Embyr brushed the long strand of dark hair from her face, and looked up at the sky. It wasn�t even midday yet, and already she was sweating like a hog. With a sigh, she struck the hoe back into the soft ground with more force. The harder she worked, the sooner she�d be done, and could go help in the kitchens. Tomorrow was a gather, and she�d be sure to get a mark if she worked hard today and tomorrow. Money was so hard to come by; any amount of work was worth it so she could buy some food for Sevori and Tolly. Hethar had died of a racking cough; maybe two months before, and she�d heard nothing from Davyd and the rest of her siblings since then, although she swore that she saw a man wearing Harper blue at the last gather, who looked just like Davyd. Well, if he made it, and the rest of the children were safe and warm, then Embyr decided she wasn�t angry with her brother. But Hethar�s death was a hard blow, and she wished Davyd was there to help her grieve. Davyd was always so good at making people feel better over the inevitable. And Davyd deserved to know his little sister was dead. After Hethar�s death, Hygnil had also passed away, and his bitter wife allowed Embyr and her two remaining siblings to stay in their hut, rent free, provided they work like machines to feed themselves and help her out. Embyr and Tolly eagerly agreed, and so while they worked in the fields, kitchens, and stables, Sevori was sent to work as a pageboy for one of the Mistress�s secretaries. It was easy for him at least, and it gave him the opportunity for advancement. Sevori was going to be fine. And she and Tolly could look out for themselves well enough. �Chirrup.� Embyr turned around to see a small fire lizard perching on the nearby fence post. She smiled at the little bronze fire lizard. �Hey Chatti.� She said to the little creature, and was rewarded with another �chirrup�. She�d named the creature for his habit of making all manners of noises. She�s gotten into trouble several times because of Chatti�s odd habit taking place in inappropriate situations. The first was Farmer Hygin�s funeral. Embyr smiled, remembering the moment. She didn�t know it, but the little bronze had done wonders on relieving stress and keeping her from growing upset over superficial things. Tolly remarked on this, and was rewarded in turn with a sharp kick from his sister. Tolly had Impressed the hatching from the other egg, a little brown who he called �Ter�, for no particular reason. Embyr sighed, leaned on her hoe. She was tired today, more so than usual. Perhaps she should skip fieldwork and go straight to the kitchens. �Hello?� A loud voice called from behind her. Without turning Embyr struck her hoe into the ground and began to work. She couldn�t be caught slacking. She shouldn�t have been slacking anyway. Embyr cursed herself for it, vowing she wouldn�t be lazy at all for the rest of the season. Getting in the crops was doubly important this year without a MasterFarmer to give directions. A small tap on her shoulder frightened Embyr, who hadn�t been touched by anyone but her family in such a long time. The voice was male�.and she was tired and sore. He could take her. What did he want. Embyr whirled to face him, trying to make her face as unappealing and masculine as possible. She was also surprised to find she was facing down a dragonrider. His shoulder knots gave him away, and she hoped to Faranth he wasn�t feeling frisky. Dragonriders were known for their honor, but Embyr had never personally known one, so she couldn�t vouch for notion. Embyr had never been �taken� in her life, save the once she�d thought she�d been in love with a stable hand. But that was beside the point. Embyr looked up at his eyes, trying desperately to read his intentions. The man seemed honest enough, for he gave her his hand and introduced himself. �I�m U�mlt.� He said, and flashed her a grin. �Rider of blue Girth.� Embyr bowed her head respectfully, slipping her hand from the man�s. �Embyr.� She said politely, and took a step back, indicating proper dragonrider respect. Instead, the man laughed, and waved for her to stand. �No need for that girl�uh..Embyr.� He shook his head at her unusual name. �I�ve only come on Search, and I certainly don�t require young ones such as yourself to be so respectful of old me.� �Yes sir.� Embyr said politely, and lifted her gaze to his. U�mlt nodded his head, and looked off in the distance, as if waiting for something. Embyr was silent, and quietly hoping he would leave on his Search soon so she could get back to work. Her promise to not be lazy was quickly going to be broken. It was a long moment before U�mlt spoke, with a look of anticipation on his face. �You�re not going to ask me to see Girth?� �No sir.� Embyr replied, without thinking. What would she care for looking at a dragon. Chatti crooned from his place on the fencepost, and looked eagerly towards the dragonrider, who ignored him. �That�s surprising. Most young people such as yourself would give an arm to see a dragon on Search.� �Oh.� Embyr said, and tried to hold back the screams. She wasn�t an ordinary empty-headed girl to have dreams of riding a dragon. She had a real life to worry about. Again this U�mlt smiled, and Embyr was not only getting angry with him, but she was starting to get tired of him too. She didn�t think he�d take offense if she hinted she needed to get back to work. She opened her mouth to say something, but U�mlt beat her to it. �Alright, here�s how it goes. I�m from Sidra Weyr, and I know you haven�t even met my blue, but I think you�d make a good candidate. What do you say? Would you like to Impress a dragon?� Embyr stood there for a minute, collecting her thoughts and thumping her toes about inside her boots. It wouldn�t make sense for her to go, other than to get a new station where she�d get decent pay. She could even bring Sevori, if she Impressed, and Tolly. Who knew, maybe Tolly would Impress in turn. It�s not like they had much to worry about anymore, not with four of their siblings gone. But Embyr�s heart just wasn�t in it. This life, the one of hard labor and little reward, was the life she knew. She was about to say no when she thought of something Sevori had said to her the day before. He�d told her he wanted to be a dragonrider when he grew up, and Embyr couldn�t forget the lost look in his eye when he said it. He knew the price for having a dream was his sister�s hatred; look what happened to Davyd. Embyr couldn�t do that to her brother. �I�ll go.� She said dejectedly, and watched as U�mlt smiled and began to tell her about what she�d need, and when they were going to leave. CONTINUE>>>> |
 |