"I've watched Persellan sewing up dragons often enough, and I helped him with Boojie,' T'lion began, taking out a needle and threading it with the fine strong suture that Aivas had suggested to the Healer Hall. "I've even got the hang of how he ties his knots.

"So do it,' Readis said, impatiently, "before she loses any more blood. That's definitely not good for her."

With a decisive exhalation, T'lion reached for the needle and thread. Numbweed worked really quickly, deadening any flesh, human, dragon and, he hoped, dolphin.

Watching, he found, was by no means the same as doing for even getting the sharp needle to penetrate the tough and slippery flesh of the dolphin was different than sewing up clothes or even repairing his flying straps. The muscles along Angie's side rippled. Since he had to jam the needle in her pretty hard, that was okay. She wasn't squirming which would have worried him. And the other dolphins were making some sort of soothing noises that, in some mysterious way, seemed to vibrate in the water around his legs. Gaddie, careful to keep the rest of her under the rippling water, held steady enough so that his jabbing needle didn't go into the wrong places.

"She knows you're helping her,' Readis said as he kept up a reassuring rhythm of caresses. That helped his nerves and she seemed to lean into the motions. He also kept checking the reassuring beat of the big heart in her chest. It struck him as significant that dolphins had hearts on the left sides of their bodies, just as humans did.

Cori, the other injured baby, wasn't more than a few months old but the wound was serious for so young a calf. When T'lion was finishing the last of Angie's stitches, he asked Gaddie to take Cori in hand so that Readis could smear her with numbweed. The baby made odd noises and swished her tail around but Afo told them that Cori was only relieved to be painless.

"Goodee man goo, she said quite clearly. "Nummmmm weeeed?" she asked.

Readis laughed, as much from relief of the strain as because he was pleased to know the pods were using more words.

"Yes, numbweed,' Readis said. "They've learned a lot from you, T'lion, and he tried to keep envy out of his voice.

"They didn't learn it from me - I don't think,' T'lion said, frowning as he concentrated on tying the last few stitches in the complex knot. "Maybe Persellan used the word when he was doing Boojie. But Afo wasn't at Eastern when we did that.

There! That's closed now. Wheeee." T'lion wiped his forehead on his arm, cleaned the needle and returned it to the little case that held Persellan's needles.

"Good mans men,' Afo said and rubbed against their legs, prodding them gently in their genitals as a mark of extra affection.

"Hey, don't do that, Afo,' Readis said.

T'lion laughed at his reaction. "Don't forget to thank Gaddie, too, Afo,' he said and Afo responded by blowing a spout of water up against the bronze dragon's chest before submerging.

Gadareth rose out of the water, the wave he made swamping the two young men.

"Watch that! I'm soaked, and this water's not so warm today,' Readis complained. "I'm also water riddled." He looked at the shrivelled skin on his fingers. "Anyone else need help, Afo?"

"No, t'ank you. We go now, work holes in ships. Lemi grateful. Afo grateful, Cori, Angie, Mel grateful and happy.

"Bring the calves back in three days, three sunrises, Afo. So we can take those stitches out.

"Hear you,' Afo said as she swam away, ahead of the little group of four, moving off westward and more slowly.

The two friends made their way to the beach, moving wearily after the unaccustomed mental and physical strain.

"I sure hope we did it right,' T'lion said, shaking his head.

"What we need is a manual on animal treatment. 1 heard tell that Master Farmer Andemon finally asked for . . . Shards!" T'lion stopped, pawing through the sack. "Where did the book go?" His hands came up empty and he looked about frantically, hoping to see the book on the water. He couldn't even remember when he had last seen it, save that he had propped it up on Gaddie's forearm. "Gaddie, where did the book go? Readis, call Afo back.

Did we come straight out? How far were we from shore?"

"Don't panic, T'lion,' Readis said as he began retracing his steps. "I was in up to my belt - which is probably so saltlogged it'll never soften up

"You're worried about a belt,' T'lion roared, "when I may have lost Persellan's book?"

"We were about here, I think,' Readis said and then dove beneath the surface.

"Gaddie, put your head under, too. See if you can see it.

The waters were still dark from the storm where the sea bottom had been churned up.

I see little, Gadareth responded though it was obvious from the movement of his neck that he was looking all around. What do !lookfor?

"The book! The book I used. I put it on your arm. You know what the book looked like." Really upset, T'lion framed the size of the book in his hands although his dragon still had his head underwater and could not have seen what he did.

Readis surfaced.

"It's all stirred up, sand everywhere. Can't see a thing. And Gaddie's been walking about. He might have buried it."

"Buried it'?" T'lion's voice broke octaves in his anxiety.

"Easy, T'lion, easy,' Readis said, took three deep breaths and then dove.

T'lion could barely see the holder lad swimming so murky was the water. Why now, of all days, was the water not as clear as usual. He began walking about the area where he thought they had been standing, hoping he might kick it up. But Gaddie couldn't've kicked it. He had been holding up the dolphins, and his hind feet would have been further out.

"Gaddie, call Afo. Tell her we need her."

Gadareth obligingly bellowed. That his bugle was heard was obvious when two of the seamen working on the Fair Winds waved back at them. But not a single dorsal fin came streaking toward them.

"Try underwater, Gaddie. Afo must hear you. We need her help."

Afo did not come, though Gadareth called her in air and underwater every time T'lion asked him.

And Readis, who kept diving, going in ever increasing circles out from the spot where they thought the precious book might be, was becoming so hyperventilated and pale under his tan that even T'lion knew he should stop.

"One more dive is all I'll let you take,' the dragonrider told his younger friend. "You look awful."

"If only we'd had the mask accusatory.

"I'm trying, I'm trying, - T'lion explained, his voice tense, his mind in a whirl as he thought of how Persellan was going to react to the loss of his invaluable book.

Then Readis took his usual deep inhalation and dove, appearing for that instant more like a dolphin than a boy.

"Lucky last!" Readis shouted as he exploded out of the water.

In the hands held high above his head he had the book.

"Don't get it any wetter than it is!" T'lion cried, reaching out in a thankful gesture at the sight of the lost object.

But when Readis put the soggy book in his hands, dark runnels of water over their hands told them that considerable damage had been done the contents. T'lion groaned as his trembling fingers flipped open the cover. He flipped it closed immediately, rolling his eyes and groaning again.

"It's ruined. Ruined! Persellan will flay me!'

"It came from Aivas' files, didn't it'? Well, then it only needs And Readis' look was to be reprinted,' Readis said in an effort to relieve his friend's dismay.

"Only?" T'lion replied. "Do you have any idea of how long someone has to wait to get something only reprinted?"

Readis shook his head, determined to supply a remedy.

"I'm up there all the time, T'lion. I can recopy what needs to be done directly from the discs." Then he added by way of reparation, "And maybe include some animal treatment stuff at the same time."

"Oh, I dunno,' T'lion said, appalled at the damage a moment's inattention had caused.

"Good thing you had it so we'd know how to put her guts back in.

"We won't know until she gets better - and works right - if we did,' T'lion replied, shaking his head and staring down at the book which was still shedding inky drops of water.

"Let's get out of the water, and see if we can't dry some of the pages in the sun,' Readis urged and they both headed back to the shore. "I mean, we have a duty to dolphins, too, you know.

"Do we?"

Readis gave his friend a startled look. "I think we do. They came with us, didn't they? They didn't have to but they came to help us with the marine explorations. They've done them but our responsibility doesn't end there. Does it'? Huh? No more than our responsibility to dragonkind will end when Thread stops.

He looked a little embarrassed when T'lion turned to him an odd stare, his jaw dropped in surprise at Readis' vehemence.

"That is, when it does,' Readis amended. "I mean, we - humans - created the dragons. We owe them, too, you know."

T'lion's slow grin spread across his face. "I wish more of us humans thought the way you did."

Readis ducked his face in embarrassment. "I've known dragons all my life, better than most holder children do. I've scrubbed more." Then he squinted up at the angle of the sun. "Here.

Let's prop the book up here so it gets the sun. I'd better dry off, too,' he added, noticing the water marks on his hands. "Or Dad will sure know where I've spent time when I should have been back helping him and Mother."

"D'you think the book'll dry out enough'?" T'lion said anxiously as he settled the book on a broad leaf so that sand wouldn't damage it further.

The volume was heavy enough so that it had fallen to the bottom, lying there until Readis had finally found it. The inner pages had been sufficiently pressed down so that only the edges of every leaf showed their immersion. Ink had blurred somewhat, even on the illustrations.

T'lion groaned as they surveyed the ravages. "Persellan's not going to like this."

"I said I'd make it good."

"You oughtn't to have to. I borrowed the book without permission. You didn't."

"You wouldn't have borrowed it if I hadn't insisted we heal the calves." Readis' chin was at an aggressive angle. "We're in this together."

"You most certainly are, said a new voice and the two young men swung around to see Jayge and Temma come striding out of the jungle that bordered the cove. "What's all this about dolphins needing medical assistance? Where have you been? Kami's been back hours and she said she came with you.

Readis sprang to his feet, trying to conceal the water-logged book from his father's sight.

"Ah, well, oh!" he floundered.

"1 told T'lion I'd come when I could,' Temma said, cocking her head and looking from one to the other. Then out to sea.

"No dolphins to mend?"

"We did it,' Readis said. "I mean, T'lion's watched Persellan and there were bloodsuekers trying to and it was the calves, and they were hurt with awful gashes guts hanging Out

"So you decided that those mammals of yours needed attention sooner than injured humans?" Jayge had crossed his arms over his chest at his most forbidding.

Readis swallowed. He had not often had occasion to suffer his father's disapproval or chastisement but he knew the pose from those times Jayge had dealt with recalcitrant hold workers or those whose behaviour had not met his standards. Now he raised his chin.

"Yes, sir. They bleed and hurt the same as we do, and there was no-one else bothering about them and plenty of people, including Aunt Temma, to tend to human hurts. No-one was badly hurt, were they?" Readis asked Temma.

"No, but you should have found that out first, before you even thought of coming here,' Jayge answered, frowning at his son. "You're my son and will be Holder. What sort of an example are you setting?" and he waved toward the sea and its denizens, "Coming here first before you knew what help was needed in your Hold!'

"When we overflew the Hold, it looked like you had matters in hand. But no-one was looking after our dolphins

"Our dolphins?" Jayge's expression became even more forbidding. "Since when do "we" own dolphins?"

"The pod . . . the ones that use these waters they're ours, in a manner of speaking.

"Sir, the fault was mine,' T'lion interrupted and was waved silent by Jayge.

"Why are you involved in this, T'lion?"

"He's been . . . " Readis began.

"Dragonriders are able to answer for themselves, Readis."

"But he

"I'm liaison for the dolphins in the Eastern Weyr waters, Holder Jayge,' T'lion said, stiffening to an erect position. "We heard at Landing that there were injuries in this pod and help was requested. So I Jayge frowned. "How would they know at Landing Before Readis could capitalize on his father's misunderstanding and absolve himself of his apparent defection by intimating that someone at Landing had given him the orders, T'lion continued.

"Actually, sir, we found out at Monaco Bay, not Landing.

Readis and Kami were there, hoping to hear word from Paradise River that all was well here."

"So you got a message at Monaco Bay that dolphins at Paradise River were injured?"

"Yes, sir,' T'lion replied.

Jayge's frown got darker. "So Master Samvel didn't give you permission to leave, Readis?"

"Master Samvel told me that Readis was down at Monaco.

T'lion said, temporizing as he suddenly realized what Readis had been trying to imply.

Jayge shook his head. "Will you boys stop answering for each other? So, you are absent from school as well as derelict in your duty to your Hold, Readis. And you, T'lion, where were you supposed to be when you were busy healing the dolphins?"

"I went down to Monaco Bay when I heard that's where Readis and Kami had gone,' he replied.

"I repeat, where were you ordered to go?"

"Cove Hold,' T'lion said, "but plenty of folks were helping out there and no-one was . " He hesitated.

"Helping these dolphins,' Jayge finished. "Both of you need to get your priorities in order. I shall expect you to report your afternoon's activities to T'gellan, T'lion. You'd better report to where you should be before the day ends." A holder could not presume to give a dragonrider, even a young one, direct orders that did not deal with Threadfall.

"Ah, yes, sir,' T'lion hesitated. He needed to take the book with him, damp as it was, but he also didn't quite like the idea of displaying the damaged thing to anyone.

"Well T'lion grimaced. He had to leave, and leave Readis facing an angry father. So, giving a despairing sigh, he reached for the book.

And what's that sorry-looking mess?" Jayge asked, holding out his hand. When T'lion reluctantly gave it to him, Jayge whistled as he felt the dampness. Turning the first few pages, he then shot angry glances at both son and dragonrider as he realized how valuable it was.

"We know it's been damaged. It fell off Gaddie's arm,' T'lion explained. "I needed to know how to restore intestines .

"By using your healer's most valued possession?" Temma asked, incensed when she saw what Jayge was looking through.

"He'll not thank you for that.

"I can copy the damaged pages,' Readis said quickly. "I've access to the files. I can even add more from the veterinary sections

"Did you at least have permission to use the manual?" Jayge asked. "Ah, I see not,' he added, noting the guilty flush on the dragonrider's face.

"Persellan was nowhere about to ask,' T'lion said. "Mirrim saw me and said it was all right."

"To take supplies possibly,' Temma put in, "but not such a valuable healer's book."

"I can set it right,' Readis insisted.

"That's enough out of you,' Jayge said, turning on his son.

"You'd better leave, T'lion."

Temma took the dragonrider's arm before he swung past her.

"And the dolphins?"

"We sewed them up and they went off with their dams,' T'lion said in a muted voice.

"Sewed them up, did you?" Temma looked dubious.

"I've helped Persellan and I can tie the right sort of healer knots to suture securely. That was the critical need, so the bloodfish couldn't enter the wounds."

"The critical need?"

T'lion stiffened, regarded the woman with an expressionless face. "I did what I could to help and we'll see in three days if what I did was enough."

Temma's expression softened a little. "Happen you did all that was needed. I'd be interested to see."

