“Is it a map of our stars?” Jaxom asked.
The Smith’s big finger touched the largest circle, a brilliant orange with licking flames jagging out from its circumference.
“This is our sun. This must be the Red Star.” His finger described the orbit about the sun which had been designated for the wanderer. He now touched the third, very small, round world. “This is our Pern!” He grinned at the others, for the humble size of their world.
“What’s this then?” Piemur asked, putting his finger on a dark-colored world on the other side of the sun, away from the other planets and their described lines of orbit.
“I don’t know. It ought to be on this side of the sun, as the other planets are!”
“And what do these lines mean?” Jaxom asked, having traced the arrowed lines from the bottom of the chart to the Red Star and then off the edge of the chart on the far right.
“Fascinating,” was all the Mastersmith would allow, rubbing his chin as he stared at the enigmatic drawings.
“I prefer this map,” Lessa said, smiling with a great deal of satisfaction at the two continents.
“You do?” F’lar asked, turning from his examination of the star map. “Ah, yes, I take your point,” he said as he watched her hand cover the western section. Then he laughed. “Yes, I quite agree, Lessa. Very instructive.”
“How can that be?” Piemur asked with some scorn. “It’s not accurate. Look,” he pointed, “there’s no sea volcanoes beyond the Plateau cliffs. And there’s far too much shore in this section of the South. And no Great Bay. It doesn’t go like that. I know. I’ve walked it.”
“No, the map isn’t accurate anymore,” the Harper said before Lessa could level a criticism at Piemur. “Notice Tillek. There’s a good deal more of the northern peninsula than there should be. And no mark for the volcano on the south shore.” Then he added with a deep smile, “But I suspect the map was accurate, when it was drawn!”
“Of course,” Lessa said in a cry of triumph. “All the Passes, each one stressing our poor world, caused upheaval and destruction …”
“See, this spur of land, where the Dragon Stones are now?” Menolly cried. “My great-grandsire remembers the land falling into the sea!”
“No matter that there have been minor changes,” Fandarel said, dismissing these casually, “the maps are superb discoveries.” He frowned again at the one with the anomalous shadings. “That shade of brown designates our first settlements in the North. See, Fort Hold, then Ruatha, Benden, Telgar,” he looked at F’lar and Lessa, “and the Weyrs. They all are placed in this same coloration. Is that what it means, perhaps? Places where people could settle?”
“But they settled the Plateau first of all, and it’s not that same brown,” Piemur said, disgruntled. “We must seek Master Wansor’s opinion. And Master Nicat’s.”
“I’d like to see Benelek look over the controls by the doors and perhaps investigate the rear of the ship,” F’nor said.
“My dear brown rider,” the Smith said, “Benelek is very clever with mechanical things but these …” His broad gesture indicated that the highly advanced technology on the ship was well beyond his apprentice’s skill.
“Perhaps one day, we will know enough to fathom all the ships’ mysteries,” F’lar said, smiling with intense pleasure as he tapped the maps. “But these … are current and exceedingly valuable to us, and Pern.” He paused to grin at Master Robinton, who nodded his head in comprehension, and Lessa, who continued to smile, her eyes dancing with a mischief only the three seemed to share. “And, for the time being, no mention is to be made of them!” He was stern now, and held up his hand when Fandarel began to protest. “A short time only, Fandarel. I have very good reason. Wansor must certainly see these equations and drawings. And Benelek can puzzle what he may. As he talks only to inanimate objects, he’s no risk to the necessary secrecy I feel we must impose on these ships. Menolly and Piemur are harperbound, and you’ve already proved your discretion and abilities, Jaxom.” F’lar’s glance, direct and intense, caused Jaxom an inner pang because he was certain then that the Benden Weyrleader did know of his episode with the dratted egg. “There’s going to be quite enough to confuse Hold, Craft and Weyr on that Plateau without adding these riddles.” His eyes went back to the broad expanse of the Southern Continent and, as he shook his head slowly, his smile and those of the Harper and Lessa increased. Suddenly a shocked expression crossed his face, and he looked up. “Toric! He said he’d be here today, to help excavate.”