A visitor from Eastern

"What does Ceronith say?" Br'son asked Vianne, after Yllaveth had relayed the little quartz's words and images. "Does she think the sickness has gotten on her? Or anyone here?"

Like any rider would, Br'son felt a spike of panic at the idea of those twisting yellow snakes of illness winding their way over his Yllaveth. But he was Weyrsenior, and trained to remain calm. So he tamped the feeling down hard and forced a calm he didn't feel. "It appears that Ceronith's talent may have something to do with sensing sickness or health. Useful thing, that," he said with a tiny, approving smile. "Let us see what she says about all the dragons present here."

Ceronith turned in a bit of a circle, examining herself. I am perfectly fine. As though that should be obvious. She huffed a little and turned back, nosing first Eniseth and then Emanoth, the Aliseth and Sanovith, whom had all gotten closest. Her picture of each of them, though subtly, intricately different, gave the same impression - brilliant, sparkling health.

Shaking out her wings, she hurried from dragon to dragon, getting in nuzzling distance for each. No, she said finally, sounding both tired and exhilarated, None of that here.

Vianne's breath was shaky, but she could feel the certainty of her partner, and Br'son's smile had been reassuring. She'd never been much of a healer, but she would learn anything for Ceronith.

Sidran's rage simmered underneath, but she kept her tone steady. "Queens and bronzes going between, and they send insults." The idiocy of it - and the arrogant assumption, to try and lure away a hatchling when they knew there was illness. Checking the rest of what she wanted to say, what crowded in the back of her throat, she instead glanced at the messages Br'son held. What else had Eastern sent?

"Yes," Br'son said, feeling his knees nearly buckling with relief when Ceronith pronounced them all clean of disease.  Perhaps it was an echo of Yllaveth's certainty, but Br'son never questioned the veracity of the little quartz's claims.  And what a useful talent, indeed!  He could easily think of half a dozen situations where a talent like that could be immensely useful.  Br'son made a mental note to speak to Ashrah about it later, and looked down at the message hides in his hands, then up at the riders and weyrfolk gathered around.  

"I think the show is over," he said with a bit of a wry smile.  "Weyrlingmaster, perhaps you'd like to return your class to their lessons.  I will speak with you about Ceronith and her talent later tonight, at your convenience.  Weyrleader, perhaps you and Wingleader Casriel would join me in my office in a half-hour?  I want to go through these," he said, lifting the hides.  "And you both should likely see them as well.  Stillmaster," he said, turning to Avidian's silent presence.  

"Thank you for your show of support," he said, meaning it.  

Avidian simply smiled and inclined his head.  "One Weyr," he said.  

"One Weyr," Br'son replied with a smile.  Then he stepped to Yllaveth and took a moment to lean against her solid blue-grey bulk.  He let out a shaky breath of relief.  

Queens going between, and they come here, he thought, echoing Sidran's words.  What would I do if anything happened to you?

Nothing.  For nothing will.  We are together, always, my rider, she replied, bending her neck to bring her face down close to him.  He reached up and rubbed at her eyeridge, taking comfort in her confidence.  Then he turned and pulled himself into place atop her neck.  

"I will see you soon," he said, his eyes going from Weyrleader to Wingleader, and then raking the remaining crowd.  He gave them all his best 'everything will be all right' smile and strapped in just as Yllaveth launched to take them back to their own weyr.

Yes, we are Gideath. As our riders have the same dam and sire, so do we. We might be different colors but you of the same blood as I. My rider hatched before yours, that makes him the elder brother. M'drist knows that the elder brother protects, the elder brother does the hard thing when it is needful. I hatched before you, so I am elder also. So I will protect you and do the hard things for you when it is needful. So yes, we are brothers Gideath. Always. Finnedath told the quartz and he stopped to reach out to him. The brown nuzzled Gideath, rumbling low in his throat. This was his little brother and he would take care of him.
-----------------
Ashrah's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach but she mustered her courage. Z'ash was fine. He just had to be. She would force herself to believe it until she had more proof.

