It was only when Lorana mentioned it that Fiona thought to take stock of her own injuries and she realized that the other woman was absolutely right. Ruefully, she asked herself, “Does she boss weyrwomen around all the time?”

“Usually,” Kindan said with a grin. Fiona’s eyes widened in surprise.

Lorana was back moments later with Bekka, two sturdy weyrfolk, and a stretcher. Between her, them, Kindan, and Fiona, they managed to gently place T’mar in the stretcher, his neck braced, leg straight.

Zirenth, we’re putting T’mar in the other queen’s weyr, Fiona called. Ahead of her, Lorana snorted, turned her head and said, “I told him already.”

“You heard me talking to him, too?” Fiona asked in surprise.

“Of course.”

“I thought you just heard dragons.”

“Usually I do,” Lorana said with a bemused look.

They reached the start of the ledge and conversation stopped as they carefully negotiated it and their way through the empty lair to the quarters beyond. T’mar was delicately moved from the stretcher onto the empty bed.

“Thank you,” Fiona said to the weyrfolk, who nodded and, with a worried look toward the comatose bronze rider, left with their stretcher, heading back to the aid area.

Bekka leaned over T’mar and gently rested the back of her hand on his head for a moment, testing his temperature. When she was done, she moved her hand lower so that it hovered over his nostrils and she could feel his breath. Satisfied, she straightened up and moved back to tell Fiona, “He’s not too hot, and resting gently.”

“We should get back,” Fiona said, turning toward the entrance even as she looked back at the stricken rider.

“I could stay with him,” Lorana said. A rustle of wings and the sound of Zirenth’s claws alerted them to the arrival of the bronze dragon, who quickly entered the weyr, circled once around, and poked his head through the gap between the weyr and the quarters to eye T’mar worriedly.

“I’ll stay with you,” Kindan told Lorana, pulling two chairs closer to the bed and gesturing for her to take one.

Fiona turned her head back to the entrance, then back once more toward T’mar, Lorana, and Kindan, giving them a quick nod before gesturing for Bekka to come with her.

As she stepped back down into the Weyr Bowl, Fiona saw Sonia with Lyrinth nearby.

“I must get back,” Sonia said as she started to climb up on the gold’s foreleg. She nodded toward the recently occupied queen’s weyr. “There’ll be injured at High Reaches soon, too.”

“Do you need help?” Fiona asked, glancing around for Jeila. She spotted the swarthy weyrwoman striding toward them from the aid tables, dressed in riding gear, and waved to her. As Jeila got closer, she said, “We think alike, if you’re thinking of helping at High Reaches.”