Other dragons were at the feeding ground, Moreta noticed, after reaching her decision about Leri's future. The sparse numbers of the Weyr herd stampeded to the lake and some ambled into the water. A pursuing green had a fine time splashing after a wherry, and sprays of water made rainbow dazzles in the midmorning sun. The green's triumphant bugle was somewhat muffled by the wet mass in her mouth. Instead of flying up to her ledge to savor her meal, the green veered low and deposited the wherry at the feet of the blue dragon on the far side of the lake. Tigrath had preyed for Dilenth, A'dan and F'duril standing by. Unless Moreta's eyes deceived her, the third man watching the exchange was Peterpar, the Weyr herdsman.
When she joined the trio, Peterpar was finalizing the details of a wherry hunt to be held that afternoon if the weather kept fair.
«They've nooks they squeeze into up in the ravines, Moreta,» Peterpar explained. «If it stays sunny,» he twisted round to view the cloudless horizon, «and it looks to, they'll be out, browsing. A'dan here says he's willing.»
«I was thinking of asking S'gor to join us,» A'dan said. «Malth could use an excuse to spread her wings, and the chase would do S'gor a power of good!»
«He oughtn't to stay immured like that,» F'duril agreed, glancing up toward S'gor's weyr in the western arc of the Bowl. «We'll do it,» he added with a wink and a nod at Moreta. «A'dan here could get a snake to walk when he sets his mind to it.» Grinning, he hooked arms with his friend.
«Nonetheless, Moreta, we'll hunt the hills out right quick,» Peterpar said with a shake of his head. He frowned as he pushed together some stones with the toe of his boot. «How soon d'you expect the holders'll be willing to send up a drove?»
«Could we not just ask for permission to hunt until there's no more fear of spreading plague?» A'dan asked. Neither he nor F'duril had been infected since both had stayed close to F'duril's injured blue Dilenth during the worst of the contagion.
«That would spare holders the necessity of a drove when they're shorthanded and behind on spring work,» Moreta agreed, adding that detail to the others she was accumulating.
«Round up the strays for people in Keroon and Telgar,» Peterpar said, nodding sagaciously. «I did hear that animals were let run when folk took sick with no one to care for them.» Then he pointed skyward. «Where're the queen riders going? Is that S'peren with them?»
«On Search,» Moreta said casually.
«Queens don't go on Search,» Peterpar said presumptuously.
«They do when a Weyrwoman has been treated as uncivilly as Telgar treated me,» Moreta declared with sufficient severity to quell Peterpar's curiosity. «Orlith does need to be fed. Do please get a few juicy bucks for her in your hunt.»
Smiling, she left the men. Trust Peterpar to take an interest in everything. He hadn't mentioned Holth and Leri so perhaps Holth's shallow-angle approach to between had been justified. K'lon must have left earlier, but he was in and out of the Weyr so frequently on convey that his departure would not cause comment. It amused Moreta that she could turn M'tani's disaffection to advantage, so he was made useful instead of being merely obstreperous. Now if Sh'gall would just sleep all day …
She felt inordinately good that morning, aware of the smell of the spring in the air, the warmth of the sun, the laughter of the children playing near the Cavern. Once the dragons had finished feeding, they would return to the lakeside, their favorite spot for games. The atmosphere in the Bowl was returning to a normal buzz of pleasant activity, no longer silent with anxiety. However, an air of anticipation, of suppressed excitement, hung over the infirmary when she visited looking for Jallora, who was vaccinating one of the riders scored the day before.
«Good morning, Moreta,» Jallora said. «A well-timed arrival. Now I can give you the second vaccination which Capiam has ordered for the Weyrs. Dragonriders travel so much,» she said with a mild apologetic smile. Nothing in her expression indicated that the procedure was anything but routine. She administered Moreta's dose with the deftness of long practice.
«Can I give you a hand?»
«I wouldn't object. I've got the Lower Cavern to do. I vaccinated the queen riders before they left on their errand.»
