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N'mol was crossing the weyr from his temporary home to the infirmary to visit the wounded when Valkyrie, his young Green flit whom had vanished in all of the fighting, suddenly reappeared ahead of him. She whistled shrilly and swept in to perch on N'mol's shoulder, digging her claws into the cloth as if it were wherhide. N'mol cursed and grabbed at her, lifting the flighty pet from his shoulder as she tried to flap her one uncaptured wing to give herself balance from his attack. She made a disgruntled, panicked combination of sounds and buffeted N'mol in the head with her wing.

"Easy!" N'mol held her away. Firelizards were generally useful for message running and the like, but N'mol hoped that when his got older she became a little less foolish and impulsive. "Where have you been?"

Valkyrie calmed down as N'mol adjusted his grip on her so it no longer hurt and held still as he pulled her around to hold in front of him. She wiggled a bit and when he relaxed his grip she carefully pulled her way onto his forearm and sat back, tail wrapping around his wrist.

"Better?" He raised his eyebrows as she whistled lowly. "Now where have you been and why are you so excited?"

Valkyrie blinked one set of lids, her eyes still whirling quickly with some unknown emotion, and the popped an image into his head.

N'mol frowned, trying to place it. The wilderness near Benden?

"Were you hiding out with the other firelizards? Among the wild ones?"

Valkyrie made an impatient sound at his apparent stupidity and projected a second image that very nearly made N'mol exclaim aloud. He turned and headed back the way he had come. When he broke into a jog, Valkyrie took to the air and flew along above and slightly ahead of him, sensing that her message had been received and was being acted on.

Tyeth. We need to go. I'm coming back to the weyr.

Tyeth, who had been resting for the first time in what felt like days, came through with a voice as strong as usual. Would you like for me to retrieve you and we can go wherever you need to from there? Clearly, he expected that N'mol's mission was within Trine (a reasonable assumption) and that since N'mol was not impulsive it must be important enough to rouse him.

No. I have to get my riding leathers. We're going home.



Tyeth appeared above the Benden wilderness, low enough to the trees that their Weyrlingmaster would have spit nails if he had seen them. However, the maneuver was necessary. The last thing they needed was someone noticing them, and Tyeth was a very large, very bright Bronze. The sun alone could give them away. Thankfully, it was late enough that the sun was setting, so it wasn't the usual glare of noon that could easily have given them away.

Did the little one give you a specific location? he inquired.

No. I'll have to go on foot. Find a small clearing where you can land. You can stay there, out of sight. I'll keep in touch.

Tyeth did find a place barely large enough for him to land and set down, wings held vertically since it would be impossible to fold them. I will have to find other accommodations once you are gone. I will return here when you need me. Do not lose touch, N'mol. We have a duty to Benden first.

And Benden will need riders when this is all over. I'm only offering them the chance to have a good one. Don't worry, Ty. I'll get back before we run into any trouble. N'mol slid from Tyeth's back and patted his side. The Bronze took his duty-- and the prestige it brought-- very seriously. He wasn't a "winner" for nothing. As N'mol took a few steps away from Tyeth, Valkyrie appeared from between, whistled imperiously, and flew off into the forest. She stopped and hovered, waiting for N'mol to catch up, her eyes bright pinpoints in the shade.

This way then. N'mol followed her in.

N'mol didn't dare call out, for fear that the handlers had put out patrols to search for hidden Weyr Loyalists. It would have made finding Roscoe faster and easier, but more dangerous. It had been two weeks since the initial fighting had begun, and since Benden had fallen in the first day,that would have left plenty of time for the handlers to set up a defensive perimetere. However, judging from the way Valkyrie was leading him away from the weyr, Roscoe had managed to get relatively far. The image Valkyrie hadn't given N'mol hadn't shown the extent of Roscoe's injuries, but if he was just lying low, chances were good it was bad.

We're going to need to get him straight to the healers.

Undoubtedly, Tyeth confirmed.

N'mol pushed aside a branch and slid past it, keeping his eye peeled for anything out of the ordinary. Valkyrie led him on as he tried to stay as quiet as possible. When she crossed a large open space of ground, seemingly unconcerned with the lack of cover, N'mol shook his head and checked for any watchers before bracing himself and darting across the small pasture.

He paused once under the cover of trees and looked back out. The area remained as empty as before, though he could distantly see the top of the walls of Benden. Anger shot through him, forcing him to swallow it back before he could continue following Valkyrie. They would get their home back. One way or another. It wasn't just that they had upset the accepted balance of Pern, one that N'mol had dedicated his life to. It was that they had killed indiscriminately and usurped his home. N'mol hadn't seen his father, and he knew the man would never have sided with the Revolutionaries. That left three options, and two of them were not very pleasant.

