"And you've three, four times as much land as Fax overran, Sangel continued. "Take my advice and be grateful."

Toric snorted contemptuously. "If you have finished handing out today's do's and don'ts?"

"Since you have been gracious enough,' Larad said with studied courtesy, "to hear what we had to say, we can leave.

"But you have been warned,' Laudey of Igen said sternly.

"You will voice any complaints in the next Council of Lords and you will abide by the decisions."

"Or?"

"I don't think you want to know, R'mart of Telgar said, with a malicious smile on his face. "I really don't think you want to know. And he turned on his heel and strode out, followed by his Weyrwoman and the other queen and bronze riders.

"K'VAN,' Toric bellowed and when the young Weyrleader turned in the doorway to face him, Toric raised his fist, "if I see a single one of your riders anywhere near this Hold .

"Ah, but you see, you won't, Lord Toric,' K'van said with a soft smile. "But then you have been too busy to notice that the Weyr is empty and we have settled in a much more congenial location, heretofore unoccupied."

"With the full consent of the Council of Lords Holder, Larad added. "Good day, Lord Toric of Southern Hold."

Chapter Thirteen.

nce Readis found the seaside caves that he had once ***** seen from the decks of the Fair Winds, he chose the one most suitable to his purposes, making it as comfortable as he could. Some of the water and wind worn openings would be half flooded with higher tides but these would also be extremely handy for a dolphin hall. This series of caves and hollows were at the base of the rocky slope that led up to the deep gorge and the river shown on the Ancients' charts as the Rubicon. Most of the caves were shallow or accessible only by a treacherous climb over tumbled boulders. There was really only one which could be made into a human living accommodation, with a sea-eroded maw through which he could lead Delky to the s.p.a.ce on a wide ledge where he could stable her adequately. Past that point, the ledge led to two interior, water-hollowed chambers, one of them large enough to make a respectably sized hold, and both now high above the full tide marks.

They'd had to spend their first Threadfall, on their way to these caves, crammed under a barely adequate overhang, with Delky shivering with fear as Thread hissed just a finger's thickness from her hide.

There was plenty of time, too, for Readis to regret the precipitousness of his departure and bemoan the items that he should have packed that would have been very useful and made his new life considerably easier. But then his exodus had not been planned. He steeled himself against other regrets, like foregoing the studies he had begun to enjoy for the challenge and mental stimulation they had provided. And the tantalizing prospect of things that could be when the Pa.s.s was over. He regretted not having access to the wealth of information on the Aivas files - nor the chance to copy Persellan's damaged pages, as much for his own information as to make amends to the healer. He worried how T'lion got on with the healer and how he'd been disciplined by his Weyrleader. He worried most about Cori and Angie: had T'lion's st.i.tches held? Were they healing? Who was tending them? How was he going to get in touch with the pod in these waters? And would the dolphins feel the need to tell other humans where he was? He was doing this for them, finding sea caves accessible by water: the quieter pools that were flushed out with the tides would be perfect for tending the injured, and the great ledge outside couldn't be better for talking to a whole pod with no crowding. There was deep water beneath the ledge - or as deep as he could dive.

The Great Current was far out, too far to be visible and that's where the dolphins would swim, riding the westward flow.

They wouldn't know a human was in this area. And Readis had no bell and no way of obtaining one. If only T'lion were here, Gadareth could attract them with his bugle. No doubt the bronze rider had been restricted to official duties and the Weyr. Readis hoped that T'lion wouldn't be denied access to the dolphins. Surely T'gellan would have understood how important it was . . . His parents hadn't, Readis interrupted himself, why would he think a Weyrleader would care? Except that the dolphins had warned Path's rider about a pregnancy and Mirrim had had a fine son. Was that enough?

Probably not. His parents didn't care to remember that dolphins had rescued him and Alemi from the squall. That had been a long time ago now.

Readis had little time for much reflection: he had to find food which in this season meant long and sometimes futile searchings: the main growing season being now over. What he could find he had to save so he hunted until he discovered a supply of clay along a creek. He made utensils which he fire-hardened. It took him several tries to get a mug and a bowl that didn't leak. He knew more theory than he had had a chance to put into practice.

He could and did make himself a frond mattress which gave him comfort at night and he wove fine gra.s.ses into a covering. The tougher ones supplied him with stout rope to secure Delky when he didn't want her straying from the cave. He'd twisted threads from her tail for a fishing line and braided more for a longer line, splicing it to a good length thanks to those lessons he'd learned from Unclemi. He kept his belt knife honed sharp and hoped the steel blade would last until he could replace it as the daily honings were visibly narrowing the good blade. He sought the biggest tree nuts, chiseled a hole in the tops so that once he had drunk off the juices, he could store fresh drinking water in them. While the nut juice was considered by many to be very tasty and he knew that Swacky fermented it for his sevenday night's drinking, he didn't like the almost sickly sweetness of it. Besides fresh fish and sh.o.r.eline sh.e.l.lfish, he'd find the occasional fowl nest so he had sufficient protein in his diet. No fire-lizard clutches yet, though he'd searched every sandy cove on his way here. It was really the wrong season for fire-lizards to clutch. He'd never particularly wanted one but one would be very helpful right now. Delky wasn't that companionable. And, until he made contact with dolphins, he had to talk to himself if he wanted to hear another voice.

