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"Tai, get aboard Zaranth and I'll hand the babies up to you. F'lessan, use the safety straps to tie them to her. Oh, do stop screaming, Vessa," Mirrim said to the hysterical child behind her. "F'lessan, get her aboard Golanth. She can hold another once she's on his back. He can follow Zaranth to the heights with this lot. Then come back for another. It's too far for them to make it on their own."
Mirrim's bossy streak was in full operation, F'lessan thought as he hoisted an hysterical mother up to Golanth and started passing up sacks and bundles. Tai placed the screaming toddler on Zaranth's neck, an action that instantly silenced it. She leaped astride and took the others Mirrim lifted up to her.
"I'm ready," Tai cried.
Follow Zaranth, Golly!
Of course!
"I know we're responsible for all of Monaco but I can work better if I know our folk are safe," Mirrim said, excusing her actions. "While Golanth's gone, you can help me organize the others inside. We have cradlers to take, too. Will Golanth mind?"
"Not likely," F'lessan said; even his dragon would not thwart Mirrim in this mood or under these circumstances. Fortunately Mirrim was already on her way back inside the room and did not see how close to the ground both green and bronze had been when they went between.Think of the time they saved, he told himself.
"You, you can go on Path," he heard her saying and she nearly ran him down on her return with three older women, barely able to move for the things they were clutching. "F'lessan, we'll need rope to tie the cradles to Golanth. Over in that closet."
"We have some time to spare, Mirrim," he told her as he complied. Golanth! Carry cradles? Well, who better?
"I'll send these off on my Path. She knows where to go. F'lessan, when you've got the ropes, put them on the porch. The ta
"There's Monarth doing nothing," F'lessan muttered under his breath, but he got the ropes, put them on the porch, and went to the assistance of the crafter who was trying to carry too many hides as well as various tools, and dropping things. And where was T'gellan with his maps?
By the time much of the Weyr's most urgent household items had been shoved or bundled into packs, brown, blue, and green dragons had arrived to be loaded and sent off. Three other blues took the cradled children. Browns were draped with fabric rolls and sleeping furs, and bulky items were tied to willing backs.
It was as well that dragons had an i
T'gellan finally came to F'lessan's end of the porch, lugging one end of a heavy chest as two brown riders held the other. Tucked under his belt were maps. While the brown riders lifted the chest to Monarth's back, T'gellan beckoned to F'lessan, who was begi
The Weyrcook, arms full of bundles, nearly fell down the steps, followed by weyrfolk struggling with sacksful of clicking pots and leaking supplies just as Golanth touched down again. T'gellan rolled his eyes significantly at the younger rider and F'lessan offered Golanth's services. The cook mounted first, securing as many things as she could to Golanth's ridges. When no more could fit on his back, he raised just high enough above the ground to go betweenyet again.
Then T'gellan was at F'lessan's side, unrolling one of the maps just as three bronze dragons deposited their riders on the recently cleared space. Two riderless brown dragons hovered above the trees, waiting to land.
"I suspect you're more adept at timing than that trio, my friend," T'gellan said, admirably cool in ma
With that philosophy F'lessan agreed, but he also knew how difficult it was to make holders abandon whatever treasures they might own.
"Holds're mostly near this stream, but that would provide the tsunami with a cha
"I've called in as many riders as can be spared to clear Monaco Harbor and Cove Hold," T'gellan said, his forehead furrowed with worry. "Sweep riders are warning inland holders but we can't take time to figure out how far above sea level they are. They'll just have to get as high as they can. But all have got to be warned." In a final aside, before the Weyr– leader mounted, he leaned into F'lessan. "Don't shave time too close! Lessa would kill me if you got time-lost."
Then he was astride his dragon and Monarth leaped skyward and was gone betweenbefore the upper sail of his wings cleared the rooftree on the Weyr building.
"C'reel, St'ven, mount up! Golanth? Golanth?"He felt the sudden air pressure on his body and didn't need to look to know that his bronze had landed on the ground beside him. He couldn't resist a proud grin at such accuracy. "We're going to the Sunrise Cliff Seahold. Take your directions from me," he added, stuffing the aerial map into a thigh pocket. Remember where the fireball was when we got here first, Golanth?
Of course.
Put it in the same place above Sunrise Cliff Seahold and let's gothen! F'lessan vividly imagined the grass-topped rock face with white sands for contrast.
Golanth sprang upward, once again going betweena leg-length above the ground. In the cold between,F'lessan had just time enough to wonder if the dragons were all embarked on something like Moreta's Ride. What had she used for a time-mark? Or had its absence caused her death?
After seeing Master Wansor leave with D'ram and Lytol to return to Cove Hold to organize its evacuation, Lessa's mind raced with all the details that had already been sorted out. She'd need time, of another sort, to organize her thoughts. How F'lessan must be loving this license, she thought sardonically. Erragon or Idarolan would be here soon enough to explain how bad this tsunami-tidal wave-wall of water phenomenon might be. She turned off the monitor. She'd had enough of its depressing show of figures for the time being. She felt the klah pot and decided its contents were still warm enough to be drinkable. Who knew when she might have time to eat or drink in the time-tossed turmoil that had just been set into motion? She sipped as she reviewed the last hectic half hour. She thought they'd done rather well, leaping into action after the initial shock.