"How much farther?" he asked Valkyrie quietly. The Green chirruped and picked up her pace. N'mol did the same, though it abandoned some of the stealth he was trying to move with. If they hadn't caught him in the field, he was hoping that meant they hadn't thought to put patrols out this far, though he wouldn't put marks on it.

Valkyrie made a soft chirp, sounding almost as if she was questioning herself, and then after a moment emitted a louder one. N'mol pressed his lips tightly together, feeling the tension of being in enemy territory even when it appeared he was alone. However, it was good that he held his tongue. A loud answering chirp-- a series of chirps, actually-- answered Valkyrie. Or she had answered them when they were too quiet for N'mol to make out. Valkyrie seemed confident in this reply, and N'mol found the time to hope that the firelizard she was conversing with was Roscoe's.

He didn't take a chance with shouting out himself-- firelizards, after all, did strange things and it could be excused as a wild pair if no humans were heard-- but he was a little less cautious about his movements.

Suddenly, a creature flew in their direction and N'mol froze. Valkyrie continued on, whistling in greeting, and danced in an aerial circle around the Gold flit who had come to greet them. N'mol felt a wash of relief. Metyl.

"Roscoe." N'mol let his voice carry the extra distance, aware of the clearing so close behind him, but knowing his friend had to be close. He looked deeper into the copse of trees he had entered, and began heading that way. "It's N'mol."

N'mol stepped forward quickly to steady Roscoe, in case the man fell. His hand pressed against a crusty patch of shirt and he felt his chest tighten. How bad were the wounds? They didn't look good from what N'mol could tell and Roscoe didn't move with his usual surefooted quality. However, from Roscoe's words, N'mol didn't really have the time to check thoroughly.

"Then we need to move fast, before a patrol catches sight of Tyeth or comes looking for the man who ran across the pasture," N'mol replied, adjusting his grip on Roscoe. "Can you walk or do I need to shoulder-haul you?"

Regardless of his answer, N'mol recognized that Tyeth was going to have to meet him considerably closer than their original landing zone and that was going to be dangerous. They would have to work quickly. Tyeth. We'll be needing you in a moment.

Give me a location and I will be there.

N'mol clenched his jaw, trying to determine how much to tell Roscoe now when his attention needed to be on escaping. Now that he knew patrols came out this far, he didn't want to get caught by one. They wouldn't stand a chance.

"It's not far to the pasture. Let's start moving so I can call Tyeth to get us out of here."

Although he let Roscoe walk on his own, N'mol walked beside him in case the man stumbled. However, he didn't want Roscoe to feel he was being babied; a man had his pride, after all.

"There were riders helping them," he said at last. "Quite a few of them, even at Trine. From what we've been hearing it was the same everywhere. Whether they knew from the start and were waiting or joined in after it started, I don't know. But they've betrayed their kind for what reason no one seems to know. The one Tyeth fought was crazed, though. I'm sure that's not the reason with all of them, but if riders lose their minds, so will their dragons. They follow our lead."

N'mol peered out at the clearing. "I'll try to get him as close as I can, but we're going to have to strike out across the field before he gets here. Once we get to him you won't have to worry about holding your energy in reserve anymore, so give it all you have."

"You really expected me to leave you here?" N'mol asked. "Not a chance. Ready? Go."

Tyeth. Now. N'mol transferred a clear image of the pasture, a clearing between two groups of trees with Benden shining in the distance.

As he and Roscoe took their first few steps across the pasture, Tyeth exploded into the space just ahead of them, dropping far too quickly to the ground and landing heavily.

Quickly, N'mol. They can see me from here and they will not need to ask which side I am on.

N'mol didn't reply, but he understood Tyeth's concerns. Shortly after the warning, the Watchdragon posted on Benden's rim-- and that stung-- bellowed a warning to those inside. Tyeth turned to watch the weyr, watching for any who would come to intercept them. He did not reply in kind; it was clear that he was the superior dragon and he had no reason to challenge those so far beneath him.

"Get on!" N'mol ordered, offering Roscoe cupped hands to give him a leg up.

As Roscoe settled himself, N'mol was already pulling himself up behind him, movements sure and quick. As soon as he dropped into place, he reached around to begin securing Roscoe and Tyeth vaulted into the air, nearly throwing both men from his back.

Easy, N'mol snapped at the Bronze, though without any heat. He was focused on getting Roscoe secured. He was worried his friend would slip off in between and be lost for good.

If you would prefer to be caught by the whers, N'mol, I could return to the ground, Tyeth offered calmly, but N'mol caught the chastising hint of ice behind the offer.

Of course not. N'mol finished tightening the strap, probably with a bit more force than needed, and sat back to tangle his own hands in some of the straps. He's in. Go.

The Watchdragon bellowed again, and this time Tyeth, safely above the whers and far from the weyr, bellowed back a brassy challenge, full of the strength of a young Bronze and a Wingleader. As the echo finished ringing, Tyeth took his passengers to the safety of between.