“You missed him! He’s got more sense than to stay around when there’s a cleaning.” With that T’gellan launched her boiling pot into the air.
“That’s everything, I think,” she said.
“Let’s go!”
At the entrance, Menolly turned for one last look at the cave and smiled to herself. She'd never thought to leave it, certainly not to step to the shoulders of a dragon. But then, she'd never thought she'd live in a cave like this at all, much less ride a dragon. Nothing now marked that anyone had ever sheltered in this cave. Even the dry sand was falling back into the depressions their feet had made. T'gellan held out his hand to help her to Monarth's back, and then they were away to find the fire lizard's clutch.
Chapter 11
The little queen, all golden
Flew hissing at the sea.
To keep it back,
To turn it back
She flew forth bravely.
Menolly and Tgellan brought the thirty-one eggs of the clutch safely to Benden Weyr without so much as cracking a shell in the double, furred sack that had been provided for the journey between. Their return caused a flurry of excitement, the weyrfolk crowding around to examine the eggs. Duly informed, Lessa arrived, imperiously ordering a basket of warm sand from the Hatching Ground; directing it to be placed by the small sauce hearth and scrupulously turned at intervals to distribute the heat evenly. She judged that the eggs were a good sevenday from hatching hardness.
“As well,” she said in her dry fashion. “One hatching at a time is enough. Better still, we can present the worthies with their eggs at the Impression.” She seemed inordinately pleased with that solution and smiled on Menolly. “Manora says that your feet aren’t healed yet, so you’re in charge of the clutch. And, Felena, get this child out of those ridiculous boots and into some decent clothes. Surely we have something in stores that’ll make her look less disreputable.”
Lessa departed, leaving Menolly the object of intense scrutiny. Felena, a tall, willowy woman with very beautiful, curved black eyebrows and green eyes, gave her a long appraisal, sent one helper off for clothing from a special press, another to get the tanner to take Menolly’s measure for footwear, a child for her shears because Menolly’s hair must be trimmed. Who had hacked it off? They must have used a knife. And such pretty hair, too. Was Menolly hungry? T’gellan had snatched her out of the cavern without a nay—yea or maybe. Bring that chair here and push that small table over! Don’t stand there gawking, get the girl something to eat.
“How many Turns do you have?” Felena asked on the end of that long series of orders.
“I’ve fifteen, please,” answered Menolly, dazed and trying very hard not to cry. Her throat ached and her chest was tight and she couldn’t believe what was happening to her: people fussing over how she looked and what she wore. Above all, Lessa had smiled at her be cause she was so pleased about the clutch. And it seemed as if she didn’t have to worry about being sent back to Half-Circle. Not if the weyrfolk were ordering her shoes and giving her clothes….
“Fifteen? Well, you wouldn’t need much more fostering, would you?” Felena sounded disappointed. “We’ll see what Manora has in mind for you. I’d like you as mine.”
Menolly burst into tears. That provoked more confusion because her fire lizards began swooping dangerously close to people’s faces. Beauty pecked at Felena, who was only trying to offer comfort.
“Let us have some order here,” said a fresh, authoritative voice. Everyone, except the fire lizards, obediently subsided, and room was made for Manora. “And you be quiet, too,” she said to squealing Beauty. “Go on,” and she waved at the others, “go sit quietly somewhere. Now, why is Menolly crying?”
“She just burst into tears, Manora,” said Felena, as perplexed as everyone else.
“I’m happy, I’m happy, I’m happy,” Menolly managed to blurt out, each repetition punctuated by a heaving sob.
“Of course you are,” said Manora understandingly, and made gestures to one of the women. “It’s been a very exciting and tiring day. Now you just drink this.” The woman had returned with a mug. “Now, everyone will go about their duties and let you catch your breath. There, that’s better.”
Menolly obediently sipped the drink. It wasn’t fellis juice, but there was a slightly bitter taste. Manora urged her to drink deeply, and gradually Menolly felt her chest loosen, her throat stop aching and she began to relax.
She looked up to see that Manora was the only one at the little table, sitting with her hands folded serenely in her lap, her aura of calm patience very soothing.
“Feel more like yourself? Now, you just sit quietly and eat. We don’t take in many new people, so there’s bound to be a fuss about you. Soon enough to do everything else. How many fire lizard eggs did you find in that clutch?”
Menolly found it easy to talk to Manora, and soon she was showing the headwoman the oil and explaining how she’d made it.
“I think you did wonderfully well all on your own, Menolly, not but what I’d expect it of someone Mavi has trained.”
Menolly’s ease disappeared at the sound of her mother’s name. Involuntarily she clenched her left hand, feeling the scar tissue pull painfully from the intensity of her grip.
“You wouldn’t like me to send a message to Half-Circle?” asked Manora. “To say that you’re safely here?”
“I don’t want you to, please! I’m no use to them there.” She held up her scarred hand. “And…” she halted, she’d been about to add “a disgrace.” “I seem to be useful here,” she said quickly, pointing to the basket of fire lizard eggs.
“So you are, Menolly, so you are.” Manora rose. “Now eat your meat, and we’ll talk again later.”
When she had finished her food, Menolly felt much better. She was content to sit in her hearth corner, watching the industry of others. And in a little while, Felena came over with her shears and trimmed Menolly’s hair. Then someone watched the fire lizard eggs while Menolly changed into the first brand new garments she’d ever had, being the youngest in a large family. The tanner came and not only measured her feet for proper boots but by evening he’d also made up some soft hide slippers that fit loosely over her bandaged feet.
She was so changed in appearance that Mirrim, passing her table just before the evening meal, almost failed to recognize her. Menolly had been worrying that Mirrim was deliberately avoiding her because Menolly had Impressed nine fire lizards, but there was no restraint in Mirrim’s manner. Flopping into a chair across the table, she heartily approved the hair trim, the clothing and the slippers.
“I heard all about the clutch, but I’ve been so busy, up, down, in, out, running errands for Manora that I simply haven’t had a moment!”
Menolly suppressed a grin. Mirrim sounded exactly like Felena.
Then Mirrim cocked her head at Menolly. “You know, you look so much nicer in proper clothes that I didn’t recognize you. Now, if we can only get you to smile once in a while…”
Just then a little brown lizard glided in to land on Mirrim’s shoulder, snuggling affectionately up to her neck, and peering at Menolly from under her chin.
“Is he yours?”
“Yes, this is Tolly, and I have two greens, Reppa and Lok. And I’ll make it very plain that three is quite enough for me. How ever did you manage to feed nine? They’re so ravenous all the time!”
The last of Menolly’s awkwardness with her friend disappeared as she recounted how she had coped with her fair of fire lizards.
The evening meal was then ready, and Mirrim, ignoring Menolly’s protests that she was able to fetch her own, served them both. T’gellan joined their table and managed to coax Beauty, much to Menolly’s amazement, to accept some food from his knife.