Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 20:25:26 -0800 (PST)
From: Corrinne S <quasito_cat@yahoo.com>
Subject: The Red Orb of Pern - Part Three

The Red Orb of Pern

M.C. Gordon

Disclaimer is attached to the beginning of this
series.  This is fan fiction written for a friend who
enjoys Anne McCaffrey's Pern as much as I do.
Comments welcome to quasito_cat@hotmail.com or
quasito_cat@yahoo.com

Chapter Four:

   Their initial hunger for the bubbly pies assuaged
after four apiece, the three friends sipped at their
klah, which consisted of very little of the bitter
drink and a great deal of herdbeast milk.

   "A whole day with no chores," Mitchell said.  "What
should we do?"

   "I don't know," replied Lydel.  "Maybe go down to
the lake and watch the dragons bathe?"

   "We do that all the time," Mitchell responded.  "I
want to do something different."

   "Well, I don't care what we do," added Andren,
"just so it doesn't have anything to do with work.
Imagine ... a whole day free, and it's not even for a
Gathering."

   They threw ideas back and forth for several
minutes, unable to arrive at an agenda for an
unexpected rest day.

   "We won't get to do anything if we sit here and
talk," Mitchell finally said.  "Let's just go out and
see if anything's going on."

   As they entered the great common room where most of
the weyrfolk took their meals Andren's eyes lit up.
"Julani's here!" he shouted and bounded across the
room.

   Mitchell and Lydel followed closely behind him.
Julani had been the forth member of their small group
before Masterharper Tokan had heard him sing and
whisked him off to Harper Hall as an apprentice two
years earlier.

   The four friends spent several minutes catching up
on their activities since Julani left the weyr.

   "So, what's it like being at Harper Hall?" Andren
asked.

   "A lot like being in the weyr," Julani said.  "The
Masterharper keeps us busy all the time.  If it's not
singing it's copying songs.  And I have to learn how
to play all the different instruments and make my own.
 I never get to have fun anymore.  And if you think
the weyr harper makes you learn a lot of ballads, you
should see the ones I have to learn.  Every craft has
its own and harpers have to know them all!"

   "You don't look like you're busy right now," Lydel
remarked.

   "I am!" Julani said.  "The Masterharper has
business with Adelmisa and L'noth and said he'd need
me since I'm an apprentice.  He brought lots of old
parchments with him and I'm to fetch the ones he
needs."  Julani, a year older than the others, assumed
a posture of great importance.

   Lydel rolled his blue eyes in Mitchell's direction
and found his friend barely able to control an
impending fit of giggles.  Andren however, was greatly
impressed with Julani's apparent importance at Harper
Hall.

   Adelmisa, the Weyrwoman, entered the dining area
with the Masterharper in time to rescue Mitchell from
upsetting two of his oldest friends by bursting into
outright laughter.  She had heard the last of Julani's
remarks and her shrewd judgment of character told her
that there would soon be ruffled feathers if she
didn't intervene.

   "Hello, Julani," she said crossing the room.
"Master Tokan has been telling me how much he values
you at Harper Hall.  I'm pleased that you're doing so
well.  We miss your pleasant voice in the evenings.
Harper G'delen hasn't found anyone to replace your
special talent.  L'noth and I are very proud of you."

   To soothe any possible sting of her words for the
three weyr lads she added, "I'm sure these rascals
miss you, too.  They've had to assume your duties and
seldom have time to relax anymore.  Today's a rest day
for the weyr and I've convinced Master Tokan to let
you spend the day with your friends.  Mitchell, tell
Cook that I said you boys are to have some bubbly
pies.  Go and find something fun to do."

   As the four boys headed for the kitchen, their
heads together while they planned their day, the
Weyrleader, L'noth approached his mate.  "Do you
really think it's a good idea to send those four off
unsupervised?" he asked Adelmisa.

   "Of course," she replied.  "What kind of trouble
can four boys their age get into?"


Chapter Five:

   "You're kidding," Julani said as the other boys
gave him most of the bubbly pies.  "Lurah let you have
some for breakfast?  Things sure have changed since I
left the weyr."

   "Yesterday was kinda bad," Andren said.  "Trilenth
wasn't the only dragon we lost.  A lot of dragons and
riders were scored.  L'noth said the Fall was awfully
out of pattern."

   "We heard at the Hall," Julani replied.  "I'm sorry
to hear about Trilenth, Mitchell," he added as he
patted his friend on the shoulder.  "I noticed that it
was pretty quiet around here."

   "Adelmisa and L'noth let the riders have a lot of
wine last night.  Mitchell even got some," Lydel said.

   "Did not!" Mitchell responded.

   "Did too," Andren added.  "Lurah brought you some
last night and I saw you drink it all."

   "Is that what was in the cup?  I thought it was
some herbs or something."

