“Hello! What are you doing sneaking around here?”
166
A tall girl stepped into his path, blocking his way. On one shoulder was a bronze fire lizard, on the other a brown, both eyeing Farii intently. She let out an apologetic squak, as startled as Piemur. As she also dug her talons into his shoulder and tightened her tail about his neck, all that came out of his mouth was a choked cry of astonishment. A quick chirp from the little bronze caused Farii to relax her tail. Piemur turned his head toward her, annoyed that she hadn’t warned him.
“It’s not her fault,” said the girl with a wide smile, eas-ing her weight to one leg as she enjoyed Piemur’s discomfiture. She had a pack strapped to her shoulders; a belt with a variety of pouches, some empty; dark hair wrapped with a band tightly about her head so strands wouldn’t tangle in branches; and thick-soled sandals on her feet as well as shin guards tied about her lower legs. “Meer,” and she indicated the bronze, “and Talla know how to be silent when they wish. And when they realized that she was already Impressed, we all wanted to see who had got a gold. I’m Sharra from the Southern Hold.” She held out her hand, palm up. “How’d you get down here? Ve didn’t see any wreckage as we came along the coast.”
“I’ve been here three Threadfalls already,” said Piemur, crossing her palm quickly in case she was the sort of person who sensed when someone lied. “Landed up near the big lagoon.” Which was also partially true.
“Near the big lagoon?” Sharra’s face expressed concern. “Then you weren’t alone? The others were killed? That la-goon is treacherous in high tide. You don’t see the outside shelf of rocks until you’re right on them.”
“I guess being little, I sort of slid over okay.” Piemur felt it was safe to seem sorrowful.
“That’s all past history for you, lad,” said Sharra, her deep, musical voice compassionate. “If you survived the southern seas, and three Threadfalls holdless, I’d say you belong in the south.”
“I belong here?” Suddenly the prospect heartened Pie-mur. Sharra was as perceptive as the Harper. The thought of being permitted to stay on in this beautiful land, walking where no one else, maybe not even Sharra, had ever trod before, made Piemur’s heart tip over.
167
“Yes, I’d say you belonged,” said Sharra, wide mouth curled in a smile. “So, what name shall I call you by?”
If she hadn’t given him the option to state a name, any name, not necessarily his own, Piemur might have prevari-cated. Instead, he answered her with a grin. “I’m Piemur of Pern.”
Sharra threw back her head and laughed at his audacity, but she also laid her arm about his shoulders and gave him a companionable squeeze.
“I like you, Piemur of Pern. Vhat have you named your little queen? Farii? That’s a pretty name, and is that little runner beast a friend of yours, too?”
“Stupid? Yes, but he’s just joined us. His mother was threadscored last Fall, but he keeps up with us”
“Keeps up with you? You mean, you saw the ships land?”
“Sure. Saw ‘em going to harvest numbweed, too.”
Sharra laughed again at the intense disgust in his tone, and Piemur found himself grinning at the infectiousness of her humor. “And that decided you to make tracks away from wherever you were? Can’t blame you, Piemur of Pem.” Her eyes glinted with humor and she added in a conspiratorial tone. “I make it my special job to gather Other leaves and herbs that grow in this area. Generally takes me the entire time they’re rendering the numbweed.”
“I wouldn’t mind helping you with that, you know,” suggested Piemur, slyly giving her a look. He was only just aware of how much he had missed the interchange with someone of like mind.
“I’d be glad of the right sort of help. And you’ll have to keep up with me. I’ve got a lot to do while they muck about with the numbweed. There’s a northern Healer who’s sent me a special request.”
“I thought you Southerners kept away from the north?” Piemur decided it was time to be ignorantly discreet.