Jaxom good-naturedly took his place with the flamethrower crew, not that any Thread escaped the Fort Weyr dragons. It amused Jaxom to think that at the next Threadfall, he too might be above ground on a fire-breathing Ruth.
The third day after the egg was stolen, Ruth was famished and wanted to hunt. But the firelizards came in such droves to accompany him that he killed only once and ate the beast up, bones and hide.
I will not kill for them, Ruth told Jaxom so fiercely that he wondered if Ruth might eventually flame the firelizards.
“What’s the matter? I thought you liked them!”
Jaxom met his dragon on the grassy slope and caressed him soothingly.
They remember me doing something I do not remember doing. I did not do it. Ruth’s eyes whirled with red sparks.
“What do they remember you doing?”
I haven’t done it. And there was a tinge of fearful uncertainty to Ruth’s mental tone. I know I haven’t done it. I couldn’t do such a thing. I am a dragon. I am Ruth. I am of Benden! His last words sounded in a despairing tone.
“What do they remember you doing, Ruth? You’ve got to tell me.”
Ruth ducked his head, as if he wished he could hide, but he turned back to Jaxom, his eyes wheeling piteously. I wouldn’t take Ramoth’s egg. 1 know I didn’t take Ramoth’s egg. I was there by the lake all the time with you. I remember that. You remember that. They know where I was. But somehow they remember that I took Ramoth’s egg too.
Jaxom clung to Ruth’s neck to keep from falling. Then he took several very deep breaths.
“Show me the images they’ve been giving you, Ruth!”
And Ruth did, the projections growing more clear and vivid as Ruth calmed in response to his rider’s encouragement.
That’s what they remember, he said finally with a deep sigh of relief.
Jaxom told himself to think logically so he said out loud, “Firelizards can only tell what they’ve seen. You say they remember. Do you know when they remember seeing you take Ramoth’s egg?”
I could take you to that when.
“Are you sure?”
There are two queens-they’ve bothered me most because they remember best.
“They wouldn’t just happen to remember it at night, when the stars are out, would they?”
Ruth shook his head. Firelizards are not big enough to see enough stars. And that’s when they got flamed. The bronzes who guard the egg chew firestone. They don’t want any firelizards near.
“That’s smart of them.”
None of the dragons like firelizards anymore. And if they knew what the firelizards remember about me, they won’t like me, either.
“Then it’s just as well that you’re the only dragon who’ll listen to firelizards, isn’t it?” That observation wasn’t much comfort to either Ruth or Jaxom. “But why, if the egg is already back in Benden Weyr, are the firelizards bothering you about it?”
Because they don’t remember me going yet.
Jaxom felt he’d better sit down. This last statement would take a lot of thinking. No, he contradicted himself. F’lessan had been right. We think and talk things to death. He wondered briefly if Lessa and F’nor had been seized by this same sort of irrational compulsion at the moment of their decisions. He decided he’d better not think about that either.
“You’re sure you know when we have to go?” he asked Ruth once more.
Two queens flitted up, crooning lovingly: one even bold enough to light on Jaxom’s arm, her eyes wheeling with joy.
They know. I know.
“Well, I’m glad they’re willing to take us. I sure wish they’d seen stars!”
Jaxom permitted himself one more deep breath and then he swung to Ruth’s neck and told him to take them home.
Once he’d made his decision to act, it was amazing how easy it was to go ahead, just as long as he didn’t think about it. He assembled his flying gear, the rope, a fur robe to cover the egg. He gobbled down some meatrolls, casually winked at Brand as he sauntered out of the Hall, overwhelmingly glad that he had a handy excuse in his suspected affair with Corana.