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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?

“Which is why we’re here, Lessa, F’lar,” Pilgra said, sitting forward on the edge of her seat. “We want to step down.”

“Four good Wingleaders who know every bit as much as I do about Threadfall,” M’rand added in a rush. “Weyr’ll follow any one of them. Three good strong queens and a young one not yet old enough to mate. So we want to go south. Found a place down there in Cathay, when we were helping after the Flood. Small bay, protected east and west, not a big holding but don’t want a big one. Got four to five weyrfolk want to warm their bones along with us. Wanted to ask you, can we?”

“Can you?” F’lar regarded him with surprise. “Of course you can. You and Pilgra have done more than your share of flying, in this Turn and the old one.”

“You don’t think we’re deserting?” Pilgra directed her question to Lessa, her face screwed with anxiety.

“By the Egg, no.” Lessa leaned across the space between them and patted Pilgra’s hand, noticing the brown spots and the puffiness of her fingers holding the glass.

“Segrith hasn’t had any of the old urgings to fly,” Pilgra went on, adding, “though she’s clutched every two Turns since we got here.”

“With at least fifteen eggs and all living to fly. I wonder you’ve any space left in the Weyr.”

“Well, it’s space another queen can fill from now on,” Pilgra said with a touch of asperity. “M’rand wants to see the Pass out but …” and she raised one hand in a helpless gesture.

M’rand cleared his throat, leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Did hope to, F’lar, not many get the chance, you know.” His grin was a brief echo of his former vitality and charm. “But, after seeing the place in Cathay, what with R’mart stepping down, I thought maybe, with three queens available and I’ve got some fine bronze riders, we might … well … go south and get warm!”

“You don’t have to ask our permission, you know,” Lessa said gently, smiling with genuine gratitude. “You didn’t have to come Forward from your own time to help F’lar and me during this Pass.”

“ ‘That was twice decided,’ ” M’rand murmured softly, quoting the old Question Song. “We came because that was what we’d done, had to do, did.”

“And, for thirty-one Turns, we’ve been grateful for your splendid generosity,” Lessa said.