“They might lay more often,” Kindan suggested, shaking his head. “We don’t know what Wind Blossom planned, perhaps this is normal.”

“And, even if they don’t, at least they’re not going to die of the sickness,” Fiona said. “I think we should consider this a good thing.”

“What if it isn’t?” Lorana asked. “What if this is a sign that something’s wrong?”

Nothing Kindan nor Fiona could say to the ex–queen rider seemed to console her. And it was clear that Lorana hadn’t been the only one to come to that conclusion.

Naturally, Tullea chose to appear in person to vent her ire.

“Saved the dragons!” Tullea snarled as she confronted a stricken Lorana in the middle of the Weyr Bowl the very next day. From the Hatching Grounds, Talenth shrieked angrily, echoed immediately by Tolarth and the bronzes of the Weyr.

Fiona saw the ruckus and raced over to it, coming in on the last of Tullea’s words.

“I don’t know about you, Weyrwoman, but I owe Lorana not only my queen’s life, but my own sanity as well,” Fiona cut in quickly, her blue-green eyes flashing ominously even as all the dragons in the Weyr backed her up with a tremendous roar of discontent. “If my queen had gone between—as hers had—I doubt I would have had the courage to continue seeking to cure others.”

“Maybe she didn’t,” Tullea said with a bitter smile. “Maybe all she did was create a way where the rest of us would suffer her same agony.”

Fiona’s hand flew from her side but she contained herself before actually striking the Benden Weyrwoman. A bronze dragon burst into view overhead and warbled anxiously—B’nik with Caranth.

“I understand your worry, Weyrwoman,” Fiona said, folding her fingers against her palm to leave only the index finger pointing. “Lorana shares your concern, too. And you may be certain that I—and she—will do all in our power to solve this problem if it is, truly, a problem.”

B’nik leaped down from Caranth and raced to Tullea, wrapping an arm around her waist and tugging her away from the others.

“There’s a queen egg at Benden, isn’t there?” Fiona called to forestall any futher outburst.

“Yes,” Tullea snapped. “Just the one.”

“Talenth laid none,” Fiona said. “Perhaps you should count yourself lucky.”

“I’m sure they’re all greens,” Tullea said, “given the way they were mated.”

Fiona firmly stood on her temper, letting her anger dispel with one long sigh and only acknowledging Tullea’s words with a curt nod.

“Greens are good fighters,” T’mar said breathlessly, having raced from his weyr up to Fiona’s side. “We could use as many of them as we could get.”

Tullea snorted in response but allowed herself, finally, to be led away by B’nik.