Dragonheart by Todd McCaffrey

Author:Todd McCaffrey
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780345491145
Publisher: New York : Del Rey/Ballantine Books, 2008.
Published: 2011-03-13T05:00:00+00:00

* * *

THIRTEEN

The stars shine so cold at night,

The sun burns so hot by day,

The wind whips in wild delight:

The weather at Igen is fey.

Igen Weyr, Early Morning, AL 498.7.3

Talenth woke Fiona early the next morning. The watchdragon says that they are getting ready to leave. Fiona propped herself up on an elbow and looked at Terin sleeping next to her on their makeshift bed of blankets, considering whether to wake her. She decided against it; the younger girl had had a busy enough first day as headwoman.

She made a mental note to send a party of weyrlings to get mattress fillings and started to crawl over Terin to the edge of the bed, but stopped when she saw her open her eyes.

“What is it?”

“The traders are leaving,” Fiona told her quietly.

Terin rubbed her eyes and sat up. “I’ll come with you.”

“It’s still dark outside,” Fiona cautioned as she rose and hastily pulled on the clothes she’d been wearing the day before. Terin followed suit and in short order the two followed the gleam of Talenth’s eyes into the queen’s new lair.

Did you want to come, too? Fiona asked her dragon.

Will it be fun? Talenth asked. Fiona shrugged. Talenth glanced around her lair and decided that she’d got herself too well settled to want to move. I’ll stay here, then.

One of the moons was high enough to provide some dim light in the Weyr Bowl outside—enough for eyes to see, if not in color. Fiona picked out the shape of the watch dragon on the heights near the Star Stones to the east. The night air was chill, fresh, expectant. She made out a shape: T’mar.

He must have seen them, for he stopped and waited for them to catch up. Together, the three of them made their way to the Kitchen Cavern.

“Klah or tea?” Terin asked, grabbing a glove to snag a pot of water from the hearth.

“You will find that it’s best to change your hours when you live in the desert,” they heard Mother Karina say from somewhere behind them. They turned to face her. “Night is your friend.”

“Thread falls when it will,” T’mar told her.

“Thread does not yet fall,” Karina reminded him. “Even when it does, Igen Weyr prepares in the early morning and late evening. Avoid the sun whenever you can.”

Azeez entered behind her. Karina turned to him.

“Everything is ready,” Azeez told her respectfully.

“The night awaits,” Karina said, turning to follow Azeez.

“Let us see you on your way,” Fiona offered, trotting after them.

They made their way through darkened corridors dimly lit by half-charged glows until they reached a deeper darkness where the heights of the Weyr Bowl shaded them from the moon’s light. Stars glittered beckoningly in the night sky.

Azeez climbed up to his perch on the first dray. “We shall see you soon.”

“Expect us before the next sevenday,” Karina amended.

Whips cracked, encouraging the large herdbeasts to start moving. With Azeez in the lead, the drays began to move slowly out into the dark night. When they could no longer be seen, T’mar turned to lead the way back.

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