The Dolphins of Pern Page 4

  “They’ll never be competition for dragons,” Jayge said quickly, flashing Jaxom a look.

  “No,” Jaxom replied with an easy grin, “nothing could be, but you seaside holders might want to encourage a renewal of the old friendship. Especially with the squalls you have.”

  “Hmmm …” Jayge was clearly taken with that idea.

  “You are not”—Aramina paused to emphasize the negative—“to give my son any more ideas than he already has.”

  “Why not?” Jayge said, blinking at her. “Catch ’em while they’re young and train ’em up in the way they’re to go.”

  “Readis will follow you as Holder of Paradise River,” she began hotly.

  “And, as he is Holder of Paradise River right on the coast, I think it’d be smart if he is aware of all the possibilities available,” Jayge said, sweeping his arm out to include the sparkling waters beyond. “Of course, only when he’s old enough to appreciate the advantages,” he added as her expression turned slightly mutinous.

  “Can’t start ’em too young, you know,” Jaxom told Aramina.

  “You’re as bad as he is. Don’t tell me that Sharra would allow Jarrol to go careening about the coastline?”

  “We don’t have much of a one at Ruatha,” Jaxom said with immense good humor. “And speaking of my wife, I’d best get back to her. Surprise her with my early return. So I have your permission, Lord Holder, to use Paradise River sands …” He turned to Jayge.

  Jayge raised both hands in broad assent. “However much you need,”

  “Thanks.” Jaxom drank the last of the juice, made a satisfied smack of his lips. “That hit the spot. Now, to entice my dragon away from all his admirers.”

  Jayge, circling Aramina’s shoulders with one arm, waved a farewell. Then he looked down at his wife, always somewhat amazed that she had chosen to live her life with him.

  “Some people have affinities for the sea, others for runnerbeasts or dragons.” He gave her an encouraging squeeze when her face clouded, hearing that preamble. “Readis has had a great adventure for a young lad. Let’s bend with it for the time being. I would like to hear what Aivas has to say about the shipfish, After all, love, we, too, owe our lives to them—and all that they brought us to. We ought, for the sake of our son, to listen to what is known about them.”

  She leaned into him, borrowing his strength once again. “He is just a little boy.”

  “Who will grow, I hope, into a fine sturdy man. Who will probably be as stubborn as his mother.” He grinned down at her.

  “Ha! And not just his mother by any means,” she replied tardy. “Just don’t force the issue, Jayge.”

  “I hadn’t intended to, but I must admit to being curious as to what Aivas will say about talking fish.”

  “Yes,” Aramina said, moving away from his side to take a sand-covered biscuit out of her daughter’s hand. “People can imagine such odd things in moments of stress.”

  “Didn’t we though!” Jayge’s grin was for their own rarely mentioned rescue. “We never thought to thank them, either.”

  Aramina gave him a long and indignant stare. “Considering we barely made it to shore, and never really thought the shipfish were speaking to us, why would we have?”

  The dolphins kept patrolling the waters off Pardisriv, hoping to ask mans to remove bloodfish. Most of them had the annoying things. Sometimes one could bite it off a podmember, but the parasites could take a hold that only a man’s sharp knife could remove. It had been one of the great things about having a partner: he or she would keep the dolphins’ flesh free of the parasites. So when they found the broken pieces of the mans’ boat, they pushed it to where the tide would bring it ashore, since the waters were not deep enough for them to swim all the way in to the sands. Maybe, seeing that the dolphins were remembering the tasks tradition had told them to perform, mans would perform the tasks dolphins could not do for themselves. They kept watch until they saw mans finding the wreckage. Kib called and called, asking when the bloodfish could be taken off, and where should they go for that healing. The mans were so happy to find the ship pieces that they walked away without answering.

  If there was only a bell, Kib thought. There should be a bell Then they could ring it as their ancestors had, and mans would answer. The dolphins at Moncobay had a bell that they could ring, but they had not yet had the bloodfish scraped off. Had mans forgotten their duty to dolphins?

