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Back The Skies of Pern
Chapters (64)
  1. Other titles by Anne McCaffreyPublished by Ballantine Books:
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  7. INTRODUCTION
  8. PROLOGUE
  9. At a Gather—6.15.30
  10. Part 1
  11. Turnover at Landing—1.1.31 Present Pass Aivas—Aivas Adjusted Turn 2553
  12. Benden Weyr—1.1.31
  13. Southern Hold—1.1.31
  14. Healer Hall—1.1.31
  15. Back at Landing—1.2.31
  16. Fort Hold—late night—1.1.31
  17. Fort Hold Runner Station—1.2.31
  18. Keroon Printer Hall—1.3.31
  19. Benden Weyr—midday—1.3.31
  20. Monaco Bay Weyr—five days later—1.8.31
  21. Part 2
  22. Ruatha Hold—local time 12:04 in the morning—1.9.31
  23. Telgar Weyr—local time 4:04 in the morning—1.9.31
  24. Benden Weyr—local time 6:04 in the morning—1.9.31
  25. Harper Hall—local time 1:00 in the morning—1.9.31
  26. Landing—local time 10:12 mid-morning—1.9.31
  27. In the Conference Room at Landing—1.9.31
  28. Monaco Weyr—10:22 in the morning—Timing it
  29. In the Conference Room at Landing—local time 1:10–1.9.31
  30. Sunrise Cliff Seahold—timed-back
  31. In the Conference Room—local time 2:12 at Landing—1.9.31
  32. Back at Landing—local time—3:40
  33. Harper Hall—5:00 in the morning, and Southern Hold—2:00 in the morning–1.9.31
  34. Landing—late afternoon—1.9.31
  35. Same time at Keroon Printer Hall—local time 11:15—1.9.31
  36. Later, on an unusually bright evening at Landing, Sunrise Cliff, and Honshu Hold—1.9.31
  37. Part 3
  38. Honshu—1.10.31
  39. Circle Runner Station—1.18.31
  40. Harper Hall
  41. Benden Weyr—
  42. Benini Hold—east Monaco and Honshu—1.20.31
  43. Harper Hall—1.28.31
  44. Honshu Hold—2.1.31
  45. Fort Hold—2.13.31
  46. Printer Hall at Wide Bay—same night
  47. Honshu Hold—2.9.31
  48. Night at Wide Bay—2.9.31
  49. Ruatha Hold—late evening—2.9.31
  50. Core Hold—two days before Council Meeting—2.26.31
  51. Part 4
  52. Honshu Weyrhold—2.26–27.31
  53. Council Meeting at Telgar Hold—3.1.31
  54. Honshu Weyrhold—3.01.31
  55. Interim at Benden and elsewhere
  56. Honshu Weyrhold—time passing slowly
  57. Landing—3.21.31
  58. Honshu Weyrhold—3.21.31
  59. Southern Hold—3.23.31
  60. Honshu Weyrhold—3.27.31
  61. Benden Weyr—3.27.31
  62. Cove Hold—same day, same approximate time
  63. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  64. What’s next onyour reading list?

“Ruth and Jaxom called me to Ruatha,” N’ton said urgently. “There’s a meteor or a comet in the east, showering stuff. Had a look at it through those binoculars of Jaxom’s. It isn’t a late Ghost and, for all it’s in the east, it most certainly is not a return of the Red Star.”

“Red Star?” Haligon, just entering the Hall, repeated that with scornful incredulity. “Couldn’t be. Father thinks the Abominators are up to something.”

“Not this,” N’ton said, shaking his head. “I spoke with Sharra, as Jaxom and Ruth had gone straight to Landing. There are reports of seeing these shooting flares from Telgar, Benden, Cove, and Landing. There’ll be more messages in, Sebell, so I thought you ought to be aware.”

“Then what is it?” Haligon asked, straightening hurriedly donned clothes and trying to look more alert than cold and sleepy.

“That’s what we’ll have to find out,” Sebell said. He motioned them to go into his office. “Bring us some klah, Ronchin, will you? I’m sure the Harper Hall will be the first to know what’s going to keep us up all night.” He stirred up the fire and threw more black stone on it.

“It has nothing to do with Abominators, does it?” Haligon asked. “I told Father it couldn’t have.”

“How?” N’ton asked with some exasperation. Lord Groghe had been seeing Abominators in anything unusual. He strode to the big map of Pern hanging on the wall and pointed as he explained. “Watchrider at Telgar saw it and at the same time it appeared to be directly overhead at Benden, visible from Cove Hold and Landing. That would make it very high up, probably above the atmosphere. I doubt even Aivas could have rigged such a display over such an immense distance. So tell Lord Groghe to discard any notion of an Abominator scheme. Ramoth said Golanth and F’lessan have gone to Landing. They’ll report directly to her. We’ll know as soon as she does.”

Haligon’s face was thoughtful, obviously trying to figure out what to say to allay his father’s alarm when Menolly, well wrapped in a robe, arrived with a tray of steaming cups of klah.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Sebell said.

“You didn’t but Haligon’s boots did,” and she gave the Holder a mock-angry scowl as she passed cups around. “You’re very good to Lord Groghe, you know,” she added in quiet approval.

“Then it has to have come from beyond Pern,” Sebell said. “Abominators cannot have contrived that.”

“Whatever it is,” Menolly said cheerfully, handing Haligon his cup of klah, “the Abominators will be sure that somehow Aivas arranged it Turns ago.”

“How?” demanded the three men in chorus.