   "What did it taste like?" Julani asked, a bit out
of sorts that he hadn't had a taste of wine yet and he
was the oldest, after all.

   "Not too good," Mitchell said.  "Like I said, I
thought it was one of Lurah's herb things."

   Finishing off their bubbly pies the four friends
started walking, heading no place in particular.  They
soon found themselves at the entrance to one of the
old, unused sections of Benden Weyr.

   "So," Mitchell said, "what can we do?  The day's
gonna be over before we know what happened."

   "I always wanted to see if we could find some old
cavern nobody's been in for Turns and Turns," Lydel
said.

   "What for?" Andren asked.  "We've seen empty caves
before.  They're dark and all musty."

   "Well," Julani said, "we might find some treasure
that everybody forgot about."

   "Like what?" Mitchell asked.

   "Everyone knows there's parts of the weyr that were
used Turns ago and aren't anymore.  Maybe somebody
left something behind," Andren said.

   "Yeah," added Julani, "like maybe some old ballads
no one remembers.  Master Tokan would like that."

   "You'd only have to copy them and then learn to
sing them," Mitchell said.

   "It might be nice to find a place where no one's
been in a long time and just see what it feels like,"
Lydel finally added.  "I wouldn't want to move
anything, if we found something."

   "Okay," Mitchell finally said.  "Andren, you go ask
Lurah for some glow baskets and tell her that we're
going to explore a little.  She can ask M'sel to have
brown Sonath listen for us in case we get lost."

   "None of us have Impressed," Julani said.  "How
would Sonath hear us?"

   "He hears me every time I'm thinking about doing
something that's gonna get me in trouble," Mitch said.


   "How come I have to go ask Lurah," Andren asked.

   "Because you can talk her into anything," Mitchell
said.  "We'll go up on that ledge and wait for you,"
Mitchell said pointing to a favorite spot that
overlooked the bowl of the extinct volcano that was
center of Benden Weyr.


Chapter Six:

   Andren was waiting for his friends on the high
ledge by the time they finished their climb.

   "Hey!  How'd you get here before us?" Mitchell
asked, surprised to see Andren on the ledge leaning
back against a rocky wall.

   "M'sel had Sonath fly me up.  We're supposed to
show him where we're going, in case we get lost."

   Sonath chose that moment to show his head above the
ledge as one mighty leap from his powerful hind legs
and downward swoop of his enormous wings lifted him
from the ground below.  The boys were all surprised to
see Lurah astride the brown dragon, a large basket in
her arms.

   "Where did you four plan to explore?" she asked.
"You know that some parts of the weyr were abandoned
because they've become dangerous."  She handed
Mitchell the basket and accepted Julani's hand to
slide safely from Sonath's neck to the ledge.  Looking
around she said, "My, but the view is lovely.  No
wonder you like to come up here."

   Below them the beauty and majesty of the weyr was
visible.  The rocky walls of the extinct volcano basin
reared up, pock-marked by individual dragon weyrs.  In
the center of the bowl was the lake where the dragons
bathed.

   Two riders staggered toward the lake, covering
their eyes against the glare of the late morning sun.
A green and blue dragon followed them, heading for the
lake and a late bath.

   "Felenth and Isaath, with their riders S'den and
Y'gal" Sonath echoed in Mitchell's and Lurah's minds.
"They are together," the brown dragon added.

   "We know, Sonath," Lurah said.

   S'den and Y'gal were one of the oldest couples in
Benden Weyr, having been together since Felenth had
flown Issath every time the green dragon had risen to
mate for forty years.  Lurah's words were spoken
kindly for everyone in the weyr knew that dragons
lived in the here and now with no memory of the past.

   Lurah sighed as they watched the dragons dive into
the lake and emerge to be surrounded by fire lizards
anxious to help scrub them clean.  The two dragon
riders plunged into the cool water, laughing as they
did.  Their memory of Impression and their mating
flights were something Lurah would never know.
Females were candidates for the golden queen dragons
but Lurah had never stood on the Hatching Ground for
weyr bred females were never chosen for that honor.
Instead, her joy had been in watching her foster sons
Impress through the years and in being able to hear
Sonath.

   She released a deep sigh at the beauty of the weyr
below.  "I have to go back and help prepare the noon
meal," she said.  "You boys enjoy your exploring but
please, be careful.  Mitchell, Sonath will listen.  If
something happens, like a cavern collapsing or
something, call to him and help will be on the way.
Promise me?"

   Wanting to explore without being treated like a
child warred against respect for his foster mother.
Finally he lifted his head and looked into her eyes.
"I promise," he said.

   Knowing that he would keep his promise and that
Sonath would listen for trouble anyway, Lurah slid off
the ledge and onto brown dragon's neck for her return
to the kitchen entrance to the weyr.