The Red Orb of Pern
M.C. Gordon
Disclaimer is attached to the beginning of this series. This is fan fiction written for a friend who enjoys Anne McCaffrey's Pern as much as I do. Comments welcome to quasito_cat@hotmail.com or quasito_cat@yahoo.com
Chapter 33
Benden Weyr, barely coming to grips with the initial three deaths, was plunged deeper into despair as others began dying. The dragons, sensing that their riders were dying, went `between' and the fighting wings were greatly depleted. The loss of Fenely had been the last thing the weyr could bear.
"I'll go see what's holding Andren up," Julani said a few moments later, handing M'chell a cup of wine.
The dragon rider accepted it gratefully for his nerves and emotions had been raw for days. Davis, already ill, had taken the news of his twin's death very hard and had lost his will to live. M'chell and L'ydel were hopeful that Andren's presence would help the child.
Sipping slowly at the wine, he glanced around the room. The common dining area that served both Healer and Harper Halls was very large. An enormous fireplace occupied one end of the room, providing heat during the cold winter months. At the opposite end, the largest tapestry M'chell had ever seen covered an entire wall.
The pattern was intricate, the colors vivid. The dragon rider wouldn't begin to guess what part of Pern's early history was woven across the pallet of the fabric. Even the style was different from the tapestries that graced the walls of Benden Weyr. This one didn't have dragons or fire lizards. There was no Red Star on the horizon or Thread falling. Instead, it concerned itself with men and women in white tunics. They seemed to be surrounded by clear glass objects partially filled with liquid. One of the men held an unusually shaped piece of red glass and below the picture, in delicate script, was written: 'All Knowledge Lies Here'.
Chapter 34
"There has to be a reason why we're not affected," Andren said days later. "People are dying all over Pern. Why aren't we even sick?"
The four childhood friends hashed and re-hashed a question that had reared its head more than once.
"Tomin finally admitted that he'd been to that old cave we found years ago," M'chell said. "But we didn't find anything dangerous."
"We only went down one passage," L'del remarked. "I seem to remember that it branched off in several directions. Maybe he and his friends took a different path."
"Adelmisa, Lurah, and I have been through every old record -- back to the beginning of Benden Weyr -- and haven't found any reference to the cave," Julani added. "Do you really think it holds the answer?"
"It has to," Andren replied. "Tomin, Danel, and Lesl were the first three who got sick and the disease hit them a lot harder than it did anyone else. Davis spent the night close to him and he hasn't reached the paralysis stage yet." He choked back tears as he thought of the twelve-year boy barely clinging to life. "They must have come across something that made them sick."
"So why aren't any of us sick yet?" M'chell asked. "Tomin was with us a good part of that first night. Even if we didn't come across the same thing they did in the cave, exposure to him should have given us the illness."
"I don't know," Andren admitted. "I've sent all the information I could find to the Masterhealer."
The day had been long and tiring, as all days were lately. The Weyrs, all of whom had lost riders and dragons, had banded together in an attempt to continue protecting the fragile planet from her ancient enemy. M'chell and L'del had flown their dragons against Thread every day and it was beginning to wear them down. Andren, with Julani at his side, worked diligently to administer to the sick and dying. The hard days, unbearable stress, and lack of true rest began taking its toll on the four young men. Yet they gathered together every evening to discuss the problem and bounce questions and answers back and forth.
"We've got to beat this thing!" M'chell finally announced. "We lost Tomin. He might have been an aggravating troublemaker, but L'del and I loved him. I'll be damned if we lose Davis."
He stomped from his weyr and summoned Raganth. A ride across the night sky with his dragon would clear his mind, he was sure of it.
Chapter 35
The mighty golden dragon launched himself from the ledge with his powerful legs. His tremendous wings caught an updraft and he soared higher and higher over Benden Weyr.
"I wish to help the boy," Raganth whispered to his rider. "He feels a terrible sadness at the death of the other boy. Do all humans feel loss as much as dragons do?" he asked.
"Yes," M'chell answered. "We feel it quite deeply.
We've both lost a lot lately," he added. He didn't know how he would have survived the pain of Tomin's death without Raganth for the dragon, fierce in appearance and deadly against Thread, had comforted him as he and L'del had comforted each other.
"We should go to the cave," Raganth said.
"In the morning," M'chell replied. "Right now I just want to get away from everything."
Raganth forebore going between and flew straight east. He flew relatively low and M'chell could see the lights at Benden, Lemos, and Bitra Holds. This was why dragons fought Thread, he thought as he and Raganth glided across Benden Hold's pastures. Below them ran the thoroughbred runnerbeasts first bred by Holder Alessan.
"They think I want to eat them," the golden dragon said. "I don't like runnerbeast. Herdbeasts are much tastier."
Raganth's remark caused his rider to smile. "I'll pass that on to Holder Morel," he said. "I'm sure he'll be relieved to hear that his runnerbeasts are safe."
"Is your mind clear now? Can we go back to the weyr?" Raganth asked. "I'm sleepy and Ammorth says L'del is worried about you."
Chapter 36
"You're kidding," Julani said the next morning. "You want to go back to that cave?"
"The answer's there, it has to be," M'chell answered. "Even if it's not, I'm not going to pass up anything that might explain this damned illness and maybe, just maybe, save Davis and everyone else. If you don't want to go with me, fine. I'll go by myself."
"We'll go," Andren said. "You might be right; the answer could be there. I just need to let Lurah know that we'll be gone for a little while. I'm running dangerously low on people who can help with the patients. N'tan and S'vern were helping but now they're down with this thing."
Julani found some small glowbaskets while the two dragon riders located a few hide bags, just in case they found anything that needed to go to Master Benaren. They were waiting on the ledge of the weyr with Raganth and Ammorth when Andren returned.
"We'd better go fast," he said. "And I hope you're right, M'chell, `cause now Lurah's taken ill."
The small weyr was plunged into an even deeper feeling of doom. Lurah was the woman who had raised them; sat with them during their simple colds and fevers; chided them gently when the got into mischief; brought them bubbly pies for breakfast. L'del raised his left hand to his face, to hide the tears that were forming. Julani dropped the glowbasket he was holding and it rolled across the floor, coming to rest against the leg of a table. Andren reached for his friend with trembling hands, making no attempt to hold back his tears.
M'chell's eyes darted around the weyr, looking at nothing in particular, as he tried to control his breathing which was now coming in short shallow gasps.
"I WILL NOT, WILL NOT, lose another person I love!" he shouted to the walls. He curled his right hand into a fist and smacked it against his left palm. He released his emotions as anger, not having time to indulge in the fear and heartache he felt.
"Sonath is sad that the lady is ill," Raganth said to his rider. "Hanmath says the Weyrwoman is crying. All of the dragons want to help," he continued. Raganth and Ammorth's great eyes were swirling in shades of red.
"Then what are we waiting for?" M'chell asked.
L'del quickly mounted Ammorth and Julani scrambled behind him while Andren joined M'chell on Raganth. The gold, then the bronze dragons lifted themselves from the ledge and flew the young men to the top of Benden Weyr.
"Looks like we'll be needing your help," M'chell said as he surveyed the entrance to the large cavern. "The boys managed to make a small opening, but dragons can move boulders faster than people can."
Raganth and Ammorth willingly applied themselves to digging away at the remainder of the boulders blocking the entrance.
"Watch it!" Julani shouted as one large boulder flew past him, barely missing his head.
Within moments, the entrance was cleared. "You and Ammorth wait here," M'chell told his golden dragon. "There's not enough room inside for you."
Opening their glowbaskets, the four men entered the cave they had discovered ten turns earlier.