Tazith was stretched out in a circle on a thick part of the canopy. He looked comfortable enough. Xhinna scanned the treetops for other sites that might hold a dragon. She stopped when her count reached thirty—more than enough for the twenty-two of them.
Tazith, love, Xhinna thought softly to her blue, it’s time to go. We need to get back.
With a tree-shaking yawn and stretch, the blue got carefully back on his feet.
If we could find a place near the edge, I could just glide, he told her.
First, let’s get everyone here, then we can look.
“You want us to live in the trees?” Taria asked when Xhinna explained her plan to the others.
“It’s comfy!” Tiona said.
“And it’s nice,” Kimar added, then frowned. “Except for the pricklers.”
“It’s high off the ground, safe from tunnel snakes and Mrreows,” Xhinna said. “If it doesn’t work out, we can find another place.”
“How are we going to get Coranth there?”
“Tazith can lift her and then she can go between,” Xhinna said. “Up in the trees she’ll find it easier to rest her leg—she can stretch it out without bumping into anything.”
“What about when it rains?” Taria asked.
“By then we can probably make places for the dragons below the treetops and the leaves above will keep us dry,” Xhinna said after a moment’s thought. “We’ll leave as soon as the hunting parties return.”
“What about fire?” Taria asked. “I can’t see making one up in the trees.”
“No,” Xhinna agreed, temporarily stumped. “We can build a fire someplace on the ground. We can abandon it at night if we can’t protect it.”
Taria grinned at her friend. “It sounds like you’ve thought of everything, Weyrwoman.”
“Weyrwoman?”
“You’re making a weyr and you’re a woman,” Tiona said reasonably. “And you’re in charge, like my mother.”
Taria smiled at her partner. Xhinna shook her head diffidently.
“It’s either that or Weyrlingmaster,” Taria warned her.
“No, that’s K’dan’s job,” Xhinna said promptly.
Taria’s face drained of color at the mention of K’dan. She moved closer to Xhinna and spoke into her ear, “What about the Thread? Did it get him and the others?”
Xhinna moved back and smiled at her. “I don’t think so. In fact, I’ve an idea where to find them.”
“You do?” Taria asked, surprised. “Where?”
“When,” Xhinna corrected.
It took most of the day to move the hatchlings and their riders, two at a time, up to what R’ney instantly dubbed, “Sky Weyr.”
After a lot of fussing, the new riders settled down with their dragonets who were, as usual, hungry. Leaving Taria to care for Coranth, Xhinna collected R’ney and Jepara.
“We’re hunting wherries,” she told them.
R’ney insisted on bringing one of the nets they’d used as a makeshift carrier for the hatchlings, while Jepara produced a bow with a half-full quiver.
“I helped K’dan with the hunting,” she explained as she mounted Tazith. Xhinna vaguely remembered the younger woman as someone who’d returned from one of their wild Searches for Candidates rather than those who’d stayed in their holds waiting for the summons. She smiled fondly back in the direction of their camp. “Sarurth tells me that she’s hungry—I never even expected to Impress—let alone a queen!”
R’ney snorted in agreement as he took a seat behind her.
“I understand completely,” Xhinna said, mounting and telling Tazith to fly.
I see wherries, Tazith said in a little while, backwinging to slow down.
“What’s your plan?” Jepara asked.
“Why not circle wide, drop us farther on, and have your blue herd them toward us?” R’ney suggested.
“No, toward me,” Jepara said. “You stay with Xhinna and throw that net of yours if you think it’ll help.”
“Better,” Xhinna said before R’ney could respond, “we put you in position, Jepara, and when you start shooting, any wherries that fly from your arrows will be caught in R’ney’s net.”
“So we’ll get at least three,” Jepara said smugly.
“Three?” R’ney asked.
“Yes,” Jepara said, “you’ll get one and I’ll get two.”
R’ney drew a quick breath to retort, but let it out slowly when Xhinna reached back to give his knee a reassuring pat.
“Don’t shoot until you’re sure of your footing,” she warned as they dropped Jepara down among a group of broom trees.
“Of course,” Jepara said, waving them off.
“She’s going to get herself hurt with that attitude,” R’ney said as he shook out the net.
“She might,” Xhinna said. “Better now than later, though.”
R’ney considered her response for a long moment before saying, “I suppose you’re right.”
“Taria and I have been handling the young for the better part of four Turns now,” Xhinna said. “I hope we’ve learned a little in that time.”
She turned her attention to Jepara, a small figure in the distance.
All right, Tazith, Xhinna said, urging her blue into a breathtaking dive. The dragon added a bellow of his own, and in a moment a flock of startled wherries flew into the air.
Keep it up, Xhinna said, as Tazith darted from side to side to keep the wherries moving in a straight line.
This is fun!
Yes, it is, Xhinna agreed with a broad smile. She patted her blue even as she urged him on and felt the strength of his muscles as he increased his speed, darting from one side to another, always herding the wherries until—
“There!” R’ney called when he spotted the first arrow. It went wide, but one of the wherries saw it and turned in midair. With a whoop, R’ney threw his net, careful to wrap the trailing rope several times around the riding harness while letting it slide through his wher-hide gloves.
“Got it!” he called, as Tazith turned in the air to accommodate the sudden weight of the trapped wherry. R’ney pulled on the slip knot to close the net and then hung on tightly as the wherry tried in vain to fly clear.
Xhinna glanced around urgently. “Where’s Jepara?”
“Just get me to the ground and go find her,” R’ney said.
Xhinna complied and was airborne again in moments, her eyes searching the broom trees for the young queen rider.
Suddenly Tazith scooped air, turned in one quick move, and stopped abruptly, throwing Xhinna forward on her fighting straps.
“Three!” Jepara cried up at them, holding up three fingers on one hand. “I’m going to need some help, though.”
At Xhinna’s urging, Tazith found a spot where he could let her alight and she moved carefully over two treetops to join Jepara.
“Well done,” Xhinna said as she picked out the forms of three wherry carcasses lying in the nearby trees.
“We’ll need the rope to get them out,” Jepara told her. She glanced toward the blue dragon. “Where’s the smith?”
“R’ney,” Xhinna said, emphasizing the honorific contraction, “is dealing with his catch.”
“I’ll bet he’ll be green with envy at my catch,” Jepara crowed.
“And, gold rider, if he is, you’ll be certain to ease his shame,” Xhinna said abruptly.
“That’s right,” Jepara said. Her look was challenging. “I am a queen rider, and that means you answer to me, doesn’t it? So why are we taking orders from you, a mere girl who rides a blue?”