The first thing he was aware of was Ziri, rubbing her soft head against his cheek and crooning worridley. Without opening his eyes, he put out a hand to stroke her and found it bandaged. His movement had other effects, however, on the other people wherever he was. "Hanraen!" he heard his father's voice exclaim. "He pulled through!"
Hanraen opened his eyes to see that he was in the infirmary. His family and Lady Reathis were crowded around his bed, and Ziri was curled up on his pillow next to him. "What in Faranth's name is going on?" he demanded.
"Yup, still the same, even if he is missing a finger and some blood," Karedi exclaimed with a chuckle. "Good morning, Hanraen. Nice of you to wake up."
Hanraen sat up with some effort. "What do you mean 'good morning'? It's midday!"
Haredin chuckled and clapped his son on the shoulder. "Nope, morning. Two mornings after your fight, to be exact."
"I've been asleep for two days?" Hanraen exclaimed in disbeleif. "What happened to Lujar?"
"He's recovering from his injuries," Karedi told him. "Most of them from Ziri, actually. When you fell, she attacked Lujar and scared Ferdeir off. Then she guarded you from everyone who tried to help until a dragon commanded that she move."
"A dragon? What?" Hanraen struggled to comprehend what he was hearing. "Where'd the dragon come from?"
"Dark Moon Weyr," Karedi explained. "It was K'tal's green Pellith. K'tal found you and Pellith made Ziri let him take you up to the infirmary."
"Where's this K'tal?" Hanraen asked, scanning the group gathered around his cot. He recognized everyone.
"Right here," Reathis replied, stepping back to let a man into the circle. He wore the shoulder knots of a Searchrider, which would explain his presence at a Hold.
"Are you K'tal?" Hanraen demanded, grinning and extending his hand in greeting when the man nodded. "An especially merry meet, K'tal. Thanks for saving my hind-end. Also tell your green that I thank her."
We you should, seeing as I got your little brat of a flit to let K'tal help you, a woman's voice that had something reminescent of K'tal's in it scoffed.
"Huh?" Hanraen exclaimed looking around to see who had spoken. "Did someone just say something?
"Pellith did. You'll have to excuse her, she can be downright rude sometimes," K'tal apologised.
"I don't mind," Hanraen assured him. "She's allowed to be rude to me, I'd probably have died without her."
Well, that's a relief, Pellith scoffed, her mental tone sarcastic.
"Between this little mob and that green," the hold's healer, a woman named Jyaure who looked much too young to be a Master, protested, "you're tiring out my patient. All of you clear out of here and let him get some sleep!"
Ziri took exception to this command and shrilled defiantly. "Of course you can stay," Jyaure ammended. Ziri chirped happily and snuggled closer to Hanraen's neck.
As soon as his visitors had left, Hanraen drifted blissfully off into sleep, wondering at his strange rescue.
When Hanraen awoke sometime later, K'tal was there again, deep in discussion with Jyaure. When he saw Hanraen wake up, K'tal said something to Jyaure, who nodded and left to attend to another patient.
"Feeling any better?" K'tal asked, sitting down on the side of Hanraen's cot. Ziri hissed and raised her wings protectively but K'tal didn't seem to notice.
"Much," Hanraen replied, sitting up. His abdomen didn't hurt as much as when he'd woken up before. "I never got to properly thank you and Pellith."
"Oh, don't worry about it," K'tall dismissed it. "The important thing is that you're alive. Especially since Pellith has Searched you."
Hanraen stared at the dragonrider in amazement. "She Searched me? But... I'm..." for not the first time in recent days, Hanraen found himself at a loss for words.
"Yes, I'm quite aware that you have previous commitments," K'tal nodded. "But Pellith was quite adamant that you should Stand. Of course, you don't have to if you'd rather stay here. Word is that you're a bit reluctant to Hold."
"I am... but if I don't become Lord Holder, other men will have to fight and die to decide who does, and I've already been responsible for enough deaths..." Hanraen's voice trailed off as he remembered the blank stare of Inukur's dead eyes.
"That's the way things are," K'tal told him. "You can't feel responsible for it. It's not your fault, and you can't base your life on it."
And you'd better accept the Search, because you belong in a Weyr, riding a dragon, not in a hold, playing Lord Holder, Pellith added.
Pellith's words rang in his mind. Playing Lord Holder, she had said. And that was what he'd really be doing. Just pretending. He'd never really enjoy it. "I accept the Search."
K'tal and Pellith left to return to Dark Moon during the sevenday needed for Hanraen to recover and be able to travel Between. When Jyaure deemed him healed enough to travel Between, K'tal and Pellith returned and Hanraen prepared to leave.
As Hanraen climbed up onto Pellith's back to leave, he saw his father running across the courtyard to him. No doubt Haredin was trying to convince him to stay, as he had done countless times in the past sevenday.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Haredin asked, pleading with his eyes for Hanraen to say no.
Pellith rumbled annoyedly and swung her head around to face Haredin. Or course he's sure, you dimglow! Else he wouldn't be on my back going to Dark Moon Weyr!
Before Hanraen could answer, Pellith lept from the ground. Haredin backed away as her wings swept the air, propelling her up and away from the Hold. Hanraen gazed one last time at his birthplace before Pellith went Between, surrounding him in black nothingness.
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