It was only after the gold and bronze dragons had disappeared between that T’mar allowed himself a sigh and gave Fiona an appreciative look. “B’nik has much on his hands.”

“We’re well shut of her,” Kindan assured Lorana later that evening over a quiet dinner in their quarters. Fiona was present although she’d already declared that she would be staying with T’mar that evening.

“She is a bit … difficult, isn’t she?” Fiona said. She turned toward the older woman. “I don’t know how you managed with her.”

“Not very well,” Lorana admitted. “Nor very long, when it comes to it.” She glanced speculatively at Fiona and the younger woman easily guessed that the ex–queen rider was wondering how long their relationship would remain equitable.

Fiona reached for one of Lorana’s hands, grabbed it, and pressed it to her cheek. Always.

Lorana gave her a surprised look and then shook her head, her lips parted in a smile.

“Whatever we have, the Records at Igen—and here at Telgar—never mentioned,” Fiona told her feelingly.

“There have been plently of multiple partnerships,” Kindan said.

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Fiona said.

“I know,” Kindan said. “I was going to say that the Records do not mention any mating flight like ours.”

“Another thing for which to be grateful to Lorana,” Fiona said, catching the dark-haired woman’s deep brown eyes. “She was the only one who could keep Zirenth from going between when T’mar had his concussion.” She paused for a moment, reflecting on her own frantic memories of that horrid day, and added, “Without Lorana we would have suffered a triple tragedy, perhaps worse.”

“Which only goes to say that you,” Lorana retorted, nodding first to Fiona and then to Kindan, “both of you, have very prejudiced views.”

“For which I, for one, am extremely grateful!” Fiona said with a chuckle. She released Lorana’s hand and gently gave it back to her. “And now, I think it best if I left the two of you—I mean, the three of you!—to your rest.”

T’mar was already asleep when she entered his quarters. He’d resumed drilling the wings as soon as Tullea had left, in preparation for their next Fall over Upper Crom in four days’ time and, perhaps in response to Tullea’s tirade, he’d worked the entire Weyr into exhaustion.