Did Moreta imagine a twinkle in Jallora's eyes? At least she could keep busy helping the journeywoman, and so she passed the morning well occupied. When she saw Peterpar with A'dan and S'gor, she went to tell Orlith that there'd be more choice if she could contain her appetite until later in the afternoon.
«Wild wherries are tough,» Orlith remarked a trifle petulantly, but generally tasty, she added, sensing Moreta's concern and nuzzling her rider. «Kadith sleeps. Holth says that the errand proceeds well.»
Moreta was very grateful that Kadith still slept. Inevitably Sh'gall would discover that Fort Weyr riders had taken part in Capiam's vaccine distribution, preferably after he had recovered from the wine and when he had calmed down over M'tani's insult. Moreta could have been mistaken, but she had a fleeting thought that Sh'gall was obscurely pleased by M'tani's attitude toward her.
Suddenly Orlith reared up, her eyes flashing reddish orange with such alarm that Moreta whirled to the Hatching Ground entrance, alert to danger.
«He will not let the bronzes go. Sutanith is worried. He is dangerous. Dalgeth, the senior queen, restrains all.» Orlith sounded perplexed as well as defensive.
«Sutanith is speaking to you?» Moreta was amazed. Sutanith was Miridan's queen and she was a very junior weyrwoman at Telgar. Moreta didn't know her well at all for Fort did not often combine with Telgar Weyr even when traditional territories were observed.
«The Leader has gone between to the Fall, so Sutanith warns you of the trouble, that the bronzes cannot help.»
«M'tani found out that T'grel was going to distribute the vaccine?»
«Sutanith has gone.» Orlith relaxed her posture.
«And Dalgeth restrains? How did M'tani find out? I thought Leri and T'grel had worked out every detail. And Keroon must have the vaccine.» Moreta began to pace, scrubbing at her short hair as if she could tease out a plan. «If Keroon doesn't get the vaccine, the whole plan could fail!» She dashed across the sands to the tier and found Capiam's notes. Keroon and Telgar had to be covered and there were many halls and holds. Who else among her riders knew Telgar and Keroon well enough to, …
«Oribeth comes.» This time Orlith jumped in front of her eggs, spreading her wings, arching her neck in instinctive protection other clutch from the proximity of a strange queen.
«Don't be silly, Orlith. Levalla's here to see me!»
Astonished that the Benden pair should appear in Fort Weyr, Moreta rushed out to meet Levalla. They had landed in the center of the Bowl, well away from both Hatching Ground and Caves. As Moreta rushed out to meet her visitors, Levalla sighted the sun's position in relation to the Star Stones before sliding down her queen's shoulder to await Moreta.
«I timed that very well indeed. I didn't want you to worry unnecessarily.»
«You timed it here? Orlith just relayed Sutanith's cryptic message. Do you know about it?» Moreta had to bellow over the noise made by the Weyr's dragons, which were bugling in bewilderment at Orlith's alarm and Oribeth's presence. Moreta sent powerful reassurances to her queen, who stopped bugling.
«Do calm everyone down. I didn't mean to put the Weyr in a panic. My apologies to Orlith and the watchrider and all that, but I had to see you instantly. I did rather well, you know, timing it across the continent on top of everything else.» Levalla had stripped off one glove and now fingered the worry-wood. «And yes, we know all about it in the east. About midmorning, our time, M'gent thought something was amiss when Lord Shadder said no one from Telgar Weyr had collected any vaccine from him or Master Balfor, so we were slightly forewarned. Sutanith got her warning through to Oribeth, Wimmia, and Allaneth so I give Miridan full marks for courage. But then, K'dren says she's mating with T'grel, and he's determined against M'tani now. So we took a little time,» Levalla smiled eloquently at Moreta, «and we have assigned two brown riders who know Telgar Plains and the River holds. D'say has agreed to send one of his group on the runs along the Telgar coast to the delta. Dalova says she can expand her responsibility to include the mountains, skipping back pre-Fall because that's where it would chose to Fall today. But we don't have anyone who knows the Keroon Plains well enough.» She paused then from her swift recital of emergency measures and gave Moreta a long stare. «You do. Could you fly it on that young blue?»