Halfway to the beach, she sensed a sudden exultation from Garth and felt the two fire-lizards go between. In no time at all, they reappeared high above her, chirped a warning, and dropped what they had been holding between them. Lorana held out her hands and caught a good-sized roundfruit. She laughed and waved at them. “Thank you!”
The fruit was delicious and moist, easing her dry throat. Energized, she picked up her pace to the shore.
Grenn swooped low over her and let out a querying squawk, curving back around toward her, eyes whirling hopefully.
“No,” Lorana said, “you may not perch on my shoulder. You need to stretch that wing now that it’s healed. Besides, between the carisak and our gear, I’m carrying enough, thank you.”
Grenn gave her a half-sad, half-wheedling chirp and beat his wings strongly to regain his lost altitude. High above him, Garth gave him an I-told-you-so scolding.
As he climbed sunward, Lorana noted that in his antics there was no residual sign at all of the broken left wing that had nearly cost his life-and had completely changed hers. With a frown Lorana forced the memory away and continued on to the beach.
“Why didn’t you wake me, you silly dragon?” J’trel grumbled, pulling off his riding helmet and running his hand through his stringy white hair as he searched the darkness below for any sign of Lorana. “You knew I’d had too much wine, but you went off sunning yourself on some rock and fell asleep, didn’t you? Poor Lorana! Waiting and waiting for us… only we were asleep.”
Talith took J’trel’s moaning in good part, knowing that the old dragonrider was merely practicing his excuse on him. Talith had been tired and the sun had been so warm. J’trel had needed a rest himself and the wine at Nerat Sea Hold had been so inviting… and they had worked hard all these many days helping Lorana with her explorations.
We were tired, Talith told his rider. The sun, the wine, were good.
“Ah, but while we were sunning ourselves, Lorana was doubtless being fried in the heat or was bitten by one of her subjects, or-it’s turned so cold, Talith!” J’trel said, pulling his riding helmet back on. “Almost as cold as between. What if-”
She is down there, Talith said, tightening into a steeper dive. J’trel craned his head out over Talith’s neck and saw a small fire below on the beach.
“She’s probably half frozen,” J’trel chided. “This will never do.”
Lorana leapt from her place at the fire and rushed to greet the old rider as Talith settled. Grenn and Garth chirped cheerful greetings to Talith, who rumbled back.
We fell asleep in the warm sun, the dragon told Lorana, and now J’trel is afraid that you are cold.
“The fire’s warm, J’trel,” Lorana said, beckoning eagerly, “and there should be enough light to see by.”
“See what?” J’trel asked, his earlier excuses forgotten in the heat of Lorana’s excitement.
Lorana held up a hand. “I can’t tell you, I have to show you.”
“Well then, let’s get to that fire.”
When he was settled by the fire, angled so that its warmth was on his back and its light good for reading, Lorana opened her sketchbook and passed it to him.
“Look at this one for a moment,” she said, pointing to one of her earlier drawings.
J’trel took the book and peered at it. His eyes weren’t good close up anymore; he moved the book farther away until the image came into focus.
“Hmm, ugly little beastie,” he muttered to himself, then hastily added, “but you drew it well.”
With a polite nod, Lorana took the book, flipped the pages to one of her more recent drawings, and thrust it back in the dragonrider’s hands.
“Now look at this, please.”
J’trel frowned, and examined the drawing more carefully. “Why it’s almost the same-but different! I can’t quite see what, though.”
Lorana leaned forward and pointed. “Here-the back legs have none of the fur of the other ones.” She flipped back to the first drawing. “But see how the front digger legs are much thinner on this one than on the other? I think that this northern one needs the thinner diggers to burrow in the wet earth, while this little beastie needs wider diggers to push the sand away. See?”
“Almost,” J’trel said with a frown. He shook his head. “My eyes are too old, and it’s too dark.”
Lorana laughed. “I suppose the light is too bad! But I’ve been looking at these pictures for hours.” Catching J’trel’s grim face, she added hastily, “Oh, don’t worry, J’trel, I was quite safe-Garth and Grenn kept watch.”
She glanced back at her drawing and then eagerly back to J’trel. “Did you have any luck finding a ship? I’d love to see if there are any different sorts of scatids in Tillek, not to mention the other beasties I’ve found.”
“A ship, she asks!” J’trel exclaimed. “Oh, Lorana, did I find the most beautiful vessel for you! Fit for a Holder this one is-in fact it’s meant for a Holder-none other than the Lord Holder of Tillek, the Masterfisher himself, designed it, and it was built-ah, it’s just finished in the yards and will sail with the tide!”
His beaming smile suddenly vanished.
“J’trel, what’s wrong?” Lorana asked.
“The tide!” J’trel wailed. “Oh, Lorana, that dratted dragon of mine-we’ve missed the tide!” He turned to his dragon. “Talith, why didn’t you wake me?”
“I’m sure you were both tired,” Lorana said in a reasonable voice. “But, J’trel, what does it matter that we’ve missed the tide?”
“Wind Rider sailed with the tide, Lorana. The ship’s gone!”
There is plenty of time, Talith said soothingly. I know when we should meet the sailing master. You have given me a very clear image.
J’trel brightened. “Of course!” he agreed. “Lorana, gather your gear and I’ll have you on the good ship Wind Rider before she sails!”
Between only lasts as long as it takes to cough three times, Lorana reminded herself silently as Talith rose high above the Igen shoreline and the faint traces of her campfire blended into the darkness far below them.
Since meeting J’trel and his blue dragon, Lorana had been between several times as they had gone from their unmarked camp to various points on Pern. She had become mostly used to the chill and dead silence of the nothingness that was between one place and another.
It may take a bit longer this time, Talith warned her. And then they were between.
The warming comfort of Talith’s presence steadied her. Lorana counted slowly to herself: one, two, three, fo-
The sun shone high in the sky as Talith appeared over Ista Sea Hold. Garth and Grenn arrived moments later right above the dragon, chittering their pride in following the larger dragon between.
Talith nimbly deposited his riders before the main entrance to Ista Sea Hold and told J’trel he was going to look for a nice warm resting spot.
“Just don’t fall asleep again,” J’trel warned, slapping the blue dragon’s neck affectionately. As the blue dragon became airborne, he gave a soft cough.
Lorana looked at J’trel, with her brows raised. “I don’t recall him coughing like that before.”