“Expect what?” Tullea demanded as she strode up to join them in the Weyr Bowl.

“M’tal thinks I timed it back to his Fall today,” B’nik said.

“Saved my hide,” M’tal said.

Tullea paled. “Timed it?” she said to B’nik. “When?”

“Not yet, apparently,” B’nik said, “or I’d remember.”

“You certainly would,” Tullea agreed feelingly. She turned to M’tal. “How many others were there?”

“I only saw him,” M’tal told her. He glanced over to B’nik’s quarters and Caranth lounging in his weyr. His eyes narrowed as he added, “Caranth looked darker than he does now.”

“It could have been a trick of the light,” B’nik said.

“Possibly,” M’tal said, shrugging off his doubts. “I only caught glimpses of you.”

“So you’re going to time it, eh?” Tullea asked, turning her head up appraisingly to her Weyrleader and mate.

“Apparently.”

“In a way, I’m saddened,” M’tal said. The others looked at him in surprise. “I was hoping that we wouldn’t need to time it.”

Tullea gave murmured heartfelt agreement.

“Why?” B’nik asked, turning from her to M’tal.

“Because it means that we soon won’t have the strength to fly alone,” the older dragonrider said.

B’nik pursed his lips and nodded in grim agreement.

“The baby’s fine,” Lorana told Fiona, barely keeping her irritation out of her voice. “Why don’t you check on Talenth? She’s ready to clutch.”

“She’s got nearly a fortnight before that,” Fiona said, glancing from their quarters back to Talenth’s weyr, where the gold was dozing; shifting once in a while to find a more comfortable position. Fiona turned back to Lorana and added quietly, “But if you want time to yourself, I’ll let you be.”

Lorana gave her a grateful smile. “I appreciate your efforts but—”

“You need some time to yourself,” Fiona finished for her with a smile.

“I understand.” She rose and made her way to Talenth’s weyr and the Weyr Bowl beyond, turning back to add, “Call if you need anything.”

Lorana raised a hand in weary acknowledgment and then stretched herself out on the bed. Shaneese and Bekka both assured her that she would feel worse before the baby arrived, but for the moment Lorana did her best not to consider the notion. She was only in her sixteenth week with easily another twenty-four before the baby was born, but she was already heartily sick of “peeing for two” as Shaneese had so succinctly put it.