Without a backward look then, the young dragonrider went to his pile of clothes, dressed, stuffed Persellan's volume in his flying jacket and clambered aboard Gadareth. The bronze took off westward, away from those silently watching.

Readis couldn't look at his father but he felt Jayge's suppressed anger in the grip he took on Readis' arm as he pushed him toward his own clothing.

"Get your shoes on!" Jayge said. "Let's not have another thorn in your foot."

Readis felt a hard cold feeling in his chest at that harsh remark.

His father never referred to his limp, had never before reminded him of the injury nor where he had taken it. But then, his father wouldn't know that Readis felt far more comfortable in the sea, where his shrivelled leg posed no disadvantage or handicap.

The way home was too short for Readis to prepare himself for his mother's condemnation. She'd make sure he never went to the cove again. She would certainly extract a promise from him to have nothing to do with dolphins ever again. It was a promise that Readis could not in conscience give. There was no way now that he would give up the contact. Today's event had proved to him that the dolphins needed to have at least one staunch defendant in every coastline settlement: one committed dolphineer. The word had been hovering in his mind for a long time now and, in that moment, he recognized what he should do and be: a dolphineer.

As badly as Readis thought his mother would react, the actual storm that followed his father's account of his son's various offences against his Hold, against parental teaching and tolerance, his consorting with dolphins, his absence from the Landing school, brought such a tirade down on his head that he was unable to speak out in self-defence. Until she ranted that he was without conscience, loyalty or honour in his devious and unworthy association with shipfish.

"Dolphins, Mother, dolphins,' he said. "And I've always kept my promise to you.

She halted in her ranting, her face pale, her eyes huge and, if the tear streaks on her cheeks tormented him, her injustice made him speak out.

"You have not!'

"I have, too. I have never been alone with the dolphins or in the sea. There has always been someone else with me.

"That isn't at issue

"But it is. I promised you the day after the dolphins rescued me and Unclemi that I wouldn't go by myself to swim and I never have. Not in ten Turns!'

"But you were a child! How could you remember that'?"

"Mother, I remembered. I have obeyed. I have never come to harm from the dolphins

"But you have neglected your own family and the Hold's needs at a time when we needed everyone's help, everyone's loyalty - - "The dolphins are part of Paradise River Hold,' Readis began and she slapped his face as hard as she could and he staggered back, rocked from the insecure balance of standing on the toe of one foot.

For a moment there was complete silence in the room.

Aramina rarely used physical punishment and the slaps she had given her children for naughtiness had been admonitory not punitive. She hadn't even so much as tapped his hand in rebuke since he had started at the Landing school.

"Dolphins . . . are . . . not . . . part of this Hold!" she said fiercely, stringing out the words to emphasize her anger and denial. "I'm sure there is work to which your father can put you now. You will do it and you will never mention those wretched creatures in my presence again. Do you understand'?"

"Yes,' Readis managed to say, "I understand." He could not at that moment call her "Mother'. He turned his head to his father, awaiting orders.

Jayge, whose expressionless face told Readis nothing, beckoned for Readis to follow him.

Fortunately, the Ancients had built all the river-bank holds on stone pillars that elevated the floors four to five steps above ground level. This had provided breezeways under the dwellings for cooling in hot weather, but it also provided protection against occasional flooding. The holders blessed that precaution when the gale-driven tides had lapped at the top steps, and even flowed on to the porch flooring, right up to the doors, but not over the thresholds. The storehouses had lost their light roofs but their walls and floors had withstood the gales, as they had done for centuries. But there was debris to be removed, and help required to rig some sort of covering for supplies; stored crates and canisters to be inspected for damp, clothing to be hung out to dry, dead animals to be butchered. The injured, human and animal, had by then been attended. Readis was set to help with the skinning and dressing down. That had to be completed by nightfall and the meat refrigerated.

Nazer had the generator running again so there was power for lights and cooling. Readis worked alongside other holders, grateful for the fact that no-one else knew of his dereliction.

Kami had evidently only told his parents that he had returned with her. Readis didn't think he could stand any more reproaches. While he had learned how to compensate for the antrophied muscles in the bad leg and he sat or leaned against some sturdy support whenever possible, he had to work at top speed to dress the carcasses down and, by midnight, the muscles in both legs were jumping with strain and he was exhausted. But nothing would make him take a break until everyone else quit.

He had had klah and a fish roll when food was passed round which had eased hunger pangs. He'd had nothing since eating at school early that morning.

When the last haunch was prepared for the cooler, Nazer sent everyone to their beds. Readis started off toward his home, and stopped half-way there. He could see that a light had been left burning on the porch but he couldn't - he just couldn't - go back under that roof right now. He veered toward the animal shed. He'd be warm enough under the temporary roof despite the slight chill of the sea breeze. He'd sleep anywhere he laid himself down. And he did.

He was unprepared fir being roughly shaken out of a deep sleep.

"So here's where you are!" his sister Aranya said, her expression accusatory. "Father's been searching everywhere for you but Uncle Alemi swore he hadn't seen you. You've got Mother in a terrible state over your shameful

"I'll take that from . . . my mother,' Readis said, putting his fist in her face and having the satisfaction of seeing his sister stumble backwards, frightened, "but I don't have to take it from you, Rannie." Then he decided to take a small revenge on his usually tender-hearted sister. "My leg ached so I couldn't walk another step." And he rubbed both hands down the withered muscles.

"Oh, Readis, Father said Nazer told him you'd stayed on till the bitter end last night. They looked ftr you there, first. Then Mother was certain you'd gone to those wretched creatures who caused all your problems."

"The dolphins,' he said with distinct emphasis on their proper designation, "have caused me no problems at all. A wretched thorn did!'

"Well, Mother says you wouldn't have got the thorn in your foot if you " She broke off when he raised his fist in her direction again. "You'd better come home. I'll tell them where I found you and that will be that."

It wasn't. His mother was close to hysterical again and his father, reckoning the cost of the storm to the Hold's prosperity, was in a sour mood.

Later Readis would realize how strained everyone had been then, tempers and patience too stretched to allow for any tolerance but, when his mother insisted that he give her his word that he would never again have anything to do with shipfish - and her use of that term as well as the tone of voice she used further inflamed him - then he, too, lost his temper.

"That is a promise I cannot make!'

"You will make it and abide by it,' his mother told him, her eyes inflamed and sparkling with anger, "or you cannot live in the Hold!'

"As you will, he said, cold despite the trembling in his guts.

He stalked down the hall to his room where he filled a travel sack with everything he could lay his hands on.

"You promise me, Readis,' his mother screamed down the hall at him. "You promise . . . "she began again at his doorway.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going for I cannot promise that, Mother.

"Going to those awful creatures?"

"Now that's a ridiculous idea,' he said, scornful and, though he didn't know it, sounding so much like his father at that moment that Aramina was so stunned by the similarity that he was able to push past her before she could recover to prevent him.

Limping as fast as he could, he made for the kitchen, sending out a piercing whistle for Delky. He'd seen her grazing, as usual, near the house when he and Aranya had left the shed. He saw his wide-eyed sisters and younger brother sitting at the table, an uneaten breakfast proving that they had been listening to the row. As he got the kitchen door, Delky whinnied a greeting.

Although his bad leg nearly collapsed, Readis managed to vault to her back, balancing his duffel before him. He heard his mother, demanding at the top of her voice that he come back inside the house right now as he kicked Delky into a canter, putting as much distance between himself and his unyielding parent as possible.

Delky had to dodge fallen trees and piled debris, nearing unseating him several times but he kept her heading toward the river. The bridge had already been partially restored so that both sides of the river bank were accessible. There were just enough planks down for Delky, surprised and cautious but obedient to his insistence, to cross without losing a foot in a gap. When he got to the other side, he sent her flying down the sands and on into the scrub vegetation. He slowed her down only when the rough going might injure her. He couldn't afford to lame her right then. He stopped only when they had reached jungle again and would be invisible to anyone searching for him from the air. Then he slipped from Delky's back, his sack under him and wept in frustration, anger and heartbreak.

Chapter Twelve

"van strode into the Weyrwoman's quarters with the briefest nod to Ramoth asleep on her couch.

"It's Lord Toric again, Lessa, F'lar,' the Southern Weyrleader said, with an angry slap of his riding gloves on his thigh as he came to a halt by the table where they were having an evening glass of wine as they studied storm damage reports from the Southern Continent.

K'van might be the youngest Weyrleader but he was now as old as F'lar had been when Mnementh had flown Ramoth and become Weyrleader. He had attained more height than his adolescence had suggested, for his shoulders had broadened, his legs had lengthened and his eyes were at a level with F'lar's when they were standing. F'lar gestured for K'van to be seated and poured a glass of wine for him.

"You look as if you need it."

"I do,' K'van said with a sigh as he dropped into the chair opposite Lessa. "And you will, too."

"So what has Toric done this time?" Lessa asked, amused.

"He hasn't done it yet but he's about to. Go across the river and settle it with his chosen, having prepared a place for them. He's never been the least bit altruistic so I know he's up to something and I've a hunch what it is." It gave K'van little satisfaction to see how angrily the Weyrleaders reacted to Toric's latest show of arrogance. "We found incontrovertible evidence of substantial shelters in eight different locations, coastal, riverside and in-land. His harbor master is saying that the ships are being loaded for a down-river supply run but I doubted that even when he gave me the smooth lie."

Lessa pursed her lips angrily, her eyes sparkling.

"Toric's never been satisfied, has he?" she asked rhetorically and then pounded her fist on the table. "Greedy, that's what he is. And he's got a larger Hold than any of the Ancients ever staked out." She leaned toward F'lar. "We can't let him away with this, F'lar. We can't!'

"Lessa, we also can't stop him.

"Why not?" she demanded.

"We can't interfere with a Lord Holder." The Weyrleader scowled deeply, for once annoyed to be constrained by that tradition.

"But Toric isn't within his Hold if he's across the river, now is he?" K'van asked, his tenor voice at its mildest. The slight smile on his face was sly. "Oh, I know, he asked us to help him with Denol and that group who tried to take over lerne Island, but that is part of the holding you granted him. This land is all beyond his Hold borders.

"You're sure of that, K'van?" F'lar asked.

"That he's out of his own Hold? Yes, even the eastern bank of the river is not his. Not according to the map I have that outlines Southern Hold, from river to sea, and inclusive of lerne Island

"Which he insisted on having at the time,' Lessa said, angry red spots appearing on her tanned cheeks. She had clenched her fists. "And we only gave in to that demand because I wanted Jaxom to have Sharra."

F'lar brushed back the lock which always escaped to cover his eyes at moments like these. "You're right he's up to something.

I have a sudden, totally unworthy thought F'lar then shook his head and dismissed the thought unspoken with a wave of his hand. "I believe I'd better wait to justify such base suspicions." He grinned at K'van and Lessa. The look in the young Weyrleader's eye suggested he might be entertaining the same notion.

"What suspicions? Of course they'd be base, coming from Toric. But just what?" Lessa wanted to know.

"Later, love. Tell me, K'van, does he have settlers all lined up and ready to settle?"

K'van nodded. "I had nothing specific to report to you until now, but we keep our eyes open to Toric's doings. Discreetly, of course. Over the past few months there have been more than a normal number of well-laden ships making port at Southern.

Each carrying ten to twenty passengers, sometimes family, sometimes singles. You know he's built four coastal cruisers?

Yes, well. They're lumberly craft but have shallow draft and good cargo space. At any rate, he's got a lot of people in and about the Hold who haven't gone inland as I'd've thought they would - if they were his new settlers. He's never hidden the fact that he's been recruiting crafters. All perfectly legal since he hasn't settled all the land he rightfully holds. No reason for a Weyrleader to poke his nose where he's no right to sniff." K'van grinned, his eyes glinting cynically. K'van kept strictly to the Traditions that governed Weyr and Hold, knowing that Toric would rave about any infringement by Weyr on Hold iprerogatives. "But when no-one moved out, by land or by sea, all I could do was wait until I had something definite to bring to your attention. At the last gather, there were marks circulating from every northern Hall and Hold and some rumors Fthat Toric's been selling sites. In his own Hold, he has that right but K'van lifted his hand, "not across the river!'

"He wouldn't dare!" Indignation and outrage fueled Lessa's anger. "He's got the gall to charge for what settlers should have by right of their own hard work?"

"A neat scheme,' F'lar said, sardonically amused by such connivance. "And I wouldn't doubt if the payment in marks isn't followed by a different sort of payment later on." K'van nodded. "When the Council of Holders might need to vote on other business."

Lessa opened her mouth, her dark eyes widening as she began to understand the scale of Toric's plan. "Base isn't a vile enough description of what he plans to do! I knew we were wrong to call a complete halt to new settlings,' she said, in spite of what Fandarel and Nicat said, and in spite of the lack of suitable places. They wouldn't have been half so eager to take up Toric's offer if they could have come to us.

"So, do you have proof of Toric's encroachment on unapportioned lands?" F'lar asked.

"Indeed we have. The storm flattened whole swathes of forestry as wide as a Threadfall and what do you know? There were five settlements all too visible to my sweep riders. So we went looking to see if there might be a few more, and located another three. All built and ready to be occupied. And then there's Lord Toric's harbor full of laden ships . . . " K'van shrugged, not needing to say more.

"He didn't lose any ships to the storm?" F'lar asked, a tinge of annoyance in his voice as he nodded at the reports spread out on the table, itemizing storm losses.

K'van grinned. "I know that Master Idarolan passed a dolphin warning on to him as well as to the Weyr so Toric had time, and the good sense, to batten his shipping down. toric doesn't leave much to chance."

"Does he know you've overflown these totally illegal sites of his?" Lessa said, her voice harsh with the anger seething inside her.

"I doubt it,' K'van said. "Once they realized what they were seeing, my sweep riders avoided Southern Hold on their way back."

"We can tackle this encroachment several ways,' F'lar said, leaning back in his chair, a malicious smile on his lips as he idly twirled the stem of his glass.

