Title: Dragon's Peace

Authors: Lady Bard, Xandria, Black Rose, Loke

Rating NC-17

Type: rr, xover, AU

Fandoms: The Sentinel and the Dragon Riders of Pern and Kung Fu: The Legend
Continues

Pairings J'mes/Blair, S'mon/Joan, D'ryl/? Kwai Chang/Kermit R'fael/Megan
P'ter/Connora

Warnings: this is an rr so hold on to your seats. This is a story About Law enforcement and I think we all no what that means violence maybe some icky situations. Sex m/m and m/f how much depends on who is writing what part. Please, see each part for further warnings.

Disclaimers: All things Pern belong to Anne McCaffrey while all things sentinel belong to Petfly productions. We intend no copyright infringement by the use of characters and of settings from either of these shows. We write for the entertainment of ourselves and those who take the time to read this.

NOTE FROM LOKE: A Mindhealer on Pern is both a neurologist and a psychiatrist. This isn't canon; I made it up because there has been so much research recently that links mental disorders to malfunctions in brain chemistry. I just figured the Pernese would lump brain and mind together as far as healing goes.

Part 1 By Lady Bard

Blair excitedly tore open the envelope with his assignment. A recent graduate from the relatively new Landing school, he was eager to put into practice the knowledge that had been gained through years of hard work. It had been a hard road for him to walk because his gypsy tendencies kept urging him to wander free through Pern, but his need to help those in need had won out.

A knock on his door made him jump up to fling the door open. "Come in."

"Hello to you too Blair. Jason is here to take you to your assigned post." The older woman standing before him smiled.

"Hello Tera. I actually haven't had time to read this. I mean I was going to, but with all the excitement of actually knowing that I was going to have a definite post and trying to say goodbye to everyone..."

"I remember what that was like." Her kind brown eyes regarded him seriously.

"This will not be an easy post. Joan, though a queen rider, is not very likable. S'mon is all right."

"Do they have children?"

"They have one son D'ryl and a foster son J'mes. J'mes impressed a bronze a few years back. D'ryl the Wyerleader's son impressed a green at this last hatching. D'ryl is a year younger than you.

I hear J'mes is a bit distracted most of the time. It's said he just sits and stares blankly for hours at a stretch. I heard from one of the harpers that it's causing dissension within the wyer."

"Must be hard for him." Blair murmured. His mind already working on ways to ease the tensions between the wyer folk. It was also going over various remedies to help any illnesses that might occur either to the dragon folk or to the dragons.

//Blair, you should listen to the healer woman instead of day dreaming. I'll never know how you managed to get such high recommendations the way your mind wanders off.//

It took a lot of self control not to react to the dragon talking in his head. No one knew of his ability to talk to dragons and the dragons chose to keep it that way. His mind shied away from what other things no one knew about him.

"Blair I get the feeling I lost you a while back." He started guiltily at her accurate assessment.

"I'm sorry, Tera."

"Don't bother. You would think after all the times I've had to call on you for day dreaming I'd know better. Now, Jason's offered to take you to your post. Let's not keep him waiting."

They walked out of his small room and made it to the court yard in record time. There they found Lord Jason moodily staring out in to space, however the instant Blair stood before him the lord smiled warmly at him.

"Are you ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

His bags were already strapped to the dragon. All he needed to do was mount.

Blair watched the sad lord holder and had to ask. "Lord Jason, how is Sharen?"

"Not well, they can't help her."

"I wish there was more I could suggest. Try to take her to the Southern continent. She'd like it there."

"I know. I'll try."

Blair fought the urge to hug the man only a few years his senior and said, "If I think of anything I'll be sure to tell you."

"I know Blair. Thank you."

The dragon knelt signaling the end of the conversation and Blair mounted holding on to the rider for support. Then they rose into the air and went between.

***

S'mon glared at his mate wanting to scream in frustration.

"Joan, I will not have this argument with you again especially in public where everyone can hear your shrewish caterwauling."

"If you just did as I said things would be easier."

"What you ask is an impossibility. I will not send my foster child to the new Weyr."

"Why do we have to have him here. He just sits and stares out at nothing for hours on end."

"The man is ill. Would you have me send D'ryl away if the situation was different?" She glanced away unable to meet his eyes.

She disgusted him most of the time but he was stuck with her until the next mating flight. The sad thing was that their dragons seemed to genuinely like one another.

"Joan," he tried a more reasonable tone, "Until recently you know I would have agreed with you, but J'mes is ill. We have a harper with some healer training being stationed here. Let's not argue right now. Let's have the harper look at J'mes all right?"

He extended a hand to touch her cheek in a gesture of peace, but never Got the chance. As his hand was inches from her face a breathless figure came racing into the room.

"Weyrleader, the harper has come." Plastering a smile on his face and holding out a hand to Joan, S'mon went to meet the harper that would change their lives.

part 2
by
Xandria

Entering the main hall he stopped in astonishment. Lord Jason was there with a boy, younger than his own fosterling, J'mes.

"Lord Jason" he said, going toward them.

"Weyrleader S'mon, Weyrlady Joan, this is Master Blair, your new Harper. He has also has extensive training in healing and Tera said he was the equivalent of a Journeyman Healer." Jason said with a smile as he ushered Blair forward. Blair smiled and opened his mouth to speak but Joan spoke before him.

"Is this some kind of a joke? How could this boy be a Master Harper, let alone a Journeyman Healer as well?! I never would have thought you would stoop to such a thing, Lord Jason!"

"Joan!" S'mon pulled her away and Jason and Blair saw them arguing and gesturing at each other angrily before Joan stormed out.

"I've heard that Joan has a temper to rival the volcano at Landing" Jason whispered to Blair as they watched.

"Looks like Tera was right. I'll have to be careful."

"You be careful? Since when?" Blair stifled a laugh as S'mon turned around to face them again.

"Master Blair, I'm sorry about Joan. Our fosterling, J'mes, is sick and I'm afraid she's a bit distracted at the moment. And of course, Aventh is about to hatch. That tends to distract her a little too."

"Of course. I've heard it is similar for many Queen riders. You said your fosterling, J'mes, was sick. Perhaps I could do something."

"So what can you do, exactly? How did one so young became a master and a journeyman in two different disciplines?"

"Well, my mother was one of the traveling folk and she had me at Bendon Weyr one year after staying with a dragonrider for several months. She died when I was seven and I just ran around with the other weyr children until the healer noticed I was good at looking after creatures.

"I used to bring all these sick creatures home. I'd go to her for help and she noticed how I paid attention and they all got better. So she sent me off to learn healing. And there, they discovered I was very good at Harper craft. I finished my harper apprenticeship in two years and became a journeyman Harper. And at the same time I've been learning about healing as well."

As they had been talking they had walked towards the door Joan had stormed through a few minutes earlier. Just before they entered Jason stopped them with a wave of his hand.

"Now I know Blair is in safe hands I had better be going. I need to get home and see if the latest idea Tera has come up with for her treatment has worked."

"Thank you for bringing him Lord Jason." S'mon said formally as he drew aside a little.

"Jason, don't forget what I suggested. Take her back with you to the Southern continent for the warmer weather. It could be that the cold of the North is too much for her."

"If I get the chance I will, Blair." Jason turned and walked quickly away and the young master harper stared after him with worry in his eyes.

"How bad is it?" S'mon asked.

"Not good. This journey might be the one last chance Sharen gets to see her old home before the end. I suggested it earlier but they had to try other things first. I mean, I've been given this gift, but it's not always so good being young with it."

"Hopefully you may have an idea of what to do with J'mes. We had hopes he would become weyrleader of the new weyr, to Aventh's queen egg. At the moment, we don't even know what is wrong with him." They entered the room J'mes was in. Sitting by the bed was a tall young man the same age as Blair. He stood up nervously as they walked over to the bed.

"Blair, this is D'ryl, mine and Joan's son. D'ryl, if you had been there to greet him you would know that this is Master Blair, our new harper and healer."

"You are? But you're the same age as me!"

"Yes. So, what are his symptoms?" He looked down at J'mes as he listened to the weyrleader speak.

"He would always get these sudden headaches and react to things more than others. But a few days ago he just began to sit and stare at nothing, and just won't respond to anyone or anything. Not even Arlanth, his dragon, can get through."

J'mes lay on the bed, blue eyes wide open and staring up at the ceiling. Blair stared at him and thought. He suddenly clapped his hands right over J'mes' head, but the dragonrider didn't even blink.

Joan came in and looked at him with scorn.

"And just what do you think you can do young Master Blair?" She mocked.

Part 3
By
BlackRose

Blair pressed his lips into a thin line, biting back several sharp retorts. He was used to some amount of ridicule, his suggestions overlooked in favor of those older and with more experience, but the Weyrwoman's scathing tone made him bristle.

S'mon looked none too happy either, brows drawing down as he glared at his weyrmate. There looked to be little love lost between them, and a glance at D'ryl showed the young man looking determinedly at the floor, the walls, his foster brother - anywhere but at his parents as Joan, arms crossed over her chest, glared right back at the tall Weyrleader.

And none of this was helping the man on the bed, who had not stirred so much as a muscle through any of it.

Grimacing, Blair clenched his teeth. His eyes briefly met D'ryl's, the other man pulling a small face in sympathy. It made Blair smile slightly, an expression that was answered back. Sharing the silent amusement of the solution that came to him, if not the solution itself, Blair grinned openly as he reached out and, ever so lightly, made an inquiry of an already disgruntled mind. //...?...//

Outside the weyr, from the direction of the Hatching Grounds, a reverberating roar rang out.

"Aventh!" Joan straightened as though slapped, some of the color leeching from her dark complexion. "Oh, shells and shards, if those weyrlings have been teasing her again..." The blatant concern for her queen's welfare wiped the angry hautiness from her expression, showing a glimpse of something more personable in her eyes for a moment as she turned towards the entrance to the weyr, her boots clattering on the outer steps as she hurriedly left.

S'mon let out a slow breath, his large frame deflating slightly. Reaching up, he scrubbed a hand across his eyes. "My apologies, Master Blair." He put a slight emphasis on the title, a courtesy that Blair acknowledged with a nod. "I know it's small excuse, but Aventh..."

"Brooding queens are difficult at the best of times," Blair assured him. "Is she always...?"

"Frequently," S'mon said flatly, at the same moment D'ryl, with a roll of his eyes, groaned "Always!".

"D'ryl," S'mon said with a sigh, but the younger man would not be quelled.

"She doesn't care that J'mes is ill," he said hotly, dropping back down into the chair beside the bed and daring to meet his father's gaze defiantly. "She'd be just as glad if he..."

"D'ryl, that's enough!" S'mon said sharply. The younger man reluctantly subsided, but not without a scowl in the direction the Weyrwoman had exited.

Running a hand over his hair in a habitual gesture that only managed to dislodge more curls then it smoothed down, Blair leaned down to look again at the man on the bed. J'mes was a large man, broadly built, and Blair imagined that in motion he must have the same overshadowing presence as the Weyrleader. Now, though, with the blue eyes that stared, unblinking, at nothing at all... it was an eerie sight, and a disturbing one. Blair reached out gingerly, pressing his fingertips to the skin of a throat a little too cool, over a steady, even pulse a little too slow.

S'mon had come to stand behind him. The Weyrleader was outwardly composed, but Blair could feel the tension in the man's broad shoulders. "Is there anything you can do?"

"I don't know," Blair admitted quietly. "You said even his dragon can't reach him?

"No," D'ryl answered soberly. "Arlanth told Lieth that J'mes felt 'empty'."

"Arlanth is a good bronze," S'mon said quietly. "Fortunately for us - many dragons can't cope with a sick rider."

Blair gently tipped J'mes face towards the glows, watching for any sign of motion in the clear eyes but even the pupils failed to contract. Inside, his mind was racing. //Arlanth?//

There was a pause before he heard a reply, the mental voice deep and multifaceted as dragons always were. //I do not know you.//

//I'm trying to help J'mes, Arlanth,// Blair reassured the bronze hastily. //Can you hear him at all?//

//He sleeps,// came the reply. //He sleeps without sleeping. He doesn't dream.//

Blair caught his lower lip between his teeth, worrying it slightly. His own low voice, he thought, was rather amazingly steady, all things considered. "J'mes... J'mes, I need you to listen to me. I need you to hear me. Can you do that? Can you focus on my voice?" Very lightly, he slapped the man's cheeks, trying to provoke some sort of response.

Beside him, D'ryl leaned forward, dark eyes intent. "That used to work. In the beginning - sometimes, if I just talked to him, he'd come out of it."

"Good," Blair crooned softly. "You hear that, J'mes? Just like before. You need to come back to us. Arlanth is going to start worrying, J'mes. You need to come back... just focus on the sound of my voice and follow it back to us..."

He never had any warning. One moment he might have been talking to a corpse - the next, the body beneath his hands drew in a deep gasp, surging upwards. Startled, Blair jerked backwards, going down hard against the stone floor with a yelp.

A glance up proved his first thoughts had been right - the presence of a thinking awareness in the blue eyes made all of the difference, and alert, the bronze rider was a formidable looking man. The man's eyes were darting around the room, taking stock of it, pausing on Blair. "Shards... what's going on? S'mon? D'ryl? And who are you?"

Part 4
By
Loke

"My name is Blair," he said, sitting up and extending a hand in greeting. "I'm the new weyr healer and harper. How long have you been going into trances like that? Did anything significant happen just before this behavior started, like a fever or an injury?" He'd heard of conditions similar to J'mes' that were caused by damage to the brain. He needed time alone with his patient though to do a thorough examination.

J'mes turned to S'mon, ignoring the healer. "I did it again, didn't I? I should go." He stood to do just that when three firelizards, a bronze marked with the colors of the seniormost Weyr, and a blue and green marked with faded Landing colors, swooped into the room, chittering excitedly.

