Post by Neeq Machine on Dec 16, 2011 12:50:34 GMT -5
It was their best-kept secret. The Clutch at High Reaches Weyr. And Kaycy knew it. The queen had forbidden all of the dragons from speaking of the Clutch, and so gossip was silent. The only people who got to see the Clutch were the Candidates and the guardians of the Clutch. The gold herself had abandoned her eggs entirely, and acted almost as if she didn't know that they existed, or that they were hers. Aside from the occasional cursory look at the dragonpair sent to watch over the eggs and help with their turning, she couldn't care less what happened. Only the Weyrwoman did, but she left the rosters for the Clutch watchers up to volunteers, and, failing that, to the Wingleaders to decide. She had other things that required her attention as the domestic leader.
It was amazing, really, how easy it was for Kaycy and Winzerith to get onto the roster for guarding. Within a sevenday, the pair had spent enough time in the Hatching Grounds to draw precise maps of the whole thing, including schedules. Winzerith knew exactly the plans, and theoretically the gold's command should have prevented him from going along with them. But there are advantages to having a force-Impressed dragon, and one of them is the ability of the rider to override a gold's command. The rider's mind, not the dragon's, could rule.
And then, one crisp August morning, they simply vanished into thin air.
How could it have gone so wrong? Kaycy was chained -- literally chained -- to a stone wall in what could only be referred to as a dungeon. Outside, his dragon was muzzled and his wings bound, with claw marks on him from the two vanguard dragons that flew with the pirate fleet. So much had changed. He hadn't even known. It wasn't as if Kaycy had expected to be trusted, not at first. After all, he'd left the Archipelago for the Harper Hall as soon as Winzerith could between, and the dragon could not resist a gold interrogation with his rider bound and helpless, being similarly threatened. The coalition had been found because of that blunder.
Do you know what they're doing, Winz? Kaycy asked, yanking in futility on the chains once more. What are they going to do with us?
Keysath says not to worry, the blue replied, nevertheless sounding worried. 'There is a bounty for you,' she says. What is a bounty?[/color] Kaycy's heart thudded heavily in his chest.
It means that we're criminals. They're going to sell us to someone who wants us alive, the harper said, unable to hide the fear in his racing thoughts. How would they get out of this? Who was it who wanted them? If it was the North... they were going to die. He could feel it in his bones. And the coalition? Perhaps a worse fate yet. But they had something to trade, and they'd come to trade it. The North had treated them like traitors when they'd only wanted to come home. All he wanted was amnesty... and to see Lokin one more time. Perhaps his beautiful cousin had Impressed again, or found her way in life. But he wanted to at least get the chance to say goodbye.
Overtop of the underground building where Kaycy awaited judgment, a lovely green dragon sprawled, keeping an eye on the muzzled and hobbled blue dragon. But Winzerith seemed uninclined to try anything foolish, for which Vala and Keysath both were grateful. They had no desire to get into another battle with the blue. The first had been quite enough.
Fire-lizards had been dispatched to the coalition riders -- one to Kes'len, with whom their alliance lay, one to Aryna, a friend of the pirates, and another to the mercenary rider Re'laur who was a teacher of the young riders. This one needed some lessoning, it seemed. Now all that remained was for them to come and interrogate the bluerider, and she could stop playing prison guard and get back to her ship!
It was amazing, really, how easy it was for Kaycy and Winzerith to get onto the roster for guarding. Within a sevenday, the pair had spent enough time in the Hatching Grounds to draw precise maps of the whole thing, including schedules. Winzerith knew exactly the plans, and theoretically the gold's command should have prevented him from going along with them. But there are advantages to having a force-Impressed dragon, and one of them is the ability of the rider to override a gold's command. The rider's mind, not the dragon's, could rule.
And then, one crisp August morning, they simply vanished into thin air.
How could it have gone so wrong? Kaycy was chained -- literally chained -- to a stone wall in what could only be referred to as a dungeon. Outside, his dragon was muzzled and his wings bound, with claw marks on him from the two vanguard dragons that flew with the pirate fleet. So much had changed. He hadn't even known. It wasn't as if Kaycy had expected to be trusted, not at first. After all, he'd left the Archipelago for the Harper Hall as soon as Winzerith could between, and the dragon could not resist a gold interrogation with his rider bound and helpless, being similarly threatened. The coalition had been found because of that blunder.
Do you know what they're doing, Winz? Kaycy asked, yanking in futility on the chains once more. What are they going to do with us?
Keysath says not to worry, the blue replied, nevertheless sounding worried. 'There is a bounty for you,' she says. What is a bounty?[/color] Kaycy's heart thudded heavily in his chest.
It means that we're criminals. They're going to sell us to someone who wants us alive, the harper said, unable to hide the fear in his racing thoughts. How would they get out of this? Who was it who wanted them? If it was the North... they were going to die. He could feel it in his bones. And the coalition? Perhaps a worse fate yet. But they had something to trade, and they'd come to trade it. The North had treated them like traitors when they'd only wanted to come home. All he wanted was amnesty... and to see Lokin one more time. Perhaps his beautiful cousin had Impressed again, or found her way in life. But he wanted to at least get the chance to say goodbye.
Overtop of the underground building where Kaycy awaited judgment, a lovely green dragon sprawled, keeping an eye on the muzzled and hobbled blue dragon. But Winzerith seemed uninclined to try anything foolish, for which Vala and Keysath both were grateful. They had no desire to get into another battle with the blue. The first had been quite enough.
Fire-lizards had been dispatched to the coalition riders -- one to Kes'len, with whom their alliance lay, one to Aryna, a friend of the pirates, and another to the mercenary rider Re'laur who was a teacher of the young riders. This one needed some lessoning, it seemed. Now all that remained was for them to come and interrogate the bluerider, and she could stop playing prison guard and get back to her ship!