"There's only one way - Lessa began and he held up his hand

"Hear me out. We could dismantle those settlements so there'd be no . . . ah accommodations left for these settlers of his when they finally sail forth. They'd be forced to go back to Southern. This is not the season to be without shelter, if that storm is any preview of a rough winter down south. But 1 would like to show other Lord Holders, who have been courteous enough to bide their time, what sort of trickery toric has been up to. Making people pay for land they have the right to!'

"He's so certain that we're holding out the best lots for ourselves - Lessa began, giving vent to her outrage. "Just because he wasn't at the Council when the Lords asked the Weyrleaders to officiate, he refuses to believe that we did not want anything to do with land settlements, that we protested about taking on such responsibilities F'lar regarded his diminutive weyrmate with more amusement than choler. "We didn't protest that strongly, love, now did we?"

"Only because it was all too plain what would happen if someone with some claim to impartiality didn't take charge.

And it was we who insisted that all Weyrleaders took part, not just Benden which was the intention of Larad of Asgenar who proposed the notion. And we also insisted that the Harper Hall keep records of all transactions."

"I know Toric's certain that dragonriders will get preference, K'van began.

"And shouldn't we?" Lessa demanded of the young Weyrleader.

"I certainly feel we should,' K'van answered firmly, all too aware of the Weyrwoman's temper and determined not to fall foul of it, "since it's the last concession we'll expect of Pern.

Adrea and I found a place that we feel we'd be very happy in.

Found it on my very first mapping sweep."

"Adrea likes it?" Lessa asked, momentarily diverted from her castigation of Toric.

"Oh, yes, we've been down half a dozen times to make sure, and,' K'van grinned, "it looks better every time we see it.

It's what we want but I don't think many people would find it so perfect."

"That's what I mean,' Lessa went out, gesturing emphatically with one hand as if sweeping Toric's exceptions aside. "Our needs and tastes are very individual and there's so much land out there She made another expansive gesture. "And he has the unmitigated gall to take marks " She was speechless for such presumption. "The man has tried my patience for the last time."

"I do believe you're right, my love,' F'lar said, still grinning with malicious anticipation. "And since he isn't even on his own Hold grounds, I think we have him just where we need him. And do us a favor of becoming a lesson for anyone with similar inclinations. A lesson that will last until the end of this Pass."

"I'm with you there, F'lar, and K'van lifted his glass in respect of that claim.

"Exactly how did you mean to set the lesson?" K'van asked.

"Mind you, you have Southern Weyr's total cooperation. There have been times when it was all I could do to keep a civil tongue in my head with a great and greedy Lord Toric. And I'm not the only one in the Weyr to find him a bit too high-handed and arrogant."

F'lar's amber eyes were sparkling with such orange lights that for a moment K'van wondered if some of Mnementh's fighting characteristics had transferred to his rider. His slowly widening smile was both sinister and amused.

"I think I'll borrow a moment from Benden Weyr's past. How long do you think it will be before the storm damage to Toric's fleet is repaired and he's ready to move out?"

"Oooh, I couldn't say, F'lar, but I can sure find out. How much leeway time do you need - to prepare this lesson of yours?"

F'lar laughed, rising from the table. "No more than I did the first time." He took a roll of maps from those stored in a container and, motioning Lessa and K'van to clear the table, spread it out with a practised hand. "Now, can you show me the exact locations of each site?"

"Yes I can,' and K'van took some notes from his inner pocket. "I checked them out myself against our chart of the area." Referring to his notes from time to time, he used F'lar's stylus to make small x's, all on land east of the river that the Ancient maps called Island River. One was where a river branched off to the old Stakehold of Thessaly and a second well east of Drakeslake. There were three in coves along the coast, and three well inland.

"That toric!" Lessa said in exasperation. "He's he's grasping, avaricious, covetous and unrepentantly rapacious!

He's like . . like Fax!'

"Is there anyone in any of these sites now?"

"Half a dozen at the most, builders."

"Have they prepared any fields?"

K'van shook his head. "We'd've noticed that a lot sooner, I can assure you.

"Yes, I suppose you would. Is he doing anything at all on his own Hold?"

K'van shook his head again, grinning. "He's had all his crews where they've no right to be,' and he tapped the encroachments on the map.

Although he refused K'van's adroit attempts to find out what he intended, Lessa was refilling their glasses when she suddenly looked at F'lar and burst out laughing.

"Figured it out, have you?" he said.

As she also spilled the wine, he took the wine skin from hands shaking with laughter as well as malicious anticipation.

"Now, now, Lessa love, that's good Benden red you're pouring. In the memory of our good Robinton, have a care of it."

"Robinton would be howling with laughter over this, F'lar, and you know it,' she said, interrupting her chuckles to make that observation.

"Honestly, F'lar, I wouldn't tell anyone what you plan to do. You know how discreet 1 can be,' K'van said, not quite pleading.

F'lar gave him an affectionate slap on the arm. "You'll know.

Just be sure we know when Toric's about to move, will you?"

"I can do that. He sets some of his fire-lizards to watch the Weyr Hall and doesn't even realize that two can play the game of See and Say." Reluctantly K'van rose, realizing he wasn't going to get any more out of the two Benden Weyrleaders.

Ramoth was still asleep on her stone couch and Mnementh had only opened an eye when Heth had landed K'van on the ledge the big bronze dragon guarded. It was unlikely, as well as improper, for K'van to get his dragon to find out by querying the Weyrleaders' dragons later. Considering how annoyed they had been about Toric's territorial aggressiveness, they were in remarkably good spirits now. "Do let me know when, and how, Southern Weyr may assist you.

"Oh, you'll know,' F'lar said, laying a companionable hand on K'van's shoulder as he escorted the young Weyrleader to the Weyr's entrance. "In fact, you'll be the first,' he added, chuckling at whatever scheme he had in mind.

On the third day, Jayge with Temma and Alemi who had been told of Readis' escapade while he'd been desperately trying to repair the Fair Winds with dolphin help, arrived at the anchorage. Alemi had a dinghy in the water, since there had been no time to replace the float previously used for human and dolphin conferences. Jayge was certain that his son would reappear, if only to make certain that the two calves were healing pn)perly. These last three days had weighed heavily on Jayge. He could have wished that Aramina had not been so didactic about issuing that ultimatum to Readis. Although he understood the panic which had consumed her, and certainly agreed with her that Readis had acted disgracefully, he also understood his son well enough to know that forcing the boy to promise against his conscience would make him rebel. The boy was of the right age to resent a mother's restrictions. Jayge earnestly hoped that the three anxious days would be enough for Readis to have made his point and make an honorable return. By this morning, Aramina had been beside herself with remorse at driving her oldest child away. Jayge doubted that she'd renew her demand that Readis stop seeing the dolphins but he was equally certain she would never cease blaming the creatures for the trouble they'd caused her and hers.

T'gellan had sent an adroit message to Jayge by fire-lizard, asking for confirmation that T'lion had treated injured dolphins at Paradise River. Jayge had succinctly replied that that was true.

Jayge was not surprised to see one dragon in the sky, but he was when a second bronze appeared. One was Gadareth, carrying T'lion, and the other was T'gellan on Monarth with a passenger. He was introduced as Persellan, Eastern's Healer.

From the moment he dismounted Monarth, the healer did not look at T'lion and addressed whatever questions dealing with the dolphins' welfare to the air in front of him - though they were patently meant for T'lion who answered in humble and subdued tones. Not that Jayge blamed Persellan for his coldness to the young rider. T'lion was lucky to get off with just that when he had borrowed the precious manual without permission and ruined it into the bargain. Well, replacing the damaged portions would be part of Readis' reparation.

"It was made plain, was it not,' Persellan was saying in that purse-mouthed pose he adopted when "not addressing' T'lion, "that they should return in three suns?" He was staring straight ahead at the sea.

"It was. Afo understood."

Persellan shielded his eyes, peering out to where the Fair Winds rode at anchor: some of her rigging was restored and the waterline hole had been repaired with delphinic help. Some dolphins were still to be seen, working with crewmen in the water.

"And they knew to come to the beach?"

"Yes.

Alemi suddenly pointed to the west. "There're dorsal fins just clearing the head now. I'd say they were smack on time.

Wouldn't you, T'lion? Wasn't this about the time when you and Readis got here? I remember seeing you on the shore."

The Master Fishman was sensitive to more than the rhythms of the sea or his beloved schooner and was doing his best to ease the tension in the air. Now he looked in the opposite direction, down the shoreline, to the spit of land at the eastern end of the cove, and then back over his shoulder at the jungle.

"I would have thought that Readis would be here already,' T'gellan said, looking at Jayge for some explanation.

"I expect him to be here,' was Jayge's terse reply. He realized then how desperately he counted on Readis' appearance. Three days was more than long enough to prove his point. It was certainly long enough to throw Aramina into a complete panic of anxieties that Readis had injured himself, had been thrown from Delky, had suffered any number of misfortunes. Worry conflicted with a rising and righteous anger that Readis, who had always been treated with respect, would repay their kindness in this fashion!

The dolphins had escorted the two calves into the shore by then and T'lion, who had stripped down to his clout when Alemi spied them approaching, now waded out to meet them, Gadareth following him.

Muttering under his breath, Persellan also discarded his clothing while T'gellan only removed his boots and rolled up his pants. As Jayge, Temma and Alemi were already down to the minimum of apparel, they kicked off sandals and strode in.

"We come three suns,' Afo said, clicking and blowing water.

She bumped into Persellan. "You healer. I hear all about you.

Good man. T'ank you.

"You're welcome, I'm sure,' Persellan said. "Now which ah, for Angie had swum into the talons which Gadareth had splayed just under the surface.

Jayge was briefly surprised at Gadareth's initiative then realized that T'lion had probably mentally asked for his cooperation. Dragons could surprise their riders now and then but there was no expression at all on T'lion's face as he stood to one side so he wouldn't impede Persellan's examination.

Angie had tilted her sleek little body to expose the stitching.

Persellan's hands gently moved across the flesh on either side of the sutured wound.

Now that Jayge saw the wound, he had to admit that Readis had acted properly. No-one at the Hold had been so severely wounded: a few broken bones, quite a few gashes from flying debris, muscles strains which numbweed immediately eased. Of course, Temma had also had to decide which herd beasts would have to be destroyed but that had been done with a minimum of fuss and no prolonged suffering. Jayge gave an involuntary shudder over the terrific wound the calf had endured.

"A little tight here,' Persellan said with asperity, prodding the point. "I think I will release it. There is good healing and this might soon tear the skin." He reached into his sack and pulled out scissors, making the cut and pulling the suture carefully through the skin. He wasn't the only one to hold his breath as the flesh relaxed but did not split. "Hmmm. There is much to be said about salt water healing." Then he turned to Afo who was watching him carefully with one bright black eye. "Does she hurt when 1 touch here?"

"Ask her,' Afo said with a soft squee. "Her name is Angie."

"Angie, can you tell me if my fingers hurt you?" Persellan raised his voice and Angie, as if in response, let water out of her blow hold for she held her head out of the water and craned so she could keep one eye on Persellan.

"Just like a kid not so sure he believes his healer,' Temma murmured to Jayge and Alemi, standing beside her.

Persellan poked, gently enough, testing the length of the wound. "How do I ask this? Angie, are you regular?"

Temma cleared her throat, suppressing a chuckle. Angie squeed in a tone that was so clearly "repeat that, I don't understand', that Temma did give an amused snort.

"Are you eating all right?" Persellan asked.

"I hungry. I eat.

Persellan turned now, in his perplexity even willing to address T'lion. "How do I get across to her that she also has to evacuate what she eats?"

"Her guts work,' Afo said in a tone that bordered on disgust with his periphrasis. "Come back sooner if not."

"Well, that's good to know, Persellan murmured. "I think I'll remove a few more sutures to ease her flesh. But she is healing well." That begrudged compliment seemed to release the tension in the taut young bronze rider. "There now, Angie, you come back in three more days and the other stitches can be removed." He turned to Temma who nodded that she would attend to that.

Angie wriggled free of Gadareth's claws and obediently the smaller Cori replaced her.

"I think all of these can come out,' Persellan said, his voice not half so accusatory now. "It's a jagged enough seam but I perceive that it was also a jagged wound. Who's this?"

"Cori,' T'lion said, almost white with relief.

"Cori. Well, you're a lucky . . . young dolphin,' Persellan said, just catching himself before saying "young girl'.

He had relaxed enough now that he even smiled as he neatly severed and pulled through each suture. He stroked Cori's side before giving her a farewell scratch under her chin. She squeed and clicked as she swam free but turned back to him and, looking up in his face, said quite clearly:

"PersIan good man. T'ank you, t'ank you, t'ank you."

Just then, her dam, Mel, pushed herself against T'lion. "TIon, hand,' she said.

"Hand?" T'lion held both up, looking puzzled.

"Hold your hand open under water,' Alemi said, having a notion what was to happen.

"My hand?" But the dragonrider had done so and in an instant, Mel dropped something from her mouth into his hand.

He held up a smooth oval vari-colored shell that glistened in the light. "Oh! It's lovely,' and he forgot his disgraced state long enough to hold the gift up for the others to see.

"That's one of those bivalve shells,' Temma said, impressed.

"You don't see many unbroken ones."

"Thank you, Mel, I will treasure it,' T'lion said and Mel's bright eye watched him as he carefully tucked it under his clout waistband.

Then Angie presented herself before Persellan and surprised everyone by lifting herself out of the water high enough to touch her nose to Persellan's lips. "I kiss t'ank you. I clever "member old t'ank you." At which point she dove down and away as if embarrassed by her actions.

"My word, my word,' Persellan said through the fingers of his hand that he had raised in surprise to his lips.

"You're more popular with the dolphins than the weyr children, Persellan,' T'gellan said with a laugh."Maybe you ought to let T'lion copy those animal treatment files as well as the ones that got soaked."

"Well, I'm not sure about that, Weyrleader,' Persellan replied but from the expressions fleeting across his face, it could be assumed that he might be reconsidering. He glanced in T'lion's direction though he didn't quite look at him. "I was far more upset that the boy had borrowed without permission what he knew was invaluable . . . " T'lion looked down at the ripples breaking against his legs, making futile hand motions as Persellan continued: "But, in all honesty, now that I see how well he used the information in the book - despite its damage - I cannot hold the grudge."

