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Scroll down to see which flights this page details! There are more than one!
"You could stop interrupting her," the weyrling master C'gall told him. "She's doing fine. I thought that you were a healer."
"I am," Kalkin said, turning his eyes to watch the man. "But I happen to have a little complication called Sixth."
They walked toward the ledges, watching the cleanup of the Sands. The shells would become brittle and were always a problem for subsequent clutches. The sands had to be raked thoroughly. Weyrbrats abounded, helping out. Though they did not impress, and some might never, they were always eager to get close to the dragons they so adored.
Kalkin wondered why he felt so elated about it all.
Then he realized he had a pounding headache.
"Sixth," he sighed, "get out of my head... You are really making it hard for me to stand up..."
The weyrling master glanced at the tall, older man. "You haven't quite gotten the hang of bespeaking --" he started, but then Kalkin shook his head and waved his long hand.
"No... But if I have one very bad failing it is that my bond to the dragon is painful at its very best. Devastating at its worst. And I've been through both."
***
While they watched, however, Sixth was outside looking at other sights. He was joined by several other dragons, mostly browns and a bronze or two.
They looked at the Queen, Gillith, in admiration. The biggest bronze spoke up.
She will be rising, and I shall catch her.
You will not, I shall, thought another, but he was not entirely convinced of his ability.
Sixth listened to them bicker, and then he caught sight of another, much smaller but more beautiful (in his eyes anyway) green dragon. She was pacing angrily on her ledge, back and forth. Her rider could barely be seen behind her, looking quite fretful.
Kalkin, she will -- she is going to Fly and I will be here! This is wonderful! I think her rider is pretty, you will like her!
***
On their observation ledge, Kalkin winced and held his fingers to his head, before leaning heavily on the wall nearby. C'gall moved to his side and with concern, was about to call for a healer -- that thought cut short by his brown dragon announcing that he too would be at least making the attempt to fly this green -- Weltrith was her name. Hatched at Dawn Sisters, not long before, the green was.
"You -- you've been bespoken by your dragon?" C'gall realized, "that's what that was? It makes you--"
"It is... remarkably annoying..." Kalkin uttered, his voice low and eyes red with blood. "He is very excited about this. I don't quite know what to say."
They looked at the dragons outside, as the green took to the air Kalkin squinted and nodded. "I can see why he would want to fly her. She's strong, healthy."
"Yours is the... that tiny blue? He's barely a Weyrling!" C'gall exclaimed.
"He is hardly a weyrling, C'gall. He is almost twelve turns old. I Impressed when I was more than fifty five..." Kalkin took in a deep breath, remembering that excrutiatingly beautiful event with a wince. Sixth was in the air, following closely as he dared. The green seemed to taunt the males behind her.
"You would think that she would just choose one of them," Kalkin muttered. "It isn't like he has much of a chance against those browns... Or ... is that a bronze? After a green!" Kalkin shook his head. His little ever-present flitter Echo chittered and came out from Kalkin's vest. The tiny blue cheeped in fear as he saw his human's reddened eyes. Kalkin ran his nail over Echo's nose and calmed him with a cooing sound.
"At least he wasn't trying for that queen," Kalkin said, as he saw Alora entering the area to watch the Flight as well. "I mean, he doesn't weigh even as much as one of Gillith's wing sails."
***
She is fast, but I am faster! Sixth thought to himself. He had to fly her! She was pretty close but -- she dropped from his grasp before he could get a good hold. Her swift dodging of the browns made him think twice. She was not as strong as the browns -- but he wasn't even a third of their size!
The tiny blue dragon didn't dare think things like that! With Kalkin on the ground only half-able to encourage him, Sixth did his best to swoop below the great wings of the bronze in the Flight, and then around one of the blues. He beat his wings into a frenzy, climbing higher and higher. He could wait for the opportunity....Wait for the larger dragons to tire... And finally Weltrith would be his!
***
Well, she wasn't. The crafty green chose another in that flight. It was just as well, the girl impressed to the green would never have considered bedding an 'old man' like Kalkin. At that, he smirked. There would always be others. Little Sixth was getting quite good at his flights.
Engell snorted out a chuckle around his wine glass. "I would have thought that too, Kalkin, but he's never been the most dependably clear thinker I've sired."
The pair of men sat on the ledge of Sixth's new weyr. It was new to Sixth because he was allowed to remain in Alabaster's weyr caverns with the other dragons. They'd gotten used to him, by now. As a presence, the little blue dragon was hardly a blip on the mental radar of the larger dragons -- and every dragon here was larger than he. Except the weyrlings, perhaps. Even some of them...
Sixth lounged and then turned over to look at his rider, and Lord Holder Engell.
Why do you not tell him? Asked Sixth, in his little chirping-sing-song way. Not mentally, he'd let slip a little of the feeling of the question, but not the words. Those would hurt his rider!
"Tell him what?" Kalkin asked, only half aware that he was speaking aloud. The pinging headache which always accompanied his dragon's thoughts was tinged with a familiar feeling. "Ah. Yes, that."
"What is it, now..." Engell groaned.
"Well... While we were at -- will be at -- Falas Weyr, there was another dragon who caught Sixth's eye. Rising, of course, sometime soon. After K'yles gold."
"She's not his yet, Kalkin," warned Engell. "And... so which green is this, or does it matter? Does he have a chance?"
"A chance at getting me out of here for another two turns?" Kalkin raised his eyebrow and smirked. "I do not know. She was healthy but not actually glowing yet. All the other blues and browns around were getting anxious, though."
Phaysath, thought Sixth, dreamily. Kalkin fought the urge to shatter his wine glass compulsively. The dragon issued a series of chittered apologies.
"You know," Engell said, "It's almost like he IS speaking."
"He is, I assure you," Kalkin said. "You just have not taken the time to learn his language yet."
Pausing, head tilted, Lord Holder Engell leaned back and said, "I wonder if you could talk to the ship fish in their language, Sixth."
"That would require going near the water, Engell," Kalkin said, drearily. "And I am not doing that." He aimed a bold, angry look at Sixth, who was just about to get up and find out if he *could*."
