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  As briskly as Menolly could move on her stiff feet, she made her way out of the kitchen and up the broad steps to the second level. Beauty hummed softly in her ear, a gently disobedient descant to the Saga that Brudegan’s pupils were singing lustily.

  Master Robinton hadn’t sounded annoyed about the fire lizards’ singing, Menolly thought. She’d apologize to Journeyman Brudegan when she got the chance. She simply hadn’t realized she’d cause a distraction. She’d been so pleased that her friends were relaxed enough to want to sing.

  Second door on her right. Menolly tapped. Then tapped, then knocked, hard enough to make her knuckles sting.

  ‘Come. Come. And, Silvina … oh, Menolly, you’re just the person I wanted to see,’ the Harper said, throwing open the door. ‘And good morning to you, proud Beauty,’ he added, grinning at the little queen who chirped an acknowledgement as he took the tray from Menolly. ‘Silvina’s forever anticipating me … Would you please check my egg? It’s in the other room, by the hearth. It feels harder to me …’ He sounded anxious as he pointed to the farther door.

  Menolly obediently entered the room, and he walked with her, setting the tray down as he passed the sandtable by the window and pouring himself a mug of klah before he joined her by the hearth in the next room where a small fire burned gently. The earthen pot had been set at the edge of the hearth apron.

  Menolly opened it, carefully brushing aside the warm sand that covered the precious fire lizard egg. It was harder, but not much more so than when she had given it to the Masterharper at Benden Weyr the previous evening.

  ‘It’s fine, Master Robinton, just fine. And the pot is warm enough, too,’ she said, running her hands down the sides. She replaced the sand and the top and rose. ‘When we brought the clutch back to Benden Weyr two days ago, Weyr-woman Lessa said it would take a sevenday for them to hatch, so we’ve five days more.’

  The Harper sighed with exaggerated relief. ‘You slept well, Menolly? You’re rested? Awake long?’

  ‘Long enough.’

  The Harper burst out laughing as she realized how much chagrin she’d put into her tone.

  ‘Long enough to set a few people by the ears, huh? My dear child, did you not notice the difference in the chorus the second time? Your fire lizards have challenged them. Brudegan was only gruff with surprise. Tell me, can your fire lizards improvise descants to any tune?’

  ‘I don’t really know, Master Robinton.’

  ‘Still not sure, are you, young Menolly?’ He didn’t mean the fire lizards’ abilities. There was such kindness in his voice and eyes that Menolly felt unexpected tears behind her eyes.

  ‘I don’t want to be a nuisance …’

  ‘Allow me to differ both to statement and content, Menolly …’ Then he sighed. ‘You’re overyoung to appreciate the value of nuisance, although the improvement in that chorus is a point in my argument. However, it’s much too early in the morning for me to expound philosophy.’ He guided her back into the other room, quite the most cluttered place she had ever seen and in direct contrast to the neatness of his bedchamber. While musical instruments were carefully stored on hook and shelf in cases, piles of record skins, drawings, slates – wax and stone – littered every surface and were heaped in corners and against the walls of the room. On one wall was a finely drawn map of the Pern continent, with smaller detailed drawings of all the major Holds and Crafthalls pinned here and there on the borders. The long sandtable by the window was covered with musical notations, some of them carefully shielded by glass to prevent erasure. The Harper had set the tray on the centre island, which separated the sandtable into two halves. Now he pulled a square of wood to protect the sand and positioned the tray so he could eat comfortably. He smeared a thick slice of bread with soft cheese and picked up his spoon to eat his cereal, motioning with the spoon for Menolly to seat herself on a stool.

  ‘We’re in a period of change and readjustment, Menolly,’ he said, managing to speak and eat simultaneously without choking on food or garbling his words. ‘And you are likely to be a vital part of that change. Yesterday I exerted an unfair pressure on you to join the Harper Hall … Oh yes, I did, but you belong here!’ His forefinger stabbed downward at the floor and then waggled out at the courtyard. ‘First,’ and he paused to swallow klah, washing down bread and cereal, ‘we must discover just how well Petiron taught you the fundamentals of our craft and what you need to further your gifts. And …’ he pointed now to her left hand, ‘… what can be done to correct that scar damage. I’d still like to hear you play the songs you wrote.’ His eyes fell to her hands in her lap so that she was aware of her absent-minded kneading of her left palm. ‘Master Oldive will set that right if anyone can.’