  The Tillek had said that, one day, when the dolphin bells were rung again, mans would remember what mans should do to help dolphins.

  CHAPTER III

  IF ARAMINA secretly hoped that Lord Jaxom would forget so trivial a matter as speaking to Aivas about her son’s adventure, she was mistaken. However, it was Masterfishman Alemi who was asked to come and recount the event to the Artificial Intelligence Voice-Address System.

  Jayge was somewhat irritated that Readis would miss an opportunity to meet this astounding artifact of the original colonists, but Aramina thought it was much the best thing.

  “He’s only just settled down, Jayge. Seeing this Aivas thing would upset him. And how much would a boy of his age understand? I mean, it’s not as if he were meeting a living person he could relate to, is it?”

  “I could insist that Readis accompany me,” Alemi said, not wishing to cause bad feelings between holder and lady. His initial elation had been much dampened by realizing that his young friend was being excluded from the interview. He had been to the Admin with other Fishmasters, and had been awed by the vast amount of still-relevant information the facility had on ocean currents and deeps. The boy would be so proud of having been granted such a privilege.

  “No!” Aramina said with some force. “It’s enough he had the adventure. He tends to magnify things out of proportion, and I don’t want him thinking of swimming with those shipfish again. You go. Find out what this Aivas knows. We can decide then if Readis is to be told. Right now, I’d rather the whole affair was forgotten.”

  “Forget that we owe the doll-fins our son’s life?”

  “We owe them ours, too!” she snapped at him. “But I’m not out looking at the sea to see fins all day. Readis has to learn to deal with life on the land, not the sea.” She gave Alemi a quick glance and added in a gentler tone, “I mean, for a boy his age, he already knows a good deal about the fishman’s Craft, and I’m grateful you wanted to teach him.” Then she let out a gush of held breath and said in a fierce tone, “He’s only seven Turns old! He’s got a lot more to do with dragons than with doll-fins.”

  The two men exchanged glances and a silent understanding was reached.

  “I’ll go to Landing then,” Alemi said calmly. “See what Aivas has to say about these creatures. I must admit, I’m some fascinated with them myself. And,” he added with a wry grin, “I saved some fish to feed them with on this latest sail. You know, I hadn’t realized just how often they have escorted my ship. And how often they’ve saved lives. Each of my older hands had some tale to tell: in their family or from other crews they’ve sailed with. Oly said that once he was certain doll-fins had kept his skiff afloat until he was close enough to land to swim. The boat sank the moment he left it.”

  “Do me a favor, Alemi?” Aramina asked, her expression severe.

  “What?”

  “Don’t tell Readis any of those tales.”

  “Ara …” Jayge began in protest.

  She wheeled on him. “I know all too well, Jayge Lilcamp, what can happen to a child who gets its head full of notions!”

  Jayge pulled back and gave her a sheepish expression. “All right, Ara, I take the point. Alemi?”

  “Oh, aye, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

  There was an awkward pause and then Aramina relented. “If he asks, tell him the truth. I won’t have him lied to or put off.”

  “You want it both ways?” Jayge asked.

  She gave him a scowl, then relaxed a bit with a rueful smile on her lips. “I guess I do. But he’s only seven and the least s
aid the best as far as I can see.”

  They were all of one mind before Alemi left the house that evening. He arranged for his first mate to take the sloop out the next day to trawl for redfins, which were still running. What he couldn’t sell fresh, they’d smoke, so he didn’t want to lose the day because he was asked to go to Landing.

  Kitrin didn’t wish him to be away from her at all.

  “I’m longer gone on the ship fishing, dear,” he gently reminded his wife. She was well gone in her pregnancy and apt to fret. He took her hand and pulled her into his embrace, stroking her fine dark hair. “And I promise I shan’t even look at those forward girls who work at Landing.”

  They both felt the baby kicking at her belly and smiled at each other.

  “You’ve only to send Bitty after me,” he assured her, nodding at the little bronze fire-lizard curled up in a sunny patch on their veranda. “Returning from Landing is much easier done than from the sea.”

  “I know, I know,” she said, and settled against the curve of him.

