M’tal continued, “It is my duty to ensure that our Wingleaders are able to do their jobs. And it is my duty to train those Wingleaders to fight Thread in any and all positions expected of them-including leading a Fall themselves.”
Tullea’s nostrils flared angrily. “You will not make B’nik lead the Fall!” she shouted. “You’re trying to get him killed so that your dragon will fly Minith!” She drew herself up to her full height. “Well, it’s not going to happen! I’ll not let it happen, no matter what!” Her eyes darted to Salina. “And you! You’re part of this, I can tell. Well, you’re not the Senior Weyrwoman anymore. I want you out of my quarters immediately.”
Kindan swore. “That’s it!” he snarled, darting out of the room. Lorana, who had not heard as clearly what had been said, followed close behind.
Salina glanced at M’tal, who touched her shoulder gently.
“Salina’s things were moved into my quarters before the last Threadfall, Tullea,” M’tal said, tamping down his temper. “Mikkala and a crew of weyrfolk have given it a good cleaning and were just waiting for it to finish airing before they offered it to you.”
Tullea huffed at the news. “Why wasn’t I informed earlier?”
“I’ve been busy with the injured dragons and riders, Tullea,” Salina said in a soft voice. “And I thought that you might not want to move in so soon after”-her voice caught-“after Breth’s death.”
“No one knows how the illness spreads,” Kindan broke in from behind Tullea.
The Weyrwoman whirled. “You! What are you doing here? This is a private conversation.”
“Private conversations are not normally conducted by shouting,” Kindan responded. “We heard you all the way in the Records Room.”
“We?” Tullea looked behind him and spotted Lorana. Her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?” she snapped at Lorana. “Spying?”
“Hardly,” Lorana said. “I was coming to see if anyone needed help.”
Salina grabbed at the statement. “Perhaps some klah and a bite of food.” She glanced at Tullea. “Or maybe some wine.”
“Good idea,” Kindan agreed quickly, turning to Lorana and adding in an undertone, “Laced with fellis juice.”
“I’ll see what I can find,” Lorana answered, with a wink for Kindan.
Tullea watched her disappear with a sour look on her face. “That girl takes far too much on herself,” she proclaimed. “When I am Weyrwoman, I’ll order her to tend to her dragon.”
“I’m sure she’ll be delighted to oblige,” M’tal purred. “When you’re Weyrwoman-perhaps you’d care to start now and take over the search through the Records?”
Tullea jerked as the barb went home. “Don’t try to distract me,” she barked. “I ordered you not to let B’nik lead the next Fall.”
As Lorana raced down the steps, still grappling with the bizarre events above her, she ran straight into B’nik.
“Have you seen Tullea?”
“She’s up with M’tal,” Lorana answered.
B’nik groaned. “She’s not the one who’s been shouting, is she?”
Lorana could only nod. The rider swore, then gave her an apologetic shrug.
“She’s accused him of trying to get you killed,” Lorana said.
“I told her not to!” B’nik growled, starting up the steps. He stopped to look back at her. “Where are you going?”
“Down to get some food and drinks,” she said.
“Make sure to put some fellis juice in her wine,” he told her, shaking his head sadly. “When she gets worked up like this, it’s about the only thing that calms her.”
Lorana frowned. “This has happened before? Is she all right?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know,” B’nik said in rapid response. Another shout prompted him to start back up the stairs. “I’d better get going.”
When Lorana returned with a tray, B’nik deftly took the wine glass and handed it to Tullea, who had grown quieter but no less determined.
“I don’t care,” she said. “You shouldn’t fly this Fall.”
“It’s my duty, Tullea,” B’nik said. “Besides,” he added with a grin, “I want to do it.” He grabbed a mug from the tray Lorana had set down and poured himself some klah.
“I know you do,” Tullea snapped. She took a sip of her wine. “It’s just that, if anything were to happen to you, particularly before Minith rises, I-” She broke off.
B’nik hastily passed his mug to Kindan and wrapped his arms around Tullea, drawing her into a tight embrace. The move caught her off guard and she tipped her glass, spilling some of the wine onto his tunic.
“I’m sorry,” she said. She looked at the others, her eyes moist with emotion. “I’m sorry,” she repeated.
“It’s all right, come on,” B’nik said soothingly, leading her from the room. “It’s late-you’ll feel better in the morning.”
There was an uncomfortable pause as the others listened to their steps as they walked down the hall back to their weyr.
“Stress does strange things to people,” Salina murmured when their steps had faded away.
“She wasn’t like this before,” M’tal muttered, looking puzzled.
“She said she’s always tired, always edgy,” Salina commented. She looked at Kindan. “Could it be something in her diet?”
Kindan shrugged. “K’tan would know best.” He cocked his head toward Lorana, adding, “But Lorana might have some thoughts.”
Lorana was still digesting the events of the evening. She shook her head. “My father bred herdbeasts,” she said. “Sometimes they would go off their feed for no reason. We could never explain it.”
“Well, Tullea’s been ‘off her feed’ for the past three Turns now,” Kindan commented sardonically.
“I think she’s just scared,” Salina said sympathetically. “And who can blame her? These are very worrying times.”
Kindan recognized the end of the conversation and picked up the tray.
“We need to get back to our work,” he said to the others, gesturing for Lorana to precede him.
“No, you need to get to sleep,” M’tal corrected. “I can’t have you two acting like Tullea.”
Out of earshot, Kindan turned back to Lorana and said quietly, “Could it be that the dragons are off their feed?”
Lorana looked at him questioningly.
“Could they be missing some nutrient we aren’t aware of? Something that would make them susceptible to this illness?”
Lorana shook her head. She started to speak, but it turned into a wide yawn before she could answer.
“M’tal is right,” Kindan declared. “You do need your sleep.”
He placed the tray on the return shaft to the Lower Caverns, turned back to her with a grin, and raised his elbow invitingly. “May I escort you back to your weyr, my lady?”
Lorana smiled in return, placing a hand on the proffered elbow, and getting into “my lady” character. “Why certainly. Lead on!”
“I think I’ve got something,” Lorana said as they pored over Records the next day.
Kindan looked up from his Records and gave her an encouraging look.
“This is the third reference I’ve seen to Fort Weyr.”
“I’ve seen about the same,” Kindan said.
“I think that when the Weyrleaders get really stumped, they go to Fort Weyr and check the Records there,” Lorana declared.
“That would make sense,” Kindan agreed. “And Fort Weyr’s close enough to the Harper Hall that they could draft some of the archivists to maintain copies in good condition.”
“Didn’t you say you used to do copying at the Harper Hall?” Lorana asked. When Kindan nodded, she continued, “Do you remember copying Fort Weyr Records?”
“No,” Kindan admitted. “But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t done Turns before.”