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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?

Pinch reached over and patted Tagetarl on the shoulder. “But we’ve warning and I know who—and what—to be looking for.”

“The three sketches you showed me?”

“I’m hoping all three will come to this party.” Pinch’s expression turned enigmatic.

“Party?” Tagetarl was livid.

“Evening exercise, if you prefer. Since they expect to surprise you, we’ll just prepare a few of our own.” He rose and Bista glided from her perch on the windowsill to his shoulder. “I’ll go give them a hand.” When Tagetarl started to rise, throwing off the last of this infamous shock, Pinch motioned to the kettle. “We’ll need a lot more klah. And don’t notice me walking about today, will you? The others’ll hide in the loft. Just don’t send anyone up there, will you? Fine. We brought food and water with us. No one will know we’re here.”

He started to leave, and then stopped, putting up a hand to steady his gold fire-lizard on his shoulder.

“There’s one more thing, Tag,” he went on. “You might just get an unexpected gift, like a skin of good wine. Don’t even sample it out of courtesy. Or any provisions offered in kind for books received.”

“What?” Tagetarl bristled at that. They did take fresh fruit or meat in return for printing. Would an Abominator stoop to poison? Then he remembered that Master Robinton had been drugged at the Ruatha Gather and abducted right in front of hundreds of people. “How many are involved?”

Pinch gave an indolent shrug. “Don’t know, but Abominators seem to work in groups. Since they intend to damage the Hall, they’ll bring enough brawn to smash stuff around. There are still persons,” and he heaved a sigh for those so misguided, “who’ll do any job that drops marks in their pockets.”

Tagetarl shuddered; he had a vivid picture of the Hall, paper burning, toner powder splotching the whitewashed walls, hammers smashing his presses, even if Pinch seemed certain that fire could be prevented.

“You are not reassuring me, Pinch!” he said in a caustic tone.

“While we want them to get in,” Pinch said, “to show that they had evil intentions, we want to keep them from getting out.” His grin was malicious. “That’ll be easier to do, you know.”

“No, I don’t know, but this is just the sort of adventure you enjoy!”