Anne McCaffrey - Dragon Harper (The Dragonriders of Pern)

Dragon Harper

Todd McCaffrey,

CHAPTER I

HIGH REACHES WEYR,

AL 495.8

White robe, high hopes

Hatching Grounds, tight throats Sands heat, eggs move Shells crack, hearts prove.

Put this on, Dvin said to Cristov as they rushed to the Hatching Grounds. The white robe was the traditional garb for candidates, as every child on Pern knew from the Teaching Ballads.

Cristov suddenly realized that his heart was racing, his throat dry. In not much longer than it took Dvins bronze dragon to go between-no more time than it took to cough three times-Cristov went from being a miner recovering from an injury to being a candidate for a Hatching.

This cant be happening, he thought. It should have been Pellar.

Pellar was the mute Harper who had rescued Cristov when his mine had collapsed, had saved Cristov when Tenim had purposely exploded the old firestone mine, and who had had a fire-lizard before Tenims hunting bird had killed it-and had nearly killed Pellar, as well.

Pellar deserved to be a candidatebut Pellar had insisted upon remaining at the newly named Fire Hold to help the young holdless girl, Halla, manage the Shunned of Pern to redeem their honor by mining the firestone of Pern.

Cristov! The voice, close by his ear, startled him. Youre here! Excellent!

Cristovs eyes widened as he recognized Kindan. Turns back, he and Kindan had been enemies. Back then, Cristov had despised watch-whers, just as hed been taught by his father.

Kindans father had been a wherhandler, a person bonded to the ugly night-loving creatures who were only distant cousins to the great dragons that protected Pern. Infected by his fathers attitudes, Cristov had despised Kindan, and theyd fought many times as youngsters.

In the end, however, Cristov had realized that it was Kindan who had been right and his father who had been wrong-and Cristov had found himself, at an early age, making a grown mans choice and doing what was right instead of what was expected. Hed even come to regard the ugly watch-whers with respect bordering on awe. And now he greeted Kindan with a huge grin.

Kindan saw the robe clasped in Cristovs hand and his eyebrows rose. He held up his hand and showed Cristov that he, too, had the white robe of a candidate.

Great, we can go together, he said to Cristov, as he pulled his robe over his head and tied it with the white belt.

I thought you wanted to be a harper, Cristov said in surprise.

Harpers can be dragonriders, too, Kindan replied with a big grin.

Youll be certain to Impress, after your watch-wher, Cristov said. Probably a bronze, too!

Kindan shook his head. Ill just be happy to Impress, he replied. Ill leave the bronzes to you.

Cristov, Kindan, hurry!

They both turned and saw Sonia, the healers daughter, also dressed in white robes. Oh, I do hope that eggs a queen!

Cristov knew that Sonia had been eyeing the funnily marked egg on the Hatching Grounds for some time. Traditionally, though, the queen dragon would carefully push aside any queen eggs, and Jessalas Garirth hadnt done so.

In fact, the egg looked so odd that the Weyrs Healer, Sonias father Sson, had been asked to examine it to be sure it was whole.

Garirth was so old that her gold hide was a mere pale yellow, and Jessala, her rider, was so pained with age that she rarely moved from her quarters. It was entirely possible that age had caused this egg to have come out wrong somehow. But Sson had declared it fine.

Dvin gestured for them to go forward, saying, Ill watch from the stands!

Together the three moved to join the other candidates on the Hatching Grounds.

There were only twenty-three eggs on the Grounds. Cristov had learned that traditionally a queen would lay as few as thirty and as many as forty or more eggs. That Garirth had lain so few was a further indication of her extreme age.

Sonia, who had been examining the other candidates carefully, groaned. There arent enough candidates! There are only twenty boys and twenty-two eggs. And there are no other girls, either.

A rush of cold air from dragon wings startled them and they turned to see a smattering of boys and girls rush forward, dressed in white robes.

Those are Benden colors, Sonia said, pointing to a dragonrider waving in the distance.

Bralar must have sent for them.

Its Mtal! Kindan exclaimed, waving excitedly to the Benden Weyrleader. Mtal waved back and gave him a thumbs-up for good luck.

What if one of the Benden girls Impresses the queen? Cristov asked.

Shell stay here, Sonia said. But I wouldnt be surprised if she found herself Weyrwoman at the moment of Hatching. She cast a worried look at Garirth, whose head lolled listlessly on the ground beyond them. I think Garirth and Jessala are only waiting for the hatchlings before they go between forever; theyre both so tired with age.

The humming noise of the dragons rose louder. Cristov felt the sound in his very bones, reverberating. The noise was so loud it should have been deafening, yet Cristov felt no fear.

Over here! Sonia called to the other girls, waving toward the strange egg. They gave her a surprised look before joining her. To herself she muttered, Whew! I was afraid the queen wouldnt have a decent choice!

Were supposed to be over there, Kindan said to Cristov, gesturing to the other boys clustered in the distance.

I shouldnt be here, Cristov said. Im a miner.

Kindan shook his head and told him feelingly, More than anyone you should be here, Cristov. You earned the right and you were Searched.

Cristov started to explain that Dvin had come for Pellar, not him, but Kindan shushed him.

Look!

Cristov saw that the eggs were now rocking from side to side. One of them had a crack in it, then another, then a third. Cristov thought like a miner, imagining the blows required to break the shell. But suddenly he squinted, perplexed-the shells were cracking far more than he thought natural. Hed rapped one of the shells himself on the Hatching Grounds, and hed held an old bit of shell in his hands, so he knew its strength.

And yet now the shells were shattering rapidly, and, strangely, Cristov started to get the feel for which shell would crack next. Something about the dragons humming. It was as if their humming was helping the hatchlings. As if, Cristov realized suddenly, the dragons humming resonated with the shells themselves.

The dragons pitch increased just before one hatchling broke his shell in half and burst forth.

Cristov started to take a nervous step backward but found Kindans hand on his arm.

Theyre scared, Kindan said. Theyre just little and theyre frightened.

Cristov could see that it was true. Even though the brown hatchling towered over Cristov, he could see that it was frightened. It creeled sharply as it searched among the candidates and then-it found its mate. Cristov saw the look of glowing astonishment on the youngsters face, the look of fear breaking into a huge grin as boy and dragon were united in a bond that only death could break.

You are the most beautiful dragon on all Pern, Finderth, the youngster cried aloud as he grabbed the wobbly brown dragonet in a great hug.

Kindan waved at the boy, calling, Well done, Jander! Then he blushed and corrected himself: I mean, Jder.

But not everything went well. Some of the Benden lads were too frightened and didnt move out of the way of a creeling green. One youth was brutally trampled and tossed aside by the greens awkward stumbling to lie in a bloody heap nearly a dragonlength away.

Look out! Kindan called, prodding Cristov as a baby bronze came their way, searching among the candidates for its mate. It tore past them and then stopped, crying piteously.

Cristov remembered what Dvin had said would happen if there was no candidate for a hatchling: It will go between forever.