A green lizard-bat, much smaller than Zerroith, bugled and Zerroith bugled back. Lizard-bats of all colors lounged on ledges protruding from the sides of the crater and in a lake. People were with most of them and Avenay had the strange feeling they felt about their indivudal lizard-bats as J'kosh did about Zerroith.
Zerroith spiraled down to land in the dusty center of the crater. A powerful looking women with silvering hair strode out to meet them. Her eyes flicked with suprise to Avenay and then to J'kosh, who was painfully climbing down from his perch on Zerroith. "Did you...?" her voice trailed off and he nodded.
"This woman nearly killed me for it though, and Zerroith said she wanted to talk to you about it," J'kosh continued, indicating Avenay, who had lept down from Zerroith.
The lizard-bat took off and flew up to one of the ledges, leaving the three humans alone. She knew he was watching her though, and would be on top of her before she could do any more harm to J'kosh.
"Oh?" the woman, who she guessed was Tiyanni, asked. "Was Selinan a relative of yours?"
"No," Avenay replied. "He saved my life."
"Ah," Tiyanni nodded slowly, as if the peices of a puzzle were fitting together before her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure you do have some questions then. Come with me. Thank you, J'kosh. I'll talk to you later." She turned and started walking and Avenay followed.
Tiyanni led her up a steep flight of stairs and into an office. She held the door open for Avenay, who walked in and seated herself in a chair facing the desk which Tiyanni sat behind after closing the door. "Can you tell me who J'kosh killed him? Or are you not letting the cat out of the bag either?" Avenay asked.
Tiyanni looked confused. "Letting the what out of the bag?"
"The cat," Avenay repeated. "I guess it's not an expression here. It Is where I come from. It means to tell a secret." Suddenly, she realized she didn't know where she was. "Uh, where is here, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Not at all," Tiyanni told her with a smile. "This is Pern. Oh, by the way, Zerroith tells me you have been thinking of dragons as lizard-bats or something. They are dragons, not related to fire lizards or whatever the other one was. Take care to call them that. They're quite proud."
"I'm guessing I'm not anywhere in my world anymore, am I?" Avenay asked, noticing for the first time that the entire room was carved out of stone.
Tiyanni grinned. "Good guess. But you have questions for me. Ask."
"Why did you kill him? What were you getting revenge for?" Avenay asked.
"That is the one question I cannot answer," Tiyanni told her with a sad smile. "I have my reasons and, believe me, they are good ones.
Avenay nodded and stood up to leave. "Then I guess I'll be needing to go back to my world now."
Tiyanni nodded in much the same way Avenay had. "I'll arrange a ride for you but... if you're interested, of course, I am to ask you to stay. Zerroith has Searched you."
"He's what?" Avenay asked, the way Tiyanni said Searched with a capital "S" made her feel nervous.
"You see, when dragons Hatch from their eggs, they Impress, like how a baby bonds with its parents, except a closer bond, a human who has been selected as a Candidate. Zerroith is not a searchdragon, but he has insisted that you Stand."
Avenay sat back down. She'd never known a bond like that, her family had never been close enough to call a family. Could she really find a bond like the one Tiyanni described on this strange world? "How do they know which one to bond to?"
Tiyanni shrugged. "No one is quite sure. They just... know. And you will know too, if the right dragon for your Hatches."
"What happens if the right dragon for me Hatches and I'm not here?" Avenay wondered and felt a ridiculous pang of lonliness somewhere deep in her chest.
"In most places, they die. Here, they become abandoned. Usually, someone comes along for them, but if no one comes... they become riderless," Tiyanni told her with a sad little smile.
"You mean, someone else would Impress my dragon if I weren't here?" Avenay demanded, suddenly possesive. She felt stupid the moment the words came out of her mouth. How did she even know there was a dragon for her.
Tiyanni offered a sympathetic smile, as if she followed Avenay's thoughts. "Probably. But if you really want to go back, there's no one stopping you. Don't let the thought of a dragon stop you either. Your dragon would not want to be the cause of your unhappiness. It has to be your choice and yours alone."
Avenay nodded and closed her eyes. She could picture herself back on stage, doing the dance, fending off men tempted by her dancing. And then another picture floated into view. It was of one of first things she'd seen when Zerroith had landed. A green dragon was curled up on a ledge and a woman was leaning against it. The woman had an expression on her face, one of such pure bliss it made Avenay's heart ache.
Was there anything for her on her world that would bring that expression to her face?
Avenay smiled up at Tiyanni as she opened her eyes. "I'm staying."
