The White Dragon - Chapter Sixteen

[kalinara]

So last time, Jaxom, Sharra and Brekke were annoying. F'lar and Lessa were great. And I took more opportunity to bitch about Robinton. OH, and Piemur showed up! Yay! Maybe something will happen now. (How long has it been since Jaxom stole the fucking egg???)



So as mentioned, Piemur shows up and this actually wins my love a bit:

When Jaxom and Sharra blurted out to Piemur the events at Ista Weyr, including the news of the Harper’s illness, the young journeyman treated them to a colorful description of his Master’s follies, shortcomings, stupid loyalties and altruistic hopes that quite stunned the listeners until they saw the tears leaking down Piemur’s cheeks.

I hope he went on about what a terrible teacher he is, because he really fucking is.

The emotional moment is interrupted by Piemur's running beast running away from Ruth. Piemur coaxes him back in, revealing his name is Stupid. Which isn't a fair name, Piemur acknowledges, because Stupid is well aware that Ruth likes to eat his kind.

Seems smarter than Jaxom already.

Meanwhile Ruth reassures them that he wouldn't eat Stupid, as he is small and not very plump. Piemur admits that Stupid's tendency to flee whenever dragons come by has actually saved his skin a few times. And I admit, I have no idea how old Piemur's supposed to be at this point. Though if he were around ten or so in Dragonsinger, which was concurrent with the end of Dragonquest, I suppose he WOULD be only a year younger than Jaxom himself. How time flies.

Anyway, I kind of wish I were reading Dragondrums, because I like Piemur far more than Jaxom. Jaxom, by the way is pretty patronizing here:

Jaxom regarded the young man patiently. He was used to Piemur’s mannerisms from the days they had spent together in Master Fandarel’s and the Harper Hall.

Hmph.

Anyway, so Piemur asks if Jaxom has ever wondered why Piemur had left the classes. Honestly, Piemur, I doubt Jaxom ever noticed anything that wasn't his immediate convenience. I don't even remember him talking about Piemur being at these lessons. But anyway, Jaxom says that Menolly said he'd been posted elsewhere.

“And everywhere,” Piemur replied with a broad sweep of his arm, his fingers flicking southward in emphasis. “I’ll wager that I’ve seen more of this planet than any living thing ... including dragons!” He gave a decisive nod of his head to show the others they should be impressed. “I haven’t quite ... ” he paused to stress the qualifier, “gone all around this Southern Continent, nor have I gone across it, but I intimately know everywhere I have been!” He pointed to the worn boots on his feet. “New they were, a scant four sevendays ago when I started east. Oh, the tales these boots could tell!” He squinted at Jaxom thoughtfully. “It’s one thing, my Lord Jaxom, to soar serenely over land, seeing all from an exalted height. Quite another, I assure you, to stomp on it, through it, under it, around it. You know where you’ve been then!”

Okay, okay, you don't have to sell me on Dragondrums, Ms. McCaffrey. It's on my list.

Jaxom asks if F'lar knows. More or less, a little less than more is the unhelpful answer. Basically, about three years ago, Toric started trading ores. Robinton decided that he wanted to investigate the source, so he sent Piemur. Because apparently that's what he does rather than teach young Harpers. I wouldn't complain if it weren't for the fact that he's supposed to teach young Harpers.

Piemur by the way is still worried about Robinton, moreso than I've seen Jaxom worried about anyone that isn't Jaxom.

After being reassured that the dragons "won't let him go", Piemur isn't surprised. Of course not, because Robinton is the biggest creator's pet in the goddamn series. Or ""The dragons know who're their friends."

Really? Because it was THEIR kid that got kidnapped. And Robinton called Lessa an idiot for being upset.

Anyway, Robinton "had a notion" that F'lar had an eye for using the continent during the next Interval (the time between Thread passes, usually 200 years). Because Robinton has creator's pet clairvoyance and is always right of course. Hmph.

“I don’t know what F’lar’s plans might be but he’s not the only one interested in the South, I’d wager.”

“Truly spoken! But he’s the only one that matters, don’t you see?”

Of course.

