“Of course!” F’dan replied. He wagged a finger at her. “You’ve done your work too well, weyrwoman—you’ve got one hundred and twenty-two dragonriders flying against this Fall who are beholden to you.”

“I did my duty,” Fiona replied with a diffident shrug.

“And did it well,” P’der added as he approached, reaching out to touch Fiona on the shoulder affectionately.

“Well enough,” Fiona said feeling uncomfortable with the praise. She stepped back and gestured toward the dragons behind them. “And now you can do yours.”

“We certainly shall,” F’dan agreed emphatically. He leaned in closer to her as he added, “And someday soon, when there are enough queens again, we’ll have you flying with us, on the queens’ wing.”

Fiona’s face lit with a huge grin. “I’ll look forward to that!”

“F’dan, P’der, mount your dragons,” K’lior called as he strode briskly past them to his waiting Rineth.

“Fly well, Weyrleader!” Fiona called.

K’lior turned and waved at her in acknowledgment before climbing up Rineth’s foreleg and settling himself on his perch, tying himself tight against his riding straps and making one final check of his firestone sacks.

Fiona’s view of him was blocked as Cisca rushed up past her and called up to K’lior. “I expect you back in one piece, dragonrider!”

“I’ll do my best, Weyrwoman,” K’lior called back with a chuckle.

“You’d better,” Cisca replied, her voice shaking with feeling. Fiona moved forward and grabbed the hand Cisca had left trailing behind her. The Weyrwoman turned at this and smiled when she saw that it was Fiona before turning back and raising her free arm in farewell. Fiona drew alongside her and waved good-bye with her free hand as K’lior gave the signal and, wing by wing, one hundred and ninety-four dragons rose to take their positions near the Star Stones and then winked out, between.

“We left no watch dragon,” Fiona noted in surprise as she scanned the heights.

I’ll do it, Talenth replied promptly. Fiona whirled in time to see her beautiful queen rush out of her lair, leap into the air, and climb gracefully with a few sweeps of her golden wings to land daintily beside the Star Stones, her gaze set intently on the distant horizon and the rising sun.

“Well, she seems eager enough!” Cisca chuckled. She turned to Fiona as she added, “I hope she rises soon. We need a mating flight.”

Fiona nodded mutely.

With the dragons gone, Fiona met with Tintoval and helped her assemble the first-aid teams.

“You’ll keep an eye on me, won’t you?” Tintoval murmured when she found a moment where she and Fiona were alone.

“You’ll do fine,” Fiona assured her.

“At this point, though, you know more about healing dragons than I,” Tintoval reminded her. Her honesty compelled her to add, “And what you did with those severely injured riders—”