Bekka buried her face in his shoulder but even so, her squeal of delight filled the room.

“You said two healers?” Tintoval asked, facing Fiona. She turned quickly toward Zirenth’s weyr and the Weyr Bowl beyond, saying, “I’d best get Birentir.”

“Leave him,” Fiona said. The others all looked at her. Apologetically she told Cerra and Lindorm, “I don’t question your abilities, nor your desires. But, as I have been recently reminded, sometimes my duties require me to learn new abilities.”

Lorana smiled at her in agreement.

“Birentir came to the Healer Hall not long after the Plague,” Tintoval said, her expression grave.

“As a patient,” Fiona guessed. Tintoval nodded even as her brows rose in surprise. “When he recovered, he—like our Bekka here—made a vow.”

“Yes,” Tintoval said.

“How did you know?” Cerra asked in surprise.

“I’d even guess that he had a daughter near my age,” Fiona continued, “and lost her in the Plague.”

“Yes,” Lorana said, following Fiona’s line of thinking.

“‘Arrogance is usually born of fear,’” Fiona said, nodding toward Kindan, who had told her that many Turns ago. Kindan jerked in surprise, delighted that she’d remembered. With a wry grin, she added, “I seem to have made it a habit to collect arrogant people.”

“It’s because you conquer your fear,” T’mar spoke up from his bed. All eyes turned toward him. “You still feel it, but you don’t let it rule you.”

“I don’t know about that,” Fiona said. The thought flustered her and she sought a means to divert herself from it. “Regardless, I think that we should get everyone back soonest, including Bekka and Seban.”

“I don’t think Talenth is up to eight,” Kindan said, a quick gesture including himself and Lorana in the count.

“Zirenth needs exercise,” T’mar said. Kindan and Lorana turned to him in surprise. T’mar met the ex–queen rider’s eyes, saying, “If you wish, I’m certain he’ll be happy to carry you.”

“And we’d like to work on this experiment,” Fiona added with a nod toward T’mar for his planning. “We’ve been trying to see if we can mix riders and dragons.”

“Uninjured riders paired with uninjured dragons?” Kindan asked, glancing from T’mar to Fiona and back. He pursed his lips thoughtfully. “That’s an interesting proposition.”

“So go test it,” T’mar said.

“Some more?” Lorana asked. “Remember that we already brought Zirenth to Fort Weyr.”

T’mar’s eyes narrowed. “Really?” he looked distracted as he probed his memories. “I hadn’t realized.”

“You’ve been through a lot,” Fiona told him. “You’re lucky to be alive and, if you don’t get some rest”—she gestured for the others to leave—“I’ll kill you.”

T’mar’s lips twitched but he closed his eyes, resolutely following her orders.