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"We've all done it, lad. You will, too," Shonagar said firmly. He glanced over at Robinton, raising his eyebrows as he recognized the new apprentice. "All of you."
Robinton had rehearsed with Shonagar many times – Shonagar was a good second tenor More important, he was fair-minded and really did keep good order in the apprentice dormitories. Though his position as head apprentice was not an official rank, Master Ge
Robinton hadn't mentioned his Hall background when the others were jabbering away about their homes, but it would soon become obvious. He hoped he could make friends in spite of having Masters as parents. He knew how apprentices could behave.
Fortunately, his i
Robie put himself forward ten days later when Shonagar entered their quarters after lights out.
"Right, now, who'll be first to spend the night at the Weyr?" the head apprentice demanded, eyeing his victims sternly as they lay in their beds.
All save Robinton scrunched down further under their sleeping furs, trying to disappear.
"I guess I wouldn't mind getting it all over with," Robinton said, throwing back his covers.
"Good for you, Robie," Shonagar said, nodding encouragingly.
Robinton dressed in the warmest of his clothes and, grabbing his jacket, prepared to go.
Shonagar and his two deputies waiting out in the corridor led him down the back stairs and out of the side door on the Hold side of the Hall. There were five ru
They walked quietly across the huge Fort Hold square, up past the beastholds and cots, and then Shonagar led them through the tu
"You can build a fire if you want in the Cavern," Shonagar said, pointing and gesturing for Robinton to dismount.
One of the other lads laughed. "If you can find any firing, that is."
"Leave it," Shonagar said sternly. "We'll be back for you an hour before dawn. Have a good night."
With that he led the others, and Robinton's mount, away and Rob stumbled towards the black maw of the living quarters which had once teemed with weyrfolk.
His footsteps echoed slightly in the still night and he hugged his jacket closer around him. Well, it wasn't as cold as between. He did wish he'd had some warning so he could have saved a bit of his supper. Eating always made him feel better.
Once under the vaulting roof of Fort's Lower Cavern, he could see little but the hearths along its outer edge.
"If you can find any firing, indeed," he said with a snort. "And nothing to light it with." He thought he'd best get some matches and hand them out to the other lads so that they could start a fire on their turns. Maybe see that there was some tinder for them to smuggle along. A glowbasket, even the smallest of them, couldn't be hidden under a jacket. Even the smallest blaze would be better than this deep black darkness. Not as dark, though, as between.
But there was light outside, so Robinton went exploring. He'd taken the precaution of looking at the plans of Fort Weyr in the Archives. He'd told his room-mates to do so, as well, when they
had a chance during their script lessons. So he found the steps leading to the rank of junior queen weyrs. They'd be warmer since they got their heat, as Fort Hold and the Harper Hall did, from deep inside the earth. No one now knew how that had been done, but it was why they didn't all freeze in the bleaker months of full winter.
He was somewhat glad that this ordeal occurred in the early autumn.
He stumbled twice going up the stairs: the steps were slightly uneven, though wide enough to accommodate his whole foot. He found the entrance to the first weyr by almost falling into it – he'd been guiding himself along the ledge with one hand on the stone wall on his right.
Entering, still one hand on the wall, he once again almost fell inside when he reached the outer room, where the queen dragon had slept. As he moved cautiously into the room, he could smell the odd spicy odour that was so "dragony'.
Where had the weyrfolk gone to? There were so many notions about that: including the one which had all the dragonriders and weyrfolk returning to where the Ancients had come from. If they had, then why had no one else come to Pern? Surely there would be interest in the dragons of Pern!
He barked his shin on the dragon's couch and let out an exclamation, rubbing his leg. In the ensuing silence he heard the faint rustle of tu
It did him no harm with all the other apprentices that he had to be wakened in the dusk preceding dawn by some loud shouting. When Robinton emerged on the weyr ledge, Shonagar urgently waved him down.
"Where have you been, Rob? We gotta get back to the Hall before they know we've borrowed the ru
"It's warm in a weyr," Robinton said, yawning.
"Sorry to disturb your slumbers. Mount up. We're going to have to move!" Shonagar had a respectful scowl on his face as he handed the initiate the reins. "And remember, not a word to the others. They must do it themselves, too."
"Oh, it's not so bad," Rob said, gri
"Just don't let me hear you've warned "em about anything,