====June 1, 2013
====Lanti
====In the time immediately following the departure of the last group of forward-jumping riders, Lanti reflects.

Who Lanti
What In the time immediately following the departure of the last group of forward-jumping riders, Lanti reflects.
When 68th day of autumn, 29th Turn, Tenth Interval
Where Dedanseth's Ledge, Ista Weyr

Lanti.png


Dedanseth's Ledge
In the handful of queens' ledges, the one leading to Lanti and Dedanseth's weyr is one of the smallest. Long and narrow, it hugs the rock face in mirrored concave, making landings rather tricky if the wind is strong. The overhang has been carved deeper into the Weyr wall to compensate, leaving room for up to three large dragons to lounge.
On the end of the ledge farthest from the landing overlook, an old metal bench has been fastened to the wall. It has been enameled with a mottled grey and white that both blends and accents the dark volcanic background. From this vantage point, one can easily look out across the bowl, from the plateau to the waterfall basin in the distance, and when the breeze blows from the west, the sounds of the surf just barely reach the weyr.


The Weyr felt so empty, Lanti thought as she sat on the bench on her ledge. Dedanseth still guarded her clutch, but her urgency had faded the moment the last dragon disappeared Between half an hour earlier, toward a future only dimly known. So many emotions coursed through Lanti's mind, body, and soul. It was always to this spot she had retreated when she needed to think, ever since she and Des first moved into this weyr and had the bench installed. She wanted to close her eyes but would not, instead looking across the Weyr that was once again hers. It was a strange sensation. So much change in so little time, where clarity seemed to run backward.

It was strange for the dragons, too. One moment, their world was filled with familiar minds, the next, there were massive, dragon-sized gaps. It was a blessing to be a dragon, though, as those gaps so quickly blended to simply become their new reality. Much harder for the humans left behind.

Lanti breathed deeply of the crisp ocean air blowing in from the west. There was so much to do, but her entire body felt like lead, ponderous and dull. She'd had it easy, compared to some. Her family had all remained behind for various reasons, Il'ad at 'Reaches, Pidgery at Keroon, and G'deon was still there at Ista. She was expecting him, in fact, but he'd had his own difficult farewells to make. And still, it seemed almost effortless for her. Even now, from her perch above the bowl, Lanti could hear more than one person crying, see other people at their ledges or down below, thinking their thoughts just as she did, taking comfort in those left behind.

Parents and children had said their last goodbyes, longtime weyrmates had split as one left and the other stayed. There were some partings Lanti felt keenly, but nothing like the others'. She had always closed herself off from bonds like that. Except with Des, of course, though that had taken effort and willpower on both sides.

She reached gently now to the brooding gold and felt the already fading bewilderment as Dedanseth tried to fill in the gaps left by the missing dragons, now too far ahead in time to be felt. Lanti wondered briefly if it was the same for the dragons who had made the jump, or if there was some sort of reverse sensation. After all, fifty Turns from now, many of today's dragons would be dead. Would they reach out to the ones who remained? Would there be a brief reunion, only to repeat the left and leaving?

Lanti could surmise a little bit based on what Hannah and Dhiammarath had shared. Already, she was working to figure out how to go back in time to find the other weyrwoman, who was now about another fifty Turns in the future. Time travel was a strange and dangerous beast, and Lanti was beginning to think the best approach was to think about it as little as possible.

There were so many things that needed doing. Search riders still needed to find candidates, especially now that Des had confirmed the presence of a new gold in her clutch. There were still relief and repair efforts underway, with more in the queue, most partnered with one or more teams of crafters or laborers. Fires to be extinguished, homes to rebuild, herds to be gathered again, and injured who still needed assistance. There were still the day-to-day duties, and an even greater need to be more self-sustaining, though it helped that there were fewer dragons now left to feed. That number would grow when Dedanseth's clutch hatched, though, and hers wasn't the only one hardening on Pern's various hatching sands. A bizarre twisting turn in the circle of life.

Despite it all, Lanti felt a strangely serene confidence. While she didn't know entirely what the future held, she knew her people would face it someday. It gave her the closest sensation to a mother's pride that she would ever feel, and it felt amazing.

With that last thought, she got to her feet, feeling refreshed. As Lanti stretched, she saw Nylanth swoop into the hatching cavern to relieve Des from her vigil so she could eat and sleep properly for the first time since she laid this clutch. It was just as well the clutchsire and his rider had jumped forward, Lanti reflected as she picked out a bottle of wine and two glasses, then left for the stairs to the bowl. Between Nylanth and Nverath filling in, this might be Dedanseth's most relaxed clutch yet, and that was saying something.

Lanti's father waved as he exited the hatching sands and settled into one of the chairs set just outside in the shade of the Weyr's wall. Lanti strode steadily in his direction with a final, lingering thought. The Weyr wasn't so empty when it was so truly her home.

Add a New Comment