“You must reassure them constantly. They’re nervous when they’re first hatched. You saw the dragons today. Touch them and stroke them . ..” The Masterminer was nodding as he catalogued her instructions. ‘They must be bathed daily, and their skins must be oiled. You can always tell when a crack is developing from scaly patches on the hide. And they keep scratching themselves…”
Master Nicat turned questioningly to Tgellan. “Oh, Menolly knows what to do. Why, she has her fire lizards singing tunes along with her and all…”
Tgellan’s airy assurance did not sit too well with the Masterminer.
“Yes, but how do you get them to come to you?” he asked pointedly.
“You make them want to come back to you,” Menolly said so firmly that she rated one of the Miner’s daunting frowns.
“Kindness and affection, Master Nicat, are the essential ingredients,” Tgellan said with equal force. “Now I see that T’gran is waiting to escort you, and your fire lizards, back to Crom.” And he led the Masterminer Off.
When Tgellan returned to Menolly, his eyes were dancing.
“I’ll wager you my new tunic that one won’t keep a fire lizard. Cold clod, thaf s what he is. Numbwitl”
“You shouldn’t have said that about my fire lizards singing with me.”
“Why not?” Tgellan was Surprised at her criticism. “Mirrim hasn’t done that much with her three, and she’s had them longer. I told ,.. Ah, yes, Craftmaster, Flar did indeed say that you’re to have a fire lizard
And so the evening went, with lucky eager holders and craftsmen arriving to collect the precious fire lizard eggs. By the time only Masterharper Robinton’s eggs remained in the warm sands of the basket, Menolly had become resigned to hearing Tgellan’s wheeze that she had taught her fair of fire lizards to sing. Fortunately no one asked her to put it to the test, since her weary friends were curled up on their wall perches. They hadn’t roused from sleep for all the singing and laughter at the merry tables in the Bowl.
Harper Elgion was thoroughly enjoying the Impression Feast He hadn’t realized how dour Half-Circle Hold was until this evening. Yanus was a good man, a fine Sea Holder to judge by the respect his holders accorded
169
him, but he certainly knew how to take the joy out of living.
When Elgion had sat in the Hatching Ground, watching the young boys Impress, he’d determined that he’d find a fire lizard clutch of his own. That would alleviate the gloom at Half-Circle. And he’d see that Alemi got an egg, too. He’d heard from his neighbors in the tiers that the clutch being distributed this evening to the fortunate had been found down the coast from Half-Circle Sea Hold by T’gellan. Elgion had promised himself a chat with the bronze dragonrider; but T’gellan had had two passengers aboard Monarth when he’d collected Elgion at Half-Circle so there’d been no opportunity to talk. Elgion hadn’t seen the man since the Hatching. But he’d bide his time.
Meanwhile, Oharan, the Weyr Harper, had Elgion playing gitar with him to amuse the visitors.
Elgion had just finished another tune with Oharan and some of the other visiting harpers when he caught sight of T’gellan, assisting a craftsman to mount a green dragon. It was then that Elgion noticed that the visitors were thinning out and this rare evening was drawing to a close. He’d speak with T’gellan, and then seek out the Masterharper, too.
“Over here, man,” he said, beckoning to the bronze rider.
“Oh, Elgion, a cup of wine, please. I’m parched with talking. Not that it’ll do those cold clods much good. They’ve no feeling for fire lizards at all.”
“I heard you found the clutch. It wasn’t in that cave by the Dragon Stones, was it?”
“By the Dragon Stones? No. Way down the coast in fact.”
“Then there wasn’t anything there?” Elgion was so bitterly disappointed that Tgellan gave him a long look.
“Depends on what you were expecting. Why? What did you think would be in that cave if it didn’t hold fire lizard eggs?”
Elgion wondered briefly if he would be betraying i’s confidence. But it had become a matter of his professional honor to know if the sounds he’d heard from that cave had been made by pipes.