  ‘Silvina said I was to see him today.’

  ‘We’ll have you playing again, more than just those pipes. We need you, when you can craft songs like those Petiron sent me and the ones Elgion found stuck away at the back of the harper’s shelves in Half-Circle. Yes, and that’s a matter I’d better explain …’ he went on, smoothing the hair at the back of his neck and, to Menolly’s amazement, appearing to be embarrassed.

  ‘Explain?’

  ‘Yes, well, you hadn’t obviously finished writing that song about the fire lizard queen …’

  ‘No, I hadn’t actually …’ Menolly felt that she was not hearing his words properly. For one thing, why did the Masterharper have to explain anything to her? And she’d only jotted down the little tune about the fire lizard queen, yet last night … Now she remembered that he’d mentioned the song, as if all the harpers knew about it. ‘You mean, Harper Elgion sent it to you?’

  ‘How else would I have got it? We couldn’t find you!’ Robinton sounded annoyed. ‘When I think of you, living in a cave, with a damaged hand, and you hadn’t been allowed to finish that charming song … So I did.’

  He got up, rummaged among the piles of waxed slates under the window, extracted one and handed it to her. She looked at the notations obediently but, although they were familiar, she couldn’t make her mind read the melody.

  ‘I had to have something about fire lizards, since I believe they’re going to be far more important than anyone has yet realized. And this tune …’ his finger tapped the hard wax surface approvingly, ‘… was so exactly what I needed, that I just brushed up the harmonics, and compressed the lyric story. Probably what you’d’ve done yourself if you’d had the chance to work on it again. I couldn’t really improve on the melodic line without destroying the integral charm of … What’s the matter, Menolly?’

  Menolly realized that she’d been staring at him, unable to believe that he was praising a silly tune she’d only scrawled down. Guiltily, she examined the slate again.

  ‘I never did get a chance to play it … I wasn’t supposed to play my own tunes in the Sea Hold. I promised my father I wouldn’t … so you see—’

  ‘Menolly!’

  Startled, she looked up at his stern tone.

  ‘I want you to promise me – and you’re now my apprentice – I want you to promise me to write down any tune that comes into your mind: I want you to play it as often as necessary to get it right … do you understand me? That’s why I brought you here.’ He tapped the slate again. ‘That was a good song even before I tampered with it. I need good songs badly.

  ‘What I said about change affects the Harper Hall more than any other craft, Menolly, because we are the ones who effect change. Just as we teach with our songs, so we also help people accept new ideas and necessary changes. And for that we need a special kind of harpering.

  ‘Now, I still have to consider Craft principles and standards. Especially in your unusual situation, the conventional procedure must be observed. Once we’ve dispensed with the formalities, we can proceed with your training as fast as you want to go. But this is where you belong, Menolly, you and your singing fire lizards. Bless me but that was lovely to hear this morning. Ah, Silvina, good morning and to you, as well, Master Oldive …’
/>   Menolly knew it was impolite to stare at anyone and looked away as soon as she realized that she was staring, but Master Oldive required a long look. He was shorter than herself but only because his head was awry on his neck. His great lean face tilted up from its permanent slant, and she had the impression of enormous dark eyes under very shaggy brows taking in every detail of herself.

  ‘I’m sorry, Master Robinton, have we interrupted you?’ Silvina paused on the threshold indecisively.

  ‘Yes, and no. I don’t think I’ve convinced Menolly but that will take time. Meanwhile, we’ll get on with the basics. We’ll speak again, Menolly,’ said the Harper. ‘Go along with Master Oldive now. Let him do his best, or his worst, for you. She must play again, Oldive.’ The Harper’s smile as he gestured to Menolly to follow the man implied complete faith in his ability. ‘And Silvina, Menolly says the egg’s safe enough for four or five days, but you’ll please arrange to have someone—’

  ‘Why not Sebell? He’s got his egg to check, too, doesn’t he? And with Menolly here in the Hall …’ Silvina was saying as Master Oldive, ushering Menolly out of the room before him, closed the door.