The noise had an immediate effect on the bronze rider, who clapped his hands to his ears and dropped to a knee, crying out in pain. The blue and green disappeared with startled cheeps, leaving the bronze hovering in front of S'mon, a message tube clutched in his foreclaws. The weyrleader took the tube and gave the bronze a meatroll from J'mes untouched meal. The bronze promptly vanished.

"Weyr business," S'mon said, leaving to read the message in private.

Blair had scrambled over to the stricken man and was now trying to get his attention. "J'mes, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Damned noisy little nuisances," he whispered between gritted teeth. "Their chittering is like a knife through my brain!"

"I've never seen those other two before," remarked D'ryl. "I'll go see if I can find out who they look to."

"Don't bother," Blair told him as he was leaving. "They're mine, Azure and Verdi. I told them to wait outside." He turned back to J'mes. "I was told you react to things. Exactly what sort of things do you react to?"

"Noises," the bronze rider said. "Sunlight. Smells. The taste of food. The feel of clothes on my skin. I can live with those things." He turned pleading eyes to the weyrhealer. "I can't live with these periods of just staring at nothing. I have a job to do, and I can't do it if I'm staring at nothing all day!"

Blair gave him a very thoughtful look. "You mean all your senses are hyperacute? Have they always been like that?"

"Hyper-what?"

"Hyperacute. It means highly sensitive," the healer explained. "Voices sound like they're shouting. Lights are painfully bright. Smells are so strong they make you gag. Velvet feels like sandstone. Spices burn your tongue, even mild ones."

"That's it exactly!" J'mes said. "You've seen this before?"

"Not seen it, no," Blair temporized, "but I've read about something like it in the Ancient's records at Landing." Grief flashed briefly across his face. "For a while I tried burying myself in them. I learned a lot of things, not all of them useful."

J'mes bounced to his feet, pulling Blair up with him, and crossed to the leathers hanging on a hook in the wall. Blair heard him calling to Arlanth. "Let's go."

"Go where?" Blair cried. "I just got here!"

"To Landing. I want to see these Ancient records you were talking about."

"Whoa! Hold up! Wait!" Blair called to J'mes retreating back. "Why can't we just use your terminal to access the information?"

The bronze rider turned and gave him a look. "We don't have one."

"What do you mean you don't have one? Everybody has one."

"I sometimes think it was a mistake to get rid of Thread in the middle of the Pass," J'mes said. "The holders and crafters had 30 Turns to start resenting us because Thread didn't stop immediately, and when it did stop, we lost all priority for technology. The Northern Weyrs, the Weyr-holds, and the transport guild fared pretty well, but most people see the rest of us as parasites. So we get new technology last, because, after all, we can just go to Landing anytime we feel like it, right?"

The words of the last sentence were bitter.

Whatever Blair might have said at that point was lost as a weyrling came running up. "Masterharper Blair, the weyrleader wants to see you right away."

"Masterharper?" J'mes inquired.

Blair grimaced. "I'm going to have to correct that, and I might as well start at the top. It was a running joke at Landing which got started because I walked the tables to become a Journeyman Healer and a Journeyman Harper in the same sevenday. One of my fellow journeymen harpers said that since 2 journeymen would make a master, I should be Masterharper Blair, and it just sort of stuck." As he was saying this, the two men were walking toward the weyrleader's quarters.

Neither S'mon nor Joan were looking too happy when Blair entered with J'mes right behind. "You wanted to see me, Weyrleader?"

S'mon frowned at him. "How many Turns do you have?"

"18. If this is about the 'Masterharper' thing I can explain --" Blair began, but his words were ignored.

"He's too old," snapped the weyrwoman.

"Not by tradition," her mate pointed out.

"Oh, not again," the healer/harper moaned. "This is so embarrassing."

"Would somebody mind telling me what's going on?" J'mes asked.

"We've been requested to allow Journeyman Blair to stand as a Candidate at the next Hatching," S'mon told him. "It seems he can hear dragons." This last was accompanied by a glare at the man in question.

"I lost the ability four Turns ago," Blair said. He didn't see any reason to mention he'd recently regained it. "Besides, I was a Candidate at both Benden and Fort and never Impressed."

"There? You see?" quipped Joan. "Anyhow, we have plenty of Candidates already; we don't need anymore."

"It can't hurt to let him be there," S'mon stated, "and if he Impresses he might start hearing other dragons again. At least that's what's believed," indicating the message brought by the firelizard.

Joan hmphed and stormed out.

"S'mon," J'mes said, "Blair and I need to go to Landing. There are some records we want to look at that might explain what's been happening to me."

"And there's a Masterhealer there I want to have look at J'mes," Blair put in.

"It's probably a good idea to get you out of the Weyr for a few hours anyway," S'mon said, "and Arlanth needs food and exercise."

The pair left the weyr and after J'mes introduced Arlanth and Blair. They mounted and were away.

They came out of BETWEEN just above the Aivas building, and glided to a landing nearby. They were met by a pair of men, one bearing the shoulder knots of a Masterhealer, and the other the knots of a Mastercomputercrafter. Blair introduced them as MasterMindHealer Kwaichang and MasterComputerCrafter Kermit

"How did you know we were coming?" he asked.

"Don't you know by now that I know everything?" Kermit replied.

"I need to borrow a terminal to look something up," the young man said. "J'mes, can you let Master Kwaichang look at you while I'm doing that?"

"You mean you meant what you told S'mon about having a Masterhealer look me over?" the bronze rider said.

"If you will follow me," Master Kwaichang suggested, gesturing the way with his arm.

"I'll find the Masterharper here a free terminal and get him started," Kermit remarked. "Just remember kid, there's a three day limit on those things."

Blair managed to get out an indignant "Kermit!" before the Mastercrafter hauled him away.

PART FIVE
by
Lady Bard

With Blair gone, J'mes found himself alone with the Mindhealer. He felt a bit intimidated. His "spells" had been increasing in frequency and to someone as regimented and orderly as he was this fact was unacceptable.

He found his eye captured by the knots on the healer's shoulder. They grew larger, brighter and a voice was gently calling. "J'mes... J'mes..." He blinked and focused. "What? Oh, shards not again. I'm sorry Masterhealer."

"It's all right. Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"I just. Get. So. Focused." J'mes let each word come out clipped and precise but when he saw no trace of mockery or pity as he'd seen on so many other faces, he continued in a much more normal tone. "On one thing and everything else fades away. I can't help it. I feel so out of control. It angers me. I just want things to be the way they used to be before the spells."

"I have heard of these spells as you call them. I think it would be more accurate to call them zones but really if this is what I think then Blair is by far the expert."

***

Blair sat almost huddled in front of the terminal. He wanted to run from here and leave the ugly frightening memories behind but he had a job to do and he would do it.

/Sentinels/ he thought feeling a bit excited in spite of the memories. He read about the mythical sentinel guide relationship. He sat for what he would later be told were hours going through the limited data on the subject.

"Blair you must stop and come eat something before you fall over. How long have you been staring at that?"

"What, oh Kermit. I was just lost planning you know?"

His friend laughed softly, "Oh yes Blair, I know. I've seen you roaming through that data like it would hatch something else for you to read."

"How long were you standing there?"

"A couple minutes."

"Oh know! J'mes, is he ok?"

"He's fine Blair. He and Kwaichang have been talking."

"All this time?"

"Kwaichang has spent much time with you."

"Great," Blair mumbled.

"Here, have a meat roll." Kermit said while dragging Blair out of the room.

"Barbarian."

"Don't you just love it?" Kermit gently kidded his sometimes too serious friend.

"Wait! Kermit! I want print-outs of some of that stuff."

"I'll have it for you."

They came upon the healer and rider leaning against Arlanth lost in deep conversation. Suddenly, J'mes tilted his head and got wide eyed.

"But it's too soon... They can't be... Not yet! Ok, all right. Calm down. We're going." The half mumbled comments made very little sense to the listeners, until J'mes clarified. "Blair, I'm sorry but we must leave. The hatching is early. I think S'mon wants you to stand. In any case, we must go."

"Blair here." The breathless tone in Kermit's voice made Blair smile in gratitude.

"Thanks. I'll need to look through this and make my own notes but it's a place to start.

***

When they returned to the weyr Blair was stunned at how still everything was. Like everyone else, he was aware of the spreading opinion that Dragonriders were no longer needed, but to see the empty seats where once people would have had to be turned away made him sad. He knew that something drastic would have to happen if Dragonriders were once more to be treated with the respect they deserved. He understood thread no longer fell but the riders were still providing services Pern needed. He hoped to help the various leaders come up with a way to make things right for the riders.

With effort, he turned his mind away from its concerns and concentrated on hurrying to the hatching ground to stand with the other candidates. He did not look up when the eggs started to hatch and happy young riders were found by their dragons. Blair never moved when a hush fell over the few that had come to watch the hatching and believed he was hallucinating when a hatchling tried to get his attention.

He was gently shoved forward until he knelt and hugged the little dragon looking into those multifaceted eyes he'd dreamed of as a child. Then he saw the strangest thing, his dragon was silver.

PART SIX
by
Xandria

Blair never moved when a hush fell over the few that had come to watch the hatching and believed he was hallucinating when a hatchling tried to get his attention.

He was gently shoved forward until he knelt and hugged the little dragon looking into those multifaceted eyes he'd dreamed of as a child. Then he saw the strangest thing, his dragon was silver.

"You're beautiful" he murmured, bemused at the astonishing colour of the hatchling. He looked into the eyes again, currently a deep violet in colour and whirling madly.

{Hungry...} he heard.

"Absolutely beautiful" he said as he knelt there. A series of feelings came into his head from his dragon. His dragon. A dragon had picked him. A dragon of his very own.

{Blair...} the hatchling said. As he stared at his new charge he realised something else. The utter silence of the hatching grounds. He looked up to see everyone staring at him and then at Rhiannoth. Rhiannoth?

"She's called Rhiannoth" he said, a large smile on his face.

"She?" Joan said shrilly. "How did you impress a female dragon?"

"Joan! Hello Rhiannoth." S'mon said as he carefully knelt beside Blair to have a closer look.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Blair said, enthralled.

"She is. And a surprise, too. We thought she would be a queen, her egg was so large. Or a very large bronze, but a silver?" Blair placed his arms protectively around his dragon and stared solemnly at S'mon.

"I'm glad she's silver. I wouldn't be hers if she was a gold." S'mon stood up and held out a hand to Blair who stared at it before letting S'mon help him.

"Of course not, she's just...very unexpected." Blair and S'mon walked slowly over to the weyrlings where one of the older dragonriders, D'ryl, Blair vaguely noticed, was instructing them on how to feed the hatchlings. As they approached one of the weyrlings carefully cut some meat up for his hatchling, a brown.

"It doesn't have to be that small P'ter, it can be a little bit bigger but not much. Hey Blair. Wow! A silver! What's his name?"

"Her name is Rhiannoth." Blair said, looking at P'ter. He seemed familiar somehow.

"A female? Like a green then?"

"Yeah. Isn't she beautiful?" Blair said dreamily as he smiled and stared at his hatchling again. D'ryl and S'mon exchanged smiles of understanding.

"Blair, I'll leave you in D'ryl's care, okay?"

"I'll look after him S'mon" J'mes said as he joined them. "We have a few things to talk about."

"Fine. I have to contact the other weyrs anyway." The weyrleader strode off as Blair stared at his dragon.

"She's hungry!" Blair said, jumping up and grabbing some meat before taking it to Rhiannoth. About to give it to her, he jumped as a large hand came down on the arm he held out, stopping him. He looked up in protest and stared up into blue eyes deep enough to sink in.

"It's too big, Blair. You'll have to cut it up." J'mes smiled down at the new weyrling as he bit his lip and stared up at him. His rhiannoth cried out and he blinked. Pulling out his belt knife he hurriedly cut the meat into pieces and began to feed Rhiannoth. D'ryl and J'mes grinned at each other before helping the other weyrlings.

"Where did you two go?"

"To Landing. Blair wanted to look at some records and had me see a Masterhealer."

"What did he say?"

"that Blair was the best one able to help me. If he can find a cure I won't have to go."

"But you don't have to go anyway, J'mes!"

"I can't stay here if I'm no use, D'ryl. If I went back to Telgar..."

"Your father would send you right back here again. I know it hurts, J'mes, but he likes you better as the rider of a bronze then he ever did as a son." J'mes looked down.

"Yeah, but I can't stay here if this cure doesn't work. What is a dragonrider who can't fly?"

{I will protect you. You will never fall with me.} Arlanth declared. J'mes smiled wryly.

"Arlanth just told me..."

"I know. Liath said. No, wait a minute, not like that!" D'ryl said as he had to stop another weyrling from choking his hatchling. J'mes watched his foster brother for a minute, than turned to look at Blair.

A young man he had known only hours and who had already turned his life around. He smiled and then his eyes met those of one of the weyrlings, a tall young man the same age as Blair with light brown hair and hazel eyes. He lifted a brow and the young man flushed but stared back. His dragon suddenly cried out and he turned around to tend it.

"Grath! Are you still hungry?!" the sound of amused exasperation brought another half smile to his lips as he turned to stare at Rhiannoth. Her silver skin glowed as she fed, such a bright light that shone...

Part 7
by
Loke

It was only the fact dragon hatchlings, like human babies, did little more than eat and sleep for the first several weeks of their lives Blair survived at all.

As it was Weyr Headwoman Connora had to ensure both weyrling and trainer remembered to feed themselves as well as their dragons.

They took turns being student and teacher, J'mes showing Blair those parts of dragonlore only passed from rider to rider and Blair helping J'mes to not only control, but more importantly as far as he was concerned, to develop his Sentinel abilities. Being weyrbred and having received his first lessons in healing from the weyrhealer, Blair knew far more about dragons than the average weyrling, but there were still things J'mes could teach him. The bronze rider's periods of "zoning" became almost non-existent, lasting mere minutes instead of hours; in fact, Blair caught him beginning to "zone" and called him back on a number of occasions. He showed S'mon and D'ryl what to watch for, and both men were subsequently able to prevent "zones" without Blair's assistance.

