He blinked. No, he had to be mistaken. They’d all died.
Everyone with any trace of Ruathan Blood had been killed that day.
The girl couldn’t possibly … incredibly … be Lessa?
And yet… Ruathan Blood had produced many dragonriders and a few Weyrwomen, too. They had strong minds, strong … powers?
And Robinton blinked again. That was what he had felt pulsing through the Hall, what had caused the dragons to roar and F’lar to act so outrageously in challenging Fax. And it made sense to the MasterHarper. Very good sense. She was why Nip thought Ruatha was subtly rebelling against Fax. She was a full Ruathan, and they had always had strong women in the Bloodline. Strong enough to be Weyrwomen, especially now, at this crucial time for Pern.
It was all Robinton could do to restrain the shout of triumph that swelled within him. C’gan! He’d have to tell C’gan so that the blue rider could watch out for her at the Weyr, keep her from being manipulated by that other do-nothing, R’gul. They had to be sure that it was F’lar’s dragon Mnementh who flew the new queen, so that F’lar would be Weyrleader. Of course, they’d know when the Red Star was framed by the Eye Rock in the Star Stones on Benden’s rim, when the rising sun balanced on the Finger Rock at Solstice. Thread would be falling any time now. Maybe not this Turn, but in the next few, that warning sign would be obvious to all who witnessed it. As today’s event had been witnessed. And, as MasterHarper, he should add his voice to those of the dragonriders.
His was the more important, even though he was not supposed to be here.
“You got here, I see.” The voice was a soft whisper at his side.
“Nip, you’ll frighten the heart out of me one of these days, appearing like that.” Robinton leaned back against the wall, sighing with relief. “Where’ve you been?”
Nip pointed to the kitchen, and indeed, now that Robinton got a good whiff of the man, he recognized the odours of singed bone and stale food.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry and there’s -well, some bread …” Robinton strode to the table and grabbed a slice in each hand, chewing vigorously.
“Where’d he take her?” Nip asked. “Lessa
Lessa ?”
Fortunately, Nip was so astonished that he had gasped out the name in a startled whisper.
“Ssshhh! Only person I know of who could do what she did today …” And Robinton grinned.
“What about F’lar? That was a grand fight he fought. Got hurt, too, I think.”
“Didn’t seem to hinder him.” Robinton kept looking up the stairs, waiting for F’lar to reappear. “And I think it’s about time one of us started taking charge here, don’t you.”?”
“Indeed, though I think the dragonriders have it well in hand.
Fax bought loyalty. His death has lost the marks they need. They’ll scatter at your command.”
The MasterHarper was glad enough to shed the helmet, which had worn a sore ridge around his brows.
“You’ll be wanting to make your way back to Nabol or Crom or High Reaches,” he said, addressing Fax’s soldiers. “I don’t think the dragonriders will detain you.”
“Who the shard are you?” demanded the underleader whom Robinton had encountered in the barracks.
“MasterHarper Robinton, and this is my colleague, Journeyman Harper Kinsale,” Robinton said in firm commanding voice.
“The MasterHarper?” the armsman repeated, dumbfounded, looking from one ragged man to the other. “Now, wait just a
minute,” he began, suddenly with a new lease on his authority.
Just then the drums in the tower started.
So Tuck had been here too, Robinton thought, delighted. This sort of thing could be rather a lot of fun – if it didn’t involve quite so much hard physical work.
“By the Egg!” the underleader snarled. “It’ll be all over if we can’t silence those drums …”
Two dragonriders immediately took positions at the stairs, hands on their knives.
“I’d advise you all to make a sudden departure,” Nip-Kinsale said, nodding at C’gan, who was quick enough to pick up the message.
“Lord Groghe’s men will be arriving soon enough from his border posts,” Robinton added. “I spoke with them on my way here. Were I you, I’d be well gone by the time they get here.”