Part 2 (1/2)
”Yes, I heard dragons but I certainly have never heari s.h.i.+pfish !”
”Even when they rescued you and Da?”
”In the middle of a storm?”
”Mine didn't start talking until after the storm.”
His mother glanced again at Alemi for confirmation.
”It is true, Aramina. They spoke ”Their noises may have just sounded like words, Alemi, she tried to insist.
”Not when they said ”wielcame” after I said ”thank you”, Readis went on hotly, and Alemi nodded vigorously under Aramina's outraged eyes. ”And they know that the ancients called the place Landing and they're mamls not fis.h.!.+'
”Of course they're fis.h.!.+” Aramina blurted out. ”They swim in the sea!'
”So do we and we're not fis.h.!.+” Readis retorted in disgust with her disbelief and stormed out of the room, refusing to return when she called him.
”Now see what you've done!” Aramina said to Alemi and then she, too, left Temma's kitchen.
Alemi regarded the older woman blankly.
”If you say they spoke, ”Lemi, they spoke,' the former trader said with a definitive nod of her head. Then she grinned at his confused expression. ”Don't worry about Ara. She'll calm down but you gotta admit you frightened the life out of her. And none of us here even knowing there'd been a bad squall. Here!” And she handed him a cup of the klah she had just made to which she added a dollop of the special brew she kept for emergencies.
”Ha!” Alemi said, smacking his lips after a long swig, ”I needed that!” He handed back the cup with a quizzical expression.
”You don't need any more or you won't be able to regale the gather tonight with your adventure,' Temma added with a wink.
The pod swam back into their customary waters full of elation that they had once again saved landfolk. This was worth relaying to The Tillek now, instead of waiting until the year turned and pods gathered at the Great Subsidence to watch the young males attempt the Whirlpool, and exchange the news each pod galliered in its waters. The southern pods did not have as many occasions as the noflhern ones did to do perform traditional duties. So the sounds went out and were broadcast that Afo and Kib had played wit/i mans lost at sea. It had been a great moment. For they had spoken to mans in Words and mans had spoken to them, using the ancient Words of Courtesy.
So Kib rehea.r.s.ed the tale, murmuring into the waters as he swam the Words of his Reporrit. He sent the sounds out to be repeated from pod to pod until they came to the hearing of The Tillek. Maybe this was time that The Tilleks had promised would come: when mans once more remembered to speak to sea folk and become partners again.
The sounds travelled to The Tillek who had them repeated from one end of the seas to the other, to all the pods in all the waters of Pern There was envy at such good luck and some even wished to join the fortunate pod. Afo, Kib, Mel, Temp and Mull swam fast and proud, with great leaps. And Mel wondered if mans would still know how to get rid of bloodfish for he had one sucking him which he could not seem to sc.r.a.pe off, not matter how he tried.
Chapter Two.
Readis fell asleep that night some time after his third repet.i.tion of their adventure.
”He's got it down as pat as any harper, his father said with some chagrin.
”Just so long as you've made it plain, and Aramina emphasized that word, ”that he isn't to swim out or go sailing ”Skiff's gone, remember?” Jayge put in rea.s.suringly.
”To try and find those s.h.i.+pfish again,' she finished, glaring at him.
”You heard him promise, ”Mina, that he wouldn't go near to the water without a companion. He's a child of his word, you know.”
”Hmmm, Aramina said ominously.
But, though she kept strict track of her son's whereabouts for the next two days, he did not disobey though she saw him often s.h.i.+elding his eyes from the sun, gazing out across the restless waters of the Southern Sea. Perversely now she worried that he had taken a fear of the sea. When she hesitantly mentioned this to her mate, Jayge stoutly denied there was a fearful bone in Readis' body.
”He's obeying - isn't that what you wanted of him?” Jayge demanded. ”You can't have it both ways.
Aramina sighed and then was summoned out of her preoccupation over Readis by a loud cry of frustration from Aranya who was having trouble with a toy cart that kept losing its wheel.
The next afternoon, while holders were taking their midday rest, avoiding the heat of the sun, Aramina received a polite message from Ruth that he and Lord Jaxom were visiting Paradise River. She told her husband. She was halfway to the kitchen to prepare the fruit juices that she knew Jaxom liked when she turned back, puzzled.
