The Harpers had received some pretty distorted images from the firelizards returning, terrified, to the Harpercrafthall: Benden full of immense bronze dragons, breathing fire, ready to fight; Ramoth acting like a blood-maddened watchwher, and curious images of the queen egg solitary in the sand. But what made the Harpers extremely apprehensive was the vision of dragons flaming at firelizards.
“Benden dragons did not flame any firelizards,” Jaxom and Menolly both said.
“But all the firelizards must stay away from Benden unless they’re sent to either Brekke or Mirrim,” Menolly added firmly. “And we’re to mark all those that look to harpers with harper colors.”
Jaxom and Menolly were ushered into the Harperhall and given wine and hot soup. Neither of them got to eat it hot because no sooner were they served than some of the Hold people arrived, soliciting the news. Menolly recounted the major portion of the happening, being the trained Harper. Jaxom’s respect for the girl increased greatly as he listened to her flowing voice evoke the emotions appropriate to each part of her narrative, without distorting what he knew to have happened. One of the senior Harpers, soothing the blue firelizard in the crook of his arm, kept nodding his head as if approving her use of Harper tricks.
When Menolly stopped speaking, a respectful murmur of thanks was heard throughout the room. Then the listeners became the speakers, dissecting the news, wondering who had returned the egg and how-and why, which Was still the biggest question. How were the Weyrs going to protect themselves? Were the main Holds in any danger? Who knew to what lengths the Oldtimers might go if they’d steal a Benden egg. Now, there’d been some mysterious occurrences-insignificant in themselves but in total highly suspicious-which the Harpers felt ought to be reported to Benden Weyr. Those mysterious shortages at the iron mines, for instance. And what about those young girls who were carried off and no one could trace where? Could the Oldtimers be looking for more than dragon eggs?
Menolly eased her way out of the center of the audience and beckoned Jaxom to follow her. “I’m talked dry,” she said with a heavy sigh and led him down the corridor to the huge copyroom where moldy Records were transcribed before their messages were lost forever. Her lizards suddenly appeared and she signaled them to land on one of the tables. “You lot are about to wear the very latest design for firelizards!” She rummaged in the cabinet under the table. “Help me find white and yellow, Jaxom. This can is dried up.” She chucked it into a bin in the corner. “And what is your design for firelizards?”
“Hmmmm. Here’s white. Harper blue with journeyman light blue, separated by white and framed by Fort Hold lattice yellow. That ought to label them accurately, don’t you think?”
Jaxom agreed and found himself required to hold firelizard necks still. This assignment was rendered all the more difficult because the firelizards seemed to want to look him straight in the eye.
“If they’re trying to tell me something, I’m not getting the message,” Jaxom told Menolly as he patiently endured the fifth soulful scrutiny.
“I suspect,” Menolly said, speaking in disjointed phrases as she carefully applied her root colors, “what you’ve got-hold him still, Jaxom-is the only …dragon on Pern … that … they’re not-hold him-scared silly of right now. Ruth doesn’t … after all… chew firestone.”
Jaxom sighed because he could see that Ruth’s sudden popularity was going to ruin his private plans. Much as he was loath to do so, he was going to have to time it because if the firelizards didn’t know when they went they couldn’t follow him! That reminded him of his original errand to the Harpercrafthall.
“I started out this morning to get Wansor’s equations from you….”
“Hmmm, yes.” Menolly grinned at him over a squirming blue firelizard. “That seems like Turns ago. Well, we’ll just patch the white on Uncle, and I’ll give ‘em to you. I’ve also got some winter-summer season charts you might as well have, seeing as you’ve been so cooperative. Piemur hasn’t written out many yet.”
A blue firelizard came zipping into the paint room, chirping with relief when it saw Jaxom.