  If Alemi were truthful—and this was not the time to be with Kitrin so uneasy in herself—he would have admitted that being asked to visit Landing, to speak to Aivas itself, was an excitement he didn’t wish to miss, and one he would have preferred to share with no qualifications. He could, indeed, understand and appreciate Aramina’s anxieties about Readis. The boy was adventurous enough and sufficiently self-confident, perhaps, to undertake more than he was truly able to. Alemi had planned to tell him all that he had observed on this latest sail of the doll-fins: how he had taken up a position on the prow of the ship to hail the shipfish, to see if others would talk to him, to feed them the fish he had saved as thank-you. He had done this every morning and evening. To his own amazement he had begun to notice differences in the colors, even in the scars on their muzzles, so that they were distinguishable one from another. It occurred to him that doll-fins, like dragons, could be identified once one knew what to look for: like differences in shade and scar tissue.

  Alemi was also delighted at the opportunity to ride a dragon. He hadn’t had that many chances. His initial ride between had been at his sister Menolly’s request. She’d heard from her Master, Harper Robinton, of the settlement at Paradise River and thought Alemi might well consider sailing south and founding his own Hold. How well his sister had read his circumstances, had seen him chafing at his father’s conservatism. So he’d been conveyed a-dragonback for the initial meeting with the recently confirmed Holder, Jayge Lilcamp, and they had liked each other enough to take hold on it. He’d been conveyed twice since then to various Fishcraft meetings in the Tillek Masterfishmen Hall. Although Menolly had repeatedly told him that, as a Mastercraftsman, he had the right to call for a dragon to convey him whenever that was needful, he did not abuse the privilege.

  He had often sailed to what was now called Monaco Bay, with tithes for the Weyr and supplies for the growing population at Landing. Excavations were still going on, and he had acquired a thing or two of use from the Catherine Caves when those were being shared out.

  For this appearance at Landing, he dressed in his new formal tunic, embroidered with his Master’s emblem, and in the Paradise River Hold colors, and newly braided Master’s shoulder knots. Kitrin had a deft needle and did much of the special handwork for the entire Hold.

  He had asked the dragonrider to collect him on the sea side of his holding, where Readis would not be likely to see him leave. Alemi was somewhat surprised by the youth of the bronze rider, who appeared exactly on the time set.

  “I’m T’lion, Masterfishman, to collect you,” the boy said from his high perch on the bronze’s neck.

  “This is Gadareth, my dragon.” His voice was vibrant with deep affection and pride. “Do you need help mounting, Master Alemi?”

  “I think not,” Alemi said, keeping his features composed even as he wondered if this was the first time the lad had been sent to convey a passenger “If Gadareth will oblige me by a knee up,” he added. The bronze had not achieved his full growth yet, so mounting was not the problem it would soon become.

  “Oh, yes, sorry about that, Master.” The boy’s features set as he “spoke” to his dragon.

  Gadareth had his head turned toward Alemi, his eyes whirling a trifle faster than the speed Alemi thought of as normal to these huge beasts. Then he raised his left foreleg slightly.

  “If you’d lean your hand down?” Alemi suggested.

  “Oh, that’s right,” young T’lion said, flushing.

  He leaned so far over that he had to clutch at the neck ridge to keep from tipping himself out of his perch. So Alemi sprang to the offered knee, touched the hand only enough to give him an upward surge, and swung himself in the slot between the two neck ridges aft of the rider.

  “Nothing to it, really,” Alemi said, settling himself.

  “No, Master, there isn’t, is there?”

  When they had sat there a few moments longer, Alemi cleared his throat. “I’m all set. Whenever you’re ready?” he asked in a gentle prompt.

  “Oh, yes, well, fine. We’re just going. Gadareth!” Now he spoke with more conviction and no hesitation.