Relief and disbelief shining in his eyes, T'lion looked up.

"I am sorry, Persellan, but I didn't know what else to do and there was no-one to ask . " The bronze dragon rider held his hands out to the healer in entreaty.

"Ask the next time,' Persellan said, once more stern. "But I think next time we should both be more knowledgeable about the necessary procedures. You did say there was considerable documentation on the treatment of dolphin ailments and injuries?"

"Yes, there is. And D'ram said that I could copy anything you felt you needed

"Readis was to do the copying, Jayge said.

T'lion, still flushed with absolution, looked anxiously at the Holder. "I thought he'd be here. It's not like him to be absent.

Or

"I was hoping that he would be here, too,' Jayge said quietly.

In the sudden silence, T'gellan cleared his throat and started wading out of the water. Alemi, Persellan and Temma followed him.

"But he went back to the Hold with you,' T'lion said, anxiety clouding his eyes. He looked up and down the strand as if he momentarily expected Readis to burst through the thick vegetation.

"He left the Hold the day after and has not been seen since."

"Oh!" T'lion looked anywhere but at Jayge's face.

"You haven't seen him?" Jayge asked though he knew now that the answer would be negative.

T'lion shook his head. "I've spent every free moment up at Landing. Persellan insisted that since I borrowed the book, I should copy it, not Readis. I thought you'd just made him stay here,' and T'lion gestured toward the Hold, "to help clean up.

Jayge shook his head.

"Oh, that's not like Readis, sir,' T'lion said earnestly. He opened his mouth to ask another question and closed it without speaking. "If you asked T'gellan, maybe he'd let me and Gaddie sweep ride?"

Jayge made eye contact and saw the concern in T'lion's eyes.

He gave a nod. "I will ask. I would appreciate the help. The last I saw of him he was crossing the bridge and heading west on Delky."

"Oh, if he's on Delky, I'm sure Gadareth and I can find him."

Then they waded out of the water to where the others were drying off and dressing. Jayge asked T'gellan if T'lion could be spared to do an errand.

T'gellan gave Jayge a long look before he flicked his fingers to grant permission. "T'lion has an appointment at Landing for his evening's stint of copying but he may do your errand until then." T'lion was so certain that he and Gadareth would find the truant in a short sweep down the coastline that he went off in very good spirits indeed. Readis would be so glad to know that all had ended well: that Persellan had grudgingly approved the suturing and would now learn more about dolphin medicine.

The next step would be to get Persellan to let him assist and maybe even work as an apprentice - at least in the dolphin healing. There wasn't a Hall for sea creature medicine and Master Farmer Andemon had made it very plain that he didn't consider them part of his Craft's mandate. But if dolphins could get hurt, they had the right to be healed. He and Readis might be the only two on Pern to consider that imperative but two were better than none.

How far could he have got, Gaddie? Even on Delky's back?

T'lion asked his dragon as they skimmed the tree tops. Where tree tops still existed, that is. This part of the coast had taken a ferocious beating. T'lion thought that should make it easier to find Readis.

When an hour's flight along the coastline failed to turn up any sign of his friend, T'lion had Gadareth turn slightly inland and fly a second search pattern. They coursed back and forth, occasionally landing in a likely clearing to see if there'd been a fire or anything that suggested human presence. They startled a very large furry creature at one point and only the size of the bronze dragon deterred the beast from charging at T'lion.

Instead, it went crashing away from them as fast as it could run.

Darkness came and a weary and discouraged T'lion stopped briefly at Paradise River Hold to inform Jayge that he had had no success in his search.

"I'll ask T'gellan to let me try again tomorrow. He can't have gone too far from here in just three days, sir. He might not have realized it was me and Gaddie, and hidden. I'll try again and we'll call for him. And . - T'lion had the good sense to break off there when Aramina appeared on the porch, hoping for good news. "I couldn't go as far as I should have, perhaps,' T'lion added in a self-deprecating tone of voice. Readis' mother had been crying and she looked awful, T'lion thought. "I'll try again tomorrow. I know I'll find him. Don't you worry now. Got to get back to my Weyr before T'gellan flays me." T'lion backed off the porch with that sentence and raced for Gadareth before he could be questioned. He certainly had no answers.

Beljeth, Adrea's queen, forwarded the alert to Ramoth whose immediate reaction - a stentorian bugle - reverberated around the Bowl of Benden Weyr, startling everyone and bringing the riders out of the Lower Caverns where they had been eating.

Lessa, K'van says now is the time, said the queen.

"Toric would, wouldn't he?" Lessa said for they had been just about to sit down to a fine late lunch. "Sailing on the dawn tide, is he? I'll enjoy giving Toric his just desserts."

F'lar wistfully eyed the meat pie that was steaming on the table, and the assortment of early vegetables that would accompany it, the hot fresh bread and the sweet berries that would have made an excellent meal. With long strides, he collected their riding gear and deposited Lessa's in her arms.

"I knew we should have eaten when the others did,' he muttered, breaking off some of the bread and stuffing a hunk in his mouth. Then he grabbed a handful of the berries and crammed them in his mouth, the juices dribbling down his chin as he went to get Mnementh's harness down from its peg.

Lessa followed his example, and stuck the rest of the bread into a half-closed jacket before she took down Ramoth's harness.

The queen was swinging from side to side, her head low, waiting for her rider to slip the harness on.

Does every rider know where he or she is to go? Lessa asked Ramoth as the golden queen shivered the harness down her neck into place. Lessa buckled the straps, then pulled on her gloves.

Yes, and Ramoth dragged out the sibilant vocally as well as telepathically. Her eyes were bright, shot with orange eagerness.

This will be fun. Not like fighnng Thread.

"Just don't get to like it too much, my fine queen, Lessa said.

She closed her jacket, wrapped the single braid in which she wore her hair around her head and jammed on her riding cap, fastening the chin strap. Then she jumped to Ramoth's forearm, deftly snagged the one dangling strap and pulled herself into place between the last two neck ridges. "I devoutly trust we won't have to do this exercise more than once!" Then she grinned. "Well, this is the second time. Let's go, dear heart."

Ramoth walked the last few lengths to the ledge of her Weyr.

Mnementh was above her to the right, F'lar already mounted.

The half dozen bronze dragons and the other Benden queens who were to take part in this "lesson' were making their way to the rim of the Bowl. Mnementh asked Lessa if everyone involved had been alerted and Ramoth said that Beljeth had conveyed the message to every other Weyr. Lessa grinned.

F'lar says we should move out now, Mnementh informed the Weyrwoman Ramoth gave one more bugle and sprang into the air, spiralling upward, above the rim of Bowl, outlined against the further hills by the late afternoon sun.

Mnementh flew proudly beside his queen, looking over at her.

Admiring your queen, Mnementh? Lessa asked.

We fly well together was the response and she grinned as she heard the smugness in the bronze dragon's tone. No other had even come close to catching Ramoth in her mating flights and every bronze, and two very audacious browns, had tried.

As soon as F'lar judged them far enough above the Weyr, Mnementh gave Ramoth the order to go between.

This day's maneuver took a little longer than F'lar's capture of Hold ladies the day that the Hold Lords had attempted to storm Benden Weyr. This time, it was the Lord Holders who were being peremptorily required to accompany the Leaders of every Weyr while bronze riders awaited their arrival at each of the fraudulently sited settlements. The golden queens would see that the ships which had set sail so blithely from Toric's harbor tacked right back the way they had come.

F'lar and Lessa checked at all eight illegal sites to be sure that each had been inspected by a Lord Holder and Weyrleader, and that the men and women found there were loaded on dragons for transportation back to Southern Hold. The queens who were on ship duty told Ramoth that they'd never had so much fun.

The ships had not gone so far from their home port that they would delay the confrontations the Weyr1eaders had planned for Toric.

The Lord Holder of Southern heard the shouts, the cries of alarm where he sat in his hall, eating a belated morning meal. He had seen the ships leave port and been well satisfied with the sight of their sails billowing with the brisk eastward wind. Without knowing why Toric had asked to know when the weather would be fine for a long sail, Master Idarolan had sent a fire-lizard message that the winds would be propitious today and the weather fair for several days. Toric had even noticed the dolphins who escorted the ships out of the harbor, leaping and plunging in their witless fashion. Then he had come back inside and spent a pleasurable hour figuring out the profit on this enterprise and that it would, as he had hoped, off-set the expenses of establishing new holds on the Seminole peninsula.

He disliked resorting to the Ancients' names - they'd had their chance and lost it to Thread - but since Aivas had identified places by what it had in its memory, the "old' names for the Southern Continent had been seized upon with great enthusiasm as "a link with their heritage'. Toric was not of that mind. He had the future to plan for and that was what he'd been doing while everyone else on the planet seemed to be wallowing in ancestral accomplishments and striving to reconstruct all sorts of devices. He was probably one of the few who did not regret the silence of Aivas nor the demise of the old Harper. Who had been a meddler of the first order.

As Toric had weeded out the "right' sort of settler from the ones who had come, purse in hand, he was reasonably sure he wouldn't have a repetition of the Denol treachery. Those whom he had chosen to stay on Southern would listen and obey him.

And he had sufficient knowledge of the ones he had shipped off to know they would have to obey him when the time came. That was all he required of them! Obedience to his orders. Or else.

He smiled to himself. Once this Pass was over His smile died as he became aware that the noise outside his hold had changed in pitch, rising more often to an angry babble and punctuated with shouts or cries. Not at all the sort of sounds that should go with the event which had been inaugurated this morning. While he was well aware that the residents of the Hold had been complaining for months about the overcrowding by the settlers he'd planted in their quarters, the extra bodies were now gone. His holders should be happy to have regained the privacy they so prized now that the ships and their passengers had sailed off.

He was on his feet, annoyed that his contemplation as well as his meal were being interrupted by some stupidity when the Benden Weyrleaders appeared in his doorway.

"What are you two doing here?" he demanded, not at all pleased and hoping that the ships had been well out of sight by the time they had approached his hold.

"I suggest you come outside and see, Lord Toric of Southern,' F'lar said but his smile was far from amiable and the Weyrwoman's smile was wider and full of malice.

"Now, see here, Benden-'

"No, you see Lessa interrupted him and pointed outside, there!" She stepped aside so that he had a view of Groghe of Fort, Larad of Telgar and Asgenar of Lemos waiting in the hall.

"We require your presence outside, Toric,' Larad said, his face expressionless.

"The sooner the better,' Groghe added. "Being hauled down here when I've more than enough to attend to at Fort, with two generators down Toric was nearly apoplectic with fury and barged past his peers, down the hall and out of his hold. He came to a sudden halt at the top of the stairs leading down to the huge yard which was crowded with his holders and their erstwhile guests. Startled, he looked beyond their heads to the harbor and growled to see that the ships he had seen off were back, sails furled and anchors cast overboard. The fact that each had a gold dragon hovering above it suggested the cause of the return.

Glancing now down at the crowded court, Toric became aware that the first few rows of faces turned on him were the men and women he had planted at his cross-river sites, who should be there, awaiting the arrival of the settlers; not here, with scared or indignant or nervous expressions on their faces.

And certainly not in close proximity to dragon riders and other Lords Holder. He was both surprised and outraged by the fact that all the Lords Holder seemed to be present.

"Just what is going on here?" he demanded in a loud and carrying tone though he was in a fair way toward figuring it out himself.

"I think that should be obvious enough, Toric,' F'lar said, taking a position a discreet distance from the enraged Lord Holder. "I wished the Lords Holder to see for themselves that you had illegally initiated settlements outside your own holding."

"What's wrong with that?" Toric demanded, deciding to plow through any objections that could be raised. "The land's lying empty. I've spent months training these men and women,' and he gestured broadly, "to deal with any of the hazards found in southern lands . "The Southern Continent is not yours to parcel out, Toric,' Groghe said.

"It's not theirs either,' toric roared, jerking his hand over his shoulder in Benden Weyrleaders' direction. "It belongs to anyone strong enough to hold-'

"But not someone who already has far more than a just share,' Groghe said, his eyes blazing as he took a menacing step toward the much larger toric. Larad and Asgenar closed in behind him to indicate to Toric that Groghe spoke for them.

Toric sneered down at Groghe. "You could never stomach that, could you, Groghe? That your little Fort Hold would be lost in a corner of mine?"

"That is not the issue, man, Larad said. "It was agreed among us

"I never agreed,' Toric said with a disparaging snort, determined to embroil them all in an argument and thus turn attention from him.

"You didn't choose to attend the meeting but its result is binding on all

"Not on me "Shut your mouth, Toric,' F'lar said and gestured toward the dragons lining the cliff.

"Since when do dragonriders interfere with Hold business?" Toric said in a snarl, turning on the dragonrider.

"When the business is not in a Hold, toric,' and N'ton of Fort Weyr answered, stepping forward from where he stood in front of the crowd.

"Dragonriders have not interfered with Hold affairs,' cried R'mart of Telgar Weyr. T'gellan of Eastern, G'dened of Ista and his father, D'ram, formerly that Weyrleader, G'narish of Igen, T'bor of High Reaches, K'van of Southern and F'lessan of Honshu Weyrhold were ranged beside him. "We have prevented an unfair appropriation of lands not available at this time for colonization by a Lord Holder who hasn't settled a fifth of his own lands."

"You're saving all the best places for yourselves,' toric cried, jeering.

"By no means,' N'ton said and then grinned, turning slightly back to the crowd so the smile could be seen, "but we do want our choice once Threadfall is over."

"But it's not over,' cried someone deep in the crowd, a cry of frustration, indignation and anger.

"Twenty-two more Turns,' F'lar said, "and you will never again have to tithe to the Weyrs. And we " he paused for his tone had become resolute and hard, "we will finally hold lands we can work and Halls of our own!" His words rang with the promise he repeated to them, and to himself. "Of all those who live on Pern, the dragonriders are the only ones who are able to survey the extent of the territory available. At the insistence of the Lords Holder, we undertook that task between Falls, and the Lords Holder can vouch,' and F'lar nodded to the Lords Holder, standing to one side of the court, "that a significant number of settlements have been started by groups who have the skills and the training to cope with the feral animals, the fevers, and the dangers you all know. You're also very much aware of what happens to people who think it's only a question of picking the next meal off a tree." There was a ripple of bitter agreement for that. "Holdings are being constantly released for settlements for those prepared to prove them. Just as the Ancients did."

