Anne McCaffrey: Dragonsong

“You shouldn’t have said that about my fire lizards singing with me.”

“Why not?” T’gellan was surprised at her criticism. “Mirrim hasn’t done that much with her three, and she’s had them longer. I told…Ah, yes, Craftmaster, F’lar did indeed say that you’re to have a fire lizard egg.”

And so the evening went, with lucky eager holders and craftsmen arriving to collect the precious fire lizard eggs. By the time only Masterharper Robinton’s eggs remained in the warm sands of the basket, Menolly had become resigned to hearing T’gellan’s wheeze that she had taught her fair of fire lizards to sing. Fortunately no one asked her to put it to the test, since her weary friends were curled up on their wall perches. They hadn’t roused from sleep for all the singing and laughter at the merry tables in the Bowl.

Harper Elgion was thoroughly enjoying the Impression Feast. He hadn’t realized how dour Half-Circle Hold was until this evening. Yanus was a good man, a fine Sea Holder to judge by the respect his holders accorded him, but he certainly knew how to take the joy out of living.

When Elgion had sat in the Hatching Ground, watching the young boys Impress, he’d determined that he’d find a fire lizard clutch of his own. That would alleviate the gloom at Half-Circle. And he’d see that Alemi got an egg, too. He’d heard from his neighbors in the tiers that the clutch being distributed this evening to the fortunate had been found down the coast from Half-Circle Sea Hold by T’gellan. Elgion had promised himself a chat with the bronze dragonrider; but T’gellan had had two passengers aboard Monarth when he’d collected Elgion at Half-Circle so there’d been no opportunity to talk. Elgion hadn’t seen the man since the Hatching. But he’d bide his time.

Meanwhile, Oharan, the Weyr Harper, had Elgion playing gitar with him to amuse the visitors.

Elgion had just finished another tune with Oharan and some of the other visiting harpers when he caught sight of T’gellan, assisting a craftsman to mount a green dragon. It was then that Elgion noticed that the visitors were thinning out and this rare evening was drawing to a close. He’d speak with T’gellan, and then seek out the Masterharper, too.

“Over here, man,” he said, beckoning to the bronze rider.

“Oh, Elgion, a cup of wine, please. I’m parched with talking. Not that it’ll do those cold clods much good. They’ve no feeling for fire lizards at all.”

“I heard you found the clutch. It wasn’t in that cave by the Dragon Stones, was it?” “By the Dragon Stones? No. Way down the coast in fact.”

“Then there wasn’t anything there?” Elgion was so bitterly disappointed that T’gellan gave him a long look.

“Depends on what you were expecting. Why? What did you think would be in that cave if it didn’t hold fire lizard eggs?”

Elgion wondered briefly if he would be betraying Alemi’s confidence. But it had become a matter of his professional honor to know if the sounds he’d heard from that cave had been made by pipes.

“The day Alemi and I saw the cave from the boat, I could have sworn I heard pipes. Alemi insisted it was wind over blowholes in the cliff, but there wasn’t that much wind that day.”

“No,” T’gellan said, seeing a chance to tease the Harper, “you heard pipes. I saw ’em when I searched the place.”

“You found pipes? Where was the player?”

“Sit down. Why’re you so excited?”

“Where’s that player?”

“Oh, here at Benden Weyr.”

Elgion sat down again, so deflated and disappointed that T’gellan forbore to tease him further. “Remember the day we rescued you from Thread? T’gran brought someone in as well.”

“The lad?”

“That was no lad. That was a girl. Menolly. She’d been living in the cave…Now, what’s the matter?”

“Menolly? Here? Safe? Where’s the Masterharper? I’ve got to find Master Robinton. Come, T’gellan, help me find him!”

Elgion’s excitement was contagious and though he was mystified, T’gellan joined the search. Taller than the young Harper, T’gellan spotted Master Robinton in deep conversation with Manora at a quiet table in the Bowl.

“Sir, sir, I’ve found her,” Elgion cried, dashing up to them.

“Have you now? The love of your life?” asked Master Robinton amiably.

“No, sir. I’ve found Petiron’s apprentice.”

“Her? The old man’s apprentice was a girl?”

Elgion was gratified by the Masterharper’s surprise and grabbed at his hand, quite prepared to drag the man after him to search.

“She ran away from the Sea Hold, because they wouldn’t let her make music, I think. She’s Alemi’s sister…”

“What’s this about Menolly?” asked Manora, obstructing Elgion’s flight with the Harper.

“Menolly?” Robinton raised his hand to silence Elgion. “That lovely child with the nine fire lizards?”

“What do you want of Menolly, Master Robinton?” Manora’s voice was so stern that the Harper was brought up sharp.

He took a deep breath. “My much respected Manora, old Petiron sent me two songs written by his ‘apprentice’; two of the loveliest melodies I’ve heard in all my Turns of harpering. He asked were they any good…” Robinton raised his eyes heavenward for patience, “I sent word back immediately, but the old man had died. Elgion found my message unopened when he got to the Sea Hold, and then he couldn’t find the apprentice. The Sea Holder gave him some folderol about a fosterling who’d returned to his own hold. What’s distressing you, Manora?”

“Menolly. I knew something had broken that girl’s heart, but not what. She may not be able to play, Master Robinton. Mirrim says there’s a dreadful scar on her left hand.”

“She can, too, play,” said T’gellan and Elgion together. “I heard the sound of multiple pipes coming from that cave,” Elgion said hurriedly.

“I saw her hide those pipes when we cleared out her cave,” T’gellan added. “And furthermore, she’s taught her fire lizards to sing, too.”

“She has!” Bright sparks lit the Masterharper’s eyes, and he turned purposefully towards the kitchen cavern.

“Not so fast, Masterharper,” said Manora. “Go softly with that child.”

“Yes, I saw that, too, when we were chatting this evening, and now I understand what was inhibiting her. So how to proceed cautiously?” The Masterharper frowned and gazed at T’gellan so long that the bronze rider wondered what he’d done wrong. “How do you know she’s taught her firelizards to sing?”

“Why, they were singing along with her and Oharan last night.”

“Hmmm, now that’s very interesting. Here’s what we shall do.”

Menolly was tired now, and most of the visitors had left. Still the Masterharper did not appear to collect his fire lizard eggs. She wouldn’t leave until she’d seen him again. He’d been so kind; she hugged to herself the memory of their meeting. It was hard for her to believe that the Masterharper of Pern had carried her, Menolly of…Menolly of the Nine Fire Lizards. She propped her elbows up on the table and rested her head on her hands, feeling the rough scar against her left cheek and not even minding that at the moment.

She didn’t hear the music at first, it was soft, as if Oharan was playing to himself at a nearby table.

“Would you sing along with me, Menolly?” asked Oharan softly, and she looked up to see him taking a place at the table.

Well, no harm in singing. It would help keep her awake until the Masterharper arrived. So she joined in. Beauty and Rocky roused at the sound of her voice, but Rocky went back to sleep after a peevish complaint. Beauty, however, dropped down to Menolly’s shoulder, her sweet soprano trill blending with Menolly’s voice.