J'mes' senses were still subject to spiking into hyperacuteness without warning, and Blair searched for a way for him to visualize a method of being able to adjust his senses higher or lower as needed. The Ancients' records spoke of "dialing down" a Sentinel's senses, but J'mes lacked the technical background to know what a "dial" was well enough to visualize it. Blair was feeling stymied until he watched a drudge changing the glows in a glowbasket and adjusting the opening for the right amount of light. He simply told J'mes to visualize a glowbasket and adjust the opening until his senses were normal, and the spiking was under control. J'mes could return to his normal duties when he wasn't needed to help Blair.

The pair started spending less time in each other's company as Blair's duties assisting both the weyrhealer and weyrharper as well as taking care of Rhiannoth and his firelizards took up so much of his time he was practically eating on the run, much to the distress of Connora. She suspected he was sneaking bathing and shaving in when he bathed his dragonet and firelizards; the Egg only knew how he managed to find time to relieve himself in the morning. That was probably why no one noticed the ambush until all the dragons roared simultaneously.

The dragonets from the latest hatching were all having a post-feeding nap when Blair rounded a corner on his way to the Weyr's classroom and hit a wall that wasn't supposed to be there. He'd sent Azure and Verdi ahead and told them to wait for him in the classroom, or things would have turned out differently. He took an involuntary step backwards and was captured by two sets of arms. The "wall" he'd hit revealved itself to be one of the older, bigger weyrlings from the hatching before last, as were the owners of the arms holding him. Blair thought for a moment and came up with names: the one in front of him was D'lash, and the two holding him were B'rket and K'nkaid. They pulled him into an empty room nearby.

"I'm kind of busy right now," Blair said, unaware of his peril. He was a queen's rider, after all, and in the middle of the Weyr; how much safer could he get? "Couldn't we discuss this another time?"

"We want to see 'em," D'lash said, grabbing Blair's belt and unfastening it.

"See what?" Blair asked, confused but not really frightened.

"Your girl parts," B'rket explained, as if talking to a feeble-minded drudge. "You Impressed a queen, so you must have girl parts."

"Yeah," added K'nkaid, as D'lash pulled Blair's trousers down around his ankles. "D'lash bet us five marks each you had 'em, so now we want to see."

NOW, when it was a bit too late, Blair started getting scared. "I don't HAVE any girl parts," he said, struggling to get away. His firelizards popped in at that moment, but they weren't enough to even the odds, and disappeared again.

His attackers pulled up his shirttail for a full view. "I don't see any girl parts," B'rket remarked.

"Looks like a guy to me," K'nkaid said. "You owe us each five marks. Pay up."

D'lash wasn't ready to concede the bet. "Maybe he has a set of each, and they're underneath," he postulated, reaching for Blair's genitals. "Hold him still, and help me pull his legs apart."

They had to put him on the floor and sit on him to get him still, after a blow to the head that left him half-senseless and unable to call for help. They bent his legs and pulled his knees apart, giving them an excellent view. Blair whimpered as D'lash's hands pawed over him, seeking what wasn't there to be found. "Maybe it's all inside stuff," he said, roughly shoving two fingers into Blair's ass and feeling around.

Blair's shout at his violation was echoed by every dragon in the Weyr, but his assailants were too intent on what they were doing to notice.

##################################

Everyone in the Weyr was instantly alert when the dragons roared, but before any rider could bespeak his dragon a single dragon voice came clearly into the heads of them all, rider and non-rider alike:

{BlairhurtsBlairhurtsBlairhurtsBlairhurtsBLAIRHURTS}

"Where?" J'mes asked Arlanth. The bronze was able to give him a location from Azure, and he was off and running, S'mon, D'ryl, and half a dozen others on his heels.

{I stay with the little queen,} Arlanth sent. {She's very upset, and may injure herself. Tell Blair to bespeak her. They go to Blair, Rhiannoth. They will help him. Stay here.} J'mes knew his bronze adored the silver dragonet, and had ignored several greens in heat in the past few months, saying he would wait for his mate to reach maturity.

When he entered the room where Blair was, J'mes was both shocked and horrified -- for about five seconds.

Then the rage hit.

He let out a roar worthy of his bronze and grabbed D'lash, who was still poking around inside Blair looking for "girl parts", by the hair and threw him doorward, not noticing or caring who or what caught him. His other hand swung forward and caught B'rket, who had the misfortune to be sitting on Blair, by the neck and sent him toward a wall. While J'mes hands were occupied with the other two, K'nkaid scrabbled backward away from his victim, and managed to keep himself out of harm's way for a moment.

"WHAT IN FARANTH'S NAME IS GOING ON HERE?" bellowed S'mon in a voice loud enough to be Valianth, his bronze, taking in the scene. His newest queen rider was lying on the floor, half naked and apparently in shock, his firelizards flitting about over him while J'mes tried to rouse him enough to bespeak his dragon. Three other weyrlings were scattered about the room, but only one looked in any shape to talk. He stormed over to K'nkaid, lifted him to his feet and demanded, "Well?"

"We were looking for his girl parts," the weyrling said quickly.

"You were looking for his WHAT?" S'mon's voice had lowered from full bellow, but not by much.

"His girl parts," the weyrling repeated. "D'lash said if he Impressed a queen he had to have girl parts, and he bet us five marks each."

The weyrleader shook his head, unable to believe the behavior of weyrlings these days, and ordered the trio confined to their quarters until something could be decided about appropriate punishment for their attack.

Meanwhile J'mes was talking to Blair trying to get him to bespeak Rhiannoth. "C'mon, Blair, you have to wake up and talk to your dragon before she panics and goes BETWEEN!" Even fully grown dragons had been known to go BETWEEN prematurely in the mistaken belief their riders had perished.

Blair blinked and tried to focus. Something was wrong with Rhiannoth? "Rhiannoth?" he called softly.

{Blair hurt?} came the reply

"I'm all right," he reassured her, "and I'll be there soon."

{Good} she said. {Hungry}

"She's hungry," Blair remarked, reaching for his trousers and trying to pull them up with badly shaking hands. J'mes made a long arm and helped, with both pulling up the trousers and getting the younger man on his feet. He clung to the bronze rider, trembling, dizzy, and still in somewhat of a state of shock, and it was only J'mes arm around him that kept him on his feet. "Of course she's hungry," he babbled to anyone and no one, "she's awake. She's always hungry when she's awake; that's normal for hatchlings and dragonets, especially queens."

The weyrhealer showed up then, and gave him a quick examination before saying he wanted to get him to his weyr for a more thorough going over. They managed to get him moving, at least outside where he could be boosted onto a dragon and flown to his weyr. Arlanth was very understanding about his rider being on another dragon and made way for the green to land close to the weyr entrance. Blair managed to hold himself together long enough to feed and reassure Rhiannoth until she fell into a deep sleep before collapsing onto his bed in a fit of body-shaking sobbing. The weyrhealer, Parkin, took over and asked J'mes to wait outside.

{The weyrleaders come,} Arlanth said as his rider stepped out of the queen's weyr. {They wish to speak of Rhiannoth.}

At first J'mes thought he meant S'mon and Joan; then he noticed the number of bronzes and queens present. "Oh, shards!" he said, remembering how Rhiannoth had spoken to everyone. It appeared that "everyone" may have included more people than they'd first supposed.

When he got to Weyrwoman Joan's weyr, the scene was somewhat chaotic, with everyone trying to speak at once. "HOLD!" a voice bellowed, and he recognized it: T'mon, the head of the Transport Guild and the Seniormost Weyrleader on Pern, by the consensus of his fellow weyrleaders. "Now," he continued when the room quieted, "can we get some sort of estimate of just how many people heard that silver sport?"

A spirited discussion followed, the upshot of which was that apparently every dragon on Pern had heard Rhiannoth (not unusual, since she was a queen), but also every RIDER, and a goodly number of non-riders on the Southern Continent.

"I've heard of people who can hear every dragon," one weyrleader said, "and the occasional non-rider dragons will bespeak, but a dragon that can speak to EVERY rider at once, and who can be heard by even NON-RIDERS? It's unnatural."

"Perhaps we should prevent her from breeding," a weyrwoman said. It was the only reason firestone was still mined and kept at the Weyrs: it was given to green dragons to make them sterile.

"Maybe she's not a sport," J'mes said, "but something the dragons are turning into. Maybe they're changing in response to the end of Thread, like everything else on Pern."

"You mean our dragons are going to start talking to EVERYONE?" another weyrleader exclaimed. "It goes against tradition!" This started another heated debate.

In the end it was decided to leave the decision over whether or not Rhiannoth would be allowed to breed up to S'mon as her weyrleader, and it was further decided Blair would have NO other duties but the care of his dragon until she matured. The three weyrlings who attacked Blair would be sent north to separate Weyrs and placed under strict supervision. Having both news and reassurances to take back to their Weyrs (and in three cases, disgruntled weyrlings), the weyrleaders departed after a buffet of snacks had been eaten.

J'mes left to give Blair the news and see how he was doing. He entered the weyr to find the healer/harper sitting on his bed, disconsolately plucking at the strings of his gitar. He moved over to sit beside him and softly called his name to get his attention.

"I thought I was safe," Blair whispered, staring out at nothing. "I'd Impressed a queen and I was in the middle of the Weyr. I thought queen riders were special, to be kept safe from harm. I should have remembered Weyrs aren't always the safe, orderly places people think they are."

"It's going to be all right Blair," J'mes told him, "the weyrlings who hurt you have been sent north and separated, and your duties have been reduced; the only responsibilities you have right now are to Rhiannoth, Azure, and Verdi." He brushed the hair away from one side of the younger man's face so he could see it.

"Do you know where it's from?" Blair asked suddenly.

"Where what's from?" J'mes asked in reply.

"Verdi. It's a word in one of the Ancients' languages. So is Azure. Verdi means 'green' and Azure means 'blue'. But Verdi was also the name of an Ancient composer -- what you'd call a harper. It's why I named her that."

Jim paled, realizing Blair's sanity was slipping away as he watched.

Part 8
by
Lady Bard

two hours later...

J'mes felt fear for the kind young man that had taken the time to help him gain control over his hyperactive senses. He wished he could think of a way to help him in return but he couldn't. He watched Blair stroke his firelizards all the while crooning softly.

"Blair," he called softly hoping if he got him talking he could somehow keep the young man from completely slipping away, "Will you tell me more about the ancient composers?"

A soft smile touched his lips as he began speaking. J'mes listened only to make sure he continued to talk then got his dragon's attention.

{What does Rhiannoth say?}

{She worries. Joan does not like her or that Blair rides her. Joan does not like Blair. We should take Blair away from here.)

{Arlanth! I can't just leave. What would we do with Rhiannoth?)

{We would bring her with us. We could go between to somewhere different where Blair will not be harmed.)

J'mes suddenly realized Blair was silent. He attempted to get Blair talking again, but it was a lost cause. He gently stroked the soft hair and started zoning.

{You, must, not, do, that. My rider will be unhappy. He is hurt inside over and over again. The hurting will not stop. You must make it stop.}

It took J'mes a moment to realize that he had been zoning on the feel of Blair's hair. Then another moment to realize that Rhiannoth had bought him out of it when his own dragon had never been able to reach him.

It was true that Blair had taught others how to bring him out of zones but in all cases Blair had been near enough to call if things could not be handled. It was apparent with Blair incapacitated that his zones were going to slowly escalate. He needed to think of something, before Joan started harping on S'mon again, before he lost his place in the weyr. He felt a headache coming on.

He poked his head out of the weyr to call for someone and saw D'ryl And motioned him over. The younger man entered quietly.

"How is he?"

"Not well! D'ryl he has been talking of the ancients and his studies. I can't get him to make sense. Will you do me a favor? Get S'mon with Out Joan knowing. I think she might have had something to do with what happened to Blair."

"How! Everyone knows she doesn't care much for him but how could she have had something to do with what those riders did?"

"D'ryl you know that Dragonriders have their own traditions and that whenever a dragonette chooses outside of our *traditions* there are repercussions, right?" The younger man nodded. "Well the repercussions for Rhiannoth choosing Blair will be long reaching.

As a *queen* there are no guaranties that she will be fertile or that her clutch will hatch.

As a sport, she can be treated like the Greens. Problems occur when fear comes into the picture.

Fear can be used to stir up problems."

D'ryl watched his foster brother with a gaze far wiser than his years. "You think Joan used fear or something to turn riders against Blair after he was chosen and you don't think she's a sport, do you?"

"No, I don't. I think Dragon's are evolving, becoming different to meet whatever needs Pern might have in the future."

"You heard her when they were hurting Blair. She sounded like a mature dragon. If I hadn't seen her hatch a few weeks ago I would have said she was a full grown queen."

"D'ryl, I think Joan talked of her dislike for Blair and speculated in front of those three about why a queen would choose a male rider. She was probably hoping to send Rhiannoth between."

"That would probably kill Blair..." D'ryl mused. "We can't prove this so all we can do is help him overcome what he's been through. J'mes, how would that have frightened them?"

"I don't know."

***

A slight sound captured their attention and they turned towards the doorway. "I heard someone wanted to see me courtesy a certain young queen." To the delight of J'mes and Blair, S'mon stood grinning in the doorway.

"Well, come in then."

S'mon shot a look at the silent healer. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's been like that for the past several hours, since the attack. When he talks it is about ancient composers and things like that."

"J'mes, we don't have the resources to help him here but," the weyrleader leaned forward, "I've grown fond of him." A warm smile few saw touched his lips. He continued in a much harder tone more familiar to those who knew him.

"You know of Joan's dislike for him? Shards, of course you do! The entire weyr knows. I had a Brown rider tell me that he heard Joan implying that Blair must have some female attributes to be a queen rider. She said this in front of a bunch of young riders D'lash, B'rket and K'nkaid among them."