”They're already here at Paradise, Aramina said. Then she went to the edge of the wide verandah that shaded their house, peering up into skies unpopulated by the recognizable form of a dragon. ”But where? Isn't that just like Jaxom? Although why he would tell me he was coming when he's already nearby Oh, maybe I misheard Ruth. I do that now and then.” She sighed in exasperation, shrugged and went back inside.
Jayge seated himself where he commanded a good view of the approaches to the house, propping his feet up on the railing. The days when Aramina had heard every single dragon conversation were long past - to her infinite relief. The dragons had to think specifically at her to convey a message. Jayge couldn't imagine what could have delayed Ruth who was generally very prompt to follow any announcement of his coming. Lord Jaxom of Ruatha Hold was welcome for his own self but Jayge smiled at the surprise Readis would have to see the white dragon when he woke from his afternoon nap.
”Not that that would rate as high now as swimming with a dolphin,' Jayge murmured aloud. As well it was Ruth and Jaxom who were the first dragon pair to land at Paradise River after Readis' adventure. The very ones to answer candid questions.
Just then Ruth glided with deft back-winging to land in front of the house. Jayge rose to his feet and went to greet them, a broad grin on his face. ”Ara started squeezing juice the moment Ruth told her you were coming. You've confused her. She said you were already here but we couldn't see the white hide anywhere.
And I'm glad you did because something's come up!'
Jaxom grinned and Jayge frowned because he suddenly realized that Jaxom was carrying his riding jacket and had sweated through his light s.h.i.+rt. His face also bore sweat marks. Considering that between was beyond measure cold, Jayge was confused. Then Ruth turned and, in a hop-glide gait, made for the sh.o.r.e while happily chirping fire-lizards converged above him.
”Off for a scrub, is he?” and Jayge gestured his human guest up to the coolness of the porch. ”How could you work up such a sweat in between, Jaxom?”
”Stealing sand.” The young Lord Holder grinned with mischief. ”We've been examining the quality of your local stuff.”
”Indeed? Now what would you need Paradise River sand for?
As I'm sure you're going to tell me anyway.” He motioned for Jaxom to take the hammock, strategically placed at the corner of the house where it caught any breeze, seaward or landward. He leaned against the banister, arms folded across his chest, awaiting an explanation.
”The settlers had a sandpit back in that scrub land of yours.
They thought highly of Paradise River sands - for gla.s.s making.”
”There's certainly enough. Did Piemur and Jancis find those whatchamacallums ”Chips?” With a grin, Jaxom supplied the proper term for all the odd bits that had been stored in the Hold's barn by the Ancients. It was only in recent days that any one had understood their purpose . . . parts for computers, of which the Artificial Intelligence Voice Address System - Aivas - recently discovered at a Landing building was the most complex. And the receptacle in which all the Ancients' vast knowledge had been stored. Jayge had had a brief glimpse of the incredible machine, in its special room at Landing, and heard what miracles of information it had.
”Chips, then useful, after all?”
”Well, we managed to salvage the usable transistors and capacitors but they haven't actually been installed yet.”
Jayge gave him a long suspicious look for the way the strange words came so easily from his mouth. ”As you say, he added with a grin.
Just then, young Readis, clad only in a clout, came out on the porch, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He peered at Jaxom, swinging lazily in the hammock, then swivelled his head around to the front of the house. ”Ruth?”
Jaxom pointed to where the white dragon, surrounded by industrious fire-lizards, wallowed in the shallow water.
”He's enough of a guardian, isn't he?” Readis asked, tilting his head back in a stance that mirrored one of his father's postures.
Jayge nodded, glad that Readis was so conscious of his promise not to go in the water unattended. ”Ruth's bathing right now and besides, I'd like you to tell Jaxom what happened to you and Alemi the other day?”
”Did you come just to hear?” Readis asked, though he knew that Lord Jaxom had a lot of other things to do since he was aware of how hard his own holder father worked. On the other hand, he was certain that even a busy man like Lord Jaxom would find his adventure interesting: because it was a real adventure.