Anne McCaffrey - Dragondrums

AT THE HARPER CRAFT HALL

RobintonMasterharper; bronze fire lizard, Zair

Masters:

JerintInstrument maker

DomickComposition

ShonagarVoice

ArnorArchivist

OldiveHealer

OlodkeyDrummaster

Masterharper Journeymen:

Sebell; gold fire lizard, Kimi

Talmor

Menolly; nine fire lizards:

Gold: Beauty

Bronze: Rocky, Diver

Brown: Lazybones, Mimic, Brownie

Blue: Uncle

Green: Auntie One, Auntie Two

Drum Journeymen:

Dirzan

Rokayas

Drum Apprentices:

Piemur

Clell

Apprentices:

Ranly

Timiny

Brolly

Bonz

Tilgin

Silvinaheadwoman

Abunakitchen worker

Camohalf-witted kitchen drudge

Banakhead stockman

AT FORT HOLD

Lord Holder Groghe; gold fire lizard, Merga

NtonWeyrleader of Fort Weyr; fire lizard, Tris

AT NABOL HOLD

Lord Holder Meron

Candlerharper

Berdinejourneyman healer

Decktergrand-nephew of Meron

Hittetblood relation of Meron

Kaljanminemaster

AT IGEN HOLD

Lord Holder Laudey

Banturharper

Deecejourneyman harper

AT SOUTHERN HOLD

Lord Holder Toric

Saneterharper

SharraTorics sister

AT BENDEN WEYR

FlarWeyrleader

LessaWeyrwoman

Felessanson of Flar and Lessa

Tgellanbronze dragonrider

Fnorbrown dragonrider; gold fire lizard, Grall

Brekkequeenrider; bronze fire lizard, Berd

Manoraheadwoman

Mirrimfosterling of Brekke; three fire lizards

Oharanharper

AT SOUTHERN WEYR

TkulWeyrleader

MardaWeyrwoman

Trondragonrider

CRAFTMASTERS

Masterherdsman Briaret

Masterminer Nicat

The rumble-thud-boom of the big drums answering a message from the east roused Piemur. In his five Turns at the Harper Craft Hall, he had never become accustomed to that bone-throbbing noise. Perhaps, he thought, sleepily turning over, if the drums beat every dawn, or in the same sequence, hed get accustomed enough to sleep through it. But he doubted that. He was naturally a light sleeper, a talent picked up when hed been a herders boy and had to keep an ear awake for night alarms among the runner beasts. The facility had often been to his advantage since the other apprentices in his dormitory couldnt sneak up on him with vengeance in mind. And he was often awakened by discreet, dragon-borne visitors coming to see the Masterharper of Pern, or the arrivals and departures of Master Robinton himself, for he was surely one of the most important men on Pern; almost as influential as Flar and Lessa, the Weyrleaders of Benden. Occasionally, too, on warm summer nights, when the shutters of the main hall were thrown back, the masters and journeymen assuming all the apprentices slept, hed hear fascinating and uninhibited talk drifting on the night air. A small fellow like himself had to keep ahead of everyone else, and listening often showed him how.

As he tried to get back to sleep for just a little longer in the gray dawn, the drum sequence echoed in his mind. The message had originated from Ista Holds harper: he had caught the identifying signature. He couldnt be sure of the rest of the message: something about a ship. Maybe he ought to learn message-drum beats. Not that they came in with such frequency now that more and more people owned little Ere lizards to take messages round and about Pern.

He wondered when hed get his hands on a fire lizard egg. Menolly had promised him one when her queen, Beauty, mated. A nice thought on her part, Piemur reflected, realistically aware that Menolly might not be able to distribute Beautys eggs as she wished. Master Robinton would want them placed to the Harper Halls advantage. And Piemur couldnt fault Master Robinton. One day, though, hed have his fire lizard. A queen, or, at least, a bronze.

Piemur folded his hands behind his head, musing on such a delightful prospect. From having helped Menolly feed her nine, he knew a fair bit about them now. More than some people who had fire lizards, the same people whod been claiming for Turns that fire lizards were boys sun-dreams. That is, until Fnor, brown Canths rider, had Impressed a little queen on a beach in the southern continent. Then Menolly, halfway across Pern, had saved a fire lizard queens eggs from being drowned in the unusually high tides of that Turn. Now everyone wanted a fire lizard, and admitted that they must be tiny cousins to the great dragons of Pern.

Piemur shivered with delighted terror. Thread had fallen over Fort Hold yesterday. Theyd been rehearsing Master Domicks new saga about the search for Lessa and how shed become Weyrwoman at Benden just before the new Pass of the Red Star, but Piemur had been much more aware of the silvery Threads dropping through the skies above the tightly shuttered and sealed Harper Hall. Hed imagined, as he always did during Threadfall, the graceful passages of the great dragons as their fiery breath charred Thread before it could fall to the ground and devour anything living, before it could burrow into the ground and multiply. Even thinking of that phenomenon made Piemur quiver fearfully again.

Before Master Robinton had discovered Menollys talent at songmaking, shed actually lived outside her hold, caring for the nine fire lizards she had Impressed from the rescued clutch. If only, thought Piemur with a sigh, he wasnt immured in the Crafthall; if only he had a chance to search seashores and find his own clutch Of course, as a mere apprentice, hed have to give the eggs to his Craft Master, but surely, if he found a whole clutch, Master Robinton would let him keep one.

The sudden raucous call of a fire lizard startled him, and he sat up in alarm. The sun was now streaming across the outer side of the Harper Hall rectangle. He had fallen asleep again. If Rocky was screaming, he was late to help feed. With deft movements, he dressed, except for his boots, and thudded down the steps, emerging into the courtyard just as he heard the second, more urgent summons from a hungry Rocky.

When he saw that Camo was only just trudging up the steps outside the kitchen, clutching his bowl of scraps, Piemur drew a sigh of relief. He wasnt all that late! He thrust his feet into his boots, stuffed the laces inside to save time, and clomped across the court just as Menolly came down the steps from the Main Hall. Rocky, Mimic and Lazy whirled above Piemurs head, chittering hungrily at him to move faster.

Piemur glanced up, looking for Beauty. Menolly had told him that when the little queen was close to mating time shed seem to be more golden than ever. She was now circling to land on Menollys shoulder, but she seemed the same color as ever.

Camo feed pretties? The kitchen drudge smiled brightly as Menolly and Piemur reached him.

Camo feed pretties! Menolly and Piemur spoke the customary reassurance in chorus, grinning at each other as they reached for handfuls of meat scraps. Rocky and Mimic took their accustomed perches on Piemurs shoulders, while Lazy clung with far from indolent strength to his left forearm.

Once the fire lizards settled to the business of eating, Piemur glanced at Menolly, wondering if shed heard the drum message. She looked more awake than she usually did at this hour, and slightly detached from her immediate task. Of course, she might just be thinking up a new song, but writing tunes was not Menollys only duty in the Harper Hall.