"Oh by the first egg!" J'mes swore, "S'mon he's done so much for me and now he's just slipping away and there isn't a thing I can do about it."

"Maybe there is. You know there are those that think Joan is right? That you should be sent off to another weyr in the south? Would you be willing to do that?"

"If I did, I'd be near Landing. He has a mindhealer friend there. Maybe he can help.

It's not as if you haven't been speaking of the need for another Weyr further south. If it will help Blair and give you some peace, I'll do it. Besides, it's wonderfully warm the further south you go. Blair likes warmth." J'mes was unaware of how his expression softened but S'mon saw it and wondered if things could get any weirder.

"We'll have to play this right. I'd be willing to go if only to get away from Joan." That made the younger men grin.

"I'd like to go with him. Joan wouldn't argue with that. She's always been disappointed that a Green impressed me."

{You are my rider.}

"Oh not another one." J'mes laughed. It seemed Rhiannoth was not the only dragon that could bespeak humans at will.

{Lerath, you must try to make sure people don't hear you that shouldn't.)

{I did not. I let Weyrleader S'mon hear me because he is on our side and I let J'mes hear me because we all like Blair and Blair likes him. They will mate.)

{On your side? Lerath, what are you going on about?}

{You will understand soon,} and the dragon refused to speak any more on the subject.

While D'ryl spoke with his dragon S'mon exchanged a look with J'mes. Then went to his son hugging him gently a display of affection S'mon rarely allowed. "D'RYL if you were never chosen I would love you just as much. You are a bright, intelligent, and resourceful young man and I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you."

The three sat talking for a bit longer making hasty arrangements for J'mes, D'ryl and those picked to go with them to depart within a week. S'mon had selected a couple of likely sights for a Weyr. Now all that was left to do was to choose who would go.

He hated to split up his Weyr but it would have to be done eventually. He figured it was better done now before Joan tore the Weyr apart with her ambitions. He took his leave of J'mes soon after their last decision was made. He was followed quickly by D'ryl who wished J'mes a goodnight.

***

a bit later...

Joan sat quietly listening to the talk around her. A slight smile touched her lips as S'mon's voice carried to where she sat. Soon she would get rid of J'mes and that insufferable bard. Children, both of them. She thought of D'ryl, her son. A disappointment for sure but the humans had no choice on the hatching ground so she could not fault the child. He was good, loyal, and smart though she understood that she could never get him to help her depose S'mon or any other Weyrleader.

Soon she would get her troublesome mate out of the way... Soon she would rule the Weyr on her own. She would have what should have been hers at her father's holding, power. It wasn't enough to be the mate of the Weyrleader, she wanted it all and she would have it.

***

One week later...

From the shadows, a figure watched the group depart taking a great deal of the Weyrleader's support with it. Soon Joan would be free. The figure spotted Joan and smiling went to greet her.

They spoke quietly, "things are going well."

"Yes, better than I hoped.." Joan murmured back.

"Will I see you soon?"

"When I can get away." She leaned forward and brushed a kiss over the full lips beckoning her.

***

A brown rider quietly slipped out of sight before he could be spotted and went to find S'mon. This could not be good. He wished he had gotten a better look at Joan's companion not just the back of a head.

Part 9
By
Xandria

New Southern Weyr

J'mes sighed in satisfaction and sat down by the main fire in the eating hall. It had been a hard day but everyone was now settled into his or her new quarters.At least it hadn't all been done in one day, but over several as different members of the new Weyr had come in and out, moving equipment and later their own personal things. They had finally decided on settling on the other side of the volcano from Landing itself. There were lots of caves suitable for dragons and it was very convenient to the healers, a major factor at the moment for J'mes. The fact that it was a good site close to water with plenty of game as well as the caves meant it didn't take much persuading to let them settle on that spot. As he stared into a the fire he heard a soft cough and looked around. It was P'ter, one of the many weyrlings who had chosen to go with J'mes to establish the Weyr. He had also been one of Blair's defenders when some of the other weyrlings began to say things about him. "How is Blair?"

"Not so good. He just seems to be sinking deeper." The newest Weyrleader said.

"So how are you then?"

J'mes looked at him. "What?"

"Your senses." P'ter explained.

J'mes jumped up and grabbed the younger man by the shoulders and pulled him close. "How do you know about them? Have you told anyone?"

With a deft twist P'ter broke free and J'mes found himself lying on the ground.

"Shards! I'm just concerned about you! And I just know, I'm not sure how exactly! All I wanted to do was see if I could help you. Shells man, if that's how you handle..."

"What is going on here?" D'ryl roared in a very credible imitation of his father's bellow.

P'ter stared at him and ran his hands through his hair. J'mes sat up and looked down, ashamed. Being upset over Blair didn't give him the right to attack anyone, especially someone as concerned for them both as P'ter was.

"My mistake. I'm sorry, P'ter. D'ryl, if I can't even keep control of my temper then how will I be fit to lead a weyr? Especially a new one like this?" He gestured around at the crowd of dragonriders and others who had gathered around them. And then R'fe, rider of Bronze Hanth, spoke up.

His mate, Megan, stood by him and nodded, as did all the others. "J'mes, we know you are having problems at the moment. The fact you're worried about them interfering with your ability as weyrleader means you'll be a good one. I know, and so do the others, that you are a good leader. In spite of what's happening you still are one of the better ones.

"Look, everyone's as settled as they can be, why don't you go over to Landing and see how Blair is?"

J'mes stared at the friend he had known since arriving at Southern as a fosterling, then at the other dragonriders and members of the new Weyr. All he saw in their eyes was support for him and understanding. He smiled suddenly and stood up. "I will do that. And since you seem to be such an expert on leadership, R'fe, you're in charge while I'm gone."

He groaned and everyone laughed.

J'mes began to walk to his quarters to grab his leathers, motioning to P'ter to walk with him.

"Look, I'm sorry too, J'mes. I don't exactly have the best of tempers myself. My father used to say it would lead me into trouble."

"No, it's not that. We're all under stress. I thought you might be interested in coming with me. We'll fly straight on the way so you can imprint Landing, then come Between on the way home. You have imprinted it, haven't you?" P'ter pulled a face.

"Yeah. D'ryl's had us do that since we got here. It's all we did today."

"I remember. Going Between from one point to the next. Better than being lost." Both riders shuddered at the thought.

***

Landing

They arrived in time for the evening songs and both were surprised to see Blair on stage in the middle of a song, one of the older ones from Earth that AIVAS had revived.

{Some say love, It is a river, that drowns the tender reed, Some say love, It is a razor, that leaves your soul to bleed, Some say love, It is a hunger, an endless aching need. I say love, it is a flower And you, its only seed. It's the heart, afraid of breaking That never learns to dance. It's the dream, afraid of waking, That never takes the chance. It's the one, who won't be taken, Who cannot seem to give, And the soul, afraid of dyin' That never seems to live. When the night, has been too lonely, And the road, has been too long, And you think, that love is only For the lucky and the strong, Just remember, in the winter Far beneath the bitter snows, Lies the seed that with the sun's love In the spring, becomes the rose.}

J'mes watched as Blair enthralled everyone with his song. When he finished they all yelled and stamped their feet in approval. The silver rider smiled and bowed before giving up his position.

He caught sight of J'mes and smiled even wider as he ran over to him and jumped. Reflexively, J'mes caught him and held him in his arms, staring down at his friend. "I missed you! So much!" J'mes tightened his arms and lifted Blair up so they were face to face. "Are you better?"

"He...is not. But soon." A new voice said and they all turned to see Masterhealer Kwaichang smiling at them, arms around Kermit. Then his face changed to one of utter astonishment and he stared at P'ter, who gasped and stepped forward."F..father!?" Everyone stared at them as Kwaichang let go of Kermit and staggered forward before grabbing P'ter. "My son! You..are alive!?"

***

Southern Weyr - Earlier that day

A brown rider quietly slipped out of sight before he could be spotted and went to find S'mon. This could not be good. He wished he had gotten a better look at Joan's companion not just the back of a head.

S'mon stared at him and closed his eyes. "You're certain?" "Yes. I just wish I'd been able to see who it was is all."

"It doesn't matter. It's not as if we're all that compatible anyway. But I wish she'd be more discreet. I don't go around kissing my mistress for everyone to see! Oh, don't look like that, M'rris, I don't have one. I'm happy enough with D'ryl and J'mes as sons.They're more than enough. Who else did she talk with?"

"Before they left she had a talk with one of the Queenriders, Samorth of your fourth batch."

"Yes, she's always been close to her since she arrived. And I remember that for a while there, she tried to get her and J'mes together as a couple.Wait a minute, it was only a month after she did that that J'mes first began to get ill. And, I sent her in the group with the others."

"It could be a coincidence."

"You know Joan, from what I've begun to realise, she's had certain plans laid out for years. Where is Samorth's rider from again?"

"Bitra."

"Like Joan. Shards! It looks as if Joan has something going on with Alex as well as this mysterious person in the cloak!"

part ten
by
Loke

Landing

>>"F-father!?" Everyone stared at them as Kwaichang let go of Kermit and staggered forward before grabbing P'ter.

"My son! You . . are alive!?"<<

Father and son stood for a long moment simply holding each other and weeping for joy.

When they finally separated it was to ask each other "How?" simultaneously.

Several other people, such as Blair, J'mes, and Kermit wanted to know what was going on. Master Kwaichang began the tale.

"Some twenty Turns ago I was posted to a seahold in Southern Boll," he said, "where I met and married a beautiful young woman named Laura. She died when our son Peter was less than a Turn old, and I raised the boy myself. We were visiting her people four Turns ago when a tsunami hit the village where we were staying without warning, caused by an underwater landslide less than 10 dragonlengths away." He closed his eyes against painful memories. "I tried to hold on to him, but Peter was swept away. I was told not to expect the body to ever be found."

"And I was told all the healers in the village were lost," P'ter picked up the story. "The dolphins kept me afloat until a dragonrider came by on a search sweep, looking for survivors. I thought my father was dead, so when I was invited to stay in the Weyr I agreed."

"Where he ended up Impressing brown Grath," Blair added, "the same day I Impressed Rhiannoth. Then J'mes picks him to come to Landing, where I'm being treated by his father. I think there's a song here," he murmured, getting a thoughtful look and starting to sing under his breath as he walked away.

Father and son exchanged somewhat horrified looks, uncertain they wanted to be the subject of a popular ballad. J'mes started to follow the distracted young man, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

"I wouldn't," Kermit advised. "Harpers tend to get rather testy if they're interrupted while composing. Don't worry; every dragon here is watching over him. If you don't believe me ask yours."

{Kermit speaks the truth,} Arlanth confirmed. {Blair is safe. We watch Rhiannoth's rider.}

"Is that how you know everything?" the bronze rider asked. "From the dragons?"

"Among other sources," Kermit admitted. It was all he would say on the matter.

Later that evening Azure sought him out, and he followed the blue firelizard to Blair's temporary weyr, one of the original Landing structures no one else had claimed. It was easily roomy enough to accommodate Rhiannoth, who was nearly the size of a green already and not even half a Turn old. Blair's weyr was equipped with a terminal and other bits of technology, such as electric lights which turned off by flipping a switch on the wall by the front entrance.

"I'm sorry about leaving you earlier," the healer/harper apologized. "Would you care for some fruit juice, or some klah?"

"It's all right," J'mes told him, "Kermit explained about not bothering you while you're composing, and I'll take some fruit juice."

Blair filled a cup and handed it to his guest. Their fingers brushed as the cup changed hands. "Blair --" J'mes began, only to be interrupted by his host.

"We need to talk; it's why I asked Azure to find you. Master Kwaichang says I should talk about what happened at Fort and what happened at the Weyr. He's worried I might inhibit Rhiannon during her mating flight if I'm thinking about those events."

He led the older man past the table to the sleeping area and gestured he should join him on the bed. J'mes gingerly sat on the end of the bed next to Blair and allowed him to continue.

"I was only fourteen when I made Journeyman at Fort Hold's Harper and Healer Halls. I was really busy back then; harper lessons in the morning, healer training in the afternoon, and evenings spent at Fort Weyr trying to pre-Impress one of the eggs on the Hatching Grounds. The other Candidates mostly ignored me, as did the other apprentices and journeymen down in the Halls."

"There was this one weyrling green rider a Turn or so older than me named B'trim who'd Impressed a few Turns before. His dragon, named Teth, was almost fully grown, but hadn't risen yet on her first mating flight. We got to be pretty good friends since we were almost the same age and shared a lot of interests."

"Then Teth rose to mate."

"One of the older bronzes caught her, and his rider wasn't very gentle with B'trim. Don't interrupt; I know what you're going to say. Riders aren't responsible for their actions while their dragons are mating. It's one of the main tenants of dragonlore."

"But the rider came back that night and did it again, and for several nights thereafter. Teth asked me to look in on her rider because he was hurt, and being a healer I couldn't refuse. I was still there when the rider came in and ordered me out. Before I left I heard him tell B'trim he was looking forward to the next time Teth rose."

"She was maybe a few days away from rising when it happened. The weyrlings were practicing going BETWEEN and B'trim was among them. He must have been distracted at a critical moment; they came out of BETWEEN partially embedded in the fire heights. They didn't die immediately; I could hear both of them screaming in my mind. I started to scream as well from the sheer horror of it; I'm told the only word I managed to get out before I passed out was 'fire heights'. I felt them both die in agony, and Master Kwaichang says I nearly followed them from the shock."

"I laid like a corpse for almost two months, and when I woke I had to relearn everything all over again, and I mean EVERYTHING: walking, talking, dressing, feeding myself, even toilet training. It took me nearly three Turns to get back to where I was before; fortunately, once I started being self-sufficient my memories started returning, the earliest first and more as time passed until I remembered nearly everything. The last thing to come back was my ability to hear dragons, just before I was posted to your Weyr."

