Chapter 6 - Between
Summer, 35th Turn of the Present Pass
The dragons who had clutched in 33, a Turn ahead of Aurieth and Margroth, were integrated into the fighting wings just after the Summer Solstice, and to everyone's delight, his class became the senior weyrlings. They were joined by two dragons and their riders who had been held back from the previous class - K'teen, rider of brown Ponath, who was considered too young, and M'rellet, rider of blue Tiketh, also very young and who had been injured during training and was still not fully recovered. Neither of them was happy about their reversion, but they both accepted their fate with a relatively good grace, and were even generous enough to help the more junior riders avoid easy mistakes.
Lessons were now almost exclusively outdoors, rain and Thread permitting. From the moment they moved up to the weyrs the weyrlings were allowed to fly their dragons every day, except when Threadfall was due close to the Weyr, but all their flights were supervised and to specified locations. R'lan had them fly to various points above the Weyr and then made them fix the views in their minds, explaining that this was in preparation for going between later on. There were fixed points at each of the weyrs that were reserved for transferring in from between, and riders were advised to stay clear of them at other times to prevent accidents. For Fort, they learned to imagine the Tooth Crag at the northern end, the Star Stones and landing area on the eastern rim, and the remnants of the earthslide at the southern end.
As the dragons grew stronger, they began to fly to Fort Hold, Fort Sea Hold, Ruatha and other Holds within easy flying distance. As before, they were instructed to fix the landmarks in their minds from various angles and to remember these marks rather than variable fixtures such as trees or buildings.
As well as lessons, they had to take turns as watch-dragon on the fire-heights, initially assisting an older rider, then on their own. It was boring duty, and D'min complained loud and long whenever it was his turn, but to B'lee it was a chance to let his mind and body rest while he scoured the horizon for any incoming dragons or aberrant Threadfall. He couldn't play his gitar while on duty, but he could hum, and he found himself developing a new tune or variation almost every time. He had managed to scrounge a shallow tray to make a sand-table for his weyr, and spent many a happy hour working on a song until it was complete enough to be transcribed to parchment. When he had a couple more ready, he planned to show them to Willan, but for the present he was content to play them for himself or for D'min and S'gan.
* * *
They were a little apprehensive about learning to fly between, that strange transition through nothingness that permitted them to travel to any part of Pern in a few heartbeats. They had all of them heard the stories about weyrlings who disappeared and were never seen again, or of the time that an earthquake had split a rock face in two and revealed the grisly evidence of a dragon and weyrling who had materialised inside the rock. Naturally, it was these stories rather than the numerous successes that occupied their minds, and B'lee approached their first lesson with a knot of anxiety in his stomach.
F'neldril, who took most of their classes now, stressed again that each Weyr and Hold had designated points for coming out of between, and that as long as they were careful and moved out of these spaces quickly, there was very little danger of a collision. He also emphasised that almost all dragonets and weyrlings grasped the concept very easily and made successful transitions the first time.
He started them out on the easiest of transitions: from the Weyr's east rim to the west. First he had them fly to the east rim, so that the landmarks would be fresh in their minds, then he moved them around to the west rim.
"Who will go first?" he asked.
There was a brief pause, but B'lee wasn't surprised when D'min raised his hand and said "We will."
F'neldril smiled and nodded. "Very well. Remember - always have your destination clearly pictured in your mind before you jump."
D'min nodded, and concentrated on his transfer point. Then Aurieth leapt up, gave a couple of wing strokes to ensure she was well clear of the ledge and ... disappeared.
B'lee could see F'neldril counting under his breath. It seemed like forever, but in reality couldn't have been more than a dozen heartbeats, before Aurieth re-appeared on the far side of the Weyr, above the Star Stones.
B'lee couldn't help it - he was yelling his relief and approval, and all the others joined in, cheering D'min for his effort. D'min raised an arm, and Aurieth leapt up again, but this time flew the long way around to rejoin them, taking only twice as long as the flight between.
"Well done," F'neldril said, and D'min beamed under the praise.
"Aurieth did it," he said proudly. "She's the best dragon ever."
F'neldril smiled knowingly, and patted Mnanth's neck, as if to reassure him that no stripling green would ever be better than his own brown.