"Yes, Weyrsenior. Alright Bright Hope. Back to the Barracks. I am sure you all have questions about what just happened but at this time I have no answers for you. Only supposition and that will not do. So we will break for early lunch. Come along, Weyrlings." Ashrah said and snapped her fingers smartly. She turned on her heel and began walking toward the barracks but reached out to Hesriath as she did so.

Love, let Yllaveth know if she or Br'son needs us for anything at all to just let us know.

Yes, Ashrah. My queen, we will dismiss the weyrlings to an early lunch and if you need us for anything, please call us.
------------------------------
"Those cowardly tunnelsnakes. Those rotten bastards of an inbred cow!" V'tayn cried out and turned around sharply to walk to his Anarath. The wisteria purple and guave pink head came down and the young man encircled his arms around the massive muzzle. He thought of Anarath getting sick and felt ill to his stomach. He shuddered at the thought.

I'd never let anything bad happen to you, Anarath! Never! Never! V'tayn sighed heavily against the scarlet dragon's head. Anarath's eyes whirled bright yellow; they had distressed her beloved V'tayn.

There, there now love. There, there. There is nothing wrong with me and I am not sick. There now, don't fret darling.

-------------------------------------
"Yes, Weyrsenior Br'son." Casriel said with a sharp nod of her head. Those bastards. Did they honest not know there messenger dragon was sick and how long did they think they could hide the fact bronzes and queens were dying off.

'Firene.' Casriel suddenly thought. She and Oleneth were in mortal danger.

"Sir!" Casriel bounded toward Br'son suddenly and lightly caught his arm. Her green-blue eyes spoke the intensity her  face did not.

"Firene." she said and looked to Sidran.

She had been angry. Up until the little quartz said the green was sick. Shivering suddenly, goosebumps appeared on her arms. The scarlet rider was anything but calm as the greenrider admitted to Golds and Bronzes dying from an illness. Nwynth was not prepared for the forceful emotions of her rider in that moment, there were many and they were complex. So the dragon did the only thing she could, comfort her rider.

Her blueriding father hated her. Her brownriding brother and greenriding sister seemed to think likewise. No matter how mean they might have been to her and Nwynth, she just couldn't wish them dead. It hurt knowing they might be in danger and she wouldn't have a chance to patch things up or even be there for them in end. They might not even be ill. Who was to say? However, her mind jumped to the worst case as usual.

There were too many people at Eastern whom she was friends with that she would likewise hate to lose. As thoughts of what this could all mean for her drowned her, she clung to the neck of her dragon. They don't deserve my tears. She fought within herself.

It is hard to ill wish those who you love. There is nothing wrong with worrying about them. They might be in very real danger. I should think, despite their issues, that they love you too. Overly protective of her rider's feelings, she felt like she should tell her rider that her feelings were valid. There was nothing wrong with feeling conflicted.

"Don't cry, Kyabree."

L'thyr put a comforting hand on the scarlet rider's arm and looked at her with gentle, blue eyes. He inclined his head and his smile was small and a touch sad.

"My brother won't even look at me. He rides bronze Kazarth. " L'thyr said sadly.

Aliseth lingered for a long moment, hearing the summons but putting it aside for a moment. Her wings flared again, beating once, and E'zen caught the edge of what she was considering. It's too soon, he said, even while feeling her anger wrap all along his spine.

They betrayed us. I will tear their wings and bring their stones down around them. She said it matter of factly - a truth of life. It would be done.

E'zen was not against it - the idea that the same idiots who had cast off these dragonriders, making them desperate enough to grab him, sent some sick moron here to infect everyone - oh yes, when Aliseth was old enough to fly, he would go there without hesitation, and help her rain down destruction. But he wouldn't let her hurt herself, trying to go too early. Simple as that.

The inconvertible truth of it checked Aliseth, as far as she could be said to be checked, and after a long moment, the shadow folded her wings back and turned to follow their scarlet teacher.

