunately, we have enough to do."
"But you don't think we've heard the last with that death at Landing?"
F'lar sighed. "Pinch has evidently seen Fourth in Tone's keeping. Who can be
sure? Such people are afraid of what they don't understand, won't understand.
So they pretend to despise and reject it since they can't and won't
understand. They retaliate by defiance and witless destruction. And claim
they're acting on behalf of people and for reasons those people don't
understand either. It may just be a sign of our changing times. And life on
our planet is indeed changing."
"For the better?" she murmured.
He tipped her head up with one finger and lightly kissed her lips. "Definitely
for the better!"
"You do believe that?" Lessa said, seeking reassurance.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]