D'min's feat set the tone for the rest of the day: all the dragons were able to transfer from east rim to west, and there were no casualties.
When it was B'lee's turn, he knew he was a little nervous, but seeing the others do it so easily made him determined not to fail. He gave Margroth the landmarks he needed, and then told him to go between.
It was cold, and dark, and frightening - the most frightening experience he'd ever had. But, as before, it last only for the space of ten heartbeats or so, and then he was back in the warm air over the Weyr, looking back at his classmates. He heard the cheers, and flew Margroth back the long way.
That was well done, he said, pleased that Margroth had made the transfer so smoothly.
It is easy. I just think of where I want to be and there I am.
Well, he would never understand exactly how they did it, but if it helped them to get from one side of Pern to the other in a few heartbeats, then he wasn't going to complain.
He rejoined the rest of the class and watched the last few weyrlings make the transition. When they had all finished, he saw F'neldril visibly relaxing, and he wondered what it must be like to be in charge of the weyrlings, where deaths and injury - though infrequent - occurred more often than anyone liked. But it was foolish to dwell on possible disasters when the day had turned out so well, and B'lee headed towards the lake with a light heart and a spring in his step.
After that they practised going between nearly every day. At first, they flew straight to a destination and then transferred back. Once they had all mastered that (which the dragons found remarkably easy) they practised taking directions from Mnanth or Belleth to familiar places, and then, finally, directions to unfamiliar places. They went all over the continent, to all the Weyrs and several of the major holds. They never landed, though, and merely stayed long enough to fix the landmarks in their minds and for F'neldril to send a message to the local watch dragon.
Through all of these transitions there was an element of nervousness. D'min told him that the Weyr lost a dragon and rider every couple of years while learning between, but they were never sure if it was the dragon or the rider who caused the accident. All they could do to minimise the risk was to take the training in easy stages and hope that no one panicked.
One thing that B'lee hoped to do, once he was allowed to transfer on his own, was to visit his family at High Reaches Weyr. He still missed his parents, his brothers and his sisters, even though he hadn't seen them in so many Turns. He received letters a couple of times a Turn from his mother, and so he knew, for instance, that he had yet another little nephew he hadn't seen (a third son for his eldest brother) but he longed to see them.
The day that they had materialised out of between into the cool air above High Reaches Hold had been particularly poignant: he had never imagined that the cold grey stones and dark forests could have looked so beautiful as they did from the air. He wished that he could take a few minutes to descend and greet his family, but F'neldril had told them all sternly that they were on training flights, not pleasure trips. Any private travel would have to wait until they were assigned to the wings.
He sighed, and made the most of the few minutes that they were above his childhood home. He could see the drumheights, and the Gather Ground, and the road that led down to High Reaches Sea Hold, where the shipbuilding yards were. He could see people scurrying around the fields and courtyards, busy doing their work or just simply staring up at the dragons in the sky, but none of them were clear enough to identify. He felt a sudden intense yearning to see his family again, and promised himself that he would return as soon as he could.
* * *
As luck would have it, B'lee was rostered for watch-dragon duty on his birthday. He grimaced as the roster was read out, but didn't care to explain himself to D'min or S'gan. He was going to be 21, and that was far too old to be making childish complaints about birthdays. Besides, he didn't want anyone to make a fuss, and the best way of avoiding that was to make sure that no one knew about it.
The day passed as it usually did on watch, in complete and utter boredom, alleviated only by D'min bringing him a spicy fruit bun in addition to the usual noonday meatroll. He sighed in relief as the sun went down and the watch-wher came snuffling out of its den and onto the heights. He hurried down to the evening meal, and managed to slide into place just before the meal was served.
He joined a party in J'loran's weyr after dinner, and there was a lot of laughing and playing and fooling around before they all retired to bed. B'lee considered that it hadn't been a bad birthday, all things considered, but he promised himself that the next year he was going to spend his birthday at High Reaches, with his family.
* * *
The following sevenday was the Fort Hold Harvest Gather, held a day later than usual this year because of Threadfall. All the senior weyrlings were rostered for passenger duties, but that was a small price to pay for being allowed back to Fort Hold. He and D'min compared their duty-sheets, and found that they both had three hours free in the middle of the day when they could walk the gather themselves.
