Caringly, she stroked Zaranth's nose, her cheekbones, was able to touch the deep gashes with gently inquiring fingers. She could see that they were shallow, worse than scratches but not as deep as the troughs that scored Golanth. Zaranth looked as if she were wearing stripes.
How did you do it, my heart?the rider asked the dragon. How did you save us?
I called. Ramoth and the others came quickly. I told Ramoth.The dragon's tone was squeaky with self-satisfaction. She did what I told her to do. She saw how to do it and told the others. They did more than me. There were more of them.Zaranth sighed gustily into her rider's lap. And the felines threatened our lives: all four of us. But we were too much for them. I was very glad to see the other dragons arrive: especially Ramoth.
I'm sure you were. So was I!Tai admitted, letting tears well up in her eyes, tears of exquisite relief now that she was physically close to her brave and clever Zaranth.
F'lessan has been anxious,Zaranth said with great concern. He will not rest. Golanth sleeps a lot. I tell F'lessan not to worry but I don't think he believes me.
He will believeme!Tai caressed Zaranth's sensitive eye ridges soothingly, just the way her green dragon preferred. Zaranth leaned her head more and more on Tai's knees until she became aware that this pressure was causing her rider pain. Zaranth opened her eyes and lifted her head.
I have called him.
Called who?
The bronze rider. The one who carried you. I thought about bringing you here myself,and Zaranth's eyelids lowered apologetically, but it's one thing to do it because it's the only thing to DO but I couldn't risk dropping you and I 'm not quite that good at it as I should be–to try lifting you carefully. So, first he will let you touch Golanth; this side isn't as bad. Golanth knows that you are here. You will touch Golanth and tell him that you have seen F'lessan. He will believeyou!
When T'lion duly returned, he supported Tai while she placed her hands on the bronze's side, carefully avoiding the grooves in Golanth's right shoulder that might, had they been a little higher, a little deeper, have ended the bronze dragon's life. And F'lessan's, too.
She blinked back more tears. This time death had not robbed her again of those she loved. She wasn't certain just how Golanth had escaped: the feline had been leaping in exactly the right arc/trajectory to land on Golanth's spine, teeth bared, talons extended. But somehow it had missed and she was profoundly grateful.
She spread her fingers on uninjured parts of Golanth's sun-warmed hide. She found a place where she could lean her forehead on his rib cage. She felt a rumble from Golanth and then a thought.
You have come.
F'lessan is weaker than you are, Golanth, so they will not bring him to you. But I have held his hand, I have spoken with him. Now I will tell him that I have touched you. And you will both start feeling better and healing as fast as possible. Do you hear me?
I hear you.The body beneath her hands heaved slightly and she felt him sigh. Ihear F'lessan. He wants to know if you are coming back.
Now that I have seen you and Zaranth, I 'II be right back.
"This may have been too much for you, Tai," T'lion said, picking her up. "I swear you feel lighter."
"That's as well for you then," she said.
"I'm stronger than I look, you know," he replied firmly as he carried her back into the weyrhold and down the hall.
"I must go back to F'lessan."
"Oh, I'm taking you there as fast as I can. And you must drink what Sagassy has concocted for you. Maybe even get F'lessan to sip some."
Which Tai did, after she had assured him of Golanth's condition. Most of the time he slept, his fingers twined in hers in a grip which alternately made her weep or feel intense pride that, of all the humans he knew, it was she whom he wanted by him.
Despite F'lar's assurance to the Council, despite Ramoth's assurances to Lessa, not all the dragons were able to imitate Zaranth and the dragons who came to her assistance in Honshu that terrible morning. Although Ramoth had told Lessa that she had understood how Zaranth had managed telekinesis, anger, fear, and outrage had had a lot to do with the process. Cool thought, or gradually, more ardent wishes, were not as successful. And nowhere near as safe.
First, the path between the original position and the destination of an object being moved by a dragon's mind had to be clear of any impediment. The distance did not seem to be an obstacle, for inanimate objects. Even for smaller living creatures, like wherries or herdbeasts. But there could be nothing in the way. While stones didn't suffer from being moved telekinetically, they might be broken if they collided with anything; so might what they collided with. The speed was another problem. The transfer was instantaneous-which could, and did, affect what was kinetically moved.
"A case of all or nothing," F'lar said after the first few hours of imperfect results with Mnementh.
"Control," Lessa suggested cryptically, having had no better performance from her queen.
With the felines, there hadn't been a problem of safe transit or landing. Pieces had done very well. Ramoth disapproved of challenging more felines for practice or in groups large enough to provide the stimulus that Zaranth had had: sheer terror at seeing her weyrmate and the two riders attacked.
The dragons could send things straight up in the open air-and out of sight. To move an object telekinetically in a horizontal direction had taken a lot of control and required Mnementh and Ramoth working together, one slowing the other down. Ramoth and Mnementh practiced daily, slowlylifting small rocks vertically from the ground and putting them back down without crushing them into dust or pebbles. They could probably have thrown one all the way to the Yokohama,also not the desired destination, but one that was causing considerable speculation by Lessa and F'lar. Thathad been a significant forward step.
When queried by Ramoth, Zaranth recommended that dragons experience trundlebugs. If there were many riders who found that a bizarre way to awaken telekinetic ability, it proved to be the one that worked-on trundlebugs. Ramoth and Mnementh earnestly suggested that the experiment be carried out in pairs, female and male dragons, and preferably a good distance from any holdings and close to a stream, lake, or ocean.
Then, when Ramoth and Mnementh worked together, one controlling the other, kinesis became more practical, less hazardous to what was being moved without physical contact.
What purpose, other than repelling-and destroying-felines or disciplining trundlebugs was not immediately apparent to many, though the ability provoked deep thought and theorizing in many quarters. Meanwhile, the dragons and their riders continued to practice this counter-balancing of kinetic energy.
Master Esselin-who now complained bitterly about all the tasks set him-was supposed to see what records were available on early dragon training: going betweenand using firestone. Nothing legible remained from the old Record Aivas had transcribed and those who owned fire-lizards insisted that the dragons had learned from these smaller cousins.