BooksBarbecue
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?

With each of Oldive’s sentences, the prisoners had moaned or writhed. The leader glared at the Healer.

“By giving my advice freely, I have fulfilled my duty as a healer,” Oldive said stolidly. “It is up to you to accept or reject.”

“Spare her! Spare her! Away, abomination,” cried several of the prisoners, lifting their hands in entreaty.

Oldive gave a slight nod of assent. “Her healing is now in your hands.” He turned from them, outwardly composed. Sebell stepped solicitously to his side, and he acknowledged the tacit support with a little nod.

Just then, Journeywoman Keita came storming out of the Hall, other healers behind her, all shaking their heads, visibly devastated by what they’d found.

“They’ve smashed every piece of Morilton’s last shipment!” she cried, glaring at the culprits, hands clenched at her sides. “It’ll take months to replace our supplies. The stillroom’s a complete shambles! Every sack, canister, and bottle in the treatment rooms have been emptied, and what they didn’t burn—” She paused in her telling to take a deep breath before she could continue. “—they urinated on!”

Before Groghe could intervene, a holder launched his club at the prisoner nearest him, whacking the man to his knees.

“No!” Groghe roared. “No!” The crowd wavered but its forward surge aborted. “I am Lord Holder. I mete out punishment. And they shall be punished!” His face was livid with fury that anyone would usurp his prerogative. He legged his big mount forward. “You!” He jabbed a finger at the leader, who skittered to one side on his knees as the runnerbeast’s hooves came very close to stamping on his feet. “Name! Hold! Craft!”

“Notice that they’re wearing dark green, Lord Groghe,” Keita said in a taut voice. There was an angry murmur for the additional insult.

“No rank knots or hold colors,” Sebell said, walking around the vandals, closely observing them.

“I’ll ask you once more!” Groghe said. “Names? Holds? Crafts?”

He—and the crowd—waited with brief patience. The prisoners looked more obdurate than ever.

“Search them!” Groghe said with a wave of his hand. More than enough erupted from the crowd to obey. “I said ‘search them,’ not strip them,” Groghe added when he observed the force used.

“Why not? Maybe the cold will loosen their tongues,” suggested a burly holder wearing Fort colors and a journeyman’s knot.

The vandals found their tongues only to protest vehemently against such handling.

“We have rights!” the leader cried, surrounded by willing searchers.

“You just lost ’em. Not answering the Lord Holder!” the holder bellowed, roughly turning out the leader’s pockets, scattering a few quarter marks on the frozen ground.

Suddenly Keita pointed to one of the women, whose shirt and jacket were opened to expose a red and inflamed chest.

“I recognize her,” the journeywoman said. “She came to the Hall for ointment to ease a rash.”

“Come here!” Groghe gestured to the woman.