“Or it might speed it up,” K’tan countered. “If the cold makes it harder on the dragons’ resistance.”
“But aren’t dragons pretty much inured to cold?” Kindan asked. “I mean, they go between.”
“But only for short periods of time,” Lorana admitted.
“But they do fly where the air is cold,” K’tan mused. “They don’t seem to mind the cold as much as we do.”
“Exactly,” Kindan said. “But if you have the sick dragons up high where it’s cold-and I presume you mean a landing outside of the Weyr-then what about the riders? And how will we get food and supplies to them?”
Lorana threw up her hands in capitulation.
“Let’s bring it up to B’nik,” K’tan suggested. “It’s his decision.”
B’nik listened to them carefully when they approached him at lunchtime. Tullea was with him.
“If I understand you, then,” the Weyrleader said, “the correct quarantine method depends on how the sickness is transmitted.”
“Yes, that’s right,” K’tan agreed.
“But we don’t know how it spreads,” B’nik continued, “so you want to try all three precautions-is that right?”
“At least with the sick dragons,” K’tan said.
“But you can’t say if a dragon that seems healthy hasn’t already got the sickness,” Tullea remarked.
“No,” Lorana agreed. “We can’t.”
“So we might end up with the whole Weyr up in high fields,” Tullea interjected sourly. “What a great idea.”
“It’s the best we can come up with,” Kindan said with a shrug.
Frowning, Tullea opened her mouth to retort, but B’nik raised an open hand, silencing her.
“What about those rooms?” he asked. “Wouldn’t it be better to find them?”
“What is supposed to be in these rooms, anyway?” Tullea demanded.
“We don’t know,” Lorana told her. “But the Records specifically stated that they were built here at Benden.”
“So you don’t know where they are or why they were built-and yet you want to spend precious time searching for them?” Tullea gestured to the rest of the Weyr. “And let our dragons die while you search?
“Weyrleader, I think this is some old tale that will waste the time of our healer and harper,” Tullea said formally to B’nik. “As Weyrwoman, I can see no point in it. Why not have Lorana conduct the search on her own?”
“But her dragon is sick,” Kindan protested.
“All the more reason for her to be diligent, then.” Tullea pressed a hand to her head, as though to ease pain. “And Harper, you’ve been too long from your duties. I could use a good song, and I’m sure the weyrlings need more instruction.”
“Lorana has been helping me tend the injured dragons as well as the sick,” K’tan protested.
“Well, perhaps I can assist you,” Tullea replied sweetly. “It is one of my duties, after all.”
“It’s settled then,” B’nik said, standing hastily. “Lorana will search for the missing rooms, and K’tan and Tullea will tend the sick and injured dragons, releasing Harper Kindan to his teaching duties.”
“Well, Lorana, I’m sure you’ll want to feed your dragon before you begin your search,” Tullea said dismissively, grabbing Kindan’s arm and pulling him away. “Tell me, Harper, what new songs will you sing for us tonight? I’m sure the Weyr needs cheering.”
“I was wondering how long it would be before she started in.”
Lorana turned to see Salina standing beside her.
“I’m sorry that I haven’t come to see you,” the ex-Weyrwoman apologized.
“You’ve been busy,” Lorana excused her.
“No, I’ve been afraid,” Salina corrected. She gave Lorana a frank look. “I’d heard about your Arith, and I…”
“It’s all right,” Lorana said, patting Salina on the shoulder. “I understand.”
“Well I don’t. You did everything you could when Breth was ill,” Salina said. She gestured with a hand. “Walk with me, please?”
Lorana nodded and fell in beside Salina as they walked out into the Bowl. Salina turned to the entrance to the Hatching Grounds.
“I’ve always loved this place,” she said. “Since I first Impressed-and before-I’ve been in love with Benden Weyr, its high walls, morning mists, brilliant sunsets, but most of all, I’ve loved the Hatching Grounds.”
They were at the entrance, looking in.
“There’s something marvelous about them,” Salina breathed. “Right now it’s so quiet in here, waiting, but soon, Minith will clutch and this cavern will be filled with her hissing and challenging anyone who comes near her eggs. And then-there’ll be the Hatching.”
She gestured to the heights surrounding them. “Dragons-mostly bronzes-will stand up there, keening welcome to their newest offspring. And the Weyr, all of us, will be made alive again with each Impression, reliving all the joy”-her voice dropped-“and the pain of our bond with our own dragon.”
She grabbed Lorana’s hand and patted it gently. “And one day, your Arith will be here, guarding her hatchlings.”
Lorana shook her head. Salina cocked her head questioningly.
“I don’t know,” Lorana said.
“I heard Tullea’s set you a task,” Salina said, changing the topic with another pat of Lorana’s hand. “What is it?”
Lorana explained about the Records they’d found at Fort Weyr.
“Rooms?” Salina said musingly. “Special rooms, eh? And not mentioned in our own Records?
“Perhaps the Records were lost-” Salina dropped Lorana’s hand and raised one of her own for silence, head bowed as she thought.
“Perhaps they aren’t mentioned in our Records because they were considered obvious, like the Kitchen Cavern or the Bowl itself,” she said, looking up again. “If everyone knew about them, then there was no reason for special mention, was there?”
Lorana gave her a dubious look.
“And now no one can find the rooms,” Salina continued, musing out loud. “So if someone were to build rooms that everyone knew about and were obvious and they become lost-how would that happen?”
“I don’t kn-”
“A cave-in!” Salina exclaimed.
Lorana’s look of doubt changed to one of excitement. “But where?”
“I know where the rooms are,” Salina told her, starting down into the Hatching Grounds. “Follow me.”
“Wait a minute,” Lorana called. “Shouldn’t we get glows?”
“And probably some help, too,” Salina agreed, her enthusiasm only slightly quenched by her common sense. “If I’m right, the rooms are buried behind a rockslide.”
“We should get Kindan,” M’tal said as soon as Salina outlined her theory to him that evening.
Salina shook her head. “Tullea wants Kindan to sing tonight. I think she wants to separate Kindan and Lorana.”
M’tal snorted, shaking his head. “Is she trying to make B’nik jealous, or Lorana angry?”
“I can’t imagine Lorana getting angry,” Salina said. “Unless it was over something involving her dragon.”
“Righteous anger, then,” M’tal agreed. “And perhaps not just for her dragon. She seems to have good priorities.”
“She does,” Salina agreed emphatically. “It may help her survive-”
M’tal cocked an eyebrow at her.
“-if she loses her dragon,” Salina finished softly.
“None who have gotten sick have recovered,” M’tal said softly by way of agreement. “But this can’t go on. Our ancestors were smart enough to make the dragons from fire-lizards; I can’t believe that they weren’t smart enough to anticipate a sickness like this.”
“If they could predict it, and they could make dragons from fire-lizards, why didn’t they make it so the dragons wouldn’t get sick?” Salina asked.