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?

F’lessan nodded. “While it doesn’t require five dragons to lift Golanth, it does require a good deal of control to lift and land. From what the Monaco riders told us, it appears that female and male dragons work best as partners in such telekinesis.”

“I still don’t understand,” Erragon murmured, shaking his head. “How did a wing-injured dragon fly?”

Beside him, D’ram was gaping open-mouthed at F’lessan and Lytol.

“Master Wansor, I know that you,” and F’lessan nodded toward him, “remember that Aivas was fascinated by dragons, by a species that communicates mentally and moves freely between one place and another. He called these abilities telepathy and teleportation. He thought they should have a third: telekinesis. He very much wanted dragons to have that facet. They’ve evidently had it all along but—” F’lessan paused to grin at a speechless D’ram. “—until the feline attack on Golanth and Zaranth, had never needed to use it.”

Turning to Erragon then, he went on. “What you saw today is a refinement of telekinesis. Controlled!” He paused to stress that. “Golanth can’t—yet—use the damaged wing effectively. So the dragons lifted him vertically, high enough above Honshu to go safely between, which he can still do for himself.” F’lessan leaned back in his chair, watching the reactions to his explanation: Lytol nodding, Wansor agape, Erragon frowning, and D’ram smiling in approval. “Today was the first attempt at a controlled lift of another dragon. It’ll take more practice to perfect the skill. Especially landing. I’m sure, Lord Lytol, that we’ll improve with practice.”

Today was my first try, after all, Golanth remarked, somewhat irked.

Of course it was, Golly, Tai assured him, pinching F’lessan’s bare arm.

“Just as he did with trundlebugs.” F’lessan shot Tai a sly glance.

“Why can’t Golanth ‘lift’ himself?” Erragon asked.

F’lessan shrugged. “Perhaps because he’s too accustomed to doing it the usual way. It is, as Lord Lytol knows, very dangerous to go between at ground level. Golly may just have to change the way he thinks.” He paused, a thoughtful expression on his face. “There’s going to be a lot of that soon—a lot of traditional thinking altered to deal with our imminent future as aerial defenders of a planet no longer requiring protection against Thread.”

“Hmm, yes.” Lytol rubbed his chin thoughtfully, but his gaze gleamed with anticipation as he regarded the bronze rider. “So, today, to get Golanth aloft, the others supplied the initial lift and controlled the descent.”

“To some degree,” F’lessan said with a grin.

“Have you any idea, bronze rider, what use Aivas would have made of draconic telekinesis?” Lytol asked. Had the shrewd man already jumped to the same conclusion F’lessan had?

“Surely you don’t mean he expected the dragons to alter the Red Star’s orbit?” Erragon demanded, astounded.