Her group arrived, carolling in wild delight at coming home. A single fire lizard appeared above and to one side of them.
“Look, Tgellan, that’s the old queenl”
But she’d gone when Tgellan looked up.
“I’m sort of sorry she saw us here. I was hoping … Where was the clutch when yon rescued it?”
“We’re standing on the place.”
Monarth moved to one side.
“Does he hear what I’m teHing you?” Menolly whispered anxiously in Tgellan’s ear.
“Yes, so be careful how you speak of him. He’s very sensitive.”
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“I haven’t said anything, have I, that would hurt his feelings?”
“Menollyl” Tgellan looked back at her, grinning, “I was teasing you.”
“Ohl”
“Hmmm, Yes. Well, so you managed to climb that cliff face?”
“It wasn’t so hard. If you’ll look, you’ll see there’re plenty of hand and foot holds, even before I made a regular path.”
“A regular path? Hmmm. Yes. Monarth, can you get us a bit closer, please?”
Monarth obligingly angled against the cliff face and raised himself to his haunches; Menolly was amazed to see that they could step off his shoulders right into the cave.
Her nine came arrowing into the opening, trumpeting and squealing, their bugles abruptly amplified by the vaulting height of the inner cavern. Just as she and Tgellan reached it, the light was suddenly blocked. Turning, she saw Monarth’s head in the opening, his great eyes whirling idly.
“Monarth, get your great, bloody, big head out of the light^ wffl you?” asked Tgellan.
Monarth blinked, gave a little wistful rumble, but removed his great head.
“Why didn’t anyone find you on Search, young lady?” Tgellan asked, and she saw that he’d been watching her intently.
“No one’s ever been Searched at Half-Circle Sea Hold.”
“TTiat shouldn’t surprise me. Now, where did the old queen have her clutch?”
“Right where you’re standing.”
Tgellan jumped sideways, giving her a second admonitory look, which she couldn’t interpret. He knelt, running his fingers through the sand, making pleased noises in his throat
“You tossed out the old shells?”
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“Yes. Was that wrong?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Would she come back here again?”
“She might If the cove waters remain high the next time she mates. IXyou happen to remember when you saw her mating flight?”
“Yes, I do. Because we had ThreadfaH just after. The one when the leading edge hit the marshes halfway to Nerat”
“Good girl!” Tgellan tipped his head back, pressing his lips together, and Menolly thought he was doing some rapid mental calculations. Alemi had a similar habit when he was charting a course. “Yes. And when did these hatch?”
“I lost track of my sevendays, but they hatched five Falls ago.”
“TTiar*s great. She may mate before high summer, if fire lizards follow the same sort of cycle the dragons do during a Pass.” He glanced around him at the bits and pieces with which she had made the cave livable. “EKyou want any of these things?”
“Not many,” Menolly said and dove for her sleeping rug. Her pipes were still there, so he hadn’t seen them in his first visit to the cave. She bundled the rug round the pipes again. “My oil…” she said, grabbing up the pot “111 need that”
“Not realty,” said Tgellan with a grin, “but bring it along. Manora’s always interested in such things.”
She took her dried herbs, too, and made a neat package, which she could tie on her back. Ruthlessly then she began to chuck her homemade crockery out of the cave entrance.
“Ohl” Aghast, she rushed to the mouth, looking about for Monarth.
“You missed himl He’s got more sense than to stay around when there’s a cleaning.” With that Tgelkn launched her boiling pot into the air.
‘That’s everything, I think,” she said.
“Lefsgol”
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