"And what gives you dragonriders the right to decide what privileged few go and where?" toric said, again jeering at F'lar.

"The Ancients' Charter gave every settler on Pern the right to choose land, to make his own stakehold. I was only ensuring that others were allowed their rights."

"And you were not extending your Holding, Lord Toric?" Asgenar asked with deceptive mildness.

"Now why should I do that?" -And you were not exacting payment for providing the sites?"

"Payment?" Toric managed a very good expression of total astonishment and dismay.

"Payment!" F'lar said and gestured to several of the men in the front.

"There were certainly nominal costs involved in building adequate facilities Toric began until he saw that one of the men coming forward was one of the troublemakers he had wanted out of Southern as fast and as far away as possible.

Hosbon was the fourth son of a High Reaches Hold, strongly built and strongly minded that he was going to show his father and others that he ought to have had control of the family Hold.

If Toric had been perceptive, he would have seen that what he disliked in that young man were the qualities he prided himself on.

"We could have built our own Holds, Hosbon said. "We've paid and paid ever since we were accepted,' and he loaded that word with indignation and repressed anger, "by you as settlers.

Paid for everything we've eaten and every tool we've had in our hands. We'd've been better off if we had been illegal!" And he east an angry look at T'bor, the High Reaches Weyrleader A cheer went up from the crowd and the menacing atmosphere and the Benden Weyrleaders as if they were responsible for the indignities he had suffered.

"You couldn't have built adequate shelters,' toric roared back at him. "You have to have stone to protect you from Thread

"But you said,' and Hosbon waved a fist at Toric, "that Thread doesn't scour the land down here. We've seen it ourselves

"And once you cut the leaves and reeds from living bushes, Thread'd go through them as fast as it would your flesh,' T'bor said. "I lived down here so I know.

"Oh!" Hosbon subsided briefly.

"The lack of easily accessible quarries is one reason,' F'lar said, "why you just can't go where you choose down here - and survive. Lord Toric did you one favor by building in stone.

"My thanks,' Toric replied sarcastically.

"Well, we've paid top prices for those stones,' Hosbon continued. "Like we've paid for everything else and then more for supplies to take us through the bad season. Shards! We've been here for months. We could have built our own places in that time, and set aside food for the bad season which is when our good Lord Toric finally lets us go so he can extract the last mark out of us." He snorted at such avarice.

"Southern's better than High Reaches at any time of the year,' T'bor said, "but your point is made."

Grinning, Hosbon turned in T'bor's direction. "I'm not so sure of that if the storm we had a sevenday ago is a taste of what we'll have to live through. Only, now, do we?" and he took an aggressive stance, glaring at F'lar.

"We have a point to make, Hosbon, and you're part of it," F'lar said but his conciliatory tone and sympathetic expression relaxed the man's pose. "We know where you are and if you prove your Holdings, they will be officially granted you

"Free and clear?" Hosbon asked, switching his gaze from F'lar to challenge toric.

"Free and clear,' F'lar said, nodding.

cleared.

"Then why'd you drag us all back here'?" someone shouted.

"Why did a queen turn my ship back?" one of the captains demanded, pushing his way through. "Is this going to be what happens when the Pass is over? Dragons menacing honest folk?"

"We came to set matters right,' F'lar said.

"We have harmed no-one,' R'mart added, looking at the huddle of workers who had been transported from the distant sites. "Though I imagine we surprised a few."

"The queens are large enough to turn a ship, but you hadn't gone very far from this port to make a return difficult,' Lessa said. "And we,' she included the Lords Holder and the Weyrleaders, "have the responsibility of seeing that such a blatant abuse is corrected."

"Dragonriders aren't supposed to interfere with Hold matters,' Hosbon said.

"Ah, but that's the crux of the matter,' F'lar said, grinning broadly as he pointed at Hosbon. "And let me repeat so that everyone understands the difference. The land you were being settled on is not anyone's established Hold Not yet. And certainly not Lord Toric's to dispose."

"That's enough out of you, Weyrleader,' and Toric, his patience gone, charged at F'lar.

Immediately Mnementh, sitting above the courtyard on the hold cliff, spread his wings and bugled. Ramoth also spread her wings but barked something at the other bronzes and golds who had also reacted. The crowd gasped and constricted into a tight knot, as far from the dragons as possible. F'lar had neatly ducked away from Toric's swing and danced out of range though his hands came up in defensive positions. Larad, Asgenar, and Jaxom, being more than agile than the older Lords, closed in on Toric, grabbing his arms and preventing a second charge.

"What we have to say to you now, should be discussed in privacy, Toric,' Jaxom said, giving his wife's brother a warning squeeze of the hand he had on Toric's upper arm.

"I have nothing to say to you,' Toric said, snarling and struggling to free himself. "Any of you!'

"That makes no difference,' Larad said, speaking in a low and cheerful voice. "We intend to talk to you or at you but you would be wise to pay attention." Then he turned his head to catch R'mart's attention. "Let the settlers go now, R'mart.

They'll still reach their destinations in good time."

Then they marched toric back into his hold. Ramala stepped inside, her face expressionless as Larad and Asgenar followed Jaxom's lead into the hold's main hall. Weyrleaders and the other Lords followed. As they crossed the threshold, Toric tore himself loose and spun around to confront his adversaries.

Groghe, puffing a bit from his exertions, together with Deckter, Lord of Nabol, Toronas of Benden and the dour Oterel of Tillek ranged themselves to the fore, while the dragonriders, male and female, made a loose circle behind the Lords Holder.

"You cannot use your absence from a decisive meeting to ignore its decision, Toric,' Groghe said. "You had a chance then

"Ha!" was Toric's sarcastic reply.

"Well, you did. In open Council,' Oterel said. "Nothing had been decided

"Don't give me that,' and toric dismissed it.

"Well, I hadn't made up my mind,' Laudey of Igen said.

"Nor had Bargen here and Begamon, no matter what you think.

But it was also plain that none of us,' and he gestured to the other Lords, "could be considered impartial in the matter of distributing lands. And none of us, certainly, had any way of surveying the property."

"The Ancients left all those maps

"Old ones and they hadn't the information we needed."

"So you let the dragonriders do it

"Reporting to the Council in detail That also rankled

"Like the reports you had from Piemur,' Corman of Keroon said in a droll tone.

"Which he gave to the Master Harper in Toric's mind.

"Reports of lands past your Holding, certainly,' Groghe said.

"We arranged procedures, organized lists of prospective settlers, each with at least Craft Journeymen to supply skills. You had the same chance as any of us to establish any safeguard against abuse or fore knowledge of special sites."

"The records have been copied and sets are available,' Larad said, "to prove that there have been no especial favors accorded dragonriders. They have tended to ask for locations that would not appeal to the rest of us."

"Faugh! You'd say that no matter what."

"Nor have we,' Groghe went on, "had special considerations for unlanded sons. And daughters. Of course, that wouldn't worry you since you have unused land to provide for your offspring."

Toric merely glowered.

"That's as maybe,' Toronas of Benden said. "The important consideration is that no-one, and I repeat that, no-one of us or of the dragonriders can apportion land without the consent of the rest of us. You included. Surely you can accept that as a guideline."

"I think you will have to accept that as a guideline, Toric,' R'mart said, "because we, and he gestured to the other Weyrleaders, "intend to see that no-one oversteps those requisites as you did today."

"Is that what you'll become when you're no longer needed to char Thread? The guardians of order on Pern?" Toric glared at F'lar.

"That's what some of us will certainly be doing, F'lar said, equably, "when, as and if,' he paused significantly, "such overseeing is needed."

"And who decides the when, as and if might I ask?"

"You may, and

"There will be guidelines for that, too, Larad interrupted F'lar to say.

"Which we,' Groghe said, "in the Council will decide and refer to the special Gathers that will let everyone, Hold, Hall and dragonrider, have a vote in the matter. Or will you absent yourself from that meeting as well?"

"The Pass is not over. Are you not interfering before time?" Toric acidly asked F'lar.

"We have not, I repeat, Lord Toric, interfered with Hold matters,' F'lar said with a slight bow. "We have explained the difference.

"A united show of the difference, I might add, said Groghe while the other Lords Holder murmured agreement. "You have more than a generous share of the southern lands, Toric. Stick to them and there shall be no further need for disagreements or misunderstandings.

"Don't be so easy on him,' Oterel of Tillek said in a harsh voice. "He knew exactly what he was doing. And he now knows exactly what can be done to curtail these incursions of his

"One Fax in a lifetime is quite enough,' Groghe said bluntly.

"You're absolutely correct,' said Sangel of Boll with a shudder of dismay. "You won't find us permitting that sort of thing to happen again! Not in my lifetime."

Toric gave the elderly and not too effective Lord of Boll a measuring look which suggested that he would have found Boll an easy target.

"And you've three, four times as much land as Fax overran, Sangel continued. "Take my advice and be grateful."

Toric snorted contemptuously. "If you have finished handing out today's do's and don'ts?"

"Since you have been gracious enough,' Larad said with studied courtesy, "to hear what we had to say, we can leave.

"But you have been warned,' Laudey of Igen said sternly.

"You will voice any complaints in the next Council of Lords and you will abide by the decisions."

"Or?"

"I don't think you want to know, R'mart of Telgar said, with a malicious smile on his face. "I really don't think you want to know. And he turned on his heel and strode out, followed by his Weyrwoman and the other queen and bronze riders.

"K'VAN,' Toric bellowed and when the young Weyrleader turned in the doorway to face him, Toric raised his fist, "if I see a single one of your riders anywhere near this Hold .

"Ah, but you see, you won't, Lord Toric,' K'van said with a soft smile. "But then you have been too busy to notice that the Weyr is empty and we have settled in a much more congenial location, heretofore unoccupied."

"With the full consent of the Council of Lords Holder, Larad added. "Good day, Lord Toric of Southern Hold."

Chapter Thirteen

nce Readis found the seaside caves that he had once ***** seen from the decks of the Fair Winds, he chose the one most suitable to his purposes, making it as comfortable as he could. Some of the water and wind worn openings would be half flooded with higher tides but these would also be extremely handy for a dolphin hall. This series of caves and hollows were at the base of the rocky slope that led up to the deep gorge and the river shown on the Ancients' charts as the Rubicon. Most of the caves were shallow or accessible only by a treacherous climb over tumbled boulders. There was really only one which could be made into a human living accommodation, with a sea-eroded maw through which he could lead Delky to the space on a wide ledge where he could stable her adequately. Past that point, the ledge led to two interior, water-hollowed chambers, one of them large enough to make a respectably sized hold, and both now high above the full tide marks.

They'd had to spend their first Threadfall, on their way to these caves, crammed under a barely adequate overhang, with Delky shivering with fear as Thread hissed just a finger's thickness from her hide.

There was plenty of time, too, for Readis to regret the precipitousness of his departure and bemoan the items that he should have packed that would have been very useful and made his new life considerably easier. But then his exodus had not been planned. He steeled himself against other regrets, like foregoing the studies he had begun to enjoy for the challenge and mental stimulation they had provided. And the tantalizing prospect of things that could be when the Pass was over. He regretted not having access to the wealth of information on the Aivas files - nor the chance to copy Persellan's damaged pages, as much for his own information as to make amends to the healer. He worried how T'lion got on with the healer and how he'd been disciplined by his Weyrleader. He worried most about Cori and Angie: had T'lion's stitches held? Were they healing? Who was tending them? How was he going to get in touch with the pod in these waters? And would the dolphins feel the need to tell other humans where he was? He was doing this for them, finding sea caves accessible by water: the quieter pools that were flushed out with the tides would be perfect for tending the injured, and the great ledge outside couldn't be better for talking to a whole pod with no crowding. There was deep water beneath the ledge - or as deep as he could dive.

The Great Current was far out, too far to be visible and that's where the dolphins would swim, riding the westward flow.

They wouldn't know a human was in this area. And Readis had no bell and no way of obtaining one. If only T'lion were here, Gadareth could attract them with his bugle. No doubt the bronze rider had been restricted to official duties and the Weyr. Readis hoped that T'lion wouldn't be denied access to the dolphins. Surely T'gellan would have understood how important it was . . . His parents hadn't, Readis interrupted himself, why would he think a Weyrleader would care? Except that the dolphins had warned Path's rider about a pregnancy and Mirrim had had a fine son. Was that enough?

Probably not. His parents didn't care to remember that dolphins had rescued him and Alemi from the squall. That had been a long time ago now.

Readis had little time for much reflection: he had to find food which in this season meant long and sometimes futile searchings: the main growing season being now over. What he could find he had to save so he hunted until he discovered a supply of clay along a creek. He made utensils which he fire-hardened. It took him several tries to get a mug and a bowl that didn't leak. He knew more theory than he had had a chance to put into practice.

He could and did make himself a frond mattress which gave him comfort at night and he wove fine grasses into a covering. The tougher ones supplied him with stout rope to secure Delky when he didn't want her straying from the cave. He'd twisted threads from her tail for a fishing line and braided more for a longer line, splicing it to a good length thanks to those lessons he'd learned from Unclemi. He kept his belt knife honed sharp and hoped the steel blade would last until he could replace it as the daily honings were visibly narrowing the good blade. He sought the biggest tree nuts, chiseled a hole in the tops so that once he had drunk off the juices, he could store fresh drinking water in them. While the nut juice was considered by many to be very tasty and he knew that Swacky fermented it for his sevenday night's drinking, he didn't like the almost sickly sweetness of it. Besides fresh fish and shoreline shellfish, he'd find the occasional fowl nest so he had sufficient protein in his diet. No fire-lizard clutches yet, though he'd searched every sandy cove on his way here. It was really the wrong season for fire-lizards to clutch. He'd never particularly wanted one but one would be very helpful right now. Delky wasn't that companionable. And, until he made contact with dolphins, he had to talk to himself if he wanted to hear another voice.

