Free to Fly: A Dragonriders of Pern FanFiction

Part 23

"Reports are coming in all over that torrential rain has been falling all along the Nerat coast. That temporarily took care of the need for flights to go out during Threadfall," a bluerider from Nerat reported to K'van and Adrea. "But the weather hasn't improved in that the winds are high and shifting, but we're getting no rain now."

"How are you handling the winds?" K'van asked.

"We're not," the bluerider said. "We're being blown around all over the place and our injuries are almost more than we can handle. Thankfully, the weather over Benden is fairly mild. We're hoping we can get some of your healers and dragonhealers to come and assist ours with all the casualties."

"Of course," Adrea said. "I'll start organizing groups and get them transported to Benden. How many extra do you think you'll need?"

"As many as you can do without, weyrwoman," he said. "We haven't seen winds like this since before the Pass started."

"Are you needing extra riders?" K'van asked.

"At the time I left, we were getting help in from Igen," the rider said. "But I imagine if your riders were to approach our wingleaders, then none would be turned away. It's up to you, Weyrleader. Like I said, this entire thing is a giant mess and your riders have a high probability of injury."

"We'll leave that up to the individual riders then," K'van said. "Thank you, bluerider, and we'll get our healers ready and in the air within the half hour."

The man bounded out of the council room. K'van looked at Adrea. "Gather up as many as we can and I'll have our newer riders and that group of nearly graduated weyrlings transporting over as many as we can."

"I'm glad we had that overabundance of fellis and numbweed this spring," Adrea said. "Sounds like they'll need all they can get."

[[ Heth, call all the wingleaders into the meeting room, ]] K'van said. [[ And tell them it's an emergency. And invite J'gol as well. ]]

*~*~*~*~*

Missa sat on the floor of G'dran's weyr. They'd been playing dragon poker all afternoon. She figured it was his way of getting her mind off of the weyrlings that had died recently. She was enjoying herself, but nothing could stop the turning of her stomach when she would remember watching S'tow and Codath fall out of the sky. She focused again on the game. The stakes were whoever lost had to either sing The Gather Song or chug a glass of wine. Missa didn't feel like getting drunk so the first time she lost, she opted to sing the song. G'dran didn't help when he tried hiding that he was giggling the entire time.

"Shut up," Missa grumbled. "It's not like I ever said I was a harper."

"You did just fine," he said, trying not to let a grin pull at the sides of his mouth.

"Deal again," Missa said. "I swear you're cheating."

"You're just a sore loser is all," he said.

It became apparent pretty quickly that she wouldn't win this round either.

"Hah!" G'dran said. "You lose again."

"I am not singing that song again," she said, folding her arms.

"It was that or chug a cup of wine," he said, smirking.

"You're so annoying when you gloat."

[[ Acinth's rider wants all the weyrlings to gather near the dragonhealer's quarters, ]] Apeth said.

"I've got to go to the -"

"I'm being called to the-"

They both spoke at the same time. They stared at each other in surprise.

"J'gol wants us over at the dragonhealer's quarters."

"And they want any available out of my wing to go to the healer's quarter. This sounds bad."

"Yeah, but at least I don't have to sing that stupid song again," Missa said, wheeling towards Apeth.

"Who says you'll get out of it when we get back?"

"You're a wherrybrain, G'dran," Missa said, climbing up her dragon.

"Not as big a dimglow as you are," he shouted back.

Apeth jumped off the edge of G'dran's weyr ledge and floated over to where the rest of her clutchmates stood around.

J'gol shouted as loud as he could. "Each of you will take as many healers as your dragon can fit. I hope you remember your point for Benden because that's where we're taking them. This is an emergency. They need as many healers as they can get to help with the casualties. Even seasoned riders are having problems in this weather. Offer help where you can or come straight back here. Clear skies!"

Missa hurried back to Apeth and helped the first healer covered in bags of supplies up on Apeth and strapped her in. They jumped into the air and before she knew it Apeth and she popped in over Benden Weyr. She had Apeth do an expedited spiral to get them to the bowl as quickly as they could without making the healer sick.

Organized chaos was the only way to describe Bendan's bowl as they landed. Riders and dragons lay in rough lanes so that the healers could run between them to help those injured or dying. Missa felt bile come up into her throat. Green ichor and red blood mixed together everywhere. She directed Apeth to jump aloft again. She told herself it was because she needed to get more healers, but really it was to get away from the horrendous sight.

After only a couple of transfers, all that the weyr could spare was in coordination with the Benden healers. Wing leaders gathered up all the older weyrlings and organized them into groups to help the healers triage and get supplies. With all the foulness that soaked the ground, they set Missa up over by the firestone piles making and wrapping bandages. She sighed in anger. Inside, she rebelled against the mundane task. She knew she wouldn't be able to roll through between the lanes where the healers were, but they could have her doing something less boring.

She was in the middle of her second pile when a wingleader came up to the firestone piles along with a few young weyrlings.

"Fill as many bags as you can and then riders will come in and take them from you," he said.

Another rider approached the wingleader. "We lost another three. We don't have the capability of replacing them. Maybe we can switch out some greens to deliver sacks instead of Threadfall."

"Are you insane? Even with the additions from Igen and Southern, we're still spreading ourselves thin."

"Maybe we can have the riders come in and pick up their own bags," the rider said.

"That's a disaster waiting to happen and you know it," the wingleader said. "You're just asking for someone to come from /between/ right into a Thread clump in all that wind."

"Well, how are we going to get sacks to them in time?" the rider asked. They walked off towards the triage area.

Missa looked around. No one was paying attention to her. In fact, the nearest weyrling from Southern to her was at least a half a dragonlength away. She examined the ground around the sacks. There was plenty of room for Apeth's smaller size to land right next to the piles. The other weyrlings from Benden didn't seem to notice her. She rolled a sizable pile of bandages and moved them to the side.

[[ Hey, Apeth, ]] Missa said. [[ Feel like riding some really crazy winds? ]]

[[ That sounds fun, ]] Apeth said.

[[ Meet at the firestone pile and let's get going. ]]