Sometime during Blair's narrative J'mes had put an arm around his shoulders,and now he drew the unresisting man closer. "Shards, Blair, no wonder you nearly had a relapse from what those idiots did." He desperately wanted to wrap this man in his arms and keep him safe from the world. Even more, he wanted to teach him sex didn't mean pain, fear, and death. He'd have to, unless he wanted to risk Rhiannoth going BETWEEN during her first mating flight.

He pressed a gentle kiss to the curls covering Blair's temple. "Do you have any personal experience with sex?"

Blair shook his head. "Not unless you want to count D'lash. I wasn't exactly in any condition during the time most guys do their exploring."

J'mes grimaced at the mention of the weyrling. "Mauling you like that isn't sex. Do you mind if I show you how sex is suppose to be?"

The younger man looked down at the floor and back up into J'mes face, eyes wide with fright. "Part of me wants you to, because I'll need to know what to do when Rhiannoth rises. Another part of me is almost wetting my pants from pure fright. Could you just hold me for a while and maybe I'll be a little less scared?"

J'mes nodded and wrapped Blair in his arms, savoring the feeling of holding the man so close. "Do you want me to stay tonight?" he asked.

"I'd like that," the younger man replied. They undressed and slipped into bed together. Blair frowned suddenly as a thought came to him. "How are your senses? Any more zones?"

"A few," J'mes admitted, pulling the other man into his arms and snuggling down into the sleeping furs, "but D'ryl's been helping me with it. It's funny, but I haven't had a zone or a spike since I arrived. No feeling guilty; orders from your weyrleader. You ARE coming to the new Weyr, aren't you?"

"As soon as Master Kwaichang says I'm well enough," Blair said, snuggling down against the bronze rider. The pair was quickly asleep, and Azure and Verdi joined them.

Part 11
By
Lady Bard

A few days later...

Blair waited for J'mes gently stroking his young queen. The last few days had been strangely peaceful. He smiled to himself wondering more and more what it would be like to make love with J'mes.

They had shared a bed every night since that first time and Blair found himself spending a lot of time thinking about what it would feel like to have J'mes hard body over his. J'mes cock moving inside him. He took a deep lung-full of air, slowly released it and nearly jumped out of his skin when the man in his day dreams came up behind him and slid his arms around him.

"What are you thinking Blair?" He turned slowly resting his cheek against J'mes.

"I.. Uh... Well..." He felt totally out of his depth here. He was completely unaware that his shyness and genuineness had ensnared J'mes more surely than any flirtation he could have ever devised. "Iwasthinkingofyou."

"What?" He slid a finger under the young man's chin tilting it slightly to be able to look into his eyes. "Slower!"

"I was thinking of you."

"Good thoughts I hope!" J'mes said smiling slightly.

"The best." He whispered a flush tinting his cheeks and warming his entire body.

"Tell me about them?"

"Here?" Blair was stalling and he new it. They stood under a rarely used canopy of trees. Though the threat of thread was permanently removed, the Pernese were still a bit skittish about having trees near them, afraid thread might return.

"It's beautiful here Blair. Thanks to you I can appreciate things so much more. The colors, smells, everything."

"I was just doing my job."

They stared in one another's eyes lost in the feelings they were developing towards each other. "You are so beautiful. Do you really want to know what I was thinking?"

"Yes."

"I was thinking about what it would be like to have you inside of me. Was imagining your hard body over mine..." J'mes found himself moving without thought covering Blair's mouth with his own. TRYING to remind himself that he had to go slow, to be gentle, that Blair's only experience with sex was indirect and brutal. An experience that had been reinforced by those thrice damned weyrlings.

Blair gasped in surprise at the feeling of J'mes mouth on his then moaned and parted his lips as the surprise turned into a fire that burned deep inside his belly and spread rapidly to the area of his groin. He found his body acting independently of his mind, molding itself to J'mes. His hands held on to J'mes shoulders pressing his body even closer feeling the evidence of J'mes' own desire.

"Oh Blair." J'mes murmured slowly ending the kiss but not releasing the man in his arms. "You taste so good... so sweet..."

"Why did you stop?" Blair asked huskily, wanting more.

"It's too soon. When we make love Blair I want you to be sure. I don't want to rush you."

A slow brilliant smile spread over Blair's face. He would wait and deal with all his issues then he would take pleasure with J'mes and nothing would keep them apart.

{S'mon comes! He is upset and hurt! There has been trouble in his Weyr. He will ask for your help.} Both their dragons spoke in tandem and through Rhiannath and Blair's link with her, J'mes could feel his friend and foster father's turmoil and vowed to help in any way he could.

And

Now:

Blair and J'mes stared at each other then rushed back to Landing. As they arrived they noticed a lot of the fire lizards were flying about agitatedly, screaming as they went from one area to another. Verdi and Azure swooped down on Blair and landed on each shoulder, anxiously crying out.

"What?! J'mes, they hurt the fire lizards."

"Who? And what about S'mon?"

"I'm not sure. All I can see is an image of...Joan? And dragons flaming. Why would a dragon flame a fire lizard? And what does Joan has to do with it?"

"I'll tell you what she has to do with it" a deep voice said from behind them. Turning around, they saw S'mon, supported by P'ter, staggering towards them and ignoring Kwai Chang as he tried to treat him.

Four lines ran down his face, as if someone had scratched him with fingernails, and he limped forward, a rough bandage around his leg as he pressed a hand to his side.

"S'mon?!" J'mes leapt forward and grabbed his foster father, helping P'ter move him to a bench in front of the hearth. Kwai Chang began to clean his wounds as S'mon told his story. As he spoke the people from Landing gathered around, along with Rafe who was there to report on what was happening with the new weyr.

"The afternoon of the day you left, her cousin arrived." J'mes groaned and closed his eyes. "Yeah, it was L'hong. He stayed for a while, then claimed insult on behalf of Joan. We fought, and I beat him. But then, as I stepped back from his body, Joan did this," he put a hand up to his face, "and she stabbed me here." The hand went down to his side. "I fell and she left me there. I got up and left because she was yelling for healers for L'hong and for D'lash to kill me."

"D'lash?" Blair said in a small voice, grabbing a hold of J'mes.

"Wait a minute. He was banished." P'ter said then. "What was he doing there?"

"I think Joan brought him back to help her take over. He always did what she said before."

"I don't understand." P'ter said. "How can she just take over like that?" S'mon and J'mes looked at each other.

"I forgot you weren't brought up in the weyr, you are so good at following all our ways." J'mes said. P'ter flushed a little and looked down. Then S'mon spoke.

"There are two ways a dragonrider becomes Weyrleader. The one used for the last few hundred Turns is the one most remember, a Bronze flies with the Queen and his rider becomes the leader. But there is another way, more dishonorable, but never actually made invalid."

"What way is that? And why haven't I heard about it?" Blair said, curious and at the same time almost insulted he didn't already know.

"Combat. A Bronze rider who feels the Weyrleader is too weak will challenge him for the right to leadership...like a Holder must be in full health to hold."

"But that's barbaric."

"Apparently Joan has decided to use this to her advantage."

"We have to stop her!"

"How? She actually has the law on her side. I defeated L'hong but I'm sure she'll have witnesses that will say I lost. And I think she forced a few of the more impressionable riders to scare away the fire lizards so there would be no other witnesses."

"But..."

"It doesn't matter" S'mon smiled bitterly. "Let her think she won. I actually sent the best of our resources with you and D'ryl, J'mes. And at least I won't have to put up with her anymore."

"But what about the weyr?"

"What Joan doesn't know is that I intended to open her Queens next flight up anyway. Now D'ryl and J'mes have left I have no more reason to stay. And because we have moved so far apart she is also unaware I have already spoken with the other Weyrleaders about it."

"But what will you do?"

"The other Weyrleaders finally agreed to let me live my dream, J'mes."

"The Peacekeepers" J'mes said and a smile lit up his face.

*********************

Southern Weyr

"What?!" Joan practically screeched in the messenger's face.

"Lord Tao does not wish to associate with one such as you." The messenger repeated, looking at her with contempt. "To act so precipitately and without honor has made him realize the mistake he made and he is withdrawing his support."

"But we had an agreement! And we..."

"He keeps his business and pleasure apart, Weyrlady. He also said to tell you that to think your sleeping with him would exempt you from any consequences was a mistake." The messenger turned his back on her and strode out.

Joan glared after him. She had the right to this, she was of the Blood, after all. Now all she had as allies were her cousin and a few disgruntled weyrlings. And Alex. Who was still at her foster son's weyr.

She smiled suddenly. Alex was willing to do anything for her. Lord Tao wasn't the only one Joan had used her body on to get her way.

Part 12

Too bad Joan didn't realize Alex had her own plans, which she implemented at her first opportunity.

After all, why support a Weyrwoman when you could be one yourself?

As soon as R'fael left to report to J'mes she was moving her things into the Queen's weyr which had been designated for Blair and declaring herself Weyrwoman as rider of the seniormost Queen dragon in the Weyr.

"Whoever flies my Peridoth will be Weyrleader," she told everyone. The queen would rise soon to mate; far sooner than Blair's Rhiannoth. Tradition dictated the rider of the mate of the eldest fertile queen in a Weyr was Weyrleader.

She was making so much of a fuss she never noticed D'ryl slip away to Landing. Somebody had to warn J'mes, and soon.

AT LANDING

S'mon had been put to bed and dosed with fellis juice for his pain by the time D'ryl arrived with news of Alex's takeover. He was shocked to learn of his father's injury, but not of his mother's treachery. "I knew they didn't get along," he told the group who'd gathered outside S'mon's temporary quarters, "but I didn't think she'd lower herself to this. I wonder if she's counting on Alex's support now she's declared herself Weyrwoman of the new Weyr?"

"I doubt either lady, and I used the term VERY loosely," Craftmaster Kermit remarked, "has considered the long-term consequences of her decision."

"What do you mean?" P'ter asked. He was just starting to get to know, and like, his father's enigmatic lover."

"What Kermit means," Masterhealer Kwaichang added, "is word has gone out to all the Crafthalls to shun Southern; healers and harpers have already been removed from the Weyr, and no Hold will trade with them. They will be isolated from the rest of Pern."

"The new Weyr --" Kermit began, and frowned, "have you people considered NAMING the thing? -- might suffer the same fate in the near future if Alex decides to support Southern."

J'mes, Blair, R'fael, P'ter, and D'ryl exchanged looks. J'mes answered for his group. "We've been kind of busy lately, and I wanted to ask Blair as he was supposed to be the Weyr's first Queen rider." They definitely needed a new name for that position; "Weyrwoman" had already been proven inappropriate.

"I was thinking since it was so close to what the Ancients called Mount Garben we could call it Garben Weyr," Blair said.

"Any objections?" J'mes asked his weyrmates. Hearing none he added, "Garben Weyr it is, then. If we can ever reclaim it."

Nature itself, however, intervened a few days later. Nature, and the bronze dragons of Garben Weyr.

When he first saw the bronzes J'mes feared some sort of attack; it appeared as if every bronze he'd recruited for Garben had come to Landing at once. But they landed peacefully, some going on to Monaco Bay to swim and sun on the beach.

"What do suppose this is about?" Blair asked.

"I'll tell you what it's about," one of the riders said, coming up to where the group was watching the bronzes arrive. "It's about supporting our Weyrleader."

"Peridoth rises to mate," another said. "I wish her luck; there's not a single bronze near the Weyr. None of us want anything to do with Alex."

A queen suddenly appeared in the air above Landing, bugling a call which was ignored by the bronzes below her. Screaming her frustration, she disappeared BETWEEN.

"Queens aren't supposed to go BETWEEN while mating and riderless," J'mes said. "I've never heard of it happening before. Shells, where do you think she went?"

The answer would become tragically obvious in a very short time.

*********

Blair suddenly stiffened. "No. Oh, by the Egg, no."

"Blair, what is it?" J'mes asked.

"She's at Southern," he whispered, horrified, "trying to lure out the bronzes there."

"Faranth's first clutch!" J'mes swore. "Aventh's too close to rising!" Queens fighting was rare but not unheard of; it had happened at High Reaches Weyr during the last Pass, ending with the loss of both queens and the sanity of one rider. The other had taken a long time, and the loving care of several people, to recover. He turned to bespeak Arlanth, only to discover him gone, as was every bronze who'd just arrived.

"I sent them to separate the queens, if they can," explained Blair. His eyes were unfocused, as if seeing or hearing something only he could.

Kwaichang and Kermit came running up, the healer carrying a wineskin. He tried to get Blair to drink the fellis-laced wine, but the younger man refused. "I have to keep track of the dragons, to make sure the queens are safe." A small fair of firelizards circled the group: Azure and Verdi, as well as Kermit's four and others attracted by the excitement.

A moment later two things happened simultaneously that told everyone the worst had occurred. Rhiannoth and Lieth started to keen, and Blair fainted.

J'mes managed to catch him before he fell very far, having anticipated that very thing. "I'll stay with him," he told the masterhealer, knowing Kwaichang's services would be needed for at least one if not both of the queen riders. Since S'mon's quarters were closest and he had an extra bed which D'ryl had been using, the bronze rider took his future mate there.

S'mon was, not unexpectedly, awake when he arrived with his burden. "What a mess," he said, eyes closed against the pain. "Valianth says both queens and a bronze," echoing what Arlanth had told his rider. "Joan's dead, too. She stabbed herself after Aventh went BETWEEN. I need to get back; someone has to pick up the pieces."

J'mes laid Blair on the extra bed and told his foster father, "I'm sorry about Joan; she was the only mother I ever knew. D'ryl's taken Master Kwaichang to Southern along with some other healers to help out. They've also sent mindhealers to Garben. Looks like we're both going to be picking up pieces."

Blair started to stir a short while later, tossing his head at first and then sitting up and shouting, "NO!" J'mes held the weeping young man tightly as he told him it wasn't his fault and he did all he could to save the queens. He heard Rhiannoth adding her own reassurances.

