Ru ignored the question and Nian was proud of him. Her mother had constantly told them to ignore such taunts.
"Well, you're still here, aren't you. Neru? We're all waiting for the dragons to come take you away."
Neru shook his shoulders as if he could dislodge the verbal darts sent his way. But Nian was provoked into angry responses.
"He will be Searched, you just wait and see!" Nian brandished her fist at the flabby son of the Journeyman Smith, who merely snorted at her. "They sure won't give you even a sniff, Flamel."
"You scare me," Flamel said, pretending to quiver and knocking his knees together.
"Stop it, Flamel," said Orla. "You really are pathetic, you know. Leave the twins alone. Just for a change."
"Or?" Flamel replied.
"Or I might just tell everyone here the real reasons why you pick on the twins so much. I might just tell them all that you're really—"
"Really what?" Flamel interrupted her quickly. Orla was not the only one to notice that the color in his cheeks was rising to a pinkish blush.
"Shall we see?" Orla asked in her sweetest tone.
Flamel gave her a long stare, but he began to walk faster, putting distance between him and Orla, as well as Nian and Neru. Nian smiled her thanks at Orla, who sketched an airy salute.
"My pleasure. He gives me a headache with his nonsense. I hope his father does send him to the Smithhold at Telgar. They'll sort him out soon enough."
That reminded Nian — again — all too forcefully that there were changes in the air for all the youngsters in their age group. She didn't like her father's talk of marrying her to a farmer on the north coast of Ista. She had met the man at Gathers, and she was not overjoyed by the thought of closer ties. Nothing had been said about Neru, though she knew that her parents had decided a long time ago that he was to be trained at something other than fishing. There were quite enough in that profession already at Lado Hold, and Neru had shown no aptitude for a life at sea. Their mother wanted the Harper, Ruart, to recommend Neru for harper training, since he performed very well on the flute and the horn. His voice had changed into a good enough tenor range that he was always asked to sing at Gathers.
The children had reached the lean-to porch of the Harper's so-called Hall and were all busy scraping mud off their boots. They would not bring any mud into the Hall and have to clean it up later. Ruart insisted on high standards of tidiness. The porch, which was broad enough to accommodate the Hold's children during fair weather, was their favorite place for lessons, but as today was raw and cold, with a clammy mist in the air, they'd have to remain inside.
Inside, the "Hall" had been enlarged from the original limestone cave. A ledge against one wall provided a bench, all too often as cold as the rock behind it, for the smaller children to sit on. Another alcove was Harper Ruart's private quarters, screened from the main room by one of Orla's beautiful screens, its panels woven of fragrant reeds and grasses, which still faintly scented the stone room. The screen also doubled as a wall on which to hang the drawings of Ruart's students. Everyone in Lado Hold was certain that Orla was going to be a fine artist — probably the only one ever to go forward from Lado to an Artist's Hall. Her skillful drawings stood out vividly, compared to the scrawls and scenes by the other students.
The youngest children sat on their ledge; niches had been carved out below the seating to shelve their books and slates. Two fine wooden tables allowed the older students a proper surface for writing and figuring. Ruart had a splendid desk made of the local woods, with a series of drawers on each side in which he kept records and texts that were rare, and thus too valuable to be left out. Behind him, a slab of black slate had been cleverly attached to the smoothest part of the limestone wall. On this he could write and display whatever the day's lessons might be.
At sixteen Turns old and soon to be apprenticed to learn a trade, Neru, Nian, Orla, Flamel, and Chaum were the oldest, if not the most advanced, students. Journeyman Ruart had high hopes for the twins and Orla, but the other two boys would undoubtedly perfect adult skills in the plantations and fields that surrounded Lado Hold.
The journeyman harper was about to take the roll call when wild shrieks and yells interrupted.
"Dragons, dragons!"
Journeyman Ruart was as startled as his class. Someone pounded up the steps and rapped on his door, shouting urgently.
"The dragons come on Search!"
The room erupted with noise as the children jostled for the door and a closer look at the magnificent dragons. Almost every child on Pern, at one time or another, dreamed of flying a-dragonback.
Ruart clapped his hands together and shouted at the children. "Settle! Settle now, children! You'll all be allowed out to see the dragons on Search, but not a one of you will do so in an unfitting manner!" He lowered his voice when this threat had the desired effect.
"Of course, you all know that there is an age requirement for being Searched," he continuted slowly and deliberately. "You little ones will have to stay at the back." His hands made a shooing gesture. "Now let us all proceed outside in a quiet and orderly fashion. No pushing."
Two green dragons and one beautifully sea-blue dragon had fitted themselves on Lado's little Gather clearing in front of the main Hold. Lord Lado and his lady, Cirine, hastily smoothing her apron, were already outside to greet the arrivals. Ruart skillfully motioned his class to form ranks across the roadway.
"We come on Search," the blue rider said formally, dismounting with an athletic grace that Neru admired. Nian glanced nervously at her twin. Would his dream come true today? Would he be Searched by the dragons? Was this the last she'd see of her "other half" until who knew when?
"I am R'dik, blue Shalanth's rider, and here are Sarty, green Ledith's rider and Conna, who rides Oswith."
Beside her Ru shuffled his feet, swung his arms, and all but nominated himself out of hand as a candidate. She pinched his sleeve to remind him of his manners. Giving her a cross look, he nevertheless subsided. Just as he protected her against physical danger, she protected him from making social errors.
"Search, and be welcome, R'dik," Lord Lado replied, equally formally. "The youngsters of our Hold are all available to you and your dragons." He gestured to those ranked in front of him, all breathless with suspense. "The Hold is greatly honored by your Search. I hear that Clidith clutched thirty-two eggs."
"Yes. They are near to being Hatched, and we would like to provide the Weyr with plenty of choices," he said, with a bow that swept from Lado around to the children, who bowed back. He smiled encouragingly at them. "We are looking for those who are fourteen Turns or older," he announced. "For, as you all know, we are in a Pass and need to have riders who are fit and able to join the fighting wings as soon as the hatchlings grow strong enough to fly."
Ruart adroitly directed his disappointed younger students to sit out of the way, on the Hold steps, while the older ones ranked beside him to brave the Search. While he thought Chaum might make a good, if unimaginative, rider, he devoutly hoped that the bullying Flamel, who had straightened up as if he was certain of being chosen, would be totally ignored. Neru, he knew, wanted desperately to be a dragonrider; perhaps both twins might be selected. Ruart had never heard of twins being made riders at the same Hatching, but oh, how that would solve the problem of separating Neru and Nian! He caught a glimpse of Palla, the twins' mother, among the crowd now assembling outside the Hold to watch the dragons on Search. Her youngest child, Niall, was in her arms, waving at his older brother and sister.