He was generally too busy to be lonely and too tired not to sleep at night when doubts tend to assail one. If he wanted to communicate with dolphins, he'd have to swim out far enough and he wasn't so foolish as to venture out that far without the safeguard a vest would provide. Once he had finally located a stand of the fibrous plant from which life vests were made, he spent several days designing and making one.

From small fish bones he fashioned needles and with clumsy but firm stitches, constructed a passable garment. He gave it a long test the morning he finished it, floating about until the local fishes were comfortable enough with his presence to come nibble his toes. That was brave of them since he'd already caught so many. But he was as buoyant in the water at the end of the morning as at the beginning so he felt confident enough in its efficiency. He made sure that Delky had enough fodder and fresh water in her clay pot (though he hadn't been able to make it completely watertight and moisture oozed out slowly), before he donned the vest again.

Today the sea was calm, only wind ripples marring its surface.

He might not get another such day in this stormy season. So he tested the ties on his vest one last time and then waded out until he reached the deeper water. Straight out from the shore he swam with good firm strokes. If his luck was in, he'd get a ride back.

By the time the shoreline was well behind him, he began to have second thoughts. His arms were beginning to tire and his breath was getting ragged. So he stopped swimming and assumed a floating position, letting his head go back until the top of his vest cushioned his neck. He closed his eyes against the glare of the sun though he could not escape the whiteness of its rays behind his eyelids. His breathing slowly dropped to normal. He had never been afraid of the water and wasn't now. The light waves occasionally splashed over his face but he only snorted the water out of his nostrils without changing his position. This was very restful, rocking only lightly from time to time. He could almost fall asleep, mesmerized by the watery rhythms. Arms extended, he stopped even a cursory movement of his hands. He'd give himself a good rest before he started off again.

He felt motion in the water beneath him. As he flipped himself perpendicular, his legs encountered something slithery and he caught sight of the large body aiming at the surface. Then he became aware of the dolphin fins nearby. Abruptly a smiling dolphin face emerged in front of him.

"Save man? No storm. No good far from land?"

"I was looking for you.

"Looking for Cal?" The dolphin squeed loudly in surprise and swam past Readis with one bright black eye never leaving his face. "Who you?"

"I'm Readis, Cal."

Abruptly the dolphin came back, stopping in front of him.

"Pods looking for Readisssss.

"Are they?"

"All pods looking for Readis,' Cal repeated and then flipped into a dive.

Startled, because Readis didn't want to be found, he ducked under the water and hauled hard on Cal's near flipper to bring him up and prevent him sounding a message through the water.

"Don't tell the other pods you've found me,' he said urgently, his face inches from Cal's bottlenose.

"Don't tell?" The dolphin turned his head so his bright eye was fixed on Readis and his whole expression conveyed an air of total surprise. "You lost. You found."

"I'm not lost. I don't want to be found. By humans.

"You are human. Humans stay together. Live in pods on the land. Only visit dolphins in sea. Not live in sea. Dolphins live in sea.

Cal's response was long for a dolphin and, if the squeaky, pinched tones dolphins used for human speech also conveyed emotions, this time Cal spoke in shocked amazement.

"I want to live with dolphins, heal dolphins when they're hurt, be a dolphineer!'

Cal's loud squee broke off when he spouted an unusually high fountain of water from his blow-hole.

"You be dolphineer?" The pinched tone rose to a shrill note.

"You be Cal's dolphineer?"

"Well, we've just met. You don't know much about me .

"Dolphineer! Dolphineer!" Cal's response was ecstatic! "Will more mans be dolphineers again? Swim with pods, hunt with pods, go see where coast has changed? New reefs, new channels, new stuff? Visit subsidence and meet The Tillek?"

Cal's brief, earlier submergence must have been sufficient to send for the rest of the pod. Dolphins were homing in on him from all directions, leaping in and out of the water, squeeing and clicking so enthusiastically that Readis came very close to being drowned by their attentions. But he caught a dorsal fin as he was tumbled underwater and hung on until he and - it was Cal he'd got hold of - the dolphin surfaced again. Readis had got a nose full of sea water and had to cling to Cal while he snorted his nasal passages clear and got breathing properly again. Somehow Readis would have to get an aqua lung that he and T'lion had discussed. Without it, he was likely to be a liability to any pod, not the helping partner he hoped to be.

"Cal, listen to me,' he said, catching hold of both flippers and pulling at first one, then the other to get Cal's attention. "I want to stay here. Don't tell humans.

"Why?" Cal was plainly puzzled and others poked their heads up to listen to the conversation.

"I want to be alone with the pod. Learn to be a dolphineer."

"No long feets,' another dolphin said. "Dolphineers had long feets."

"Your name please?" Readis asked, catching one of the speaker's flippers.

"I Delfi.

Then others started squeeing out their names: Tursi, Loki, Sandi, Rena, Leta, Josi. They poked their faces at him, or walked toward him with flippers extended. He was splashed with the waters of their enthusiasm.

"Hey, hey!" He held up his arms and waved his hands to get them to calm down. "Take it easy. You'll drown me."

"No drown in middle of dolphins!" Delfi cried and squeed as she dropped back into the water.

"Yes, you will. I've no blow-hole!'

There was a good deal of clicking and squeeing over that. The dolphins evidently thought it was very funny. Readis began to feel as if his great idea of being a dolphineer might not be such a childish one. At least the dolphins approved. What did he care if every other human on the planet didn't!

"I have found caves that lead to the sea and the pools which would be perfect places for dolphins to come to talk to me, where dolphins who were sick could come to be healed. I can take off bloodfish, too. And stitch wounds. D'you want to see?"

"See, see, squeed the dolphins.

"Give me a ride in?" Readis asked, lifting his right hand in the position to grasp a fin.

"Me!" cried Cal and squirmed her way through to take up his hand.

There was a bit of splashing and bodies tried to push him away from Cal.

"Hey, wait a bit! You can take turns, swimming me in,' Readis shouted and got a mouthful of water. He couldn't clear his air passage and, but for the vest, would have been helpless to remain above the surface.

Almost instantly the scramble ended. Two dolphin bodies supported him until he got his lungs clear, though the sea water he had swallowed made him nauseous.

"All right, now, pod, let's take it easy on this poor human.

You take turns so I don't tire you out. Huh?"

"Tire? What tire?"

"Ummmm, get weary, lose strength, exhaust." Readis made motions of difficulty in swimming. "Like men you rescue, all tired from ship going down.

Scornful fountains rose from blow-holes and two rolled in contempt for the notion.

"Dolphins swim all around Pern and not weary, Cal said, her smile deeper than ever. "Swim you to shore is easy. Easy, easy, easy,' Cal said, gently brushing the side of his face with her nose.

"We go now. We change. You keep hand up."

And so he was towed to shore. Actually at a much reduced speed than he remembered them taking him and Unclemi into shore after the storm. He changed steeds, and there was always a new one, waiting for him to switch. He realized that Cal had come back for a second turn by the time the shore loomed above them.

"To starboard . . . and Readis gestured right with his left hand. "To the right.

"Know starboard. Know port. Cal is smart."

"Cal certainly is. Have you been in these caves?"

"Yessss, been in pools here. Good place. Readisss smart to find good place." Her voice echoed in the stone cave and Delky whinnied in fear.

"It's OK, Delky, Readis called, worried lest she break his vine rope in her panic.

"You have horsss?" Cal asked, carefully raising herself far enough above the water to put an eye on the startled beast.

"Horss?" Readis laughed. "Delky's a runner beast. And a weed at that. Easy there, girl. It's all right."

"Looks horsssish,' Cal insisted. "Name Delky? Delky, 1 Cal.

"Neither horses nor runner beasts can talk, Cal."

"Pity. We can talk better now we got you to talk to."

"I think you speak pretty well already, Cal,' Readis said, hauling himself out of the water. The vest had held him up all right, but it had rubbed badly under his arm and on his shoulders and neck. He'd have to find something to pad it there. Right now the abrasions stung. He also needed a drink. "Stay put, will you, Cal?"

He rose and had to grab at the wall to keep upright. He hadn't realized how tired he was and his bad leg was not in good working order at all. That was the first time he realized that the dolphins never commented on his wizened leg. At least they didn't seem to care.

Grabbing the nearest of his home-made water bottles, he returned to the pool and found it stuffed full of dolphins.

"Is the entire pod inside?"

"Yes, want to see man's land place,' Delfi said, raising her body out of the water to peer about her. "Nice place. And she dropped back.

"Anybody need a bloodfish scraped off?" Readis asked, wanting to reinforce his usefulness. He was tired enough to be grateful that his offer was not taken up.

"We strong pod,' Cal said with an understandable pride.

"Maybe later. When we swim closer in, where reefs and things make cuts.

"Well, I'm willing to help whenever I can, Readis said.

"Can't be dolphineer to whole pod,' Cal said. "Not right. One to one is tradition."

"Until I can find more folks who want to be dolphineers, I guess I'll have to be one for the whole pod."

Readis was surprised to discover that dolphins had a covetous streak in them. But then, dragons and fire-lizards were possessive, one way or another, of the humans they looked to.

Runner beasts didn't much care who got on their backs, except Readis had always considered Delky to be especially his, since she'd been a gift. The canines responded better to some folks than to others so maybe it was one of those universal attributes he'd learned of from reading in the Aivas files.

"How people know to be dolphineers if no-one knows who you are?" Delfi asked.

If Readis had needed any confirmation of how intelligent dolphins were, that remark certainly clarified it.

"Well now, you have a point, Delfi,' he said, settling more comfortably on the ledge, his feet dangling. "Just tell folks that there is now a dolphineer and a dolphin Craft Hall." Readis wasn t exactly certain how one established a Craft Hall, but Master Benelek had and so had Master Hamian when he decided to specialize in the plastic materials that the Ancients had made so much use of. Someone had to start someplace, sometime and for a good reason. He believed that he had one: the care of the dolphins who had been neglected by humans for so long in their struggle to survive Threadfall. "Was there a dolphin Craft Hall at Landing?"

"Where the Bell rings is where we go. Is not Craft Hall?" asked Tursi. And Readis recognized him by the network of old scrapes on his rostrum. He was very pleased that he was beginning to identify the individuals of the pod so early in their association.

"I wouldn't qualify then, I've got no bell,' Readis said.

"No Bell?" "No Bell!" "No Bell!" The phrase went from dolphin to dolphin.

"That's why I had to swim out to you, I had no bell to ring. Clicks and hisses, and much blowing out of their holes as they turned from one to another.

"Tomorrow Bell,' Cal said at the end of this cryptic discussion.

"Sure thing,' Readis said amiably, grinning, and reaching down to scratch Cal under her chin.

"Give good scritches,' she said, dropping her jaw and leaning just hard enough into his hand to get him to increase the pressure.

"We get Bell." Then she flipped up and over the rest of the pod and started out of the cavern.

Tursi had lifted his head for similar attentions but as abruptly, he pulled away and followed her out, the rest of the pod streaming behind, only starting their characteristic leapings when they were clear of the rock formations.

Readis watched them go, relieved that he had made such a good start and wondering what they were up to. Bells didn't grow on trees, after all. And dolphins had shown no real interest in human artefacts. He was also relieved to see them leave because fatigue was settling in on him, and hunger. He checked Delky's water and refilled it, gathered enough dry grass to keep her through the night, and finished the last of the previous day's fish stew before he gratefully laid himself down.

Odd sounds roused him at dawn. By now he was accustomed to the various water noises made as the sea flowed in and out of the main cavern so this unusual thunk, plus Delky's distressed snort, got him out of bed.

His arms were stiff and sore where the vest had rubbed him.

He wondered what he could use from his small store of clothing to pad it adequately. He slipped his knife from his belt and peered out into the outer cave. Nothing, and no more sounds.

Delky snorted again but no longer frightened. He peered around the irregular opening to the outer ledge.

There on the stone was a lump, dripping. There were wet patches, too, that suggested the lump had been deposited by wet bodies. Readis didn't see a dorsal fin in the cavern nor could he see one outside. Straightening up and replacing his knife in the sheath, he went to examine the lump. Halfway to it, he realized it was rounded on the top and he semi-jumped in his excitement to examine it. The heavy lump was indisputably bell-shaped, misshapen by centuries of encrustations. And it had no clapper, only the stout bar across the inside of the dome where a clapper could be hung. First he'd have to clean it up.

"A bell, my own bell,' he murmured to himself and he went to collect the hammer he had made and other rocks to use in place of proper chisels. A Dolphin Bell makes a proper Dolphin Hall.

While he chipped away the accumulated layers, he kept one eye on the waters leading into the cavern. Dolphins were endlessly curious. Surely they'd come back to see how their offering had been received: to check that he was awake, to see what he did with the bell. He was almost sorry that no single fin cut the water.

He had to take a break to feed and water Delky. By his calculations, there'd be Threadfall sometime today and they'd better stay inside. He went as far as the patch of root vegetables to pull some to eat later: they were as tasty raw as cooked.

He cut enough of the stout grasses he could weave into rope, broke a branch of a hardwood to make into the clapper arm and picked up several sea-washed, smooth rocks that fit in his palm for the actual clapper. He paused long enough by the fish trap to remove two good-sized yellowtails. The trap had been one of his real successes and he blessed Unclemi for having taught him how to weave them properly.

He stirred up his fire, put his pot on the firestone to heat water and then returned to the laborious chipping, pausing now and then to rest or work on the clapper. He had that long before he had chipped down to the metal. The lip, once he got all the junk off it, was smooth but dull after its long immersion. He wondered if it would polish up. Was it bronze?

Or steel? The Ancients had had good steel. Maybe one of the other alloys that they had favored.

