I was in no danger,’ P’tero repeated. I used brand-new straps and he
watched me braid em.
Hah!” As every rider knew, dragons had gaps in their ability to
correlate cause and effect. So Ormonth would scarcely have connected
the new straps with his rider’s perfect safety.
Oh, thanks,’ the rider added as K’vin snapped one of his own straps to
P’tero’s belt. Not that they would be doing more than landing, but
K’vin wished to make a point of safety to P’tero.
While K’vin approved of courage, he did not appreciate recklessness,
especially if it endangered a dragon this close to the beginning of
Threadfall. Careful supervision had kept his Weyr from losing any
dragon partners and he intended to maintain that record.
Spilling off his blue before K’vin had passed the word was taking a
totally unnecessary risk. Fortunately, K’vin had seen P’tero dive.
His heart had lurched in his chest, even if he knew P’tero was equipped
with the especially heavy and long harness as a fail-safe. Even if he
and Charanth had not accurately judged the mid-air rescue, those long
straps would have saved the blue rider from falling to his death.
Today’s manoeuvre had been precipitous instead of well-executed.
And, if Charanth had not been as adept on the wing, P’tero might be
nursing broken ankles or severe bruising as a result of his folly.
No matter how broad, those safety straps really jerked a man about in
mid-air.
P’tero still showed no remorse. K’vin only hoped that the stunt
produced the effect the love-struck P’tero wished. His mate would have
been watching, heart in mouth, no doubt, and P’tero would reap the
harvest of such fear some time this evening. K’vin wished that more
girls were available to Impress green dragons. It made that facet of
Weyrleadership considerably easier to deal with. There were still a
few, of course, but with parents keenly interested in applying for more
land by setting up cot holds for married children, fewer and fewer girls
were encouraged to stand on the Hatching Grounds. While being a
dragon rider didn’t prevent a girl from having children, if that’s what
she wanted, it did prevent them from owning land. Still, grandchildren,
even the Weyrborn, could claim land. Though, in actual fact, more
Weyrborn preferred to stay in the Weyr even if they didn’t Impress.
The dragons who had taken part in the mass fly-by were now landing their
riders in the wide road beyond the court.
Then they leaped up again to find a spot in which to enjoy the last of
the warm autumnal sun. Many made for the adjoining cliffs as space on
Fort’s heights filled up on either side of the solar panels.
Dragons could be trusted not to tread on what remained of the priceless
installations. Fort’s were the oldest, of course, and two banks had
been lost last winter to the unseasonably fierce storms. Fort, being
the largest as well as the oldest northern installation, needed all its
arrays in full working order to supply heat for its warren of corridors,
power for air circulation units and what equipment still worked.
Fortunately a huge stockpile of panels had been made during the first
big wave of constructing new Weyrs and Holds. There would be enough for
generations.
Weyrleaders sought their tables on the upper level with Lord Holders and
Professionals, while riders joined whatever company they preferred at
tables set up on the huge expanse of the outer apron. Not a sprout of
vegetation anywhere on that plaza surface, K’vin noticed with approval.
S’nan, Fort’s Weyrleader, had always been fussy and rightly so.
The musicians had struck up sprightly music and couples were already
dancing on the wooden floor set over the cobbles. Beyond the dance
square were the stalls, tents and tables where goods were being sold or
exchanged. There’d been brisk business all day, especially for items
needed during the winter months when there would be fewer big Gathers.
The various Craftsmen would be pleased, and there’d be less for the
dragons to haul back.
Charanth was now circling over the annexes which had been started to
increase living space for both Pern’s main infirmary research facility