*
Ceronith all but pranced alongside Vianne. I did well? she asked, looking up at her rider.

Very well, my love, she replied, tucking her worry away. How did you know?

The way I know my name, and that you were for me, and that the sky is for flying. A mental shrug, and Ceronith bumped first Lizzoth and then another clutchmate, playfully.

*
Abry glanced back at Dividia and Avidian, but they had nothing to say to her and there was nothing she needed to say to them, so she followed the Weyrlingmaster. She was curious what they might talk about after this, but what could she do?

Lizzoth studied them as they walked away, but the young quartz was just quietly thoughtful about all that had happened.

Swallowing back the tears as best she could, she turned her head to look at L'thyr. A lot of them had family who simply didn't understand. Their families acted like being different would be contagious. So they didn't go near them.

"I know they hate us but I don't want them to die." She pictured her father, brother and sister then, thinking that they could very well be dead already and she wouldn't know. "They are my family and friends. I love them. I just...I wish there were a way to find out if they were affected by this illness.

R'fariel was keeping a tight hold on Vorganth.  The cobalt had attempted to slink closer when his rider's irritation surged at the mention of Eastern wanting Finnadeth.  It hadn't been easy to hold his dragon at growling from where he was, but R'fariel managed somehow.  He knew the older dragons wouldn't let anything happen to the babies without a fight, and so far all the greenrider had done was talk.

Even when one of the little quartzes went closer… and immediately jumped back in surprise.

It had certainly given Vorganth pause, enough that he'd left off the growling and even taken a single step backwards.

"Sick?"  But how could dragons be sick?  R'fariel had never heard of such a thing, was it possible?  Could it somehow be a ruse-- no, not coming from the quartz.  And he was definitely grateful for the same little quartz's reassurance that none of the dragons present seemed to be inflicted with whatever malady the green carried.

So what did it mean?  Was it possible… the Eastern dragon had just exposed the rest of them to whatever she had?

Vorganth wouldn't be sick.  He couldn't.  Nor would any of the other dragons here.  They'd find a way to make it so, right?  

Jaw still clenched in anger and worry, the cobaltrider found himself following V'tayn as he headed away from the group.  It had been born of a need to walk away from the situation, to find something to hit, to stomp, to somehow release the fury inside him.  But he hated to see the scarletrider so upset, and instead moved towards him, reaching a hand out to grip his shoulder tightly, offering comfort and solidarity.  "We'll be fine," he reassured the taller man, reinforcing the words with all the conviction he could muster.

Because they would be.  They were fighters.  They were survivors.  They were dragonriders.

>>>>>>>>>>

Following the Weyrlingmaster back after convincing Sanovith to do so, Revel frowned in worry.

"Sick?  She really was sick?" Jemma asked Vianne, drawing the former barmaid's eyes to the other girls.  "How did Ceronith know that?"

I am glad none of us are sick.  Can I tell if anyone is?  Curious, Azareth moved to brush up against her smoke brother the way she'd seen Ceronith do, but felt nothing different that she could tell.

>>>>>>>>>>

Kane hadn't allowed himself to relax until the green was gone.  One of the more hidden men along the cliff face, he'd had his bow ready, just in case it had been necessary.  Thankfully, it hadn't been-- the arrogant greenrider had been all talk, it seemed, nothing more.

But his news was clearly disturbing, and the sniper would have liked to hear all of it.  Especially after he'd heard a light draconic voice in his head-- all too surprising as it was--  announcing that the intruding dragon was sick.

Dragons didn't get sick, that he'd ever heard.  At least not like runners did.  And from the expressions on the faces of everyone gathered, it was surprising to them as well.

So what did it mean?  And if one was sick, did that mean more were?  Many of them?  Or was it something that couldn't be passed along?

Kane rather hoped that was that was the case-- because if not, all of the dragons present had just been exposed...

