An arm touched her shoulder, soft, warm, not the man holding her. Fiona felt the love of that touch. Even as she started to recover from the frenetic events that had so completely controlled her, Fiona recognized the depth of that love. And as she did, with a mental gasp, she knew without doubt whose body was twined around hers.

Kindan.

Don’t, a voice touched her softly, stilling her incipient alarm. The voice sounded something like the strange voice Fiona had heard so many times before, but she realized, just then, that it was only Lorana’s voice; it had none of the echo she had come to associate with that other voice.

Kindan must have felt her stiffen, for he suddenly surged backward, away from her.

“No,” Lorana spoke aloud. Fiona felt the arm that had touched her shoulder slide around her side and felt the tension as Lorana moved her body closer to them, holding them together in her arms. “This is my moment, too.”

We must bring them home now, Lorana continued in thought. Fiona reached out to Talenth and felt, to her surprise, not just Zirenth but the presence of Lorana and Kindan, and the fainter presence of T’mar all bonded with the bronze and, through him, with her.

We must come back now, Fiona said to Talenth. She felt her gold’s languorous response, Zirenth’s delicate, loving agreement, and then the two broke their grasp, spun upright, and started a glide back toward the Weyr.

Fiona opened her eyes quickly to see Kindan’s blue eyes focused intently on her. She settled her clothes. Kindan blew a rueful snort but followed her actions. When she glanced up again, he was looking at her once more, his eyes dancing.

“You arranged this, didn’t you?”

“Kindan!” Lorana said. “When dragons rise, passion flies.”

“You felt it,” Fiona said to Lorana. “You felt it all.”

“I did,” Lorana agreed. She looked to Kindan. “And you felt Zirenth’s passion. You responded as a dragonrider.”

“But T’mar—”

They all turned guiltily toward the still form of the bronze rider.

“I saw his eyes open earlier,” Fiona said.

Kindan frowned.

“I felt him,” Lorana said. She turned to Kindan. “I think the mating flight roused him.”

“One would hope,” Kindan replied feelingly.

Outside, the air darkened and Zirenth landed on the ledge. They drew aside to allow the bronze dragon entrance to his weyr. He blew a quick breath of thanks in their direction, peered into T’mar’s quarters, and made a soft, wistful sound at his still form, then curled up swiftly into a deep sleep.

A bugle from nearby alerted them that Talenth had also returned, and at a motion from Fiona, they moved outside to watch the gold land and scamper into her weyr.