{Don't be sad, Blair.} the little queen told him. Blair sent a wordless acknowledgement back to her, the mental equivalent of a smile.

It was suggested the Weyrs be reintegrated to aid the healing process, but that was vetoed by both J'mes and S'mon, and advised against by Master Kwaichang as well. The masterhealer pointed out that the two Weyrs each blamed the other for the loss of the queens and attempting to make them a single Weyr would inevitably lead to more violence. Time, he said, might heal the rift, but for right now the people were best kept separated.

Somehow D'lash had slipped away from the Weyr in all the confusion and disappeared, along with his bronze. Pictures of him and his dragon were disseminated to all Holds, Halls, and Weyrs, but a man could live out his life holdless now without the threat of Thread. There was simply too much of Pern to hide in, and a man with a dragon could be gone in an instant.

Alex was brought back to Landing with no more mind than a baby, but Kwaichang said if Blair could recover from an even worse condition there was still hope for her. He would do all he could, and in the meantime Alex would be cared for until she recovered. The rider who'd lost his bronze had, like Joan, opted for suicide rather than live dragonless.

The only good thing to come out of the whole horrible mess was that Blair was allowed to leave Landing. Though he had to fly straight, not having had lessons in going BETWEEN yet, his arrival at Garben Weyr was a triumph, and was properly celebrated with a feast. Blair was moved into his quarters, Connora and Megan both making sure there was no lingering trace of Alex's occupation, and quickly settled in.

It was a good thing, too. They were about to be called in to exercise their duties as Peacekeepers to the Southern Continent.

Part 14
by
Lady Bard

The message came two days later from Southern. D'lash had somehow managed to recruit a group of malcontents and was laying siege to the hold.

The Weyr had suffered mild casualties but, to them, it was more than enough. The hold itself had lost the lord Holder who had fallen almost immediately. There was no recourse but to ask the new Peacekeeper Weyr to step in.

A lot of those who had opposed the founding of Garben were now more than grateful for its existence.

***

When news came of what was going on, J'mes, D'ryl, and Blair had been discussing their dragons, Rhiannoth in particular. There were a lot of things she did differently than most dragons. The main difference seemed to be in the way she prioritized her needs--Blair came first. Her speech was always clear and to the point. It was very easy to follow what she said. It seemed she had very little problem relating as a person. They were attempting to come up with ways to figure out if other dragons were capable of this or if Rhiannoth was the first.

The door to the sunny room in which they sat burst open and a bloodied rider staggered in wearing the same clothing one would wear if they were fighting thread.

"Must.go.to.Southern.they'reunderattack," and he fainted.

No time was wasted in gathering riders and heading for the Hold. Someone sent for a healer to see to the rider but that was all the time they spared. When they got there, all traces of the attackers were gone but the wounded lay everywhere.

J'mes sent a small group of riders to track D'lash and his gang. He had a feeling this battle was just beginning and that his face-off with the young rider would be a long time coming.

It took hours to get any coherence out of anyone. The bottom line being the attack had come out of no where, stunning the defenders with it's fierceness, and the fact that it was lead by a dragonrider.

***

At Landing, a shadow moved silently to where Alex slept and took the former queen in its arms, leaving as silently as it had come.

******

Part 15

by Xandria

*********

At Landing, a shadow moved silently to where Alex slept and took the former queen in its arms, leaving as silently as it had come.

Landing

After all the chaos had been sorted out, it was decided to ferry the survivors all back to Landing. While not many were left, each dragonrider had made several trips to bring the refugees to Landing for the medical attention most desperately needed.

Hours later, the tired dragonriders could only wonder what on earth could be done with her in that state. They gathered in S'mon's room for a meeting, as the bronze dragonrider was still too weak to be moved and they needed his input.

Blair was still in the other bed, forbidden by Kwaichang to get out of it for another day or so. J'mes paced up and down while the others stood or sat. Megan was held by her mate, while Connora, her twin sister, was held by P'ter, whom she had begun to develop a relationship with.

"Without a mindhealer to help her, she may never recover," Kwaichang said sadly.

"That's why I don't get it. Why take her now?" Blair said from his bed.

"Because she's perfect that way," P'ter suddenly said.

"What? How?" J'mes demanded, swinging around to stare at him.

"Think about it. A queen rider, shocked by the betrayal of her own, bravely fights against her own grief and becomes a symbol to those who resent us," P'ter exclaimed. They all stared at him for a minute.

"Resent us?! We've never done anything but protect the people of Pern, why would they do that?! Shards, what type of ungrateful..." R'fael said heatedly.

"It is not them, it is the people who are manipulating them," Kwaichang said.

"But what reason could they have to do that? I still don't get it," R'fael said plaintively.

"Power. Whoever is behind this is very smart, and after it for themself," S'mon said.

"Why? A man can't hold more than he can, it leads to chaos, look at what happened with Lord Jason's father. Ruined holds, people too scared to demand their rights, destroyed crops. It's madness," J'mes said heatedly, pacing up and down again.

"By the first hatching will you sit down and be still?! You're making me dizzy!" S'mon barked. J'mes jumped and sat down on Blair's bed. The younger dragonrider put his hand out and J'mes took it as they listened to the rest of the conversation.

"Why do I think that D'lash isn't the real leader of this group of bandits then?" R'fael said slowly.

"Of course he isn't the leader!" D'ryl snorted in disgust. "That idiot couldn't lead his way to a Gathering let alone lead the type of people who could do what that group did." They fell silent, thinking of the carnage.

D'lash had used his dragon to actually flame people. After dropping a couple of renegades behind the gates rigged up to protect the hold against that same group, D'lash had let his dragon wake people up by setting fire to their houses. At the same time the bandits had been letting their comrades in before setting out to hurt or kill as many as possible. Then, as if reacting to a signal, they had suddenly broken off the attack and fled, leaving minutes before the new Peacekeepers force appeared.

"There's a spy, someone who's letting them know what we're doing," R'fael said slowly

"All we're doing at the moment is reacting. It's time to act!" P'ter replied.

"Against who?" Blair asked quietly. The room fell silent as they tried to think.

"There are ways I can find that out," Kermit said. "I still keep in contact with my old friends."

Nabol Hold

"Well Lord Tao I am here. What is it?"

"The dragonriders. How long must we be grateful to them for a menace now gone? And this peacekeeper force, I'm very suspicious of it. It could be a way they intend to take control now there is no longer Thread for them to concern themselves about."

"You have a point. I have often said the same thing myself."

"So you agree to my suggestion then?"

"I do. For too long now they have taken much upon themselves. It's time to put a stop to that."

"And your family?"

"My son will do as I tell him."

"Son?"

"I only have one son, Lord Tao. Steven, my heir."

"So you have no problem with our plans at all then?"

"None at all." Lord Ellison smiled.

********
Part 16

by Loke
********

Night at Landing

"I can't believe I was that stupid," Blair moaned, "letting that runner beast run over me like that." He'd been looking for casualties near the beast pens when the panicked animal had burst
from hiding and run him down, kicking him in the head in the process. "At least Master Kwaichang let me come back to my old rooms." Even if he did have to endure being carried by J'mes.

"He said your injury -- your con -- concurse?" J'mes asked.

"Concussion," corrected Blair.

"Concussion," repeated J'mes, "wasn't severe, but you still need to stay off your feet a couple days, and he wants me to wake you every few hours for the next day."

"I suppose that means you won't be joining me then." Blair looked down at the blanket edge he was toying with, wondering how soon he and J'mes would be making love.

J'mes was thinking about something else altogether. "What did Kermit mean when he said, 'There are ways I can find that out. I still keep in contact with my old friends?'"

"I don't know," Blair admitted, "and I'm not sure anyone does. If there's anyone who actually knows where he was born or what he did before coming to Landing they're not saying." He shrugged. "There are rumors, of course. One claims he's a failed candidate from Bendon, with Ruathan blood, but I doubt that since the dragons bespeak him. Another says he was a harper who was sent south to protect him from a Lord Holder, or because his voice failed; that might be true since I know he knows harper drumcodes. There are others, but I can't remember them right now." He yawned and blinked sleepily at J'mes. "I think I should sleep now," he said around a second yawn as he snuggled down in the bed. He was sleeping moments later.

J'mes watched while he slept and thought about recent events while absently scratching Azure's eye ridges. Why the attack now? Because both Garben and its parent weyr were in disarray due to the death of the queens? Who stood to gain from the attack? He'd need to ask Kermit who had a claim, legitimate or otherwise, to the Hold.

Another question that bothered him even more -- where had D'lash and his bronze learned to breathe fire? It was no longer taught in the Weyrs, and very little firestone was mined beyond that which was given to greens to make them sterile. Could someone be mining firestone without the Weyrs knowing, and using it to teach dragonriders to flame holds? Why? To further discredit dragonmen? These rogue riders needed to be caught and punished before the populace in general decided to do something drastic to dragons, like wiping them out.

{We will not go quietly,} Arlanth told his rider. {Horvoth is distressed by what he has done.}

"I don't doubt it," J'mes said softly. D'lash's bronze would have been fighting everything he'd been taught, possibly even his instincts, when he deliberately flamed humans. "Wait a minute -- you can hear Horvoth? Do you know where he is?"

{He will not say,} Arlanth answered.

{He won't tell me, either,} Rhiannoth added. {D'lash told him he didn't have to because I'm not a real queen.}

"Don't you believe him," Blair put in, blinking sleepily and sitting up. "Can you find him some other way?"

{He been flaming firelizards again,} Rhiannoth said. {Wild ones, I think. Kermit comes.} Blair heard, {No, they're not mating.}

There was a totally unnecessary knock on the door, followed by thecraftmaster. "I've been told some very disturbing things about your father," he told J'mes.

*******
Part 17

by Xandria

*********

J'mes shut his eyes and held onto Blair as Kermit went on to explain. Kermit paced up and down as he spoke of Lord Ellison's actions and his alliance with Lord Tao. Finally J'mes interrupted him.

"Why tell me? You should have gone to S'mon with this, or called a meeting." Kermit swung around to stare at him and Blair looked wide-eyed at him.

"You do realise I am talking about Lord Ellison? Lord William Ellison, of Telgar Hold, the father of Steven and of J'mes..." J'mes stood suddenly, shaking off Blair's hands as he did so, and stalked over to Kermit, glaring at him.

"Hold it right there! HE is not my father! I have nothing to do with Lord Ellison and HE has had nothing to so with me since I came to Southern years ago." J'mes took a deep breath and unclenched his fists. "Shards. I'm sorry Kermit." The other man stared at him for a minute, face expressionless. Then he put his hand out and lightly touched his shoulder.

"I'll go tell the others we need to meet." He turned around and left, nodding slightly at Blair as he did so. Blair frowned and started to get out of bed. J'mes moved so fast that when Blair found himself suddenly lying down again on the bed underneath him, he blinked.

Nabol Hold

Lord Tao sat and stared out his window at his people moving busily below him. Tomorrow was a restday and the weather would be fine, so a Gather was going to be held. And as usual, his people would be working just as hard tomorrow on their games of chance, taking the money of the visitors. There was a knock at his door and he looked up.

"Enter." D'Lash came in, grinning eagerly. He stopped though at the look on Lord Tao's face and stammered out a greeting

"You...you wanted to see me?"

"Indeed. Why did you take the Queen Rider? She can be of no possible use!"

"I didn't! It was B'rket who..."

"If you cannot control him then maybe another should be in charge."

"Lord Tao, I've made sure B'rket won't do that again. Ever." A strange glint entered D'lash's eyes as he spoke and Lord Tao let it alone for now.

"Very well. I want you to bring her here. The point has been made that she would be a useful weapon for us to use. As a sign that it is time the Dragonriders realise we are in charge...not them."

"But we've never..." the young man exclaimed, then stopped as Lord Tao glared at him.

"Go. Bring the girl." He ordered and the young man left. So D'lash still had faith in his kind? No
matter. When he was no longer useful he could be dealt with. Maybe K'nkaid would be a better leader.

Looking back down at his people he smiled. When the people of Nabol Hold saw that particular smile those that could left. As soon as possible and as quietly so they wouldn't draw attention. Those who did when he smiled like that usually didn't survive...the lucky ones anyway.

Landing

"What...?" Blair began to say. J'mes reached up and kissed him, and then lifted his head up as Blair smiled at him, dazed.

"You aren't supposed to leave the bed, remember?"

"J'mes, bed rest doesn't mean that. And anyway, you were over there and I had to get to you." J'mes stiffened and rolled away to lay stiffly on his back staring up at the ceiling.

"Don't you dare!" Blair said and moved to lay on top of J'mes. The older dragonrider reached out and put his arms around him, holding him. Blair sighed and did the same. Opening his mouth, he shut it as J'mes started to speak in a detached tome of voice.

"A little while ago I thought about going back there, but it would have been a mistake. My first memories were of HIM telling me how worthless I am, a mistake. My mother tried to stop him but HE hit her. And then she had Steven, and HE stopped for a while. HE doted on him, and the only good thing in my life for the next couple of years was my mother...and my baby brother. He was a good child, sweet.

"One day I woke up, and she was gone. There was no trace of her, it was like she had never even existed. I was nine and Steven was four. And he asked HIM where she was and HE hit him. HE hit my little brother so...I hit HIM back. HE never hit Steven again. HE hit me though. It was my fault Steven was a messy eater, my fault he fell off his runner beast, my fault Mother left..." J'mes stopped suddenly and held on to Blair, tight, before continuing.

"It was long after that I was fostered out to S'mon. And I learnt what a real father can be like. Joan was nice at first, too. She changed, something made her bitter. I left Telgar when I was eleven, and haven't been back since except in my capacity as a dragonrider."

"Oh J'mes, that's bad. But what about Steven?"

"When we have met since then, he's always been so formal. I don't know him. He's so different from when I left. I know he was crying so hard I thought he'd be sick and he had to be taken away.

