Toric had listened with keen attention to Sebell’s sum-mary, but now he cocked his head to one side and made a rueful noise with his tongue against his teeth.
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“It’s true a boy could have fit in that sack, and it’s true that a queen fire lizard egg was found. But …” and he held up his hand warningly, “… Thread fell that day …”
“Piemur knew you could live holdless through Threadfall!” said Menolly with the firmness of one trying to convince self.
“Wherries were circling that shell. They could have got the little queen at hatching”
“Not if Piemur was alive! And I know he was,” said Menolly more stoutly now and utterly convinced. “Is that place far from here? Could your queen take our fire lizards? If Piemur’s anywhere about, they’ll find him.”
Toric was dubious, but he called up his queen. To the surprise of both harpers, the queen didn’t, as Kimi or Beauty would have done, land on Tone’s shoulder, but hovered awaiting his pleasure. Toric issued the sort of or-der one would give a stupid drudge. She chirped at Kimi and Beauty, disdaining the two bronzes, and flitted out of the cavern, the other four fire lizards right behind her.
“Lord Meron’s death won’t bother them,” and Toric jerked his head in the direction of the Southern Weyr, “for a while. They just brought in all they’ll need for some time. I would prefer that we somehow keep them supplied. I …” and he jerked his thumb at his chest in emphasis, “… do not wish to jeopardize my arrangements with Lessa and F’lar. They” and again he meant the Oldtimers, “don’t care how they get what they think they need. Meron was just convenient.” He took the harpers’ solemn assurance of assistance as his due, but then grinned, not pleasantly. “Has any one of Meron’s people figured out just how many green fire lizard eggs got foisted off on ‘em?” Toric plainly thought little of people who would be taken in by such a deception.
“You forget that the small holders don’t know much about fire lizards,” said Sebell. “In fact, the enormous fire lizard population at Nabol is one of the reasons why Pie-mur and I were there: to make certain Meron was the source of so many green fire lizards.”
Toric half-rose, his usually controlled expression showing anger. “No one suspected me of cheating traders?”
“No,” Sebell said, though that had been one of his prob-
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lems. “Don’t forget that I collected the clutches you’ve sent north in barter, but it was necessary for the Harper to find the real culprit. Green clutches could have been brought in by sailors who have been so conveniently losing themselves in southern waters.”
“Oh, all right then.” Toric subsided, his honor unchallenged.
“The Oldtimers have not questioned those lost sailors?”
“No,” said Toric, shrugging negligently. “So long as the sails are red. They never have bothered to count the num-ber of ships we really own.”
Toric then noticed that they had drained their juices so he replenished the cool drinks.
“Have you some ships out now?” asked Sebell, because he had thought it odd to see so few at anchor when the sun was high.
Toric smiled again, his good humor completely restored by Sebell’s observation. “You are well come. Harper, since the ships have sailed on your account. Or, I should say, ‘Master Oldive’s. It’s harvest time for the numbweed, and for certain other herbs, grasses and such like that Sharra says the good man requires. If you stay until they return, then you can sail home full laden.” /
“Good news, Toric, but we’d best sail home laden with Piemur as well.”
The southerner clicked his tongue pessimistically. “As I said, there’ve been three, maybe four Threadfalls since that queen egg shell was found.”
“You don’t know our Piemur,” said Menolly, so insistent that Toric raised his eyebrows in surprise at her fervor.
“Maybe, but I know how other Northerners act in Threadfall!” Toric was plainly contemptuous.
“You’re having trouble with their adaptation here?” asked Sebell, worrying that the Harper’s masterful solution of sending holdless men south to Toric in unobtrusive numbers was in jeopardy.