Chapters (33)
- Other Books by this Author
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Acknowledgments
- For Readers New to Pern
- Chronology of the Second Interval/Third Pass
- Fort Weyr, AL 508.2.2
- Fort Weyr, AL 508.2.5
- Fort Weyr, AL 508.2.6
- Fort Weyr, early morning, AL 508.2.7
- Fort Weyr, later, AL 508.2.8
- Telgar Weyr, later, AL 508.2.8
- Telgar Weyr, early morning, AL 508.2.9
- Telgar Weyr, late evening, AL 508.2.9
- Telgar Weyr, early morning, AL 508.2.10
- Telgar Weyr, later, AL 508.2.10
- Telgar Weyr, late evening, AL 508.2.10
- Telgar Weyr, Threadfall, AL 508.2.11
- Telgar Weyr, morning, AL 508.2.13
- Telgar Weyr, morning, AL 508.2.15
- Telgar Weyr, next morning, AL 508.2.16
- Telgar Weyr, morning, AL 508.4.15
- Ista Weyr, afternoon, AL 508.5.5
- Keroon Threadfall, morning, AL 508.5.21
- Telgar Weyr, evening, AL 508.5.26
- Telgar Weyr, early morning, AL 508.6.19
- Telgar Weyr, evening, AL 508.6.25
- Telgar Weyr, morning, AL 508.6.28
- Telgar Weyr, early evening, AL 508.7.17
- Fort Weyr, second hour, AL 507.11.18,
- Telgar Weyr, evening, AL 508.7.21
- About the Author
- Copyright
She knew that if she were to continue to be Xhinna’s friend, she had to make Xhinna comfortable in the knowledge that she would never be her lover but also make it clear that she would always accept Xhinna’s love. The two things were different, something Fiona grasped at a level beneath conscious thought even though, until very recently, she had never experienced the difference between loving and having a lover.
“Friends?” Fiona repeated when Xhinna made no reply.
“Promise me this,” Xhinna said. She waited for Fiona to nod before continuing, “Promise me that you’ll never leave me again.”
“I swear by the egg of Talenth that, if it’s in my power, I’ll never leave you again, Xhinna,” Fiona said, hugging her tightly. She whispered into her ear, “I missed you.”
“But you didn’t think I was dead,” Xhinna said, not entirely mollified.
“The gold rider—” Fiona began, but Xhinna cut her off.
“Wasn’t it you, from the future?”
Fiona pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I don’t know.” She saw Xhinna’s look and said, “Really, I don’t know. I could have been but …” She broke off, shaking her head. “The gold rider said you weren’t to come, and I knew that I had to go.”
“How?”
“I don’t know,” Fiona said, shaking her head, “I just did.” She paused a moment. “Maybe I was wrong.”
“The weyrlings are grown, the riders healed, we’ve got more fighting strength than we did three days ago,” Xhinna said then. “What you did was important.”
“Thanks.”
“Friends,” Xhinna said solemnly.
“Good,” Fiona replied, snuggling up against her. “I can’t stand sleeping alone.”
Fort Weyr, AL 508.2.5
TWO
Short Fall,
Watch all.
Winds change
Dragon’s bane.
Fort Weyr, AL 508.2.5
“It’s time,” Fiona said three days later, nudging Xhinna as she forced herself out of the bed and into the cold night air. She put on her slippers and pulled a warmer nightgown around her shoulders, allowed herself a moment’s memory of the hideously hot Igen summer nights, then squared her shoulders determinedly and set off to the necessary.
Xhinna joined her not long after Fiona had dressed in her riding gear, yawning widely.
“Why are you wearing that?”
“It’s warm,” Fiona said feelingly. Xhinna snorted and shook her head at the weyrwoman’s affectation. Feelingly, Fiona responded, “You try living in Igen for three Turns!”
Wisely, Xhinna said nothing, but her eyes danced mischievously as she waved the weyrwoman out with a promise to follow along shortly.
Fiona greeted Talenth cheerfully and her queen warbled a greeting in response. Out in the Weyr Bowl the dragonriders were already gathering, checking riding straps and firestone hooks carefully before patting their dragons and proceeding to the Kitchen Cavern for a last bit of warm food or klah.