She tossed him a handled brush. "Brekke brought these with her. Thought they'd help clean dragons, and things. Good stiff bristles. You'll like that, won't you, Ruth?"
She scooped handsful of sand from the cove floor, dribbling the wet stuff on Ruth's neck and then applying the brush with vigor. Ruth whistled through the water with pleasure.
"What happened to you while I was fighting Thread?" he asked her, pausing before attacking Ruth's rump.
"Menolly's still answering questions." Sharra regarded him over Ruth's recumbent body, her eyes dancing, her smile full of mischief. "She talked so fast he couldn't interrupt, and she was still talking when I left. I didn't realize anyone could outtalk the Master Harper. Anyway, he stopped fuming very early on. Did you get scorched by F'nor?"
"We exchanged… opinions."
"I'll just bet you did the way Brekke was carrying on. I told her that you'd got pretty fit while she was away. She acted as if you'd risen from your deathbed to ride Fall!" Sharra made a scornful sound.
Jaxom leaned over Ruth's back, grinning at her, thinking how pretty she was with the mischief in her eyes, and beads of water on her face where Ruth had splashed her. She glanced up at him, raising one eye in query.
"Did we really see what I thought we saw this morning, Sharra?"
"We surely did!" She pointed her brush at him, her expression severe. "And you're very lucky that we were along to vouch because I don't think anyone would have believed just you." She paused, the twinkle back in her eyes. "I'm not entirely sure they believe us anyhow."
"Who doesn't believe us?"
"Master Robinton, Master Wansor and Brekke. Weren't you listening to me?"
"No," he said, grinning, "I was looking at you."
"Jaxom!"
He laughed as the blush deepened the tan on her face and neck.
I have a severe itch where you are leaning against me, Jaxom.
"There now, you see?" Sharra said, slapping his hand with the bristles. "You're neglecting Ruth in a shocking fashion."
"How'd you know Ruth was speaking to me?"
"Your face always gives you away."
"Say, where's the Dawn Sister going?" Jaxom asked, noticing the ship, her sails billowing out in the breeze, standing out to sea.
"Fishing, of course. Threadfall always brings out schools. And our escapade this morning is going to bring people down here in droves. We'll need the fish to feed 'em."
Jaxom groaned, closing his eyes and shaking his head in dismay.
"That…" Sharra paused for emphasis, "is our punishment for the unauthorized jaunt this morning."
They were both dumped into the water as Ruth unexpectedly lunged out.
"Ruth!"
My friends are coming! The white dragon bugled happily as Jaxom saw, bleary-eyed from the ducking, a half-wing of dragons appearing in the sky.
There is Ramoth and Mnementh, Tiroth, Gyamath, Branth, Orth…
"All the Weyrleaders, Sharra!"
She was spitting and choking over the water she'd swallowed.
"Great!" She didn't sound happy. "My brush!" She began searching about her.
And Path, Golanth, Drenth and he's here on our watchdragon!
"There's Lytol! Stand still, Ruth. We've still got your tail to clean."
I must give a proper greeting to my friends, Ruth replied, pulling his tail out of Jaxom's grasp to sit up on his haunches and warble to the second group of dragonriders appearing over the Cove.
"He may not be clean," Sharra said with some acerbity as she began to wring her long hair dry, "but I am."
I am clean enough. My friends will want to swim, too.
"Don't count on another swim, Ruth. It's going to be a busy day!"
"Jaxom, did you get a chance to eat anything yet?" Sharra asked. When he shook his head, she grabbed his hand. "C'mon, quickly, the back way, before someone catches us."
He paused long enough on the shore to collect his flying gear, then they both ran up the old path to the kitchen entrance of Cove Hold. Sharra breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief to discover the place empty. Ordering him to sit, she poured a cup of klah, and served him slices of fruit and warm cereal from the pot on the back of the warming hearth.
They both heard the calls and exclamations from the new arrivals, Robinton's deep baritone dominating as he called greetings from the porch.
Jaxom half-rose from his bench, gulping down another mouthful, but Sharra pushed him back.
"They'll find you soon enough. Eat!"
"Ruth is on the beach," Lytol's voice was audible suddenly, "but I don't see Jaxom anywhere…"
"I know he's about…" Robinton began.
A bronze arrow whizzed into the kitchen, cluttered and zipped away.
"He's through that door, Lytol, in the kitchen," Robinton said with a laugh.
"I could almost agree with Lessa," Jaxom said in a mutter of disgust. He scraped a huge spoonful out of his bowl, cramming it into his mouth. He had to rise, catching the overflow at the comers of his mouth as Lytol came striding in.
"Sorry, sir," Jaxom mumbled through his food. "Had no breakfast!"
Lytol stood, his eyes so intent that Jaxom grinned in nervous embarrassment. He wondered if Lytol could already know of his excursion that morning.
"You look a great deal better than when I last saw you, lad. Good day to you, Sharra." His greeting was absent-minded courtesy as he crossed the remaining distance to clasp Jaxom's arm strongly in his. A smile pulled at his lips before he stepped back. "You're tanned, you look fit. Now what is this trouble you created today?"
"Create it? Me? No, sir." Jaxom couldn't help grinning now. Lytol was delighted, not annoyed. "That mountain's been there a long time. I didn't create it. But I did want to see it, close up, first!"
"Jaxom!" The Harper's bellow was impossible to ignore.
"Sir?"
"Come here, Jaxom!"
In the hours that followed, Jaxom was grateful that Sharra had thought to feed him breakfast. He didn't get much time for more food. The moment he entered the main Hall, questions were thrown at him by the Weyrleaders and Craftmasters assembled. Piemur had been very busy during Fall because Master Robinton had already completed a sketch of the southeastern face of the mountain to show the incredulous visitors, and a rough, small-scale map of this section of Southern. From the almost rhythmic way Menolly described their jaunt, Jaxom decided she had already repeated the account many times.
What Jaxom remembered most of that session was feeling sorry that the Master Harper was unable to see the mountain first hand. But, if Jaxom had waited until Master Oldive permitted the Harper to fly between. ..
"I know you've just flown Fall, Jaxom, but if you'd just give Mnementh the visualization…" F'lar began.
N'ton burst out laughing, pointing to Jaxom. "The look on your face, lad. F'lar, he's got to lead us! Give him that!"
So Jaxom got back into slightly damp flying gear and roused Ruth from his sandy baking. Ruth was pleased enough with the honor of leading the bronzes of Pern, but Jaxom could barely contain behind a composed expression the thrill he was experiencing. Jaxom and the white dragon, leading the most important people on Pern.
He could have asked Ruth to jump directly to the southeastern side of the Two-Faced Mountain, his private designation. Somehow he wanted everyone to experience the full impact of those two sides-the benign and beautiful.
From the expressions on the riders' faces as they settled briefly on the ridge, he could see that he had achieved the desired effect. He allowed them time to sight the Barrier Range, glistening in the sun, ragged white teeth on the horizon. He gestured seaward where neither morning mists nor Thread now obscured the tail of volcanoes snaking northeasterly out into the sea, smoke just curling from the curve of the world in that direction.