“It was like riding a Fall twiceover,” H’nez murmured weakly as Fiona came to Jeila’s aid in propping up the much taller rider. “I’ve never felt so bad.”

Fiona gave him a sympathetic look but secretly she wondered why the riders were so overwhelmed by it all—hadn’t she been dealing with the same problem for Turns? Perhaps it was worse when they actually timed it. Even so, she decided, she would not behave as poorly as the rest of the Weyr.

Hours later, when T’mar had recovered, the Weyrleader told her, “If you think this is anything like what we’ve been feeling, I can assure you that you’re wrong.”

Fiona gave him a studious look but her disbelief leaked into her expression.

T’mar wagged a finger at her. “Just you wait, Weyrwoman, you’ll see.”

“Either way,” Fiona said, dismissing the issue, “if the riders are this fatigued, surely timing it is too dangerous.”

“As compared to letting Thread fall unchecked?” T’mar said, shaking his head. Adding the old Weyr saying, “‘Needs must when the Red Star rises.’”

“All the same.”

“I’m not eager to try it, Weyrwoman, but we had to prepare,” T’mar said.

“Lorana’s warned the other Weyrs,” Fiona said.

“And well she should,” T’mar said. “But the problem remains, the first we’ll know of timing it is when we see ourselves back in time.”

Fiona’s expression darkened as she took in his words. How terrible would it be for riders, exhausted from a Fall, to know that they would soon be even more exhausted going back in time to save themselves?

“Casualties will be heavy,” Fiona said. T’mar nodded in wordless agreement. “It should only be used as a last resort.”

“We may be at last resorts soon,” the Weyrleader said grimly.

“The queens will clutch soon.”

“Those dragons will only be ready to fight three Turns from now,” T’mar said. “It’s today and tomorrow that concern me.”

Fiona had no response to that.

Every three days and three hours, Thread came again. Telgar flew over Igen Weyr, then over north Keroon, then over the Weyr itself and Telgar Hold.

And each time Thread fell, Lorana would grit her teeth in response to the anguish, the pain, and the loss of dragons and riders fighting against it.

Fiona found herself carefully orchestrating a watchful group to tend to the ex-dragonrider’s special needs: Jeila, Terin, Xhinna, Mekiar, Shaneese, even Birentir took part in the comforting, always solicitous, always available.

Kindan was at first resentful and then grew grateful as he realized how much of Lorana’s pain he had taken upon himself.

It was during the last Fall that Fiona discovered that she herself also had a steady group of companions. It was Rhemy, the wide-eyed girl who seemed to have feelings beyond her years, who was most often at Fiona’s side.