  ‘I’m to see to your feet as well, Silvina tells me,’ was the man’s comment as he indicated Menolly should lead the way to her room. The Master’s voice was unexpectedly deep. And while he might be shorter than herself in the torso, he’d as long a leg and arm and matched her stride down the corridor. As he pushed wider her door, she realized that his stature was due to a terrible malformation of his spine.

  ‘By my life!’ Oldive exclaimed, stopping abruptly as Menolly preceded him into the room. ‘I thought for a moment you were as blighted as myself. It is a fire lizard on your shoulder, isn’t it?’ He chuckled. ‘Now, there’s one on me, so it is. Is the creature friendly?’ He peered up at Beauty, who chirruped pleasantly back, since Oldive was patently addressing her. ‘As long as I’m friendly to your Menolly, I take it? You’ll have to write another verse to your fire lizard song, proving the rewards of kindness,’ he added, gesturing her to sit on the window side of the bed as he pulled up the stool.

  ‘Oh, that’s not my song …’ she said, removing her slippers.

  Master Oldive frowned. ‘Not your song? But Master Robinton assigns it to you – constantly.’

  ‘He rewrote it … he told me so.’

  ‘That’s not unusual,’ and Master Oldive dismissed her protest. ‘Proper mess you made of your feet,’ he said, his voice taking on a distant, thoughtful quality as he looked at first one, then the other foot. ‘Running, I believe …’

  Menolly felt reproved. ‘I was caught out during Threadfall, you see, far from my cave and had to run … oooh!’

  ‘Sorry, did I hurt? The flesh is very tender. And will remain that way awhile longer.’

  He began to smooth on a pungent-smelling substance, and she couldn’t keep her foot still. He grabbed her ankle firmly to complete the medication, countering her embarrassed apology by remarking that her twitching proved that she’d done the nerves no harm with the pounding she’d given her feet.

  ‘You’re to keep off them as much as possible. I’ll tell Silvina so. And use this salve morning and night. Aids healing and keeps the skin from itching.’ He replaced Menolly’s slippers. ‘Now, this hand of yours.’

  She hesitated, knowing that his opinion of the bungled wound was likely to echo Manora’s and Silvina’s. Perversely she was afflicted by an obscure loyalty to her mother.

  Oldive regarded her steadily, as if divining some measure of her reluctance, and extended his own hand. Compelled by the very neutrality of his gaze, she gave him her injured hand. To her surprise, there was no change of expression on his face, no condemnation or pity, merely interest in the problem the thick-scarred palm posed for a man of his skill. He prodded the scar tissue, murmuring thoughtfully in his throat.

  ‘Make a fist.’

  She could just about do that but, when he asked her to extend her fingers, the scar pulled as she tried to stretch the palm.

  ‘Not as bad as I was led to believe. An infection, I suppose …’

  ‘Packtail slime …’

  ‘Hmmm, yes. Insidious stuff.’ He gave her hand another twist. ‘But the scar is not long healed, and the tissue can still be stretched. A few more months and we might not have been able to do anything to flex the hand. Now, you will do exercises, tightening your fingers about a small hard ball, which I will provide you, and extending the hand.’ He demonstrated, forcing her fingers upwards and apart so that she cried out involuntarily. ‘If you can discipline yourself to the point of actual discomfort, you are doing the exercise properly. We must stretch the tightened skin, the webbing between your fingers, and the stiffened tendons. I shall also provide a salve, which you are to rub well into the scar tissue to make it softer and more pliable. Conscientious effort on your part will determine the rate of progress. I suspect that you will be sufficiently motivated.’

  Before Menolly could stammer her thanks, the astonishing man was out of the room and closing the door behind him. Beauty made a sound – half quizzical chirp, half approving burble. She’d come loose from Menolly’s neck during the examination, watching the proceedings from a depression in the sleeping furs. Now she walked over to Menolly and stroked her head against Menolly’s arm.

  From the apprentices’ hall across the courtyard, the singing was renewed, with vigour and volume. Beauty cocked her head, humming with delight and then, when Menolly shushed her, looked wistfully up at the girl.

