Hidden Treasure (Casriel/Br'son/Sidran)

Casriel rose early the next day, ignoring her body's protestations that the morning after the late Hatching, no one would expect her to fly. Casriel, on the other hand, knew that as a new Wingleader she had to show that she was worthy of the promotion. She didn't have assigned wingriders other than D'kan as on of her Wingseconds but the word would come.

She bathed in the cold water of the river to wake her, drinking deeply of the same cold water. She dried off back in her weyr, braided her still damp hair. She dressed warmly and pinning her hair just so, donned her helmet. Maraxith was waiting for her outside. She mounted his arm and leaped to his neck, settling in. She strapped herself in and double checked the connections.

All is as it should be. she told her cobalt. Maraxith rumbled deep in his chest as he gathered himself and vaulted off the ledge. The cobalt took them higher above White Lightning and headed south following the river. Casriel had an objective that morning, to verify additional water sources within the inner boundary of the Weyr. It was vital that the Weyr have access to fresh water, that animals had south bound pools from which to drink that would not foul the water source up north.

After a couple of miles outside the Weyr, a band of sandy beach stretched like a golden band alongside the eastern bank of the river. Stretching in the saddle, Casriel gave a yawn.

Take us down to the beach love. Casriel told the cobalt. Marazith obeyed and spiraled down to the beach. The sun was cresting now and the sand was warm, the water sparkled dark green against the gathering light.

Casriel, look. Wherries. May I?


Of course. Casriel said. Any time she could take Maraxith out hunting she would and wild wherries were as good as anything. The cobalt turned sharply and pounced. There was a screech of fear and then a crunch. Casriel was surprised to see that Maraxith had nabbed two large hens. The other four took off in a storm of kicking feat and flying feathers.

'That is a lot to be milling around this empty stretch of beach.' Casriel thought to herself. They were so exposed out here on the lonely bank of sand. As Maraxith fed, crunching bone and chunks of flesh in the same motion, Casriel investigated. She walked around the feeding Cobalt, obvious to the viscera of his feeding, and inspected the ground. There were piles of drift wood scattered about, strands of withered greens and wild flowers growing along the bank. She continued, scanning through a mound of feathers and...

"Egg shells." Casriel said and her head dropped. For among the wreckage of debris, feathers and old bones, there were the shattered egg shells of firelizard. Not a sign of the wild gold queen or wild green who must have clutched them. No sign of any of the hatchlings.

"Damn Wherries must have eaten them." Casriel said, seeing dried icor along the way. She shook her head in disgust. What a dreadful waste. She moved to turn away from the grizzly sight when a sparkle caught her eye. She looked back, cocked her head to one side. Knelling down, Casriel removed the broken egg shells, the twigs and sticks, brushed back the feathers to reveal....

"Shards and shells!" Casriel exclaimed. For sitting in the cradel of twigs and dried brush, laying on the warm sand was the unmistakable golden sheen of a queen firelizard egg. The egg was whole, brightly golden and large.

Love, we need to get back to the Weyr. Straight. Casriel said, gathering the egg in her hands. It was so warm and so hard to the touch of her skin.

Maraxith said nothing but moved to his rider's side. Casriel opened her jacket and placed the egg between her breasts; the soft and warmest place she could think of. She buttoned her jacket and moved back to her dragon, climbing up as quickly and carefully as she could. She settled down, strapped in and gave Maraxith the signal to fly.

For his credit, Maraxith devoured the wind as they flew back. Casriel bent low across her cobalt's neck.

Drop me near the kitchen entrance and I will take the egg to Br'son. Casriel said. The cobalt obeyed and carefully set down at the nearest entrance to the lower caverns. Casriel half slid and half ran from her dragon to the kitchen. There were not many people in the kitchen when Casriel walked briskly in, taking in the sight as she did so. She spotted a bowl of discarded organ meat, skin and fat and snagged it without even a pause in her step. No one barred her path and more than a few people parted in her wake.

Yllaveth, my queen. My rider comes laden with a delicate charge. Forgive us, this intrusion. We would have announced but time is of the essence.

Casriel went as fast as she dared, straight to Br'sons weyr. She slowed, her need no less great but the great want to please him welling inside her. She knocked as gently as she was able.

"Br'son, my Weyrsenior. It is Casriel. I ask the use of your hearth." she said softly.

"I have found something."

My queen, my rider and I spotted a beach some five miles outside the Weyr. While I fed of the wild wherries there, my rider found the ruins of a firelizard clutch. She found one egg still viable. Yllaveth, I think she is about to hatch and it is a gold queen.