And then HE clenched his fist and raised it to me...when all of a sudden S'mon was moving and we were gone...so fast. And I rode with him on his dragon. It was amazing. So I told him I wanted to be a dragonrider too when I was older and he laughed, saying I would be a Lord Holder like my father. I'm glad he was wrong." Blair kissed him and he looked up in surprise.

"So am I."

*******
Part 18

by Loke

*******

Kermit stood outside Blair's temporary weyr and appeared to be talking to himself. "I need to contact S'mon, R'fael, T'mon, the Weyrleaders from High Reaches and Telgar Weyrs, and Masterhealer Kwaichang."

"I am here, beloved," his lover said, wrapping his arms around him.

{The others are coming,} Rhiannoth said. {Why didn't you ask me while you were still inside?}

"I wanted to give Blair and J'mes some privacy," the mastercrafter replied.

{So they could mate?} the silver dragon asked. {I think they're trying; they're pressing their faces together.}

Inside Blair suddenly sat up. "Rhiannoth! He doesn't need to know that!"

"Who doesn't need to know what?" J'mes asked.

{Kermit doesn't need to know you're mating,} Arlanth answered, {or at least trying to mate.}

"Oh," J'mes said. Giving Blair another quick kiss, he remarked, "We probably should hold off until after our expected company leaves." He slid from the bed and straightened his clothes. "You stay put -- we'll bring the meeting to you."

"No problem," Blair said. "I'll just discuss the concept of 'privacy' with my dragon."

"Don't expect to make much of a lasting impression -- you know how a dragon's memory is," J'mes told him as he left to greet their guests.

The weyrleaders arrived and a meeting was called in Blair's weyr. Klah, wine and meatrolls were provided for those who were hungry. Kermit began the meeting by repeating what he'd told J'mes earlier about Lord William of Telgar's activities and his alliance with Lord Tao of Nabol.

"What do you want us to do?" thundered T'mon. "It's not our place to interfere with the Lord Holders."

"It should be," S'mon said, "if they're plotting against dragonriders."

"The best we can do is an eye on them -- discreetly, of course," Telgar Weyrleader F'moon said, "and report anything we discover to the other Lord Holders. They'll have to decide what, if any, action is to be taken."

"It doesn't help that both men have banished harpers from all their Holds and territories," Kermit remarked. He didn't add harpers were still there, of course -- the special ones not many outside Harpercraft knew about.

{I can listen to them, if you want.} It was the barest of whispers from Rhiannoth, and for a moment Kermit wasn't sure he'd heard it at all. {You heard. I'm only speaking to you -- even Blair can't hear. Arlanth said I should try speaking to one person at a time.}

Kermit wondered for a moment why he'd been singled out for such an experiment, then realized what Rhiannoth had said. He quickly excused himself and walked over to where the silver dragon was apparently sleeping. He whispered too low for anyone to hear, "Can you hear them now?"

{I don't know who to listen for,} she replied. {If someone could introduce us, I could find their minds again easily.}

That was why, when F'moon returned to Telgar, he carried a passenger. Kermit was on his way to introduce some very special harpers to a dragon.

******

Part 19

by lard Bard

***********

They actually never spoke to (the young silver queen but Kermit had them fly close enough so that Rhiannoth could see through the eyes of F'Moon's dragon.

At the Weyer...

{They should be riders.} Rhiannoth said quietly, after getting a peak at several men and women, who although were easily overlooked in crouds had powerful mindspeaking and hearing abilities.

{Not everyone is meant to ride} Blair returned gently.

"Can she speak with Kermit?" J'mes asked excitedly. He *knew* something was up and wanted details as soon as possible.

{Not all the harpers have left your father's holding.} The silver replied directly to J'mes an unexpected gentleness in her voice.

"How?" J'mes asked aloud forgetting about mental communication but Rhiannoth heard through Blair and responded.

{They have special work to do. They learn things that are secrets.}

It was then Kermit returned fairly bouncing in his excitment.

He bounded into Blair's Weyer. "I have something to tell you. J'mes, it's about your brother. He's going to war against your father and he's not the only one. He's gathered support in very unlikely places. He's claiming your father's rule is unjust and is planning to take Telgar by force."

"That's unheard of. I mean... He's actually...?" J'mes stammered.

"We've got to stop him before things get more out of conttrol than they already are. We want your father out of power but not through war." Blair murmured resting a hand on ,j'mes shoulder and giving a light squeese.

"Yes, of course. Stop him." J'mes whispered in obvious shock.

{Rhiannoth, please tell S'Mon we need him to return here and gather D'ryl and the others. We need a plan."

*******
Part 20

By Xandria

*******

Soon they were all gathered together once more in Blair's Weyr. This time however S'mon was recovered enough to stand while Kermit told them about Steven's plan.

"He can't do that! If he does, then what's to stop other sons from doing that if they want their father's hold?" S'mon exclaimed.

"He has the right to, S'mon. If Lord William is unfit to rule then the law says a member of the Blood can challenge him. And Steven is," J'mes said as this time his foster father was the one who paced up and down.

"But not by war! Not like this. It is supposed to be one on one. The right to Hold, the strength to Hold, one member of the Blood to another in a personal combat challenge," Blair pointed out.

"Why is he doing this? Why now?" J'mes said. Then Kwaichang spoke, for the first time since the meeting had started.

"Something has changed. Lord William has acted in a way to cause Steven to open his eyes."

"But what? Last I knew, my brother did everything HE said. He even married the girl picked out for him," J'mes said.

"That's it!" Kermit exclaimed. S'mon swung around and faced him while everyone else stared at him expectantly.

"Well?" P'ter said finally.

"Steven isn't married any longer. A while ago he put her aside and got involved with a harper journeyman. Soon after that Lord William banned all Harpers from Telgar, including Colin."

"Colin? Is that the Colin from Fort Hold with that wonderful tenor voice?" Blair said excitedly

"He was."

"Was? What do you mean was?"

"He never made it back. Somewhere between Telgar and Fort he disappeared."

"And Steven thinks Lord William is responsible for that? Why?"

"Lord William was unhappy that Steven put her aside and never gave him an heir. And he blames Steven's falling in love with Colin on the Dragonriders. In particular you, J'mes."

"Shards! He has gone mad! What does he think I have to do with Steven falling in love with someone? "

"Apparently he believes that love between two men is wrong. And that you are to blame because as a Dragonrider you have openly loved both men and women, thus providing an example of the Dragonrider tendency for licentiousness," Kermit said with a sour look on his face. J'mes stared at him, eyes wide, as he though about it. Then he jumped up and started walking up and down as he spoke.

"Yeah I was with Carol. And R'fael for a while too before he and Connora decided to go together but how does that make me that? Okay, there was that green rider at Fort when his dragon flew and . . ."

"Enough! I don't want to know!" S'mon exclaimed as he put his hands on J'mes shoulders to stop him from moving about. Gently pushing him to go sit by Blair, who put his arms around him, S'mon spoke again. "So what you are saying is that the main reason Lord William has allied himself with Lord Tao is because he thinks one son is too much of an influence on the other?"

"Yes." Kermit said simply.

"Look, does it really matter why? We have to stop Steven from doing this!" P'ter said impatiently.

"Why? My father is no longer fit to rule," A new voice said from the doorway. Everyone turned to see the owner of the voice. J'mes stood up and moved forward a few steps.

"Steven?" he said in a small voice.

"J'mes!" Steven replied and strode forward to his older brother, hugging him. J'mes moved his arms around his brother and hugged back, shutting his eyes as he did so.

******
Part 21

by Loke

*******

The brothers pulled back from their embrace and looked at each other. Both started to speak at once and paused. J'mes smiled and nodded at his brother to continue.

"I've missed you so much, big brother," Steven said. "Father forbade me from contacting you on pain of banishment. We weren't even allowed to speak your name after you left. It was like Father twisted events to make it sound like leaving was your idea. He's out of his mind, J'mes. He has to be stopped."

"I agree he has to be stopped," J'mes replied, "but not with an army. You'll have to challenge him one-on-one."

"I know a challenge is the proper thing to do," Steven said, "but Lord Tao has given him armed guards to keep any challengers away. We should find someone to challenge HIM; I don't know how he did it, but he's the only person Father listens to these days. I'd hoped --" he faltered, uncertain if his brother wanted to hear more.

"You hoped what?" J'mes prompted.

"I'd hoped you and Arlanth could get past his guards," Steven replied softly. "You're the one who should be challenging anyway, since you're the eldest brother. There are other dragonriders who are Lord Holders."

Stunned silence through the room greeted this remark, broken by Kermit. "He has a point."

"No he doesn't!" J'mes said. "Father disowned me and named Steven his heir!"

"When he heard about Colin he disowned me as well," Steven said. "He hasn't named an heir in my place yet, but I'm afraid of whom he WILL name -- Lord Tao. We have to challenge Father NOW before he can name Lord Tao heir, or failing that attack Tao in force."

"IS there a blood relative who could challenge Lord Tao?" Blair asked.

"Lord Tao's male relatives have become extremely accident-prone in the last few Turns," remarked S'mon. "If there's an adult among them, he's certainly keeping a low profile."

"There are two," Kwaichang said, "but the elder of them has no wish to be a Lord Holder. I cannot speak for P'ter."

"Shards! WE'RE related to TAO?" P'ter made a face; he wasn't any too happy hear THAT bit of news.

"Tao's father had a younger sister. She was my mother," Kwaichang told the group. "I had always assumed Tao left me alone because he knew I had no desire to rule."

"It might explain why Tao's going after dragonriders," Blair said. "If he found out P'ter was a potential heir -- and out of his reach -- he might try stirring up feelings of ill-will against ALL dragonriders, hoping an attack against P'ter wouldn't be traced to him."

Before any more could be said they heard Rhiannoth bugling, and her voice in their minds. {Telgar's under attack -- by dragons!}

******

Part 22

By Lady Bard

***********

"Well, this is just too much," P'ter mumbled, agitated by the havoc being created.

"You don't have to do anything," Kwaichang said quietly.

"Don't I? What kind of example am I setting here? We're trying to make at least some of the riders into the keepers of the peace, right?" All those gathered nodded and the young man continued. His voice rose to be heard over the preparations being made by the riders in the room. "Allowing Tao and William to go unchallenged flies in the face of J'mes dreams and my own too. I've really taken this idea to heart and believe in it. I'll challenge Tao as soon as we deal with the threat to Telgar."

"Do we even need to deal with the threat? Can't we just let the dragons have their way?" Steven said coldly.

"If we did that we would be encouraging disorder, and as much as I want you holding, Stevey, I will not allow *anyone* riders included to act against the laws on Pern." With those words, the group split up.

***

The riders, J'mes at their head, flashed into Telgar and proceeded to take riders prisoner. It was disturbing to the small group of peacekeepers they were taking dragonriders into custody, but they had been left with no choice. After questioning it became apparent these riders were trouble-makers and would not be any help.

Lord Ellison would not talk with J'mes or any of the others present, but he did allow anyone who wanted to help the peacekeepers the choice of talking with them. Not many chose to talk. The riders found it disheartening to be treated either with the cool formality of strangers or the disdain given those without homes. They left Telgar no closer to solving any of their problems but with an even firmer resolve to try.

***

As soon as they returned to Garben Weyr P'ter sent off a fire lizard challenging Tao in one week. While they waited for a reply of some sort, J'mes asked Steven for the story of how he and Colin got together.

"Well, that all depends big brother," Steven grinned wickedly.

"On what?" J'mes asked, his voice soft and mischievous.

"You tell me how you and Blair got together."

"J'mes mouth hung open while Blair and the others laughed. "That's fair enough," and Blair told the story.

***

"Now it's your turn," J'mes sing-songed.

But before Steven could speak a laughing voice from the doorway said, "I swept him off his feet and we rode off into the sunset."

"Colin?" Steven breathed and crossed the distance between them to hold and be held by his mate.

********

Part 23

By Xandria

**********

"Now it's your turn." J'mes sing-songed.

But before Steven could speak a laughing voice from the doorway said, "I swept him off his feet and we rode off into the sunset."

"Colin?" Steven breathed and crossed the distance between them to hold and be held by his mate.

NOW

"Miss me?" Colin said before kissing Steven. He was as tall and broad as J'mes, with curly red hair and cornflower blue eyes.

"What happened? You just -- disappeared. It's why I eventually turned against Father," Steven demanded suddenly, pulling back and looking at his mate. Colin looked down.

"Well, you see, I sort of had an accident."

"An accident?"

"I fell."

"You fell. Where?"

"On the ground."

"You fell on the ground. Wait a minute -- were you drunk?"

Blair snickered and Colin grinned at him.

"No, of course not. I was -- composing."

"Daydreaming again, Colin?" Blair said. Colin glared at him and continued.

"When I tripped --"

"Over those great feet of yours. I always said they were too big and would --" Jim grabbed Blair and put a hand firmly over his mouth.

"Thank you." Colin bowed to J'mes and he nodded his head gravely back. Steven laughed and a muffled snort could be heard coming from Blair as well. "As you know, your father made us leave before winter was over. Basically I slipped on a piece of mud and broke my leg. Some minor holders found me and I spent the rest of the winter with them. And now love, what were you saying? You finally stood up to him?"

"Yes. Colin, you just disappeared. And the things Father said to you. I thought he had finally gone too far and sent someone after you."

"Unfortunately, your Father is too smart for that," S'mon said.

"From what my sources have told me, he has followed the exact letter of the Charter, no more, no less," Kermit added with a sigh.

"Okay, enough of that for now. We have time to deal with that later. I want to know how you two met!" Blair said.

"Okay Blair. Like I was saying before, I swept Steven off his feet."

"Hardly," Steven said.

"Oh yes! You took one look at me and froze."

"It was the outfit you were wearing. I never knew it was possible for that colour to exist apart from fever dreams."

"I'll have you know that colour was all the rage at Benden during the last hatching --" the harper began indignantly but Steven interrupted him.

