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?

“Good point, but—” And Sebell looked down the closely written, beautifully inscribed handwriting to the paragraph he wanted, planting his finger on the margin.”—while the men carried no identification whatever in their clothes, one of them had been a glassblower, judging by the pipe calluses on his hands and burn scars on his arms.” He regarded Pinch with an anticipatory expression.

“And Master Norist was one of the most outspoken adversaries of Aivas and his new techniques. He was also exiled for his part in the abduction of our Master Robinton.” Pinch’s face went as bleak as Sebell’s at that reminder of the man both had respected, admired, and loved.

“Three of Master Norist’s sons were journeymen in the Glasscrafthall. All were very much under their father’s control.”

Pinch considered this. “Mind you, after thirteen Turns in a mine, pipe calluses might not last but burn scars made by hot glass do not fade.” He cocked his head at his Craftmaster. “So I should take a sketch of our good friend up to Serubil and maybe question some of the prison guards about those burn scars. Someone must have noticed them in thirteen Turns.”

“And if he regained his hearing.”

Pinch gave a snort. “He’d have to be able to talk if he’s been plotting raids and selective booty.”

“Find out, too, will you, Pinch, in your delightfully subtle way, how long it was before they went after the escaped prisoner? I’d heard tell the Smithcraft gave them twenty marks for that meteorite.”

Pinch gave an appreciative whistle. “No wonder the latest ones have made such a stir.”

Sebell shifted uneasily, his mouth pursed with annoyance. “No matter how much they’re worth, they’re causing more trouble than they could possibly be worth to the Smithcraft.”

“Oh?”

Sebell gave him a sharp look. “The one on the Keroon plains has the hillmen certain they’ll have a fireball next and aren’t the dragonriders going to blast it out of the sky before it falls on them and burns up all the fodder.”

“I thought the one in Paradise River Hold only fell through a roof?”

“It harmed nothing and Jayge got fifteen Smith marks for it. He also said,” and the expression on Sebell’s face suggested to Pinch that the Masterharper wished that Jayge had not been so garrulous, “that the dolphins had seen several ‘hissy hot’ objects sink into the sea and they’d be happy to dive for them.”

Pinch gave an indifferent shrug. “From what I remember, meteorites are more often apt to come down at sea than on land since we have so much more water on Pern.”

“That’s not the problem. Even people who should know better are demanding that the Weyrs send out more sweepriders to prevent more objects falling out of the sky.”