It was Fnor who appeared in the entrance.
Ive fire-lizard eggs, he shouted. Fire-lizard eggs, and he pushed into the room, an aisle opening for him straight to the Council Table.
There was silence as he carefully placed his cumbersome felt-wrapped burden down and glanced triumphantly around the room.
Stolen from under Tkuls nose. Thirty-two of them!
Well, Benden, Sangel of Southern Boll demanded in the taut hush, who gets preference here?
Flar affected surprise. Why, Lord Sangel, that is for you, and his gesture swept the room impartially, to decide.
Clearly that had not been expected.
We will, of course, teach you what we know of them, guide you in their training. They are more than pets or ornaments, and he nodded toward Meron who bristled, so suspicious of attention that his bronze hissed and restlessly fanned his wings. Lord Asgenar, youve two lizard eggs already. I can trust you to be impartial. That is, if the Lords share my opinion.
As soon as they fell to arguing, Flar left the Council Room. There was so much more to do this morning but hed do it the better for a little break. And the eggs would occupy the Lords and Craftsmen. They wouldnt notice his absence.
CHAPTER XII
Morning at Benden Weyr
Predawn at High Reaches Weyr
As SOON as he could, Fnor left the Council Room in search of Flar. He retrieved the pot of revolting grubs which hed left in a shadowed recess of the weyr corridor.
Hes in his quarters, Canth told his rider.
What does Mnementh say of Flar?
There was a pause and Fnor found himself wondering if dragons spoke among themselves as men spoke to them.
Mnementh is not worried about him.
Fnor caught the faintest emphasis on the pronoun and was about to question Canth further when little Grall swooped, on whirring wings, to his shoulder. She wrapped her tail around his neck and rubbed against his cheek adoringly.
Getting braver, little one? Fnor added approving thoughts to the humor of his voice.
There was a suggestion of smug satisfaction about Grall as she flipped her wings tightly to her back and sunk her talons into the heavy padding Brekke had attached to the left tunic shoulder for that purpose. The lizards preferred a shoulder to a forearm perch.
Flar emerged from the sleeping room, his face lighting with eagerness as he realized Fnor was alone and awaiting him.
Youve the grubs? Good. Come.
Now, wait a minute, Fnor protested, catching Flar by the shoulder as the Weyrleader began to move toward the outer ledge.
Come! Before were seen. They got down the stairs without being intercepted and Flar directed Fnor toward the newly opened entrance by the Hatching Ground. The lizards were parceled out fairly? he asked, grinning as Grall tucked herself as close to Fnors ear as she could when they passed the Ground entrance.
Fnor chuckled. Groghe took over, as you probably guessed he would. The Lord Holders of Ista and Igen, Warbret and Laudey, magnanimously disqualified themselves on the grounds that their Holds were more likely to have eggs, but Lord Sangel of Boll took a pair. Lytol didnt!
Flar sighed, shaking his head regretfully.
I didnt think he would but Id hoped hed try. Not a substitute for Larth, his dead brown, but well …
They were in the brightly lit, newly cleaned corridor now, which Fnor hadnt seen. Involuntarily he glanced to the right, grinning as he saw that any access to the old peephole on the Grounds had been blocked off.
Thats mean.
Huh? Flar looked startled. Oh, that. Yes. Lessa said it upset Ramoth too much. And Mnementh agreed. He gave his half brother a bemused grin, half for Lessas quirk, half for the mutual nostalgic memory of their own terror-ridden exploration of that passage, and a clandestine glimpse of Nemorths eggs. Theres a chamber back here that suits my purpose …
Which is?
Flar hesitated, giving Fnor a long, thoughtful look.
Since when have you found me a reluctant conspirator? asked Fnor.
Its asking more than …
Ask first!
They had reached the first room of the complex discovered by Jaxom and Felessan. But the bronze rider did not give Fnor time to examine the fascinating design on the wall or the finely made cabinets and tables. He hurried him past the second room to the biggest chamber where a series of graduated, rectangular open stone troughs were set around the floor. Other equipment had obviously been removed at some ancient time, leaving puzzling holes and grooves in the walls, but Fnor was startled to see that the tubs were planted with shrubs, grasses, common field and crop seedlings. A few small hardwood trees were evident in the largest troughs.