«Who's he got with him?» Tuero demanded. As the blue dragon settled, it was obvious he bore three passengers as well as the carry-nets.
«Moreta!» M'barak called, gesturing to her urgently. «Hurry up. I need help with these silly bottles and I've people here who say they can handle runners. And we've got to hurry because I have to prepare for the Fall. F'neldril will skin me if I'm late!»
So Alessan, Tuero, Oklina, and Moreta rushed to unburden Aritb of passengers and ornamental apprentice-blown glass bottles. Then Alessan gave Moreta a leg up to Arith's back and if his hands lingered on her ankle as she settled herself, no one remarked on the Lord Holder's behavior. As Moreta looked down at Alessan's upturned face, she wished she might give him more than a smile in farewell. Then he stepped back and one of the newcorners touched his arm. The woman was tall and thin, with dark hair as closecropped as a weyrwoman's. She reminded Moreta of someone. Then they were airborne, and M'barak warned her that they'd go between as soon as Arith had air space.
Back at Fort Weyr, there was so much activity in the Bowl, readying the two wings, that no one noted their arrival though M'barak had craftily come in over the lake. Arith glided to deposit Moreta at the Hatching Ground cave. After remembering to give the blue's ribs a grateful thump, Moreta ran toward Orlith across the sands, not totally surprised to see Leri's figure beside her.
«You're here! You're here!» Orlith was bugling in relief, her wings extended, sweeping sand over Leri's small figure.
«It's all right, Orlith. I'm here! Don't make so much commotion!» Moreta raced to her dragon, throwing her arms around Orlith's head and hugging her as tightly as she could, then scratching eye ridges and murmuring reassurances.
«By the first Egg,» Leri was saying, leaning against Orlith's side, «am I glad to see you! What have you been doing? Holth couldn't find you either. Oh, do be quiet, Orlith! Holth!»
«You have finally returned.» There was more reproof in Holth's voice than Orlith would ever express.
«Couldn't you contact Nabeth?» Moreta asked Orlith, then Leri and Holth. Orlith's color was very poor and there was an ashen hue to Leri's complexion. She was full of remorse for having caused them a moment's anguish. «Why didn't you speak with Nabeth?»
«I wanted you,» Orlith said piteously.
«Could you spare me a word of explanation?» Leri asked in a caustic tone, her voice breaking effectively. Contrite, Moreta grasped Leri's shoulder. «The past hour has been dreadful. It took all my tact and patience to keep Orlith from blasting after you, wherever you were, which was where?»
«Didn't Nabeth explain? B'lerion said he had.»
Leri waggled her hands irritably. «He only said that you had to go on an imperative journey that would take no more than an hour.»
«And we were back at Ruatha within that hour.» Moreta knew that had to be the truth and, indeed, now that she was back with Orlith, the past subjective twenty hours seemed the dream, not the reality. «Just an hour.»
«No, actually,» Leri said firmly, «a little longer than an hour. You were talking with Capiam about something,» Leri underscored her ignorance of that interview by a significant pause, «before you, he, and that journeywoman of his went skiting off to Ruatha on M'barak. The next thing I hear is a request through Holth from Nabeth and B'lerion.» She gave Moreta a stern look, an effect that was slightly spoiled by her changing from one foot to another during her reprimand.
«You look a bit uncomfortable on these hot sands, Leri. I think we'd better get off the Ground. I've rather a lot to tell you. No, Orlith, I won't leave your sight but what suits your eggs is hard on your rider.» Moreta gave Leri a gentle shove toward her temporary living space and then fondled Oriith's muzzle.
Leri had already seated herself before Moreta had sufficiently reassured Orlith. The queen gently pushed her weyrmate off and began to reposition the queen egg.
«It all began,» Moreta said to Leri as she settled herself, «when Master Capiam came to ask me the same question Alessan had,» Moreta caught herself before she could blurt out 'two nights ago', «about vaccinating the runners.»
Leri gave a disgruntled snort. «I would have thought he had enough on his hands healing humans.»
«He does, but the plague is an instance of zoonosis, animals infecting people and other animals.»
Leri stared at Moreta, her jaw dropping in alarm. «Zoonosis? Even the term sounds repulsive!» She fiddled with the cushion behind her back. «So, now that I'm comfortable, give me all the details.»
Moreta told Leri about Capiam's visit, his fears for the continent's health, how via zoonosis a second, more virulent wave of the viral infection could spread, and why mass vaccination was so essential. Capiam had left his chart behind, and Moreta produced it for Leri to examine.
«Capiam has it all planned so that a minimum of dragonriders would be needed.» She broke off, seeing the shock on Leri's face as the method of distribution became apparent to the older Weyrwoman.
«The riders would have to time it!» Leri stared at her, the nostrils of her straight, finely arched nose flaring with indignation. «You did say that Master Capiam brought this, this incredible plan with him?» When Moreta nodded, Leri's voice crackled with fury. «How, may I ask, how did Master Capiam know that dragons can move in time? I'll flay K'lon to his bones!» Leri all but bounced off the stone tier. From above, Holth bugled a protest.
«It wasn't K'lon,» Moreta said as she clasped Leri's wildly gesticulating hands in hers. «Calm Holth down. She'll have Sh'gall on us!»
«If you told Capiam, Moreta.» Leri freed one hand to raise it aggressively.
«Don't be silly. He knew!» Remembering her own outrage at Capiam's knowledge, Moreta could well appreciate Leri's reaction. «He knew because, as he had to remind me, his Craft bred the ability into dragons.»
Leri opened her mouth to protest that statement, then took a deep breath and nodded her head in belated acceptance. «You still have some explaining to do, Moreta. Where have you been the past hour where neither Orlith nor Holth could reach you?»
Moreta was not so certain, suddenly, of Leri's reaction to the truth of her whereabouts, especially now that it was obvious that Nabeth's explanation had been somewhat less than candid. And she'd given B'lerion far too good a reason to prevaricate.
«We went to Ista. We went forward in time to Ista to harvest needlethorn. There's not much point in producing vaccine if there's no way to administer it.»
Meekly Moreta endured Leri's piercing stare, the expression of disbelief, anger, anxiety, and finally resignation that flashed through the woman's eyes.
«You just casually,» Leri flapped one hand in a careless motion, «jumped four or five months ahead?»
«Not casually. B'lerion checked the position of the Red Star and the two moons to be sure he was near the autumnal equinox. And we arrived back in Ruatha in an hour. Nabeth told you that much, didn't he?»
«That much!» Leri drummed her fingers on her short thighs, indicating a displeasure she evidently couldn't express in another way.
Moreta put out a tentative hand, a request for absolution, and Leri caught it, noticing for the first time the delicate tracery of needle scratches.
«Serves you right.» With a snort of disgust she released the hand. Then, with a grudging smile, she added, «I'd have thought you'd've taken a lesson from K'lon's ineptitude. Sunburn. Scratches!»
«Nothing that redwort won't hide this afternoon.» But Moreta tucked both hands under her thighs, the stone cool on the deeper slashes. «Nabeth didn't tell you he took us to Ista? I chose a spot that isn't easily reached through the rainforests. There're only two places on the northern continent where needlethorn grows, and I thought the ravine on Ista safer than Nerat. We were perfectly safe the entire time.»