"Todd McCaffrey - Pern 19 - Dragonsblood" - читать интересную книгу автора (McCaffrey Todd)

K’lior jogged after D’gan, still hoping to soothe the other’s foul mood.

“C’rion, youknow he’s got a thin skin. Why do you insist on pricking it?”
M’tal asked the Istan Weyrleader in exasperation.

C’rion chuckled at the Benden Weyrleader’s remark. “Oh, you know, M’tal, he’s
not all that bad—when he stops taking himself so seriously. I feel it’s my
duty as an older, more experienced Weyrleader, to spill the wind from his
sails when he takes on airs like that.”

“D’ganis the sort to swear his Egg cracked the wrong way,” M’tal agreed.

C’rion snorted a laugh. “I suspect that D’gan will be a lot more acceptable
after his first dose of numbweed. And K’lior will steady up after his first
Threadfall.”

M’tal pursed his lips thoughtfully. “I’m not so sure about D’gan.”

C’rion shrugged. “I’ve been worried ever since it was decided to abandon Igen
Weyr and incorporate those dragonriders into Telgar.”
 “It made sense at the time,” M’tal said, “what with the drought in Igen, the
death of their last queen, and the good harvests at Telgar.”

C’rion raised a hand to ward off further discussion. “All true. But D’gan
himself worries me. He drills his riders hard. Telgar Weyr has never lost the
Games since he became Weyrleader—but will all that be worth anything when
Thread comes?”

M’tal nodded emphatically. “If there’s one thing I could never imagine, it
would be D’gan shirking his duty. We dragonriders know what to expect when
Thread comes.” He waved a hand at the Star Stones. “And we know it will come
soon.”

“I hear your queen laid a large clutch last week,” C’rion said, changing the
topic. “Congratulations.”

M’tal laughed. “Are you going to make me an offer like our esteemed Telgar?”

“No, actually, I was going to offer a trade,” C’rion said.

M’tal motioned for him to continue.

“Two queen eggs, by all accounts,” C’rion said. “That would make four queens
all told.”

“No, one of the eggs is a bronze,” M’tal said. “We’d hopes at first, but
Breth nudged it back with the others.” The queen dragons always pushed their
queen eggs into a special spot on the Hatching Grounds, which they carefully
guarded.