“If we have to wait for another mating flight, half a Turn or more, he won’t make it,” Kindan said.

“No, not here,” Fiona said, rising and turning to examine Zirenth. “Fort.”

“Fort?” Kindan said. “I’ve heard nothing of Melirth rising.”

Lorana’s eyes grew distant for a moment and then she grabbed Kindan’s arm and pulled him away forcibly, crying, “Come on!”

“Where are we going?” Kindan asked, holding his ground with a worried look toward T’mar.

“We’re going to Fort!” Lorana said, dragging him after her. “The bronzes are blooding their kills. We have to get there in time.”

“But you don’t know the coordinates!” Seban cried in warning.

“I do,” Fiona said, turning to start after them.

Stay here, Lorana told her. Just give us the image. Aloud, she said, “Zirenth! Rouse yourself, we’re going to Fort Weyr!”

To Fiona’s surprise, the bronze dragon stood up quickly and raced out of his weyr, jumping over the queens’ ledge and sidling up close to it, ready to receive Kindan and Lorana.

“You’ve no straps!” Fiona cried.

“Then we’d better not fall off!” Lorana said, increasing her pace into a full sprint. Kindan followed her lead, his reluctance lost.

“What are they doing?” Bekka asked in confusion. She gestured toward T’mar. “All the noise seems to have made him worse.”

“No,” Seban said, “not the noise, the dragons at Fort.” He glanced up at Fiona in confirmation. “He knows that the bronzes are blooding their kills.”

“Yes,” Fiona said. Outside she heard Zirenth’s bellow and the sound of the bronze beating his way into the air, then silence. The bronze, with Lorana and Kindan as his riders, went between to Fort Weyr.

“But if they’re blooding their kills now, how will Zirenth arrive in time for the mating flight?” Bekka asked. “Won’t he need to blood kills, too?”

“Yes he will,” Seban said. He shot a glance toward Fiona before adding, “Which is why Weyrwoman Fiona sent them back in time.”

Fiona took a deep breath and nodded, hoping that Lorana had realized her intent.

A noise from T’mar caused all eyes to turn to him.

“I’ll watch him now,” Fiona said.

Seban caught her eyes and nodded, placing his hands on Bekka’s shoulders and guiding his daughter toward Zirenth’s weyr and the queens’ ledge.

“He shouldn’t exert himself too much, Weyrwoman,” the ex-dragonrider cautioned her.

“I understand.”

“If you have Talenth call us when it’s over, we’ll see about changing his bandages,” Bekka said, a hopeful look flashing across her face when she mentioned Talenth. Fiona smiled and nodded, guessing how exciting it was for the youngster to have Telgar’s senior queen talk to her.

Fiona was pleased to realize that there was a little girl still lurking inside Bekka’s earnest, adult demeanor.