“I’m coming, too,” Master Robinton repeated in a firm reasonable tone to override the protest he saw in every face. “I’ve missed too much. The suspense is very bad for me!” He placed his hand dramatically on his chest. “My heart pounds harder and harder with every passing moment that I’m forced to wait until you decide to send me dribbles and drabbles of tantalizing details.” He held up his hand as Menolly recovered her wits and opened her mouth to speak. “I will do no digging. I will merely watch! But, I assure you that the vexation, not to mention the loneliness and suspense while you are on making Records, will put a totally unnecessary and dangerous strain on my poor heart. What if I collapsed from the tension, with no one here?”
“Master Robinton, if Brekke knew …” Menolly’s protest was very weak.
F’nor covered his eyes with one hand and shook his head at the Harper’s base tactics. “Give the man a finger and he’ll take a length.” Then he looked up and shook his finger at Robinton. “If you move a muscle, pick up a pinch of dirt, I’ll… I’ll…”
“I’ll sit on him,” Menolly finished, giving her Master such a fierce glare that he pretended to ward off her glance.
“Get my flying gear, Menolly, there’s a dear child.” The Harper, with a cajoling expression, gave her a gentle push toward the Hold. “And my writing case from the worktable in my study. I really will behave myself, F’nor, and I’m certain I wouldn’t come to harm in such a short journey between. Menolly,” he raised his voice to a carrying roar, “don’t forget the half-sack of wine on my chair! It was bad enough yesterday being unable to see the Plateau buildings!”
As soon as Menolly returned with his requirements, the wine sack bouncing on her back, there was no more discussion. F’nor mounted the Harper and Piemur on Canth, leaving Jaxom to settle Menolly behind him on Ruth. Fleetingly he wished that Sharra were still here. He wondered if Ruth could bespeak her all the way to Southern and then restrained the impulse. Day had not yet dawned that far west. The two dragons ascended with a dense escort of firelizards. Ruth gave Canth the direction and, even as Jaxom worried that the Harper’s action was very rash, they had gone between and were gliding toward the three peculiar hills.
Jaxom grinned with delight at the response to his discovery. Menolly’s arms gripped him more tightly and she cried out an intricate arpeggio in her excitement. He could see the Harper gesticulating wildly, and hoped he had a good grip on F’nor’s belt. Canth, never taking his eyes from the hole in the hill, veered to land as close to it as possible. They settled the Harper in the nearest spot of shade and had Jaxom ask Ruth to get the local firelizards to image things for himself and Zair while he admired their labors.
To the chirping conversation of firelizards, the others began to dig, Ruth standing to one side since Canth could move far more earth than he and there was only room for one dragon. Jaxom was keenly aware of an internal excitement that had been utterly lacking at the Plateau.
They dug perpendicularly now, for Jaxom had unearthed the top of the vehicle. Canth’s enthusiasm often showered the Harper with clods of dirt as they worked down to the door area, but they’d been digging only a short time before the seam of the doorway, a fine crack in the otherwise smooth surface, came to light. F’nor had Canth shift the angle of excavation slightly to the right and very shortly the entire upper edge of the opening was uncovered.
Much encouraged, firelizards joined Canth and the riders, and dirt flew everywhere. When the opening was all but clear, they had also uncovered the rounded, leading edge of one of the stubby wings as well, proving, as the Harper was quick to point out, that the firelizards did recall accurately what their ancestors had seen. Once you could get them to remember, of course.
When the whole doorway had been cleared, the workers stood aside for the Harper to approach and examine it.