“Toric’s?” Jaxom asked, wondering if he should dismount and search for Sharra.
She comes! Toric’s queen is with her. Go away! You displease me, watching my friends!
Jaxom had no time to be astonished by his dragon’s fierce attitude. Sharra, trailing a blanket which she was endeavoring to wrap about her thinly clad body, came running across the Ground. She pelted toward him, her expression anxious, and she almost tripped on an edge of her blanket as she looked back over her shoulder.
She says two of Toric’s men are after her. Ruth half-sprang, half-glided toward Sharra, while Jaxom leaned down, holding his hands out to catch her and swing her onto Ruth’s neck. Two men, swords drawn, came tearing onto the Ground. But Ruth launched himself, leaving the two men swearing helplessly at them as the Ground dropped away. The watchdragon of the Southern Weyr called out to Ruth, who replied in a greeting as he beat upward on the warm air.
“I think your brother has miscalculated, Sharra.”
“Take me away from here, Jaxom. Take me to Ruatha! I’ve never been so furious in all my life. I never want to see that brother of mine again. Of all the devious, misguided …”
“We have to see your brother again, for I’m not hiding from him. We’ll have it out in the open today!”
“Jaxom!” There was real concern in Sharra’s voice now. She clutched him tightly about the waist. “He’d kill you in a fight.”
“Our affair will cause no duel, Sharra,” Jaxom said with a laugh. “Bundle yourself well in that blanket. Ruth will take us between as quick as he can!’
“Jaxom, I hope you know what we’re doing!”
Ruth took them back to the Plateau, caroling a greeting as he circled down.
“Oh, I’m frozen, but they took my flying gear away,” Sharra cried. Her bare legs on Ruth’s neck were blue with chill. Jaxom leaned over to rub warmth into them. “And there’s Toric. With Lessa, F’lar and Robinton!”
“And the largest of the Benden dragons!”
“Jaxom!”
“Your brother does things his way, I do them in mine! In mine!”
“Jaxom!” There was surprise as well as respect in her voice and her arms tightened again about his waist.
Ruth landed and when they had dismounted, he walked to Jaxom’s left as the two young lovers went to meet the others. Toric no longer wore his customary smile.
“Toric, you cannot contain Sharra anywhere on Pern where Ruth and I cannot find her!” Jaxom said after the barest of nods to the Benden Weyrleaders and the Harper. There was no hint of compromise in Toric’s hard expression. Nor did he expect it. “Place and time are no barriers to Ruth. Sharra and I can go anywhere, anywhen on Pern.”
A piteously crying queen firelizard attempted to land on Toric’s shoulder, but the man brushed her away.
“Further, firelizards obey Ruth! Don’t they, my friend?” Jaxom rested his hand on Ruth’s headknob.
“Tell every firelizard here on the Plateau to go away!”
Ruth did so, adding as the wide meadow was suddenly empty of the little creatures, that they didn’t wish to leave.
Toric’s eyes narrowed slightly at that show of ability. Then the firelizards were back. This time he permitted his little queen to land on his shoulder, but his eyes held Jaxom’s.
“How did you know Southern? I was informed that you’ve never been there!” He made a half-turn as if to accuse Lessa and F’lar of complicity.
“Your informant erred,” Jaxom said, wondering if it had been Dorse. “Today is not the first time I’ve retrieved something from the Southern Weyr which belongs to the North.” He laid his arm possessively about Sharra’s shoulders.
Toric’s composure deserted him. “You!” He extended his arm, pointing at Jaxom; his face was a mixture of anger, indignant outrage, disappointment, frustration and, lastly, a grudging respect. “You took the egg back! You and that … but the firelizards’ images were black!”
“I’d be stupid not to darken a white hide if I make a night pass, wouldn’t I?” Jaxom asked with understandable scorn.
“I knew it wasn’t one of T’ron’s riders,” Toric cried, his fists clenching and unclenching. “But for you to … Well now,” and Toric’s whole attitude changed radically. He began to smile again, a trifle sourly as he looked at the Benden Weyrleaders and then the Harper. Then he started to laugh, losing anger and frustration in that laughter. “If you knew, Lordling …” again he pointed fiercely at Jaxom, “the plans you ruined, the … How many people knew it was you?” Now he did turn accusingly on the dragonriders.