"They let you wear it at a hatching?! And no hatchlings or weyrlings were upset by the experience?" Colin glared at his grinning mate and did the only thing he could -- kiss him. Blair snickered again and J'mes silenced him with a kiss of his own.

After a few minutes of both brothers kissing their mates S'mon finally coughed. And again. Then glared at P'ter when the younger dragonrider giggled then tried to disguise it with a cough.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't want to know! Could we please get on with it so we can then make plans for dealing with Lord Tao? Remember P'ter's challenge? And Steven, if you wish to take Hold, you will have to challenge your father."

"But --" Steven began. Colin put a finger to his lips and stopped him.

"He's right, love. What were you thinking? Breaking the Charter is not the way. Your father is old. Challenge him. All you have to do is defeat him in physical combat, prove you are stronger. It doesn't mean you have to kill him or even hurt him."

"You're right. When you were gone I just wanted to destroy him. He had taken away all the things in my life that gave me joy. Memories of Mama, J'mes, and finally you. Or I thought that. And it was a stupid piece of mud. Shells, that was close. I came in here and I wasn't going to stop, J'mes. Either you or I would have Telgar, but not Father and not Lord Tao."

"What do you mean Lord Tao? How could he have Telgar? He not only already holds but is not of Telgan blood."

"Unfortunately, that is not so. He is related -- by marriage. My wife was your father's cousin." P'ter turned around and stared at his father, along with everyone else.

"Pop?! Is there anyone involved in this we're *not* related to?!"

Kwaichang looked at him and said quite seriously, "I am certain we are not related to S'mon and D'ryl, my son."

P'ter gaped then began to laugh, seeing the slight smile on his father's lips. It wasn't long before the others joined in.

******

Part 24

by Loke

When the laughter died down the planning began. Rhiannoth kept track of Lords Tao and Ellison through her links with the undercover harpers in the Holds.

{They're saying neither lord so much as takes a piss without a guard watching,} she reported.

"If they're never alone how are we supposed to challenge them?" P'ter asked in frustration.

"We wait until one or the other -- or both -- calls a Gather," S'mon said.

"A public challenge -- one-on-one -- has to be answered by the Lord Holder personally," Kermit added. "He can't back down or delegate it; that's part of the Charter."

Having passed the word along to the harpers via Rhiannoth, they decided to call it a night. Couples paired off and went to the quarters provided. J'mes and Blair remained in the queen's weyr at Garbon Weyr, since the meeting had been held there.

Blair shyly led J'mes back to the bedchamber. "I think it's time we tried getting to know each other better."

"Blair are you sure?" J'mes asked.

"I'm anything but," the healer/harper replied as they reached the bed. "I want to do this, and I want to do it with you."

J'mes wrapped his arms around his mate tenderly and covered his lips with his own. Blair opened his mouth to him, allowing his tongue entrance while probing J'mes mouth with his own. While tongues danced fingers were not idle; belt buckles, buttons, and ties gave way until the pair were birth naked. J'mes pushed forward gently and Blair tumbled backwards onto the bed, pulling the other man with him. The bronze rider caught himself on his elbows before he could land too heavily on his mate.

Open-mouthed kisses and touches led to licks, nibbles, and caresses. J'mes showed Blair the whats, wheres, and hows of driving your partner crazy while keeping him from that final release. He teased his nipples, licked his way down to his navel to kiss it deeply, then on down to his groin. He avoided the prize and instead toyed with his balls, taking each one into his mouth and sucking lightly. Before he moved on to what he wanted to do next, he rose up and looked at his mate.

"Blair, I want to touch your ass, but I want to warn you first. I'm going to move slowly and carefully, and if anything feels uncomfortable let me know."

Blair nodded, and J'mes gently reached down and lightly ran his fingers over one of his nether cheeks, then the other. He went on to stroke the crack with gentle fingers. He wet his fingers with oil from the bedside table, and teased his mate's opening before gently pushing in with one finger. Blair stiffened at the invasion and J'mes paused. "Does it hurt?"

"No, it's just . . . scary. I'm remembering D'lash -- what he did."

J'mes pulled out and moved up to hold Blair close. "I won't do anything you find uncomfortable." Blair opened his mouth and J'mes hushed him with a finger. "I have an idea." He rolled over his mate, straddling his thighs, and reached for the oil. He smeared a generous amount on Blair's manhood, then on his mate's fingers. He moved the fingers to his own opening and guided Blair as he prepared him. He rode Blair's fingers, letting him know how good it felt, then rose up, pulled out the fingers, positioned himself, and impaled himself on his mate's penis. "Oh, yes, that's good," J'mes moaned, starting to move up and down. "Do you like what I'm doing?"

"Yes, oh, by the egg, that's good," Blair breathed. He started to move as well, trying to match J'mes. He knew he couldn't last, and didn't, coming with a shout a short time later. "Shards, I'm sorry. I just couldn't hold on."

"It's all right, love," J'mes told him. "You always go quickly the first time. I did." He took Blair's hand and together they finished him off.

Blair considered asking about J'mes first time, but decided against it. He simply snuggled close to his lover and together they slept.

Part 25
by Lady Bard

Morning dawned clear and bright. Blair woke slowly a delicious feeling running through him. He wriggled closer to the body at his side and remembered the previous evenings events. A soft sigh escaped him.

"Blair what's wrong?"

"Nothing -- everything's just fine. J'mes I want you to be inside of me."

"We don't have to do anything you're not ready for."

"I want to be ready."

Slowly J'mes rolled Blair on to his back and straddled his legs. "Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to go very slowly and tell you everything I do. You my lovely mate are going to be still and allow me to make love to you."

Blair let out a whoosh of air and protested, but only mildly for J'mes had started to gently run his hands up and down Blair's sides moving them in a circular motion.

"You are lovely, so lovely. I'm going to lick every inch of your body Blair." He did, moving torturously slow. He started at Blair's face, spending time on his earlobes then migrating to his neck. He dragged his tongue in a straight line down Blair's chest then back up. He detoured to Blair's nipples and sucked on them a while.

It was amazing, Blair thought. He had no idea anything could feel this way. His thought processes were rapidly shutting down and he didn't care. They had responsibilities to fulfill and a weyr depending on them but all Blair could feel was J'mes touch and all he could hear was J'mes voice murmuring soft words of desire and reassurance and describing in vivid detail what he would do next.

Blair found his body moving independently of all else, heard himself cry out in ecstasy. "More please! Oh J'mes please!" When had J'mes slid two fingers inside of him? And how could something that had given him nightmares for years feel this good? He hadn't known it was possible. The fingers left him and Blair felt a sense of loss. He started to speak but J'mes shushed him with his mouth.

Their joining was slow and tender, J'mes wanting Blair to have only joyful memories of this act. He slowly entered Blair fusing their mouths together in an attempt to distract his lover from the pain. When he was settled into Blair's body he broke the kiss and grinned.

"By the first Egg Blair you look debauched."

"How else should I look when I am being debauched." The serious look he tried was ruined by the laugh he couldn't quite contain which was followed by a low sound of pleasure he didn't want to contain. "Oh again! Please."

J'mes grinned and aimed his long slow thrusts at Blair's prostate. He drew the loving out as long as he could drove them both mad until the slow rhythm grew faster and harder. It was incredible, J'mes thought, this warm, tender giving man was his. With that thought, he felt Blair's orgasm approaching and whispered, "Yes." Blair's release drew his own from him and with a sigh he flopped ungracefully over his mate.


At Telgar

Lord Ellison leaned back in his chair. The reports he was receiving were disturbing to say the least. Both his children were together and plotting against him. He found this state of affairs unacceptable but was not sure what to do about it. Something would have to be done.

Part 26
by Xandria

It was time to contact Lord Tao again. He had had some doubts about his methods, but to have both sons turn on him like that? Well, he was young enough to have more children. And Lord Tao was looking for a possible use for the Queen dragonrider, Alex. It would be a waste to have to kill her, especially as she was of the Blood .

His first born was a freak, anyway. He should have never bonded to his mother. An unknown girl from the Travelling Folk? He had always known they were a strange lot, but the abilities she had? And to pass them on to his son. So he made her have a second child, quickly. And Steven was good, not a freak like the other. And he did everything he was told, after a few lessons in discipline, anyway, when his brother was sent away.

He was not to contact J'mes, or even mention his name. And Steven obeyed. He was to marry a girl of the Blood, one picked for him and he did. He was to have heirs, and he didn't. His son married, but was not interested in his wife. And then he met the harper. And when he was told to stay away, he didn't. He should have known. Bad blood there, in both of them, just like his former wife. For her to run like that, pregnant with his child, his property, she had no right to do that . . .


// FOURTEEN YEARS EARLIER

"You are pregnant?" Lord Ellison smiled at his wife, delighted. Anna smiled back at her husband. It was so long since he had looked at her like that. Then he frowned suddenly.

"William? Aren't you pleased?"

"What if it's another freak like him?!"

"James is not a freak. A lot of Travel kin have what he has, as a protection against Thread! Not as much as he seems to, but with training he may be the--"

"And I am telling you again that no son of mine will be sent to a bunch of ragged Travelling Folk for schooling! He is an Ellison and Ellisons are not freaks!" He yelled at her and she flinched. But she lifted up her chin and looked him in the eyes, her own so like the son he was starting to hate.

"If he is not taught he will die. Without a Guide he will sink into himself and--"

"So he is not even fit to be my heir? Fine, Steven will be then. He shows none of this taint"

"But James--"

"Is of no use to me! And this one you have in you, will that be a freak too?! Because if it is I may as well get rid of it for you now!" Lord Ellison advanced on his wife and she backed away in horror, arms held protectively over her stomach.

He hadn't meant to hurt her, not that much anyway. He left, to let her think about it, and then the next morning she was gone. All her things were gone with the exception of the bracelet she had worn every day since he had given it to her on their bonding day. She left a note.

"William,

I love you but cannot risk the life of my child. Please, I beg you, let James be trained before it's too late. He is the product of many generations -- set to Watch for Thread and other dangers as we Travelling Folk prefer to live Holdless."

We also bred others to help them. A Watchman needs a Guide or his senses will go out of control without help -- like James has started to. My cousin Naomi has a son, Blair, by a Dragonrider at Bendon Weyr. He shows all the signs of being a good Guide for our son."

Lord Ellison crumpled the note and threw it into the fire. He preferred his son to die rather than send him to the Travelling Folk. What would it look like if it came out Lord Ellison couldn't even help his own son? //

PRESENT

Lord Ellison stared out the window as he remembered. Wait a minute! That other freak, the one that rode that dragon, was called Blair. And he was born of a Trader and a dragonrider.

Before he turned up the last he had heard of son was that he was finally dying. Then all he heard about was the miraculous recovery his son had made and wasn't Lord Ellison proud to have such a fine dragonrider for a son?

He wasn't. And he had a few ideas to suggest, if this Blair was one and the same. He nodded to himself and called a messenger.

"Tell Lord Tao I will meet with him as he suggests. And to bring the girl as well." If both children intended to kill him, he had no choice but to plan for that. And to do the same.

Part 28
by Loke

At Garben Weyr

{Blair! J'mes! Ker -- oops, sorry.} Rhiannoth's voice echoed through her rider's head.

"What is it, love?" Blair asked sleepily. 'Oops, sorry? What was that about?' he wondered.

{One of the hidden harpers says Lord Tao is calling a Gather to cover a visit from Lord Ellison,} the silver dragon replied.

"What was that 'oops, sorry' about?" J'mes asked, echoing his mate's thought.

{Kermit was . . . busy,} Arlanth explained to his rider, and J'mes swore he could hear the draconic equivalent of a chortle.

"At least she's learning discretion," Blair said, sliding out of bed and padding to the bathing area to prepare for the day. He called to the kitchens for a pitcher of klah and mugs to be sent up, then bathed, shaved and dressed for the day. Bathing took longer than usual since his mate joined him in the pool and the pair "wasted"
time fondling, kissing, and finally masturbating each other to dual climaxes.

As Blair poured them klah and checked their computer terminal for messages, J'mes watched fondly and marveled at how sensuous his mate had become since they'd become lovers. He'd feared Blair had been permanently scarred by his bad experiences and was glad to discover it wasn't so, and was looking forward to Rhiannoth's first mating flight.

J'mes read over his mate's shoulder as Blair replied to some messages and sent out others. Lord Tao's gather was set for three day's time, and plans had to be made. Messages were exchanged and read, via both computer and dragon, the plan was finalized and contingency plans were made.

Three days later, as the Gather was in full swing, it was disrupted by dragons appearing near the livestock pens, with predictable results. While Lord Tao's guards were distracted, several people slipped into the main Hold, among them Kwaichang, P'ter, Kermit, Steven, Colin, several Lord Holders and the Masterharper of Pern -- a sufficient number of witnesses to give what was about to happen legality.

They found the lords in one of the inner chambers, trying to find out what had disturbed the Gather. P'ter began the proceedings by challenging Lord Tao's right to Hold. Lord Tao at first refused to fight, but when told he must either duel or abdicate, he drew a long knife and attacked without warning.

P'ter barely managed to evade the blade while drawing his own, but once the fight was truly begun it was plain to see who the victor would be. In a short time Lord Tao lay dying on the floor, and spat curses at his kinsman Kwaichang when he tried to aid him. He died vilifying both his kin and the dragonriders.

Lord William Ellison elected to abdicate, providing his heir produce a child of the Blood to follow him. Steven said he'd already adopted the youngest son of one of his father's cousins, and the Lord Holders were satisfied the Bloodline would continue.

The changes were announced at the Gather, which continued on in a much merrier fashion, since both harpers and healers were returning to the two Holds. Alex had been found in a nearby room and taken back to Landing to be cared for.

Just as everyone was settling down, a trio of dragons appeared from *between* and circled to land.

Their riders were a very familiar trio -- D'lash, B'rkett, and K'nkaid.

END PART 28