B'lee was ecstatic. "I'll be able to show you the Harperhall," he told D'min. "You'll be able to see where I lived for five Turns, and meet all my old friends."
"And I'll be able to meet some more riders," enthused D'min.
"Surely you can't have bedded every blue rider here already?" asked B'lee, scandalised.
"Of course not," snorted D'min, "but it's always good to have a wider pool to choose from."
"At least we can thank Faranth you're not a breeder," said S'gan, morosely. "The way you cast your favours, we'd be overrun with little Dominets."
D'min threw a glove at him. "You're just jealous because you won't be there."
"Rub it in, why don't you?" growled S'gan. He was on the sick list after falling down the stairs, and sported a most uncomfortable-looking splint on his right arm. There would be no flying for him for a few sevendays yet, and definitely no going between, and he was making the most of every opportunity to complain about his lot.
"I'll bring you back some bubbly pies," promised B'lee.
"It’s not the same when they're cold."
"So get Lath to heat them up for you!"
"Oh, funny, funny. Get out, both of you."
D'min and B'lee looked at each other, then giggled. "It's my weyr," B'lee pointed out, but S'gan just stretched out on the sleeping furs and gestured vaguely with his good arm.
"You can have it back tonight. Just leave me to mope in peace."
"All right, grumblebum," said D'min, and dropped a kiss onto the invalid's cheek before leaving. "I'll see you down in the bowl, then, B'lee?"
"I'll just be a couple of minutes."
Their transport assignments proceeded without much in the way of incident, apart from the new wife of Holder Endaron, who was scared of travelling on dragonback and had to be cajoled into climbing onto Aurieth. All the other transfers went well, and they arrived at Fort Hold with the last delivery an hour before noon. Gleefully the young riders doffed their wherhide jackets and stuffed them in their dragons' carrying nets. They both wore their best tunics underneath, complete with shoulder knots (still a weyrling knot, alas, but they hoped it wouldn't be too long before they were sent to the wings), and they walked through to the gather while Aurieth and Margroth flew off to join the throng of dragons in the foothills of the cliff.
The Fort Hold Harvest Gather was the largest and busiest on Pern. There were booths without number, displays of juggling and acrobatics, and at one end of the ground a stage had been set up, where members of the Harperhall provided a never-ending stream of songs and music to dance to. In his time as an apprentice, B'lee had often done his duty on the stage, both as singer and gitarist, and he was both pleased and sad that this time he was only a spectator.
He almost didn't recognise Timmony, the first of his harper friends they met that day. The lad had grown since B'lee had seen him last, and was now taller than him by a good two inches. He recognised B'lee, though, and came running over to greet him.
"Billee!" he shouted, and B'lee smiled and hugged him warmly. "Oh, sorry, I should have said B'lee," he added. "How are you? We thought we'd never see you again. I thought you said you'd visit us!"
B'lee returned the hug with enthusiasm. "I haven't been allowed. This is my first gather since I left, can you believe that?"
"Oh, that's terrible. I bet you haven't even had a bubbly pie yet."
"No, indeed. We're heading right for the booth now. Oh, Timmony, this is my friend D'min, rider of green Aurieth. D'min, this is Timmony, who was the baby of the hall when I left and is now on his way to be a giant, by the look of him."
Timmony laughed. "Kirra can't believe it - she says I can outgrow my clothes overnight, and it's nearly true."
"Well, she seems to be keeping you well-supplied, anyway.'
"Yes, I only got this set off her last week. Come on. We need to see Sallo about bubbly pies. I'm sure you'll get a good deal when he knows you used to be a harper."
He dragged them to the bakery booth, where Journeyman Sallo was just bringing out another tray of the delectable pies from the portable oven set up behind him. The aroma was mouth-watering, and B'lee watched as D'min took a deep bite, only to squeal as the hot fruit burned his mouth.
"You didn't tell me they were that hot!" he complained. "I need water."
"Burning your mouth is half the fun," chided Timmony. "But there are fruit drinks just across the way." He led them over and B'lee bought his friends each a drink, smiling ruefully at D'min as he gulped down the cool liquid.