Sharra DOESN'T see though. She points out that her brother is Lord Holder. Or would be, if acknowledged. Um. Is this the first we hear about her being Toric's sister? She seems to know Piemur, so I'm assuming she's also in Dragondrums. And yes, McCaffrey did say to read that one first. But this one was PUBLISHED first, so I feel like she could have at least written it with the assumption that this will be news to a few of us.

Anyway, Sharra points out that Toric's put up with a lot of shit. Oh, THAT's interesting. Apparently, Toric actually settled with F'nor, when "he timed it back". So does that mean HE was along for that whole T'bor/Kylara/F'nor thing? But F'nor said they were all having a rough time of it and didn't even bother to mention non-dragon riders. What a DICK!

Anyway, Toric's also put up with the Oldtimers and protected his Hold from Thread. All true! I like Sharra!

Piemur's quick to mollify her. No one's trying to disparage Toric or take his Hold. The Southern Continent is really fucking big. Piemur's walked a shit ton of it. He babbles a bit about his journey, but the gist of it is there's plenty of room for everyone. Piemur also asks Sharra to have a look at his injured leg, which we're suddenly told he's been favoring. Thanks, Jaxom.

So there's some banter about his recently scarred wound, while Jaxom asks if Piemur has kept any Records, "keenly interested and just a shade jealous of Piemur's freedom".

Dude, you're a Lord with a fucking Dragon.

Anyway, yes. Piemur has many records. He'd actually like more paper to write more records. When he finds out Jaxom has some, he runs off. Jaxom is a little embarrassed to have Piemur see his "bumbling attempts to map their immediate vicinity." But Piemur is complimentary.

Oh, bullshit. Not the complimentary part. But this sudden embarrassment. Jaxom has shown no particular sign of modesty for this entire book. The opposite, at least with Sharra. This feels like McCaffrey just remembered that Jaxom is supposed to be quiet and shy. Fuck that.

Anyway, Piemur compliments the work, especially using Ruth as a measure. For his part, Piemur has taught his fire lizard, Farli, to pace her flight. He counts the seconds and watches her dip at the end to record it. N'ton's checked the measures, so he knows it's accurate as long as he allows for wind factor.

Wow. Well done! And I'm glad to see that Piemur DOES get a fire lizard at some point!

So anyway, Piemur does stick around for a bit to rest his leg. Ruth keeps them updated about Robinton's stupid condition. They fly to some grassland to pick up some fodder for Stupid when he finishes off the local greens. (There's some cute banter in which Jaxom says they're not fattening Stupid up for Ruth, and Ruth says he wouldn't eat a friend of a friend.)

They chat about the mountain and if Jaxom's been to the top yet. Piemur emphatically reinforces the "no flying between with fire-head" restriction, and eyeballs the distance. He thinks it's maybe four or five days' travel over rough country.

Stupid by the way is thrilled with his new greens. They discuss his intelligence: he's not as smart as a fire lizard. Piemur calls him limited, but notes that within his limitations, he's quite bright. He's good, for example, at finding the easiest routes over rough ground. And he can find drinking water.

Piemur also notes that he found a queen's fire lizard clutch a few coves back, if someone wants any. Sadly, he dismisses green fire lizards as stupid and useless. Hmph. Sharra adds a time when she'd stumbled onto her first clutch. She'd watched it for days, wanting to Impress all of them.

Piemur laughs at the thought of Impressing four or five, as though he doesn't know fucking Menolly.

Anyway, she was disappointed that a sand snake had gotten them from beneath. That doesn't happen with a Queen's clutch because she's always nearby.

So, do you think Jaxom remembers that he once promised Corana a fire lizard egg? Me neither. He raped her and now has replaced her and she doesn't even matter anymore. Fuck that guy.

So they DO end up getting the eggs. Canth apparently will be coming to get them and give them updates. Jaxom asks Piemur if he should be here when F'nor comes, and Piemur says "Why not? He knows what I've been doing."

Of course he does. Because F'nor is another creator's pet.

Piemur wonders why they went north to begin with. Sharra suggests that the continent was just too big to keep Threadfree before the grubs were seeded. Piemur acknowledges the point, then goes onto how useless the records actually are. Such as telling them to watch the grubs and leave the Southern Continent alone without telling them why.