He was generally too busy to be lonely and too tired not to sleep at night when doubts tend to a.s.sail one. If he wanted to communicate with dolphins, he'd have to swim out far enough and he wasn't so foolish as to venture out that far without the safeguard a vest would provide. Once he had finally located a stand of the fibrous plant from which life vests were made, he spent several days designing and making one.

From small fish bones he fashioned needles and with clumsy but firm st.i.tches, constructed a pa.s.sable garment. He gave it a long test the morning he finished it, floating about until the local fishes were comfortable enough with his presence to come nibble his toes. That was brave of them since he'd already caught so many. But he was as buoyant in the water at the end of the morning as at the beginning so he felt confident enough in its efficiency. He made sure that Delky had enough fodder and fresh water in her clay pot (though he hadn't been able to make it completely watertight and moisture oozed out slowly), before he donned the vest again.

Today the sea was calm, only wind ripples marring its surface.

He might not get another such day in this stormy season. So he tested the ties on his vest one last time and then waded out until he reached the deeper water. Straight out from the sh.o.r.e he swam with good firm strokes. If his luck was in, he'd get a ride back.

By the time the sh.o.r.eline was well behind him, he began to have second thoughts. His arms were beginning to tire and his breath was getting ragged. So he stopped swimming and a.s.sumed a floating position, letting his head go back until the top of his vest cushioned his neck. He closed his eyes against the glare of the sun though he could not escape the whiteness of its rays behind his eyelids. His breathing slowly dropped to normal. He had never been afraid of the water and wasn't now. The light waves occasionally splashed over his face but he only snorted the water out of his nostrils without changing his position. This was very restful, rocking only lightly from time to time. He could almost fall asleep, mesmerized by the watery rhythms. Arms extended, he stopped even a cursory movement of his hands. He'd give himself a good rest before he started off again.

He felt motion in the water beneath him. As he flipped himself perpendicular, his legs encountered something slithery and he caught sight of the large body aiming at the surface. Then he became aware of the dolphin fins nearby. Abruptly a smiling dolphin face emerged in front of him.

"Save man? No storm. No good far from land?"

"I was looking for you.

"Looking for Cal?" The dolphin squeed loudly in surprise and swam past Readis with one bright black eye never leaving his face. "Who you?"

"I'm Readis, Cal."

Abruptly the dolphin came back, stopping in front of him.

"Pods looking for Readisssss.

"Are they?"

"All pods looking for Readis,' Cal repeated and then flipped into a dive.

Startled, because Readis didn't want to be found, he ducked under the water and hauled hard on Cal's near flipper to bring him up and prevent him sounding a message through the water.

"Don't tell the other pods you've found me,' he said urgently, his face inches from Cal's bottlenose.

"Don't tell?" The dolphin turned his head so his bright eye was fixed on Readis and his whole expression conveyed an air of total surprise. "You lost. You found."

"I'm not lost. I don't want to be found. By humans.

"You are human. Humans stay together. Live in pods on the land. Only visit dolphins in sea. Not live in sea. Dolphins live in sea.

Cal's response was long for a dolphin and, if the squeaky, pinched tones dolphins used for human speech also conveyed emotions, this time Cal spoke in shocked amazement.

"I want to live with dolphins, heal dolphins when they're hurt, be a dolphineer!'

Cal's loud squee broke off when he spouted an unusually high fountain of water from his blow-hole.

"You be dolphineer?" The pinched tone rose to a shrill note.

"You be Cal's dolphineer?"

"Well, we've just met. You don't know much about me .

"Dolphineer! Dolphineer!" Cal's response was ecstatic! "Will more mans be dolphineers again? Swim with pods, hunt with pods, go see where coast has changed? New reefs, new channels, new stuff? Visit subsidence and meet The Tillek?"

Cal's brief, earlier submergence must have been sufficient to send for the rest of the pod. Dolphins were homing in on him from all directions, leaping in and out of the water, squeeing and clicking so enthusiastically that Readis came very close to being drowned by their attentions. But he caught a dorsal fin as he was tumbled underwater and hung on until he and - it was Cal he'd got hold of - the dolphin surfaced again. Readis had got a nose full of sea water and had to cling to Cal while he snorted his nasal pa.s.sages clear and got breathing properly again. Somehow Readis would have to get an aqua lung that he and T'lion had discussed. Without it, he was likely to be a liability to any pod, not the helping partner he hoped to be.

"Cal, listen to me,' he said, catching hold of both flippers and pulling at first one, then the other to get Cal's attention. "I want to stay here. Don't tell humans.

"Why?" Cal was plainly puzzled and others poked their heads up to listen to the conversation.

"I want to be alone with the pod. Learn to be a dolphineer."

"No long feets,' another dolphin said. "Dolphineers had long feets."