Just then there was an outbreak of applause from the stage area, and Timmony looked around anxiously. "Shells! I think I'm on in a minute. I'm playing second gitar in a round of dances."
"Before you go, do you know where Fergonal and Simmon are?"
"Fergonal's on stage with me, but I'll tell him you're here. Simmon walked the tables and got sent to Nabol, poor thing."
"Thanks. Tell Fergonal I'll try and find him after your performance. You'd better run along now."
Timmony gulped down the rest of his drink and smiled. "Catch you later. Good to meet you, D'min!" he called back over his shoulder as he raced off.
"Well," said B'lee, "that was Timmony. They're not all like that, though. Some of them are relatively normal."
"I'm glad to hear it," said D'min dryly, but he smiled and linked his arm through B'lee's as they strolled down the aisle of booths.
It was said that at the Fort Hold Gather you could buy anything you wanted, from a beaker of water to a herd of runnerbeasts. B'lee and D'min saw almost as great a range on offer (the runnerbeasts were actually bought and sold in an adjacent field), and spent a good half hour walking through the booths, exclaiming at the colours and the workmanship.
Neither of them had much money to spend. They'd been given a mark apiece for their work that day, and B'lee still had two eighth-marks from work he'd sold as an apprentice harper, but that didn't go very far when a fancy belt decorated in silver cost two marks. B'lee looked at it sadly, but was resolute in putting it down.
"I could lend you the money," said D'min, and B'lee laughed.
"What money? You never have any money."
"I do so! D'ran gave me a couple of marks. F'neldril told him I did really well at flying between. I guess he must be proud of me."
"Oh, that's great!" B'lee gave his friend a quick hug. He knew how much his father's approval meant to D'min, and was happy that D'ran had heard how well D'min was doing. "But, seriously, I don’t want you to lend me any. I wasn't really looking at the belt anyway - I want to buy some wool yarn - the soft kind, not tapestry wool. If I can get enough to make some scarves I can barter them or sell them. That will be much better in the long run.
D'min nodded. "You're right. That's a good idea. Maybe I should get weaving yarn and make some braids. Shards! We should have volunteered for the Southern Boll gather - we could get a much better deal there."
"When is it?"
"Two Sevendays from now - but it's much smaller and I think all the duty spots are filled." He stood there for a minute, biting his lip, then said, "Oh, never mind, let's just see what we can do here."
In the end, they were quite happy with their purchases. B'lee bought several skeins of soft wool from the long-necked herdbeasts that he knew would make wonderfully warm shawls and scarves, and D'min bought fine threads for weaving, including a precious skein of gold that cost half a mark in itself. B'lee was appalled at the cost, but D'min assured him that a little bit of gold went a long way and would increase the value of his braids by a considerable margin.
The booth attendant, a journeyman from the Weaverhall who recognised D'min and had spent several minutes exchanging the latest gossip, was wrapping their purchases when a voice from behind made B'lee turn. Journeyman Sistel - no, it was Master Sistel now - stood there, beaming.
"Well, our long-lost apprentice returns, and in good health, I trust."
"Indeed. Congratulations, Master Sistel."
"Likewise, Rider B'lee."
B'lee turned to introduce his friend. "This is green rider D'min."
"Greetings, Rider D'min."
"And to you, Master Sistel," returned D'min, courteously.
"Have you seen Master Tirone yet?"
"No, I wasn't sure where he would be.'
"He's up at the Hall, I think, but you must come and greet him. It's not often that an apprentice is Searched from the Harperhall, and we were so proud of you when we heard that you had impressed."
B'lee went red, and D'min poked him in the ribs. "Don't be daft, B'lee. Your friends are allowed to be proud of you."
B'lee nodded and walked on with them, but it took a while for the blush to fade.
They were joined on the way by Fergonal, who shouted B'lee's name from a dragon-length away and then raced up to give him a hug. "Billee! You're back!"
"Hey, Fergonal! Yes, it's me. Only for a visit, though." He hugged Fergonal back, thinking of how much he'd missed his harper friends over the previous Turn and a half.