Sidran stirred against Br'son, rubbing her leg over his and wondering whether the sun was even up yet. If felt like she had just fallen asleep.

Perhaps she was dreaming a voice - oh, no, of course it was Casriel. She knew her bedmate would have to answer, and so sat up bit, enough to comb her hands through her hair. She felt far to languorous to put much more effort into anything else, truth be told.

So. Br'son really didn't want to move. Not even for Casriel, who was lovely and dangerous. Because Sidran was also lovely and dangerous and more to the point, naked next to him. There was that ancient saying about birds in the hand vs. in the bush, etc.

But then Yllaveth's voice came in his head, relaying Maraxith's message. And that certainly got his attention. Br'son sat up, dislodging Sidran as gently as possible, and slid out from under his bed furs. "Tell Maraxith that of course Casriel may come in. Um. You may also want to let her know that the Weyrleader is here," he added after a moment. He threw an apologetic glance at Sidran, but there wasn't time to say anything.

There was barely time to put on pants.

Sidran raised an eyebrow, interested, but most emphatically did not put on pants. They were somewhere nearby if they were needed, but Br'son didn't look panicked, just...like something was happening. So she stretched, and said nothing, and watched with a somewhat casual interest.

Yllaveth bids us enter but be aware, Gaveth's is within.


Naturally. Casriel said, too distracted by the egg against her heart to give much thought to Sidran being with Br'son. She gently pushed the door in as much as she was able. She did not want to waste time posturing but launched right into the meat of the matter.

"My apologies, Weyrsenior and Weyrleader. I was on sweep when I found a small beach. I think it is the nesting site of firelizard because upon closer inspection, I found this egg. The sole survivor of a decimated clutch."

Casriel set the bowl of fat and skin down by the hearth, kneeling down. She slipped her hand inside her jacket and carefully removed the large gold egg. It shimmered brightly in the firelight. She had just laid it down when the egg gave a twitch.

"Br'son." Casriel turned to look at him quickly. "I would keep her, should it please you. If it do not, I will give her to you."

The egg gave another twitch and a tiny crack appeared in the golden shell.

Br'son gaped. Firelizards had been scarce in recent Turns, though they'd been plentiful once. Some speculated that a plague had gone through the wild population and reduced their numbers. It wasn't unheard of to find a clutch, but it was still a rare and wonderful event... and Casriel said what?

"No! No, of course, she is yours. You rescued her, you must keep her. I find one queen more than enough, anyway," he added with a small grin. He looked at his wingleader, and then back to the tiny bundle she had produced from under her shirt. Br'son had never seen a gold egg, and Yllaveth's had not stood out from the rest of her clutchmates. It was positively amazing how it had that golden sheen. Fascinating. He found himself wondering if Yllaveth would ever produce an egg like that. Parazeth never had, much to everyone's sorrow. Some seemed to think it wasn't even possible. His heart quailed at that thought, as he suddenly brought Firene's message to mind.

But then the little egg started to rock, and he quickly banished all thoughts of tragedies to come. This was a Hatching, no matter how small, and only thoughts of joy would be allowed here.

Sidran stood and grabbed the nearest clothing - Br'son's shirt, which, of course - and sat on the edge of the bed to watch. She had nothing to say at that particular moment - allowed herself a sardonic thought that if Casriel intended to keep the firelizard (which she had no argument with) there was really no reason to come here - dragons could pass request and permission perfectly fine.

Which meant the other cobaltrider had other reasons for being here. Which was also fine. Sidran stretched out her legs, rested her elbows on her thighs and her chin on her hands, and smiled slowly. Happy thoughts.

"Congratulations," Sidran said warmly. The other cobaltrider could be exasperating, but this wasn't one of those moments. Sidran actually couldn't say if she'd ever seen Casriel so genuinely pleased, not calculating something, since the early days of training.

(Takes one to know one.)

"What will you name her?" She casually wondered what training a fire-lizard entailed, and if it would help Casriel find some peace of mind at all.

"Ohhh," Br'son said, enchanted. "She is lovely, Casriel, truly! She's perfect! What will you name her?" he asked, echoing his Weyrleader. "How lucky you are! What a find!"

Casriel thought about it for a moment and then it came to her in a glorious rush.

"She was the sole victor of the oldest game. Survival. She made it when none of her siblings did. I will name her "Victory" and that will be her legacy."

Casriel grinned suddenly, a smile that shown her youth and a tender side to her beauty that typically only Asteriel could claim. She nodded to Sidran and then to Br'son.

"I think I will tuck Victory onto my pillow. I thank you for the use of your hearth and again, apologize for my abrupt arrival." Casriel said softly, careful not to disturb the sleeping queen firelizard.