Kirati awoke in a proper bed in a warmly lit room. For a moment, she was sure she was back in her quarters with Emarian down the hall and that the entire thing had been a dream. Then her father's worried face loomed over her and she knew it was true.
"Ikanna!" he called to someone, "She's awake!"
A woman's face joined her father's. "Finally! You gave us all a scare, young lady!" Ikanna scolded her. "What in Faranth's name were you thinking, trying to outrun Thread like that? And on a day it was sheeting too!"
"Where were you?" her father demanded. "Men spent hours searching for you, you know! And then you risk your neck running out in a Fall! You have a lot of explaining to do!"
"I wasn't out in a Fall just for the fun of it," Kirati snapped with anger that suprised both. "I was kidnapped by Emarian, who planned to kill me and then all your sons as revenge for your killing your half-brother!"
Kirtoren opened his mouth and then closed it. He sank into a chair, his head in his hands. "I didn't know he had a son," Kirtoren moaned.
"Yeah, well, he did," Kirati told him angrily.
"Oh, my little girl," Kirtoren moaned again. "I'm so sorry! You should never have been caught in the middle of this. How did you get away from him?
"I-I," Kirati choked. She couldn't bring herself to say what she had done but couldn't think up a story to tell him. "I killed him."
"You what?" Kirtoren asked in disbelief.
"I killed him," Kirati repeated with more confidence than she felt.
To her suprise, Kirtoren smiled. "I worried about you sometimes, Kir. I wondered whether you'd have the stomach to do what you needed to do when life tested you. But you have proved me happily wrong. I only wish you could have picked a less frightening way to do it."
Kirati smiled her relief. "Sorry."
Kirtoren patted her hand. "Don't be. I should be apologizing to you for not sending that man back to the Hall on sight. He reminded me a bit of my half-brother, but you seemed to like him so much I didn't have the heart to do what I should have."
"Well, I guess I got what was coming to me," Kirati sighed. "You're not mad at me for it though?"
"Of course I am," Kirtoren chuckled. "But at the moment I'm too glad to have you back to act on it. Once you're well, then I'll get around to punishing you."
"Speaking of her getting well," Ikanna interrupted, "we need to discuss how we're going to go about making that happen. The skin on her feet will take at least a sevenday to heal and even then they'll be tender. I suggest she stays here for a month and then, when she can safely go Between, we send her home."
Kirtoren frowned worridley. "Does it really have to be that long?"
"These knots aren't just for fun," Ikalla told him. "I know my trade, Lord Kirtoren, and I know that this girl needs her rest. Frankly, I think the Weyr is a much more restful place than your Hold."
Kirtoren looked as though he might disagree but just nodded. "Alright. You do know best, Ikanna. Just make sure to have her home as soon as you can."
"When she's ready," Ikanna corrected him. "Now shoo! She needs to rest!"
Kirtoren planted a kiss on her forehead before he was chased out of the room by Ikanna. Ikanna closed the door after him and then turned back to Kirati.
"Would you mind telling me where I am?" Kirati asked as Ikanna began to unwrap her bandaged feet.
"Moon Shadow Weyr," Ikanna replied. "This may hurt for a moment, but then it'll be numb again." She dipped her hand in a jar and the stench of numbweed wafted up to Kirati as the cream was slathered onto Kirati's foot. It stung and then, as Ikanna had told her, it went numb.
"How did I get here?" Kirati asked, noticing her surroundings for the first time. Glows were responsible for the cheery light which showed her a room carved from stone with a lush carpet on the floor and a table by her bed wher Gorgeous was crouched, growling low in her throat.
"A brownrider found you collapsed just before the Threads could get to you and brought you back here," Ikanna explained, ignoring Gorgeous' warning growls as she re-bandaged Kirati's feet. "Someone recognized you and word was sent to your father at once."
"I didn't get even one Threadscore?" Kirati breathed in amazement. She had prepared herself for all manner of scars, telling herself she'd rather be alive and ugly than dead and beautiful.
"Not a one," Ikanna told her. "And you're sharding lucky about that too, girl. Try a stunt like that again and you won't be."
"I'm in no hurry," Kirati chuckled and relaxed back into the small mountain of pillows.
A sevenday and a half later Ikanna allowed her to get up and walk around. New boots had been made for her and were so padded both inside and on the sole that they added nearly half a handspan to her height. She was led down a flight of steps and then out into the bright, bustling weyrbowl.
Kirati wandered around aimlessly, just enjoying her freedom and the sunlight she hadn't felt in what seemed like ages.
Eventually, she made her way down to the Hatching Sands, where a gold was brooding over her clutch. A few Candidates milled around on the Sands and Kirati suddenly wondered what it would be like to Impress. As if she had heard her thoughts, the gold looked straight across the Sands at her. Kirati blushed and dropped her eyes, sure she had done something wrong.
Silly girl, you haven't done anything wrong, a woman's voice assured her. You think like a Candidate. But you aren't one. Humph. We have such thick Searchriders.
Kirati looked around to see who had spoken. Her gaze was caught and held by the gold, leaving no question in her mind about who the voice belonged to. But what was a dragon, a gold dragon, no less, bothering with her for?
I swear, the gold sighed in exasperation. You are a smart girl, don't be so dim! Even if those blueriding idiots haven't figured it out yet, you're Candidate material in my eyes.
Kirati gaped. A Candidate? Her? No, someone would have realized it already. Searchriders, she had heard, were very good at what they did and would have found her by now if it was true.
Wherry's teeth, the gold told her. You're a Candidate if I ever saw one. If you don't believe me, I'll call one of those annoying blues down here to make it official.
Sure enough, moments later a man in riding gear walked up to her. "Are you Kirati?" he asked.
"Um, yes," Kirati replied, eyes flicking nervously towards the gold, who was looking very pleased with herself.
"I'm M'ranu, head Searchrider with blue Nenverth," the man introduced himself. "Nenverth told me that Zenath told him that you were a Candidate. And if Zenath thinks so, then I can't do anything but agree."
. back . next .
