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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?

“I’d like to know the details. It’s seldom dragons are attacked, much less injured, by lesser beasts.”

“As I’m sure the rest of the Council is already aware, Lord Toric, the injured are recovering. Now, do take your seat,” Larad said with firm courtesy. “There is much official business to discuss.”

Toric looked irritated but as no one would meet his eyes, he did take his chair. Immediately Sebell rose.

“We will deal first with the matter of Southern Boll’s Holdership.”

“Let us discuss the anarchic behavior,” Lord Kashman said, speaking rapidly and angrily, rising from his chair so fast it crashed backward to the flagstones, “of Lord Jaxom, Weyrleader N’ton, and Masterprinter Tagetarl who arbitrarily exiled twelve people, alleged to be Abominators.”

Larad looked up with surprise, and not a little annoyance, at Kashman’s complete disregard for protocol. Newly appointed Lord Holders should not be so presumptuous.

“Yes,” drawled Toric, smiling with considerable relish, “let’s hear about this latest of the exiles so enthusiastically perpetrated by Lord Jaxom and Weyrleader N’ton.”

“The Abominators did the perpetrating, Toric. Jaxom, N’ton, and Tagetarl followed precedent,” Groghe said, slapping one hand down hard on the table. “I was present for two of those judgments. I was the one who passed sentence at Turnover. Furthermore, this Council decreed—you were actually present for that meeting,” he pointed a thick, unwavering finger down the table at Toric, “don’t deny it—when we all decided that exile was an appropriate deterrent for any more wasteful acts of vandalism.”

“This issue will be discussed later,” Sebell said, raising his trained voice that overwhelmed the beginning of a three-sided shouting match by Toric, Groghe, and Kashman. Old Lord Corman seemed to have passed his contentiousness on to this sixth son of his, who was not much past his thirtieth birthday.

“I came to discuss that,” Toric cried.

“The first matter is, and will be, the confirmation of a new Holder for Southern Boll!” Sebell said in clarion tones.

“Why don’t you just agree to the girl and let us get to the real issues?” Toric demanded.

“But she’s a woman!” Kashman protested. “There hasn’t been a Lady Holder, except in a temporary capacity for …”

“Not since Lady Sicca ran Ista,” Groghe said. “My grandfather had great respect for her. For that matter, all of us here, bar you who are new come to the Council honors,” and Groghe emphasized that, “know that Lady Marella’s been running Boll for the past five Turns since Sangel began to deteriorate. Lady Janissian has been her steward and she certainly proved her worth to me during the Fireball Flood. Those cousins of hers removed themselves and their belongings to high ground and stayed there without lifting a finger. Neither of them should hold.”