“Will someone quiet this lot?” demanded the small, dark woman, confronting Menolly, her fists on her riding belts, her eyes snapping with anger. “Ramoth! if you would…”
Abruptly, complete silence reigned in the huge kitchen cavern. Menolly felt Beauty trembling more violently than ever against her neck, and the talons of the two bronzes dug into her arms and sides.
“Thafs better,” said Lessa, her eyes brilliant. “And who are you? Are these all yours?”
“My name is Menolly, please and,” Menolly glanced
132
up nervously at all the fire lizards perched silently with whirling eyes on ledges and hanging from the ceiling, “not all of these are mine.”
“Menolly?” Some of Lessa’s anger abated in her perplexity. “Menolly?” She was trying to place the name.
“Manora told you about her, Lessa,” said Mirrim, which Menolly thought greatly daring and very much appreciated. “Tgran rescued her from Threadfall. She’d run her feet raw.”
“Ah, yes. So, Menolly, how many fire lizards do look to you?”
Menolly was trying to figure out whether Lessa was annoyed or pleased, and if she had too many fire lizards would she be sent back to Half-Circle. She felt Mirrim prod her in the ribs.
“These,” Menolly indicated the three clinging to her and felt Mirrim dig her again, “and only six of those up there.”
“Only six of those up there?”
Menolly saw Lessa’s fingers drumming on her wide riding belt; she heard one of the dragonriders muffling a sound; and glancing up saw that he had his hand over his mouth. But his eyes were dancing with laughter. Then she dared look at Lessa’s face and saw the slight smile on the Weyrwoman’s face.
That’s makes nine, I think,” Lessa said. “Just how did you contrive to impress nine fire lizards, Menolly?”
“I didn’t contrive. I was in the cave when they hatched, and they were hungry, you see. I’d a sackful of spiderclaws so I fed them…”
“Cave? Where?” Lessa’s words were crisp but not unkind.
“On the coast. Above Nerat, by the Dragon Stones.”
Tgellan uttered an exclamation. “You were living in that cave? I found jars and pots… no sign of fire lizard shells.”
“I didn’t think fire lizards clutched in caves,” Lessa remarked.
133
“It was only because the tide was high and the clutch would have been washed away. I helped lie queen put them into the cave.”
Lessa regarded Menolly steadily for a long moment “You helped the fire lizard?”
‘Tes, you see I’d fallen over the cliff, and theythe queen and her bronzes, from the old clutch, not these here,” and Menolly jerked her chin at Beauty, Rocky and Diver, “they wouldn’t let me get off tie beach until I helped them.”
Tgellan was staring at her, but the other two riders were grinning broadly. Then Menolly saw that Minim, too, was smiting with delight More unbelievable to Menolly in her confusion, was the fact that a little brown fire lizard was perched on Mirrim’s shoulder, intently staring at Beauty who wouldn’t take her head out of Menolly’s hair.
“I’d like to hear the whole story, in sequence, one day,” Lessa said. “Right now, will you please keep your lot under control and with you? They’re upsetting Ramoth and all the others. Nine, eh?” And Lessa sighed, turning away. “When I think where I could use nine eggs to good purpose…”
“Please… do you need more fire lizard eggs?”
l^ssa whirled so fast that Menolly took an involuntarily backward step.
“Of course we need fire lizard eggsl Where have you been that you don’t know?” She turned on Tgellan. “You’re wingleader. Didn’t you inform all the sea holds?”
“Yes, I did, Lessa,” and Tgellan looked straight at Menolly now, “just about the time Menolly first disappeared from her hold. Right, Menolly? The sweep riders have been on the lookout for her ever since, but she was holed up snug as you please in that cave, with nine fire lizards.”
Menolly hung her head hi despair.
“Please, Weyrwornan, don’t send me back to Half-Circle Hold!”
134
“A girl who can impress rune fire lizards,” said Lessa in a sharp rippling tone that made Menolly look up, “does not belong in a Sea Hold. Tgellan, find out from Menolly where that clutch is and secure it for us immediately. Let us fervently hope it hasn’t hatched.” To Menolly’s intense relief, Lessa actually smiled at her, obviously in a much improved temper. “Remember to keep those pesky creatures away from Ramoth. Minim can help you train them. Hers are quite useful now.”