«We?» Leri eyed Moreta with renewed alarm.
«I could scarcely harvest the quantity of needlethorn required by myself.» Then Moreta realized that, in her effort to reassure Leri, she had said altogether more than was strictly necessary.
«Who went?» Leri was quietly resigned to her indiscretions.
«B'lerion …»
«He would have to.»
Moreta winced at Leri's dry sarcasm.
«Master Capiam and Desdra, the journeywoman. She knows about timing because she found the entries in the old Records.»
«Could we ask Master Capiam to burn those old Records?» Leri asked hopefully.
«He's agreed to 'lose' them. Which is why I agreed to go.»
«That makes four of you. So! Who else went? We've known each other far too long, my dear, for you to delude me!»
«Alessan and Oklina.»
Leri sighed heavily, covering her eyes with one hand.
«Alessan has too much at stake and too much honor in him to prate about dragon capability. And judging by the way Arith has been snuffling around Oklina, she would make a candidate for Orlith's egg.»
«You couldn't, you wouldn't take his sister from Alessan …» Leri was astounded.
«I wouldn't, but the queen might. Alessan said he'd be agreeable if any children she bears are allowed to go back to Ruatha.»
«Well!» Leri's exclamation was complimentary. «You accomplished rather a lot in one hour, didn't you?»
«B'lerion insisted that we sleep six hours in Ista in that time, but we did have to leave an hour's leeway before appearing back at Ruatha!»
«So you skited back to Ruatha Hold bearing nets full of needlethorn and no explanations tendered?»
Moreta began to relax. Once Leri got over her shocks, she'd begin to see the humor of the whole adventure, that the sheer reckless momentum had worked to their advantage.
«B'lerion dropped off Alessan, Oklina, and me, and took off to the Healer Hall with Capiam and Desdra. The dust hadn't settled before M'barak arrived with more glass bottles and volunteers and … besides, who will ask the Lord of Ruatha to explain an hour's absence or inquire of Master Capiam where he got needlethorn? He has it! That's all anyone needs to know!»
«A point to remember.» Leri's humor had been restored enough for her to be witty.
«So,» Moreta said, having achieved another minor miracle in soothing Leri, «tomorrow I have only to approach the other Weyrs to ask for aid in distributing the vaccine. I promised Capiam.»
«My dear girl, you can skite out of here for an hour on a mysterious time-consuming errand, but what excuse could you possibly find to go Weyr-hopping?»
«The best. There's a queen egg in front of us. I can visit them on Search. Even Orlith would agree to the necessity for that! And if I remember correctly, the Weyrleaders promised at that historic Butte meeting of theirs that they would supply candidates for Orlith's clutch.»
«Ah, but that was then,» Leri pointed out sardonically. «This is now. You have surely been aware of M'tani's disaffection. He's unlikely to part with the dullest wit in his Cavern.»
«I thought of that. Remember the lists the Weyrleaders gave S'peren? Or did you give them to Sh'gall?»
«Don't be ridiculous. They're safe in my weyr.»
«We can figure out which of the bronze riders at Telgar are likely to time it. I can't imagine that Benden or High Reaches would renege on the offer of candidates.»
«Of course they wouldn't. T'grel would be the bronze rider you should see at Telgar. And you could apply to Dalova at Igen. She may tend to babble but she's basically rather a sensible person. You have thought this all out, haven't you?» Leri gave a little chuckle at Moreta's cunning. «My dear, you've the makings of a superior Weyrwoman. Just shuck that bronze rider and get someone you're happy with. And I do not mean that light-eyed Lord Holder, with his convenient stashes of Benden white. Though mind you, he's a handsome lad!» Outside, the bronze voice of Kadith called the fighting wings to the Rim.
CHAPTER XV
«One day, M'barak, and not too distant at that,» Moreta told the slim young weyrling the next morning, «we'll all have nothing to do but lounge in the sun.»
«I don't mind conveying, Moreta. It's such good training for Arith.» Then M'barak averted his eyes and she could see the color staining his neck and cheek. «F'neldril explained to me last night the responsibility of Search dragons and why Arith's been so discourteous.»
«It isn't discourtesy, M'barak.»
«Well, it's not proper dragon behavior and it doesn't look right for him to be doing such things to people like Lady Oklina.»
«M'barak, she understands, too. And it is an instinct that we want very much to encourage in Arith. He's a fine sensitive blue, and you've been of great assistance to Weyr, hall, and hold! Now, today we must Search first at Benden. The Weyrleaders promised us candidates.»
«Ones who've been vaccinated,» M'barak added hastily.
Moreta gripped him by the arm, amused by his conditioned qualification. Then they mounted Arith and left Fort Weyr.
«You are always welcome at Benden,» Levalla said when Moreta was ushered into the queen's weyr, «as long as you arrive without Orlith to plague Tuzuth.» The Benden Weyrwoman cast a sly glance at K'dren. «I trust she is welded to the Hatching Ground.»
«That's one of the reasons I'm here.» Moreta was alone with K'dren and Levalla since she had been able to recommend to M'barak that he remain in the Bowl with Arith. Both Weyrleaders looked tired and she wished that she did not have to tax their resources further, but there was no way one Weyr could manage to distribute the vaccine.
«Orlith's a reason for coming here?» K'dren grinned. «Ah, yes, of course. Candidates for your Hatching. Never fear that I will go back on that pledge. There are some promising fosterlings in our caverns. All have now been vaccinated.»
«That's the other reason I'm here.» Moreta had to blurt out her real mission at the first opportunity he gave her.
K'dren and Levalla heard her out in weary silence, K'dren scratching at his sideburns, Levalla sliding a worry-wood piece through her fingers, its surface smooth from long use.
«What we don't need is another epidemic. I quite see that,» Levalla said when Moreta had finished outlining the plan. «We didn't lose that many runnerherds here in the east but I'm sure Lord Shadder would be glad of the vaccine. Imagine Alessan being able to produce it with all he's been through!»
«I don't like asking riders to time it, Levalla.»
«Nonsense, K'dren, we'll only ask those who do it. Only last Turn, Oribeth had to discipline V'mul, and he's only a brown rider. Bone lazy, the pair of them. You know how brown riders can be, Moreta. And you know perfectly well, K'dren, that M'gent makes time whenever it suits him.»
«Then we'll put him in charge of the Benden riders assisting the Healer Hall,» K'dren said with a snap of his fingers. «Just the sort of challenge to keep him out of mischief. He was annoyed, you know,» and he winked at Moreta, «that I recovered from the plague so quickly. He enjoyed Leading to Fall. He'll make Weyrleader soon enough, won't he, mate?» He cast such a ludicrously suspicious look at his beautiful Levalla that it was obvious he had no anxieties on that score.
Levalla laughed. «As if I had time for any dallying these days. You're looking exceedingly well, Moreta. Any injuries in your Weyr from yesterday's Fall?»
«A few Threadscores and another dislocated shoulder. I'd say that this consolidation puts each wing on its mettle.»