He does note that there are some pretty nasty "earthshakes" down here. Much nastier than the ones in the North. This tangents to other things that Piemur's seen, such as an erupting volcano. He says N'ton can even vouch for that one.

Interestingly, that seems to have an effect, because that night, Piemur, Jaxom and Sharra all have bad dreams about the volcano.

So the next morning, F'nor comes. With three other dragons! There's more banter, and Piemur asks if he'll be brought to Robinton. Nope! ROBINTON will be brought HERE. Apparently, they've decided to build a hall for him, right in this cove!

Of course they are.

“How’ll he get here?” Jaxom asked. “He surely wouldn’t be allowed to fly between.” He couldn’t help the edge of resentment in his voice. F’nor cocked an eyebrow at him.

Wow, you're still a dick.

Anyway, "Master Idarolan" has apparently offered up his fastest, largest vessel. Robinton will be coming with Menolly and Brekke. F'nor's here with three Weyrlings to get to work, enlarging the shelter to a proper hold.

Sharra though has some opinions about that. The plans that F'nor brought, for example, are for a hall that wouldn't be suited for the continent. And his plans to get rid of the underbrush would fry "the Harper" in the sun.

She points him in the direction of a better location for a permanent hold. F'nor balks at the mature trees, but per Sharra, it's been grubbed. Apparently, Thread "sears a leaf every sevenday or so, but the plant heals itself."

How the fuck does that work?

So anyway, Sharra knows far more about the climate than the boys do. She thinks they need to build on pilings, off the ground, with reef rock for foundations. Large windows and corridors, to catch breezes. An outdoor hearth. And there's no real need for a bathing room with the cove nearby. Though she doesn't object to piped water. That'd be convenient.

“Anything else, Masterbuilder?” F’nor was more amused and admiring than sarcastic.

“I’ll let you know when the thought occurs to me,” she replied with dignity.

Fuck off, F'nor.

I will give him credit, he's willing to listen to the experienced folk. One of the riders with him, K'van, I feel like I remember from one of the Pernish short stories. (A quick check shows that he's from "the Smallest Dragonboy" which was published in "Get Off the Unicorn". He bonded with his dragon at the age of twelve, which just makes me sigh. Fucking Weyrs.)

I would like to note that K'van at least is a bronze rider. I'm not sure if the others are. But it does tend to emphasize F'nor's status, where he, a supposedly lowly brown rider, gets to boss around people who ostensibly should outrank him. But we're still supposed to see him as modest and ordinary.

They get to work. Interestingly the trees seem much tougher down south than in the North, and it takes a lot of effort. I actually feel a little sorry for Piemur and Jaxom having to give up their own comfortable convalescence to do chores for Robinton. But that's favoritism for you.

And Jaxom is still disgusting:

Sharra took pity on their aching muscles and rubbed salve that smelled aromatic and burned pleasantly into the soreness. Jaxom liked to think that she spent more time massaging his back than Piemur’s. He’d been glad to see the young harper and was fascinated by the Records and the charts he was drawing from his travels, but he did wish that Piemur had taken a day or two longer before he’d reached the camp. There was no way he could consolidate his hold on her attentions with a third party about.

Why are you this gross? What the hell?

Anyway, the next morning, F'nor's back with even MORE people. Including Fandarel, Bendarek (who is called a "Masterwoodsman"), N'ton and T'gellan.

Fandarel and Bendarek get a look at the (revised) plans for the cot and shake their heads at the inefficency.

“First we must correct this design. Master Bendarek ... ”

“I quite agree. This is a nice enough little cot but not at all suitable accommodation for the Masterharper of Pern.”

Ugh. Of course. I realize I'm being utterly irrational at this point. Robinton IS a very important figure on Pern. But I dislike him SO MUCH.

Anyway, they've brought, or arranged to bring, lots of hardwoods and piping, stonesmiths who can lay foundation. They're pretty much taking over immediately.