  As Gadareth sprang from the ground, Alemi had a moment’s doubt about the boy’s expertise and devoutly hoped they wouldn’t end up somewhere unknown, far from familiar coordinates. He had heard tales …

  Abruptly they were in the cold of between, and Alemi caught his breath … one … two … three … fo…. They were high above water—at least that was right—and then Gadareth veered, pivoting on his right wing tip, and the magnificent crescent strand of Monaco Bay appeared in front of them. The young bronze swooped down, gliding straight for the ground in a maneuver that made Alemi hold his breath and sit as hard into the neck ridge as he could, jamming his feet down and his knees against the neck of the dragon as hard as he could.

  The landing was achieved with great ease, however, and Alemi wasn’t even bumped about as the dragon backwinged and settled to the firm surface in front of the Admin Building, which housed Aivas.

  Alemi knew the story of its discovery—it had been a harper’s tale at many a gather. It had been one of the last of the Ancients’ buildings to be excavated, a task undertaken by Mastersmith Jancis, Journeyman Harper Piemur, and Lord Jaxom—on a whim, it was said. And Ruth had helped. Then they had found the curiously reinforced end of the building, which had suggested that something special had been carefully protected … and discovered the Artificial Intelligence Voice-Address System left by the first settlers on Pern: an intelligence that could tell them much of the first years of human habitation on this planet, and much about Thread. Aivas, as the intelligence preferred to be called, had also promised to help destroy the menace of Thread forever.

  Of course, the building had been extended, since Aivas was teaching so much of the lost knowledge of every craft Alemi wasn’t sure how this Aivas could teach so much and to so many. He was more than pleased that he would have a special interview with the intelligence,

  Dismounting from the young bronze, Alemi remembered to thank them both for the conveyance.

  “We’re to wait and take you back, Master Alemi,” T’lion said. Then, glancing over his shoulder to see other dragons spiraling down to land, he hastily added, “We’ll be up on the ridge where the others are waiting.” He pointed in the right direction. “Give us a wave.”

  The bronze was already lifting himself out of the way of those wanting to land, and the boy’s words were carried away in the breeze. Alemi waved his hand to show that he’d heard. Then he turned to the entrance of the Admin Building. Just inside the door was a desk at which sat no lesser a personage than Robinton, the Masterharper of Pern. Alemi gawked a bit, but Robinton smiled a warm welcome, rising from his table to hold out his hand to the young Masterfishman.

  “Ah, Master Alemi, how good to see you. And on such an errand. You and young Readis were so fortunate to be rescued in that extraordinary fashion.”

  “You know ab
out it?” Alemi was amazed. But then, the Masterharper, even if he was now retired from active duty, had a way of “knowing” a great deal that went on all around Pern.

  “Of course I do,” Robinton said emphatically. “Lord Jaxom himself told me. But why isn’t young Readis with you?”

  “Oh, yes, well, his mother decided that she doesn’t want him involved just yet. He’s only a few months over seven Turns. She feels that’s just too young …” Alemi heard his own disagreement with that decision in his tone and wished he was better able at dissembling.

  “I see. Well, Aramina might have reservations about associating with just a mere dolphin.” The Harper smiled sympathetically about maternal misgivings. “In any event, you’re here. Aivas has much to tell you, too, about the shipfish. He was delighted to know that they have prospered so and have remembered how to speak. If you’ll just come this way—” The Harper gestured to the left-hand corridor. “Have you been here before, Alemi? Yes, well, then you’ll see how much we’ve expanded,” he continued as they made their way past rooms occupied by small groups intent on screens to a smaller room at the end. “Here.” He stepped aside to let Alemi enter.

  “Aivas is in here, too?” the Masterfishman said, rotating on one heel as he looked about a room that held only chairs of the same ancients’ design as the two Alemi had acquired for his hold. Then his eyes stopped at the blank screen centered in the long outside wall. A little red light blinked in its corner.

  “Good morning. Masterfishman Alemi. It is good to see you again,” said a deep bass voice.

  “He remembered me? I never even spoke to him the first time.”

  Master Robinton chuckled. “He remembers everyone and everything.” And he left.

  The screen brightened, and an active scene of shipfish plunging and diving filled the space.

  “Were there not to be two attending this meeting? Yourself and your young companion during the incident?”