"Your name please?" Readis asked, catching one of the speaker's flippers.

"I Delfi.

Then others started squeeing out their names: Tursi, Loki, Sandi, Rena, Leta, Josi. They poked their faces at him, or walked toward him with flippers extended. He was splashed with the waters of their enthusiasm.

"Hey, hey!" He held up his arms and waved his hands to get them to calm down. "Take it easy. You'll drown me."

"No drown in middle of dolphins!" Delfi cried and squeed as she dropped back into the water.

"Yes, you will. I've no blow-hole!'

There was a good deal of clicking and squeeing over that. The dolphins evidently thought it was very funny. Readis began to feel as if his great idea of being a dolphineer might not be such a childish one. At least the dolphins approved. What did he care if every other human on the planet didn't!

"I have found caves that lead to the sea and the pools which would be perfect places for dolphins to come to talk to me, where dolphins who were sick could come to be healed. I can take off bloodfish, too. And st.i.tch wounds. D'you want to see?"

"See, see, squeed the dolphins.

"Give me a ride in?" Readis asked, lifting his right hand in the position to grasp a fin.

"Me!" cried Cal and squirmed her way through to take up his hand.

There was a bit of splashing and bodies tried to push him away from Cal.

"Hey, wait a bit! You can take turns, swimming me in,' Readis shouted and got a mouthful of water. He couldn't clear his air pa.s.sage and, but for the vest, would have been helpless to remain above the surface.

Almost instantly the scramble ended. Two dolphin bodies supported him until he got his lungs clear, though the sea water he had swallowed made him nauseous.

"All right, now, pod, let's take it easy on this poor human.

You take turns so I don't tire you out. Huh?"

"Tire? What tire?"

"Ummmm, get weary, lose strength, exhaust." Readis made motions of difficulty in swimming. "Like men you rescue, all tired from ship going down.

Scornful fountains rose from blow-holes and two rolled in contempt for the notion.

"Dolphins swim all around Pern and not weary, Cal said, her smile deeper than ever. "Swim you to sh.o.r.e is easy. Easy, easy, easy,' Cal said, gently brushing the side of his face with her nose.

"We go now. We change. You keep hand up."

And so he was towed to sh.o.r.e. Actually at a much reduced speed than he remembered them taking him and Unclemi into sh.o.r.e after the storm. He changed steeds, and there was always a new one, waiting for him to switch. He realized that Cal had come back for a second turn by the time the sh.o.r.e loomed above them.

"To starboard . . . and Readis gestured right with his left hand. "To the right.

"Know starboard. Know port. Cal is smart."

"Cal certainly is. Have you been in these caves?"

"Yessss, been in pools here. Good place. Readisss smart to find good place." Her voice echoed in the stone cave and Delky whinnied in fear.

"It's OK, Delky, Readis called, worried lest she break his vine rope in her panic.

"You have horsss?" Cal asked, carefully raising herself far enough above the water to put an eye on the startled beast.

"Horss?" Readis laughed. "Delky's a runner beast. And a weed at that. Easy there, girl. It's all right."

"Looks horsssish,' Cal insisted. "Name Delky? Delky, 1 Cal.

"Neither horses nor runner beasts can talk, Cal."

"Pity. We can talk better now we got you to talk to."

"I think you speak pretty well already, Cal,' Readis said, hauling himself out of the water. The vest had held him up all right, but it had rubbed badly under his arm and on his shoulders and neck. He'd have to find something to pad it there. Right now the abrasions stung. He also needed a drink. "Stay put, will you, Cal?"

He rose and had to grab at the wall to keep upright. He hadn't realized how tired he was and his bad leg was not in good working order at all. That was the first time he realized that the dolphins never commented on his wizened leg. At least they didn't seem to care.

Grabbing the nearest of his home-made water bottles, he returned to the pool and found it stuffed full of dolphins.

"Is the entire pod inside?"

"Yes, want to see man's land place,' Delfi said, raising her body out of the water to peer about her. "Nice place. And she dropped back.

"Anybody need a bloodfish sc.r.a.ped off?" Readis asked, wanting to reinforce his usefulness. He was tired enough to be grateful that his offer was not taken up.

"We strong pod,' Cal said with an understandable pride.

"Maybe later. When we swim closer in, where reefs and things make cuts.

"Well, I'm willing to help whenever I can, Readis said.

"Can't be dolphineer to whole pod,' Cal said. "Not right. One to one is tradition."

"Until I can find more folks who want to be dolphineers, I guess I'll have to be one for the whole pod."

Readis was surprised to discover that dolphins had a covetous streak in them. But then, dragons and fire-lizards were possessive, one way or another, of the humans they looked to.

Runner beasts didn't much care who got on their backs, except Readis had always considered Delky to be especially his, since she'd been a gift. The canines responded better to some folks than to others so maybe it was one of those universal attributes he'd learned of from reading in the Aivas files.

"How people know to be dolphineers if no-one knows who you are?" Delfi asked.

If Readis had needed any confirmation of how intelligent dolphins were, that remark certainly clarified it.