I'll admit this is funny though:

“Honest, Jaxom,” F’nor said, his eyes crinkling with amusement, “all I did was ask F’lar and Lessa if I could draft a few more helpers. Lessa gave me a stern look; F’lar said I was to recruit as many free riders as I needed and, at dawn, the rim of the Weyr was packed solid with dragons and half the Craftmasters of Pern! Lessa must have bespoken Ramoth, who evidently told everyone in Pern ... ”

...did you really expect anything else?

So anyway, Jaxom's got mixed feeling about "this invasion of their private, peaceful cove"

Don't you have a Hold to learn to run?

Piemur, meanwhile, is worried about Stupid and tells Farli to help him find him.

“That young man’s been alone too long,” F’nor said.

“Yes!”

“You know how he feels?” F’nor asked, grinning at Jaxom’s terse reply. He clapped him on the shoulder. “I wouldn’t let it get to me, if I were you, Jaxom. With the amount of help we’ve got, the hold will be up in next to no time. You’ll have your peace and quiet back.”

Yeah, because having blue balls while on vacation is totally the same thing as spending three years trekking through the wilderness.

Also, fuck off, F'nor.

For her part, Sharra is annoyed. Like F'nor, the Craftsmen are planning with the North in mind. She explains why that doesn't work, quite sharply.

F’nor made a clicking noise against his teeth. “She sounds like Brekke. And if she acts at all like my weyrmate when she’s in that sort of mood, I’d rather be elsewhere.

...Brekke has NEVER had that much personality in her life. That line of dialogue might work coming from F'lar (though I don't think F'lar has ever or would ever flee from Lessa in a bad mood. He's the type to poke the snake with a stick), or T'gellan about Mirrim, but not F'nor.

Also, "a mood"? Really? She's correcting them before they build something that will roast the inhabitants like an oven! That's hardly a "mood", you dismissive little dick.

Ahem. Sorry. I didn't realize how much I missed bitching about F'nor's habit of belittling people and their concerns.

So anyway, they head off to go hunting. But before that, Jaxom is greeted by a lot of people, who ask how he's feeling.

Before they completed the short walk to the cove tip, Jaxom had identified men from every Weyr except Telgar-which was expecting Thread that day -and representatives of every craft in Pern, mostly journeyman rank and higher. Isolated as he’d been for so many sevendays, it hadn’t occurred to Jaxom that his illness might have been a subject of widespread interest through Weyr, Craft, and Hold. He was embarrassed as well as gratified, but that did not ease his sense of being overwhelmed, or this violation, however well-intentioned, of the privacy and peace of his cove.

What had F’nor called him? Resident Lord Holder?

...dude, they're here for Robinton. They're being polite.

And yes, you ARE kind of important! You're a Lord Holder! And it kind of seems like the only reason Lytol's still in charge is because you've done jack shit to step forward.

There's something a bit ironic about a rapist bitching about the violation of his peace and quiet, too.

So they go hunting. It sounds like fun, actually, as they use "spearheaded ropes" to catch and kill the wherries. Jaxom and Ruth are naturals, OF COURSE. F'nor and N'ton do well too. T'gellan gets to fumble a bit because he's a tool for shilling rather than an authorial favorite, but he comes through in the end. They come back, burdened with meat, to find a large clearing has been made in the grove. Pillars of reef rock are in place, and crossbeams prepared.

Wow. They do work fast.

There are also pits for roasting and spits, all ready to make use of the wherries. Yay.

When F'nor meets up with Jaxom, he rather cryptically notes that "they'll make the transition easily". He's referring to dragonfolk, going back to the land. F'nor wants Jaxom and Piemur to continue mapping, with the mountain as an eventual goal.

Finally, they get back to the matter of the fire lizard clutch. Apparently there are twenty-one eggs. Jaxom asks for five, to be taken back to Ruatha. He doesn't mention Corana by name, of course, but I'm still pleasantly surprised. Well done. It is literally the least you could do, but at least you're doing it.

The chapter ends with me not completely hating Jaxom for once! Hooray!

(I still wish I were reading Piemur's book instead.)

Comments

[copperfyre]

Piemur is improving this book a lot. Though I too wish you were reading his book instead.

[kalinara]

He's really a far more interesting lead.