Vianne looked at Jemma and attempted a quick smile; she wasn't doing nearly as well a job hiding her worry as she thought. "Did you see the picture she sent? It was..." she barely avoided a shudder, thinking about it again. "It was wrong. When she touched the other dragons, she could..." she gestured a bit. "See their systems? Maybe if I were a healer I could explain it better. But she can see what they look like, and I suppose see if something is wrong. Yllaveth believed her, and Ceronith is sure of what she's seeing, and other than that..." she smiled again, rueful. "You know as much as I do."

Ceronith swung closer to Azareth, deep scarlet and matte white setting off each other beautifully, and then leaned against her clutchmate slightly as they walked. You look like this, see? with an accompanying image of scintillating, brilliantly healthy thin lines of blues and greens and reds, shimmering with health and vibrant connections.

Oh, pretty! Azareth was fascinated by the bright colors, wondering how it was that her clutchmate could see them.  Do we all look like that?  What about Lizzoth?  And Emanoth?  Does Finnadeth look different?  Is that why they wanted him to leave?

Jemma bit her lip, knowing that she didn't understand any more than the other girl.  "I'm sure she's right.  I've never heard of a dragon that could do that before."  It was probably a good thing, though, especially if others were sick.  "Do you think Lizzoth can tell if there are problems with others, too?"  Maybe it was a special trait of all the quartzes?  It might be useful to have a true dragon 'healer' type to aid the humans when they got hurt, after all.  Even if they didn't have the hands to sew up injuries or mix up medicine.

Yesss...no, Ceronith said, clearly considering as she answered. Each is its own. But similar. But different. A mental shrug; it didn't seem important. Lizzoth, do you see? she added brightly.

The other quartz snorted, a clear denial, her attention still more than partly somewhere else.

Another mental shrug there, unconcerned. Ceronith didn't see why her quartz clutchmate would be any more likely to see anything than her scarlet one.

Jemma bit her lip as she considered what both Vianne and Azareth were telling her.  As far as she was concerned, it was a good thing that Ceronith could see something was wrong with the sickly green.  But why was it she could do so, and the others-- especially another quartz-- couldn't?  It seemed strange, but if she thought about it, hadn't they been told not all dragons could find Candidates on Search when the riders here had brought new young people in?  Maybe it was the same with the Ceronith's ability-- some could detect illnesses, and others couldn't?

That seemed logical, even though no one had ever talked about a dragon being able to do such a thing before.  She could always try asking some of the other quartzriders to see if their dragon could do such a thing, at any rate.  That would at least give her some idea of how many could detect illnesses.

"Well, hopefully she can tell us quickly if any of our dragons start showing signs of whatever that green dragon had.  At least she was able to see it and let us know!"

"I hope so," Vianne replied, restraining herself from chewing her lip, barely. "I suppose we'll know soon enough."

"Have you tried to have Nwynth speak to their dragons? My brother's bronze will not answer Osgilath but he can tune out my cobalt. Few could, he is a loud one. " L'thyr asked. He shrugged his shoulders because he knew there was little hope behind it all.

'And yes, all the same, it must be tried.' L'thyr thought to himself.

"The worst that can happen is that the dragon doesn't answer. Dragons are often not as rude as their riders can be." he offered.

Nodding at his suggestion, "Senrieth, my father's blue, wouldn't even consider replying. Imioth supports any decisions my brother makes and he can be rather callous as it is. The only one that might reply is Aurayath but she is usually stopped by Brielody." Pausing she was able to smile a little at that thought, "I do find it funny that her green likes integration and she doesn't." She admitted. Nwynth could certainly try to talk to Aurayath but it would be easier if they knew Brielody would be focused on something else.

"I can't imagine many could ignore Osgilath." Not that Nwynth could or would ever try to. The scarlet was fond of all her clutchmates but she had grown closer to Osgilath, Vorganth and Anarath than the others. "Nwynth isn't so forceful. Besides she thinks it is best I don't talk to them." Kyabree's hand scratched the scarlet's shoulder affectionately. "Protecting me is her main goal. Even if it is from my family."