Chapters (64)
- Other titles by Anne McCaffreyPublished by Ballantine Books:
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- INTRODUCTION
- PROLOGUE
- At a Gather—6.15.30
- Part 1
- Turnover at Landing—1.1.31 Present Pass Aivas—Aivas Adjusted Turn 2553
- Benden Weyr—1.1.31
- Southern Hold—1.1.31
- Healer Hall—1.1.31
- Back at Landing—1.2.31
- Fort Hold—late night—1.1.31
- Fort Hold Runner Station—1.2.31
- Keroon Printer Hall—1.3.31
- Benden Weyr—midday—1.3.31
- Monaco Bay Weyr—five days later—1.8.31
- Part 2
- Ruatha Hold—local time 12:04 in the morning—1.9.31
- Telgar Weyr—local time 4:04 in the morning—1.9.31
- Benden Weyr—local time 6:04 in the morning—1.9.31
- Harper Hall—local time 1:00 in the morning—1.9.31
- Landing—local time 10:12 mid-morning—1.9.31
- In the Conference Room at Landing—1.9.31
- Monaco Weyr—10:22 in the morning—Timing it
- In the Conference Room at Landing—local time 1:10–1.9.31
- Sunrise Cliff Seahold—timed-back
- In the Conference Room—local time 2:12 at Landing—1.9.31
- Back at Landing—local time—3:40
- Harper Hall—5:00 in the morning, and Southern Hold—2:00 in the morning–1.9.31
- Landing—late afternoon—1.9.31
- Same time at Keroon Printer Hall—local time 11:15—1.9.31
- Later, on an unusually bright evening at Landing, Sunrise Cliff, and Honshu Hold—1.9.31
- Part 3
- Honshu—1.10.31
- Circle Runner Station—1.18.31
- Harper Hall
- Benden Weyr—
- Benini Hold—east Monaco and Honshu—1.20.31
- Harper Hall—1.28.31
- Honshu Hold—2.1.31
- Fort Hold—2.13.31
- Printer Hall at Wide Bay—same night
- Honshu Hold—2.9.31
- Night at Wide Bay—2.9.31
- Ruatha Hold—late evening—2.9.31
- Core Hold—two days before Council Meeting—2.26.31
- Part 4
- Honshu Weyrhold—2.26–27.31
- Council Meeting at Telgar Hold—3.1.31
- Honshu Weyrhold—3.01.31
- Interim at Benden and elsewhere
- Honshu Weyrhold—time passing slowly
- Landing—3.21.31
- Honshu Weyrhold—3.21.31
- Southern Hold—3.23.31
- Honshu Weyrhold—3.27.31
- Benden Weyr—3.27.31
- Cove Hold—same day, same approximate time
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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T’lion placed her in the chair by the bed. She saw that F’lessan’s dark hair had been cut back on the right side, clearly showing the stitches on his scalp. Holding her hand a scant few centimeters above his face, her fingers trembled as she followed the path of the other facial scars. They didn’t look that deep but they were terrible to see on his handsome face.
As if conscious of someone watching him, he moved his head more restlessly from side to side and tried to lift first one hand, and then the other: the left hand slid limply to dangle beside the narrow bed. She picked it up, returning it to his side, and lightly touched his shoulder.
“Easy, F’lessan, lie still.” She pushed behind his ear the strand of hair that had fallen across the stitched cheek. “Lie still. Golanth lives!”
“Golly?” The question was more breath than word, his brows creased slightly, halted when he felt the pull of skin. “Golly?”
His eyes opened, blinked, strained to focus on her face. He seemed puzzled by her presence. “Where’ve you been?” It was almost a complaint.
“They wouldn’t let me come.”
“She got clawed, too, F’lessan,” T’lion said, leaning over the other side of the bed. “But I said I’d bring her and I have.”
F’lessan’s eyelids seemed too heavy to keep open but the corner of his mouth turned up.
“So you did. Don’t go ’way, my very dear green. Don’t go ’way.”
His endearment caught at her heart and she had to wait a moment before she could speak.
“I’ll see Golanth and then I’ll be right back. You can rest now.”
“Hmmm, yes. I can, can’t I?” He turned his head to one side and, exhaling a deep breath, sank into a stillness that scared her until she saw his chest rise again.
“I’ll convey you to bronze Golanth,” T’lion said, picking her up and carrying her from the room.
“Why, just look at him, bronze rider,” Sagassy remarked, pausing to look back at F’lessan. “He’s much less restless already.”
It was as well Tai had seen F’lessan before Golanth because the sight of the terribly wounded bronze made her weep.
“Now, now, he looks a lot worse than he is,” the Monaco rider said, tightening his arms about her.
He is much better, Tai. He is much better, and Zaranth rose from where she was lying on the sunny terrace beyond Golanth’s supine bulk.
“Oh, Zaranth! How can you say that?” Tai was sobbing. Because it’s true.