Menolly laughed. "More of the same, I expect. Robinton's been going over those charts and reports of yours on shipboard until I thought he'd wear the ink out from looking." She pulled her knees up under her chin, a shy smile lighting her eyes. "Sebell's coming tomorrow with N'ton and Master Oldive." She went on quickly, before anyone could comment: "As I understand it, Sebell, N'ton and F'lar are overseeing Toric's people and that herd of holders' sons coming from the North. They'll chart the western part…the dividing line is that black rock river of yours, Piemur!"
Piemur groaned, writhing dramatically on the sand. "That place! May I never see it again!" He lifted one fist skyward to emphasize his determination. "Took me days to find a break in the cliffs on the other shore that we could climb out of. At that I had to ride Stupid off the cliffs into the water and swim him across. The fishes nearly made us their lunch."
"And the rest of us," Menolly continued, "with F'nor and the Harper, will explore this side."
"Inland, I hope?" Piemur asked sharply.
She nodded. "I understand," and she glanced over her shoulder at the Weyrleaders and Craftmasters, "that Idarolan may sail the coast…"
"More power to him. I've walked far enough!"
"Oh, hush, Piemur. No one forced you to…"
"Oh?"
"Enough, Piemur," Jaxom said, impatiently. "So we're to go inland?" Menolly nodded.
As one they looked over their shoulders toward the mountain, invisible though it was from their recumbent position.
Jaxom grinned at Menolly. "And Master Oldive'll be here tomorrow so I'll be able to go between again!"
"Lot of good that'll do you," Piemur said with a snort. "You still have to fly the route straight first."
"That doesn't put me out one little bit."
A fire-lizard squabble in the trees startled all of them and diverted Piemur from what Jaxom was certain was a renewal of his usual sour theme. Two gold streaks could be seen against the darker green of the foliage.
"Beauty and Farli to settle the matter!" Menolly cried, then looked around, curiously. "There're just our fire-lizards here now, Jaxom. Has all the activity frightened the Southern ones away?"
"I doubt it. They come and go. I suspect some of them are in the trees, fussing because they don't dare come near Ruth."
"Did you ever find out more about their men?"
Jaxom was chagrined to say that he hadn't even tried. "There's been too much else happening."
"I'd have thought you'd have given it one go." Menolly sounded irritated.
"What? And deprive you of the pleasure?" Jaxom affected surprised hurt. "I wouldn't dream of it…" He stopped abruptly, remembering those very peculiar dreams, as if he'd been seeing something out of hundreds of eyes. He also recalled what Brekke had said, the first day Ruth had flown Thread: "It was difficult to see the same scene through three pairs of eyes." Had he in fact been seeing, in his dreams, a scene from many fire-lizard eyes?
"What's wrong, Jaxom?"
"Maybe I did dream of it, after all," he said, with a hesitant laugh. "Look, Menolly, if you dream tonight, remember it, huh?"
"Dream?" Sharra asked, curious. "What kind of dreams?"
"Have you been having some?" Jaxom turned toward her. Sharra had assumed her usual intricate fold of leg, a posture which evidently fascinated and confounded Menolly.
"Certainly. Only… like you, I don't remember them, except that I couldn't seem to see clearly. As if my dream eye gets unfocused."
"That's a nice concept," Menolly said. "A dream eye unfocused."
Piemur groaned and flailed at the sand with his fists. "Here comes another song!"
"Oh, do be quiet!" Menolly regarded him with impatience. "All that lone traveling has changed you, Piemur, and I for one don't like the change."
"No one says you have to," Piemur snapped at her and, with a fluid motion, was on his feet and striding into the forest, angrily batting the underbrush out of his way.
"How long has he been so touchy?" Menolly asked Jaxom and Sharra.
"Since he arrived here," Jaxom said, shrugging to indicate that they hadn't been able to change him.
"Remember, he's been very worried about Master Robinton," Sharra said slowly.
"We've all been worried about Master Robinton," Menolly said, "but that's no reason to change one's temperament!"
There was an awkward silence. Sharra unfolded her legs and rose abruptly.
"I wonder if anyone remembered to feed Stupid this evening!" She walked off, not quite in the same direction as Piemur.
Menolly looked after her for a long moment. Her eyes were dark with concern as she turned back to Jaxom and then a wicked gleam changed them to their normal sea-blue.
"While they're out of earshot, Jaxom," she glanced about to be sure no one had come up behind her, "I'd better mention that it's been pretty well established now that no one at Southern Weyr returned Ramoth's egg."
"Oh? Really?"
"Oh! Really!"
She rose then, cup in hand, and strode across to the wineskin hanging from a tree branch.
Was she warning him? Not that it made any difference. His adventure had served a purpose at the time. Now that the Southern Weyr was being integrated into the others, there was less need than ever to admit his part in the affair.
Menolly wandered over to collect her gitar from the table and then seated herself at the bench, strumming softly to herself. A new song, about dream eyes, Jaxom wondered. Then he looked off in the direction Sharra had gone. Had he any legitimate reason for following her? He sighed. He liked Piemur, despite his acid tongue. He'd been glad to see the young Harper, grateful for his company and assistance. He just wished that Piemur had taken a day longer, even half a day longer, to reach the Cove. Since his arrival, Jaxom had had no time at all alone with Sharra. Was she avoiding him? Or was it just the circumstances of the building and getting Cove Hold ready for Master Robinton? He must figure out some way to separate Sharra from the others! Or else visit Corana!
CHAPTER XIX
Morning at the Cove Hold, Star-gazing in Late Evening, Next Morning, Discovery at the Mountain, 15.10.15-15.10.16
BY THE TIME Jaxom and Piemur had reluctantly struggled from their furs the next morning, Sharra told them that the Harper had risen at the first light of day, taken a bracing swim, made himself a breakfast and been long in his study, muttering over the charts and making copious notes. He now wished to have a few words with Jaxom and Piemur, if they didn't mind.
Master Robinton acknowledged their entry with a sympathetic grin for their deliberate and slow movements, the aftereffects of a very convivial evening. He then began asking for explanations of their latest additions to the main chart. When he had satisfied himself on that point, he asked how they had arrived at their conclusions. When they'd told him, he leaned back from the desk, fiddling with his drawing stick with such an unreadable expression on his face that Jaxom began to worry about what the Harper might be planning.
"Have either of you happened to notice the trio of stars we have been calling-erroneously, I might add -the Dawn Sisters?"
Jaxom and Piemur exchanged glances.
"Do you have a far-viewer with you, sir?" Jaxom asked.
The Harper nodded. "Master Idarolan has one aboard his ship. I construe that question to mean that you've noticed that they also appear at dusk?"
"And whenever there's enough moonlight…" Piemur added.
"And always in the same place!"
"I see you did profit by your classes," the Harper said, beaming at both of them. "Now, I've asked Master Fandarel if we could prevail on Master Wansor to visit here for a few days. Why, might I ask, are you two grinning as if you'd eaten all the bubbly pies at a gather?"