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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?

F’lessan stared down at the man, supine on the thick drenched ground cover. There were indeed red marks on Binness’s bare arms, where the dragon had clutched him. The bronze rider sagged across Golanth’s neck ridge. He was aware of a booming noise, not like the shock wave but frightening in its intensity. Water splashed high on the cliff again, as if seeking to regain a victim that only the initiative and quickness of his dragon had rescued. He did feel Golanth land; he was aware of Golanth tucking his wings loosely along his back, of the darkness that had replaced the bright sun, of the cries of those who had seen the tsunami curl and nearly inundate their summit refuge. These were dim, background noises to the rush of blood pounding in his body, the dryness in his throat, the extreme weariness he felt.

Breathe deep, said his dragon with proud affection. We’re all safe now.

“Who has the wineskin?” The rasping voice cut through his self-absorption. “Help him down. Can’t you see he’s wore hisself out saving us. Give him a drink. Cona, go help your man. He thinks he’s dead of drowning.”

“It was real close, Granddam,” a young voice said.

A hand tugged at his sleeve. “Dragonrider, here’s the wineskin.”

St’ven and C’reel had to help him down, Golanth crouching as low as possible to make that easier. The brown riders propped him up against his dragon and put the spout of the wineskin against his lips. He opened his mouth to accept a sip of wine. It was a rough sort, but its effect was more important than its quality.

“Get a cup, someone!” Lady Medda ordered. “Can’t have a dragonrider who saved our lives drink like a sot right from the skin!”

“Get several cups …” St’ven yelled over his shoulder.

“Could only find one,” said a woman, a moment later extending it to the brown rider. “Everything’s mixed up.”

“But it’s here,” said Lady Medda. “Lias, Petan, haul Binness back outta all that splashing. Then come back and carry me to shelter. Don’t aim to sit in all this wet any longer’n I have to. You fixing to stay longer, dragonriders, you’d better get under cover, too. Never saw a storm blow up so fast.”

“It’ll pass,” F’lessan whispered to C’reel who repeated his words loud enough to be heard.

The wine revived F’lessan sufficiently to get to his feet, propping himself against Golanth, hoping no one but his bronze noticed his trembling.

Ramoth says to come back to Landing, Golanth said. Evidently an order which Mealth and Galuth heard because the brown riders straightened up at the same time.

“We are ordered to return to Landing …” F’lessan began.

“Can ye get that far?”

F’lessan turned himself toward the sound of her anxious voice. “Yes!”