It took him most of the day to clear the exterior and then he had a time getting his tools in to scour the inside. He stopped only briefly when he heard Delky's fearful squeal and saw her swinging as far inside the cavern as possible. He saw the grey rain of Threadfall hissing against the surface of the water. Even saw fish heads protruding to be the first to eat of the sky-borne bounty but not a single dolphin. He checked Delky's tether but it was firm and she wasn't likely to bolt out of safety no matter how scared she was. Then he returned to his work. He was constantly scraping his knuckles and they got bloody and sore from the knocking. He couldn't quite get the stuff at the very top of the bell but managed to clear the hanging bar so he could attach the grass thong to hold the clapper. So, by the light of his fire, he wove grasses about the roundest of the stones he'd picked up and attached it to the hanger. He had trouble getting the grasses over the bar, partly because the light from the fire had died down so much, he couldn't really see. He put it aside, determined to finish that night and have a proper Dolphin Bell to ring the next morning, when he realized he hadn't eaten. By the time he had grilled a yellowtail, chewing on a root vegetable while it cooked, and eaten it, he could barely keep his eyes open. His scraped and bruised knuckles hurt, his shoulder muscles were knotted from the laborious chip-chipping and he never even made it to his bed, curling up by the remains of his fire and falling instantly asleep.

He woke with a start, but that was more from the discomfort of his chilly position on cold stone than from an exterior sound.

His bad leg was very stiff and spasmed, knocking against the bell. It gave a soft "bong' that delighted him. He picked up the clapper arm and very softly tapped the rock against the rim of the bell. Not quite a perfect sound but indisputably a bell ring! Would the dolphins have heard that muted sound? And he needed a belfry, too, and a long rope that would dangle in the water for them to pull.

Quickly, he stoked up the fire, gutted and filleted the second yellowtail and put it on the cooking rock. Then he picked up the bell and the clapper. His fingers were slightly swollen from yesterday's exertions and it took him quite a time - he nearly lost his temper twice - to get the grass around the hanging bar and secure the clapper arm. And then the bell pull.

He made himself eat the fish - it was tastier hot than cold before he rose, hand on the clapper and carried the bell to the water's edge. There was a protrusion near the entrance to the cavern. He put the bell down and returned to his supplies for more of the rope he had twisted in readiness. And hung the bell, wincing every time it issued a small complaint in the process.

Delky kept one wide, white eye on him, not quite sure what he was doing. He hoped she wouldn't panic when he rang the bell.

The sun was only just up in the east, he noted, so the pod would have finished its morning feed. He couldn't have timed it better if he'd tried.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the pull rope and listened critically to the sound that reverberated through the cave.

"Not bad,' he said as the still slightly sour "bong' echoed in his ears. Then he rang the "come in' sequence. Not that a "report' to celebrate the hanging of the bell wouldn't be appropriate but report' was urgent: "come in' gave them an option.

As if they'd been waiting just outside the cave for the slightest bell sound, sleek grey bodies glistened under the pool water and heads lifted right under him.

"Bell ring! Ring Bell!" "We come!" "We come!" "Reporrit!' "Reporrit !"

"No report, you silly fish faces,' Readis said, laughing with relief and delight, "I only rang "come in"."

"We come in!" "We come in!'

Then the bell rope was yanked out of his grasp and enthusiastically pulled as a dolphin discovered it hanging down in the water.

"Hey, hey,' Readis cried, grabbing for the clapper. The ringing was like thunder all around him in the confines of the cavern. He should probably place it outside or he'd be deafened. Delky was rearing and kicking, screaming with panic. "Easy, there, now.

Easy!" He meant the advice for both runner and dolphin. He was also none too sure that the grasses would hold under such ardent manipulations.

Then he knelt down at the side and delivered scratches on all the chins that were presented. "Where did you find that bell? I couldn't believe it when I saw it yesterday morning.

it took all day to clean it up."

"Bell long lost,' Cal said. "Long, long, long."

Readis grinned at the delphinic repetitions. He really must teach them "good, better, best' though Cal's pod spoke very well: much better than even the Paradise River ones.

"Did you find it on the sea bottom?"

"We find. We bring. You fix. You ring,' Loki said, she with splotch on the side of her melon.

Loki! You're a poet! Did you know that? Readis exclaimed.

"Yes. I poet, I know it. See?"

Readis howled so with laughter he lost his balance and sprawled on the ledge, repeating her words while dolphin faces regarded him in their constant amusement and clicked and squeed.

"You have Bell now. Need long feet, mask, tank so you can swim far with pod!'

That sobered Readis almost instantly. "That would cost more marks than I have . . . " And Readis suddenly realized that such marks as he did have were back in his dormitory room. Or, if Master Samvel had taken his long absence as a withdrawal from the school, maybe his belongings had been returned home.

Either way, the marks were out of his reach as was the aqua lung. "And I don't have any to buy an aqua lung, even if one could be made."

"No thing left over?" Cal asked.

"If you mean diving stuff from the Ancients' time, no they didn't last the way the Bell did. Where did you find it?"

"Where storm sink Dunkirk ships,' Cal said as if the event had taken place recently and not nearly twenty-five hundred Turns before.

"And you know where that was?"

"Still find man things when bad storm turn over,' Cal said and Readis was astonished. How had dolphins remembered such historical things.

"How could you remember something that happened so long, long, long ago?" he asked, absently scratching her chin again.

"The Tillek. She holds history in her head."

"Now don't tell me there's a dolphin who's twenty-five hundred Turns old."

"No, not tell what isn't true. But she knows from her Tillek.

"Oh, you've a sort of Harper Hall?"

"We have The Tillek,' Cal repeated firmly. "You must have lung to go see The Tillek. You must go see The Tillek."

"I'd love to. When I'm able, and Readis sighed. "If I ever am.

"If you be dolphineer, you meet The Tillek." Once again Cal spoke so definitively that Readis gave a wistful chuckle.

"I be a dolphineer, already. I have Bell, I have cave, I have you! Did you eat well yesterday on Thread?"

"Eat good, good, good,' squeed some of the other pod members. "Too bad, bad, bad, men don't eat."

"Well, that's the way it is, fellas,' Readis said. "And I'd better eat, he added as his stomach rumbled.

A large rainbow fish was flipped to the ledge and instinctively he grabbed it by the gills before it could wriggle off. A second one followed the first, and then a large leaf, two beautiful shell fragments and a barnacle-encrusted object.

"You eat, then we swim. Much to show you.

"I've no long feet, no lung. And my . . . "he started to mention the abrasions the vest had made and how loathe he was to put it back on and open those barely healed scrapes.

"You dolphineer. Your pod swim you safe,' Tursi said with such authority that Readis could only laugh.

He did what he had to do, to keep Delky fed and watered, while the rainbow cooked. After his breakfast, he had to collect more wood for his fire, bank it with wet seaweed, until it was safe enough to swim. He also lavished scratches and pattings on the waiting pod. Occasionally one of them would pull the Bell, just to hear it ring. The good part of that was Delky got so accustomed to the sound that finally she didn't so much as twitch an ear when it rang.

The "much' the dolphins had to show him had to do with the coastline up to the mouth of the deep gorge of what the Ancients had called the "Rubicon River'. It required him to swim with the pod long but thrilling hours. When he needed to drink they seemed to know where little brooks and freshets drained into the sea. They would provide him with fish whenever he needed them, as well as their constant little presents of items that attracted them. Almost every morning there were offerings.

He'd only removed four bloodfish so he felt he hadn't earned any special gifts but he remained grateful for anything. Once they brought him a "man thing', a plastic crate with one side knocked in but the color as bright, when he cleaned off the clinging mud, as the day it had been made. They told him there were more where that came from. Over the next few weeks, he acquired seven, three of which were filled now with "treasures'.

Winter storms had set in so he also had days when it was inadvisable for him to swim with the pod. The sea would lash waves into floods over the ledge and he'd have to bring Delky inside with him. The wind found all kinds of crevices to howl into so that he often had to stuff his ears with plugs from the fibrous plants to diminish the awesome shrieks. Invariably, if he went to the ledge at low tide, there'd be a fish left high and relatively dry for him to eat. Occasionally branches with the tougher stemmed fruits clinging to them would be added as special "treats'. It amazed him that the dolphins knew what humans could eat.

During the first of those storms, he padded the rough spots of the vest. He wore it as a "man thing' - his excuse to them - but there were many occasions when the vest kept him from being half-drowned by the enthusiastic aquabatics of his companions.

They began to learn how to swim with him, not over or under or impeding his movements. They could not quite understand why he had to spend some time out of the water because his skin began to shrivel and slough off. He learned to qualify such matters as "man things' and opposed to "dolphin' or "sea and marine' things. He also tried experimenting with wood he carved into the best approximation of "long feet' he could arrive at, tied to his feet with a mixed grass and tail hair rope. But the devices were too cumbrous and either twisted off - as he couldn't carve a pocket' for his feet without breaking off a piece of wood or banged into dolphin bodies. They never complained but he could see the darker marks on their skin which he knew he had caused with his wooden water shoes.

His days were so full now of sea work that he almost considered turning Delky loose. It wasn't fair to keep her standing in the cave. Declining to go with the pod one day, he used all the rope he had made to cordon off a pen for her, not far from the cave but with enough grass and shelter from the sun for her old hide and by one of the many brooks so she'd have water. As he kept a calendar on his cave wall to mark off Thread days, he could always keep her in when she might be in danger from Fall. That way, he didn't feel as bad about confining her. With no other runners to lure her away, Delky was content with these arrangements.

He was therefore horrified to return late one evening to find evidence of a bloody struggle, bushes knocked over and trees scarred with kick marks and no sign whatever of Delky.

Searching the little paddock to discover what had attacked her, he finally found clear paw prints and knew his old friend had fallen victim to one of the huge cats. He blamed himself and was disconsolate for days after Delky's removal. The size of the paw prints dissuaded him from going after the beast with only a belt knife to defend himself. His father had always rounded up all the men in the Hold to go after the big marauders. He missed her for more practical reasons later on when mourning turned to regret: he had no more of her long strong tail hairs to braid into rope.

He also had very few clothes left. It was also apparent that the dolphins had not informed people of his whereabouts. There were moments, despite his full and exciting life with the pod, when he could almost wish they had disobeyed him. But then, Cal or Tursi or Loki the Poet would do or say something and make him so glad that he was part of their lives, that his mood would swing up again.

The worst of the storm season passed and he could gather some of the green shoots that supplied nutrients he didn't get from fish or what root vegetables remained in his immediate environs. He really ought to start a garden in the glade where he'd kept Delky. Her manure would be good fertilizer. He knew what to plant and where to get the starts and took some time off from the pod to organize his garden. That's when he came across Delky's tail. He almost didn't bring it back with him.

The urge to bury it as a tribute to its former owner was great but common sense overcame sentiment and he made a bundle of the long hairs and stuffed them in the pack he had with him.

On his way back he heard the Bell, heard the report sequence and broke into as fast a run as he dared with the precious starts and sprouting plants he had gathered. Constant swimming had improved the muscles in his bad leg so that he could achieve a respectable speed, but he was breathless by the time he reached his cavern.

There was only one dolphin, pulling the Bell, and that surprised him. It was also the largest dolphin he had ever seen. That should have warned him.

"I'm here, I'm here,' he blurted out breathless, propping his pack against the inner wall before approaching the pool. "Is someone hurt? Where's Cal? Tursi?"

"They come when I call,' the dolphin said, rearing her splendid head up, her flippers out of water.

"Are you hurt? Do you have a bloodfish?"

"Yes, I come to you to remove bloodfish,' she said. "It cannot be scraped off." She turned on her side and eased slowly by him until he saw the bloodfish, precariously near her sex organs.

"Good thing I honed my knife, then,' he said and slipped into the water. "Over here. And what's your name, please?" he asked as he took three good strokes to where an underwater protuberance gave him a place to stand while he ministered to dolphin needs. "I like to know the name of my patients,' he added jovially in what he had decided was his "healering' mode.

"I was called Theresa," she said, gargling her words slightly as she remained heeled over as she placed herself close to him.

"That's a very fine name. One of the originals, isn't it?" he asked for he always talked to his patients to make them feel easier. "I'm Readis."

"Your name is well known. You call yourself the dolphineer.

"You speak really well, Theresa,' Readis went on, his fingers, now deft at this task, assessing the depth of the bloodfish's sucker. Often now he could get the whole thing out without severing the head first. If he punctured the thin skull at just the right point, the sucker released. He found the spot on the bloated body, inserted the thin knife point and, with a now deft flip of the point, the bloodfish came off with it. With a flip of the wrist, Readis sent the parasite flying to the wall. It slipped down on a trail of blood until it lay, with two final convulsions before it expired, gape-mouthed. "I'm always glad to get rid of those vicious things for you." He looked down at the minute hole and shoved water hard against her flank to rinse the puncture.

"There, that should close shortly.

"Thank you, that was well done, dolphin healer."

"Oh, 1'm not a healer by any means, though I can do small repairs now, Readis said, washing his knife blade before returned it to its sheath. And he'd need a new one soon as the salt water was rotting the leather. Whatever had the Ancient dolphineers used? More of their versatile plastics?

"I had heard of major healings?" She eased herself back so that she could focus her eye on him.

He smiled down at her, accustomed to such dolphins manoeuvrings. She was one big mother. And old, judging by the scars on her melon, though all looked long healed. Could she be full of calf? Near to birthing? None of his pod were carrying young. He had very much wanted to be present during a birth.

It was such a magical moment, especially in the sea.

"Don't I wish I was able for major stuff,' Readis said, leaning back against the side of the pool, still supported underwater by the wide protuberance. "Maybe I could get more training. . . but I'd need to have more people working with me as dolphineers before I could take time off."

"You are not the only dolphineer,' she startled him by saying.

"I'm not?" He jerked bolt upright, the sudden movement whooshing water over her eye. She blinked.

"There are dolphineers at Eastern Weyr, at Monaco Bay, and she was the only dolphin he had heard pronounce it correctly, "Paradise River, Southern, Ista, Tillek, Fort, Nerat Bay

"There are?" His heart sank within him. He would not be the first new dolphineer. The new Hall he had so proudly thought he might found was a dream dying in a single, casual sentence.

Others had pre-empted his grand idea. He might as well go home now and take whatever punishment his father decreed for him. He probably wouldn't be able to go back to school so he'd lost that opportunity, too. He might even have lost the best chance to secure Paradise River. But he would have to make it very plain to his mother that he must swim with dolphins. He couldn't give that up now. He was eighteen now, he realized suddenly, if he'd counted days correctly. He was old enough to go off on his own in any case. Maybe, maybe, he could just come back here. He already had the makings of a small hold. And if he could prove enough land around him, under the terms of the Ancients' Charter, he could own that. And he'd have Cal and Tursi to swim with, he could listen to Loki's poems, and

"Come, swim with me, Readis,' Theresa said in the very gentlest tone he had heard a dolphin use.

