Q’wil sat on his bunk, gently caressing the headknobs of his sleeping bronze dragon. Him! On a Bronze! He could hardly believe it, but that fuzzy-warm spot in his mind that was Mnelilth couldn’t be denied. He decided he should write a record of his Impression, and one for the girl Syrinx, who was also from East Rock Territory, but he hadn’t brought any ink or anything to write on from Ryslen. Admonishing himself for the oversight, Q’wil went to find White River’s Record Room.

He found it, but it wasn’t at all like the one at Ryslen, so he shouldn’t make comparisons. The journeymen in the Records Room took one look at his Journeyman’s Knots, and granted him full access to the ink and properly treated blank records he sought. Any archivist who’d reached Journeyman and was still young enough to have Impressed was obviously trustworthy.

Infy, Tylar’s green firelizard popped in from Between, scolding him for not being at Ryslen. Q’wil did his best to calm her down so he could retrieve the message from her leg.

Greetings to Quaiwil, from Tiyanni and J’kosh at Ryslen Weyr
Word has come that White River Weyr’s Hatching passed. How fared you?

Q’wil smiled. Neatly he added his response to the note, then sent it back with Infy.

It was a delightful Hatching – four special dragons hatched. A blue-bronze, a brown-blue, a white, and a gold-white. Syrinx of Kielac Impressed a green. Mnelilth is a fine bronze. We look forward to seeing you soon. – Q’wil

Tiyanni smiled at J’kosh, who smiled back. “Do you suppose Q’wil will continue to be an archivist when he gets back? He’s a bronzerider now...” Tiyanni trailed off.

J’kosh patted her hand lovingly. “It’s up to Q’wil, Tiyanni. We bronzeriders don’t spend all our time with our dragons, you know.” He said, smiling.

Q’wil smiled at his sleeping dragon, and didn’t hear the other weyrling arrive.

”I hear you got a note from Weyrwoman Tiyanni.” Syrinx said, standing in the doorway. Q’wil nodded. “How’d you get to be so special?”

”She’s Greenrider Tiwili’s sister; Tiwili was my mother.”

Syrinx blinked and sat down. “I’m sorry.” She said, feeling horrible that she’d brought up a bad thing.

”Don’t be.” Q’wil said, walking over to her. “She died in childbirth, Syrinx. Though I never really knew her, I know she’d be proud.”

Syrinx smiled wanly, still feeling awkward as Q’wil got closer.

”Mnelilth ate before he fell asleep, so the empty stomach is mine...” Q’wil said. “Care to join me for lunch, Greenrider?”

Q’wil found that an archivist was a very useful person to have at a weyr. Many of the holdbred who Impressed could neither read nor write, but wanted to send their good news home. It pleased Q’wil to no end to be helpful.

Mnelilth loved him for his giving heart, and together they made a great team. Mnelilth, though he hadn’t the agility of his green and blue clutchmates, had unmatchable stamina, and had the capacity of producing long-lasting bursts of flame.

Q’wil had formed a fast friendship with Syrinx, a harper-trained rider – also from East Rock. Being here together had kept them both from getting homesick.

When Q’wil looked back, he found that he was still the honorable young man who’d helped at the Bynor Hold Gather, but an entirely different man as well. Q’wil had become even more responsible, but hadn’t become pompous and thick-headed like the stereotypical bronzerider.

There is more in store for Journeyman Archivist Q’wil and his bronze Mnelilth... but what?

Find out here!