The snow began to fall harder, but the tree's branches overhead blocked out most of the cold and snow. Inside the little cedar grove, a bright blaze was burning, and four figures could be seen sitting around the fire. Three of the figures listened intently as the fourth, who was obviously human, spoke to them.
”…and that’s about all there is to Pern,” L’van concluded. He had been describing his home planet for them for the last hour.
“I don’t know about my sisters, but I have a few more questions for you, L’van,” Iyamah said.
“Okay, go ahead,” L’van replied with a sigh.
“Well, you told us that you are from another planet and that you flew here on your dragon, but how can a dragon fly from one planet to another?” she asked propping her head up on her fist.
L’van thought for second about how to best answer the question. “Potuth has an ability that allows him to go between. Between,” he explained before anyone could ask, “is a place between everywhere. For example, Potuth could go between right now and reappear anywhere he’s already been.”
“So, how did you get here the first time?” Iyamah asked.
L’van laughed as he remembered. “It was a complete accident really. I was on my way to another place and wound up here. Any other questions?”
“Just one more. Do you communicate with him mentally like he did with me?” Iyamah asked looking in the direction where Potuth had landed.
”Yeah, that’s how he talks to me,” L’van said with a nod. He looked around expecting more questions.
“I have a question for you,” Imbraya piped up. “Do all dragons look like Potuth?”
”No, not at all. In fact, dragons are very different from each other. I’ve seen all shapes, sizes, and colors of dragons,” he informed her. She nodded and looked away.
Iyore shifted uncomfortably. She really wanted to ask L’van something. “L’van,” she said finally, “how did you wind up with Potuth?”
”Well, when I was younger I was Searched, which means that a dragon and their rider thought that I would make a good rider for a dragon. Then I was sent to a weyr, which is where dragons are hatched and usually live. When the eggs hatched, Potuth chose me to be his rider,” L’van said with a shrug. Then he smiled. “In fact, I’ve been wanting to tell you all that Potuth thinks that you three would make good riders.”
”How could we be?” Iyore asked sadly. “We aren’t human like you are,” she reminded him.
”Being human doesn’t matter,” L’van explained patiently. “There are special weyrs that have dragons just for people like you.”
”You mean we could be riders like you?” Imbraya asked with wide eyes.
”Yes, all we have to do is find a place that would suit your needs.” He thought for several minutes as he checked places in his mind. “I think Ryslen would work very well.”
”How are we going to get there? Can Potuth carry all of us?” Iyamah asked concerned.
”Yes, Potuth can carry all of us,” he said getting up. “Let’s clean up, so we can leave soon.”
”Wait just a second. We haven’t decided whether we want to go or not,” Iyamah pointed out. “What do you two think?”
”I think being a dragon rider would be great,” Iyore said excitedly.
”It would be nice to meet new people,” Imbraya added with a grin.
”But, we wouldn’t be coming back here any time soon,” Iyamah said hiding her smile. She thought that she knew how her sisters would react.
”There’s really nothing to stay for,” Iyore said. “After everything that’s happened to us, all I have is my garden.”
”What do you mean? What happened to you?” L’van asked sitting back down.
”Our tribe kicked us out of the community,” Iyamah said bitterly.
”Do you mind me asking why,” L’van asked tentatively.
”No, it doesn’t matter anymore,” Iyamah said. “It’s quite simple. We broke the laws of Trial.”
”What’s Trial?” L’van asked at a complete loss.
”Within our culture, every harpy must go through a trial to see if they are worthy to remain in the tribe. The trial is that you have to survive completely on your own for seven years. Well, the three of us thought that this was really dumb. We could have done it, but we lived much better by working together. When our chief found out, he banned us from the tribe, and that was that,” she ended.
”I had been wondering where the other harpies were. I knew you three couldn’t be all of them,” he admitted.
”The others live on the other side of the cliffs, but we aren’t allowed near the area. So, we settled over here instead.” She looked around at her sisters, and both of them nodded. “I think we have agreed to go with you,” she said with a smile.
”Great!” he said getting back up. “Let’s get moving.”
All four people worked to clean up the area. Then the three harpies went back to their caves to gather what few belongings they had. Then they met back at the grove where L’van was already pulling on his riding gear.
”Between is very cold, so make sure you wrap your wings around you tightly,” he warned. Then all four of them mounted Potuth. The dragon launched himself into the air before he vanished completely.
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All three of the harpy images were made at The Doll Palace. They were then edited by my sister Weyrwoman Rhiannon. They are currently candidates at Ryslen Weyr.
Iyore bonded with Foliage Green Yerpiverth.
Iyamah bonded with Gold-Red Yetinanra.
Imbraya bonded with Showhorn Purple Ysomaiciz.