"I'm sorry, Theresa, I don't feel much like swimming right now." For all he was eighteen now and judged a man, a sob caught in his throat and he turned his face from the dolphin's knowing eye.

He was knocked off his perch by a deft swipe of her rostrum.

He was coughing as he bobbed up and she was facing the cavern entrance.

"Come, Readis, swim with me."

"I need my vest,' and he extended one arm towards the ledge, meaning to climb back up.

"No vest is needed if you swim with Theresa,' he was told and he was nudged away from the side of the pool.

"I didn't mean to offend you

"None taken,' she replied.

He caught her dorsal fin with his right hand. Her tow was deceptively smooth but the speed with which he passed out of the cavern told him she was fast. That surprised him in such a large mammal. Just outside the cave, they were joined by the others, and Cal poked her head up on the other side of him, grinning.

"You help her?" Cal asked.

"She had a wicked bloodfish, yes, and I removed it."

He was being pulled with such speed he had more water in his mouth than words and gestured that he couldn't speak. Then he saw that the entire pod was here, ranging on either side of Theresa. Some were in advance, leaping and diving as if they escorted a ship. Behind him more were dipping in and out but not displaying the more athletic maneuvers. He spotted Loki and she rolled her head at him before dipping her nose under again.

Theresa just kept swimming, heading directly toward the Great Western Current. He'd been out to it several times with the pod, and had been caught up in the incredible current, fearless only because he had been in the company of dolphins.

They were nearly upon the ships before he realized that her bulk had kept him from seeing them bearing down on them.

Two ships, one of them Master Idarolan's Dawn Sisters, and second was Alemi's Fair Winds.

"Oh, no, Theresa." He dropped his hand and was immediately upheld by Cal on his left.

"Take hold, Readis,' Theresa said, screwing her head around so that he could not deny hearing her words. "You will come with me.

"She speak, you obey!" Cal said, squeeing emphatically.

That was when Readis had the first suspicion. Later he realized how stupid he had been. Just then more pods could be seen, leaping and diving, plunging and cavorting, all heading towards the ships which had furled their sails and seemed to be standing still. Sea anchors out, he thought in his bemusement.

As they neared, and Theresa was closing the distance with incredible speed, he could see that each ship had a longboat in the water beside it, and that there were dolphins clustered all around. He'd never heard that dolphins had gathers, but that's Afo had suggested, the only time dolphin pod met was in the Northwest at the Great Subsidence for

"You're The Tillek, Theresa!" he shouted, lost his grip and swallowed a mouthful of water that had him gasping for breath and grasping for the nearest solid form. Which happened to be The Tillek Theresa and that had made him reach for any other form, for to grab at her seemed tantamount to sacrilege.

"Hold me, Dolphineer, he was commanded and his hand was flung up and landed against the dorsal fin which he obediently clutched.

"I shouldn't Tillek." he gasped. "It's not right. You're The Loud squees and clickings of approval answered him and then they were so close to the longboats he could hear the welcoming shouts. The Tillek swam him up to Master Idarolan's ship, and slowed to come to a complete stop, her flippers holding her steady with deft subtle movements, by the Dawn Sisters' longboat. Looking up he saw his father, smiling, his mother, unsmiling but somehow looking proud, Alemi, and Kami, of all people, looking as if she was about to weep. Beyond her were T'gellan, the Benden Weyrleader, D'ram, T'lion looking excessively pleased, a dour-looking man he didn't know, Master Samvel, Master Menolly and Master Sebell. His father and Alemi held out their hands to him.

"Grab hold, Readis,' Jayge called. Too surprised to disobey, he held up his arm and was hauled aboard. His mother herself handed him a big towel, even as she ran critical eyes up and down his tanned body as if she hadn't expected to find him in such good and healthy condition.

"Thanks, Mother,' he mumbled and didn't know what else to do because there was The Tillek herself raised up from the water to be part of whatever was about to transpire in the boat. For this had the feeling of more than the recapture of a recalcitrant truant.

"Well, Readis, lad, Master Idarolan said, planting his hand on his hips and grinning at him. "Led us a fine and merry chase you have, lad."

"I just wanted to help the dolphins,' Readis said, speaking to his father despite the press of other important people around him. "No-one else was.

Jayge took Readis' arm and pressed it affectionately, the expression in his eyes wistful. "We know that now, son. And I honour you for what you did that day, despite what I said, and felt, at the time.

"I should never have said what I did,' Aramina murmured right beside him, and there were tears in her eyes when he looked around at her.

"Ah hem, we can't keep The Tillek waiting, friends," Master Idarolan said. "We have come at her request, Readis,' he added.

"At her . Readis looked from the Fish Master to the looming shape of The Tillek.

"She wishes you to be The Dolphineer,' Master Idarolan said. "We've never had a Dolphin Hall on Pern . . . never realized we should have had one all these years. But, well, she's been very understanding."

"The Thread caused many problems for humans,' The Tillek said in a tone that suggested she really couldn't understand quite why. Beyond her, Readis could see the masses and masses of dolphin bodies. Why, every pod on Pern must be here! "We are grateful to men for many things. For history, for knowing what we are, and for giving us the tongue to speak. For speech is what raises the mammal above the animals and fish of land and sea."

"And you, Theresa The Tillek,' said the Master Harper Sebell, "are obviously my counterpart among dolphins."

"I do not play music makers. But I sing the songs of old so that the young do not forget the past and the old Earth and how men and women swim with us in these new seas.

"Close your mouth, Readis,' his father murmured softly.

"But he said she said . A Dolphin Hall?"

"A Dolphin Hall,' repeated Master Idarolan.

"A Dolphin Craft Hall,' said F'lar of Benden, "and I speak for all the Weyrleaders

"And I, Oterel of Tillek Hold, speak for the Lords Holder said the gaunt man Readis didn't know and then he smiled and didn't look half as forbidding.

"And I for the Harper Hall,' said Sebell, "that the new Hall is needed and is herewith situated at the Sea Caverns of . . . what will you call your place, Readis?"

"Huh? I don't know. I don't know anything

"Kahrain is the name we dolphins know of that place from the Ancients,' The Tillek said.

"Kabrain Hold it will be then,' Readis said, wondering if a man's heart could burst from his chest. "But I really don't have much of a Hold there right now, only the caves and the pools where I can do the healing. And I'd need to learn much more healing to be a good dolphineer

"That has been promised you,' The Tillek said and ducked down into the water, rising again to blow out of her hole.

"Why? Why me? You said there were other dolphineers Readis said, almost accusing her of gentle treachery.

"There are,' T'lion said, bursting with the news, "because Gaddie wants to help, too, and T'gellan says I can spend my free time with you and I've copied a whole "nother set of medical stuff for you, Readis, and Readis began to shiver suddenly, though the sun was warm and the breeze mild.

"He is cold and needs hot food,' The Tillek said. "We will retire and return when he has been cared for." She either did not hear or did not care to acknowledge the outraged "well, I never' from Aramina for she went on. "You swim strong and well, Dolphineer Readis. You will be Tillek and Thea to all in your Hold." Then she disappeared below the side of the long boat. Stunned by all that had just happened, Readis stared at the space she had been occupying until he saw her long body gracefully arch out of and then back in the water, many dolphins following her away from the ships.

Readis was then bundled up the rope ladder and into Master Idarolan's cabin, and given hot soup and hot klah and made much of by his mother, attentions which he endured out of gratitude for the day and her forgiveness. His father handed him a new shirt and muttered something about other things that had been brought along that he would possibly need. Then, with Aramina still anxiously hovering over him, he was ushered back out to the deck. There everyone else on this extraordinary voyage had wine glasses which were being topped up by Master Idarolan's seamen.

"Now, lad, I've some cargo destined for your new Hold,' Master Idarolan said, handing Readis a full glass. "I know The Tillek wants to talk to you further . "I think I'd like to talk to you first,' he said and included his father and mother with a glance in their direction. "I didn't know anyone knew where I was.

"We have for the past three sevendays, Jayge said, laying an arm across his son's shoulders. When he saw Readis glance suspiciously toward the sea, he added, "No, the dolphins didn't tell on you."

"I've been on daily sweeps trying to find you and then I saw the seaside caves and I figured that they were so perfect for you and dolphins, you had to be there,' T'lion said, looking very pleased with himself. "Only, what with one thing and another, Gaddie and I didn't get a chance to check the place out. Made yourself right comfortable, didn't you?"

"I got by fine,' Readis said, a remark calculated to take the anxious expression off his mother's face and, at the same time, prove to his father that he'd coped well.

"Then,' Master Idarolan said, beaming about impartially, "I was approached by no less than The Tillek herself. The dolphins at Paradise River were upset when you didn't return."

"I got questioned by the Eastern Pod,' T'lion put in, "and so did Master Persellan who forgave me, by the way!'

"That's a relief,' Readis said.

"And The Tillek asked me when would dolphineers come back to the sea to work with her pods,' Idarolan went on. "So naturally I informed Lord Oterel - and he gestured to the Lord Holder.

"And I asked T'bor of High Reaches and he - - Oterel said and then turned to the Master Harper.

"Didn't know anything about dolphin pods and, while I knew a little from Menolly here,' Sebell said, "I conferred with Alemi, who told me of your disappearance, Readis, and why. I also spoke to

"Us,' Lessa said, picking up the tale in her turn, "and I remembered something that Master Robinton had told me about these creatures." She turned to D'ram.

"And I remembered all the tapes which Aivas had shown of the early days when there were dolphineers,' the old Weyrleader said and then shrugged. "So The Tillek went to Paradise River and spoke to your parents."

"She asked us, Jayge said, looking slightly embarrassed while Aramina ducked her head and nervously twitched the hem of her tunic - one of her gather tunics, Readis now noticed, "if we objected to your becoming a dolphineer.

Readis waited.

"It is an honour to be asked,' his mother said softly, hesitantly, before raising her head to look him straight in the eye. "I was once asked to accept and honour,' and she shot Lessa a quick glance, "and could not. I cannot stand in your way, Readis."

"Thank you, Mother,' he murmured, his throat blocked with the surge of relief and happiness.

"You're in for a lot more training before you can become a Craft Master, young Readis,' Master Idarolan said, "but you've made a fine start. Ahemm,' and he cleared his throat, "however, The Tillek plans to instruct you herself which is why she has come all the way down from her natural habitat."

"She will?" Readis closed his mouth as soon as he realized that it had dropped open in surprise.

"She has insisted,' Sebell said with a wry grin. "She is the living repository of all delphinic history, tradition and knowledge."

"She speaks the best of any dolphin I've ever heard,' Readis said.

"She claims it's because she has to repeat the Words and History every spring to all the new dolphins wishing to take the Test. I gather that's swimming across the great subsidence whirlpool."

Readis nodded and then asked softly, "I wouldn't have to do that, would I? I mean, I'm a good enough swimmer but Sebell wasn't the only one to chuckle. "She'll set her own test and you should know that you've already passed the critical entrance examination."

"I did?"

"You did, that's why she brought you to us.

"You'd have all just gone home?" Readis was astonished.

"No, we'd've gone in and brought you back home, lad,' Alemi said, "and no blame.

"Oh!'

"Listen!" Menolly said, holding up one hand. "Listen!'

"To what?" Idarolan asked but now Sebell held his hand up and they fell silent. Even the sailors in the rigging and on deck stopped what they were doing, as the odd but melodious sound reached their ears.

"Music, but where is it coming from?" Sebell said, glancing around the ship.

"I've heard that before,' Aramina murmured to Jayge and leaned close to him. "Only it's not quite the same.

"It's not so lonely a sound,' Menolly said as she swung slowly to face the sea. That's when those on deck saw the wedge of leaping dolphins coming alongside. Suddenly Menolly jumped back in surprise as a loud squee was clearly heard.

"The big one's back, Master,' one of the seamen in the rigging said, pointing. He, too, involuntarily flinched away as The Tillek reared high from the sea.

"Readis,' she said plainly before she fell back into the water.

"Coming,' he said and started toward the rail. Then he paused, startled by his own compliance, and not sure he could just leave the eminent company on the Dawn Sisters' deck. "Do I just go?"

"When your Master calls, lad, you go,' Idarolan said, grinning, and giving him an encouraging push on his way.

"We'll drop the supplies at your caves,' Alemi shouted after him.

"Listen well, learn hard,' Sebell added.

"We're proud of you, son,' his father said just as Readis arched himself in a dive over the railing and into the sea, carefully aiming himself at the space left free for him by the dolphins waiting there.

Epilogue he dragonriders stayed a while longer, talking about this unusual meeting between humans and dolphins and eating the small repast which Master Idarolan had had prepared.

"Sometimes, I feel that we are rushing forward at unbelievable speeds,' Menolly remarked, "with hardly time to catch our breaths. So much has happened!'

Sebell nodded. "And not enough time to make songs out of most of it." He gave his wife a droll smile and ducked as she playfully swatted at him.

"The song . Aramina said, leaning toward Menolly, "the song we heard. Where did you hear it?"

"At night, near the sea, I must admit. And Menolly paused, frowning, "at Paradise River when I was there harpering the children. You've heard it?"

"Yes,' Aramina said in a sad, wistful tone. "I always thought it was a dream but I wasn't always asleep when I heard it."

"When you think how long the dolphins have waited for us to acknowledge them again, it would make any creature sad,' Sebell said, slipping a reassuring arm about his wife.

"Dragons don't sing, so I knew it wasn't them, but Ramoth has complained about "lonely" sounds impinging on her sleep,' Lessa said. Then, with a brisk twist of her shoulders, she smiled at Aramina. "Now we all know, don't we, that the Dolphins of Pern are part of our future. I like to think, one of the better parts of our future when this Pass is over."

"When this Pass is over!" said Master Idarolan loudly, raising his glass.

And the others drained their glasses to that toast!