"Did you like riding Spakinth? C'rob won the toss. He usually does." Then, when the lad saw that he had confused Robinton with his confidence, he added, "I'm weyrbred, but my father insisted that I get some teaching here. So here I am."
"You're weyrbred?" Robinton eyed the lad.
"I am, and I don't have a tail or fangs, nor will I, even if I
Impress a bronze." The boy's thin face momentarily stiffened with determination before the careless grin replaced it. "And I will. And be Weyrleader and save Pern from Threadfall."
"Really? Cortath said that dragons must fly when Thread is in the sky."
"You'd better believe it," Falloner said stoutly. Then he blinked in surprise. "Cortath spoke to you?"
"Falloner."
Both boys turned at Lord Maidir's voice.
"You know the quarters made ready for the MasterSinger and young Robinton," Benden's Lord went on. "Why don't you show him the way and take up his things?"
"Of course, Lord Maidir," Falloner said with quick courtesy. He turned to Robinton. "Which are yours?"
Robie looked at the pile on the steps and wasn't quite sure. Their departure had certainly been swift; Mother had packed for him.
"The two with the red straps," Merelan said, pointing and giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "And that small one there." Robinton did recognize that as the one in which she had put the contents of his desk and, while that wasn't very long ago, it seemed to him that a great deal had happened in a very short time.
Falloner threw the school sack at him and then hefted the other two, though Robinton tried to take one from him. quickly, Lady Hayara gestured for Merelan to precede her into the room.
"We even have a bathtub, Mother," Robinton exclaimed. "Over my head, at least."
Merelan laughed at him, but behind her Maizella raised her eyebrows contemptuously. Robinton was about to bristle when Falloner winked at him, reminding him of what he'd said about the girl a few minutes before.
"More high than wide like ours at the Hall," he added defensively.
"We tap into the Weyr's heat source here at the Hold," Lady Hayara said, "which is such a blessing. So many holds have to heat bathing water. I do hope you'll be comfortable, Merelan," she added as she led the way to the larger bedroom. "I think there's enough room for a small bed in here, if you'd rather your son sleeps--"
"Goodness me," Merelan said with a laugh, "Robinton's much too big a lad not to have his own room."
Robinton wanted to put his tongue out at Maizella for the haughty expression on her face, but he knew his mother wouldn't like him to. She reminded him of Halanna, and he really didn't need to deal with another Halanna disliking him.
"Well, we'll let you get settled in then. Come on, children, you can make friends at supper-time," said Lady Hayara, resettling the child she carried in her arms as she gestured for the others to clear out. "Ah, I see there's a tray for you since I know you've missed your usual lunch-time coming here. We'll be eating in another two hours, you know, what with the time difference coming east and all."
Merelan smiled her gratitude and escorted her hostess to the door, the rest of the children following. When they were gone, she turned to Robie.
"Well!" she said with a big sigh, and then she smiled – a sad sort of smile – at her son. "Let me see your room, love."
"It's a lot like mine at the Hall, Mother..." And Robinton trailed off, the sadness in her smile suggesting he'd better not ask why they had left so abruptly and with no warning.
Though he did not follow her, his mother did look into his room in a perfunctory fashion.
"Did you and Falloner make friends on your way up?" she asked, wandering about the living room and touching this and that.
"He's weyrbred," Robinton replied, still somewhat awed.
"Yes, he is. And I hope he's as eager to learn as the others. That's why I'm here." And then she sat down in a chair and burst into tears.
Robinton rushed to her side, patting her arm and stroking her hair. His mother rarely cried. She hugged him to her, her tears soaking his shirt, but he knew only to hold on to her and repeat that they'd be fine, they were together, and Benden Hold seemed nice and the Lord Holders were so friendly and wanted them here.
"Yes, they do want us here, don't they?" she said finally, giving herself a little shake and sitting up straight. "I'm sorry to have sprung this on you so abruptly, Robie, but Lord Maidir's been after me to come and teach music to these very promising youngsters.
Suddenly, I thought it might be a good idea for both of us to take a break from the Hall. Master Gennell thought so too, and urged me to take the posting. And there was the dragon ..."
"Spakinth is his name," Robinton said when she paused.
She smiled through the last of her tears. "How do you know that?"
"He told me."
"C'rob told you?"
"No, Spakinth."
She tilted her head to one side. "You can hear dragons?"
"Well, when they want me to, I do."
"Oh, Robie." She embraced him tightly. "Not many do. It might even mean you'd Impress, and that would solve everything." She spoke the last over his shoulder as if more to herself than to him.
"But I could still be a harper, couldn't I?" He hadn't had a definitive answer to that question from the dragons. Maybe his mother would know.
"I think that depends on many things," she said, drying her eyes, and suddenly she seemed more like herself. "Like if there's a clutch when you're the right age. Dragons don't have as many eggs during an Interval, you see, and you're only Impressionable until you're twenty, and the weyrbred have preference. At least you'll get to understand more about the Weyrs, and that's all to the good."
Again her remark was not meant for him, but he didn't mind because he'd like to know more about the Weyrs. The abandoned Fort Weyr was forbidden by order of Lord Grogellan. That might have been one reason why every boy had to go up there alone for a night when he turned twelve, or he'd be considered cowardly.
"Will I be able to visit the Weyr?" Robinton asked eagerly. That way, he'd know what a Weyr was like, and then an empty one wouldn't be as scary.
"I think that's likely. One of the reasons I'm here is to help C'gan, their current Weyrsinger. He desperately wants more training." His mother gave a little laugh. "I'll be so busy I won't--" She broke off and stood up. "Well, let's get ourselves settled in, shall we? Or are you hungry enough to sample what's here?"
Robinton had spotted the large selection of sweet biscuits and pointed.
"Well, just two of them, so as not to spoil your appetite. I'll have one, too – they smell so good. Fresh ... every bit as good as Lorra makes." And she chattered on as she insisted on helping him put his things away. "I didn't want to overload the dragon," she said, "so I didn't bring everything you own, love, but your newest drum and pipes ... we've my gitar to practise on, and maybe we can get enough wood for you to start your own, because I know Master Bosler said you could start preparing the wood, which takes most of the time it takes to make a gitar, you know. I'm sure we can find gut for strings when the time comes to do that step. And your new Gather clothes, because they entertain quite a bit here at Benden, Lord Maidir and Lady Hayara being so popular on this coast.
There's a schoolroom, too, so we'll just leave these in the carisak now, shall we? Now, that's done and you can help me."
As he did, Robinton realized that his mother hadn't brought many of her own clothes. Only one Gather dress and one of the long, fine dresses she'd use when she gave concerts. And while she had lots of new musical scores, mainly the ones she'd teach from, there was nothing in his father's familiar broad script. That was odd. His stomach felt a little queasy suddenly, and it wasn't from eating the sweet biscuits.