  ‘I don’t think we should sing again just now, but they do sound grand, don’t they?’

  She sat there, caressing Beauty, delighting in the music. Very close harmony, she realized approvingly, the sort only trained voices and well-rehearsed singers can achieve.

  ‘Well,’ said Silvina, entering the room briskly, ‘you have stirred them up. It’s good to hear that old rooter sung with some spirit.’

  Menolly had no time to register astonishment at Silvina’s comment, for the headwoman poked at Menolly’s bundle of things on the table, and twitched the sleeping rug into neat folds.

  ‘We might just as well get you settled in Dunca’s cottage now,’ Silvina continued. ‘Fortunately, there’s an outside room unoccupied …’ The headwoman wrinkled her nose in a slightly disparaging grimace. ‘Those holder girls are impossible about being outside, but it oughtn’t to worry you.’ She smiled at Menolly. ‘Oldive says you’re to keep off your feet, but some walking’s got to be done. Still, you won’t be in a chore section … another good reason to keep you at Dunca’s, I suppose …’ Silvina frowned and then looked back at Menolly’s small bundle. ‘This is all you brought with you?’

  ‘And nine fire lizards.’

  Silvina laughed. ‘An embarrassment of riches.’ She glanced out the window, peering across the courtyard to the far roof where the fire lizards were still sunning themselves. ‘They do stay where they’re told, don’t they?’

  ‘Generally. But I’m not sure how good they are with too many people about or unusual noise.’

  ‘Or fascinating diversions …’ Silvina smiled again at Menolly as she nodded towards the windows and the music issuing from the apprentices’ hall.

  ‘They always sang along with me … I didn’t realize we shouldn’t—’

  ‘How should you? Not to worry, Menolly. You’ll fit in here just fine. Now, let’s wrap up your bundle and show you the way to Dunca’s. Then Robinton wants you to borrow a gitar. Master Jerint is sure to have a spare usable one in the workshop. You’ll have to make your own, you know. Unless you made one for Petiron at the Sea Hold?’

  ‘I had none of my own.’ Menolly was relieved that she could keep her voice steady.

  ‘But Petiron took his with him. Surely you …’

  ‘I had the use of it, yes.’ Menolly managed to keep her tone even as she rigidly suppressed the memory of how she had lost the use, of the beating her father had given her for forbidden tuning, playing her own songs. ‘I m
ade myself pipes …’ she added, diverting Silvina from further questions. Rummaging in her bundle, she brought out the multiple pipes she had made in her cave by the sea.

  ‘Reeds? And done with a belt knife by the look of them.’ said Silvina, walking to the window for more light as she turned the pipes in a critical examination. ‘Well done for just a belt knife.’ She returned the pipes to Menolly with an approving expression. ‘Petiron was a good teacher.’

  ‘Did you know him well?’ Menolly felt a wave of grief at her loss of the only person in her home Hold who had been interested in her.

  ‘Indeed I did.’ Silvina gave Menolly a frown. ‘Did he not talk of the Harper Hall at all to you?’

  ‘No. Why should he?’

  ‘Why shouldn’t he? He taught you, didn’t he? He encouraged you to write … Sent Robinton those songs …’ Silvina stared at Menolly in real surprise for a long moment, then she shrugged with a little laugh. ‘Well, Petiron always had his own reasons for everything he did, and no-one the wiser. But he was a good man!’

  Menolly nodded, unable for a moment to speak, berating herself for ever once doubting, during those lonely miserable days at Half-Circle after Petiron’s death, that he’d done what he said he’d do. Though the Old Harper’s mind had taken to wandering …

  ‘Before I forget it,’ Silvina said, ‘how often do your fire lizards need to be fed?’

  ‘They’re hungriest in the morning, though they eat any time, but maybe that was because I had to hunt and catch food for them, and it took hours. The wild ones seemed to have no trouble …’

  ‘Feed ’em once and they’re always looking to you, is that it?’ Silvina smiled, to soften any implied criticism. ‘The cooks throw all scraps into a big earthen jar in the cold room … most of it goes to the watchwhers, but I’ll give orders that you’re to have whatever you require.’