"It's good to see you, anyway, even just for a visit. You look so tanned! Have you been in Ista?"
"No, just out flying for most of the summer."
"Have you flown Thread yet?"
"No, not yet. We've only just learned to go between."
Fergonal continued to pepper B'lee with questions as they approached the Harperhall. B'lee glanced around from time to time to make sure that D'min was still with them. He thought he saw a bit of a shadow in the boy's eyes as he watched B'lee being greeted by his friends, and hoped that D'min wasn't feeling ignored. It was just that B'lee hadn't seen these people for so long, and he wanted to catch up in the short hour they had left before they had to go back on duty.
He reached a hand back to D'min, and saw him take it gratefully. Then B'lee pulled him in so that he was walked with a harper on his right arm and a dragonrider on his left. And that was how it should be, he thought - different but equal.
Master Tirone was talking with one of the senior journeymen when they walked in, but he rose from his chair at the sight of Master Sistel's guests. "My dear B'lee," he said warmly, coming forward to greet his erstwhile pupil with a hearty handshake. "It is good to see you. How is that blue of yours - Margoth, isn't it?"
"Margroth. And yes, he's well, thank you."
"Excellent. And who is your friend?"
"This is Aurieth's rider, D'min."
"Greetings, D'min. Welcome to the Harperhall. I expect that B'lee has told you many a tale of his exploits here."
D'min smiled and shook the Masterharper's hand. "He has, indeed. And his skills with voice and gitar are a credit to the hall."
Master Tirone smiled even more broadly. "Well, I might allow us to take a little credit for the gitar, but I believe that B'lee's voice is all his own. Have you been playing much at the Weyr?"
"Not very often, I'm afraid. Harper Willan does such a good job that I hesitate to put myself forward. But I play for my friends occasionally, and they seem to enjoy it."
More visitors came into the hall then, a Holder, by the look of him, and Tirone turned away with an instruction that B'lee should show D'min around the Harperhall if he had time.
Master Sistel accompanied them on a quick tour of the main rooms, while Fergonal had to return to the stage for another stint as a performer. D'min was awed at the great hall, with its windows three times his height and ceilings higher still, and at the various workshops and practice rooms. He laughed when B'lee was annoyed at the disarray in the apprentices' dormitory, reminding him that the weyrling barracks had been no better.
They returned to the main entrance and bade farewell to Sistel before seeking a modest bite to eat before returning to their dragons. Once their precious bundles of wool and thread were secured to Margroth and Aurieth respectively, and they had donned the thick jackets again, they resumed their duties as passenger ferries.
S'gan was still asleep on B'lee's bed when they finally made it back to the weyrs. D'min woke him by the simple expedient of wafting a slightly-warm package of bubbly pies under his nose, and laughed when he sat bolt upright and snatched at the food with his good arm.
"Did you starve without us?"
"I went down for noonday, but I must have slept through dinner. Mmm, these are good. How many did you two have?"
"I've no idea, but I burnt my mouth. I was hoping that B'lee would kiss it better, but I think he's shy." He gave a broad wink to B'lee and threw himself down onto the bed.
B'lee couldn't help but laugh. "D'min, you're an idiot.'
"But you love me anyway.'
"That I do."
* * *
B'lee had half-expected D'min to forget about his talk of taking up weaving again, but a few days later D'min had acquired a small loom from somewhere or someone (B'lee suspected Tamina). It was only a small one, for braid trim, but it was of sturdy construction and was portable enough to allow D'min to place it on the ledge of his weyr to catch the evening light.
His first project was a simple geometric basket weave in three colours, about the width of a man's thumb. B'lee liked the look of it, and D'min set about making him a short length in the Fort Weyr colours - enough to trim the placket of a tunic. Any more, he warned, would have to be bartered.
Meanwhile, B'lee had sorted and wound the soft wool he'd bought and started to knit. He made a couple of light shawls which he'd traded (one for some material to make a new shirt, and the other for a mark that he'd use to buy more wool) and he made a pair of socks for D'min as a reciprocal gift for the braid. He also finished off the blanket for S'gan, who was well-pleased with it, and received in turn the new riding straps for Margroth.
All in all, life was starting to get a lot better.