Anne Mccaffrey_ Dragonriders of Pern 20 by Dragon Harper Page B

his offspring, there was no question of Bemin’s virility. The knowledge that Fort’s Lord Holder was bonded to a green watch-wher eased some of Kindan’s unconscious worries about himself and his prior acquaintance with a watch-wher.
    “It’s cracking!” Koriana shouted, raising one arm to point at the egg nearest Bannor. “Feed it, feed it!”
    “You’d best feed yours,” Kindan told her calmly, noting that the noise had disturbed the queen.
    “It’s a bronze!” Bannor exclaimed. “Oh, you great beauty, you!” He started to feed the creeling fire-lizard scraps from his hand. But before the fire-lizard had stepped more than twice from its shell, Kindan’s Valla had woken up and chirped questioningly.
    Suddenly Koriss hissed loudly, her voice warbling in a horrible noise and the little newly hatched fire-lizard gave one terrified squawk and went
between.
    “She scared it!” Bannor cried, pointing a finger at the gold. “She scared it away!”
    “No, she didn’t,” Koriana protested hotly, grasping the gold tightly in her hands. “She was scared and she cried out.”
    “She scared it away,” Bannor persisted, his tone both bereaved and outraged. “And now I won’t have one.”
    Semin’s egg cracked at that moment and Bannor turned toward it. “Let me have yours, Semin.”
    Semin saw the look of longing in his younger brother’s eyes and was startled, caught between acquiescing and taking the fire-lizard himself. The hatchling squawked hungrily.
    “Feed it,” Kindan urged.
    But Koriss squawked again peremptorily before the little brown had even emerged from its shell and, with a horrified yelp, the little brown went
between.
    “Oh, no! Now look what you’ve done!” Bannor exclaimed angrily to his brother. “You should have given him to me, you oaf.” He turned toward Lady Sannora. “Mother, I want a fire-lizard.” He gestured toward Kindan and Issak. “Make them give me theirs.”
    “It doesn’t work that way, Bannor,” Koriana told him heatedly. “And how
dare
you say such a thing? Call yourself a Holder’s son?”
    “Mother!” Bannor complained, turning back to his mother.
    “Koriana, really!” Lady Sannora cried, wringing her hands. “Your brother has had a trying time here, at least you could be sympathetic.”
    But Koriana looked like the last thing she wanted to be was sympathetic.
    Issak stirred and asked Kindan, “Have you ever heard of such an occurance before?”
    “No,” Kindan replied, surprised that the journeyman would ask his opinion.
    “Nor have I,” Issak said. He turned to Lady Sannora. “My lady, if it pleases you, we will report this sad affair to the Masterharper. Perhaps he has some suggestions that would help in the future.”
    “Yes, yes,” Lady Sannora said hastily as she crossed toward the distraught Bannor. “That sounds like an excellent suggestion.”
    “But I still don’t know what to do with my fire-lizard,” Koriana protested, glancing pleadingly at Kindan.
    “For the time being, just feed her,” Kindan replied. “And oil any patchy skin, just like the watch-wher.”
    “You’re the one who had a watch-wher?” Lady Sannora asked, turning suddenly back toward Kindan. “And you gave her to that blind girl who saved her father?”
    “She’s not blind, not really,” Kindan said. “But that’s about the gist of it, yes, my lady.”
    “You must have been very sad,” Koriana said, looking at Kindan with renewed interest.
    “Or very stupid,” Bannor snapped, glancing sulkily at his mother.
    “Perhaps both,” Kindan agreed, not letting the Holder’s middle child upset him. Koriana rewarded him with an impish grin, quickly hidden from her mother.
    “My lady,” Issak prompted, “with your leave…”
    “Oh, do!” Lady Sannora assented, waving her hand and turning her attention solely toward Bannor. “We’ll send a messenger if we need anything.”
    “We could use the drums,” Semin suggested.
    “We’ll send a